White Bars Research Articles

A new species of Didogobius (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Canary Islands.

Didogobius helenae is described from the Canary Islands. It has a sensory papillae pattern that is consistent with the current diagnosis for Didogobius, but lacks all head canals and pores that are present in other members of the genus. Pores, in general, are replaced by large papillae. The species is defined by first dorsal fin VI; second dorsal fin I,10; anal fin I,9; pectoral fin 16-17; pelvic fin I,5 and disk shaped; lateral scales 28-30, cycloid at anterior, becoming ctenoid posteriorly; cycloid scales present on belly and posterior breast; predorsal region, cheek, operculum and base of pectoral fin without scales; lower most scale on the caudal fin-base with elongate, thickened ctenii along the upper and lower posterior edges. Color in life consists of four mottled, wide brown-orange bars separated by narrower white bars on the trunk, the cheek whitish with 5 more or less circular blotches of orange, outlined in dark brown and a black spot on ventral operculum. A key to the species is provided.

The expression of cannabinoid receptor 1 is significantly increased in atopic patients

The expression of cannabinoid receptor 1 is significantly increased in atopic patients

Designing Ago2-specific siRNA/shRNA to Avoid Competition with Endogenous miRNAs.

Relatively large amounts of transfected siRNA can compete for Ago proteins and thus compromise endogenous miRNA function, potentially leading to toxicities. Here, we show that shRNA can also perturb endogenous miRNA function similarly. More importantly, we also show that the problem can be solved by designing shRNAs in the context of pre-miR-451 structure with completely complementary stem, which significantly improves the Ago2 specificity. This shRNA was shown to be Ago2-specific, and maintain target-silencing ability while avoiding competition with endogenous miRNAs by not competing for Agos 1, 3, and 4. We conclude that modified pre-miR-451 structure provides a general platform to design shRNAs that significantly reduce perturbation of miRNA function.

Simulated validation and quantitative analysis of the blur of an integral image related to the pickup sampling effects

In an integral imaging (II) system, the pickup sampling effects play an important role in affecting the blur of an integral image. In this paper, the blur property of an integral image due to the pickup sampling artifacts is first analyzed. Then, a figure of merit-the edge blur width (EBW) of a white and black bar object is proposed to characterize the blur of the reconstructed image, and its theoretical model is derived in detail based on a continuous/discrete (C/D) sampling mechanism by considering both the pickup sampling and the reconstruction process. Further, the quantitative relationships of the blur with the pickup sampling parameters (the pixel number of each elemental image, the number of elemental images) are calculated by the EBW model and measured by C/D sampling II simulation experiments, respectively. We find out that the theoretical results have a good agreement with the estimated ones, and the minimum values of the EBW occurred periodically when the pixel number of an elemental image is an integral multiple of the magnification ratio.

Phylogenetic analysis of Aphanius from the endorheic Kor River Basin in the Zagros Mountains, South-western Iran (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae)

Morphologically similar populations of Aphanius that are currently considered as A. sophiae inhabit the endorheic Kor River Basin in the Zagros Mountains. Using genetic analysis based on mtDNA (cytochrome b), combined with examination of morphology (morphometry, meristics, otoliths), we discovered that what is thought to be A. sophiae is actually two distinct species, one of which is described as A. shirini sp. n. The males of the new species can be distinguished from those of all other Iranian inland Aphanius species by having only 7–10 clearly defined white flank bars, which is the lowest number of flank bars among the Iranian inland Aphanius species. Both males and females differ from all other Iranian inland Aphanius species by having a significantly longer caudal peduncle and a smaller dorsal fin depth. Based on the PhyML and Bayesian likelihood trees, A. shirini is sister to A. vladykovi from the Karoun Basin in the Zagros Mountains. Our results indicate that an ancient exorheic Kor River Basin existed in the Late Miocene and Pliocene. The close phylogenetic relationship between A. shirini and A. vladykovi suggests that the pre-Pliocene drainage in the ancient Kor River Basin was directed to the north-west (to the Karoun Basin), and not to the south-east as in the present-day Kor Basin. Both A. shirini and A. vladykovi represent the highest altitude records for Aphanius. We conclude that the splits of A. shirini and A. vladykovi can be linked to tectonic events in the Middle to Late Miocene, which created the highest altitudes (>3000 m) in the Zagros Mountains, and led to isolation of populations. The present-day endorheic Kor Basin is known to have formed in the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene, and the ‘young’ age of A. sophiae is clearly related to this history. Our results contribute to elucidate the link between geological history and the present-day species diversity in the tectonically still active Zagros Mountains of Iran.

Erratum: Corrigendum: Nictation, a dispersal behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, is regulated by IL2 neurons

Nat. Neurosci. 15, 107–112 (2012); published online 13 November 2011; corrected after print 10 August 2012 In the version of this article initially published, the average durations for N2, cha-1(n2411) and cha-1(p503) shown in Figure 2b (white bars) were incorrect because the n-values used to calculate them included cases in which no nictation was observed:

Bromodomain-Containing Protein 4 (BRD4): A Novel Marker and Drug Target Expressed In Neoplastic Cells In Advanced Mast Cell Neoplasms

Advanced mast cell (MC) neoplasms are characterized by uncontrolled growth and rapid expansion of neoplastic MC in various organ systems and a poor prognosis. In human patients, advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) is rare and usually presents as aggressive SM (ASM) or mast cell leukemia (MCL). In canines, advanced MC tumors (MCT) are considered one of the most frequent skin tumors. Hence, so far, no effective treatment concept has been established for advanced MC neoplasms in humans or canines. This is due to the fact that neoplastic MC in advanced SM usually are resistant against various cytoreductive agents. Therefore, research is currently focusing on potential drug targets and the effects of novel targeted drugs on neoplastic MC. We have recently identified the bromodomain-containing protein-4 (BRD4) as a promising new drug target expressed by neoplastic cells in acute myeloid leukemia (Zuber et al, Nature 2011;478:524-528). In the present study, we examined BRD4 as a potential therapeutic target in human ASM and MCL, and canine MCT. As assessed by immunohistochemistry, neoplastic MC expressed substantial amounts of cytoplasmic and nuclear BRD4 in ASM and MCL, whereas in human indolent SM (ISM), MC expressed lower amounts of BRD4 or did not express cytoplasmic BRD4. The human MCL lines HMC-1.1 and HMC-1.2 as well as the canine mastocytoma cell lines NI-1 and C2, also expressed BRD4. In order to study the potential biological function of BRD4, we applied a BRD4-specific shRNA. The shRNA-induced knockdown of BRD4 was found to be associated with a markedly reduced proliferation of HMC-1 cells. Correspondingly, the BRD4-targeting drug JQ1 induced dose-dependent growth inhibition in all MC lines examined, with higher IC50 values obtained in HMC-1.1 cells (IC50: 1.0 µM) and HMC-1.2 cells (IC50: 1.0 µM) compared to NI-1 cells (0.2 µM) and C2 cells (0.5 µM). As assessed by morphology and AnnexinV/PI staining, the growth-inhibitory effects of JQ1 on neoplastic human and canine MC lines were accompanied by apoptosis (Figure). The apoptosis-inducing effects of JQ1 was also demonstrable by staining for active caspase 3. Furthermore, JQ1 was found to downregulate the expression of the activation-related MC antigen CD63 and the proliferation-related antigen CD71 (transferrin receptor) in HMC-1 cells. In addition, JQ1 was found to inhibit proliferation in primary neoplastic MC obtained from patients with ASM or MCL (IC50 0.1-0.5 µM). We next screened for potential drug partners that would potentiate the anti-neoplastic effects of JQ1. Of all drugs tested, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and PKC412 were identified as most potent drug partners of JQ1. These drugs were found to act highly synergistic with JQ1 in producing apoptosis and growth inhibition in HMC-1.1 and HMC-1.2 cells (Figure). Together, BRD4 is a novel marker and promising target in advanced MC neoplasms. Whether JQ1 or other BET bromodomain inhibitors are effective in vivo in patients with advanced SM or canine MCT remains to be elucidated. [Display omitted] HMC-1.2 cells were incubated in control medium (Co) or in various concentrations of JQ1 (black bars), ATRA (gray bars), or a combination of both agents at a ratio of 1:5 (white bars) at 37°C for 48 hours. Then, AnnexinV/propidium iodide (PI) staining was performed. The percentage of AnnexinV+ cells was determined by flow cytometry. Results represent the mean±S.D. of 3 independent experiments. Asterisk (*): p<0.05 compared to control (Co). Disclosures:Bradner:Tensha Therapeutics: Dr. Bradner is a scientific founder of Tensha Therapeutics, which is developing drug-like derivatives of the JQ1 bromodomain inhibitor as cancer therapeutics, through a license from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Other. Horny:Novartis : Consultancy, Honoraria.

Effect of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume and Coronary Vasomotor Function

Patients with coronary artery disease and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) generally exhibit more epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) than healthy controls. Recently, it has been proposed that EAT affects vascular function and structure by secreting proinflammatory and vasoactive substances, thereby potentially contributing to the development of cardiovascular disease. In the present study, the interrelation of EAT, coronary vasomotor function, and coronary artery calcium was investigated in patients with and without DM, who were evaluated for coronary artery disease. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was assessed at rest and during adenosine-induced hyperemia using [(15)O]-water positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography to quantify coronary artery calcium and EAT in 199 patients (46 with DM). In this cohort (mean age 58 ± 10 years), the patients with DM had a greater body mass index, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure at rest (all p <0.05). Coronary artery calcium and the EAT volumes were comparable between those with and without DM. Both patient groups showed comparable MBF at rest and coronary vascular resistance. A lower hyperemic MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) and greater hyperemic coronary vascular resistance (all p <0.05) was observed in the patients with DM. A pooled analysis showed a positive association of EAT volume with hyperemic coronary vascular resistance but not with the MBF at rest, hyperemic MBF, or coronary vascular resistance at rest. In the group analysis, the EAT volume was inversely associated with hyperemic MBF (r = -0.16, p = 0.05) and CFR (r = -0.17, p = 0.04) and positively with hyperemic coronary vascular resistance (r = 0.26, p = 0.002) only in patients without DM. Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index, showed an independent association between the EAT volume and hyperemic MBF (β = -0.16, p = 0.02), CFR (β = -0.16, p = 0.04), and hyperemic coronary vascular resistance (β = 0.25, p <0.001) in the non-DM group. In conclusion, these results suggest a role for EAT in myocardial microvascular dysfunction; however, once DM has developed, other factors might be more dominant in contributing to impaired myocardial microvascular dysfunction.

Resveratrol Exacerbates Both Autoimmune and Viral Models of Multiple Sclerosis

The polyphenol compound resveratrol is reported to have multiple functions, including neuroprotection, and no major adverse effects have been reported. Although the neuroprotective effects have been associated with sirtuin 1 activation by resveratrol, the mechanisms by which resveratrol exerts such functions are a matter of controversy. We examined whether resveratrol can be neuroprotective in two models of multiple sclerosis: experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD). EAE was induced in C57BL/6 mice, which were fed a control diet or a diet containing resveratrol during either the induction or effector phase or through the whole course of EAE. SJL/J mice were infected with TMEV and fed a control diet or a diet containing resveratrol during the chronic phase of TMEV-IDD. In EAE, all groups of mice treated with resveratrol had more severe clinical signs than the control group. In particular, resveratrol treatment during the induction phase resulted in the most severe EAE, both clinically and histologically. Similarly, in the viral model, the mice treated with resveratrol developed significantly more severe TMEV-IDD than the control group. Thus, surprisingly, the resveratrol treatment significantly exacerbated demyelination and inflammation without neuroprotection in the central nervous system in both models. Our findings indicate that caution should be exercised in potential therapeutic applications of resveratrol in human inflammatory demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis.

Campylobacter jejuniin Hospitalized Patients with Diarrhea, Kolkata, India

To the Editor: Campylobacter spp. infection is the leading cause of bacterial enteritis worldwide. The epidemiology of Campylobacter infection in developing countries differs substantially from that in industrialized countries. In many studies from the United States and other industrialized countries, Campylobacter spp. are among the most common bacterial causes of diarrhea (1), with an incidence of ≈10% in persons with diarrhea. Reports from developing countries also suggest that C. jejuni and C. coli have been isolated mostly from patients with diarrheal illness (2). We investigated for the prevalence of Campylobacter infection in patients hospitalized with diarrhea at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Kolkata, India, and their resistance patterns to different antimicrobial drugs. During January 2008–December 2010, we screened 3,186 fecal samples on brain–heart infusion agar with 5% defibrinated sheep blood and antimicrobial drugs (bacitracin, cycloheximide, colistin sulfate, cephazoline sodium, novobiocin) and incubated under microaerophillic environment (5% O2, 10% CO2, and 85% N2) at 37°C for 48 h. Each isolate was tested by Gram staining, cytochrome oxidase, and hippurate hydrolysis for presumptive identification and species-specific PCR (3) to identify 5 species from Campylobacter genus. The overall isolation rate of Campylobacter spp. was ≈7% (222/3,186). Sole infection with Campylobacter spp. accounted for only 40% of cases; others were mixed infection. C. jejuni was the predominant species (78%), with C. coli, C. fetus, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis isolated less frequently. Campylobacter infection prevailed throughout the year, with no seasonality. The C. jejuni isolation rate was significantly higher (10.0%; p<0.001) for children <5 years of age who had diarrhea than for persons in other age groups (3.7%). Although we used the culture method, which is the standard for screening fecal samples, some molecular methods, such as PCR and real-time PCR, are now used for screening Campylobacter spp. from fecal samples on the Indian subcontinent (4,5). The results from molecular methods are showing more infection with Campylobacter spp. and high mixed infection cases and suggest the usefulness of molecular methods in combination with cultures. Macrolides and fluoroquinolones generally are the first- and second-line choices, respectively, of antimicrobial drugs for treating Campylobacter enteritis. Since the late 1980s, resistance to these drugs has complicated treatment. In India, resistance of Campylobacter spp. to several antimicrobial drugs has been reported since the early 1990s (6). Fluoroquinolone resistance was not reported in 1994 but reached 79% during 2001–2006 (2). Likewise, ciprofloxacin resistance in Campylobacter spp. increased markedly in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during 2005–2008 (7) and in Karachi, Pakistan, during 1992–2002 (8). We tested 142 C. jejuni isolates for antimicrobial susceptibility by disk diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar with 5% sheep blood and incubated them at 37°C in microaerophillic environment for 48 h before obtaining results. All tested strains were resistant to trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, and most (97%) were resistant to quinolone (nalidixic acid) and fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin) (Figure). Approximately 26.1% and 17.6% of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, respectively. Susceptibility to erythromycin, azithromycin, gentamicin, furazolidone, and chloramphenicol was very high (>97%) in most isolates. Multidrug resistance was frequent among many of the isolates: ampicillin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (19%); tetracycline, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (10.2%); and tetracycline, ampicillin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (6.8%). These results indicate that macrolides may be useful for treating campylobacteriosis in this region. Figure Antimicrobial drug susceptibility profile of 142 Campylobacter jejuni isolates, Kolkata, India, 2008–2010. Black bars, resistant; gray bars, intermediate resistance; white bars, susceptible. AMP, ampicillin; NAL, nalidixic acid; NOR, norfloxacin; ... The resistance patterns are influenced by various factors, possibly including pressure exerted by use of antimicrobial drugs. Various reports have stated that introduction of fluoroquinolones for use in veterinary practice has been associated with a dramatic rise in Campylobacter strains showing resistance to these drugs (9). Increasing antimicrobial drug resistance limits the number of therapeutic options, which makes empirical treatment more difficult. Therefore, constant monitoring of Campylobacter susceptibility to antimicrobial agents is essential. We could not detect any allele of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes (qnr) among C. jejuni isolates and the different class of mobile genetic elements that generally carry the antimicrobial resistance gene cassettes. However, we found that most of the C. jejuni isolates had a mutation in the quinolone-resistance determining region of gyrA (Thr-86 to Ile), which led the isolates to become resistant for quinolone and fluoroquinolones. Recent microbiome analysis of the gut of a malnourished child residing in an urban slum in Kolkata showed 35 times more Campylobacter bacteria than in healthy child in the same setting (10). This finding suggests that intestinal inflammation may directly influence malabsorption of nutrients. Hence, it is essential to examine the effect of Campylobacter infection in the developing world in the context of many recent developments in the human gut microbiome.

Amphetamine Activates an Amine-gated Chloride Channel to Generate Behavioral Effects in Caenorhabditis elegans

Amphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant, which is thought to generate its effects by promoting release of dopamine through reverse activation of dopamine transporters. However, some amphetamine-mediated behaviors persist in dopamine transporter knock-out animals, suggesting the existence of alternative amphetamine targets. Here we demonstrate the identification of a novel amphetamine target by showing that in Caenorhabditis elegans, a large fraction of the behavioral effects of amphetamine is mediated through activation of the amine-gated chloride channel, LGC-55. These findings bring to light alternative pathways engaged by amphetamine, and urge rethinking of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of this highly-addictive psychostimulant.

Human serum increases CD4 recycling to plasma membranes of in-vitro cultured cells

Human serum increases CD4 recycling to plasma membranes of in-vitro cultured cells

Visual Perception Appears Heightened in Autism

Visual Perception Appears Heightened in Autism

Counting Backward

Counting Backward

Mapping of the Receptive Fields in the Optic Tectum of Chicken (Gallus gallus) Using Sparse Noise

The optic tectum plays a key role in visual processing in birds. While the input from the retina is topographic in the superficial layers, the deep layers project to the thalamic nucleus rotundus in a functional topographical manner. Although the receptive fields of tectal neurons in birds have been mapped before, a high resolution description of the white and black subfields of the receptive fields of tectal neurons is not available. We measured the receptive fields of neurons in the different layers of the tectum of anesthetized chickens with black and white stimuli that were flashed on a grey background in fast progression. Our results show that neurons in the deep layers of the optic tectum tend to respond stronger to black stimuli compared to white stimuli. In addition, the receptive field sizes are larger when measured using black stimuli than with white stimuli. While the black subfield was significantly larger than the white subfield for the intermediate and deep layers, no significant effects were found for the superficial layers. Finally, we investigated the optimal stimulus size in a subset of the neurons and found that these cells respond best to small white stimuli and to large black stimuli. In the majority of the cases the response was stronger to a large black bar than to a small white bar. We propose that such a stronger response to black stimuli might be advantageous for the detection of darker objects against the brighter sky.

Erratum: Global CNS gene delivery and evasion of anti-AAV-neutralizing antibodies by intrathecal AAV administration in non-human primates

Correction to: Gene Therapy (2013) 20, 450–459; doi:10.1038/gt.2012.101; published online 10 January 2013 Since the online publication of this article, the following errors have been identified. In Figure 2b, the black bars indicate AAV9 (101-IC and 102-IC) and the white bars indicate AAV2.5 (103-ICand 104-IC).

Polymorphic LEDGF/p75 variants support efficient HIV-1 infection ex vivo

HIV-1 replication relies on interactions with numerous cellular factors [1], and genetic polymorphisms in the human population can significantly effect progression to AIDS [2, 3]. Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/p75 is a crucial co-factor that directs HIV-1 integration to active genes [4]. N-terminal elements that include a PWWP domain confer constitutive binding to chromatin, whereas the downstream IN-binding domain (IBD; residues 347–429) binds lentiviral IN protein [5, 6]. IBD or PWWP domain point mutations can render LEDGF/p75 nonfunctional in ex vivo models of HIV-1 infection [7–9]. A recent study identified polymorphisms in PSIP1, the gene that encodes LEDGF/p75, which trended with reduced viral loads among Black South Africans [10]. Most of these were intronic though one mutation, Q472L, mapped nearby the IBD (Fig. 1a). A subsequent study identified two mutations in the same region, I436S and T473I, among Caucasoid Spanish long-term nonprogressors, though the relatively small size of the study group precluded disease association analysis [11]. The Q472L mutation did not affect IN binding in vitro or co-factor function in cells depleted for LEDGF/p75 content by RNA interference (RNAi) [10]. Initial RNAi-based studies notably failed to reveal a role for LEDGF/p75 in HIV-1 infection despite achieving potent reductions in steady-state protein levels [12]. Subsequent “deep knockdown” [7] and Psip1 knockout [8, 13] studies revealed approximate 10 to 30-fold reductions in viral titer, indicating that residual levels of LEDGF/p75 can support efficient HIV-1 infection [7, 14]. We have therefore tested the affects of the I436S, Q472L, and T473I mutations on HIV-1 infection using cells derived from Psip1 knockout mice that lack the ability to synthesize LEDGF/p75 [8]. Fig. 1 Ex vivo activities of polymorphic LEDGF/p75 variants Two different mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cell lines, E6(−/−) and E2(−/−) [8, 9], were utilized to assess generalized responses. The pIRES2-eGFP-LEDGF-HA vector that co-expresses human LEDGF/p75 fused to a hemagglutinin (HA) tag and green fluorescent protein (GFP) was mutagenized by PCR, and resulting plasmids were verified by sequencing [8]. Transfected cells (4 × 106) were plated for 24 h prior to fluorescent-activated cell sorting to select GFP-positive cells. Sorted cells (2 × 104) were infected with HIV-Luc, a single-round reporter virus that carries a deletion in the env gene and the gene for firefly luciferase in nef; HIV-Luc was pseudotyped with the vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein to afford entry, reverse transcription, and integration in mouse cells [8]. Cells infected in duplicate were lysed after 48 h, and resulting levels of luciferase activity, expressed as relative light units (RLU), was normalized to total protein as determined by Bradford assay (Bio-Rad). As expected, E2(−/−) cells expressing wild-type (WT) LEDGF/p75 supported about 10-fold greater levels of HIV-Luc infection than cells transfected with the empty pIRES2-eGFP vector [8, 9] (Fig. 1b). Cells transfected with each of the mutant LEDGF/p75 vectors supported infection at levels that were indistinguishable from WT LEDGF/p75; subtracting baseline LEDGF/p75-independent values and re-plotting mutant activity as percent WT function revealed marginally lower activity for the Q472L variant (Fig. 1c) that failed to attain statistical significance as determined by one-tailed Student's t-test (P = 0.32). Asp366 in the IBD makes critical contacts with the IN polypeptide backbone [15], and E6(−/−) cells were additionally transfected with the LEDGF/p75 mutant D366N vector as a positive control. As expected, despite its efficient expression (Fig. 1f), D366N supported HIV-Luc infection at a level that was indistinguishable from the negative control (Fig. 1d, e) [8]. The multiplicity of infection in this experiment was moreover varied to determine if a lower level of input virus might uncover defects in polymorphic mutant behavior. Each of the mutant proteins supported HIV-Luc infection at a level that was equal to or exceeded that of WT LEDGF/p75 (Fig. 1d–f). We conclude that human polymorphic variants I436S, Q472L, and T473I support efficient HIV-1 infection and integration under these conditions. Because two of the identified mutations abut one another in the primary sequence, and Q472L was previously shown to trend with lower viral loads [10], it is tempting to speculate that the changes nevertheless influence disease progression in ways that are not evident by bulk infectivity measure. Because initial RNAi knockdowns that failed to affect virus titer nonetheless altered the specificity of HIV-1 integration [16], the mutations may subtly alter integration specificity such that overall virus titer is unaffected ex vivo. The mutations moreover coincide with two predicted helix-turn-helix motifs that marginally reduce transcriptional co-activator activity in vitro [17] (Fig. 1a), suggesting that subtle affects on viral and/or host gene expression might potentially affect disease progression in vivo.

A new storm-petrel species from Chile

ABSTRACT. We describe a new species of storm-petrel, Oceanites pincoyae (Pincoya Storm-Petrel), from the Puerto Montt and Chacao channel area, Chile. The description is based on 1 specimen collected at sea in Seno Reloncavi on 19 February 2011 and 11 other individuals that were caught, examined, and released. The new taxon's foraging ecology and behavioral habits are unique among the southern Oceanitinae, including “mouse-runs” and repeated diving beneath the surface to retrieve food items. Its distinctive appearance includes bold white ulnar bars, extensive white panels to the underwing, and white to the lower belly and vent. Among species of Oceanites, it is unique in showing white outer vanes to the outer two pairs of rectrices. It further differs from all other storm-petrels in having a distinctive juvenile plumage. Morphometrically it is distinct from Oceanites gracilis gracilis (Elliot's Storm-Petrel) and smaller than O. oceananicus chilensis (the Fuegian form of Wilson's Storm-Petrel), having a sho...

Tackling Childhood Overweight and Obesity

Tackling Childhood Overweight and Obesity

엘리베이터 내의 흡연 추출

In fact, smoking is prohibited in elevators. It is morally wrong to smoke in elevators. In addition, smoking can be very fatal for our children and for women. In this paper, forensic evidence is submitted to court by people who smoke in elevators. Shots around the face of the person in the elevator extracted partially by scene change detection. Smokers is extracted that the white bar is at the mouth biter. People spouting smoke extraction will proceed in the future. It is extracted by using technology of color histogram, one of the scene change detection method. The extract is a much more accurate extraction ratio than the methods that do not use scene change detection.