Seven-fluorochrome mouse M-FISH for high-resolution analysis of interchromosomal rearrangements

The mouse has evolved to be the primary mammalian genetic model organism. Important applications include the modeling of human cancer and cloning experiments. In both settings, a detailed analysis of the mouse genome is essential. Multicolor karyotyping technologies have emerged to be invaluable tools for the identification of mouse chromosomes and for the deciphering of complex rearrangements. With the increasing use of these multicolor technologies resolution limits are critical. However, the traditionally used probe sets, which employ 5 different fluorochromes, have significant limitations. Here, we introduce an improved labeling strategy. Using 7 fluorochromes we increased the sensitivity for the detection of small interchromosomal rearrangements (700 kb or less) to virtually 100%. Our approach should be important to unravel small interchromosomal rearrangements in mouse models for DNA repair defects and chromosomal instability. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Impact of neutron star spin on Poynting-Robertson drag during a Type I X-ray burst

External irradiation of a neutron star (NS) accretion disc induces Poynting-Robertson (PR) drag, removing angular momentum and increasing the mass accretion rate. Recent simulations show PR drag significantly enhancing the mass accretion rate during Type I X-ray bursts, which could explain X-ray spectral features such as an increase in the persistent emission and a soft excess. However, prograde spin of the NS is expected to weaken PR drag, challenging its importance during bursts. Here, we study the effect of spin on PR drag during X-ray bursts. We run four simulations, with two assuming a non-spinning NS and two using a spin parameter of $a_*=0.2$, corresponding to a rotation frequency of 500 Hz. For each scenario, we simulate the disc evolution subject to an X-ray burst and compare it to the evolution found with no burst. PR drag drains the inner disc region during a burst, moving the inner disc radius outward by $\approx1.6$ km in the $a_*=0$ and by $\approx2.2$ km in the $a_*=0.2$ simulation. The burst enhances the mass accretion rate across the innermost stable circular orbit $\approx7.9$ times when the NS is not spinning and $\approx11.2$ times when it is spinning. The explanation for this seemingly contradictory result is that the disc is closer to the NS when $a_*=0.2$, and the resulting stronger irradiating flux offsets the weakening effect of spin on the PR drag. Hence, PR drag remains a viable explanation for the increased persistent emission and soft excess observed during X-ray bursts in spinning NS systems.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Predicting Residential Satisfaction: A Comparative Case Study

This is a comparative case study that focuses on resident satisfaction in three buildings renovated for housing. A survey based on environment-behavior factors that can contribute to resident satisfaction was developed and distributed to the buildings\u27 residents. Residents in fifty-two percent (52.5%) of the units in the three buildings responded (N = 64). Index variables used were: management, perception, wayfinding, safety. comfort. and adequacy. There was a significant relationship between resident satisfaction and age for one building. Safety and perception were significant for all buildings. Safety, perception and comfort were significant in different ways for each of the three buildings

The Free Quon Gas Suffers Gibbs' Paradox

We consider the Statistical Mechanics of systems of particles satisfying the $q$-commutation relations recently proposed by Greenberg and others. We show that although the commutation relations approach Bose (resp.\ Fermi) relations for $q\to1$ (resp.\ $q\to-1$), the partition functions of free gases are independent of $q$ in the range $-1<q<1$. The partition functions exhibit Gibbs' Paradox in the same way as a classical gas without a correction factor $1/N!$ for the statistical weight of the $N$-particle phase space, i.e.\ the Statistical Mechanics does not describe a material for which entropy, free energy, and particle number are extensive thermodynamical quantities.Comment: number-of-pages, LaTeX with REVTE