Test code for the assessment and improvement of Reynolds stress models

An existing two-dimensional, compressible flow, Navier-Stokes computer code, containing a full Reynolds stress turbulence model, was adapted for use as a test bed for assessing and improving turbulence models based on turbulence simulation experiments. To date, the results of using the code in comparison with simulated channel flow and over an oscillating flat plate have shown that the turbulence model used in the code needs improvement for these flows. It is also shown that direct simulation of turbulent flows over a range of Reynolds numbers are needed to guide subsequent improvement of turbulence models

Clinical Dilemma in the Treatment of a Patient with Microangiopathic Haemolytic Anaemia, Thrombocytopaenia and Severe Hypertension

While haemolytic uraemic syndrome in children is predominantly associated with Shiga toxin -producing Escherichia coli (typically 0157:H7), some cases occur without associated diarrhoea, or as the manifestation of an underlying disorder other than infection. Haemolytic uraemic syndrome is characterised by microangiopathic anaemia, thrombocytopaenia and renal failure, on occasion accompanied by severe hypertension. Malignant hypertension is a syndrome that sometimes exhibits the same laboratory abnormalities as haemolytic uraemic syndrome as it may share the same pathological findings: thrombotic microangiopathy. As clinical features of both entities overlap, the distinction between them can be very difficult. However, differentiation is essential for the treatment decision, since early plasma exchange dramatically reduces mortality in haemolytic uraemic syndrome not associated with diarrhoea. An increasing number of genetic causes of this pathology have been described and may be very useful in differentiating it from thrombotic microangiopathy due to other aetiologies. Despite advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of haemolytic uraemic syndrome not associated with diarrhoea, the management often remains empirical. We describe a patient with simultaneous microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopaenia and severe hypertension managed in the acute period of illness with plasma exchange

The Closest Damped Lyman Alpha System

A difficulty of studying damped Lyman alpha systems is that they are distant, so one knows little about the interstellar medium of the galaxy. Here we report upon a damped Lyman alpha system in the nearby galaxy NGC 4203, which is so close (v_helio = 1117 km/s) and bright (B_o = 11.62) that its HI disk has been mapped. The absorption lines are detected against Ton 1480, which lies only 1.9' (12 h_50 kpc) from the center of NGC 4203. Observations were obtained with the Faint Object Spectrograph on HST (G270H grating) over the 2222-3277 Angstrom region with 200 km/s resolution. Low ionization lines of Fe, Mn, and Mg were detected, leading to metallicities of -2.29, -2.4, which are typical of other damped Lyman alpha systems, but well below the stellar metallicity of this type of galaxy. Most notably, the velocity of the lines is 1160 +- 10 km/s, which is identical to the HI rotational velocity of 1170 km/s at that location in NGC 4203, supporting the view that these absorption line systems can be associated with the rotating disks of galaxies. In addition, the line widths of the Mg lines give an upper limit to the velocity dispersion of 167 km/s, to the 99% confidence level.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX, including 1 figure and 1 table, uses emulateapj.sty. Accepted for publication by Astrophysical Journal Letter

A dual role for GRP in cardiovascular disease

Management and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents one of the major health challenges worldwide. CVD is the leading cause of death globally despite all research efforts on last decades regarding the molecular mechanisms and processes involved on its development and progression. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor and promotor of CVD events, representing a considerable economic cost for the health system. CVD is the leading cause of death in all CKD stages, accounting for half the number of deaths in this population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Retrotransposons represent the most labile fraction for genomic rearrangements in polyploid plant species

Understanding how increased genome size and diversity within polyploid genomes impacts plant evolution and breeding continues to be challenging. Although historical studies by McClintock suggested the importance of transposable elements mediated by polyploidisation on genomic changes, data from plant crosses remain scarce. Despite the absence of a conclusive proof regarding autonomous retrotransposon movement in synthetic allopolyploids, the transposition of retrotransposons and their ubiquitous dispersion in all plant species might explain the positive correlation between the genome size of plants and the prevalence of retrotransposons. Here, we address polyploidisationmediated rearrangements of retrotransposon-associated sequences and discuss a tendency for a preferential restructuring of large ancestral genomes after polyploidisation. A comparative analysis of the frequency of modifications of retrotransposon-associated sequences in synthetic polyploids with marked differences in genome sizes is presented. Such analyses suggest the absence of a significant difference in the rates of rearrangements despite vast dissimilarities in the retrotransposon copy number between species, which emphasises the high plasticity of this genomic feature. See also the sister article focusing on animals by Arkhipova and Rodriguez in this themed issu

Differential effects of high-temperature stress on nuclear topology and transcription of repetitive noncoding and coding rye sequences

The plant stress response has been extensively characterized at the biochemical and physiological levels. However, knowledge concerning repetitive sequence genome fraction modulation during extreme temperature conditions is scarce. We studied high-temperature effects on subtelomeric repetitive sequences (pSc200) and 45S rDNA in rye seedlings submitted to 40 ° C during 4 h. Chromatin organization patterns were evaluated through fluorescent in situ hybridization and transcription levels were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, the nucleolar dynamics were evaluated through fibrillarin immunodetection in interphase nuclei. The results obtained clearly demonstrated that the pSc200 sequence organization is not affected by high-temperature stress (HTS) and proved for the first time that this noncoding subtelomeric sequence is stably transcribed. Conversely, it was demonstrated that HTS treatment induces marked rDNA chromatin decondensation along with nucleolar enlargement and a significant increase in ribosomal gene transcription. The role of noncoding and coding repetitive rye sequences in the plant stress response that are suggested by their clearly distinct behaviors is discussed. While the hetero-chromatic conformation of pSc200 sequences seems to be involved in the stabilization of the interphase chromatin architecture under stress conditions, the dynamic modulation of nucleolar and rDNA topology and transcription suggest their role in plant stress response pathway

Unravelling genome dynamics in Arabidopsis synthetic auto and allopolyploid species

Polyploidization is a major genome modification that results in plant species with multiple chromosome sets. Parental genome adjustment to co-habit a new nuclear environment results in additional innovation outcomes. We intended to assess genomic changes in polyploid model species with small genomes using inter retrotransposons amplified polymorphism (IRAP) and retrotransposon microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP). Comparative analysis among diploid and autotetraploid A. thaliana and A. suecica lines with their parental lines revealed a marginal fraction of novel bands in both polyploids, and a vast loss of parental bands in allopolyploids. Sequence analysis of some remodelled bands shows that A. suecica parental band losses resulted mainly from sequence changes restricted to primer domains. Moreover, in A. suecica, both parental genomes presented rearrangement frequencies proportional to their sizes. Overall rates of genomic remodelling events detected in A. suecica were similar to those observed in species with a large genome supporting the role of retrotransposons and microsatellite sequences in the evolution of most allopolyploidsAcknowledgements: M. Bento was funded by a FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/80550/2011), Diana Tomás was funded by a FCT doctoral scholarship (SFRH/BD/93156/2013), Manuela Silva by the FCT Investigator Programme (IF/00834/2014), and the research work was financed by FCT LEAF Unit (UID/AGR/04129/2013)

Temperature Fluctuations and Abundances in HII Galaxies

There is evidence for temperature fluctuations in Planetary Nebulae and in Galactic HII regions. If such fluctuations occur in the low-metallicity, extragalactic HII regions used to probe the primordial helium abundance, the derived 4He mass fraction, Y_P, could be systematically different from the true primordial value. For cooler, mainly high-metallicity HII regions the derived helium abundance may be nearly unchanged but the oxygen abundance could have been seriously underestimated. For hotter, mainly low-metallicity HII regions the oxygen abundance is likely accurate but the helium abundance could be underestimated. The net effect is to tilt the Y vs. Z relation, making it flatter and resulting in a higher inferred Y_P. Although this effect could be large, there are no data which allow us to estimate the size of the temperature fluctuations for the extragalactic HII regions. Therefore, we have explored this effect via Monte Carlos in which the abundances derived from a fiducial data set are modified by \Delta-T chosen from a distribution with 0 < \Delta-T < \Delta-T_max where \Delta-T_max is varied from 500K to 4000K. It is interesting that although this effect shifts the locations of the HII regions in Y vs. O/H plane, it does not introduce any significant additional dispersion.Comment: 11 pages, 9 postscript figures; submitted to the Ap