We investigated r-process nucleosynthesis in magneto-rotational supernovae, based on a new explosion mechanism induced by the magneto-rotational instability (MRI). A series of axisymmetric ...magneto-hydrodynamical simulations with detailed microphysics including neutrino heating is performed, numerically resolving the MRI. Neutrino-heating dominated explosions, enhanced by magnetic fields, showed mildly neutron-rich ejecta producing nuclei up to (i.e., the weak r-process), while explosion models with stronger magnetic fields reproduce a solar-like r-process pattern. More commonly seen abundance patterns in our models are in between the weak and regular r-process, producing lighter and intermediate-mass nuclei. These intermediate r-processes exhibit a variety of abundance distributions, compatible with several abundance patterns in r-process-enhanced metal-poor stars. The amount of Eu ejecta in magnetically driven jets agrees with predicted values in the chemical evolution of early galaxies. In contrast, neutrino-heating dominated explosions have a significant amount of Fe ( ) and Zn, comparable to regular supernovae and hypernovae, respectively. These results indicate magneto-rotational supernovae can produce a wide range of heavy nuclei from iron-group to r-process elements, depending on the explosion dynamics.
Statistical imputation of classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles is becoming an indispensable tool for fine-mappings of disease association signals from case-control genome-wide association ...studies. However, most currently available HLA imputation tools are based on European reference populations and are not suitable for direct application to non-European populations. Among the HLA imputation tools, The HIBAG R package is a flexible HLA imputation tool that is equipped with a wide range of population-based classifiers; moreover, HIBAG R enables individual researchers to build custom classifiers. Here, two data sets, each comprising data from healthy Japanese individuals of difference sample sizes, were used to build custom classifiers. HLA imputation accuracy in five HLA classes (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DPB1) increased from the 82.5-98.8% obtained with the original HIBAG references to 95.2-99.5% with our custom classifiers. A call threshold (CT) of 0.4 is recommended for our Japanese classifiers; in contrast, HIBAG references recommend a CT of 0.5. Finally, our classifiers could be used to identify the risk haplotypes for Japanese narcolepsy with cataplexy, HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*06:02, with 100% and 99.7% accuracy, respectively; therefore, these classifiers can be used to supplement the current lack of HLA genotyping data in widely available genome-wide association study data sets.
Mitochondrial (mt) genomes from diverse phylogenetic groups vary considerably in size, structure, and organization. The genus Plasmodium, causative agent of malaria, of the phylum Apicomplexa, has ...the smallest mt genome in the form of a circular and/or tandemly repeated linear element of 6 kb, encoding only three protein genes (cox1, cox3, and cob). The closely related genera Babesia and Theileria also have small mt genomes (6.6 kb) that are monomeric linear with an organization distinct from Plasmodium. To elucidate the structural divergence and evolution of mt genomes between Babesia/Theileria and Plasmodium, we determined five new sequences from Babesia bigemina, B. caballi, B. gibsoni, Theileria orientalis, and T. equi. Together with previously reported sequences of B. bovis, T. annulata, and T. parva, all eight Babesia and Theileria mt genomes are linear molecules with terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) on both ends containing three protein-coding genes (cox1, cox3, and cob) and six large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene fragments. The organization and transcriptional direction of protein-coding genes and the rRNA gene fragments were completely conserved in the four Babesia species. In contrast, notable variation occurred in the four Theileria species. Although the genome structures of T. annulata and T. parva were nearly identical to those of Babesia, an inversion in the 3-kb central region was found in T. orientalis. Moreover, the T. equi mt genome is the largest (8.2 kb) and most divergent with unusually long TIR sequences, in which cox3 and two LSU rRNA gene fragments are located. The T. equi mt genome showed little synteny to the other species. These results suggest that the Theileria mt genome is highly diverse with lineage-specific evolution in two Theileria species: genome inversion in T. orientalis and gene-embedded long TIR in T. equi.
We studied the role of turbulent resistivity in the core-collapse of a strongly magnetized massive star, carrying out two-dimensional resistive-MHD simulations. Three cases with different initial ...strengths of magnetic field and rotation are investigated: (1) a strongly magnetized rotating core, (2) a moderately magnetized rotating core, and (3) a very strongly magnetized non-rotating core. In each case, one ideal-MHD model and two resistive-MHD models are computed. As a result of these computations, each model shows an eruption of matter assisted by magnetic acceleration (and also by centrifugal acceleration in the rotating cases). We found that resistivity attenuates the explosion in cases 1 and 2, while it enhances the explosion in case 3. We also found that in the rotating cases, the main mechanisms for the amplification of a magnetic field in the post-bounce phase are an outward advection of the magnetic field and a twisting of poloidal magnetic field lines by differential rotation, which are somewhat dampened down with the presence of resistivity. Although magnetorotational instability seems to occur in the rotating models, it plays only a minor role in magnetic field amplification. Another impact of resistivity is that on the aspect ratio. In the rotating cases, a large aspect ratio of the ejected matter, >2.5, attained in an ideal-MHD model is reduced to some extent in a resistive model. These results indicate that resistivity possibly plays an important role in the dynamics of strongly magnetized supernovae.
Cancer cell adhesion and invasion into extracellular matrix are regulated by integrin-linked kinase (ILK) activity in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)-dependent manner. In this study, we ...demonstrated that ILK and b sub(1)-integrin play important roles in interleukin (IL)-1a-induced enhancement of adhesion and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells through p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and activator protein-1 (AP-1) activation. Alteration of ILK kinase activity controlled IL-1a-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation and its downstream AP-1 activation with subsequent regulation of pancreatic cancer cell adhesion and invasion. Overexpressed ILK enhances the IL-1a-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation more strongly through glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) activation, and subsequently induces AP-1 activation, which promotes aggressive capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells. In contrast, knockdown of ILK kinase activity inhibits the IL-1a-induced activation of MAPK/AP-1 pathway via inhibition of GSK-3 phosphorylation. In immunohistochemical analysis, statistically significant association between strong expression of ILK and poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients were observed, and strong expression of ILK in cancerous tissues can be a significant prognostic indicator of pancreatic cancer patients. Our results suggest that ILK is involved with aggressive capability in pancreatic cancer and that these regulations can be helpful to understand biological processes for a better translational treatment for pancreatic cancer patients.Oncogene (2006) 25, 3237-3246. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1209356; published online 16 January 2006
Cancer cell adhesion and invasion into extracellular matrix are regulated by integrin-linked kinase (ILK) activity in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)-dependent manner. In this study, we ...demonstrated that ILK and beta(1)-integrin play important roles in interleukin (IL)-1alpha-induced enhancement of adhesion and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells through p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and activator protein-1 (AP-1) activation. Alteration of ILK kinase activity controlled IL-1alpha-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation and its downstream AP-1 activation with subsequent regulation of pancreatic cancer cell adhesion and invasion. Overexpressed ILK enhances the IL-1alpha-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation more strongly through glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) activation, and subsequently induces AP-1 activation, which promotes aggressive capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells. In contrast, knockdown of ILK kinase activity inhibits the IL-1alpha-induced activation of MAPK/AP-1 pathway via inhibition of GSK-3 phosphorylation. In immunohistochemical analysis, statistically significant association between strong expression of ILK and poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients were observed, and strong expression of ILK in cancerous tissues can be a significant prognostic indicator of pancreatic cancer patients. Our results suggest that ILK is involved with aggressive capability in pancreatic cancer and that these regulations can be helpful to understand biological processes for a better translational treatment for pancreatic cancer patients.
We have extensively investigated characters of the low-energy E1 strengths in N > Z nuclei, by analyzing the transition densities obtained by the HF+RPA calculations with several effective ...interactions. Crossover behavior has been confirmed, from the skin mode at low energy to the pn mode at higher energy. Decomposing the E1 strengths into the skin-mode, pn-mode and interference fractions, we show that the ratio of the skin-mode strength to the full strength may be regarded as a generic function of the excitation energy, insensitive to nuclides and effective interactions, particularly beyond Ni.
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