3,830 research outputs found
Current perspectives of the signaling pathways directing neural crest induction.
The neural crest is a migratory population of embryonic cells with a tremendous potential to differentiate and contribute to nearly every organ system in the adult body. Over the past two decades, an incredible amount of research has given us a reasonable understanding of how these cells are generated. Neural crest induction involves the combinatorial input of multiple signaling pathways and transcription factors, and is thought to occur in two phases from gastrulation to neurulation. In the first phase, FGF and Wnt signaling induce NC progenitors at the border of the neural plate, activating the expression of members of the Msx, Pax, and Zic families, among others. In the second phase, BMP, Wnt, and Notch signaling maintain these progenitors and bring about the expression of definitive NC markers including Snail2, FoxD3, and Sox9/10. In recent years, additional signaling molecules and modulators of these pathways have been uncovered, creating an increasingly complex regulatory network. In this work, we provide a comprehensive review of the major signaling pathways that participate in neural crest induction, with a focus on recent developments and current perspectives. We provide a simplified model of early neural crest development and stress similarities and differences between four major model organisms: Xenopus, chick, zebrafish, and mouse
Pax7 lineage contributions to the mammalian neural crest.
BackgroundNeural crest cells are vertebrate-specific multipotent cells that contribute to a variety of tissues including the peripheral nervous system, melanocytes, and craniofacial bones and cartilage. Abnormal development of the neural crest is associated with several human maladies including cleft/lip palate, aggressive cancers such as melanoma and neuroblastoma, and rare syndromes, like Waardenburg syndrome, a complex disorder involving hearing loss and pigment defects. We previously identified the transcription factor Pax7 as an early marker, and required component for neural crest development in chick embryos. In mammals, Pax7 is also thought to play a role in neural crest development, yet the precise contribution of Pax7 progenitors to the neural crest lineage has not been determined.Methodology/principal findingsHere we use Cre/loxP technology in double transgenic mice to fate map the Pax7 lineage in neural crest derivates. We find that Pax7 descendants contribute to multiple tissues including the cranial, cardiac and trunk neural crest, which in the cranial cartilage form a distinct regional pattern. The Pax7 lineage, like the Pax3 lineage, is additionally detected in some non-neural crest tissues, including a subset of the epithelial cells in specific organs.Conclusions/significanceThese results demonstrate a previously unappreciated widespread distribution of Pax7 descendants within and beyond the neural crest. They shed light regarding the regionally distinct phenotypes observed in Pax3 and Pax7 mutants, and provide a unique perspective into the potential roles of Pax7 during disease and development
Quantum Singular Value Decomposer
We present a variational quantum circuit that produces the Singular Value
Decomposition of a bipartite pure state. The proposed circuit, that we name
Quantum Singular Value Decomposer or QSVD, is made of two unitaries
respectively acting on each part of the system. The key idea of the algorithm
is to train this circuit so that the final state displays exact output
coincidence from both subsystems for every measurement in the computational
basis. Such circuit preserves entanglement between the parties and acts as a
diagonalizer that delivers the eigenvalues of the Schmidt decomposition. Our
algorithm only requires measurements in one single setting, in striking
contrast to the settings required by state tomography. Furthermore, the
adjoints of the unitaries making the circuit are used to create the
eigenvectors of the decomposition up to a global phase. Some further
applications of QSVD are readily obtained. The proposed QSVD circuit allows to
construct a SWAP between the two parties of the system without the need of any
quantum gate communicating them. We also show that a circuit made with QSVD and
CNOTs acts as an encoder of information of the original state onto one of its
parties. This idea can be reversed and used to create random states with a
precise entanglement structure.Comment: 6 + 1 pages, 5 figure
X-ray spectral variability of seven LINER nuclei with XMM-Newton and Chandra data
One of the most important features in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is the
variability of their emission. Variability has been discovered at X-ray, UV,
and radio frequencies on time scales from hours to years. Among the AGN family
and according to theoretical studies, Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission Line
Region (LINER) nuclei would be variable objects on long time scales. Our
purpose is to investigate spectral X-ray variability in LINERs and to
understand the nature of these kinds of objects, as well as their accretion
mechanism. Chandra and XMM-Newton public archives were used to compile X-ray
spectra of seven LINER nuclei at different epochs with time scales of years. To
search for variability we fit all the spectra from the same object with a set
of models, in order to identify the parameters responsible for the variability
pattern. We also analyzed the light curves in order to search for short time
scale (from hours to days) variability. Whenever possible, UV variability was
also studied. We found spectral variability in four objects, with variations
mostly related to hard energies (2-10 keV). These variations are due to changes
in the soft excess, and/or changes in the absorber, and/or intrinsic variations
of the source. Another two galaxies seem not to vary. Short time scale
variations during individual observations were not found. Our analysis confirms
the previously reported anticorrelation between the X-ray spectral index and
the Eddington ratio, and also the correlation between the X-ray to UV flux
ratio and the Eddington ratio. These results support an Advection Dominated
Accretion Flow (ADAF) as the accretion mechanism in LINERs.Comment: 35 pages, 53 figures, recently accepted pape
X-ray spectral variability of Seyfert 2 galaxies
Variability across the electromagnetic spectrum is a property of AGN that can
help constraining the physical properties of these galaxies. This is the third
of a serie of papers with the aim of studying the X-ray variability of
different families of AGN. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the
variability pattern in a sample of optically selected type 2 Seyfert galaxies.
We use the 26 Seyferts in the Veron-Cetty and Veron catalogue with data
available from Chandra and/or XMM-Newton public archives at different epochs,
with timescales ranging from a few hours to years. All the spectra of the same
source are simultaneously fitted and we let different parameters to vary in the
model. Whenever possible, short-term variations and/or long-term UV flux
variations are studied. We divide the sample in Compton-thick, Compton-thin,
and changing-look candidates. Short-term variability at X-rays is not found.
From the 25 analyzed sources, 11 show long-term variations; eight (out of 11)
are Compton-thin, one (out of 12) is Compton-thick, and the two changing-look
candidates are also variable. The main driver for the X-ray changes is related
to the nuclear power (nine cases), while variations at soft energies or related
with absorbers at hard X-rays are less common, and in many cases these
variations are accompained with variations of the nuclear continuum. At UV
frequencies nuclear variations are nor found. We report for the first time two
changing-look candidates, MARK273 and NGC7319. A constant reflection component
located far away from the nucleus plus a variable nuclear continuum are able to
explain most of our results; the Compton-thick candidates are dominated by
reflection, which supresses their continuum making them seem fainter, and not
showing variations, while the Compton-thin and changing-look candidates show
variations.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
X-ray spectral variability of LINERs selected from the Palomar sample
Variability is a general property of active galactic nuclei (AGN). At X-rays,
the way in which these changes occur is not yet clear. In the particular case
of low ionisation nuclear emission line region (LINER) nuclei, variations on
months/years timescales have been found for some objects, but the main driver
of these changes is still an open question. The main purpose of this work is to
investigate the X-ray variability in LINERs, including the main driver of such
variations, and to search for eventual differences between type 1 and 2
objects. We use the 18 LINERs in the Palomar sample with data retrieved from
Chandra and/or XMM-Newton archives corresponding to observations gathered at
different epochs. All the spectra for the same object are simultaneously fitted
in order to study long term variations. The nature of the variability patterns
are studied allowing different parameters to vary during the spectral fit.
Whenever possible, short term variations from the analysis of the light curves
and UV variability are studied.Comment: 49 pages, accepted. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1305.222
Madīnat al-Zahrā‘, Spain. A Pottery Ensemble from the Patio de Pilares. Research Carried Out between March 2019 and February 2020
Madīnat al-Zahrā' is an archaeological site located near the city of Córdoba (Spain), barely 7 km away, founded in 940 CE by Caliph 'Abd al-Rahmān III, a few years after the proclamation of the caliphate. This place is extremely important due to its status as a palatine city until 1010 CE, the year that marks its end and destruction as a result of the fitna, the civil war that took place in al-Andalus. This research focuses on the study of pottery in the space known as »Patio de los Pilares«, a place that presents different questions about its function and phases. This material was found in an enclosed area within a reliable stratigraphy, so one of the main objectives is to present a chronology that is as clearly defined as possible in order to serve as a reference in the future. A large part of the material corresponds to a waste context, which is interesting as it allows us to get closer to more daily aspects of the archaeological site, especially service tasks.Madīnat al-Zahrā' is an archaeological site located near the city of Córdoba (Spain), barely 7 km away, founded in 940 CE by Caliph 'Abd al-Rahmān III, a few years after the proclamation of the caliphate. This place is extremely important due to its status as a palatine city until 1010 CE, the year that marks its end and destruction as a result of the fitna, the civil war that took place in al-Andalus. This research focuses on the study of pottery in the space known as »Patio de los Pilares«, a place that presents different questions about its function and phases. This material was found in an enclosed area within a reliable stratigraphy, so one of the main objectives is to present a chronology that is as clearly defined as possible in order to serve as a reference in the future. A large part of the material corresponds to a waste context, which is interesting as it allows us to get closer to more daily aspects of the archaeological site, especially service tasks
Morfología polínica de la familia Primulaceae en Andalucía Occidental
Se estudia la morfología pol inica de nueve especi es de Pri mulaceae en Andalucia Occidental, pertenecientes a los géneros Prímula, Lysimac hia, Asterolinon, Anagallis y Samolus , tanto al microscopi o óptico como electrónico de barrido. Los resultados expuestos ponen de manifiesto e l c aracter euripolínico de esta fami l ia , observandose di f erencias en e l tamaño , número de aperturas y ornamentac iónThe polleo morphology of nine species of Primulaceae from W. Andaluc ía bel onging to the genera Primula, Lysimachia, Asterolinon, Anagallis and Samolus are studied by l ight and scanning electron microscopy . This fami ly is eurypalynous. Sorne diff erences in size, aperture number and ornamentation have been observed
Estudio preliminar sobre el efecto del ultrasonido en las propiedades fisicoquímicas del vino tinto
Ultrasound is regarded as a potential alternative method for improving the quality of some wines. This study was initiated with the objective of evaluating the effects of ultrasound on some important physicochemical properties of red wine such as chromatic characteristics (CC), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic compounds (TPCs) and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity (DFRSA). The operational parameters assessed were ultrasound power, ultrasound frequency, exposure time and bath temperature. Results illustrated that there were significant changes in CC, EC and TPC while pH and TA hardly changed except for samples treated at high temperatures. DFRSA was correlated to TPC during ultrasonic treatment. Application of principal component analysis to the experimental data suggested that exposure time was the factor with the greatest ability to induce changes on wine. Results suggested that ultrasound may be applied to improve some physicochemical properties of red wine.El ultrasonido se considera uno de los métodos alternativos potenciales para mejorar la calidad de algunos vinos. Se comenzó este estudio con el objetivo de evaluar los efectos del ultrasonido en algunas de la propiedades fisicoquímicas importantes del vino tinto como son: las características cromáticas (CC), la conductividad eléctrica (EC), el pH, la acidez (TA), los compuestos fenólicos totales (TPC) y el DPPH (1,1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazil) de actividad de eliminación de radicales libres (DFRSA). Los parámetros operacionales examinados fueron: la potencia de ultrasonido, la frecuencia de ultrasonido, el tiempo de exposición y la temperatura de baño. Los resultados ilustraron la existencia de cambios significativos en CC, EC y TPC, mientras que el pH y TA prácticamente no cambiaron excepto en las muestras tratadas con altas temperaturas. DFRSA tuvo correlación con TPC durante el tratamiento con ultrasonido. La aplicación de análisis de componentes principales a los datos experimentales sugirió que el tiempo de exposición era el factor con mayor habilidad para inducir cambios en el vino. Los resultados sugirieron que el ultrasonido podría aplicarse para mejorar algunas de las propiedades fisicoquímicas del vino tinto.National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 31101324]Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province, China [No. 2015JM3097]Technology Transfer Promotion Project of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China [No.CXY1434(5)]Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China [Nos. GK201302039, GK201404006
Anderson localization in a periodic photonic lattice with a disordered boundary
We investigate experimentally the light evolution inside a two-dimensional
finite periodic array of weakly- coupled optical waveguides with a disordered
boundary. For a completely localized initial condition away from the surface,
we find that the disordered boundary induces an asymptotic localization in the
bulk, centered around the initial position of the input beam.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
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