|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 3:55:04 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 3:55:04 GMT 4
Misplaced Metamorphosis: Penn Researchers Identify Source of Cells that Spur Aberrant Bone GrowthImplications for Understanding Range of Bone DiseasesEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/fop-bone-growth-cells.htmlPHILADELPHIA – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut have pinpointed the source of immature cells that spur misplaced bone growth. Unexpectedly, the major repository of bone-forming cells originates in blood vessels deep within skeletal muscle and other connective tissues, not from muscle stem cells themselves. The work also shows that cells important in the inflammatory response to injury trigger skeleton-stimulating proteins to transform muscle tissue into bone. Stages of metamorphosis of muscle tissue into bone tissue in mouse model of heterotopic ossification (misplaced bone growth). [Note: for larger picture array, click on this link: www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/03/fop-bone-growth-cells-image.html]Understanding this process has important implications for understanding the formation of bone not only in FOP, a rare disease in which patients’ muscle cells literally metamorphose to bone, but also in many common disorders of misplaced bone growth such as that following head injury, athletic injury, and spinal cord injury. The findings were published this week in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. “We always knew that heterotopic, or misplaced, bone growth was supplied by a rich vasculature, but we never suspected that cells from the blood vessels, when triggered by cells from the immune system, could undergo a metamorphosis that becomes a second skeleton,” says senior author Frederick S. Kaplan, M.D., Isaac & Rose Nassau Professor of Orthopaedic Molecular Medicine. “When these components interact pathologically, as in the rare disease FOP, devastating results occur. We want to fix that.” The researchers used genetically engineered mice with labeled immature, or progenitor, cells to trace specific cell lineages through the process of renegade bone formation, which is induced by skeleton-stimulating molecules called bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). The study has important implications for understanding the rare genetic disorder fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a condition studied by the authors who care for most of the world’s 700 patients with the condition. In FOP, the body forms a second skeleton as a result of the transformation of normal muscle tissue into normal bone. That change is caused by a mutant gene that encodes a receptor, or switch, for BMPs and was discovered by the Penn scientists in April 2006. In 2007, the Penn group identified the seminal role of inflammation in the metamorphosis, indicting the immune system as a critical trigger in the aberrant bone-forming process. The current study links the inflammatory response to injury with the responding blood-vessel cells that, in part, orchestrate the switch from muscle to bone. The interaction of blood-vessel cells with immune cells appears to trigger bone formation when the BMP switch is damaged or overactive. While the cells identified from blood-vessel linings in this study are a major contributor to the aberrant bone growth, the researchers say they account for only half of the cells important in the process, suggesting that other critical pools of cells are yet to be identified. "BMPs regulate a great number of essential physiological processes,” comments co-corresponding author David J. Goldhamer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The Center for Regenerative Biology at the University of Connecticut. “For this reason, development of therapies for misplaced bone growth that specifically target offending progenitor cell populations is of primary importance in order to minimize collateral effects. Identification of progenitor cells directly involved in heterotopic bone formation is a critical first step toward this goal.” By identifying the interaction of key cellular and molecular elements in the transformation of muscle to bone, the study points the way to designing more effective treatments for undesirable heterotopic bone formation as well as for engineering new bone where it is desperately needed, such as in congenital malformations, fractures, spinal fusions, and bone loss from tumors. This work was funded by the International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association (IFOPA), the Isaac and Rose Nassau Professorship of Orthopaedic Molecular Medicine, the Rita Allen Foundation, the Ian Cali Endowment, the Weldon Family Endowment, the Center for Research in FOP and Related Disorders, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation's Zachary Friedenberg Clinician-Scientist Award, and the National Institutes of Health.
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 4:18:15 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 4:18:15 GMT 4
Musicians’ Brains ‘Fine-Tuned’ to Identify EmotionEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/03/kraus.htmlEVANSTON, IL --- Looking for a mate who in everyday conversation can pick up even your most subtle emotional cues? Find a musician, Northwestern University researchers suggest. In a study in the latest issue of European Journal of Neuroscience, an interdisciplinary Northwestern research team for the first time provides biological evidence that musical training enhances an individual’s ability to recognize emotion in sound. “Quickly and accurately identifying emotion in sound is a skill that translates across all arenas, whether in the predator-infested jungle or in the classroom, boardroom or bedroom,” says Dana Strait, primary author of the study. A doctoral student in the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, Strait does research in the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory directed by neuroscientist Nina Kraus. The laboratory has done pioneering work on the neurobiology underlying speech and music perception and learning-associated brain plasticity. Kraus, Northwestern’s Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology; Richard Ashley, associate professor of music cognition; and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory manager Erika Skoe co-authored the study titled “Musical Experience and Neural Efficiency: Effects of Training on Subcortical Processing of Vocal Expressions in Emotion.” The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, found that the more years of musical experience musicians possessed and the earlier the age they began their music studies also increased their nervous systems’ abilities to process emotion in sound. “Scientists already know that emotion is carried less by the linguistic meaning of a word than by the way in which the sound is communicated,” says Strait. A child’s cry of “Mommy!” -- or even his or her wordless utterance -- can mean very different things depending on the acoustic properties of the sound. The Northwestern researchers measured brainstem processing of three acoustic correlates (pitch, timing and timbre) in musicians and non-musicians to a scientifically validated emotion sound. The musicians, who learn to use all their senses to practice and perform a musical piece, were found to have “finely tuned” auditory systems. This fine-tuning appears to lend broad perceptual advantages to musicians. “Previous research has indicated that musicians demonstrate greater sensitivity to the nuances of emotion in speech,” says Ashley, who explores the link between emotion perception and musical experience. One of his recent studies indicated that musicians might even be able to sense emotion in sounds after hearing them for only 50 milliseconds. The 30 right-handed men and women with and without music training in the European Journal of Neuroscience study were between the ages of 19 and 35. Subjects with music training were grouped using two criteria -- years of musical experience and onset age of training (before or after age 7). Study participants were asked to watch a subtitled nature film to keep them entertained while they were hearing, through earphones, a 250-millisecond fragment of a distressed baby’s cry. Sensitivity to the sound, and in particular to the more complicated part of the sound that contributes most to its emotional content, was measured through scalp electrodes. The results were not exactly what the researchers expected. They found that musicians’ brainstems lock onto the complex part of the sound known to carry more emotional elements but de-emphasize the simpler (less emotion conveying) part of the sound. This was not the case in non-musicians. In essence, musicians more economically and more quickly focus their neural resources on the important -- in this case emotional -- aspect of sound. “That their brains respond more quickly and accurately than the brains of non-musicians is something we’d expect to translate into the perception of emotion in other settings,” Strait says. The authors of the study also note that the acoustic elements that musicians process more efficiently are the very same ones that children with language disorders, such as dyslexia and autism, have problems encoding. “It would not be a leap to suggest that children with language processing disorders may benefit from musical experience,” says Kraus. Strait, a pianist and oboe player who formerly worked as a therapist with autistic children, goes a step further. Noting that impaired emotional perception is a hallmark of autism and Asberger’s syndromes, she suggests that musical training might promote emotion processing in these populations. To learn more about the link between music, the brain and language processing, visit Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu. Now this would be even more interesting if they were to incorporate "vibration" from touch. In addition, use the same testing for left-handed musicians. I realize the protocols would need adjusting, however, there is data to be gleaned from these also.
My progressive hearing loss has heightened my sensitivity to vibrations and sight (to compensate for the auditory loss). I started playing violin at age 6, cello at age 11 and sang in many choirs. The loss of hearing, while it has impacted my ability to tune an instrument or sing in concert, has not lessened my sense of emotions. Factor that in too.
Peace and Joy Always
Sally Anne
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 4:56:15 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 4:56:15 GMT 4
NCRP Report No. 160 on increased average radiation exposure of the US populationAverage radiation exposure of the US population requires perspective and cautionEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/aiop-nrn030309.phpCOLLEGE PARK, MD -- Scientists at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) are offering additional background information to help the public avoid misinterpreting the findings contained in a report issued today by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), a non-profit body chartered by the U.S. Congress to make recommendations on radiation protection and measurements. The report is not without scientific controversy and requires careful interpretation NCRP Report No. 160 updates the 1987 publication, NCRP report No. 93, on the sources of ionizing radiation to the general public in the United States. It examines the various sources of ionizing radiation in the United States, estimates the total amount of radiation delivered in 2006, and compares those amounts to the estimates published in 1987. Among other findings, the naturally-occurring amounts of radiation have changed little in the last two decades. However, a key finding of the report is that there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of radiation from medical imaging procedures, including computed tomography (CT) and cardiac nuclear medicine examinations. The report does not, however, "attempt to quantify the associated health risks nor specify the actions that should be taken in light of these latest data," and AAPM experts are cautioning that these data do not necessarily indicate that the U.S. population is at any higher risk due to this increased use of medical imaging. They caution that the new report should not deter patients from getting medically-appropriate imaging exams. The NCRP findings on average population dose could be easily misinterpreted if applied to an individual patient's medical situation. "Tens of millions of CT scans are performed each year in the United States, and their benefits are enormous," says Gerald A. White, M.S., FAAPM, FACR, Chairman of the Board of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premiere professional and scientific association of medical physicists, which is comprised of research scientists and board-certified health professionals who specialize in the use of radiation in medicine. Medical imaging, which includes procedures such as CT scans, cardiac catheterization studies, and nuclear medicine positron emission tomography (PET) exams, has revolutionized medicine in the last few decades. For example, CT scans provide pictures from deep inside a patient's body with unprecedented clarity. These images help doctors diagnose unseen illnesses and injuries, and they guide treatment for millions of patients annually in the United States. "The medical information derived from CT scans literally saves thousands of American lives on a daily basis," says John M. Boone, Ph.D., FAAPM, FACR, Chairman of AAPM's Science Council and professor and vice chairman of radiology at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. "CT scans are critical for guiding the treatment of people who are in car accidents, people diagnosed with cancer, people who have blood clots in their lungs, and a vast number of other symptoms and conditions." Even so, in the last few years reports in the medical literature and in the popular press have affected public perceptions of CT scans by raising questions of risk related to the use of X-rays, which in very high doses have the potential to damage cells and cause cancer. The new NCRP report falls squarely into this controversy because it estimates the total U.S. exposure to all sources of ionizing radiation has increased six-fold since 1980 -- with about half of this increase due to CT scans. This increase is easily misinterpreted, however, because the report calculates the total radiation dose for all CT scans performed in 2006 and divides that by the U.S. population for that year. What is not considered in this global averaging approach is that CT scans are given disproportionally to certain people and groups -- for example, the elderly, people admitted to hospitals for serious trauma, and cancer patients having scans to evaluate their response to treatment. The vast majority of Americans receive no radiation from medical imaging at all, or they receive imaging exams that do not use ionizing radiation, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound procedures. "Adding up all the doses and then spreading out the total over the entire population, no matter a person's age, occupation, location, or health status is not appropriate for assessing risk to the general population," says Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., FAAPM, FACR, who is a professor of radiological physics at the Mayo Clinic and who chaired an AAPM Task Group that issued a CT radiation dose management report last year. "The NCRP report is very clear in this regard. The data summarize the sources and amounts of radiation exposure in the U.S. and the total values are normalized to the total U.S. population. The values reported are not appropriate for estimating potential health effects." McCollough points out that the medical applications of CT have grown tremendously in the last few decades as the technology has become more and more sophisticated, often replacing more risky invasive or less accurate alternative tests. CT and other medical imaging procedures have nearly eliminated exploratory surgery and enabled minimally invasive surgery both which have shortened or eliminated hospitalization and reduced the risk of surgery related co-morbidity like infection. CT scanners have also reduced the volumes of radiation therapy fields, thereby reducing the probability of radiation harm, including second malignancies. While the absolute number of CT exams has grown considerably since the 1980s, CT scanners can now tailor the radiation dose to the specific exam type and individual. All modern CT systems are now equipped with automatic exposure control systems that reduce patient dose levels to the minimum necessary for the examination. In fact, adds McCollough, "The average dose per CT exam has fallen by a factor of 2-3 since the early 1980s. There are simply more people getting CT exams." The AAPM strongly supports that appropriate utilization standards be applied for all procedures using ionizing radiation. AAPM members contribute to the safety and quality of CT imaging by developing reports such as Dr. McCollough's, which gives the most current standards for CT dose measurement techniques and discusses how facilities can reduce radiation dosages by adjusting the radiation exposure according to each patient's size. Steps like these are taken to ensure the maximum benefit to patients while minimizing their risk. In addition, medical physicists are required to be involved in ACR Accreditation programs, which ensure that radiation exposures are as low as reasonably achievable. "For an appropriately ordered CT examination, an individual derives much greater benefit than risk," says AAPM past-president Richard L. Morin, Ph.D, FAAPM, FACR, who is a medical physicist and Brooks-Hollern Professor at Mayo Clinic Florida. "Ultimately, people who are scheduled to have CT exams should understand why their doctors have requested the exam – if the test will provide information to assist in their medical care, they should not worry about having the exam. There are likely higher risks associated with failing to have a needed medical test, as the correct diagnosis or treatment decision could be delayed or missed." EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS If you would like to schedule an interview with any of the following people, please contact Jason Bardi (American Institute of Physics) at 858-775-4080 or jbardi@aip.org.
Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., FACR, FAAPM, Professor of Radiological Physics Director, CT Clinical Innovation Center Department of Radiology Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN 55920
Richard L. Morin, Ph.D., FAAPM, FACR Brooks - Hollern Professor Department of Radiology Mayo Clinic Florida
John M. Boone, Ph.D., FAAPM, FACR Chair of AAPM's Science Council Professor and Vice Chair (Research) of Radiology Professor of Biomedical Engineering University of California Davis Medical Center
Gerald A. White, M.S., FAAPM, FACR, Chairman of the Board of the AAPM Medical Physicist Penrose Cancer Center Colorado Springs, CO
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINEABOUT AAPM The AAPM is a scientific, educational, and professional nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the application physics to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The Association encourages innovative research and development, helps disseminate scientific and technical information, fosters the education and professional development of medical physicists, and promotes the highest quality medical services for patients. In 2008, AAPM celebrated its 50th year of serving patients, physicians, and physicists. Please visit the Association Web site at www.aapm.org/.Okay - the report, which is undergoing final editing and is over 8MB in length, has quite a bit of information.
I would, however, like to point out that the Health Insurance INDUSTRY is limiting the coverage of CAT, PET and "whatever" scans as often as possible - like DENYING coverage for them.
It wouldn't surprise me if they were "significant" funders of any report that "proposes" increased anything that would impact their bottom line - PROFIT.
I'm sure we will see some article referencing penicillin causing an increase in pimples or some other gobbledy-gook to reduce the use of that drug, hence no prescription co-pay if people don't use them.
Geez...
Of course there is an increase in ionizing radiation - and it's not just a CAT scan - check out the push for "fission-based nuclear power". Duhhhh. That's a no-brainer. And how many nuclear warheads exist right now...huh...probably enough to destroy the entire solar system. But not to worry, they're under lock and key (sort of - at least now some "fool(s)" don't have access to order a "hot nukes fly-by" over the continental US).
Okay - I'm taking a deep breath here...
Thank you for your patience.
Sally Anne
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 5:07:44 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 5:07:44 GMT 4
Earth's highest known microbial systems fueled by volcanic gasesUniversity of Colorado scientists detect microscopic life near 19,850 feetEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/uoca-ehk030309.php CU-Boulder researchers have discovered that volcanic gases are fueling microbial life near summit of 19,500-foot-tall Socompa volcano in the high Andes. Credit: Steve Schmidt, University of ColoradoGases rising from deep within the Earth are fueling the world's highest-known microbial ecosystems, which have been detected near the rim of the 19,850-foot-high Socompa volcano in the Andes by a University of Colorado at Boulder research team. The new study shows the emission of water, carbon dioxide and methane from small volcanic vents near the summit of Socompa sustains complex microbial ecosystems new to science in the barren, sky-high landscape, said CU-Boulder Professor Steve Schmidt. He likened the physical environment of the Socompa volcano summit -- including the thin atmosphere, intense ultraviolet radiation and harsh climate -- to the physical characteristics of Mars, where the hunt for microbial life is under way by NASA.The microbial communities atop Socompa -- which straddles Argentina and Chile high in the Atacama Desert -- are in a more extreme environment and not as well understood as microbes living in hydrothermal vents in deep oceans, he said. The Socompa microbial communities are located adjacent to several patches of green, carpet-like plant communities -- primarily mosses and liverworts -- discovered in the 1980s by Stephan Halloy of Conservation International in La Paz, Bolivia, a co-author on the new CU-Boulder study. "These sites are unique little oases in the vast, barren landscape of the Atacama Desert and are supported by gases from deep within the Earth," said Schmidt, a professor in the ecology and evolutionary biology department. "Scientists just haven't been looking for microorganisms at these elevations, and when we did we discovered some strange types found nowhere else on Earth." A paper on the subject by Schmidt and his colleagues was published in the February 2009 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Co-authors on the study included CU-Boulder's Elizabeth Costello and Sasha Reed, Preston Sowell of Boulder's Stratus Consulting Inc., and Halloy. The team used a sophisticated technique that involves extracting DNA from the soil to pinpoint new groups of microbes, using polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, to amplify and identify them, providing a snapshot of the microbial diversity on Socompa. The new paper is based on an ongoing analysis of soil samples collected during an expedition to Socompa several years ago. The research team also reported a new variety of microscopic mite in the bacterial colonies near Socompa's rim, which appears to be the highest elevation that mites have ever been recorded on Earth, Schmidt said. Costello, a research associate in CU-Boulder's chemistry and biochemistry department, said small amounts of sunlight, water, methane and CO 2 work in concert in the barren soils to fuel microbial life near the small volcanic vents, or fumaroles. Such conditions "relieve the stress" on the high-elevation, arid soils enough to allow extreme life to get a toehold, Costello said. "It's as if these bacterial communities are living in tiny, volcanic greenhouses." The CU-Boulder team also discovered unique colonies of bacteria living on the slopes of Socompa in extremely dry soils not associated with fumaroles. The bacteria detected in such dry soils may be transient life transported and deposited by wind in the extreme environment of Socompa, with some organisms surviving to bloom during periodic pulses of water and nutrients, said Schmidt. "These sites are significantly less diverse," said Costello. "But the thing that really stands out is just how tough these microbes are and how little it takes for them to become established." Schmidt, who likened the high Andes to the harsh Dry Valleys of Antarctica under study by researchers from NASA's Astrobiology Institute because of their hostile, arid conditions, said the new research also provides information on how the cold regions of Earth function and how they may respond to future climate change. Research in such extreme environments could lead to the discovery of new antibiotics and other products. A return expedition to Socompa in February 2009 by Schmidt included a Chilean scientist, an Argentinean microbiologist, a Boulder spectral-imaging expert and an Argentinean archaeologist. There is archaeological evidence that ancient Incans once roamed over Socompa, and the remains of three, 500-year-old mummified Inca children were discovered in 1999 atop the nearby Llullaillaco volcano, apparent sacrifice victims. Although reaching the summit of Socompa requires two days in a four-wheel drive vehicle and two more days of hiking, recent footpaths near the summit apparently made by adventurers may have damaged some of the mat-like plant communities, Costello said. The 2009 and 2005 expeditions to Socompa were funded by grants from the National Geographic Society and the Microbial Observatory Program of the National Science Foundation.
For more information visit CU's Alpine Microbial Observatory site at amo.colorado.edu/.
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 5:11:58 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 5:11:58 GMT 4
CSHL researchers pinpoint structure-building role for 2 non-coding RNAsMEN-epsilon and MEN-beta act as structural components for a domain in the cell nucleus called paraspecklesEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/cshl-crp030309.phpCold Spring Harbor, NY – Most of the DNA in the nucleus of each of our cells is converted into RNA, but only a small fraction of these RNA molecules serve as coding templates for the synthesis of proteins. Of the remaining RNAs, known as "non-coding" RNAs (ncRNA), the functions of a scant few are known: they inhibit the activity of genes or modify them by altering the way in which DNA is packaged within cells. What the rest of them do within cells is largely a mystery. Professor David L. Spector, Ph.D., and a team led by graduate student Hongjae Sunwoo at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), have expanded our knowledge of ncRNA functions by uncovering a unique structure-building role for two ncRNA molecules. In a paper published in the March 1st issue of Genome Research, they show that ncRNAs called MENå and MENâ organize and maintain the structure of paraspeckles, a compartment within the cell's nucleus. RNAs as structural componentsUnlike its counterparts in simple organisms like yeast, the nucleus in mammalian cells has an extraordinarily complicated internal structure. In addition to the DNA-protein complex known as chromatin, the nucleus is organized with compartments such as the nucleolus, PML bodies, Cajal bodies, and many others. Cell biologists have long wondered how these compartments are organized, knowing only that each has a definite and precise form despite not being bound and contained within a membrane. "The idea that some of these structures might somehow be supported by RNA molecules first surfaced in studies in the 1970s," according to Professor Spector. His lab found further evidence for this idea in 2005 when they showed that paraspeckles – each nucleus has about 10 to 30 of these scattered around – fell apart when cells were treated with an enzyme that destroys RNA. "But," Spector says, "a specific RNA molecule that gives paraspeckles their structural integrity was never found." Spector, who is an avid explorer of ncRNAs and their activities in cells, thought ncRNAs were a good candidate for such a role, especially since many of them stay in the nucleus instead of getting expelled into the cell's cytoplasm like their protein-coding RNA cousins. ncRNAs localize to paraspecklesCells usually increase their production of ncRNAs when they ramp up their metabolic activity – for example, when they differentiate during development. For this reason, Spector's team, in collaboration with John Mattick's laboratory (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia), hunted for their ncRNA quarry in a type of stem cell that differentiates into muscle fibers. They narrowed their focus to 14 confirmed ncRNAs, each of which was produced at levels that were at least two times higher or lower in the differentiated cells. "One way to figure out hints as to what ncRNAs do is to find out where they localize within cells, which might reveal the molecules they interact with and the pathways they participate in," explains Spector. Using a technique that uses a fluorescence signal to tag molecules within cells, Spector's team traced two of their 14 ncRNAs to paraspeckles, tiny compartments that look like dense dots anchored within the nucleus. MENå and MENâ are structural organizersThe paraspeckles were larger in differentiated muscle cells than in their stem-cell precursors – a sign that their structure might depend on ncRNAs, whose levels are also higher in muscle cells. The team proved this point by inserting into the cells molecules that bind to these ncRNAs and trigger their destruction. When these specific ncRNAs were depleted in this way, the paraspeckles disappeared. In addition, when the scientists depleted the levels of the ncRNAs and blocked the production of new ncRNA molecules, paraspeckles failed to form suggesting that the ncRNAs were essential to both initiate and maintain these nuclear structures. Thus, not only did MENå and MENâ appear to maintain paraspeckle structure; they were also critical for the assembly of new paraspeckles. Spector's team also found that MENå and MENâ latch on to a paraspeckle protein called Nono. But how and whether this interaction is related to paraspeckle structure remains to be worked out. The function of ncRNA-built paraspecklesScientists are still unsure about what paraspeckles do within cells. When they were discovered in 2002, it was believed they were involved in controlling gene activity "post-transcriptionally," i.e., after a gene's DNA has been converted into RNA. One such post-transcriptional control mechanism was uncovered in 2005 by Spector's group, who showed that paraspeckles were warehouses for storing a specific RNA molecule. Only when the cell needed to respond to stress signals was this molecule processed and released into the cytoplasm, where it was used to synthesize protein. Scientists estimate that storing pre-made RNAs in the paraspeckles and releasing them during times of need speeds the cell's response to stress by about 25 minutes, in certain cases, and bypasses the cell's need to prepare the RNA from scratch. "Paraspeckles might be part of the cell's rapid response mechanism to stress," says Spector. "It might allow cells to meet challenges such as viral infection more quickly." Experiments performed by others bear him out: levels of paraspeckle-building MEN RNAs have been observed to increase in mouse brain cells infected by the Rabies virus. Spector's work on nuclear ncRNAs continues. "Whether other nuclear compartments also similarly serve as RNA stores and what roles ncRNAs might play in nuclear structure and function are questions that will keep us busy for a while," he says. "MEN å/â nuclear-retained non-coding RNAs are up-regulated upon muscle differentiation and are essential components of paraspeckles," was published advance of print on December 22nd, 2008 and appears in the March 1st print issue of Genome Research. The full citation is: Hongjae Sunwoo, Marcel E. Dinger, Jeremy E. Wilusz, Paulo P. Amaral, John S. Mattick, and David L. Spector. The paper can be found online at genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2009/02/04/gr.087775.108 (doi: 10.1101/gr.087775.1080.)
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a private, not-for-profit research and education institution at the forefront of efforts in molecular biology and genetics to generate knowledge that will yield better diagnostics and treatments for cancer, neurological diseases and other major causes of human suffering. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu.
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 5:21:58 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 5:21:58 GMT 4
Stars forced to relocate near the Southern FishEurekAlert Public Release: 3-Mar-2009www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0902.htmlImage credit: NASA, ESA and R. Sharples (University of Durham, U.K.) A new Hubble image shows three galaxies locked in a gravitational tug-of-war that may result in the eventual demise of one of them. About 100 million light-years away, in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish), three galaxies are playing a game of gravitational give-and-take that might ultimately lead to their merger into one enormous entity. A new image from the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope allows astronomers to view the movement of gases from galaxy to galaxy, revealing the intricate interplay among them. The three pictured galaxies — NGC 7173 (middle left), NCG 7174 (middle right) and NGC 7176 (lower right) — are part of the Hickson Compact Group 90, named after astronomer Paul Hickson, who first catalogued these small clusters of galaxies in the 1980s. NGC 7173 and NGC 7176 appear to be smooth, normal elliptical galaxies without much gas and dust. In stark contrast, NGC 7174 is a mangled spiral galaxy, barely clinging to independent existence as it is ripped apart by its close neighbours. The strong tidal interaction surging through the galaxies has dragged a significant number of stars away from their home galaxies. These stars are now spread out, forming a tenuous luminous component in the galaxy group. Ultimately, astronomers believe that the stars in NGC 7174 will be redistributed into a giant 'island universe', tens to hundreds of times as massive as our own Milky Way. Notes for editors: The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.There are other pictures and videos available at the link displayed above.
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 5:43:12 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 5:43:12 GMT 4
Pluto's Atmosphere Boasts Methane, Warmer TempsUniverse Today Written by Anne Minard March 2nd, 2009www.universetoday.com/2009/03/02/plutos-atmosphere-boasts-methane-warmer-temps/Artist’s impression of how the surface of Pluto might look, if patches of pure methane rest on the surface. At the distance of Pluto, the Sun appears about 1,000 times fainter than on Earth. Credit: ESO Pluto is certainly frigid, but new research has revealed its atmosphere is a bit warmer. Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have found unexpectedly large amounts of methane in Pluto's atmosphere, which evidently helps it stay about 40 degrees warmer than the dwarf planet's surface. The atmosphere warms to -180 degrees Celsius (-356 degrees Fahrenheit), compared to a surface that's usually -220 degrees Celsius (-428 degrees Fahrenheit). “With lots of methane in the atmosphere, it becomes clear why Pluto’s atmosphere is so warm,” said Emmanuel Lellouch of the Observatoire de Paris in France. Lellouch is lead author of the paper reporting the results, which is in press at the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Pluto, which is about a fifth the size of Earth, is composed primarily of rock and ice and orbits about 40 times further from the Sun than the Earth. It has been known since the 1980s that Pluto also has a thin, tenuous atmosphere. Abundant nitrogen, along with traces of methane and probably carbon monoxide, are held to the surface by an atmospheric pressure only about one hundred thousandth of that on Earth, or about 0.015 millibars. As Pluto moves away from the Sun, during its 248 year-long orbit, its atmosphere gradually freezes and falls to the ground. In periods when it is closer to the Sun — as it is now — the temperature of Pluto’s solid surface increases, causing the ice to sublimate into gas. Until recently, only the upper parts of the atmosphere of Pluto could be studied. By observing stellar occultations, a phenomenon that occurs when a Solar System body blocks the light from a background star, astronomers were able to demonstrate that Pluto’s upper atmosphere was some 50 degrees warmer than the surface. Those observations couldn’t shed any light on the atmospheric temperature and pressure near Pluto’s surface. But unique, new observations made with the CRyogenic InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES), attached to ESO’s Very Large Telescope, have now revealed that the atmosphere as a whole, not just the upper atmosphere, has a mean temperature much less frigid than the surface. Usually, air near the surface of the Earth is warmer than the air above it, largely because the atmosphere is heated from below as solar radiation warms the Earth’s surface, which, in turn, warms the layer of the atmosphere directly above it. Under certain conditions, this situation is inverted so that the air is colder near the surface of the Earth. Meteorologists call this an inversion layer, and it can cause smog build-up. Most, if not all, of Pluto’s atmosphere is thus undergoing a temperature inversion: the temperature is higher, the higher in the atmosphere you look. The change is about 3 to 15 degrees per kilometer (about 3.3 feet). On Earth, under normal circumstances, the temperature decreases through the atmosphere by about 6 degrees per kilometer. The reason why Pluto’s surface is so cold is linked to the existence of Pluto’s atmosphere, and is due to the sublimation of the surface ice; much like sweat cools the body as it evaporates from the surface of the skin, this sublimation has a cooling effect on the surface of Pluto. The CRIRES observations also indicate that methane is the second most common gas in Pluto’s atmosphere, representing half a percent of the molecules. “We were able to show that these quantities of methane play a crucial role in the heating processes in the atmosphere and can explain the elevated atmospheric temperature,” said Lellouch. Two different models can explain the properties of Pluto’s atmosphere. In the first, the astronomers assume that Pluto’s surface is covered with a thin layer of methane, which will inhibit the sublimation of the nitrogen frost. The second scenario invokes the existence of pure methane patches on the surface. “Discriminating between the two will require further study of Pluto as it moves away from the Sun,” says Lellouch. “And of course, NASA’s New Horizons space probe will also provide us with more clues when it reaches the dwarf planet in 2015."
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 12:00:28 GMT 4
Post by nodstar on Mar 4, 2009 12:00:28 GMT 4
Ancient Language of Universal Symbols Discovered[/size][/b] March 02, 2009 www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/03/did-an-ancient.htmlBabel Over the last several years, similar petroglyphs have been identified on as many as five continents. They all date from roughly the same time-period. In the late 20th century, archaeologists discovered a collection of symbols carved in stone as petroglyphs in the Negev desert of Israel that appeared to be writing. Dating of these symbols showed that they were made over an extended period time, beginning around 1700 BC.
Ancient_petroglyphsThis strange collection of symbols was first examined by Dr. James Harris, a petroglyph expert and archaeologist from Brigham Young University. He identified the alphabet as being a proto-Canaanite system, which successfully translated by using old-Hebrew or Thalmudic phonetic sounds.
Earlier, William McGlone, an amateur archaeologist and retired space engineer, discovered the same collection of symbols carved in heavily patinated stones surrounding the Southeast town of La Junta, Colorado. Dating of the patina corresponded to the same era as the writing found in Harkarkom in Israel.
The petroglyphs in Colorado were photographed and posted on the Internet. Within a few years, images of similar petroglyphs were sent to the site where the images were hosted, Viewzone, by archaeologists and historians from many different global locations. This included a huge collection of writing from the Republic of Yemen at the site of the palace of the Queen of Sheba.
Strangely, both the writing in Colorado and Yemen spoke of a similar event, possibly related to the Sun, which was prophesied to change human civilization. Subsequent translations of sites in Oklahoma, Australia and South America have added more details about this future event.
The majority of the petroglyphs have already been verified to be of ancient origin, which makes it quite puzzling to experts. How did they all have the same language and tell the same story on opposite ends of a globe? Perhaps our ancient ancestors traveled more than previously thought possible.
Research is currently being conducted to further validate the authenticity and common features of the writing.Posted by Rebecca Sato. Links: www.mondovista.com/expo2002.htmlwww.mondovista.com/stantest22.html
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 12:07:52 GMT 4
Post by helvetic on Mar 4, 2009 12:07:52 GMT 4
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 12:39:30 GMT 4
Post by nodstar on Mar 4, 2009 12:39:30 GMT 4
Gamma Ray Burst Captured In Early Stages[/size][/b] www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302120108.htm2009-03-04 UK astronomers, using a telescope aboard the NASA Swift Satellite, have captured information from the early stages of a gamma ray burst - the most violent and luminous explosions occurring in the Universe since the Big Bang.
Swift is able to both locate and point at gamma ray bursts (GRBs) far quicker than any other telescope, so by using its Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) the astronomers were able to obtain an ultraviolet spectrum of a GRB just 251 seconds after its onset - the earliest ever captured. Further use of the instrument in this way will allow them to calculate the distance and brightness of GRBs within a few hundred seconds of their initial outburst, and gather new information about the causes of bursts and the galaxies they originate from.
It is currently thought that some GRBs are caused by immense explosions following the collapse of the core of a rapidly rotating, high-mass star into a black hole, but there are still many mysteries surrounding them.
"The UVOT's wavelength range, coupled with the fact that Swift is a space observatory with a speedy response rate, unconstrained by time of day or weather, has allowed us to collect this early ultraviolet spectrum," said Martin Still from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) at UCL.
Paul Kuin, also from MSSL, who works on the calibration of the UVOT instrument explained: "By looking at these earlier moments of gamma ray bursts, we will not only be able to better calculate things such as the luminosity and distance of a burst, but to find out more about the galaxies that play host to them and the impact these explosions have on their environments. Once this new technique is applied to much brighter bursts, we'll have a wealth of new data."
Massimiliano De Pasquale, a GRB scientist of the UVOT team from MSSL, added, "The UVOT instrument is particularly suited to study bursts with an average to high redshift (1) – a part of the ultraviolet spectrum that is difficult for even the very big ground-based telescopes to study. Using UVOT with Swift, we can now find redshifts for bursts that were difficult to capture in the past and find out more about their distant host galaxies, about ten billion light years away."
Professor Keith Mason, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said, "This is an amazing first for the UVOT instrument and an exciting new development in the study of these most violent and energetic explosions. Thanks to the hard work of our UK scientists at MSSL, and their partners, we can now gather far more information about gamma ray bursts and the early Universe."
Since its launch in 2004, the Swift satellite has provided the most comprehensive study so far of GRBs and their afterglows. Using the UVOT to obtain ultraviolet spectrums, the Swift team will be able to build on this study and even determine more about the host galaxies' chemistry.
Paul Kuin said, "The new spectrum has not only allowed us to determine the distance of the gamma ray burst's host galaxy but has revealed the density of its hydrogen clouds. Learning more about these far-away galaxies helps us to understand how they formed during the early universe. The gamma ray burst observed on this occasion originated in a galaxy 8 billion light years from Earth."
Swift is a NASA mission in collaboration with the STFC in the UK and the Italian Space Agency (ASI)
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 15:42:13 GMT 4
Post by Eagles Disobey on Mar 4, 2009 15:42:13 GMT 4
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 16:27:47 GMT 4
Post by dan on Mar 4, 2009 16:27:47 GMT 4
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 18:24:39 GMT 4
Post by towhom on Mar 4, 2009 18:24:39 GMT 4
Ancient Language of Universal Symbols Discovered [/size][/b] March 02, 2009 www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/03/did-an-ancient.htmlEdited for length only[/quote] Hiya Noddie!
Next to my beloved gravity, petroglyphs are No.2 in my Top Ten list.
;D
Follow the water...
Peace and Joy Always
Sally Anne
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 20:38:34 GMT 4
Post by lonetwin on Mar 4, 2009 20:38:34 GMT 4
Hello all - just arrived! Huge congrats Noddie - you are a true (Southern!) Star! Just wanted to let you all know that I'm here but may be quiet for a while - my life is undergoing massive changes right now (but nothing nearly as stressful as Dan & Marci's) and my attention is focussed on learning to cope with that. Hopefully 'normality will be resumed soon' and I will get back to posting properly; until then I shall pop in as and when I can and enjoy reading all your news. Much love Lonetwin
|
|
|
NEWS
Mar 4, 2009 22:04:47 GMT 4
Post by ninathedog on Mar 4, 2009 22:04:47 GMT 4
Aftermath (4) Hammad’s death barely made the newswww.pchrgaza.org/04 March 2009 In this new series of personal testimonies, PCHR looks at the aftermath of Israel’s 22 day offensive on the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing impact it is having on the civilian population.html format: www.pchrgaza.org/files/campaigns/english/aftermath/4.htmlpdf format: www.pchrgaza.org/files/campaigns/english/aftermath/aftermath_4.pdftext without photos (please click above links to view photos) Text and images © Malian/PCHR Photo: The only surviving photograph of 13 year old Hammad Silmiya, taken when he was seven. ©Malian On the 14 of February 2009, almost a month after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, thirteen year old Hammad Silmiya was grazing his sheep and goats in northeast Gaza, about 500 metres from the border with Israel. An Israeli military jeep patrolling the border opened fire on him and his teenage friends. Hammad was shot in the head and he died almost instantly. Hammad’s death barely made the news – just another casualty in the Gaza Strip, where civilian injuries and deaths continue to mount daily. His family had already endured the killing of Hammad’s grandmother, his two cousins, aged four and eighteen months, and the destruction of their homes and livestock during Israel’s offensive. “It was Saturday morning and Hammad woke up at six,” says Hammad’s aunt Jomai’a, 40. “He left with his brother and a couple of young friends to graze the animals. At around ten in the morning Hammad was preparing some breakfast in the field like he always did. An Israeli military vehicle fired at them and shot him in the head.” Jomai’a pulls out a plastic bag from the folds of her black shawl and unties the knot. Inside a small envelope is the only remaining photograph they have of Hammad, taken when he was seven years old. More recent photographs of him were lost in the rubble of their home. “Hammad was like a beloved son to me because I have no children of my own and he always slept beside me,” says Jomai’a. “Whenever he needed anything, he would ask me. They used to say Hammad didn’t have just one mother, he had two – his real mother, and I. Hammad owned a part of my heart and it went with him when he died.” photo: Hammad’s aunt Jomai’a (left) and mother Salma (right). ©Malian Hammad had left school just a few months ago to work fulltime as a shepherd and help his family. “I tried to force him to go back to school but all he cared about was working with the goats and riding his donkey,” says Jomai’a. “He was so good with animals. Whenever he came home from school, he’d throw his bag in the house and run to be with the animals. The night before Hammad was killed I dreamt about a wedding ceremony, which in our culture is a bad omen. When they told me Hammad was injured I knew that he had been killed because I had seen him as a bridegroom in my dream.” Hammad’s mother Salma sits beside Jomai’a in the makeshift shelter the family has set up beside the remains of their homes in Hay-as-Salama, northeastern Gaza. All around them are scenes of utter devastation. This Bedouin family came to Gaza as refugees from Beersheva in 1948 and settled in the Hay-as-Salama area. Prior to the latest Israeli offensive they had concrete homes and livestock farms beside the buffer zone, which was the first area to be hit during Israel’s ground offensive in January 2009. “Tanks began firing at the area at two in the morning on the 5 of January,” recalls Jomai’a. “The first bomb hit our house and I ran to my mother’s room because she is 80 years old and bedridden. Then a second shell hit the house and we had to run, leaving her behind. We were like scared goats whose stable door had been opened. We fled to Jabaliya and then to Zeitoun where we sheltered in schools. Every day I begged ambulances and medics to help me go and evacuate my mother. I even said I would walk in front of the ambulance, carrying a white flag, but it was too dangerous and they refused.” When the Silmiya family returned to the area on 18 January , they found their row of houses had been flattened by F-16 airstrikes and it took them three days to uncover Hammad’s grandmother from the rubble. Hammad was buried next to his grandmother just a few weeks later. Due to this area’s proximity to the border, few donors have come to assess the damage or provide assistance. The nearest refugee tent camp is unsuitable for the Silmiyas because they need to be near their animals and Bedouin families prefer to live alone. photo: The Silmiya shelter in front of their bombed house. ©Malian “The war is not over,” says Hammad’s mother Salma. “There is no quiet time in Gaza and we often see F-16s in the sky. But Hammad was never afraid. He was strong and full of energy. His younger brother says he wishes the Israelis had killed him instead because everybody loved Hammad. He also refuses to take any food or tea with him now when he goes shepherding because Hammad was making breakfast when they shot him.” In the days before his death Hammad had been upset about his donkey that was killed during the Israeli ground invasion along with sixty goats and three cows belonging to his father Barrak Salem Salaam Silmiya, whose three surnames are all derivatives of the word ‘peace’ in Arabic. “We want peace, but where is it? Where are human rights in Gaza?” asks 47-year-old Barrak as he shows us the animal remains still floating in the mud around the ruins of his house. Hammad’s father Barrak Salem Salaam Silmiya, surrounded by the carcasses of his livestock and the remains of his home. ©Malian “Hammad was 13 years old. In anyone’s eyes he looked like a child, but they still shot him. He was very bright and he was great with animals. He even used to sell our milk and cheese in the market. What more can I tell the world about my son? How can I speak about him? Big countries can’t even stop Israel so what can I do? I feel like I’m nothing. This area was just houses and a street. Were these goats fighters? There’s nothing left…” As Barrak turns to walk away Hammad’s mother Salma rises to her feet: “These fifteen days since Hammad died have felt like five hundred. Hammad was dark, and he was beautiful. Food has no taste anymore.” “Everybody who saw Hammad that morning before he was killed said his face had looked particularly beautiful,” adds his aunt Jomai’a. “This is not a war against a strong government or country. Israel kills us like we are animals and dogs and nobody stands with us.” ................................... For a list of names of children who have lost their lives in this conflict -- both Israeli and Palestinian -- and the circumstances of their deaths, please visit RememberTheseChildren.orgPlease note, if you visit, that the site has not been updated and the list of names falls short by at least four hundred Palestinian children.
|
|