Enhancements of energetic particles near the heliospheric termination shock

The spacecraft Voyager 1 is at a distance greater than 85 au from the Sun, in the vicinity of the termination shock that marks the abrupt slowing of the supersonic solar wind and the beginning of the extended and unexplored distant heliosphere. This shock is expected to accelerate 'anomalous cosmic rays', as well as to re-accelerate Galactic cosmic rays and low-energy particles from the inner Solar System. Here we report a significant increase in the numbers of energetic ions and electrons that persisted for seven months beginning in mid-2002. This increase differs from any previously observed in that there was a simultaneous increase in Galactic cosmic ray ions and electrons, anomalous cosmic rays and low-energy ions. The low-intensity level and spectral energy distribution of the anomalous cosmic rays, however, indicates that Voyager 1 still has not reached the termination shock. Rather, the observed increase is an expected precursor event. We argue that the radial anisotropy of the cosmic rays is expected to be small in the foreshock region, as is observed.     

Eustigmaeus floridensis sp. nov., a new mite species of the genus Eustigmaeus Berlese, 1910 (Acari: Stigmaeidae) from citrus in Florida

Eustigmaeus floridensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on female specimens collected from citrus trees in Florida, USA. The new species is closely related to Eustigmaeus arcuata, Eustigmaeus segnis and Eustigmaeus microsegnis, all known to occur in Florida. Eustigmaeus floridensis sp. nov. can be distinguished by larger dimples associated with setae sce, d₂ and e₁ containing at least four or more vacuoles centrally; dorsal body setae broadly lanceolate and feather-like, except c₂, which is slender; anogenital area with striae and one pair of serrated aggenital (ag1) and three pairs of serrated pseudanal (ps_1?3) setae. A key to the Eustigmaeus species known to occur across USA is also provided.     

Life histories of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the Rio Conejos of southern Colorado

Thirty-one stonefly species representing eight families were collected during the March 1987 to May 1990 study period. Genera represented by more than one species included Capnia, Utacapnia, Taenionema, Suwallia, Triznaka, Isogenoides, and Isoperla . Peak species richness was recorded on or near the summer solstice in 1988 and 1989. Climatic differences between years were reflected in nymphal development and emergence phenology of most species. New or important corroborative life history data are presented for 11 stonefly species of this assemblage. The hyporheic nymphal development of most cholroperlid species limited the number of early instars sampled and our capacity to interpret voltinism. Limited nymphal data suggested a univoltine-slow cycle for Plumiperla diversa (Frison). Adults of Suwallia pallidula (Banks) and S. wardi (Banks) were present for an extended summer period, but the bulk of their respective emergence times was temporally separated. Isogenoides zionensis Hanson, Pteronarcella badia (Hagen), and Pteronarcys californica Newport were all shown for the first time to have a 9-10 mo egg diapauses, and all three species have a semivoltine life cycle. Skwala Americana (Klápalek) and Isoperla fulva Claassen were further confirmed to have univoltine-slow cycles. Univoltine-fast and univoltine-slow life cycles are reported for the first time in I. phalerata and I. quinquepunctata , respectively. Regression analysis revealed that six of the eight abunduant species had extended emergence patterns (slopes of < 5%/d), while only two had synchronous patterns. Warmer spring and summer temperatures in 1989 increased the slopes for five of the eight species studied, but did not change their synchrony designation. Nine of 11 abundant species advanced their median emergence date in 1989 over 1988. This and the higher slope values are consistent with a hurried nymphal development and narrower emergence period due to the warmer thermal regime of 1989.     

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta identifies mesenchymal stem cells with enhanced engraftment to tissue injury and pro-angiogenic property

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are heterogeneous likely consisting of subpopulations with various therapeutic potentials. Here we attempted to acquire a subset of MSCs with enhanced effect in wound healing. We found that human placental MSCs expressing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor (PDGFR)-β exhibited greater proliferation rates and generated more colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F), compared to PDGFR-β^? MSCs. Notably, PDGFR-β⁺ MSCs expressed higher levels of pro-angiogenic factors such as Ang1, Ang2, VEGF, bFGF and PDGF. When 10⁶ GFP-expressing MSCs were topically applied into excisional wounds in mice, PDGFR-β⁺ MSCs actively incorporated into the wound tissue, resulting in enhanced engraftment (3.92 ± 0.31 × 10⁵ remained in wound by 7 days) and accelerated wound closure; meanwhile, PDGFR-β^? MSCs tended to remain on the top of the wound bed with significantly fewer cells (2.46 ± 0.26 × 10⁵) engrafted into the wound, suggesting enhanced chemotactic migration and engraftment of PDGFR-β⁺ MSCs into the wound. Real-Time PCR and immunostain analyses revealed that the expression of PDGF-B was upregulated after wounding; transwell migration assay showed that PDGFR-β⁺ MSCs migrated eightfold more than PDGFR-β^? MSCs toward PDGF-BB. Intriguingly, PDGFR-β⁺ MSC-treated wounds showed significantly enhanced angiogenesis compared to PDGFR-β^? MSC- or vehicle-treated wounds. Thus, our results indicate that PDGFR-β identifies a subset of MSCs with enhanced chemotactic migration to wound injury and effect in promoting angiogenesis and wound healing, implying a greater therapeutic potential for certain diseases.     

Constructing and evaluating core inflation measures from component‐level inflation data

This paper undertakes a comprehensive examination of 10 measures of core inflation and evaluates which measure produces the best forecast of headline inflation out‐of‐sample. We use the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index as our measure of inflation. We use two sets of components (17 and 50) of the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index to construct these core inflation measures and evaluate these measures at the three time horizons (6, 12 and 24 months) most relevant for monetary policy decisions. The best measure of core inflation for both sets of components and over all time horizons uses weights based on the first principal component of the disaggregated (component‐level) prices. Interestingly, the results vary by the number of components used; when more components are used the weights based on the persistence of each component is statistically equivalent to the weights generated by the first principal component. However, those forecasts using the persistence of 50 components are statistically worse than those generated using the first principal component of 17 components. The statistical superiority of the principal component method is due to the fact that it extracts (in the first principal component) the common source of variation in the component level prices that accurately describes trend inflation over the next 6–24 months.     

用海水浇灌农作物

随着世界人口的增长和淡水资源的日趋珍贵,研究人员正把眼光投向大海,他们要用海水浇灌某些经挑选的植物。当前全球最紧迫的问题之一就是要找到足够的水和土地来满足全球性食品需求。据联合国粮农组织估计,在今后的30年内需要20亿公顷（约合49．42亿英亩）的新耕地─—面积相当于亚利桑那、新墨西哥、犹他、科罗拉多、爱达荷、怀俄明以及蒙大拿诸州的总和──才能满足热带和亚热带地区迅速增长的人口的食品需求、可是在这些地带的国家中可供农业拓展的土地只有9亿3千万公顷──而且其中很大一部分被森林覆盖,是应保护之地。显然,我们需…     

Metagenomic and functional analysis of hindgut microbiota of a wood-feeding higher termite

From the standpoints of both basic research and biotechnology, there is considerable interest in reaching a clearer understanding of the diversity of biological mechanisms employed during lignocellulose degradation. Globally, termites are an extremely successful group of wood-degrading organisms and are therefore important both for their roles in carbon turnover in the environment and as potential sources of biochemical catalysts for efforts aimed at converting wood into biofuels. Only recently have data supported any direct role for the symbiotic bacteria in the gut of the termite in cellulose and xylan hydrolysis. Here we use a metagenomic analysis of the bacterial community resident in the hindgut paunch of a wood-feeding 'higher' Nasutitermes species (which do not contain cellulose-fermenting protozoa) to show the presence of a large, diverse set of bacterial genes for cellulose and xylan hydrolysis. Many of these genes were expressed in vivo or had cellulase activity in vitro, and further analyses implicate spirochete and fibrobacter species in gut lignocellulose degradation. New insights into other important symbiotic functions including H2 metabolism, CO2-reductive acetogenesis and N2 fixation are also provided by this first system-wide gene analysis of a microbial community specialized towards plant lignocellulose degradation. Our results underscore how complex even a 1-microl environment can be.     

In vivo genome editing restores haemostasis in a mouse model of haemophilia

Editing of the human genome to correct disease-causing mutations is a promising approach for the treatment of genetic disorders. Genome editing improves on simple gene-replacement strategies by effecting in situ correction of a mutant gene, thus restoring normal gene function under the control of endogenous regulatory elements and reducing risks associated with random insertion into the genome. Gene-specific targeting has historically been limited to mouse embryonic stem cells. The development of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) has permitted efficient genome editing in transformed and primary cells that were previously thought to be intractable to such genetic manipulation. In vitro, ZFNs have been shown to promote efficient genome editing via homology-directed repair by inducing a site-specific double-strand break (DSB) at a target locus, but it is unclear whether ZFNs can induce DSBs and stimulate genome editing at a clinically meaningful level in vivo. Here we show that ZFNs are able to induce DSBs efficiently when delivered directly to mouse liver and that, when co-delivered with an appropriately designed gene-targeting vector, they can stimulate gene replacement through both homology-directed and homology-independent targeted gene insertion at the ZFN-specified locus. The level of gene targeting achieved was sufficient to correct the prolonged clotting times in a mouse model of haemophilia B, and remained persistent after induced liver regeneration. Thus, ZFN-driven gene correction can be achieved in vivo, raising the possibility of genome editing as a viable strategy for the treatment of genetic disease.     

RNAi screen identifies Brd4 as a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukaemia

Epigenetic pathways can regulate gene expression by controlling and interpreting chromatin modifications. Cancer cells are characterized by altered epigenetic landscapes, and commonly exploit the chromatin regulatory machinery to enforce oncogenic gene expression programs. Although chromatin alterations are, in principle, reversible and often amenable to drug intervention, the promise of targeting such pathways therapeutically has been limited by an incomplete understanding of cancer-specific dependencies on epigenetic regulators. Here we describe a non-biased approach to probe epigenetic vulnerabilities in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive haematopoietic malignancy that is often associated with aberrant chromatin states. By screening a custom library of small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting known chromatin regulators in a genetically defined AML mouse model, we identify the protein bromodomain-containing 4 (Brd4) as being critically required for disease maintenance. Suppression of Brd4 using shRNAs or the small-molecule inhibitor JQ1 led to robust antileukaemic effects in vitro and in vivo, accompanied by terminal myeloid differentiation and elimination of leukaemia stem cells. Similar sensitivities were observed in a variety of human AML cell lines and primary patient samples, revealing that JQ1 has broad activity in diverse AML subtypes. The effects of Brd4 suppression are, at least in part, due to its role in sustaining Myc expression to promote aberrant self-renewal, which implicates JQ1 as a pharmacological means to suppress MYC in cancer. Our results establish small-molecule inhibition of Brd4 as a promising therapeutic strategy in AML and, potentially, other cancers, and highlight the utility of RNA interference (RNAi) screening for revealing epigenetic vulnerabilities that can be exploited for direct pharmacological intervention.