miRNA in Circulating Microvesicles as Biomarkers for Age-Related Cognitive Decline

Community dwelling older individuals from the North Florida region were examined for health status and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was performed on each participant. A subpopulation (58 females and 39 males) met the criteria for age (60–89) and no evidence of mild cognitive impairment, with a MoCA score ≥23. Despite the stringent criteria for participation, MoCA scores were negatively correlated within the limited age range. Extracellular microvesicles were isolated from the plasma and samples were found to be positive for the exosome marker CD63, with an enrichment of particles within the size range for exosomes. miRNA was extracted and examined using next generation sequencing with a stringent criterion (average of ≥10 counts per million reads) resulting in 117 miRNA for subsequent analysis. Characterization of expression confirmed pervious work concerning the relative abundance and overall pattern of expression of miRNA in plasma. Correlation analysis indicated that most of the miRNAs (74 miRNAs) were positively correlated with age (p <0.01). Multiple regression was employed to identify the relationship of miRNA expression and MoCA score, accounting for age. MoCA scores were negatively correlated with 13 miRNAs. The pattern of expression for cognition-related miRNA did not match that previously described for Alzheimer’s disease. Enrichment analysis was employed to identify miRNA–gene interactions to reveal possible links to brain function

Chromospheric jets around the edges of sunspots

Aims. Evidence is beginning to be put forward that demonstrates the role of the chromosphere in supplying energy and mass to the corona. We aim to asses the role of chromospheric jets in active region dynamics. Methods. Using a combination of the Hinode/SOT Ca II H and TRACE 1550 Å and 1600 Å filters we examine chromospheric jets situated at the edge of a sunspot. Results. Analysis reveals a near continuous series of jets, that raise chromospheric material into the low corona above a sunspot. The jets have average rise speeds of 30 km/s and a range of 10−100 km/s. Enhanced emission observed at the jets leading edge suggests the formation of a shock front. Increased emission in TRACE bandpasses above the sunspot and the disappearance of the jets from the Ca II filter suggests that some of the chromospheric jet material is at least heated to ∼ 0.1 MK. The evidence suggests that the jets could be a mechanism which provides a steady, low-level heating for active region features

The bashful and the boastful : prestigious leaders and social change in Mesolithic Societies

The creation and maintenance of influential leaders and authorities is one of the key themes of archaeological and historical enquiry. However the social dynamics of authorities and leaders in the Mesolithic remains a largely unexplored area of study. The role and influence of authorities can be remarkably different in different situations yet they exist in all societies and in almost all social contexts from playgrounds to parliaments. Here we explore the literature on the dynamics of authority creation, maintenance and contestation in egalitarian societies, and discuss the implications for our interpretation and understanding of the formation of authorities and leaders and changing social relationships within the Mesolithic

Direct synthesis of multiplexed metal nanowire based devices using carbon nanotubes as vector templates

We present the synthesis of metal nanowires in a multiplexed device configuration using single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as nanoscale vector templates. The SWNT templates control the dimensionality of the wires, allowing precise control of their size, shape and orientation; moreover a solution processable approach enables their linear deposition between specific electrode pairs in electronic devices. Electrical characterizations demonstrate the successful fabrication of metal nanowire electronic devices, while multiscale characterization of the different fabrication steps reveals details of the structure and charge transfer between the material encapsulated and the carbon nanotube. Overall the strategy presented allows facile, low‐cost and direct synthesis of multiplexed metal nanowire devices for nanoelectronic applications

Anticancer Gene Transfer for Cancer Gene Therapy

Gene therapy vectors are among the treatments currently used to treat malignant tumors. Gene therapy vectors use a specific therapeutic transgene that causes death in cancer cells. In early attempts at gene therapy, therapeutic transgenes were driven by non-specific vectors which induced toxicity to normal cells in addition to the cancer cells. Recently, novel cancer specific viral vectors have been developed that target cancer cells leaving normal cells unharmed. Here we review such cancer specific gene therapy systems currently used in the treatment of cancer and discuss the major challenges and future directions in this field

Observing the First Stars and Black Holes

The high sensitivity of JWST will open a new window on the end of the cosmological dark ages. Small stellar clusters, with a stellar mass of several 10^6 M_sun, and low-mass black holes (BHs), with a mass of several 10^5 M_sun should be directly detectable out to redshift z=10, and individual supernovae (SNe) and gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglows are bright enough to be visible beyond this redshift. Dense primordial gas, in the process of collapsing from large scales to form protogalaxies, may also be possible to image through diffuse recombination line emission, possibly even before stars or BHs are formed. In this article, I discuss the key physical processes that are expected to have determined the sizes of the first star-clusters and black holes, and the prospect of studying these objects by direct detections with JWST and with other instruments. The direct light emitted by the very first stellar clusters and intermediate-mass black holes at z>10 will likely fall below JWST's detection threshold. However, JWST could reveal a decline at the faint-end of the high-redshift luminosity function, and thereby shed light on radiative and other feedback effects that operate at these early epochs. JWST will also have the sensitivity to detect individual SNe from beyond z=10. In a dedicated survey lasting for several weeks, thousands of SNe could be detected at z>6, with a redshift distribution extending to the formation of the very first stars at z>15. Using these SNe as tracers may be the only method to map out the earliest stages of the cosmic star-formation history. Finally, we point out that studying the earliest objects at high redshift will also offer a new window on the primordial power spectrum, on 100 times smaller scales than probed by current large-scale structure data.Comment: Invited contribution to "Astrophysics in the Next Decade: JWST and Concurrent Facilities", Astrophysics & Space Science Library, Eds. H. Thronson, A. Tielens, M. Stiavelli, Springer: Dordrecht (2008

Detection of Group 1 Coronaviruses in Bats in North America

Bats of 2 species harbor group 1 coronaviruses

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal