Wnt-beta-catenin signaling initiates taste papilla development

Fungiform taste papillae form a regular array on the dorsal tongue. Taste buds arise from papilla epithelium and, unusually for epithelial derivatives, synapse with neurons, release neurotransmitters and generate receptor and action potentials. Despite the importance of taste as one of our five senses, genetic analyses of taste papilla and bud development are lacking. We demonstrate that Wnt-beta-catenin signaling is activated in developing fungiform placodes and taste bud cells. A dominant stabilizing mutation of epithelial beta-catenin causes massive overproduction of enlarged fungiform papillae and taste buds. Likewise, genetic deletion of epithelial beta-catenin or inhibition of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling by ectopic dickkopf1 (Dkk1) blocks initiation of fungiform papilla morphogenesis. Ectopic papillae are innervated in the stabilizing beta-catenin mutant, whereas ectopic Dkk1 causes absence of lingual epithelial innervation. Thus, Wnt-beta-catenin signaling is critical for fungiform papilla and taste bud development. Altered regulation of this pathway may underlie evolutionary changes in taste papilla patterning.     

Synthesis of the 3D porous carbon-manganese oxide (3D-C@MnO) nanocomposite and its supercapacitor behavior study

A 3D porous carbon-manganese oxide ([email protected]) nanocomposite is successfully synthesized via a thermal plasma deposition method. The chemical bonds and compositions, phase structures, surface morphologies, etc. of as-obtained [email protected] nanocomposite were characterized by the various equipment, such as X-ray diffractometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopes. The electrochemical performances of the [email protected] nanocomposite electrode showed a specific capacitance of 780 F g^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1 and a capacitance retention rate of 99% after 5000 charge-discharge cycles at a high current density of 10 A g^?1. These excellent capacitive performances may be attributed to the encapsulation of MnO nanoparticles by porous carbon sheets in the [email protected] MnO nanocomposite structure. It is believed that the carbon-encapsulated MnO nanoparticles can be protected from a volume deformation during the charge adsorption/desorption cycle and can be electrically improved by the encapsulated carbon sheets, resulting in better overall capacitive performance. In addition, this study also demonstrates the practical applicability by assembling a supercapacitor using the as-obtained [email protected] nanocomposite to glow a light emitting diode.     

PTC124 targets genetic disorders caused by nonsense mutations

Nonsense mutations promote premature translational termination and cause anywhere from 5-70% of the individual cases of most inherited diseases. Studies on nonsense-mediated cystic fibrosis have indicated that boosting specific protein synthesis from <1% to as little as 5% of normal levels may greatly reduce the severity or eliminate the principal manifestations of disease. To address the need for a drug capable of suppressing premature termination, we identified PTC124-a new chemical entity that selectively induces ribosomal readthrough of premature but not normal termination codons. PTC124 activity, optimized using nonsense-containing reporters, promoted dystrophin production in primary muscle cells from humans and mdx mice expressing dystrophin nonsense alleles, and rescued striated muscle function in mdx mice within 2-8 weeks of drug exposure. PTC124 was well tolerated in animals at plasma exposures substantially in excess of those required for nonsense suppression. The selectivity of PTC124 for premature termination codons, its well characterized activity profile, oral bioavailability and pharmacological properties indicate that this drug may have broad clinical potential for the treatment of a large group of genetic disorders with limited or no therapeutic options.     

Provable Efficient Certificateless Group Key Exchange Protocol

Certificateless public key cryptography （CL-PKC） avoids the inherent escrow of identity-based cryptography and does not require certificates to guarantee the authenticity of public keys. Based on CL-PKC, we present an efficient constant-round group key exchange protocol, which is provably secure under the intractability of computation Diffie-Hellman problem. Our protocol is a contributory key exchange with perfect forward secrecy and has only two communication rounds. So it is more efficient than other protocols. Moreover, our protocol provides a method to design efficient constant-round group key exchange protocols and most secret sharing schemes could be adopted to construct our protocol.     

The recent expansion of Pluto's atmosphere

Stellar occultations--the passing of a relatively nearby body in front of a background star--can be used to probe the atmosphere of the closer body with a spatial resolution of a few kilometres (ref. 1). Such observations can yield the scale height, temperature profile, and other information about the structure of the occulting atmosphere. Occultation data acquired for Pluto's atmosphere in 1988 revealed a nearly isothermal atmosphere above a radius of approximately 1,215 km. Below this level, the data could be interpreted as indicating either an extinction layer or the onset of a large thermal gradient, calling into question the fundamental structure of this atmosphere. Another question is to what extent Pluto's atmosphere might be collapsing as it recedes from the Sun (passing perihelion in 1989 in its 248-year orbital period), owing to the extreme sensitivity of the equilibrium surface pressure to the surface temperature. Here we report observations at a variety of visible and infrared wavelengths of an occultation of a star by Pluto in August 2002. These data reveal evidence for extinction in Pluto's atmosphere and show that it has indeed changed, having expanded rather than collapsed, since 1988.     

Fgf8 is required for outgrowth and patterning of the limbs

The expression pattern and activity of fibroblast growth factor-8 (FGF8) in experimental assays indicate that it has important roles in limb development, but early embryonic lethality resulting from mutation of Fgf8 in the germ line of mice has prevented direct assessment of these roles. Here we report that conditional disruption of Fgf8 in the forelimb of developing mice bypasses embryonic lethality and reveals a requirement for Fgf8 in the formation of the stylopod, anterior zeugopod and autopod. Lack of Fgf8 in the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) alters expression of other Fgf genes, Shh and Bmp2.     

一种围数为八的低密度校验码校验矩阵设计

提出了一种低密度校验（IDPC）码的规则校验矩阵设计算法．首先设计3个不同的子矩阵,每个子矩阵通过对单位矩阵进行不同的移位运算后组合生成,然后将这3个子矩阵组合生成所需要的低密度校验矩阵,最后利用文中提到的短环检验算法搜索出使得生成的校验矩阵四环数、六环数均为零的移位算子．用该校验矩阵所对应的生成矩阵对随机信息进行编码,AWGN信道下的仿真结果表明,具有逼近MacKay随机码的误码率性能．     

韩国国立古宫博物馆世宗朝自击漏复原(英文)

自动时报漏刻(自击宫漏)是宫中都工匠护军蒋英实奉世宗大王(李祹,1397—1450年;1418—1450年在位)之命于1433年制造的。从1434年7月1日开始它成为国家的标准计时仪器。对民众报时的午正、人定和罢漏就是根据这套计时仪器报的。它安装在景福宫的报漏阁里,因此后称报漏阁漏.景福宫是国家天文台"简仪台"所在地。它能够通过操控声音和视觉信号发生系统依朝鲜时代的二元化时制——即十二时辰和五更点法——自动报时。系统自动发出报时声同时显示指示,报出十二时、百刻,以及五更时刻。世宗大王创制的报漏阁自击漏成为模型在朝鲜(1392—1910年)经历过3次复制或修复——1433年的初创,1536年的再创以及1618年的重创。初创之后574年,2004年为了纪念韩国国立古宫博物馆在首尔开馆,文化财厅,博物馆与建国大学校和自击漏硏究会签订了自击漏复原计划,到2007年11月展示了复原的自击漏。复原计划是按照《世宗实录.报漏阁记》中的记载以及原器物的一些残余部分——包括1536年和1618年仪器的现存部分——进行的。用了一年半的时间复制漏器和自击装置。文章从机械学和功能方面的细节系统地描述了复原的过程,包括根据当时的教范《漏筹通义》的记载刻制十一支箭.《漏筹通义》是根据授时历和经过汉阳(当时朝鲜首都)地方时校正的《七政算内篇》编纂的。自击漏包括4个主要部分:(1)漏器部,通过安排三级播水壶,用于两个受水壶递水的计时壶来计时;(2)方木机构,通过在相应的时间落下相应的小铜丸将水平面转换到以数字显示的二元报时时刻标示信号;(3)铁丸放出机构,由复杂的杠杆系统操纵的机构放大动力报时机来操作。(4)视听觉报时部,由两个次一级结构组成。一个是十二时辰报时机部,包括一个钟和木制的小雕像系统,以不同次数的敲钟声和相应的木制的十二支神小雕像举出的时辰牌来报时。另一个是更点机,包括一面鼓、一面锣、以及小雕像,小雕像在不同的更点敲击出相应次数的锣鼓声以报更点。我们对已经失传几个世纪的铁丸作动人形机构的详细复制表明,蒋英实受到了阿拉伯铁丸利用报时法的启发,发明了丸落下时刻标时法(通过落丸来标示时刻的机械装置),并通过改进13世纪阿拉伯时计师al-Jazari的仪器来实现将动力传到对人形机构的推动中。另一方面,苏颂的《新仪象法要》,《元史》中描述的郭守敬的大明殿灯漏以及顺帝的宫漏可能影响了世宗朝的宫廷学者。总的来说,这次复原源于对当时的文献记载和遗物的重建,中国-阿拉伯钟表技术对我们也很有帮助。全部系统现在运行良好。我们的复原将有助于重建古代东亚、甚至阿拉伯的机械水钟。     

Statistical tests on two characteristics of the shapes of cluster diagrams

A cluster diagram is a rooted planar tree that depicts the hierarchical agglomeration of objects into groups of increasing size. On the null hypothesis that at each stage of the clustering procedure all possible joins are equally probable, we derive the probability distributions for two properties of these diagrams: (1)S, the number of single objects previously ungrouped that are joined in the final stages of clustering, and (2)m _k, the number of groups ofk+1 objects that are formed during the process. Ecological applications of statistical tests for these properties are described and illustrated with data from weed communities of Saskatchewan fields.This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

ON THE TOTAL DISTANCE BETWEEN NODES IN TREES

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