Analysis and Comparison of Physical Properties and Morphology of Impact Melt Flows on Venus and the Moon to Determine Atmospheric Controls

Impact melt flows form when target material melted by an impact breaches the rim of the impact crater. The melt flows out and away from the crater, forming a lava flow. Such flows have been identified on Venus and the Moon by previous studies. This study aims to document impact melt flows on these two bodies to determine the differences, if any, between them, and to ascertain whether these differences are due to atmospheric conditions. Previously recorded morphological data from Robert Herrick of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and Neish et al. (2014) are used in conjunction with S-band (12.6 cm) radar data from the Magellan spacecraft, the Arecibo Observatory, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It was found that the flow length in terms of crater diameter and CPR, a proxy for surface roughness, are very different for the flows on the two bodies. Venus flows originating from craters with a diameter d ≥ 15 km had an average flow length of 2.33 crater diameters, and lunar flows originating from craters d ≥ 15 km had an average flow length of 0.47 crater diameters. The CPR of Venus flows at radar incidence angles of 40-60° averaged at 0.305 and the CPR of lunar flows averaged at 0.868, meaning that lunar flows are rougher on centimeter scales. These differences are consistent with those that would be produced by the differing surface temperatures on the two bodies; the higher temperature on Venus slows the melt’s cooling rate, decreases its viscosity, slows the increase in its viscosity due to cooling, and increases melt volume. These effects produce longer and smoother flows. Differences in melt composition and impact velocity may also be responsible for these differences. These factors would affect the viscosity and volume of the flows such that Venus flows would be smoother and longer. Further study including thermodynamic and rheological modeling as well as examining impact melt flows on other bodies such as Mars will be necessary to determine what the primary controls on impact melt flow length and roughness are

Determinants of Bank Profitability: Evidence from the U.S. Banking Sector

Using the ordinary least squares estimation technique, this paper analyzes the profitability of the U.S banking sector over the period from 2000 – 2008. Our profitability determinants include bank-specific characteristic as well as macroeconomic factors. Consistent previous studies, we find that the bank-specific determinants, with the exception of size, are significantly positively related to bank performance. For size measure, the impact is uncertain and is depended on the category of bank size. The macroeconomic factors GDP and interest rate change are also significant in explain bank profits

Moments of the generalized hyperbolic distribution

In this paper we demonstrate a recursive method for obtaining the moments of the generalized hyperbolic distribution. The method is readily programmable for numerical evaluation of moments. For low order moments we also give an alternative derivation of the moments of the generalized hyperbolic distribution. The expressions given for these moments may be used to obtain moments for special cases such as the hyperbolic and normal inverse Gaussian distributions. Moments for limiting cases such as the skew hyperbolic t and variance gamma distributions can be found using the same approach.Generalized hyperbolic distribution; hyperbolic distribution; kurtosis; moments; normal inverse Gaussian distribution; skewed-t distribution; skewness; Student-t distribution.

Almost Torus Manifolds of Non-negative Curvature

An almost torus manifold $M$ is the odd-dimensional analog of a torus manifold. Namely, it is a $(2n+1)$-dimensional orientable manifold with an effective, isometric, almost isotropy-maximal $T^n$-action. In this paper, we show that closed, simply-connected, non-negatively curved almost torus manifolds are equivariantly diffeomorphic to a quotient by a free linear torus action on a product of spheres, thus generalizing Wiemeler's classification of simply-connected, non-negatively curved torus manifolds

Myosin IIA-mediated forces regulate multicellular integrity during vascular sprouting

Angiogenic sprouting is a critical process involved in vascular network formation within tissues. During sprouting, tip cells and ensuing stalk cells migrate collectively into the extracellular matrix while preserving cell-cell junctions, forming patent structures that support blood flow. Although several signaling pathways have been identified as controlling sprouting, it remains unclear to what extent this process is mechanoregulated. To address this question, we investigated the role of cellular contractility in sprout morphogenesis, using a biomimetic model of angiogenesis. Three-dimensional maps of mechanical deformations generated by sprouts revealed that mainly leader cells, not stalk cells, exert contractile forces on the surrounding matrix. Surprisingly, inhibiting cellular contractility with blebbistatin did not affect the extent of cellular invasion but resulted in cell-cell dissociation primarily between tip and stalk cells. Closer examination of cell-cell junctions revealed that blebbistatin impaired adherens-junction organization, particularly between tip and stalk cells. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we further identified NMIIA as the major isoform responsible for regulating multicellularity and cell contractility during sprouting. Together, these studies reveal a critical role for NMIIA-mediated contractile forces in maintaining multicellularity during sprouting and highlight the central role of forces in regulating cell-cell adhesions during collective motility.R01 EB000262 - NIBIB NIH HHS; R01 HL115553 - NHLBI NIH HHSPublished versio

Nanodiamond-Gutta Percha Composite Biomaterials for Root Canal Therapy.

Root canal therapy (RCT) represents a standard of treatment that addresses infected pulp tissue in teeth and protects against future infection. RCT involves removing dental pulp comprising blood vessels and nerve tissue, decontaminating residually infected tissue through biomechanical instrumentation, and root canal obturation using a filler material to replace the space that was previously composed of dental pulp. Gutta percha (GP) is typically used as the filler material, as it is malleable, inert, and biocompatible. While filling the root canal space with GP is the standard of care for endodontic therapies, it has exhibited limitations including leakage, root canal reinfection, and poor mechanical properties. To address these challenges, clinicians have explored the use of alternative root filling materials other than GP. Among the classes of materials that are being explored as novel endodontic therapy platforms, nanodiamonds (NDs) may offer unique advantages due to their favorable properties, particularly for dental applications. These include versatile faceted surface chemistry, biocompatibility, and their role in improving mechanical properties, among others. This study developed a ND-embedded GP (NDGP) that was functionalized with amoxicillin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic commonly used for endodontic infection. Comprehensive materials characterization confirmed improved mechanical properties of NDGP over unmodified GP. In addition, digital radiography and microcomputed tomography imaging demonstrated that obturation of root canals with NDGP could be achieved using clinically relevant techniques. Furthermore, bacterial growth inhibition assays confirmed drug functionality of NDGP functionalized with amoxicillin. This study demonstrates a promising path toward NDGP implementation in future endodontic therapy for improved treatment outcomes

Combined TRPC3 and TRPC6 blockade by selective small-molecule or genetic deletion inhibits pathological cardiac hypertrophy

Chronic neurohormonal and mechanical stresses are central fea-tures of heart disease. Increasing evidence supports a role forthe transient receptor potential canonical channels TRPC3 andTRPC6 in this pathophysiology. Channel expression for both is nor-mally very low but is increased by cardiac disease, and geneticgain- or loss-of-function studies support contributions to hypertro-phy and dysfunction. Selective small-molecule inhibitors remainscarce, and none target both channels, which may be useful giventhe high homology among them and evidence of redundant sig-naling. Here we tested selective TRPC3/6 antagonists (GSK2332255Band GSK2833503A; IC50,3–21 nM against TRPC3 and TRPC6) andfound dose-dependent blockade of cell hypertrophy signaling trig-gered by angiotensin II or endothelin-1 in HEK293T cells as well as inneonatal and adult cardiac myocytes. In vivo efficacy in mice andrats was greatly limited by rapid metabolism and high protein bind-ing, although antifibrotic effects with pressure overload were ob-served. Intriguingly, although gene deletion of TRPC3 or TRPC6alone did not protect against hypertrophy or dysfunction frompressure overload, combined deletion was protective, support-ing the value of dual inhibition. Further development of thispharmaceutical class may yield a useful therapeutic agent forheart disease management.Fil: Seo, Kinya. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Rainer, Peter P.. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Medical University of Graz. Department of Medicine; AustriaFil: Shalkey Hahn, Virginia. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Dong-ik. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Jo, Su-Hyun. Kangwon National University School of Medicine; Corea del Sur. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Andersen, Asger. Aarhus University Hospital. Department of Cardiology; DinamarcaFil: Liu, Ting. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, Xiaoping. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Willette, Robert N.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Lepore, John J.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Marino, Joseph P.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. ational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Schnackenberg, Christine G.. GlaxoSmithKline Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit; Estados UnidosFil: Kass, David A.. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Department of Medicine; Estados Unido

Graphitic carbon growth on crystalline and amorphous oxide substrates using molecular beam epitaxy

We report graphitic carbon growth on crystalline and amorphous oxide substrates by using carbon molecular beam epitaxy. The films are characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formations of nanocrystalline graphite are observed on silicon dioxide and glass, while mainly sp2 amorphous carbons are formed on strontium titanate and yttria-stabilized zirconia. Interestingly, flat carbon layers with high degree of graphitization are formed even on amorphous oxides. Our results provide a progress toward direct graphene growth on oxide materials

The Surprising Complexity of Virus-Host Cell Interaction Revealed by the Powerful Systems Biology Approaches of Genomics and Proteomics

Understanding interaction between viruses and host cells during infection process is the first step in discovering appropriate drugs and vaccines against viral diseases. Advance technologies based on genomics and proteomics approaches provide great tools to disclose the complexity of virus-host interaction. In this essay, the application of RNAi screens method and proteomics-based approaches on influenza virus will be elucidated as an example. Using those methods, the primary factors controlling viral replication pathway were discovered. These findings are useful for the development of potential strategies to overcome viral diseases