2,616 research outputs found
Development of the ALMA-North America Sideband-Separating SIS Mixers
As the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) nears completion,
73 dual-polarization receivers have been delivered for each of Bands 3 (84-116
GHz) and 6 (211-275 GHz). The receivers use sideband-separating superconducting
Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb tunnel-junction (SIS) mixers, developed for ALMA to suppress
atmospheric noise in the image band. The mixers were designed taking into
account dynamic range, input return loss, and signal-to-image conversion (which
can be significant in SIS mixers). Typical SSB receiver noise temperatures in
Bands 3 and 6 are 30 K and 60 K, resp., and the image rejection is typically 15
dB.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., June 2013. 10 pages,
21 figure
SHARC: Space Habitat, Assembly and Repair Center
Integrated Space Systems (ISS) has taken on the task of designing a Space Habitat, Assembly and Repair Center (SHARC) in Low Earth Orbit to meet the future needs of the space program. Our goal is to meet the general requirements given by the 1991/1992 AIAA/LORAL Team Space Design competition with an emphasis on minimizing the costs of such a design. A baseline structural configuration along with preliminary designs of the major subsystems was created. Our initial mission requirements, which were set by AIAA, were that the facility be able to: support simultaneous assembly of three major vehicles; conduct assembly operations and minimal extra vehicular activity (EVA); maintain orbit indefinitely; and assemble components 30 feet long with a 10 foot diameter in a shirtsleeve environment
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Structure of a Chiral Cyelopentanone Precursor in Neocarzinostatin Synthetic Studies, C20H21NO3S.H20
(1E,2S,3R)-2-[(4R,5R)-4,5-Dimethyl-l,3-dioxolan-2-yl]-3-(2-naphthylthio)cyclopentanone oxime, 3//,=373.47, orthorhombic, P212121, a = 5-374 (13), b = 18.135 (3), c= 20.487 (5) A, V = 1997 (5)/~3, Z = 4, Dx = 1.24 g cm -3, Mo Ka, a = 0.71073/~, /z = 1-87 cm-1, F(000) = 792, room temperature, crystal volume 2.7 x 10 -4 mm 3, final R = 0.127 for 971 reflections with Fo2>0 out of 1131 data, R = 0.065 for 467 reflections with Fo 2 > 3o'(Fo2). Despite the small crystal size (all larger crystals were twinned), a structural solution of adequate precision was obtained. Bond distances and angles in the molecule are normal; the water molecules are hydrogen bonded in a chain along the a axis and each accepts a hydrogen bond from the oxime group and donates a weak hydrogen bond to 03 in the dioxolane group.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 Is a Negative Regulator of Bone Growth
AbstractEndochondral ossification is a major mode of bone formation that occurs as chondrocytes undergo proliferation, hypertrophy, cell death, and osteoblastic replacement. We have identified a role for fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR-3) in this process by disrupting the murine Fgfr-3 gene to produce severe and progressive bone dysplasia with enhanced and prolonged endochondral bone growth. This growth is accompanied by expansion of proliferating and hypertrophic chondrocytes within the cartilaginous growth plate. Thus, FGFR-3 appears to regulate endochondral ossification by an essentially negative mechanism, limiting rather than promoting osteogenesis. In light of these mouse results, certain human disorders, such as achondroplasia, can be interpreted as gain-of-function mutations that activate the fundamentally negative growth control exerted by the FGFR-3 kinase
Foreground Subtraction in Intensity Mapping with the SKA
21cm intensity mapping experiments aim to observe the diffuse neutral
hydrogen (HI) distribution on large scales which traces the Cosmic structure.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have the capacity to measure the 21cm
signal over a large fraction of the sky. However, the redshifted 21cm signal in
the respective frequencies is faint compared to the Galactic foregrounds
produced by synchrotron and free-free electron emission. In this article, we
review selected foreground subtraction methods suggested to effectively
separate the 21cm signal from the foregrounds with intensity mapping
simulations or data. We simulate an intensity mapping experiment feasible with
SKA phase 1 including extragalactic and Galactic foregrounds. We give an
example of the residuals of the foreground subtraction with a independent
component analysis and show that the angular power spectrum is recovered within
the statistical errors on most scales. Additionally, the scale of the Baryon
Acoustic Oscillations is shown to be unaffected by foreground subtraction.Comment: This article is part of the 'SKA Cosmology Chapter, Advancing
Astrophysics with the SKA (AASKA14), Conference, Giardini Naxos (Italy), June
9th-13th 2014
A combined targeted mutation analysis of IRF6 gene would be useful in the first screening of oral facial clefts
BACKGROUND: Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 (IRF6) is a member of the IRF family of transcription factors. It has been suggested to be an important contributor to orofacial development since mutations of the IRF6 gene has been found in Van der Woude (VWS) and popliteal pterygium syndromes (PPS), two disorders that can present with isolated cleft lip and palate. The association between IRF6 gene and cleft lip and palate has also been independently replicated in many populations. METHODS: We screened a total of 155 Taiwanese patients with cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P); 31 syndromic (including 19 VWS families), 44 non-syndromic families with at least two affected members, and 80 non-syndromic patients through a combined targeted, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based mutation analysis for the entire coding regions of IRF6 gene. RESULTS: We found 11 mutations in 57.89% (11/19) of the VWS patients and no IRF6 mutation in 44 of the non-syndromic multiplex families and 80 non-syndromic oral cleft patients. In this IRF6 gene screening, five of these mutations (c.290 A>G, p.Tyr97Cys; c.360-375 16Â bp deletion, p.Gln120HisfsX24; c.411_412 insA, p.Glu136fsX3; c.871 A>C, p.Thr291Pro; c.969Â G>A, and p.Trp323X) have not been reported in the literature previously. Exon deletion was not detected in this series of IRF6 gene screening. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the crucial role of IRF6 in the VWS patients and further work is needed to explore for its function in the non-syndromic oral cleft with vary clinical features
High Current Density and Low Thermal Conductivity of Atomically Thin Semimetallic WTe2
Two-dimensional (2D) semimetals beyond graphene have been relatively
unexplored in the atomically-thin limit. Here we introduce a facile growth
mechanism for semimetallic WTe2 crystals, then fabricate few-layer test
structures while carefully avoiding degradation from exposure to air. Low-field
electrical measurements of 80 nm to 2 um long devices allow us to separate
intrinsic and contact resistance, revealing metallic response in the thinnest
encapsulated and stable WTe2 devices studied to date (3 to 20 layers thick).
High-field electrical measurements and electro-thermal modeling demonstrate
that ultra-thin WTe2 can carry remarkably high current density (approaching 50
MA/cm2, higher than most common interconnect metals) despite a very low thermal
conductivity (of the order ~3 W/m/K). These results suggest several pathways
for air-stable technological viability of this layered semimetal
Neuroinflammation in Traumatic Brain Injury
Neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of secondary brain injury that perpetuates the duration and scope of disease after initial impact. This chapter discusses the pathophysiology of acute and chronic neuroinflammation, providing insight into factors that influence the acute clinical course and later functional outcomes. Secondary injury due to neuroinflammation is described by mechanisms of action such as ischemia, neuroexcitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and glymphatic and lymphatic dysfunction. Neurodegenerative sequelae of inflammation, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which are important to understand for clinical practice, are detailed by disease type. Prominent research topics of TBI animal models and biomarkers of traumatic neuroinflammation are outlined to provide insight into the advances in TBI research. We then discuss current clinical treatments in TBI and their implications in preventing inflammation. To complete the chapter, recent research models, novel biomarkers, and future research directions aimed at mitigating TBI will be described and will highlight novel therapeutic targets. Understanding the pathophysiology and contributors of neuroinflammation after TBI will aid in future development of prophylaxis strategies, as well as more tailored management and treatment algorithms. This topic chapter is important to both clinicians and basic and translational scientists, with the goal of improving patient outcomes in this common disease
Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using green infrastructure: A literature review
Europe is a highly urbanised continent. The consequent loss and degradation of urban and peri-urban green space could adversely affect ecosystems as well as human health and well-being. The aim of this paper is to formulate a conceptual framework of associations between urban green space and ecosystem and human health. Through an interdisciplinary literature review the concepts of Green Infrastructure, ecosystem health, and human health and well-being are discussed. The possible contributions of urban and peri-urban green space systems, or Green Infrastructure, on both ecosystem and human health are critically reviewed. Finally, based on a synthesis of the literature a conceptual framework is presented. The proposed conceptual framework highlights many dynamic factors, and their complex interactions, affecting ecosystem health and human health in urban areas. This framework forms the context into which extant and new research can be placed. In this way it forms the basis for a new interdisciplinary research agenda
Tumor tissue-specific biomarkers of colorectal cancer by anatomic location and stage
The progress in the discovery and validation of metabolite biomarkers for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been hampered by the lack of reproducibility between study cohorts. The majority of discovery-phase biomarker studies have used patient blood samples to identify disease-related metabolites, but this pre-validation phase is confounded by non-specific disease influences on the metabolome. We therefore propose that metabolite biomarker discovery would have greater success and higher reproducibility for CRC if the discovery phase was conducted in tumor tissues, to find metabolites that have higher specificity to the metabolic consequences of the disease, that are then validated in blood samples. This would thereby eliminate any non-tumor and/or body response effects to the disease. In this study, we performed comprehensive untargeted metabolomics analyses on normal (adjacent) colon and tumor tissues from CRC patients, revealing tumor tissue-specific biomarkers (n = 39/group). We identified 28 highly discriminatory tumor tissue metabolite biomarkers of CRC by orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and univariate analyses (VIP > 1.5, p 0.96, using various models. We further identified five biomarkers that were specific to the anatomic location of tumors in the colon (n = 236). The combination of these five metabolites (S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, formylmethionine, fucose 1-phosphate, lactate, and phenylalanine) demonstrated high differentiative capability for left- and right-sided colon cancers at stage I by internal cross-validation (AUC = 0.804, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.670–0.940). This study thus revealed nine discriminatory biomarkers of CRC that are now poised for external validation in a future independent cohort of samples. We also discovered a discrete metabolic signature to determine the anatomic location of the tumor at the earliest stage, thus potentially providing clinicians a means to identify individuals that could be triaged for additional screening regimens
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