Survival of fossils under extreme shocks induced by hypervelocity impacts

Experimental data are shown for survival of fossilized diatoms undergoing shocks in the GPa range. The results were obtained from hypervelocity impact experiments which fired fossilized diatoms frozen in ice into water targets. After the shots, the material recovered from the target water was inspected for diatom fossils. Nine shots were carried out, at speeds from 0.388 to 5.34?km?s?1, corresponding to mean peak pressures of 0.2–19?GPa. In all cases, fragmented fossilized diatoms were recovered, but both the mean and the maximum fragment size decreased with increasing impact speed and hence peak pressure. Examples of intact diatoms were found after the impacts, even in some of the higher speed shots, but their frequency and size decreased significantly at the higher speeds. This is the first demonstration that fossils can survive and be transferred from projectile to target in hypervelocity impacts, implying that it is possible that, as suggested by other authors, terrestrial rocks ejected from the Earth by giant impacts from space, and which then strike the Moon, may successfully transfer terrestrial fossils to the Moon

Nuclear shadowing in deep inelastic scattering on nuclei: leading twist versus eikonal approaches

We use several diverse parameterizations of diffractive parton distributions, extracted in leading twist QCD analyses of the HERA diffractive deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data, to make predictions for leading twist nuclear shadowing of nuclear quark and gluon distributions in DIS on nuclei. We find that the HERA diffractive data are sufficiently precise to allow us to predict large nuclear shadowing for gluons and quarks, unambiguously. We performed detailed studies of nuclear shadowing for up and charm sea quarks and gluons within several scenarios of shadowing and diffractive slopes, as well as at central impact parameters. We compare these leading twist results with those obtained from the eikonal approach to nuclear shadowing (which is based on a very different space-time picture) and observe sharply contrasting predictions for the size and Q^2-dependence of nuclear shadowing. The most striking differences arise for the interaction of small dipoles with nuclei, in particular for the longitudinal structure function F_{L}^{A}.Comment: 43 pages, 16 figures, requires JHEP style fil

Climate change alters impacts of extreme climate events on a tropical perennial tree crop

Anthropogenic climate change causes more frequent and intense fluctuations in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Understanding the effects of ENSO on agricultural systems is crucial for predicting and ameliorating impacts on lives and livelihoods, particularly in perennial tree crops, which may show both instantaneous and delayed responses. Using cocoa production in Ghana as a model system, we analyse the impact of ENSO on annual production and climate over the last 70 years. We report that in recent decades, El Niño years experience reductions in cocoa production followed by several years of increased production, and that this pattern has significantly shifted compared with prior to the 1980s. ENSO phase appears to affect the climate in Ghana, and over the same time period, we see corresponding significant shifts in the climatic conditions resulting from ENSO extremes, with increasing temperature and water stress. We attribute these changes to anthropogenic climate change, and our results illustrate the big data analyses necessary to improve understanding of perennial crop responses to climate change in general, and climate extremes in particular

Color coherent phenomena on nuclei and the QCD evolution equation

We review the phenomenon of color coherence in quantum chromodynamics (QCD), its implications for hard and soft processes with nuclei, and its experimental manifestations. The relation of factorization theorems in QCD with color coherence phenomena in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) and color coherence phenomena in hard exclusive processes is emphasized. Analyzing numerically the QCD evolution equation for conventional and skewed parton densities in nuclei, we study the onset of generalized color transparency and nuclear shadowing of the sea quark and gluon distributions in nuclei as well as related phenomena. Such novel results as the dependence of the effective coherence length on $Q^2$ and general trends of the QCD evolution are discussed. The limits of the applicability of the QCD evolution equation at small Bjorken $x$ are estimated by comparing the inelastic quark-antiquark- and two gluon-nucleon (nucleus) cross sections, calculated within the DGLAP approximation, with the dynamical boundaries, which follow from the unitarity of the $S$ matrix for purely QCD interactions. We also demonstrate that principles of color coherence play an important role in the processes of soft diffraction off nuclei.Comment: 58 pages, 19 figures, Revtex. Minor editor's changes, final version published in J.Phys. G27 (2001) R23-6

Targeting Acid Ceramidase to Improve the Radiosensitivity of Rectal Cancer.

Previous work utilizing proteomic and immunohistochemical analyses has identified that high levels of acid ceramidase (AC) expression confers a poorer response to neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced rectal cancer. We aimed to assess the radiosensitising effect of biological and pharmacological manipulation of AC and elucidate the underlying mechanism. AC manipulation in three colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29, HCT116 and LIM1215) was achieved using siRNA and plasmid overexpression. Carmofur and a novel small molecular inhibitor (LCL521) were used as pharmacological AC inhibitors. Using clonogenic assays, we demonstrate that an siRNA knockdown of AC enhanced X-ray radiosensitivity across all colorectal cancer cell lines compared to a non-targeting control siRNA, and conversely, AC protein overexpression increased radioresistance. Using CRISPR gene editing, we also generated AC knockout HCT116 cells that were significantly more radiosensitive compared to AC-expressing cells. Similarly, two patient-derived organoid models containing relatively low AC expression were found to be comparatively more radiosensitive than three other models containing higher levels of AC. Additionally, AC inhibition using carmofur and LCL521 in three colorectal cancer cell lines increased cellular radiosensitivity. Decreased AC protein led to significant poly-ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) cleavage and apoptosis post-irradiation, which was shown to be executed through a p53-dependent process. Our study demonstrates that expression of AC within colorectal cancer cell lines modulates the cellular response to radiation, and particularly that AC inhibition leads to significantly enhanced radiosensitivity through an elevation in apoptosis. This work further solidifies AC as a target for improving radiotherapy treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer

Effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on whole blood fatty acid levels

This study was approved by the University of Bridgeport’s Institutional Review Board ID# 2017-11-01, and made possible through a University of Bridgeport Seed Money Grant awarded to Cheryl L. Lyon, N.D.Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are popular dietary supplements that have purported beneficial effects for cardiovascular health, inflammatory, autoimmune, and mood disorders. The manufacture of dietary supplements in the United States is not well regulated and concerns surrounding the content and purity of commercially available n-3 PUFA supplements is warranted, as false content labeling and harmful or oxidized fatty acid contaminants may lead to negative health outcomes. In this research, which was part of a larger study assessing the role of nutritional and genetic factors in a sample of chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain sufferers, we report differences in whole blood fatty acid levels in a population seeking complementary and integrative health (CIH) care at an urban university-affiliated clinic

Characteristics of chronic musculoskeletal pain sufferers treated in a university-affiliated complementary and integrative health care clinic

This study was approved by the University of Bridgeport’s Institutional Review Board ID# 2017-11-01, and made possible through a University of Bridgeport Seed Money Grant awarded to Cheryl L. Lyon, N.D.Chronic pain is a substantial driver of high health care costs and disability, and disparities in the experience and treatment of pain based on age, sex and race are significant. Patients seeking complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches for chronic pain are dramatically under-studied, therefore we assessed the role of nutritional, genetic and other factors in a sample of chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain sufferers from a unique patient population seeking complementary and integrative health (CIH) care at an urban university-affiliated clinic

Gastrointestinal Cell Injury and Percieved Symptoms after Running the Boston Marathon

Gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances are a prevalent cause of marathon related complaints, and in extreme cases can promote life-threatening conditions such as exertional heat stroke. PURPOSE: Our aim was to study intestinal cell injury (via intestinal fatty acid binding protein [I-FABP]) and perceived GI distress symptoms among marathon runners. Potential risk factors (e.g., inadequate sleep) that could exacerbate GI disturbances in healthy, trained endurance runners were also examined. METHODS: A parallel mixed-methods study design was utilized. 2019 Boston Marathon participants were recruited via email. Before the race subjects completed surveys describing demographics and training history. Immediately pre-race, post-race, and 24-hours post-race participants completed a GI questionnaire to assess presence and severity of symptoms, a survey regarding risk factors (e.g., recent illness, medications) that could promote GI disturbances, and provided a urine sample. Due to weather, blood samples were only collected immediately and 24-hours post-race. RESULTS: A total of 40 runners (males: n = 19, age = 44.9 ± 10.8 years; females: n = 21, age = 44.8 ± 10.6 years) completed this study. I-FABP significantly decreased from post-race (3367.5 ± 2633.5 pg/ml) to 24-hours post-race (1657.3 ± 950.7 pg/ml, t(39) = -4.228, p \u3c .001, d = -.669). A significant difference in overall GI symptom scores across the three time points occurred (F(2, 39) = 41.37, p \u3c .001). Compared to pre-race (.09 ± .12) and 24-hour post-race (.44 ± .28), the highest average score occurred post-race (.84 ± .68). Post-race I-FABP (r = .31, p = .048) and post-race urine specific gravity (r = .33, p = .041) were significantly correlated with post-race GI symptom scores. CONCLUSION: Our study further supports the individualized presentation of GI disturbances, with participants experiencing a wide range of risk factors that can influence the extent of GI damage and perceived symptoms during and after exercise

Landscape and management influences on smallholder agroforestry yields show shifts during a climate shock

Sustaining yields for smallholder perennial agriculture under a rapidly changing climate regime may require consideration of landscape features and on-farm management decisions in tandem. Optimising landscape and management may not be possible for maximising yields in any one year but maintaining heterogeneous landscapes could be an important climate adaptation strategy. In this study, we observed elevation, forest patch and shade management gradients affecting smallholder coffee (Coffea arabica) yields in a ‘normal’ year versus the 2015/16 El Niño. We generally found a benefit to yields from having leguminous shade trees and low canopy openness, while maintaining diverse shade or varying canopy openness had more complex influences during a climate shock. The two years of observed climate shock were dominated by either drought or high temperatures, with yield responses generally negative. Climate projections for East Africa predict more erratic rainfall and higher temperatures, which will disproportionately impact smallholder farmers