4,429 research outputs found
Neuraminidase Induced Loss in the Transplantability of Murine Leukaemia L 1210, Induction of Immunoprotection and the Transfer of Induced Immunity to Normal DBA/2 Mice by Serum and Peritoneal Cells
Leukaemia L 1210 cells preincubated in vitro with neuraminidase preparations derived either from Vibrio cholerae (VCN) or Clostridium perfringens (CPN) lost their i.p. transplantability for normal DBA/2 mice. This loss of transplantability could not be observed when the enzyme treated cells were implanted in mice whose immune status was suppressed by prior cyclophosphamide treatment. Mice receiving i.p. implants of enzyme treated leukaemia cells developed immunity to subsequent i.p. challenge with untreated L 1210 cells but not to a challenge with Ehrlich ascites tumour cells. The magnitude of immune response evoked by L 1210 cells preincubated with 250 u/ml of VCN or 35 ÎĽg/ml of CPN for 60 minutes was of relatively low level when compared with the immunity induced by leukaemia cells preincubated with 50 u/ml of VCN or 15 ÎĽg/ml of CPN for 30 or 60 minutes. Evidence is presented to show that the induced immunity can be transferred passively with the serum and with the peritoneal cells from the mice implanted with VCN treated L 1210 cells to normal DBA/2 mice. The significance of the neuraminidase induced increase in the immunogenicity of treated tumour cells is discussed
Laser microdissection and mass spectrometry–based proteomics aids the diagnosis and typing of renal amyloidosis
Accurate diagnosis and typing of renal amyloidosis is critical for prognosis, genetic counseling, and treatment. Laser microdissection and mass spectrometry are emerging techniques for the analysis and diagnosis of many renal diseases. Here we present the results of laser microdissection and mass spectrometry performed on 127 cases of renal amyloidosis during 2008–2010. We found the following proteins in the amyloid deposits: immunoglobulin light and heavy chains, secondary reactive serum amyloid A protein, leukocyte cell–derived chemotaxin-2, fibrinogen-α chain, transthyretin, apolipoprotein A-I and A-IV, gelsolin, and β-2 microglobulin. Thus, laser microdissection of affected areas within the kidney followed by mass spectrometry provides a direct test of the composition of the deposit and forms a useful ancillary technique for the accurate diagnosis and typing of renal amyloidosis in a single procedure
Demonstrating Operating System Principles via Computer Forensics Exercises
We explore the feasibility of sparking student curiosity and interest in the core required MIS operating systems course through inclusion of computer forensics exercises into the course. Students were presented with two in-class exercises. Each exercise demonstrated an aspect of the operating system, and each exercise was written as a computer forensics investigation. Students were asked to indicate their perception of the practicality of the course material before and after completing the exercises. Based upon a t-test, we conclude that students find the course material to be of greater practical significance when course materials are linked to forensics topics
Recent updates on the role of microRNAs in prostate cancer
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that are involved in several important biological processes through regulation of genes post-transcriptionally. Carcinogenesis is one of the key biological processes where miRNAs play important role in the regulation of genes. The miRNAs elicit their effects by binding to the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of their target mRNAs, leading to the inhibition of translation or the degradation of the mRNA, depending on the degree of complementary base pairing. To-date more than 1,000 miRNAs are postulated to exist, although the field is moving rapidly. Currently, miRNAs are becoming the center of interest in a number of research areas, particularly in oncology, as documented by exponential growth in publications in the last decade. These studies have shown that miRNAs are deregulated in a wide variety of human cancers. Thus, it is reasonable to ask the question whether further understanding on the role of miRNAs could be useful for diagnosis, prognosis and predicting therapeutic response for prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, in this review article, we will discuss the potential roles of different miRNAs in PCa in order to provide up-to-date information, which is expected to stimulate further research in the field for realizing the benefit of miRNA-targeted therapeutic approach for the treatment of metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in the near future because there is no curative treatment for mCRPC at the moment
Toward the End of Time
The null-brane space-time provides a simple model of a big crunch/big bang
singularity. A non-perturbative definition of M-theory on this space-time was
recently provided using matrix theory. We derive the fermion couplings for this
matrix model and study the leading quantum effects. These effects include
particle production and a time-dependent potential. Our results suggest that as
the null-brane develops a big crunch singularity, the usual notion of
space-time is replaced by an interacting gluon phase. This gluon phase appears
to constitute the end of our conventional picture of space and time.Comment: 31 pages, reference adde
M-Branes and Their Interactions in Static Matrix Model
Different BPS M-brane configurations including single and two parallel
M-branes (= even) and M5-branes are introduced as the classical solutions
of the recently proposed Static Matrix Model. Also the long range interactions
of two relatively rotated M-branes (one and two angles) and
M-brane--anti-M-brane are calculated. The results are in agreement with
11 dimensional supergravity results.Comment: Latex file, 17 pages, No Figure
Loop contributions to the scalar power spectrum due to quartic order action in ultra slow roll inflation
[Abridged] In contemporary literature, the calculation of modifications to
the inflationary scalar power spectrum due to the loops from the higher order
interaction terms in the Hamiltonian have led to a discussion regarding the
validity of perturbation theory. Recently, there have been efforts to examine
the contributions to the scalar power spectrum due to the loops arising from
the cubic order terms in the action describing the perturbations, specifically
in inflationary scenarios that permit an epoch of ultra slow roll (USR). A
phase of USR inflation leads to significant observational consequences, such as
the copious production of primordial black holes. In this work, we study the
loop contributions to the scalar power spectrum in a scenario of USR inflation
arising due to the quartic order terms in the action describing the scalar
perturbations. We compute the loop contributions to the scalar power spectrum
due to the dominant term in the action at the quartic order. We consider a
scenario wherein a phase of USR is sandwiched between two stages of slow roll
inflation and analyze the behavior of the loop contributions in terms of the
parameters involved. We examine the late, intermediate and early epochs of USR
during inflation. In the inflationary scenario involving a late phase of USR,
for reasonable choices of the parameters, we show that the loop corrections are
negligible for the entire range of wave numbers. In the intermediate case, the
contributions from the loops prove to be scale invariant over large scales, and
we find that these contributions can amount to 30% of the leading order power
spectrum. In the case wherein USR sets in early, we find that the loop
contributions could be negative and can dominate the power spectrum at the
leading order, which indicates a breakdown of the perturbative expansion. We
conclude with a brief summary and outlook.Comment: v1: 34 pages, 8 figures; v2: 39 pages, 10 figures, added discussions,
references and two appendice
A program for a problem free Cosmology within a framework of a rich class of scalar tensor theories
A search for a problem free cosmology within the framework of an effective
non - minimally coupled scalar tensor theory is suggested. With appropriate
choice of couplings in variants of a Lee - Wick model [as also in a model
supporting Q - ball solutions], non topological solutions [NTS's], varying in
size upto 10 kpc to 1 Mpc can exist. We explore the properties of a ``toy''
Milne model containing a distribution of NTS domains. The interior of these
domains would be regions where effective gravitational effects would be
indistinguishable from those expected in standard Einstein theory. For a large
class of non - minimal coupling terms and the scalar effective potential, the
effective cosmological constant identically vanishes. The model passes
classical cosmological tests and we describe reasons to expect it to fare well
as regards nucleosynthesis and structure formation.Comment: 20 pages, Plain Tex, references added and expanded the previous
version of article, 2 figures available from [email protected]
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