Evaluation of left renal vein and inferior vena cava variations through routine abdominal multi-slice computed tomography

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of left renal vein (LRV) and inferior vena cava (IVC) variations and the effect of gender on this frequency, as well as the presence of associated abdominal pathologies.Materials and methods: Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) images from 746 patients were evaluated retrospectively.Results: Left renal vein variations were identified in 9.8% of cases, while retroaortic LRV (RLRV) and circumaortic LRV (CLRV) were found in 7.4% and 2.4% of cases, respectively. No significant correlation was found between gender and LRV variations (p = 0.797). Of the cases with LRV and IVC variations, 73% had abdominal pathologies, the most common of which were nephrolithiasis, which appeared in 18 (32%) cases, and renal cysts, which appeared in 14 (25.4%) cases.Conclusions: MSCT is a rapid and reliable method of identifying LRV and IVC variations and associated abdominal pathologies

Temperature dependence of electrical properties in In/Cu2ZnSnTe4/Si/Ag diodes

WOS: 000458625200001Cu2ZnSnTe4 (CZTTe) thin films with In metal contact were deposited by thermal evaporation on monocrystalline n-type Si wafers with Ag ohmic contact to investigate the device characteristics of an In/CZTTe/Si/Ag diode. The variation in electrical characteristics of the diode was analysed by carrying out current-voltage (I-V) measurements in the temperature range of 220-360 K. The forward bias I-V behaviour was modelled according to the thermionic emission (TE) theory to obtain main diode parameters. In addition, the experimental data were detailed by taking into account the presence of an interfacial layer and possible dominant current transport mechanisms were studied under analysis of ideality factor, n. Strong effects of temperature were observed on zero-bias barrier height (Phi(B0)) and n values due to barrier height inhomogeneity at the interface. The anomaly observed in the analysis of TE was modelled by Gaussian distribution (GD) of barrier heights with 0.844 eV mean barrier height and 0.132 V standard deviation. According to the Tung's theoretical approach, a linear correlation between Phi(B0) and n cannot be satisfied, and thus the modified Richardson plot was used to determine Richardson constant (A*). As a result, A* was calculated approximately as 120.6 A cm(-2) K-2 very close to the theoretical value for n-Si. In addition, the effects of series resistance (R-s) by estimating from Cheng's function and density of surface states (N-ss) by taking the bias dependence of effective barrier height, were discussed

Understanding Mechanochemical Coupling in Kinesins Using First-Passage Time Processes

Kinesins are processive motor proteins that move along microtubules in a stepwise manner, and their motion is powered by the hydrolysis of ATP. Recent experiments have investigated the coupling between the individual steps of single kinesin molecules and ATP hydrolysis, taking explicitly into account forward steps, backward steps and detachments. A theoretical study of mechanochemical coupling in kinesins, which extends the approach used successfully to describe the dynamics of conventional motor proteins, is presented. The possibility of irreversible detachments of kinesins from the microtubules is also explicitly taken into account. Using the method of first- passage times, experimental data on the mechanochemical coupling in kinesins are fully described using the simplest two-state model. It is shown that the dwell times for the kinesin to move one step forward or backward, or to dissociate irreversibly are the same, although the probabilities of these events are different. It is concluded that the current theoretical view, that only the forward motion of the motor protein molecule is coupled to ATP hydrolysis, is consistent with all available experimental observations for kinesins.Comment: Submitted to Biophysical Journa

Early growth performances of various seed sources of black (Prunus serotina Erhr.) and wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) seedlings on low and high elevation sites in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey

The growth performances of one-year old seedlings of various black cherry (BC) and wild cherry (WC) seed sources (SSs) that were planted on low elevation sites (LES) and high elevation sites (HES) in the western Black Sea Region (BSR) of Turkey were assessed one and five years after planting (YAP). Significance between and within-species variations were found for seedling growth. On species basis, WC was superior to BC for seedling groundline diameter and height growth for the low elevation sites(LES) of one and five years after planting (YAP), whereas no substantial survival and growth differences were found between the species for the high elevation sites (HES) of five YAP. Generally, seedlings averaged a greater survival on the LES, when compared with those on the HES. Local WC SSs (Tefen, Yayla and Dirgine) demonstrated an enhanced seedling survival and growth on LES than the other SSs. Unlike the LES results, a collection of BC (Michigan 1 and Ukraine) and WC SSs (Dirgine, Germany, and Tefen) displayed the best seedling growth over five years. The HES seedlings frequently experienced diebacks and forking due to heavy snow fall and wildlife browsing. Selection of the local WC SSs was vital for the LES. However, BC SSs may present a potential for planting on the HES with harsher environmental conditions.Keywords: Black cherry, provenance test, seedling growth and survival, wild cherry

The metalloproteinase ADAM10 requires its activity to sustain surface expression

The metalloproteinase ADAM10 critically contributes to development, inflammation, and cancer and can be controlled by endogenous or synthetic inhibitors. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that loss of proteolytic activity of ADAM10 by either inhibition or loss of function mutations induces removal of the protease from the cell surface and the whole cell. This process is temperature dependent, restricted to mature ADAM10, and associated with an increased internalization, lysosomal degradation, and release of mature ADAM10 in extracellular vesicles. Recovery from this depletion requires de novo synthesis. Functionally, this is reflected by loss and recovery of ADAM10 substrate shedding. Finally, ADAM10 inhibition in mice reduces systemic ADAM10 levels in different tissues. Thus, ADAM10 activity is critically required for its surface expression in vitro and in vivo. These findings are crucial for development of therapeutic ADAM10 inhibition strategies and may showcase a novel, physiologically relevant mechanism of protease removal due to activity loss

Lowering the background level and the energy threshold of Micromegas x-ray detectors for axion searches

Axion helioscopes search for solar axions by their conversion in x-rays in the presence of high magnetic fields. The use of low background x-ray detectors is an essential component contributing to the sensitivity of these searches. In this work, we review the recent advances on Micromegas detectors used in the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) and proposed for the future International Axion Observatory (IAXO). The actual setup in CAST has achieved background levels below 10$^{-6}$ keV$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, a factor 100 lower than the first generation of Micromegas detectors. This reduction is based on active and passive shielding techniques, the selection of radiopure materials, offline discrimination techniques and the high granularity of the readout. We describe in detail the background model of the detector, based on its operation at CAST site and at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), as well as on Geant4 simulations. The best levels currently achieved at LSC are low than 10$^{-7}$ keV$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ and show good prospects for the application of this technology in IAXO. Finally, we present some ideas and results for reducing the energy threshold of these detectors below 1 keV, using high-transparent windows, autotrigger electronics and studying the cluster shape at different energies. As a high flux of axion-like-particles is expected in this energy range, a sub-keV threshold detector could enlarge the physics case of axion helioscopes.Comment: Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Technology and Instrumentation in Particle Physics (TIPP 2014

X-ray detection with Micromegas with background levels below 10−6^{-6} keV−1^{-1}cm−2^{-2}s−1^{-1}

Micromegas detectors are an optimum technological choice for the detection of low energy x-rays. The low background techniques applied to these detectors yielded remarkable background reductions over the years, being the CAST experiment beneficiary of these developments. In this document we report on the latest upgrades towards further background reductions and better understanding of the detectors' response. The upgrades encompass the readout electronics, a new detector design and the implementation of a more efficient cosmic muon veto system. Background levels below 10$^{-6}$keV$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ have been obtained at sea level for the first time, demonstrating the feasibility of the expectations posed by IAXO, the next generation axion helioscope. Some results obtained with a set of measurements conducted in the x-ray beam of the CAST Detector Laboratory will be also presented and discussed

CO in Protostars (COPS): HerschelHerschel-SPIRE Spectroscopy of Embedded Protostars

We present full spectral scans from 200-670$\mu$m of 26 Class 0+I protostellar sources, obtained with $Herschel$-SPIRE, as part of the "COPS-SPIRE" Open Time program, complementary to the DIGIT and WISH Key programs. Based on our nearly continuous, line-free spectra from 200-670 $\mu$m, the calculated bolometric luminosities ($L_{\rm bol}$) increase by 50% on average, and the bolometric temperatures ($T_{\rm bol}$) decrease by 10% on average, in comparison with the measurements without Herschel. Fifteen protostars have the same Class using $T_{\rm bol}$ and $L_{\rm bol}$/$L_{\rm submm}$. We identify rotational transitions of CO lines from J=4-3 to J=13-12, along with emission lines of $^{13}$CO, HCO$^+$, H$_{2}$O, and [CI]. The ratios of $^{12}$CO to $^{13}$CO indicate that $^{12}$CO emission remains optically thick for $J_{\rm up}$ < 13. We fit up to four components of temperature from the rotational diagram with flexible break points to separate the components. The distribution of rotational temperatures shows a primary population around 100 K with a secondary population at $\sim$350 K. We quantify the correlations of each line pair found in our dataset, and find the strength of correlation of CO lines decreases as the difference between $J$-level between two CO lines increases. The multiple origins of CO emission previously revealed by velocity-resolved profiles are consistent with this smooth distribution if each physical component contributes to a wide range of CO lines with significant overlap in the CO ladder. We investigate the spatial extent of CO emission and find that the morphology is more centrally peaked and less bipolar at high-$J$ lines. We find the CO emission observed with SPIRE related to outflows, which consists two components, the entrained gas and shocked gas, as revealed by our rotational diagram analysis as well as the studies with velocity-resolved CO emission.Comment: 50 pages, 18 figures, accepted to ApJS. Revised for Table 6 and Figure

Re-Examination of Generation of Baryon and Lepton Number Asymmetries by Heavy Particle Decay

It is shown that wave function renormalization can introduce an important contribution to the generation of baryon and lepton number asymmetries by heavy particle decay. These terms, omitted in previous analyses, are of the same order of magnitude as the standard terms. A complete cancellation of leading terms can result in some interesting cases.Comment: 12 pages, 2 Feynman graphs (not included), UPR-055

Mechanical slowing-down of cytoplasmic diffusion allows in vivo counting of proteins in individual cells.

Many key regulatory proteins in bacteria are present in too low numbers to be detected with conventional methods, which poses a particular challenge for single-cell analyses because such proteins can contribute greatly to phenotypic heterogeneity. Here we develop a microfluidics-based platform that enables single-molecule counting of low-abundance proteins by mechanically slowing-down their diffusion within the cytoplasm of live Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. Our technique also allows for automated microscopy at high throughput with minimal perturbation to native physiology, as well as viable enrichment/retrieval. We illustrate the method by analysing the control of the master regulator of the E. coli stress response, RpoS, by its adapter protein, SprE (RssB). Quantification of SprE numbers shows that though SprE is necessary for RpoS degradation, it is expressed at levels as low as 3-4 molecules per average cell cycle, and fluctuations in SprE are approximately Poisson distributed during exponential phase with no sign of bursting