1,819 research outputs found
Eye movements may cause motor contagion effects
When a person executes a movement, the movement is more errorful while observing another personâs actions that are incongruent rather than congruent with the executed action. This effect is known as âmotor contagionâ. Accounts of this effect are often grounded in simulation mechanisms: increased movement error emerges because the motor codes associated with observed actions compete with motor codes of the goal action. It is also possible, however, that the increased movement error is linked to eye movements that are executed simultaneously with the hand movement because oculomotor and manual-motor systems are highly interconnected. In the present study, participants performed a motor contagion task in which they executed horizontal arm movements while observing a model making either vertical (incongruent) or horizontal (congruent) movements under three conditions: no instruction, maintain central fixation, or track the modelâs hand with the eyes. A significant motor contagion-like effect was only found in the âtrackâ condition. Thus, âmotor contagionâ in the present task may be an artifact of simultaneously executed incongruent eye movements. These data are discussed in the context of stimulation and associative learning theories, and raise eye movements as a critical methodological consideration for future work on motor contagion
HIV-1 Infection Causes a Down-Regulation of Genes Involved in Ribosome Biogenesis
HIV-1 preferentially infects CD4+ T cells, causing fundamental changes that eventually lead to the release of new viral particles and cell death. To investigate in detail alterations in the transcriptome of the CD4+ T cells upon viral infection, we sequenced polyadenylated RNA isolated from Jurkat cells infected or not with HIV-1. We found a marked global alteration of gene expression following infection, with an overall trend toward induction of genes, indicating widespread modification of the host biology. Annotation and pathway analysis of the most deregulated genes showed that viral infection produces a down-regulation of genes associated with the nucleolus, in particular those implicated in regulating the different steps of ribosome biogenesis, such as ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transcription, pre-rRNA processing, and ribosome maturation. The impact of HIV-1 infection on genes involved in ribosome biogenesis was further validated in primary CD4+ T cells. Moreover, we provided evidence by Northern Blot experiments, that host pre-rRNA processing in Jurkat cells might be perturbed during HIV-1 infection, thus strengthening the hypothesis of a crosstalk between nucleolar functions and viral pathogenesis
LEGUS Discovery of a Light Echo Around Supernova 2012aw
We have discovered a luminous light echo around the normal Type II-Plateau
Supernova (SN) 2012aw in Messier 95 (M95; NGC 3351), detected in images
obtained approximately two years after explosion with the Wide Field Channel 3
on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) by the Legacy ExtraGalactic
Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The multi-band observations span from the
near-ultraviolet through the optical (F275W, F336W, F438W, F555W, and F814W).
The apparent brightness of the echo at the time was ~21--22 mag in all of these
bands. The echo appears circular, although less obviously as a ring, with an
inhomogeneous surface brightness, in particular, a prominent enhanced
brightness to the southeast. The SN itself was still detectable, particularly
in the redder bands. We are able to model the light echo as the time-integrated
SN light scattered off of diffuse interstellar dust in the SN environment. We
have assumed that this dust is analogous to that in the Milky Way with R_V=3.1.
The SN light curves that we consider also include models of the unobserved
early burst of light from the SN shock breakout. Our analysis of the echo
suggests that the distance from the SN to the scattering dust elements along
the echo is ~45 pc. The implied visual extinction for the echo-producing dust
is consistent with estimates made previously from the SN itself. Finally, our
estimate of the SN brightness in F814W is fainter than that measured for the
red supergiant star at the precise SN location in pre-SN images, possibly
indicating that the star has vanished and confirming it as the likely SN
progenitor.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the Astrophysical Journa
Principles for the post-GWAS functional characterisation of risk loci
Several challenges lie ahead in assigning functionality to susceptibility SNPs. For example, most effect sizes are small relative to effects seen in monogenic diseases, with per allele odds ratios usually ranging from 1.15 to 1.3. It is unclear whether current molecular biology methods have enough resolution to differentiate such small effects. Our objective here is therefore to provide a set of recommendations to optimize the allocation of effort and resources in order maximize the chances of elucidating the functional contribution of specific loci to the disease phenotype. It has been estimated that 88% of currently identified disease-associated SNP are intronic or intergenic. Thus, in this paper we will focus our attention on the analysis of non-coding variants and outline a hierarchical approach for post-GWAS functional studies
Hole Hopping through Tryptophan in Cytochrome P450
Electron-transfer kinetics have been measured in four conjugates of cytochrome P450 with surface-bound Ru-photosensitizers. The conjugates are constructed with enzymes from Bacillus megaterium (CYP102A1) and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (CYP119). A W96 residue lies in the path between Ru and the heme in CYP102A1, whereas H76 is present at the analogous location in CYP119. Two additional conjugates have been prepared with (CYP102A1)W96H and (CYP119)H76W mutant enzymes. Heme oxidation by photochemically generated Ru^(3+) leads to P450 compound II formation when a tryptophan residue is in the path between Ru and the heme; no heme oxidation is observed when histidine occupies this position. The data indicate that heme oxidation proceeds via two-step tunneling through a tryptophan radical intermediate. In contrast, heme reduction by photochemically generated Ru+ proceeds in a single electron tunneling step with closely similar rate constants for all four conjugates
The 3D Morphology of VY Canis Majoris II: Polarimetry and the Line-of-Sight Distribution of the Ejecta
We use imaging polarimetry taken with the HST/ACS/HRC to explore the three
dimensional structure of the circumstellar dust distribution around the red
supergiant VY Canis Majoris. The polarization vectors of the nebulosity
surrounding VY CMa show a strong centro-symmetric pattern in all directions
except directly East and range from 10% - 80% in fractional polarization. In
regions that are optically thin, and therefore likely have only single
scattering, we use the fractional polarization and photometric color to locate
the physical position of the dust along the line-of-sight. Most of the
individual arc-like features and clumps seen in the intensity image are also
features in the fractioanl polarization map. These features must be distinct
geometric objects. If they were just local density enhancements, the fractional
polarization would not change so abruptly at the edge of the feature. The
location of these features in the ejecta of VY CMa using polarimetry provides a
determination of their 3D geometry independent of, but in close agreement with,
the results from our study of their kinematics (Paper I).Comment: Better figures availible at http://www.astro.umn.edu/~tj
Collective Quartics from Simple Groups
This article classifies Little Higgs models that have collective quartic
couplings. There are two classes of collective quartics: Special Cosets and
Special Quartics. After taking into account dangerous singlets, the smallest
Special Coset models are SU(5)/SO(5) and SU(6)/Sp(6). The smallest Special
Quartic model is SU(5)/SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) and has not previously been
considered as a candidate Little Higgs model.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figure
Flavonoids in phylloclades discriminate endemic Semele androgyna chemotypes from Madeira
Thirty-five randomly-collected Semele androgyna Kunth
samples were screened by RP-HPLC for their phenolic
composition. Fraction analysis allowed the detection of
17 different compounds. According to their retention
times and UV spectra obtained by diode array analysis,
these phenolics represent three classes: phenolic
acids, flavones and flavonols. Co-chromatography with
specific standards enabled identification of quercetin,
rutin and quercitrin in Semele tissues for the first time.
Polymorphism based on phenolic composition was
evaluated using multivariate analysis and showed four
distinct S. androgyna clusters. This polymorphism was
not associated with morphological diversity or different
in ambient light intensities. Biochemical differentiation
is thus present in this species. The application of
multivariate analysis techniques to RP-HPLC data has
allowed the classification of samples into two groups,
previously proposed on the basis of morphological and
cytotaxonomical information. Therefore, the use of
phenolics as chemotaxonomic markers in Semele is
highly recommended because of its diagnostic value,
even at a subspecies level. Discriminant canonical
analysis and Mahalanobis distances confirmed these
clusters as recognisable chemosystematic units.
However, these units do not support the separation of S.
pterygophora.The Portuguese Foundation for Science and
Technology (FCT) funded this work through the Centre of Macaronesian
Studies (CEM). The authors are grateful to the Madeiran Centre of
Science and Technology (CITMA), the Berardo Foundation and
European Social Funding for financial assistance given during execution
of this work. The assistance rendered by Mr Rogério Correia during field
collection is gratefully acknowledged.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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