Intrinsic Absorption in the Spectrum of NGC 7469: Simultaneous Chandra, FUSE, and STIS Observations

We present simultaneous X-ray, far-ultraviolet, and near-ultraviolet spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 obtained with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. Previous non-simultaneous observations of this galaxy found two distinct UV absorption components, at -560 and -1900 km/s, with the former as the likely counterpart of the X-ray absorber. We confirm these two absorption components in our new UV observations, in which we detect prominent O VI, Ly alpha, N V, and C IV absorption. In our Chandra spectrum we detect O VIII emission, but no significant O VIII or O VII absorption. We also detect a prominent Fe K alpha emission line in the Chandra spectrum, as well as absorption due to hydrogen-like and helium-like neon, magnesium, and silicon at velocities consistent with the -560 km/s UV absorber. The FUSE and STIS data reveal that the H I and C IV column densities in this UV- and X-ray- absorbing component have increased over time, as the UV continuum flux decreased. We use measured H I, N V, C IV, and O VI column densities to model the photoionization state of both absorbers self-consistently. We confirm the general physical picture of the outflow in which the low velocity component is a highly ionized, high density absorber with a total column density of 10^20 cm^-2, located near the broad emission line region, although due to measurable columns of N V and C IV, we assign it a somewhat smaller ionization parameter than found previously, U~1. The high velocity UV component is of lower density, log N=18.6, and likely resides farther from the central engine as we find its ionization parameter to be U=0.08.Comment: Minor correction to abstract; STScI eprint #1683; 50 pages, incl. 19 figures, 4 tables; Accepted to Ap

Intrinsic Absorption in the Spectrum of Mrk 279: Simultaneous Chandra, FUSE, and STIS Observations

We present a study of the intrinsic X-ray and far-ultraviolet absorption in the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Markarian 279 using simultaneous observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). We also present FUSE observations made at three additional epochs. We detect the Fe K-alpha emission line in the Chandra spectrum, and its flux is consistent with the low X-ray continuum flux level of Mrk 279 at the time of the observation. Due to low signal-to-noise ratios in the Chandra spectrum, no O VII or O VIII absorption features are observable in the Chandra data, but the UV spectra reveal strong and complex absorption from HI and high-ionization species such as O VI, N V, and C IV, as well as from low-ionization species such as C III, N III, C II, and N II in some velocity components. The far-UV spectral coverage of the FUSE data provides information on high-order Lyman series absorption, which we use to calculate the optical depths and line and continuum covering fractions in the intrinsic HI absorbing gas in a self-consistent fashion. The UV continuum flux of Mrk 279 decreases by a factor of ~7.5 over the time spanning these observations and we discuss the implications of the response of the absorption features to this change. From arguments based on the velocities, profile shapes, covering fractions and variability of the UV absorption, we conclude that some of the absorption components, particularly those showing prominent low-ionization lines, are likely associated with the host galaxy of Mrk 279, and possibly with its interaction with a close companion galaxy, while the remainder arises in a nuclear outflow.Comment: To appear in 2004 May ApJS; double-column format; 58 pages, incl. 29 figures, 9 tables; minor changes to tex

The L1Md long interspersed repeat family in the mouse: almost all examples are truncated at one end

Caractérisation d'un grand élément répétitif détecté en sept localisations différentes dans le locus globine β de la souris Balb/C. Cette répétition possède la même extrémité de l'élément conservé alors que l'autre extrémité se termine en un point différent chez chaque membre de cette famille de répétitions

Who determines the ideal body? A Summary of Research Findings on Body Image

The globalization of media have paved way for Print and television advertisements to use images of thin female bodies to sell products and these advertisements are viewed by women all over the world. Through the media we are constantly bombarded with the western images of beautiful women and perfect bodies. Many surveys have proved the fact that men and women feel negative about their body image not only in the west but also in other parts of the world and the feminist scholars have tended that one should try to view the portrayal of idealized body image critically . In this connection, this paper, through a survey of relevant literature on body image, attempts to understand the following: 1) The concept of body image 2) Various determinants that idealize a woman’s body and define beauty standards 3) Influence of media on the body image of women 4) How the various determinants are interwoven targeting women, making them vulnerable to the idealized images. Keywords: Body image, Determinants, Medi

Centring the health of women across the HIV research continuum

Despite tremendous advances in HIV research, women and gender diverse people-particularly women from racial and ethnic groups under-represented in research, transgender women, and young women-remain disproportionately affected by HIV. Women and gender diverse people face unique challenges and have been under-represented in HIV research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is tasked to apply fundamental knowledge about the nature and behaviour of living systems to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce disability. Rigorous exploration of-and interventions for-the individual, social, biological, structural, and environmental factors that influence HIV prevention, transmission, treatment, and cure is crucial to advance research for women, girls, and gender diverse people across the lifespan. In this Position Paper, we introduce a framework for an intersectional, equity-informed, data-driven approach to research on HIV and women and highlight selected issues for women and gender diverse people, including HIV prevention, HIV cure, ageing with HIV, substance use and misuse, violence, pregnancy, and breastfeeding or chestfeeding. This framework underlines a new HIV and Women Signature Programme from the NIH Office of AIDS Research and Office of Research on Women's Health that advances the NIH vision for women's health, in which all women receive evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, and care across their lifespan tailored to their unique needs, circumstances, and goals. The time is now to centre the health of women, girls, and gender diverse people across the HIV research continuum

Mechanostimulation of breast myoepithelial cells induces functional changes associated with DCIS progression to invasion

Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) have an increased risk of progression to invasive breast cancer. Although not all women with DCIS will progress to invasion, all are treated as such, emphasising the need to identify prognostic biomarkers. We have previously shown that altered myoepithelial cells in DCIS predict disease progression and recurrence. By analysing DCIS duct size in sections of human breast tumour samples, we identified an associated upregulation of integrin β6 and an increase in periductal fibronectin deposition with increased DCIS duct size that associated with the progression of DCIS to invasion. Our modelling of the mechanical stretching myoepithelial cells undergo during DCIS progression confirmed the upregulation of integrin β6 and fibronectin expression in isolated primary and cell line models of normal myoepithelial cells. Our studies reveal that this mechanostimulated DCIS myoepithelial cell phenotype enhances invasion in a TGFβ-mediated upregulation of MMP13. Immunohistochemical analysis identified that MMP13 was specifically upregulated in DCIS, and it was associated with progression to invasion. These findings implicate tissue mechanics in altering the myoepithelial cell phenotype in DCIS, and that these alterations may be used to stratify DCIS patients into low and high risk for invasive progression

Resolving Salmonella infection reveals dynamic and persisting changes in murine bone marrow progenitor cell phenotype and function

The generation of immune cells from BM precursors is a carefully regulated process. This is essential to limit the potential for oncogenesis and autoimmunity yet protect against infection. How infection modulates this is unclear. Salmonella can colonize systemic sites including the BM and spleen. This resolving infection has multiple IFN-γ-mediated acute and chronic effects on BM progenitors, and during the first week of infection IFN-γ is produced by myeloid, NK, NKT, CD4+ T cells, and some lineage-negative cells. After infection, the phenotype of BM progenitors rapidly but reversibly alters, with a peak ∼30-fold increase in Sca-1hi progenitors and a corresponding loss of Sca-1lo/int subsets. Most strikingly, the capacity of donor Sca-1hi cells to reconstitute an irradiated host is reduced; the longer donor mice are exposed to infection, and Sca-1hic-kitint cells have an increased potential to generate B1a-like cells. Thus, Salmonella can have a prolonged influence on BM progenitor functionality not directly related to bacterial persistence. These results reflect changes observed in leucopoiesis during aging and suggest that BM functionality can be modulated by life-long, periodic exposure to infection. Better understanding of this process could offer novel therapeutic opportunities to modulate BM functionality and promote healthy aging

New research directions on disparities in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Obesity and type 2 diabetes disproportionately impact U.S. racial and ethnic minority communities and lowâ income populations. Improvements in implementing efficacious interventions to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes are underway (i.e., the National Diabetes Prevention Program), but challenges in effectively scalingâ up successful interventions and reaching atâ risk populations remain. In October 2017, the National Institutes of Health convened a workshop to understand how to (1) address socioeconomic and other environmental conditions that perpetuate disparities in the burden of obesity and type 2 diabetes; (2) design effective prevention and treatment strategies that are accessible, feasible, culturally relevant, and acceptable to diverse population groups; and (3) achieve sustainable health improvement approaches in communities with the greatest burden of these diseases. Common features of guiding frameworks to understand and address disparities and promote health equity were described. Promising research directions were identified in numerous areas, including study design, methodology, and core metrics; program implementation and scalability; the integration of medical care and social services; strategies to enhance patient empowerment; and understanding and addressing the impact of psychosocial stress on disease onset and progression in addition to factors that support resiliency and health.This report discusses a workshop convened by the National Institutes of Health to understand how to (1) address socioeconomic and other environmental conditions that perpetuate disparities in the burden of obesity and type 2 diabetes; (2) design effective prevention and treatment strategies that are accessible, feasible, culturally relevant, and acceptable to diverse population groups; and (3) achieve sustainable health improvement approaches in communities with the greatest burden of these diseases.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154507/1/nyas14270_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154507/2/nyas14270.pd

Retroviral DNA Integration: Viral and Cellular Determinants of Target-Site Selection

Retroviruses differ in their preferences for sites for viral DNA integration in the chromosomes of infected cells. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) integrates preferentially within active transcription units, whereas murine leukemia virus (MLV) integrates preferentially near transcription start sites and CpG islands. We investigated the viral determinants of integration-site selection using HIV chimeras with MLV genes substituted for their HIV counterparts. We found that transferring the MLV integrase (IN) coding region into HIV (to make HIVmIN) caused the hybrid to integrate with a specificity close to that of MLV. Addition of MLV gag (to make HIVmGagmIN) further increased the similarity of target-site selection to that of MLV. A chimeric virus with MLV Gag only (HIVmGag) displayed targeting preferences different from that of both HIV and MLV, further implicating Gag proteins in targeting as well as IN. We also report a genome-wide analysis indicating that MLV, but not HIV, favors integration near DNase I–hypersensitive sites (i.e., +/− 1 kb), and that HIVmIN and HIVmGagmIN also favored integration near these features. These findings reveal that IN is the principal viral determinant of integration specificity; they also reveal a new role for Gag-derived proteins, and strengthen models for integration targeting based on tethering of viral IN proteins to host proteins