We report the discovery of MOA-2013-BLG-220Lb, which has a super-Jupiter mass ratio q = 3.01 + or - 0.02 x 10 super(-3) relative to its host. The proper motion, mu = 12.5 + or - 1 mas yr super(-1), ...is one of the highest for microlensing planets yet discovered, implying that it will be possible to separately resolve the host within ~7 yr. Two separate lines of evidence imply that the planet and host are in the Galactic disk. The planet could have been detected and characterized purely with follow-up data, which has important implications for microlensing surveys, both current and into the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) era.
Capelin (Mallotus villosus) are an important mid-trophic link within marine food webs, yet there is limited information describing fluctuations in distributions and abundances of capelin in the ...Alaskan North Pacific. The influence of physical and biological environmental factors on capelin distributions was investigated over continental shelf waters in the central Gulf of Alaska (CGOA). Acoustic, oceanographic, and trawl sampling were conducted in summer and fall of 2011 and 2013 as part of the Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program. Continuous acoustic sampling across bathymetric gradients showed capelin distributions on the CGOA shelf were primarily concentrated over submarine banks less than 100 m in depth. Acoustic densities of capelin were higher over banks in summer of both years compared to in deeper troughs (≥ 100 m depth). Length-based distributions indicated that capelin occurring over banks were mostly age-1 fish, while larger age-2 + capelin were more prevalent in troughs. Environmental factors that influenced occurrence and density of capelin in summer 2013 were identified at two spatial resolutions associated with systematic sampling at discrete stations and continuous sampling along transects. At the station resolution (37 km), the probability of capelin occurrence was associated with relatively warmer bottom temperatures and increased chlorophyll concentrations, while capelin density was associated with close proximity to the edges of banks and reduced thermal stratification. At the transect resolution (0.5 km), increases in capelin density were associated with increases in density of a potential competitor (age-0 pollock, Gadus chalcogrammus) over banks and with increases in prey (macrozooplankton) and predator (semi-demersal groundfish) densities in troughs. We infer that in summer, age-1 capelin concentrate over shallow banks on the CGOA shelf in waters that are well-mixed and more productive to feed on abundant copepods, whereas age-2+ capelin primarily occupy deeper waters in troughs where they consume larger euphausiid and amphipod prey. This suggests that distributions of both life stages over the shelf were likely driven by changes in the availability and composition of prey.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Scientific drug design enables the production of novel agents that may be specific for individual malaria species, particularly by targeting their methods of cellular entry. Though there are ...practical and theoretical barriers to introducing novel agents into clinical practice, there may also be theoretical benefits to encourage further investigation of such agents, including a reduction in the rate of development of falciparum resistance. This paper discusses the potential risks and benefits such agents using the example of CCR5 blockers, drugs which are already in use for HIV treatment, but may be able to block DARC, the site of Plasmodium vivax into the human red blood cell.
ABSTRACT For all exoplanet candidates, the reliability of a claimed detection needs to be assessed through a careful study of systematic errors in the data to minimize the false positives rate. We ...present a method to investigate such systematics in microlensing data sets using the microlensing event OGLE-2013-BLG-0446 as a case study. The event was observed from multiple sites around the world and its high magnification (Amax ∼ 3000) allowed us to investigate the effects of terrestrial and annual parallax. Real-time modeling of the event while it was still ongoing suggested the presence of an extremely low-mass companion (∼3M⊕) to the lensing star, leading to substantial follow-up coverage of the light curve. We test and compare different models for the light curve and conclude that the data do not favor the planetary interpretation when systematic errors are taken into account.
Heparin inhibits platelet function and can cause thrombocytopenia. In an effort to understand these phenomena, we have measured the binding of (3H)-heparin to resting and stimulated platelets. In ...platelet-rich plasma, a single class of saturable heparin binding sites was observed (apparent dissociation constant kd ~ 0.55μg/mL, R ~ 0.059 μg/109 cells). In gel-filtered platelets, a similar class of sites was present but with a greater binding capacity (apparent kd1 ~ 0.56 μg/mL, R ~ 0.44 μg/109 cells). Gel-filtered platelets that had been stimulated with thrombin displayed two classes of binding sites: a high-affinity class (apparent kd1 ~1.1 μg/mL, R1 ~ 0.39 μg/109 cells) corresponding to that of the unstimulated cells, and a low-affinity class (apparent kd2 ~13 μg/mL, R2 ~ 2.2 μg/109 cells). Heparin binding was also increased in platelet-rich plasma when the cells had been stimulated by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to release, but not when ADP caused primary aggregation without release. Binding was not dependent on extracellular calcium, nor was it reduced by monoclonal antibodies to platelet membrane glycoproteins la/Ila, lb, llb/llla, or IV. Because the apparent dissociation constant of the high-affinity sites (~0.55 μg/mL) falls in the range of heparin concentrations achieved clinically, these binding sites may be involved in the platelet dysfunction and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia associated with therapeutic heparin. The low-affinity, high-capacity class of sites, which appears after cell stimulation, may participate in the process of platelet adhesion.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Three genera, Engraulis, Sardinops, and Merlucciu have coincident spawning and juvenile brood areas in most eastern and western boundary currents throughout the world. The CalCOFI survey program has ...amassed a 50-year data series on location and timing of spawning and the resultant recruitment of anchovy, sardine, and hake in the California Current region. Use of existing Lefkovitch matrix population projection models for these three species allows evaluation of the spatial and temporal scales that govern the biological and physical interactions. We present rate diagrams for hake and construct comparable diagrams for anchovy and sardine in a common, variable environment. Rate diagrams depict the relative importance of demographic (natality and mortality), growth, and kinematic (passive and active movement) processes to a quantity of interest as a function of spatial and temporal scale. Results confirm that the scale of observations will have to be manipulated to expose the importance of any combination of processes for life history stages among these species. Field sampling systems have not yet responded adequately to mesoscale features (50 km) persisting over months.
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