Abstract Cancer is a key health issue across the world, causing substantial patient morbidity and mortality. Patient prognosis is tightly linked with metastatic dissemination of the disease to ...distant sites, with metastatic diseases accounting for a vast percentage of cancer patient mortality. While advances in this area have been made, the process of cancer metastasis and the factors governing cancer spread and establishment at secondary locations is still poorly understood. The current article summarizes recent progress in this area of research, both in the understanding of the underlying biological processes and in the therapeutic strategies for the management of metastasis. This review lists the disruption of E-cadherin and tight junctions, key signaling pathways, including urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene (PI3K/AKT), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), β-catenin/zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB-1) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), together with inactivation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and suppression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity as key targets and the use of phytochemicals, or natural products, such as those from Agaricus blazei , Albatrellus confluens , Cordyceps militaris , Ganoderma lucidum , Poria cocos and Silybum marianum , together with diet derived fatty acids gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and inhibitory compounds as useful approaches to target tissue invasion and metastasis as well as other hallmark areas of cancer. Together, these strategies could represent new, inexpensive, low toxicity strategies to aid in the management of cancer metastasis as well as having holistic effects against other cancer hallmarks.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterised by deficits in social interactions and communication, with stereotypical and repetitive behaviours. Recent evidence suggests ...that maternal immune dysregulation may predispose offspring to ASD. Independent samples t-tests revealed downregulation of IL-17A concentrations in cases, when compared to controls, at both 15 weeks (p = 0.02), and 20 weeks (p = 0.02), which persisted at 20 weeks following adjustment for confounding variables. This adds to the growing body of evidence that maternal immune regulation may play a role in foetal neurodevelopment.
RR Lyrae pulsating stars have been extensively used as tracers of old stellar populations for the purpose of determining the ages of galaxies, and as tools to measure distances to nearby galaxies. ...There was accordingly considerable interest when the RR Lyrae star OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792 (referred to here as RRLYR-02792) was found to be a member of an eclipsing binary system, because the mass of the pulsator (hitherto constrained only by models) could be unambiguously determined. Here we report that RRLYR-02792 has a mass of 0.26 solar masses Msymbol see text and therefore cannot be a classical RR Lyrae star. Using models, we find that its properties are best explained by the evolution of a close binary system that started with Msymbol see text and 0.8Msymbol see textstars orbiting each other with an initial period of 2.9 days. Mass exchange over 5.4 billion years produced the observed system, which is now in a very short-lived phase where the physical properties of the pulsator happen to place it in the same instability strip of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram as that occupied by RR Lyrae stars. We estimate that only 0.2 per cent of RR Lyrae stars may be contaminated by systems similar to this one, which implies that distances measured with RR Lyrae stars should not be significantly affected by these binary interlopers.
We present new constraints on the dark matter-induced annual modulation signal using 1.7 years of COSINE-100 data with a total exposure of 97.7 kg yr. The COSINE-100 experiment, consisting of 106 kg ...of NaI(Tl) target material, is designed to carry out a model-independent test of DAMA/LIBRA's claim of WIMP discovery by searching for the same annual modulation signal using the same NaI(Tl) target. The crystal data show a 2.7 cpd/kg/keV background rate on average in the 2-6 keV energy region of interest. Using a χ-squared minimization method we observe best fit values for modulation amplitude and phase of 0.0092±0.0067 cpd/kg/keV and 127.2±45.9 d, respectively.
Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic? Thompson, Richard C.; Olsen, Ylva; Mitchell, Richard P. ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
05/2004, Volume:
304, Issue:
5672
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Thompson et al seek to establish that microscopic plastic fragments and fibers are also widespread in the oceans and have accumulated in the pelagic zone and sedimentary habitats. To quantify the ...abundance of microplastics, they collected sediment from beaches and from estuarine and subtidal sediments around Plymouth, UK. To assess the extent of contamination, a further 17 beaches were examined, and similar fibers were found, demonstrating that microscopic plastics are common in sedimentary forms. Their findings demonstrate that the broad spatial extent and accumulation of this type of contamination. Given the rapid increase in plastic production, the longevity of plastic, and the disposable nature of plastic items, the contamination is likely to increase, aside from the potential for plastics to adsorb, release, and transport chemicals. However, it remains to be shown whether toxic substances can pass from plastics to the food chain.
First Resolution of Microlensed Images Dong, Subo; Mérand, A.; Delplancke-Ströbele, F. ...
The Astrophysical journal,
01/2019, Volume:
871, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Abstract
We employ Very Large Telescope Interferometer GRAVITY to resolve, for the first time, the two images generated by a gravitational microlens. The measurements of the image separation
mas, and ...hence the Einstein radius
θ
E
= 1.87 ± 0.03 mas, are precise. This demonstrates the robustness of the method, provided that the source is bright enough for GRAVITY (
K
≲ 10.5) and the image separation is of order of or larger than the fringe spacing. When
θ
E
is combined with a measurement of the “microlens parallax”
, the two will together yield the lens mass and lens–source relative parallax and proper motion. Because the source parallax and proper motion are well measured by
Gaia
, this means that the lens characteristics will be fully determined, whether or not it proves to be luminous. This method can be a powerful probe of dark, isolated objects, which are otherwise quite difficult to identify, much less characterize. Our measurement contradicts Einstein’s prediction that “the luminous circle i.e., microlensed image cannot be distinguished” from a star.
Abstract
COSINE-100 is a direct detection dark matter experiment that is testing DAMA/LIBRA’s claim of dark matter discovery. Located in South Korea’s Yangyang underground laboratory, C0SINE-100 ...comprises 106 kg of sodium iodide detectors surrounded by a ∼2000 L liquid scintillator veto. In this talk, I will present new results from an annual modulation search using three years of data and the impact on DAMA/LIBRA’s discovery claim. I will also discuss improvements over our previous modulation analysis, including lowering the analysis threshold to 1 keV and the development of a more robust time-dependent background model. In addition, I will review ongoing R&D projects for, and the physics reach of future phases of the experiment.
COSINE-100, a direct detection WIMP dark matter search, is using 106 kg of NaI(Tl) crystals to definitively test the DAMA collaboration's claim of WIMP discovery. In the context of most standard ...models of WIMP dark matter, the DAMA result is in conflict with other direct detection experiments. To resolve this tension, COSINE-100 seeks to independently test the DAMA observation using a detector of the same target material as DAMA, thus definitively confirming or refuting their claim of WIMP discovery. Here, we present the current status and projected sensitivity of COSINE-100, along with the projected sensitivity of COSINE-200, a possible next phase of the experiment.
The Mini‐RF radar instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft mapped both lunar poles in two different RF wavelengths (complete mapping at 12.6 cm S‐band and partial mapping at 4.2 cm ...X‐band) in two look directions, removing much of the ambiguity of previous Earth‐ and spacecraft‐based radar mapping of the Moon's polar regions. The poles are typical highland terrain, showing expected values of radar cross section (albedo) and circular polarization ratio (CPR). Most fresh craters display high values of CPR in and outside the crater rim; the pattern of these CPR distributions is consistent with high levels of wavelength‐scale surface roughness associated with the presence of block fields, impact melt flows, and fallback breccia. A different class of polar crater exhibits high CPR only in their interiors, interiors that are both permanently dark and very cold (less than 100 K). Application of scattering models developed previously suggests that these anomalously high‐CPR deposits exhibit behavior consistent with the presence of water ice. If this interpretation is correct, then both poles may contain several hundred million tons of water in the form of relatively “clean” ice, all within the upper couple of meters of the lunar surface. The existence of significant water ice deposits enables both long‐term human habitation of the Moon and the creation of a permanent cislunar space transportation system based upon the harvest and use of lunar propellant.
Key Points
The Mini‐RF on LRO mapped the polar regions of the Moon
Dark craters near the lunar poles contain water ice
Mini‐RF radar measures surface properties on the Moon
To develop a better understanding of the abrupt Dansgaard‐Oeschger mode of climate change, it is essential that we establish whether the ice sheets are actively involved, as trigger or amplifier, or ...whether they merely respond in a passive manner. This requires careful assessment of the fundamental issues of magnitude and phasing of global ice volume fluctuations within marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3), which to date remain enigmatic. We review recent advances in observational studies pertaining to these key issues and discuss the implications for modeling studies. Our aim is to construct a robust stratigraphic framework for the MIS 3 period regarding sea level variability, using the most up‐to‐date arguments available by combining insights from both modeling and observational approaches.
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