Absolute geostrophic velocity within the Subantarctic Front in the Pacific Ocean

Velocity measurements from a shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) are used as a reference for geostrophic current calculations on six sections across the Subantarctic Front (SAF) in the Pacific Ocean. The resulting cross‐track velocity estimates near the bottom range from 4 to 10 cm s−1 to the east in the eastward jet at the SAF; in adjacent regions of westward surface flow, the near‐bottom velocity is usually to the west. On one section where simultaneous lowered ADCP velocity profiles are available, they confirm the results from the shipboard ADCP. Annual mean velocity sections from the Parallel Ocean Program numerical model also show near‐bottom velocities exceeding 5 cm s−1, with the same tendency for the zonal velocity component near the bottom to match the direction of the surface jets. Transport across the entire Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) cannot be estimated accurately from ADCP‐referenced geostrophic sections because even a very small cross‐track bias integrates to a large error. A preliminary look at the 1992 model transport stream function shows that the effect of bottom‐referencing varies from section to section; it can cause 40‐Sv recirculations to be missed, and can cause net transport to be underestimated or overestimated by O (30 Sv)

Screening miRNAs for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer by small RNA deep sequencing and evaluation in a Chinese patient population

Purpose: This study aims to screen microRNAs (miRNAs), for an early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, by deep sequencing and evaluation of total miRNAs using clinical samples from a Chinese patient population. Methods: Total small RNAs from normal colonic mucosa, colonic adenomas, and colorectal cancer tissues were prepared for miRNA analysis by deep sequencing. The sequencing data were then analyzed by bioinformatics for candidate diagnostic miRNAs, which were further validated for their up- or downregulation status. Results: Comparison of cancer tissues with normal mucosa identified 99 upregulated and 90 downregulated miRNAs. Comparison of adenomas and normal mucosa found 114 upregulated and 107 downregulated miRNAs. Comparison of cancer and adenoma tissues found 70 upregulated and 27 downregulated miRNAs. Selected up- and downregulated miRNAs were validated for their expressions in 12 cases of patients with cancer and polyps. Specifically, for the upregulated miRNAs, miR-18a-5p and miR-21-3p were significantly upregulated in adenomas and cancer tissues, compared with the normal mucosa; miR-135b-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-200a-5p, and miR-200c-3p were significantly upregulated in cancer tissues compared to the normal mucosa, but their differential expression was not significant in adenoma tissues when compared with the normal mucosa. miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p were significantly upregulated in adenoma tissues when compared with normal mucosa, but these differences were not significant in cancer tissues when compared to normal mucosa. For the downregulated miRNAs, miR-133a-3p was significantly downregulated in both adenoma and cancer tissues when compared to normal mucosa; miR-204-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-139-5p, miR-100-5p, and miR-30a-5p were significantly downregulated in cancer tissues compared to the normal mucosa, but their differential expression was not significant in adenoma tissue compared to normal mucosa. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that a number of miRNAs might be important in the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer in Chinese patients using the method of small RNA deep sequencing. Upregulation of miR-18a-5p and miR-21-3p or downregulation of miR-133a-3p in adenoma and cancer tissues may serve as an index for early screening of colorectal cancer. Other miRNAs, such as miR-135b-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-200a-5p, miR-200c-3p, miR-183-5p, and miR-96-5p, which were either up- or downregulated, in cancer tissues, but not in adenoma tissues, have limited significance in early diagnosis. Further study is needed to determine a screening index with diagnostic value

Genomic characterization of putative allergen genes in peach/almond and their synteny with apple

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fruits from several species of the Rosaceae family are reported to cause allergic reactions in certain populations. The allergens identified belong to mainly four protein families: pathogenesis related 10 proteins, thaumatin-like proteins, lipid transfer proteins and profilins. These families of putative allergen genes in apple (<it>Mal d 1 </it>to <it>4</it>) have been mapped on linkage maps and subsequent genetic study on allelic diversity and hypoallergenic traits has been carried out recently. In peach (<it>Prunus persica</it>), these allergen gene families are denoted as <it>Pru p 1 </it>to <it>4 </it>and for almond (<it>Prunus dulcis</it>)<it>Pru du 1 </it>to <it>4</it>. Genetic analysis using current molecular tools may be helpful to establish the cause of allergenicity differences observed among different peach cultivars. This study was to characterize putative peach allergen genes for their genomic sequences and linkage map positions, and to compare them with previously characterized homologous genes in apple (<it>Malus domestica</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eight <it>Pru p/du 1 </it>genes were identified, four of which were new. All the <it>Pru p/du 1 </it>genes were mapped in a single bin on the top of linkage group 1 (G1). Five <it>Pru p/du 2 </it>genes were mapped on four different linkage groups, two very similar <it>Pru p/du 2.01 </it>genes (<it>A </it>and <it>B</it>) were on G3, <it>Pru p/du 2.02 </it>on G7,<it>Pru p/du 2.03 </it>on G8 and <it>Pru p/du 2.04 </it>on G1. There were differences in the intron and exon structure in these <it>Pru p/du 2 </it>genes and in their amino acid composition. Three <it>Pru p/du 3 </it>genes (3.01–3.03) containing an intron and a mini exon of 10 nt were mapped in a cluster on G6. Two <it>Pru p/du 4 </it>genes (<it>Pru p/du 4.01 </it>and <it>4.02</it>) were located on G1 and G7, respectively. The <it>Pru p/du 1 </it>cluster on G1 aligned to the <it>Mal d 1 </it>clusters on LG16; <it>Pru p/du 2.01A </it>and <it>B </it>on G3 to <it>Mal d 2.01A </it>and <it>B </it>on LG9; the <it>Pru p/du 3 </it>cluster on G6 to <it>Mal d 3.01 </it>on LG12; <it>Pru p/du 4.01 </it>on G1 to <it>Mal d 4.03 </it>on LG2; and <it>Pru p/du 4.02 </it>on G7 to <it>Mal d 4.02 </it>on LG2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A total of 18 putative peach/almond allergen genes have been mapped on five linkage groups. Their positions confirm the high macro-synteny between peach/almond and apple. The insight gained will help to identify key genes causing differences in allergenicity among different cultivars of peach and other <it>Prunus </it>species.</p

Energy- and exergy-based working fluid selection and performance analysis of a high-temperature PEMFC-based micro combined cooling heating and power system

A combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system based on high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is proposed. This CCHP system consists of a PEMFC subsystem, an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) subsystem and a vapor compression cycle (VCC) subsystem. The electric power of the CCHP system is 8 kW under normal operating conditions, the domestic hot water power is approximately 18 kW, and the cooling and heating capacities are 12.5 kW and 20 kW, respectively. Energy and exergy performance of the CCHP system are thoroughly analyzed for six organic working fluids using Matlab coupled with REFPROP. R601 is chosen as the working fluid for ORC subsystem based on energy and exergy analysis. The results show that the average coefficient of performance (COP) of the CCHP system is 1.19 in summer and 1.42 in winter, and the average exergy efficiencies are 46% and 47% under normal operating conditions. It can also be concluded that both the current density and operating temperature have significant effects on the energy performance of the CCHP system, while only the current density affects the exergy performance noticeably. The ambient temperature can affect both the energy and exergy performance of the CCHP system. This system has the advantages of high facility availability, high efficiency, high stability, low noise and low emission; it has a good prospect for residential applications

Screening miRNAs for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer by small RNA deep sequencing and evaluation in a Chinese patient population

Purpose: This study aims to screen microRNAs (miRNAs), for an early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, by deep sequencing and evaluation of total miRNAs using clinical samples from a Chinese patient population. Methods: Total small RNAs from normal colonic mucosa, colonic adenomas, and colorectal cancer tissues were prepared for miRNA analysis by deep sequencing. The sequencing data were then analyzed by bioinformatics for candidate diagnostic miRNAs, which were further validated for their up-or downregulation status. Results: Comparison of cancer tissues with normal mucosa identified 99 upregulated and 90 downregulated miRNAs. Comparison of adenomas and normal mucosa found 114 upregulated and 107 downregulated miRNAs. Comparison of cancer and adenoma tissues found 70 upregulated and 27 downregulated miRNAs. Selected up-and downregulated miRNAs were validated for their expressions in 12 cases of patients with cancer and polyps. Specifically, for the upregulated miRNAs, miR-18a-5p and miR-21-3p were significantly upregulated in adenomas and cancer tissues, compared with the normal mucosa; miR-135b-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-200a-5p, and miR-200c-3p were significantly upregulated in cancer tissues compared to the normal mucosa, but their differential expression was not significant in adenoma tissues when compared with the normal mucosa. miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p were significantly upregulated in adenoma tissues when compared with normal mucosa, but these differences were not significant in cancer tissues when compared to normal mucosa. For the downregulated miRNAs, miR-133a-3p was significantly downregulated in both adenoma and cancer tissues when compared to normal mucosa; miR-204-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-139-5p, miR-100-5p, and miR-30a-5p were significantly downregulated in cancer tissues compared to the normal mucosa, but their differential expression was not significant in adenoma tissue compared to normal mucosa. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that a number of miRNAs might be important in the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer in Chinese patients using the method of small RNA deep sequencing. Upregulation of miR-18a-5p and miR-21-3p or downregulation of miR-133a-3p in adenoma and cancer tissues may serve as an index for early screening of colorectal cancer. Other miRNAs, such as miR-135b-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-200a-5p, miR-200c-3p, miR-183-5p, and miR-96-5p, which were either up-or downregulated, in cancer tissues, but not in adenoma tissues, have limited significance in early diagnosis. Further study is needed to determine a screening index with diagnostic value.National Science Foundation of China [30572447, 30973837, 81273944]; Jiangsu National Science Foundation [BK20151081]; Nanjing Science Fundation [201402041]; Nanjing Medical Science Foundation [YKK14140]SCI(E)[email protected]

The tumor suppressive role of CAMK2N1 in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer at advanced stages including metastatic and castration-resistant cancer remains incurable due to the lack of effective therapies. The CAMK2N1 gene, cloned and characterized as an inhibitor of CaMKII (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II), has been shown to affect tumorigenesis and tumor growth. However, it is still unknown whether CAMK2N1 plays a role in prostate cancer development. We first examined the protein and mRNA levels of CAMK2N1 and observed a significant decrease in human prostate cancers comparing to normal prostate tissues. Re-expression of CAMK2N1 in prostate cancer cells reduced cellular proliferation, arrested cells in G0/G1 phases, and induced apoptotic cell death accompanied by down-regulation of IGF-1, ErbB2, and VEGF downstream kinases PI3K/AKT, as well as the MEK/ERK-mediated signaling pathways. Conversely, knockdown of CAMK2N1 had a significant opposite effects on these phenotypes. Our analyses suggest that CAMK2N1 plays a tumor suppressive role in prostate cancer cells. Reduced CAMK2N1 expression correlates to human prostate cancer progression and predicts poor clinical outcome, indicating that CAMK2N1 may serve as a biomarker. The inhibition of tumor growth by expressing CAMK2N1 established a role of CAMK2N1 as a therapeutic target

CAMK2N1 inhibits prostate cancer progression through androgen receptor-dependent signaling.

Castration resistance is a major obstacle to hormonal therapy for prostate cancer patients. Although androgen independence of prostate cancer growth is a known contributing factor to endocrine resistance, the mechanism of androgen receptor deregulation in endocrine resistance is still poorly understood. Herein, the CAMK2N1 was shown to contribute to the human prostate cancer cell growth and survival through AR-dependent signaling. Reduced expression of CAMK2N1 was correlated to recurrence-free survival of prostate cancer patients with high levels of AR expression in their tumor. CAMK2N1 and AR signaling form an auto-regulatory negative feedback loop: CAMK2N1 expression was down-regulated by AR activation; while CAMK2N1 inhibited AR expression and transactivation through CAMKII and AKT pathways. Knockdown of CAMK2N1 in prostate cancer cells alleviated Casodex inhibition of cell growth, while re-expression of CAMK2N1 in castration-resistant cells sensitized the cells to Casodex treatment. Taken together, our findings suggest that CAMK2N1 plays a tumor suppressive role and serves as a crucial determinant of the resistance of prostate cancer to endocrine therapies

The Kuroshio Extension northern recirculation gyre : profiling float measurements and forcing mechanism

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 38 (2008): 1764-1779, doi:10.1175/2008JPO3921.1.Middepth, time-mean circulation in the western North Pacific Ocean (28°–45°N, 140°–165°E) is investigated using drift information from the profiling floats deployed in the Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) and the International Argo programs. A well-defined, cyclonic recirculation gyre (RG) is found to exist north of the Kuroshio Extension jet, confined zonally between the Japan Trench (145°E) and the Shatsky Rise (156°E), and bordered to the north by the subarctic boundary along 40°N. This northern RG, which is simulated favorably in the eddy-resolving OGCM for the Earth Simulator (OFES) hindcast run model, has a maximum volume transport at 26.4 Sv across 159°E and its presence persists on the interannual and longer time scales. An examination of the time-mean x-momentum balance from the OFES hindcast run output reveals that horizontal convergence of Reynolds stresses works to accelerate both the eastward-flowing Kuroshio Extension jet and a westward mean flow north of the meandering jet. The fact that the northern RG is eddy driven is further confirmed by examining the turbulent Sverdrup balance, in which convergent eddy potential vorticity fluxes are found to induce the cyclonic RG across the background potential vorticity gradient field. For the strength of the simulated northern RG, the authors find the eddy dissipation effect to be important as well.This study was supported by NSF through Grant OCE-0220680 (UH) and OCE-0220161 (WHOI)

Vertical structure of mesoscale ocean currents in the Indian Ocean: observation, numerical modeling and theory

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003.Mode of access: World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-209).Electronic reproduction.Also available by subscription via World Wide Webxii leaves, bound col. ill., col. maps 29 cmThe classical linear Rossby wave theory suggests that the barotropic and baroclinic modes of the mesoscale eddy field would disperse and become uncorrelated with each other in space and time. In contrast, the correlation between the barotropic and first baroclinic modes was noted from moored current meter records by Davis (1976). The sparse vertical sampling and inadequate record length left room for doubt and no dynamical explanation has been offered since then. In this study, hundreds of full-depth Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profile (LADCP) velocity profiles and the three years output from a General Circulation Model (GCM) are used. Analyses of the observation and model output confirm that outside the equatorial region the barotropic and first baroclinic modes are indeed correlated so that the velocity decreases throughout the water column from its maximum at the surface. We may call this the dominant vertical structure, which is quantified by the first Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) from the LADCP profiles and model output. The phase speed of the dominant vertical structure in the model is approximately that of non-dispersive first mode long Rossby waves, even at frequencies above the Rossby wave cutoff. The model also shows that, even though the dominant vertical structure contains 50-80% of the variance, it alone provides an incomplete picture of the vertical structure of mesoscale eddies. There is a phase shift of almost 900 from top to bottom; in a zonal section, lines of constant phase slope down to the west. Or, the lower layer leads the upper layer, given westward propagation. We could not find a satisfactory theory which could fully explain the following features: 1) correlation of the barotropic and first baroclinic mode; 2) enhanced westward propagation; and 3) phase shift in the vertical. The non-linear model with finite interface perturbation succeeds partially. The linear Rossby waves with bottom dissipation could explain the above features if dissipation is strong enough