Population structure and distribution of UCA ( Brachyura: Ocypodidae) influenced by abiotic factors in a tropical estuary

Uca populations have an important functional and structural role in many estuarine ecosystems. These crabs exhibit distinct physiological tolerance to salinity gradients, which may partially explain their heterogeneous distribution. In order to investigate the population structure and distribution of Uca spp. in a tropical estuary, we sampled Uca crabs in replicated 0.75 m2 quadrats at six muddy plain areas during monthly intervals between July and November 2012 in spring tidal conditions. Environmental factors including water temperature, salinity, sediment total organic matter, chlorophyll-a, and granulometry were analyzed. We sampled a total of 2919 individuals distributed in three Uca species (U. uruguayensis, U. thayeri and U. maracoani), from which U. uruguayensis was dominant. The density and biomass of individuals were spatially and temporally heterogeneous. During October and November we found higher Uca spp. densities (71.3 ± 47.3 to 77.6 ± 44,5 ind. 0.75 m-²) and biomass (1.8 ± 1.1 to 2.1 ± 1.0 g 0.75 m-2 AFDW) if compared to the previous months, density (July 55,5± 44,1 August 52,5± 34,9 and September 47,7 ± 25,6 ind. 0,75m-²) and biomass in others months (July 1,0± 0,94 August 1,1 ± 0,72 and September 1,3±0,93 g 0.75 m-2 AFDW ). The same pattern was found for other variables, such as salinity (32 and 34), organic matter (30 and 67%) and chlorophyll-a (89 and 46 μg g-1). In two study areas we found this pattern which suggests that higher Uca productivity and food availability are related. A principal component analysis (PCA) suggests that salinity and granulometry (silt) can influence (60% correspondence) the distribution of U. maracoani. For U. uruguayensis and U. thayeri the PCA suggests chlorophyll-a was important, which is a good indicator for labile organic matter. Our study suggests that the population structure and distribution of Uca species may be regulated by food availability, supporting their utility as biological models for ecosystem monitoring.

A uniqueness theorem for the determination of sources in the Germain–Lagrange plate equation

We prove a uniqueness result related to the Germain–Lagrange dynamic plate differential equation. We consider the equation {∂2u∂t2+△2u=g⊗f,in ]0,+∞)×R2,u(0)=0,∂u∂t(0)=0, where uu stands for the transverse displacement, ff is a distribution compactly supported in space, and g∈Lloc1([0,+∞)) is a function of time such that g(0)≠0g(0)≠0 and there is a T0>0T0>0 such that g∈C1[0,T0[g∈C1[0,T0[. We prove that the knowledge of uu over an arbitrary open set of the plate for any interval of time ]0,T[]0,T[, 0000, is enough to determine uniquely f∈E′(R2)f∈E′(R2).

Determination of the gluon polarisation from open charm production at COMPASS

One of the main goals of the COMPASS experiment at CERN is the determination of the gluon polarisation in the nucleon. It is determined from spin asymmetries in the scattering of 160 GeV/c polarised muons on a polarised LiD target. The gluon polarisation is accessed by the selection of photon-gluon fusion (PGF) events. The PGF-process can be tagged through hadrons with high transverse momenta or through charmed hadrons in the final state. The advantage of the open charm channel is that, in leading order, the PGF-process is the only process for charm production, thus no physical background contributes to the selected data sample. This thesis presents a measurement of the gluon polarisation from the COMPASS data taken in the years 2002-2004. In the analysis, charm production is tagged through a reconstructed D0-meson decaying in $D^{0}-> K^{-}pi^{+}$ (and charge conjugates). The reconstruction is done on a combinatorial basis. The background of wrong track pairs is reduced using kinematic cuts to the reconstructed D0-candidate and the information on particle identification from the Ring Imaging Cerenkov counter. In addition, the event sample is separated into D0-candidates, where a soft pion from the decay of the D*-meson to a D0-meson, is found, and the D0-candidates without this tag. Due to the small mass difference between D*-meson and D0-meson the signal purity of the D*-tagged sample is about 7 times higher than in the untagged sample. The gluon polarisation is measured from the event asymmetries for the for the different spin configurations of the COMPASS target. To improve the statistical precision of the final results, the events in the final sample are weighted. This method results in an average value of the gluon polarisation in the x-range covered by the data. For the COMPASS data from 2002-2004, the resulting value of the gluon polarisation is $g/g>=-0.47+-0.44 (stat)+-0.15(syst.)$. The result is statistically compatible with the existing measurements of $g/g>$ in the high-pT channel. Compared to these, the open charm measurement has the advantage of a considerably smaller model dependence.

Die Messung der Gluonpolarisation durch die Produktion von Hadronpaaren mit großen Transversalimpulsen in tiefinelastischer Myonstreuung am Nukleon

Am COMPASS-Experiment am CERN-SPS wird die Spinsstruktur des Nukleons mit Hilfe der Streuung von polarisierten Myonen an polarisierten Nukleonen untersucht. Der in der inklusiven tiefinelastischen Streuung gemessene Beitrag der Quarks zum Nukleonspin reicht nicht aus, um den Spin des Nukleons zu erklären. Daher soll geklärt werden, wie die Gluonpolarisation und die Bahndrehimpulse von Quarks und Gluonen zum Gesamtspin des Nukleons beitragen. Da sich die Gluonpolarisation aus der $Q^{2}$-Abhängigkeit der Asymmetrien in der inklusiven Streuung nur abschätzen lässt, wird eine direkte Messung der Gluonpolarisation benötigt. Die COMPASS-Kollaboration bestimmt daher die Wirkungsquerschnittsasymmetrien für Photon-Gluon-Fusionprozesse, indem sie zum einen die offene Charmproduktion und zum anderen die Produktion von Hadronpaaren mit großen Transversalimpulsen verwendet. In dieser Arbeit wird die Messung der Gluonpolarisation mit den COMPASS-Daten der Jahre 2003 und 2004 vorgestellt. Für die Analyse werden die Ereignisse mit großem Impulsübertrag ($Q^{2}>1$ $GeV^{2}/c^{2}$) und mit Hadronpaaren mit großem Transversalimpuls ($p_{perp}>0.7$ $GeV/c$) verwendet. Die Photon-Nukleon-Asymmetrie wurde aus dem gewichteten Doppelverhältnis der selektierten Ereignisse bestimmt. Der Schnitt auf $p_{perp}>0.7$rn$GeV/c$ unterdrückt die Prozesse führender Ordnung und QCD-Compton Prozesse, so dass die Asymmetrie direkt mit der Gluonpolarisation über die Analysierstärke verknüpft ist. Der gemessene Wert ist sehr klein und verträglich mit einer verschwindenden Gluonpolarisation. Zur Vermeidung von falschen Asymmetrien aufgrund der Änderung der Detektorakzeptanz wurden Doppelverhältnisse untersucht, bei denen sich der Wirkungsquerschnitt aufhebt und nur die Detektorasymmetrien übrig bleiben. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass das COMPASS-Spektrometer keine signifikante Zeitabhängigkeit aufweist. Für die Berechnung der Analysierstärke wurden Monte Carlo Ereignisse mit Hilfe des LEPTO-Generators und des COMGeant Software Paketes erzeugt. Dabei ist eine gute Beschreibung der Daten durch das Monte Carlo sehr wichtig. Dafür wurden zur Verbesserung der Beschreibung JETSET Parameter optimiert. Es ergab sich ein Wert von rn$frac{Delta G}{G}=0.054pm0.145_{(stat)}pm0.131_{(sys)}pm0.04_{(MC)}$ bei einem mittleren Impulsbruchteil von $langle x_{gluon}rangle=0.1$ und $langle Q^{2}rangle=1.9$ $GeV^{2}/c^{2}$. Dieses Ergebnis deutet auf eine sehr kleine Gluonpolarisation hin und steht im Einklang mit den Ergebnissen anderer Methoden, wie offene Charmproduktion und mit den Ergebnissen, die am doppelt polarisierten RHIC Collider am BNL erzielt wurden.

Potential vorticity and moisture in extratropical cyclones : climatology and sensitivity experiments

The development of extratropical cyclones can be seen as an interplay of three positive potential vorticity (PV) anomalies: an upper-level stratospheric intrusion, low-tropospheric diabatically produced PV, and a warm anomaly at the surface acting as a surrogate PV anomaly. In the mature stage they become vertically aligned and form a “PV tower” associated with strong cyclonic circulation. This paradigm of extratropical cyclone development provides the basis of this thesis, which will use a climatological dataset and numerical model experiments to investigate the amplitude of the three anomalies and the processes leading in particular to the formation of the diabatically produced low-tropospheric PV anomaly.rnrnThe first part of this study, based on the interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) dataset, quantifies the amplitude of the three PV anomalies in mature extratropical cyclones in different regions in the Northern Hemisphere on a climatological basis. A tracking algorithm is applied to sea level pressure (SLP) fields to identify cyclone tracks. Surface potential temperature anomalies ∆θ and vertical profiles of PV anomalies ∆PV are calculated at the time of the cyclones’ minimum SLP and during the intensification phase 24 hours before in a vertical cylinder with a radius of 200 km around the surface cyclone center. To compare the characteristics of the cyclones, they are grouped according to their location (8 regions) and intensity, where the central SLP is used as a measure of intensity. Composites of ∆PV profiles and ∆θ are calculated for each region and intensity class at the time of minimum SLP and during the cyclone intensification phase.rnrnDuring the cyclones’ development stage the amplitudes of all three anomalies increase on average. In the mature stage all three anomalies are typically larger for intense than for weak winter cyclones [e.g., 0.6 versus 0.2 potential vorticity units (PVU) at lower levels, and 1.5 versus 0.5 PVU at upper levels].rnThe regional variability of the cyclones’ vertical structure and the profile evolution is prominent (cyclones in some regions are more sensitive to the amplitude of a particular anomaly than in other regions). Values of ∆θ and low-level ∆PV are on average larger in the western parts of the oceans than in the eastern parts. In addition, a large seasonal variability can be identified, with fewer and weaker cyclones especially in the summer, associated with higher low-tropospheric PV values, but also with a higher tropopause and much weaker surface potential temperature anomalies (compared to winter cyclones).rnrnIn the second part, we were interested in the diabatic low-level part of PV towers. Evaporative sources were identified of moisture that was involved in PV production through condensation. Lagrangian backward trajectories were calculated from the region with high PV values at low-levels in the cyclones. PV production regions were identified along these trajectories and from these regions a new set of backward trajectories was calculated and moisture uptakes were traced along them. The main contribution from surface evaporation to the specific humidity of the trajectories is collected 12-72 hours prior to therntime of PV production. The uptake region for weaker cyclones with less PV in the centre is typically more localized with reduced uptake values compared to intense cyclones. However, in a qualitative sense uptakes and other variables along single trajectories do not vary much between cyclones of different intensity in different regions.rnrnA sensitivity study with the COSMO model comprises the last part of this work. The study aims at investigating the influence of synthetic moisture modification in the cyclone environment in different stages of its development. Moisture was eliminated in three regions, which were identified as important moisture source regions for PV production. Moisture suppression affected the cyclone the most in its early phase. It led to cyclolysis shortly after its genesis. Nevertheles, a new cyclone formed on the other side of a dry box and developed relatively quickly. Also in other experiments, moisture elimination led to strong intensity reduction of the surface cyclone, limited upper-level development, and delayed or missing interaction between the two.rnrnIn summary, this thesis provides novel insight into the structure of different intensity categories of extratropical cyclones from a PV perspective, which corroborates the findings from a series of previous case studies. It reveals that all three PV anomalies are typically enhanced for more intense cyclones, with important regional differences concerning the relative amplitude of the three anomalies. The moisture source analysis is the first of this kind to study the evaporation-condensation cycle related to the intensification of extratropical cyclones. Interestingly, most of the evaporation occurs during the 3 days prior to the time of maximum cyclone intensity and typically extends over fairly large areas along the track of the cyclone. The numerical model case study complements this analysis by analyzing the impact of regionally confined moisture sources for the evolution of the cyclone.

IMEX finite volume methods for the shallow water equations

Die Flachwassergleichungen (SWE) sind ein hyperbolisches System von Bilanzgleichungen, die adäquate Approximationen an groß-skalige Strömungen der Ozeane, Flüsse und der Atmosphäre liefern. Dabei werden Masse und Impuls erhalten. Wir unterscheiden zwei charakteristische Geschwindigkeiten: die Advektionsgeschwindigkeit, d.h. die Geschwindigkeit des Massentransports, und die Geschwindigkeit von Schwerewellen, d.h. die Geschwindigkeit der Oberflächenwellen, die Energie und Impuls tragen. Die Froude-Zahl ist eine Kennzahl und ist durch das Verhältnis der Referenzadvektionsgeschwindigkeit zu der Referenzgeschwindigkeit der Schwerewellen gegeben. Für die oben genannten Anwendungen ist sie typischerweise sehr klein, z.B. 0.01. Zeit-explizite Finite-Volume-Verfahren werden am öftersten zur numerischen Berechnung hyperbolischer Bilanzgleichungen benutzt. Daher muss die CFL-Stabilitätsbedingung eingehalten werden und das Zeitinkrement ist ungefähr proportional zu der Froude-Zahl. Deswegen entsteht bei kleinen Froude-Zahlen, etwa kleiner als 0.2, ein hoher Rechenaufwand. Ferner sind die numerischen Lösungen dissipativ. Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass die Lösungen der SWE gegen die Lösungen der Seegleichungen/ Froude-Zahl Null SWE für Froude-Zahl gegen Null konvergieren, falls adäquate Bedingungen erfüllt sind. In diesem Grenzwertprozess ändern die Gleichungen ihren Typ von hyperbolisch zu hyperbolisch.-elliptisch. Ferner kann bei kleinen Froude-Zahlen die Konvergenzordnung sinken oder das numerische Verfahren zusammenbrechen. Insbesondere wurde bei zeit-expliziten Verfahren falsches asymptotisches Verhalten (bzgl. der Froude-Zahl) beobachtet, das diese Effekte verursachen könnte.Ozeanographische und atmosphärische Strömungen sind typischerweise kleine Störungen eines unterliegenden Equilibriumzustandes. Wir möchten, dass numerische Verfahren für Bilanzgleichungen gewisse Equilibriumzustände exakt erhalten, sonst können künstliche Strömungen vom Verfahren erzeugt werden. Daher ist die Quelltermapproximation essentiell. Numerische Verfahren die Equilibriumzustände erhalten heißen ausbalanciert.rnrnIn der vorliegenden Arbeit spalten wir die SWE in einen steifen, linearen und einen nicht-steifen Teil, um die starke Einschränkung der Zeitschritte durch die CFL-Bedingung zu umgehen. Der steife Teil wird implizit und der nicht-steife explizit approximiert. Dazu verwenden wir IMEX (implicit-explicit) Runge-Kutta und IMEX Mehrschritt-Zeitdiskretisierungen. Die Raumdiskretisierung erfolgt mittels der Finite-Volumen-Methode. Der steife Teil wird mit Hilfe von finiter Differenzen oder au eine acht mehrdimensional Art und Weise approximniert. Zur mehrdimensionalen Approximation verwenden wir approximative Evolutionsoperatoren, die alle unendlich viele Informationsausbreitungsrichtungen berücksichtigen. Die expliziten Terme werden mit gewöhnlichen numerischen Flüssen approximiert. Daher erhalten wir eine Stabilitätsbedingung analog zu einer rein advektiven Strömung, d.h. das Zeitinkrement vergrößert um den Faktor Kehrwert der Froude-Zahl. Die in dieser Arbeit hergeleiteten Verfahren sind asymptotisch erhaltend und ausbalanciert. Die asymptotischer Erhaltung stellt sicher, dass numerische Lösung das "korrekte" asymptotische Verhalten bezüglich kleiner Froude-Zahlen besitzt. Wir präsentieren Verfahren erster und zweiter Ordnung. Numerische Resultate bestätigen die Konvergenzordnung, so wie Stabilität, Ausbalanciertheit und die asymptotische Erhaltung. Insbesondere beobachten wir bei machen Verfahren, dass die Konvergenzordnung fast unabhängig von der Froude-Zahl ist.

The efficacy of non-directive supportive therapy for adult depression: A meta-analysis

The effects of non-directive supportive therapy (NDST) for adult depression have been examined in a considerable number of studies, but no meta-analysis of these studies has been conducted. We selected 31 studies on NDST from a comprehensive database of trials, examining psychotherapies for adult depression, and conducted meta-analyses in which NDST was compared with control groups, other psychotherapies and pharmacotherapy. We found that NDST is effective in the treatment of depression in adults (g=0.58; 95% CI: 0.45-0.72). NDST was less effective than other psychological treatments (differential effect size g=-0.20; 95% CI: -0.32 to -0.08, p<0.01), but these differences were no longer present after controlling for researcher allegiance. We estimated that extra-therapeutic factors (those processes operating in waiting-list and care-as-usual controls) were responsible for 33.3% of the overall improvement, non-specific factors (the effects of NDST compared with control groups) for 49.6%, and specific factors (the effects of NDST compared with other therapies) for 17.1%. NDST has a considerable effect on symptoms of depression. Most of the effect of therapy for adult depression is realized by non-specific factors, and our results suggest that the contribution of specific effects is limited at best.

Optimization of ethanol production by yeasts from lignocellulosic feedstocks

Ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks is not currently competitive with corn-based ethanol in terms of yields and commercial feasibility. Through optimization of the pretreatment and fermentation steps this could change. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate, characterize, and optimize ethanol production from lignocellulosic feedstocks by the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain Ethanol Red, ER) and Pichia stipitis CBS 6054. Through a series of fermentations and growth studies, P. stipitis CBS 6054 and S. cerevisiae (ER) were evaluated on their ability to produce ethanol from both single substrate (xylose and glucose) and mixed substrate (five sugars present in hemicellulose) fermentations. The yeasts were also evaluated on their ability to produce ethanol from dilute acid pretreated hydrolysate and enzymatic hydrolysate. Hardwood (aspen), softwood (balsam), and herbaceous (switchgrass) hydrolysates were also tested to determine the effect of the source of the feedstock. P. stipitis produced ethanol from 66-98% of the theoretical yield throughout the fermentation studies completed over the course of this work. S. cerevisiae (ER) was determined to not be ideal for dilute acid pretreated lignocellulose because it was not able to utilize all the sugars found in hemicellulose. S. cerevisiae (ER) was instead used to optimize enzymatic pretreated lignocellulose that contained only glucose monomers. It was able to produce ethanol from enzymatically pretreated hydrolysate but the sugar level was so low (>3 g/L) that it would not be commercially feasible. Two lignocellulosic degradation products, furfural and acetic acid, were evaluated for whether or not they had an inhibitory effect on biomass production, substrate utilization, and ethanol production by P. stipitis and S. cerevisiae (ER). It was determined that inhibition is directly related to the concentration of the inhibitor and the organism. The final phase for this thesis focused on adapting P. stipitis CBS 6054 to toxic compounds present in dilute acid pretreated hydrolysate through directed evolution. Cultures were transferred to increasing concentrations of dilute acid pretreated hydrolysate in the fermentation media. The adapted strains’ fermentation capabilities were tested against the unadapted parent strain at each hydrolysate concentration. The fermentation capabilities of the adapted strain were significantly improved over the unadapted parentstrain. On media containing 60% hydrolysate the adapted strain yielded 0.30 g_ethanol/g_sugar ± 0.033 (g/g) and the unadapted parent strain yielded 0.11 g/g ±0.028. The culture has been successfully adapted to growth on media containing 65%, 70%, 75%, and 80% hydrolysate but with below optimal ethanol yields (0.14-0.19 g/g). Cell recycle could be a viable option for improving ethanol yields in these cases. A study was conducted to determine the optimal media for production of ethanol from xylose and mixed substrate fermentations by P. stipitis. Growth, substrate utilization, and ethanol production were the three factors used to evaluate the media. The three media tested were Yeast Peptone (YP), Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB), and Corn Steep Liquor (CSL). The ethanol yields (g/g) for each medium are as follows: YP - 0.40-0.42, YNB -0.28-.030, and CSL - 0.44-.051. The results show that media containing CSL result in slightly higher ethanol yields then other fermentation media. P. stipitis was successfully adapted to dilute acid pretreated aspen hydrolysate in increasing concentrations in order to produce higher ethanol yields compared to the unadapted parent strain. S. cerevisiae (ER) produced ethanol from enzymatic pretreated cellulose containing low concentrations of glucose (1-3g/L). These results show that fermentations of lignocellulosic feedstocks can be optimized based on the substrate and organism for increased ethanol yields.

miR-15a and miR-16 are implicated in cell cycle regulation in a Rb-dependent manner and are frequently deleted or down-regulated in non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are negative regulators of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, which are involved in tumorigenesis. Two miRNAs, miR-15a and miR-16, which are located at chromosome 13q14, have been implicated in cell cycle control and apoptosis, but little information is available about their role in solid tumors. To address this question, we established a protocol to quantify miRNAs from laser capture microdissected tissues. Here, we show that miR-15a/miR-16 are frequently deleted or down-regulated in squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung. In these tumors, expression of miR-15a/miR-16 inversely correlates with the expression of cyclin D1. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, cyclins D1, D2, and E1 are directly regulated by physiologic concentrations of miR-15a/miR-16. Consistent with these results, overexpression of these miRNAs induces cell cycle arrest in G(1)-G(0). Interestingly, H2009 cells lacking Rb are resistant to miR-15a/miR-16-induced cell cycle arrest, whereas reintroduction of functional Rb resensitizes these cells to miRNA activity. In contrast, down-regulation of Rb in A549 cells by RNA interference confers resistance to these miRNAs. Thus, cell cycle arrest induced by these miRNAs depends on the expression of Rb, confirming that G(1) cyclins are major targets of miR-15a/miR-16 in NSCLC. Our results indicate that miR-15a/miR-16 are implicated in cell cycle control and likely contribute to the tumorigenesis of NSCLC.

Involvement of human chromosome 17 in the control of the metastatic phenotype in melanoma

Fusion of nonmetastatic murine melanoma K1735 C19H cells with metastatic human melanoma A375 C15N cells resulted in a hybrid (termed H7) which was highly metastatic in a nude mouse model. The H7 hybrid retained chromosome 17 as the sole intact human chromosome in the cell. A lung bioassay showed that the K1735 C19H cells were present in the lungs of nude mice with s.c. tumors, yet at 6-weeks after tumor resection, no cells remained in the lung and therefore did not form lung metastases. Examination of various phenotypic properties such as in vivo and in vitro growth demonstrated that phenotypically the H7 hybrid was most like the K1735 C19H cell line except for its metastatic ability. In contrast the H7 hybrid cells containing single or multiple copies of human chromosome 17 with a point mutation at codon 249 (arg-gly) of the p53 gene, readily formed lung metastases. A plasmid containing the human p53 from the H7 hybrid and four other contructs with mutations at codon 143 (val-arg), 175 (arg-his), 249 (arg-ser) and 273 (arg-his) were transfected into K1735 C19H cells. K1735 C19H cells expressing human p53 genes with mutations at codons 249, both the arg-ser mutation and the mutation from the H7 hybrid and 273 produced significantly more lung metastases.^ In vitro assays demonstrated that responses to various cytotoxic and DNA damaging agents varied with the presence of mutant p53 and with the type of agent used. When cultured in mouse lung-conditioned medium, the K1735 C19H cell line was growth-inhibited, while cells containing a mutant human p53 (either on the whole chromosome 17, as in the H7 hybrid cells or from a stably transfected construct) were growth stimulated. Western blot analysis of lung-conditioned media derived from either 6-month or 15-month old mice has detected high levels of soluble Fas ligand in the medium from older animals. Comparison of the levels of Fas receptor on the K1735 C19H cell line and the H7 hybrid were almost identical, but 50% of the K1735 C19H cells were killed in the presence of anti-Fas antibody as opposed to 7% of the H7 hybrid cells. The growth-inhibitory effects of the lung-conditioned medium on the K1735 C19H cells were abrogated by coculture with Fas-Fc, which competes with the Fas ligand for receptor binding. Growth-inhibition of the K1735 C19H was 54% when cultured in 60 $\mu$g/0.2 ml lung-conditioned medium and a control Fc, with only 9% inhibition in 60 $\mu$g/0.2 ml lung-conditioned medium and Fas-Fc. Growth of the H7 cells and K1735 C19H cells transfected with various mutant human p53 genes were unchanged by the presence of either the control Fc or the Fas-Fc. This indicates that the presence of human chromosome 17, and mutant p53 in part protects the cells from Fas:Fas ligand induced apoptosis, and allows the growth of lung metastases. ^

EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS TRANSFORMATION OF B LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS

Epstein-Barr virus is a herpes virus distinguished by its remarkable specificity for the B lymphocyte of humans and certain other primates. Although the transformation process is very efficient, is has become clear that only a fraction of B lymphocytes is susceptible. Therefore the question may be raised if transformation is related to B cell stage of activation. B cells were purified from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by the removal of monocytes using elutriation and sheep red blood cell rosetting to remove T cells. Retesting B cells were purified using discontinuous Percoll gradients. Activation of resting cells for 24 hours with anti-mu or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) resulted in transition of susceptible cells into the G(,1) phase of the cell cycle as shown by an increase in cell size, an increase in uridine incorporation and an increase in sensitivity to B cell growth factor (BCGF). Entry into S phase was achieved by extending the period of activation to 48-96 hr as shown by an increase in thymidine incorporation. By this criterion, SAC activated cells entered S phase on day 2 and anti-mu treated cells on day 3. Control (G(,0)) cells and cells activated for varying lengths of time (G(,1), G(,1) plus S) were exposed to EBV and plated in a limiting dilution assay to determine the frequency of EBV-transformable cells. Control cells and cells activated for 24 hr had a precursor frequency of 1% to 2%. With continued activation, however, precursor frequency decreased as a function of the duration of activation. The decrease in frequency of transformable cells correlated with the entry of the population into S phase. The transformation frequency in the SAC-treated population was reduced twenty-fold on day 4, whereas in the anti-mu treated population it was reduced ten-fold. Treating cells with BCGF in conjunction with low concentrations of anti-mu decreased the transformation frequency to levels lower than anti-mu alone, further suggesting that entry into S phase is accompanied by a reduction in transformability. These results indicate that resting B cells are highly susceptible to transformation and that with in vitro activation into the cell cycle B cells become progressively insensitive to EBV. ^

Psychological interventions for acute pain after open heart surgery

BACKGROUND Acute postoperative pain is one of the most disturbing complaints in open heart surgery, and is associated with a risk of negative consequences. Several trials investigated the effects of psychological interventions to reduce acute postoperative pain and improve the course of physical and psychological recovery of participants undergoing open heart surgery. OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy of psychological interventions as an adjunct to standard care versus standard care alone or standard care plus attention in adults undergoing open heart surgery on pain, pain medication, mental distress, mobility, and time to extubation. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2013, Issue 8), MEDLINE (1946 to September 2013), EMBASE (1980 to September 2013), Web of Science (all years to September 2013), and PsycINFO (all years to September 2013) for eligible studies. We used the 'related articles' and 'cited by' options of eligible studies to identify additional relevant studies. We also checked lists of references of relevant articles and previous reviews. We also searched the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full Text Database (all years to September 2013) and contacted the authors of primary studies to identify any unpublished material. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials comparing psychological interventions as an adjunct to standard care versus standard care alone or standard care plus attention in adults undergoing open heart surgery. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors (SK and JR) independently assessed trials for eligibility, estimated the risk of bias and extracted all data. We calculated effect sizes for each comparison (Hedges' g) and meta-analysed data using a random-effects model. MAIN RESULTS Nineteen trials were included (2164 participants).No study reported data on the number of participants with pain intensity reduction of at least 50% from baseline. Only one study reported data on the number of participants below 30/100 mm on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in pain intensity. Psychological interventions have no beneficial effects in reducing pain intensity measured with continuous scales in the medium-term interval (g -0.02, 95% CI -0.24 to 0.20, 4 studies, 413 participants, moderate quality evidence) nor in the long-term interval (g 0.12, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.33, 3 studies, 280 participants, low quality evidence).No study reported data on median time to remedication or on number of participants remedicated. Only one study provided data on postoperative analgesic use. Studies reporting data on mental distress in the medium-term interval revealed a small beneficial effect of psychological interventions (g 0.36, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.62, 12 studies, 1144 participants, low quality evidence). Likewise, a small beneficial effect of psychological interventions on mental distress was obtained in the long-term interval (g 0.28, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.51, 11 studies, 1320 participants, low quality evidence). There were no beneficial effects of psychological interventions on mobility in the medium-term interval (g 0.23, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.67, 3 studies, 444 participants, low quality evidence) nor in the long-term interval (g 0.29, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.71, 4 studies, 423 participants, low quality evidence). Only one study reported data on time to extubation. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS For the majority of outcomes (two-thirds) we could not perform a meta-analysis since outcomes were not measured, or data were provided by one trial only. Psychological interventions have no beneficial effects on reducing postoperative pain intensity or enhancing mobility. There is low quality evidence that psychological interventions reduce postoperative mental distress. Due to limitations in methodological quality, a small number of studies, and large heterogeneity, we rated the quality of the body of evidence as low. Future trials should measure crucial outcomes (e.g. number of participants with pain intensity reduction of at least 50% from baseline) and should focus to enhance the quality of the body of evidence in general. Altogether, the current evidence does not clearly support the use of psychological interventions to reduce pain in participants undergoing open heart surgery.

Enduring effects of evidence-based psychotherapies in acute depression and anxiety disorders versus treatment as usual at follow-up — A longitudinal meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined the enduring efficacy of evidence-based psychotherapies (EBP) in comparison to treatment as usual (TAU) by examining effects from termination to follow-up for acute anxiety and depression in an adult outpatient population. It was hypothesized that EBPs might extend their efficacy at follow-up assessment (Tolin, 2010). METHOD: Longitudinal multilevel meta-analyses were conducted that examined the magnitude of difference between EBP and TAU. Targeted (disorder-specific) outcomes were examined, along with dropout rates at follow-up assessments. RESULTS: A total of 15 comparisons (including 30 repeated effect sizes [ES]) were included in this meta-analysis (average of 8.9 month follow-up). Small to moderate ES differences were found to be in favor of EBPs at 0-4 month assessments (Hedges' g=0.40) and up to 12-18 month assessments (g=0.20), indicating no extended efficacy at follow-up. However, the TAU-conditions were heterogeneous, ranging from absence of minimal mental health treatment to legitimate psychotherapeutic interventions provided by trained professionals, the latter of which resulted in smaller ES differences. Furthermore, samples where substance use comorbidities were not actively excluded indicated smaller ES differences. TAU-conditions produced slightly higher dropout rates than EBP-conditions. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate small and no extended superiority of EBP for acute depression and anxiety disorders in comparison to TAU at follow-up assessment. There are a limited number of studies investigating the transportability and lasting efficacy of EBP compared to TAU, especially to TAU with equivalent conditions between treatment groups.

The role of ATM in the cell cycle control of V(D)J recombination

Lymphocyte development requires the assembly of diversified antigen receptor complexes generated by the genetically programmed V(D)J recombination event. Because germline DNA is cut, introducing potentially dangerous double-stranded breaks (DSBs) and rearranged prior to repair, its activity is limited to the non-cycling stages of the cell cycle, G0/G1. The potential involvement of a key mediator, Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated or ATM, in the DNA damage response (DDR) and cell cycle checkpoints has been implicated in recombination, but its role is not fully understood. Thymic lymphomas from ATM deficient mice contain clonal chromosomal translocations involving the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR). A previous report found ATM and its downstream target p53 associated with V(D)J intermediates, suggesting the DDR senses recombination. In this study, we sought to understand the role of ATM in V(D)J recombination. Developing thymocytes from ATM deficient mice were analyzed according to the cell cycle to detect V(D)J intermediates. Examination of all TCR loci in the non-cycling (G0/G1) and cycling (S/G2/M) fractions revealed the persistence of intermediates in ATM deficient thymocytes, contrary to the wild-type in which intermediates are found only during G0/G1. Further analysis found no defect in end-joining of intermediates, nor were they detected in developed T-cells. Based upon the presence of persisting intermediates, the recombination initiating nuclease Rag-2 was examined; strict regulation limits it to G 0/G1. Rag-2 regulation was not affected by an ATM deficiency as Rag-2 expression remained contained within G0/G 1, indicating recombination is not continuous. To determine if an ATM deficiency affects recognition of V(D)J breaks, sites of recombination identified by a TCR locus or Rag expression were analyzed according to co-localization with a DDR factor phosphorylated immediately after DNA damage, phosphorylated H2AX (γH2AX). No differences in co-localization were found between the wild-type and ATM deficiency, demonstrating ATM deficient lymphocytes retain the ability to recognize DSBs. Together, these results suggest ATM is necessary in the cell cycle regulation of recombination but not essential for the identification of V(D)J breaks. ATM ensures the containment of intermediates within G0/G1 and maintains genomic stability of developing lymphocytes, emphasizing its fundamental role in preventing tumorigenesis.^

Influencia de la fertilización y el riego sobre aspectos cuali-cuantitavos de la reproducción de cebolla (Allium cepa L.) para la industria del deshidratado

La creciente demanda, en los últimos años, a nivel mundial y nacional de los productos deshidratados hace que esta actividad se perfile como promisoria en la región cuyana. Prácticamente el 100 % de la deshidratación de cebolla (Allium cepa L.) del país se realiza en Mendoza, habiendose hecho sólo producciones aisladas y de escaso volúmen en otras plantas del país. Las estimaciones preveen que se seguirá abasteciendo el mercado local y se incrementaránlas exportaciones de cebolla deshidratada. El objetivo general del presente trabajo fue establecer la influencia de la fertilización y el riego sobre la productividad y calidad de un cultivar mejorado de cebolla de importancia económica para la industria del deshidratado. En el Campo Experimental del INTA La Consulta se llevaron a cabo durante los años 1994-´95 y 1995-´96, dos ciclos de ensayos, con una línea de cebolla para deshidratar derivada del cultivar Southport White Globe. El suelo es de origen aluvial, profundo y de textura franca (Torrifluvente típico). Se determinaron los principales parámetros físicos, químicos e hídricos de la fracción fina del suelo. Para determinar el efecto de la fertilización sobre componentes de crecimiento y calidad y estudiar la variación de la concentración y ritmo de absorción de nutrimentos se ensayaron diferentes tratamientos. En el primer ciclo se ensayaron nueve tratamientos con tres niveles de N (0, 100, 200 kg N ha-1 ) aplicado como urea y tres niveles de P (0, 30, 60 kg P ha-1 ) como superfosfato. En el segundo ciclo se probaron ocho tratamientos con los siguientes niveles de N, P y K, respectivamente: (0 y 100 kg N ha-1), (0 y 40 kg P ha-1) y (0 y 60 kg K ha-1), éste último como sulfato de potasio. Para evaluar el efecto de diferentes regímenes de riego al final del ciclo de cultivo sobre la produccción cuantitativa y cualitativa de cebolla para la industria del deshidratado se programaron cortes anticipados de riegos, según diferentes fechas anteriores a la cosecha. Estas fueron para el primero y segundo ciclo de ensayo, respectivamente: (33, 27, 21, 8) y (21,14, 7) días anteriores a la fecha de cosecha estimada. Las principales conclusiones fueron: A) Con respecto a la fertilización: i) En todos los casos, e independientemente del tratamiento ensayado el mayor incremento relativo de sustancia seca aérea se evidencia durante la II fase de viii desarrollo que tiene lugar entre los primeros días de noviembre y mediados de diciembre ii) En dicha II fase se comienzan a manifestar incrementos absolutos de peso seco aéreo y área foliar atribuibles a la fertilización iii) También en todos los tratamientos se verifica que al finalizar la II fase el peso de los bulbos alcanza el 20 % de su peso de cosecha. En ese momento, los valores determinados para el porcentaje de sólidos totales (% ST) oscilan entre 13 % y 14 % iv) La mayor tasa de crecimiento del bulbo se constató en la III fase en la que se logra el 80% restante de su peso final v) En la III fase el % ST del bulbo sigue en aumento hasta casi el momento de cosecha y alcanzó valores promedios de 20 % y 21 %. La fertilización con diferentes dosis de N, P y K no influyó en el contenido de materia seca de los bulbos aunque sí lo hizo positivamente sobre su peso fresco vi) Los máximos rendimientos de bulbos (37.3 Mg ha-1) y de materia seca (7.92 Mg ha-1) se obtuvieron, en el segundo ciclo de ensayo, con las dosis de 100 kg N ha-1 y 40 kg P ha-1 vii) Los parámetros tisulares aéreos de valor diagnóstico asociados a máximosrendimientos, y al final de la II fase, correspondieron a una Alimentación Global (N, P, K) de 4.96 g % g s. seca y concentraciones de N, P y K respectivamente de: 2.56 g %, 0.22 g % y 2.18 g %. En cuanto a los tenores de Ca y Mg los porcentajes respectivos fueron: 2.10 g % y 0.16 g %. Los valores medios de equilibrios nutricionales fueron: N - P - K: 52 % - 4% - 44%. Con respecto a los micronutrimentos sus concentraciones fueron, en mg kg-1, Fe: 400, Zn: 55, Mn: 35 y Cu:19 y los valores de equilibrios nutricionales : 78.5 % - 11 % - 7 % - 3.5 %, respectivamente viii) La extracción total efectuada por el cultivo para esas máximas producciones, en kg ha-1, de N - P - K - Ca - Mg fueron: 214 - 40 -187 - 184 -19 B) Con respecto a los regímenes de riego: i) El rendimiento máximo obtenido -38.9 Mg ha-1- en el ensayo de cortes anticipados de riego correspondió al tratamiento R7 del ciclo 1995-‘96 ii) El mismo perteneció al tratamiento, que además de la fertilización básica con 100 kg N ha-1, aseguró durante los meses de noviembre, diciembre y enero, ix hasta siete días antes de cosecha, una humedad edáfica mínima (umbral de riego) correspondiente al 50 % del agua disponible. Este tratamiento se caracterizó por un total de 18 riegos y una incorporación de agua de 6120 m3 ha-1. iii) Los rendimientos totales de materia seca fueron afectados detrimentalmente por los otros regímenes de riego de cortes más anticipados iv) Se constató una relación lineal positiva altamente ignificativa entre el rendimiento y la lámina total de agua aplicada al cultivo.