The 6dF galaxy survey: fundamental plane data

We report the 6dFGS Fundamental Plane (6dFGSv) catalogue that is used to estimate distances and peculiar velocities for nearly 9000 early-type galaxies in the local (z < 0.055) universe. Velocity dispersions are derived by cross-correlation from 6dF V-band spectra with typical S/N of 12.9 Å−1 for a sample of 11 315 galaxies; the median velocity dispersion is 163 km s−1 and the median measurement error is 12.9 per cent. The photometric Fundamental Plane (FP) parameters (effective radii and surface brightnesses) are determined from the JHK 2MASS images for 11 102 galaxies. Comparison of the independent J- and K-band measurements implies that the average uncertainty in XFP, the combined photometric parameter that enters the FP, is 0.013 dex (3 per cent) for each band. Visual classification of morphologies was used to select a sample of nearly 9000 early-type galaxies that form 6dFGSv. This catalogue has been used to study the effects of stellar populations on galaxy scaling relations, to investigate the variation of the FP with environment and galaxy morphology, to explore trends in stellar populations through, along and across the FP, and to map and analyse the local peculiar velocity field

Soil nutrients and beta diversity in the Bornean Dipterocarpaceae: evidence for niche partitioning by tropical rain forest trees

1   The relative importance of niche- and dispersal-mediated processes in structuring diverse tropical plant communities remains poorly understood. Here, we link mesoscale beta diversity to soil variation throughout a lowland Bornean watershed underlain by alluvium, sedimentary and granite parent materials ( c . 340 ha, 8–200 m a.s.l.). We test the hypothesis that species turnover across the habitat gradient reflects interspecific partitioning of soil resources. 2   Floristic inventories (≥ 1 cm d.b.h.) of the Dipterocarpaceae, the dominant Bornean canopy tree family, were combined with extensive soil analyses in 30 (0.16 ha) plots. Six samples per plot were analysed for total C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg, exchangeable K, Ca and Mg, extractable P, texture, and pH. 3   Extractable P, exchangeable K, and total C, N and P varied significantly among substrates and were highest on alluvium. Thirty-one dipterocarp species ( n  = 2634 individuals, five genera) were recorded. Dipterocarp density was similar across substrates, but richness and diversity were highest on nutrient-poor granite and lowest on nutrient-rich alluvium. 4   Eighteen of 22 species were positively or negatively associated with parent material. In 8 of 16 abundant species, tree distribution (≥ 10 cm d.b.h.) was more strongly non-random than juveniles (1–10 cm d.b.h.), suggesting higher juvenile mortality in unsuitable habitats. The dominant species Dipterocarpus sublamellatus (> 50% of stems) was indifferent to substrate, but nine of 11 ‘subdominant’ species (> 8 individuals ha −1 ) were substrate specialists. 5   Eighteen of 22 species were significantly associated with soil nutrients, especially P, Mg and Ca. Floristic variation was significantly correlated with edaphic and geographical distance for all stems ≥ 1 cm d.b.h. in Mantel analyses. However, juvenile variation (1–10 cm d.b.h.) was more strongly related to geographical distance than edaphic factors, while the converse held for established trees (≥ 10 cm d.b.h.), suggesting increased importance of niche processes with size class. 6   Pervasive dipterocarp associations with soil factors suggest that niche partitioning structures dipterocarp tree communities. Yet, much floristic variation unrelated to soil was correlated with geographical distance between plots, suggesting that dispersal and niche processes jointly determine mesoscale beta diversity in the Bornean Dipterocarpaceae. Journal of Ecology (2005) doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01077.xPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72822/1/j.1365-2745.2005.01077.x.pd

Avaliação da qualidade de vida, da dor nas costas, da funcionalidade e de alterações da coluna vertebral de estudantes de fisioterapia

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade de vida, dor nas costas, funcionalidade e as alterações da coluna vertebral de estudantes de fisioterapia. Participaram 42 universitários, sendo avaliada a coluna vertebral por meio do arcômetro, a dor nas costas por meio de um questionário multidimensional de dor, a qualidade de vida por meio do questionário SF-36 e funcionalidade a partir do Roland-Morris. Foi realizada estatística descritiva e teste qui-quadrado (α=0,05). Os resultados demonstraram: prevalência de alterações nas curvaturas da coluna vertebral de 38,1%; (n=16); alta prevalência de dor nas costas (69%; n=29); baixa prevalência de comprometimento da funcionalidade (3,4%; n=1); que não há associação entre as alterações nas curvaturas da coluna vertebral e funcionalidade e dor nas costas; e que os escores dos domínios do SF-36 foram maiores que 45, exceto o domínio "dor", cujo escore aproximado foi de 35. Conclui-se que quanto menor os níveis de intensidade da dor melhor o nível de qualidade de vida

Interrogation of transcriptomic changes associated with drug-induced hepatic sinusoidal dilatation in colorectal cancer

Drug-related sinusoidal dilatation (SD) is a common form of hepatotoxicity associated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy used prior to resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Recently, hepatic SD has also been associated with anti-delta like 4 (DLL4) cancer therapies targeting the NOTCH pathway. To investigate the hypothesis that NOTCH signaling plays an important role in drug-induced SD, gene expression changes were examined in livers from anti-DLL4 and oxaliplatin-induced SD in non-human primate (NHP) and patients, respectively. Putative mechanistic biomarkers of bevacizumab (bev)-mediated protection against oxaliplatin-induced SD were also investigated. RNA was extracted from whole liver sections or centrilobular regions by laser-capture microdissection (LCM) obtained from NHP administered anti-DLL4 fragment antigen-binding (F(ab’)2 or patients with CRLM receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy with or without bev. mRNA expression was quantified using high-throughput real-time quantitative PCR. Significance analysis was used to identify genes with differential expression patterns (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05). Eleven (CCL2, CCND1, EFNB2, ERG, ICAM1, IL16, LFNG, NOTCH1, NOTCH4, PRDX1, and TGFB1) and six (CDH5, EFNB2, HES1, IL16, MIK67, HES1 and VWF) candidate genes were differentially expressed in the liver of anti-DLL4- and oxaliplatin-induced SD, respectively. Addition of bev to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy resulted in differential changes in hepatic CDH5, HEY1, IL16, JAG1, MMP9, NOTCH4 and TIMP1 expression. This work implicates NOTCH and IL16 pathways in the pathogenesis of drug-induced SD and further explains the hepato-protective effect of bev in oxaliplatin-induced SD observed in CRLM patients

Does nitrogen availability have greater control over the formation of tropical heath forests than water stress? A hypothesis based on nitrogen isotope ratios

lobal scale analyses of soil and foliage δ15N have found positive relationships between δ15N and ecosystem N loss (suggesting an open N cycle) and a negative relationship between δ15N and water availability. We show here that soils and leaves from tropical heath forests are depleted in 15N relative to 'typical' forests suggesting that they have a tight N cycle and are therefore limited by N rather than by, often suggested, water availability

IBD risk loci are enriched in multigenic regulatory modules encompassing putative causative genes.

GWAS have identified >200 risk loci for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The majority of disease associations are known to be driven by regulatory variants. To identify the putative causative genes that are perturbed by these variants, we generate a large transcriptome data set (nine disease-relevant cell types) and identify 23,650 cis-eQTL. We show that these are determined by ∼9720 regulatory modules, of which ∼3000 operate in multiple tissues and ∼970 on multiple genes. We identify regulatory modules that drive the disease association for 63 of the 200 risk loci, and show that these are enriched in multigenic modules. Based on these analyses, we resequence 45 of the corresponding 100 candidate genes in 6600 Crohn disease (CD) cases and 5500 controls, and show with burden tests that they include likely causative genes. Our analyses indicate that ≥10-fold larger sample sizes will be required to demonstrate the causality of individual genes using this approach

A comprehensive simulation tool for the analysis of password policies

Modern organizations rely on passwords for preventing illicit access to valuable data and resources. A well designed password policy helps users create and manage more effective passwords. This paper offers a novel model and tool for understanding, creating, and testing password policies. We present a password policy simulation model which incorporates such factors as simulated users, accounts, and services. This model and its implementation enable administrators responsible for creating and managing password policies to test them before giving them to actual users. It also allows researchers to test how different password policy factors impact security, without the time and expense of actual human studies. We begin by presenting our password policy simulation model. We next discuss prior work and validate the model by showing how it is consistent with previous research conducted on human users. We then present and discuss experimental results derived using the model