An improved LDA approach

2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

A tongue-print image database for recognition

Author name used in this publication: David ZhangBiometrics Research Centre, Department of ComputingVersion of RecordPublishe

N-wasp Is Required For Structural Integrity Of The Blood-testis Barrier.

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TOR complex 2 is needed for cell cycle progression and anchorage-independent growth of MCF7 and PC3 tumor cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>AKT signaling promotes cell growth, proliferation and survival and is hyperactivated in many cancers. TOR complex 2 (TORC2) activates AKT by phosphorylating it on the 'hydrophobic motif' site. Hydrophobic motif site phosphorylation is needed only for a subset of AKT functions. Whether proliferation of tumor cells depends on TORC2 activity has not been thoroughly explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used RNAi-mediated knockdown of rictor to inhibit TORC2 activity in MCF7 and PC3 tumor cells to analyze the importance of TORC2 on proliferation of tumor cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TORC2 inhibition reduced proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of both cell lines. Rictor depleted cells accumulated G1 phase, and showed prominent downregulation of Cyclin D1.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides further evidence that inhibition of TORC2 activity might be a useful strategy to inhibit proliferation of tumor cells and subsequent tumor growth.</p

Exploiting Locally Imposed Anisotropies in (Ga,Mn)As: a Non-volatile Memory Device

Progress in (Ga,Mn)As lithography has recently allowed us to realize structures where unique magnetic anisotropy properties can be imposed locally in various regions of a given device. We make use of this technology to fabricate a device in which we study transport through a constriction separating two regions whose magnetization direction differs by 90 degrees. We find that the resistance of the constriction depends on the flow of the magnetic field lines in the constriction region and demonstrate that such a structure constitutes a non-volatile memory device

Genetic study of congenital bile-duct dilatation identifies de novo and inherited variants in functionally related genes

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Identifying chemokines as therapeutic targets in renal disease: Lessons from antagonist studies and knockout mice

Chemokines, in concert with cytokines and adhesion molecules, play multiple roles in local and systemic immune responses. In the kidney, the temporal and spatial expression of chemokines correlates with local renal damage and accumulation of chemokine receptor-bearing leukocytes. Chemokines play important roles in leukocyte trafficking and blocking chemokines can effectively reduce renal leukocyte recruitment and subsequent renal damage. However, recent data indicate that blocking chemokine or chemokine receptor activity in renal disease may also exacerbate renal inflammation under certain conditions. An increasing amount of data indicates additional roles of chemokines in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, which may adversively affect the outcome of interventional studies. This review summarizes available in vivo studies on the blockade of chemokines and chemokine receptors in kidney diseases, with a special focus on the therapeutic potential of anti-chemokine strategies, including potential side effects, in renal disease. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

The landslide story

The catastrophic Wenchuan earthquake induced an unprecedented number of geohazards. The risk of heightened landslide frequency after a quake, with potential secondary effects such as river damming and subsequent floods, needs more focused attention

Hedgehog pathway mutations drive oncogenic transformation in high-risk T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The role of Hedgehog signaling in normal and malignant T-cell development is controversial. Recently, Hedgehog pathway mutations have been described in T-ALL, but whether mutational activation of Hedgehog signaling drives T-cell transformation is unknown, hindering the rationale for therapeutic intervention. Here, we show that Hedgehog pathway mutations predict chemotherapy resistance in human T-ALL, and drive oncogenic transformation in a zebrafish model of the disease. We found Hedgehog pathway mutations in 16% of 109 childhood T-ALL cases, most commonly affecting its negative regulator PTCH1. Hedgehog mutations were associated with resistance to induction chemotherapy (P = 0.009). Transduction of wild-type PTCH1 into PTCH1-mutant T-ALL cells induced apoptosis (P = 0.005), a phenotype that was reversed by downstream Hedgehog pathway activation (P = 0.007). Transduction of most mutant PTCH1, SUFU, and GLI alleles into mammalian cells induced aberrant regulation of Hedgehog signaling, indicating that these mutations are pathogenic. Using a CRISPR/Cas9 system for lineage-restricted gene disruption in transgenic zebrafish, we found that ptch1 mutations accelerated the onset of notch1-induced T-ALL (P = 0.0001), and pharmacologic Hedgehog pathway inhibition had therapeutic activity. Thus, Hedgehog-activating mutations are driver oncogenic alterations in high-risk T-ALL, providing a molecular rationale for targeted therapy in this disease

Evidence for strong, widespread chlorine radical chemistry associated with pollution outflow from continental Asia

The chlorine radical is a potent atmospheric oxidant, capable of perturbing tropospheric oxidative cycles normally controlled by the hydroxyl radical. Significantly faster reaction rates allow chlorine radicals to expedite oxidation of hydrocarbons, including methane, and in polluted environments, to enhance ozone production. Here we present evidence, from the CARIBIC airborne dataset, for extensive chlorine radical chemistry associated with Asian pollution outflow, from airborne observations made over the Malaysian Peninsula in winter. This region is known for persistent convection that regularly delivers surface air to higher altitudes and serves as a major transport pathway into the stratosphere. Oxidant ratios inferred from hydrocarbon relationships show that chlorine radicals were regionally more important than hydroxyl radicals for alkane oxidation and were also important for methane and alkene oxidation (>10%). Our observations reveal pollution-related chlorine chemistry that is both widespread and recurrent, and has implications for tropospheric oxidizing capacity, stratospheric composition and ozone chemistry