Comparison of Reproductive Performance of Crossbred Ewes Bred for Either Fall or Spring Lambing at Two Different Locations: Progress Report

The objective of the current study was to measure the performance of crossbred ewes lambing in the fall compared to similar ewes lambing in the spring at two different locations

Komunikasi Pendek Koleksi Tumbuhan Dari Semenanjung Bomberai [Plant Collections From Bomberai Peninsula, Papua]

Eksplorasi tumbuhan dengan Metoda Pengkajian Biologi Secara Cepat (Rapid Biological Assessment) (Takeuchi dan Wiakabu 2001) telah dilakukan pada wilayah dengan batas 2°25\u27dan 2°30\u27LS dan 133°6\u27 dan 133°10\u27 BT di Desa Saengga,Kecamatan Babo, Kabupaten Teluk Bintuni.Areal eksplorasi mencakup 5 (lima) komunitas ekologi utama yakni hutan lahan pamah, hutan rawa, hutan pantai, savana dan hutan mangrove.Ketinggian tempat lokasi survei adalah 0 - 100 m di atas permukaan laut

CP sensitive observables in chargino production with transverse e±e^{\pm} beam polarization

We consider the process e^+e^-\to\ti\chi^+_i\ti\chi^-_j at a linear collider with transverse $e^{\pm}$ beam polarization. We investigate the influence of the CP phases on azimuthal asymmetries in e^+e^-\to\ti\chi^+_i\ti\chi^-_j with subsequent two-body decays \ti\chi^-_j\to \ti\nu_{\ell}\ell^- and \ti\chi^-_j\to W^-\ti\chi^0_1. We show that triple product correlations involving the transverse $e^{\pm}$ beam polarization vanish if at least one subsequent chargino decay is not observed. We derive this result within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with complex parameters, however, it holds also in the general MSSM with SUSY flavour violation.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Framework for Defining and Assessing Benefits of a Modular Assembly Design Approach for Exploration Systems

A comprehensive modular assembly system model has been proposed that extends the art from modular hardware, to include in-space assembly, servicing and repair and it s critical components of infrastructure, agents and assembly operations. Benefits of modular assembly have been identified and a set of metrics defined that extends the art beyond the traditional measures of performance, with emphasis on criteria that allow life-cycle mission costs to be used as a figure of merit (and include all substantive terms that have an impact on the evaluation). The modular assembly approach was used as a basis for developing a Solar Electric Transfer Vehicle (SETV) concept and three modular assembly scenarios were developed. The modular assembly approach also allows the SETV to be entered into service much earlier than competing conventional configurations and results in a great deal of versatility in accommodating different launch vehicle payload capabilities, allowing for modules to be pre-assembled before launch or assembled on orbit, without changing the space vehicle design

Cadmium-free Thin-Film Cu(In,Ga)Se2(In2S3) Heterophotoelements Fabrication and Properties

The method of heat treatment of metallic Cu–In–Ga layers in the N2 inert atmosphere in the presence of selenium and sulfur vapors was used to grow homogeneous films of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 alloys onto which the CdS or In2S3 films were deposited and, on the basis of these structures, the thin-film glass/Mo/p-Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2/n-(In2S3,CdS)/n-ZnO/Ni–Al photoelements were fabricated. The mechanisms of charge transport and the processes of photosensitivity in the obtained structures subjected to irradiation with natural and linearly polarized light are discussed. The broadband hotosensitivity of thin-film heterophotoelements and the induced photopleochroism were detected; these findings indicate that there is an interference-related blooming of the structures obtained. It is concluded that it is possible to use ecologically safe cadmium-free thin-film heterostructures as high-efficiency photoconverters of solar radiation

Capturing Complete Spatial Context in Satellite Observations of Greenhouse Gases

Scientific consensus from a 2015 pre-Decadal Survey workshop highlighted the essential need for a wide-swath (mapping) low earth orbit (LEO) instrument delivering carbon dioxide (CO_2), methane (CH_4), and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements with global coverage. OCO-2 pioneered space-based CO_2 remote sensing, but lacks the CH_4, CO and mapping capabilities required for an improved understanding of the global carbon cycle. The Carbon Balance Observatory (CARBO) advances key technologies to enable high-performance, cost-effective solutions for a space-based carbon-climate observing system. CARBO is a compact, modular, 15-30° field of view spectrometer that delivers high-precision CO_2, CH_4, CO and solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) data with weekly global coverage from LEO. CARBO employs innovative immersion grating technologies to achieve diffraction-limited performance with OCO-like spatial (2x2 km^2) and spectral (λ/Δλ ≈ 20,000) resolution in a package that is >50% smaller, lighter and more cost-effective. CARBO delivers a 25- to 50-fold increase in spatial coverage compared to OCO-2 with no loss of detection sensitivity. Individual CARBO modules weigh < 20 kg, opening diverse new space-based platform opportunities

КОНЦЕПЦІЯ ВДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ ДІАГНОСТИЧНОГО АЛГОРИТМУ ПРИ ПІСЛЯПОЛОГОВИХ ГНІЙНО-ЗАПАЛЬНИХ ЗАХВОРЮВАННЯХ

Мета дослідження – удосконалення діагностики та прогнозування розвитку післяпологового ендометриту шляхом застосування методу флуоресцентної спектроскопії. Матеріали та методи. Матеріалами дослідження в експериментальній частині (перший етап досліджень) були розведення сироватки крові 6-денним посівом на цукровий бульйон Staphylococcus aureus, у клінічній частині (другий етап) – сироватка крові основної (120 породіль із післяпологовим ендометритом) та контрольної (38 осіб із неускладненим перебігом післяпологового періоду) груп. Методи дослідження: клінічні, лабораторні, біохімічні, інструментальні, метод флуоресцентної спектроскопії, математично-статистичні. Результати дослідження та їх обговорення. Спектри флуоресценції розведень сироватки крові бактерійною культурою (6-денний посів на цукровий бульйон Staphylococcus aureus), починаючи з 20 % вмісту посівів у сироватці крові, дають змогу відтворити пропорції, які характерні для спектрально-флуоресцентних характеристик сироватки крові при сепсисі in vivo. При дослідженні спектрально-флуоресцентних характеристик породіль із післяпологовими ендометритами встановлено, що у 90,8 % пацієнток основної групи мало місце зниження інтенсивності флуоресценції сироватки крові, р<0,0001, а у 38,3 % мав місце довгохвильовий зсув спектрів флуоресценції сироватки крові, р=0,007 (статистично достовірні відмінності). Отримані закономірності мають попередній доманіфестний характер і фіксуються за 24–48 годин до появи виражених клінічних проявів захворювання. Висновок. Використання спектрально-флуоресцентних маркерів сироватки крові в комплексній діагностиці гнійно-запальних захворювань, у тому числі й післяпологового ендометриту, дозволяє достовірно діагностувати дане захворювання до появи яскраво виражених клінічних проявів та здійснювати прогностичну оцінку його перебігу, у тому числі і в процесі лікування

Intravital FRAP imaging using an E-cadherin-GFP mouse reveals disease- and drug-dependent dynamic regulation of cell-cell junctions in live tissue

E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell junctions play a prominent role in maintaining the epithelial architecture. The disruption or deregulation of these adhesions in cancer can lead to the collapse of tumor epithelia that precedes invasion and subsequent metastasis. Here we generated an E-cadherin-GFP mouse that enables intravital photobleaching and quantification of E-cadherin mobility in live tissue without affecting normal biology. We demonstrate the broad applications of this mouse by examining E-cadherin regulation in multiple tissues, including mammary, brain, liver, and kidney tissue, while specifically monitoring E-cadherin mobility during disease progression in the pancreas. We assess E-cadherin stability in native pancreatic tissue upon genetic manipulation involving Kras and p53 or in response to anti-invasive drug treatment and gain insights into the dynamic remodeling of E-cadherin during in situ cancer progression. FRAP in the E-cadherin-GFP mouse, therefore, promises to be a valuable tool to fundamentally expand our understanding of E-cadherin-mediated events in native microenvironments

Lower grade gliomas: relationships between metabolic and structural imaging with grading and molecular factors

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a valuable tool for the characterization of brain tumors in vivo. However, few studies have investigated the correlation between carbon-11-methionine (11C-METH) PET metrics and the clinical, radiological, histological, and molecular features of patients affected by lower grade gliomas (LGGs). The present observational study evaluated the relationships between 11C-METH PET metrics and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with the histomolecular biomarkers in patients with LGGs who were candidates for surgery. Methods: We enrolled 96 patients with pathologically proven LGG (51 men, 45 women; age 44.1 \ub1 13.7 years; 45 with grade II, 51 with grade III), who had been referred from March 2012 to January 2015 for tumor resection and had undergone preoperative 11C-METH PET. The semiquantitative metrics for 11C-METH PET included maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), SUV ratio to normal brain, and metabolic tumor burden (MTB). The PET semiquantitative metrics were analyzed and compared with the MRI features, histological diagnosis, isocitrate dehydrogenase-1/2 status, and 1p/19q codeletion. Results: Histological grade was associated with SUVmax (P = 0.002), SUV ratio (P = 0.011), and MTB (P = 0.001), with grade III lesions showing higher values. Among the nonenhancing lesions on MRI, SUVmax (P = 0.001), SUV ratio (P = 0.003) and MTB (P < 0.001) were significantly different statistically for grade II versus grade III. The MRI lesion volume correlated poorly with MTB (r 2 = 0.13). The SUVmax and SUV ratio were greater (P < 0.05) in isocitrate dehydrogenase-1/2 wild-type lesions, and the SUV ratio was associated with the presence of the 1p19q codeletion. Conclusions: The 11C-METH PET metrics correlated significantly with histological grade and the molecular profile. Semiquantitative PET metrics can improve the preoperative evaluation of LGGs and thus support clinical decision-making

δ-Aminolevulinic acid transport in murine mammary adenocarcinoma cells is mediated by beta transporters

δ-aminolevulinic acid, the precursor of porphyrin biosynthesis has been used to induce the endogenous synthesis of the photosensitiser protoporphyrin IX for photodynamic therapy in the treatment of various tumours. The aim of this work was to characterise the δ-aminolevulinic acid transport system in the murine mammary adenocarcinoma cell line LM3 using 14C-δ-aminolevulinic acid, to finally improve δ-aminolevulinic acid incorporation in mammalian cells. Our results showed that δ-aminolevulinic acid is incorporated into these cells by two different mechanisms, passive diffusion which is important at the beginning of the incubation, and active transport. Specificity assays suggested that the transporter involved in δ-aminolevulinic acid incorporation is a BETA transporter, probably GAT-2