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The estrous cycle is regulated by rhythmic endocrine interactions of the nervous and reproductive systems, which coordinate the hormonal and ovulatory functions of the ovary. Folliculogenesis and follicle progression require the orchestrated response of a variety of cell types to allow the maturation of the follicle and its sequela, ovulation, corpus luteum (CL) formation, and ovulatory wound repair. Little is known about the cell state dynamics of the ovary during the estrous cycle, and the paracrine factors that help coordinate this process. Herein we used single-cell RNA sequencing to evaluate the transcriptome of > 34,000 cells of the adult mouse ovary and describe the transcriptional changes that occur across the normal estrous cycle and other reproductive states to build a comprehensive dynamic atlas of murine ovarian cell types and states.

Plated structures such as ships and offshore structures are constructed using welding techniques that attach support members (or stiffeners) to the plating. During this process, initial imperfections develop in the form of initial deformations (deflections or distortions) and residual stresses. These initial imperfections significantly affect the buckling and ultimate strength of these structures. Therefore, to assess the strength of welded plate structures, it is very important to predict the magnitude and pattern of welding-induced initial imperfections and their effects on buckling and ultimate strength. To determine the reliability of the prediction methods, it is desirable to validate the theoretical or numerical predictions of welding-induced initial imperfections through comparison with full-scale actual measurements. However, full-scale measurement databases are lacking, as they are costly to obtain. This study contributes to the development of a full-scale measurement database of welding-induced initial imperfections in steel-stiffened plate structures. The target structures are parts of real (full-scale) deckhouses in very large crude oil carrier class floating, production, storage and offloading unit structures. For parametric study purposes, four test structures by varying plate thickness are measured while the stiffener types and weld bead length are fixed. Modern technologies for measuring initial deformations and residual stresses are applied. The details of the measurement methods are documented for the use of other researchers and practicing engineers who welding-induced initial imperfections.

The full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging (PE UPI) system using a two-axis linear stage has been successfully used to perform a non-destructive evaluation of flat specimens. This study used a six-axis robot arm to develop a robotic scanning algorithm that can be applied to the laser pulse-echo inspection of non-flat objects. The robotic PE UPI system was constructed and verified for both flat and curved specimens. The internal structures and defects of a honeycomb sandwich plate and a glass-fibre-reinforced polymer specimen were visualised by the robotic PE UPI system. The quality of the evaluation of the flat specimen was equivalent to that of a two-axis linear system, and the result of the curved specimen showed improvement compared to that of the linear system. The ability of the robotic scanning technique to evaluate the structural health performance of arbitrarily shaped surfaces was validated.

Galaxies and their central supermassive black holes are known to coevolve, but the physical background for this is unknown as of yet. The High-$z$ Universe probed via Lensing by QSOs (HULQ) project aims to investigate this coevolution by using quasi-stellar object (QSO) host galaxies acting as gravitational lenses (QSO lenses). We present the results of the spectroscopic observation of the first QSO lens candidate from the HULQ project, HULQ J0002+0239, which consists of a QSO host galaxy at $z_{\rm d} = 1.455$ and four seemingly lensed objects in a cross-like configuration. Deep optical spectra of two of the possibly lensed objects with $z \sim 24.5$ mag were obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope. Their spectra reveal that the objects are newly discovered galaxies at $z=0.29$ and $z=1.11$, and we conclude that HULQ J0002+0239 is not a QSO lens. Our QSO lens search results are so far in agreement with the predicted number of QSO lenses, and we discuss how the future investigation of additional QSO lens candidates could tell us more about the evolution of the black hole mass and host galaxy scaling relations., 15 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables; accepted for publication in A&A

Autosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10−72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and 591,247 controls (P = 1.7 × 10−4), and reduced odds for diabetes mellitus type 2 among 54,095 cases and 573,885 controls (P = 1.4 × 10−5). Although we observe an association with increased BMI, waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI is reduced, bioimpedance analyses indicate increased gluteofemoral fat, and abdominal MRI analyses indicate reduced visceral adiposity. Co-localization analyses strongly correlate increased CHRDL1 gene expression, particularly in adipose tissue, with reduced concentrations of blood lipids.

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease that causes an inappropriate immune response due to genetic and environmental factors. The scientific interest in mechanisms of probiotics are world-widely growing. Bifidobacterium plays an essential role in the maturation of the immune system, and the prevention of colitis and tumor. However, only limited reports on bifidobacterium isolated to prevent colitis and their exact mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. This study identifies the different anticolitic effects between B. breve strain and Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) strain, the most abundant probiotic strains in lactating babies. We explore the different activation repertoire of the immune cell according to Bifidobacterium species and the mechanisms in these processes. Methods We administrated B. breve and B. longum ATCC by oral gavage 1×109 CFU to RAG1 KO mice. Colitis was induced with 2.5% DSS for 7 days. To assess the direct role of B. longum on ILCs, ILCs from B. breve- and B. longum-treated wild-type mice were transferred to RAG1 KO mice. We observed daily weight loss, stool consistency, and rectal bleeding of mice and transformed to the disease activity index (DAI) scores. Macrophages and T-cell subsets in splenocytes, lamina propria cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Gene expression and cytokine profiles were determined using qRT-PCR. We performed whole-genome sequencing of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-resistant B. longum species using DNA full-sequencing analysis. Results The two functional strains of B. breve and B. longum ameliorate gut immunopathology during colitis in RAG1 knockout mice. However, B. longum but not B. breve, drastically restored body weight loss, DAI, and colon length compared to B. breve-treated group. We found that the anticolitic effect of B. longum is specialized by modulation of ILCs. Newly identified B. longum strain from the feces of healthy adults has ROS resistance even though it is anaerobic bacteria. The new B. longum strain exhibits ANI values of 94.92% with respect to B. longum ATCC 15697. The new B. longum strain has a strong colonization ability and improves DSS-induced colitis in the wild-type mice than other strains. Our data revealed genus-specific effects of bifidobacteria on colonization in the colon, and ILCs, thus discriminating a differential degree of modulation of immune cells. Conclusion We explore the different activation repertoire of the immune cell according to Bifidobacterium species and the mechanisms in these processes. These findings suggest that B. longum can be used as a potent immunomodulatory of ILCs, which has significant implications for IBD treatment.

Today, psychiatry residents learn multiple psychotherapeutic techniques during their training. Learning these different modalities at the same time can cause confusion in the areas of assessment, making a psychotherapeutic recommendation, and conducting a treatment. To investigate these issues, we presented a complex training case to three psychotherapy experts. Although they had somewhat different ideas about how to treat the patient, there was general consensus that adhering to a single conceptual formulation is key to treating individual patients in psychotherapy. A final discussion addresses the pedagogical implications of this perspective.

Objective The concurrent use of prescription drugs and herbal medicinal products (HMPs) for the management of various disease are increasing. Many HMPs have been used to treat the common health complaints involved the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Therefore, we analyzed the extent of concurrent use of prescription drugs and HMPs in patients with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Methods This study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC), which consists of representative anonymized data extracted from national health insurance records pertaining to about 1,000,000 subjects from 2002 to 2013. The insured HMPs were 56 kinds of single herbal extracts and 67 kinds of mixed herbal extracts in Republic of Korea. Continuous variables were summarised by the means (and SDs) and categorical variables were summarised by proportions (%). Univariate and multivariable Statistical significance was defined as P Results The diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue accounted for the top 10 ranking concurrent use of prescription drugs and HMPs. The most frequently co-prescribed drugs were Antipyretics (or Analgesics, or Anti-inflammatory) and Ojeok-san (Wuji-san in China, Goshaku-san in Japan). The concurrent use rate in the elderly over the age of 65 is higher than the sum of all under 64-years-old. Conclusions The concurrent use rate in diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was high. Potential herb-drug interaction is a clinical concern, with older people at greater risk. Further studies on the benefit and risk of concurrent use are needed.

This paper presents the test technique about measurement of electrical resistance changes of thin films during tensile testing. In this work, we used a real-time digital image correlation strain measurement system coupled with micro-tensile testing unit and voltage/current sourcemeter. This system has the advantage of real time displacement monitoring with a resolution of 50 nm during the micro-tensile testing, with the ability to measure the variation in electrical resistance of the specimen at the same time. We obtained the complete testing data for the stress–strain curve and associated electrical resistance-strain curve for 1 and 2 μm-thick freestanding gold films. Young’s modulus was about 61~69 GPa and 0.2% offset yield strength was about 361~402 MPa. In case of the electrical resistance, rapid change was observed under the elastic regime, while less obvious under the plastic regime. We also conducted finite element analysis, and this result implied that the electrical resistivity would not be constant during micro-tensile testing.

Healio.com/Psychiatry | 175 The beginning of our yearlong course in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training consisted of a comprehensive didactic course summarizing the theoretical foundations and interventions of DBT. We learned how the role of a DBT therapist differed from clinicians practicing other forms of psychotherapy. We were encouraged to be more directive in sessions, whereas our earlier psychodynamic training had taught us to follow the patient’s lead regarding significant themes. This challenged us to think about how and when to choose different therapeutic stances with our patients. We learned to prioritize patient behaviors that might interfere with their safety and treatment before moving on to discussing patient-generated issues. An important advantage of learning DBT in residency was our increased comfort and confidence in treating suicidal and high-risk patients. We learned to speak frankly with patients about suicidal and self-injurious behaviors, to collaborate with them in assessing acuity, and to share responsibility for their safety. We also learned the value of collaborating with a team of peer supervisors and group leaders in working with high-risk patients. DBT training deepened our understanding of the roles and responsibilities of both people within the doctor-patient relationship. Our ability to tolerate strong affects was significantly strengthened in learning DBT. We found ourselves becoming better attuned to alliance-building because ruptures were readily noted and addressed by our patients. Thus, we became comfortable with conversing about the patient’s experience of the therapeutic relationship. resident’s viewpoint

Purpose: To determine small-field beam quality correction factors for several detectors used with flattened and unflattened beams of the Varian TrueBeam accelerator, and to quantify the clinical impact of these corrections through a treatment planning study. Methods: Small-field beam quality correction factors were measured and simulated in EGSnrc for several microchambers and diodes. The Exradin W1 plastic scintillation detector was used as a reference for the measured results, and its response was validated using alanine measurements traceable to a primary standard. Symmetric, jaw-defined field sizes ranging from 6 mm to 10 cm were used. Twelve hypofractionated clinical cases were then recalculated and/or reoptimized using beam models that were modified based on the resulting output factors. Three-dimensional dose distributions and cumulative dose-volume-histogram plots were compared between the models. The impact of these measurements on the flattening-filter-scatter-source (FFSS) model, and its subsequent effect on treatment plans, was also investigated. Results: The diodes exhibited over-response in small fields, whereas the microchambers tended to under-respond as field size decreased. Field-size-dependent effects were less significant for the flattening-filter-free beams (i.e., corrections were closer to unity) than for flattened fields of the same size. Recalculated and reoptimized plans displayed varying levels of deviation from the original dose distributions, with larger discrepancies at effective jaw settings of 3×3 cm2 or smaller. Dose distributions calculated using uncorrected microchamber output factors and/or modified FFSS showed large discrepancies in the low-dose regions, which manifested as DVH changes for the organs at risk (OAR). Conclusion: Field-size-dependent beam quality corrections were measured and simulated for ionization chambers and diodes typically used in small fields. Plans calculated with models based on these measured data showed dosimetric deviations mainly out of field, which affected OAR dose metrics. Accordingly, these beam quality corrections should be accounted for during commissioning to ensure greater treatment planning accuracy.

We present the results of an amplitude analysis of B�0?J/?K-?+ decays. A new charged charmoniumlike state Zc(4200)+ decaying to J/??+ is observed with a significance of 6.2?. The mass and width of the Zc(4200)+ are 4196-29-13+31+17MeV/c2 and 370-70-132+70+70MeV, respectively; the preferred assignment of the quantum numbers is JP=1+. In addition, we find evidence for Zc(4430)+?J/??+. The analysis is based on a 711fb-1 data sample collected by the Belle detector at the asymmetric-energy e+e- collider KEKB. � 2014 American Physical Society.

Objective:The surgical approaches previously reported for facial nerve decompression have focussed on achieving good exposure of the lateral or superior aspects of the geniculate ganglion. This report aims to describe a unique case of facial nerve decompression beneath the geniculate ganglion.Patient:A 30-year-old woman with right-sided facial palsy due to a temporal bone fracture.Intervention:Bony fragments at the base of the geniculate ganglion were removed via a trans-tensor tympani approach with extended posterior tympanotomy.Results:The patient's facial movement recovered successfully, without complications such as sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss.Conclusion:In rare cases requiring decompression of the facial nerve inferior to the perigeniculate area, the trans-tensor tympani approach should be considered as a valuable alternative option when surgical intervention is considered.

Depression secondary to medical illness is an appropriate diagnosis when the physiological effects of the illness on the brain directly result in depressive symptoms. Several medical disorders are associated with depressive symptoms in this way. Occult hypothyroidism exemplifies disorders in which recognition and treatment of the underlying condition may alleviate depression symptoms. In addition to organic causes of depression in the medically ill, other relevant factors to consider and explore with patients include: the meaning of the illness to the patient, the patient's causal attributions about illness, distorted cognitions or maladaptive behavioral responses to illness, coping mechanisms, and strengths or weaknesses which may be imbedded in patients' premorbid personality traits and style. When rapid improvement of depressive symptoms is the goal, psychostimulants have been useful in patients with advanced cancer. The suggestion that antidepressants increase the risk of cancer has been refuted.

The slopes of Mott-Schottky plots obtained from simple Schottky barrier model increased with increasing frequency. The circuit elements were determined from the proposed equivalent circuit by Complex Non-linear Least-Squares (CNRS) fitting method. Based upon the results, the charge transfer reaction of a n- SrTiO 3 NaOH system has been considered with respect to bend banding and surface states.

Purpose: To determine beam quality correction factors for flattened and unflattened beams of the Varian TrueBeam™ accelerator using alanine measurements and Monte Carlo calculations. Methods: Measurements were performed using L-α-alanine pellets encased in Virtual Water™ paddles. These were irradiated in liquid water using various field sizes of the 6MV and 10MV beam energies of the TrueBeam™, with both flattening-filter-free (FFF) and flattened beam modes. Measurements were also performed in a 10×10 cm2 60Co field. Pellets were read out by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL, Teddington, UK) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry, and results were corrected for energy dependence using graphite calorimetry. Beam quality correction factors (k Q, k Qmsr,Q, and k Qclin,Qmsr) were determined for three ionization chambers: an Exradin A12 Farmer-type chamber, an Exradin A1SL scanning chamber, and an Exradin A26 microchamber. All chambers were modeled in the egs_chamber user code of EGSnrc. Sources were created using Varian-supplied IAEA-compliant phase spaces and the BEAMnrc user code, and were validated by comparing measured and simulated dose profiles. Results: Measured and calculated k Q values agreed within uncertainties, showing the chamber models to be reliable. A comparison of measured and calculated k Qmsr,Q results with TG-51-based values showed that TG-51 adequately accounts for variations in beam quality between flattened and unflattened 10×10 cm2 fields. Small field corrections, k Qclin,Qmsr, were determined to be up to 5%, referenced to a 10×10 cm2 field of the same energy and mode. Conclusion: Beam quality corrections were determined for several beam energies of the TrueBeam™ accelerator using Monte Carlo calculations and were validated using measurements with alanine. Values of k Q determined using TG-51 were found to be adequate for FFF reference fields. However, small field corrections are necessary for both flattened and unflattened beams to ensure greater treatment planning accuracy.

To characterize whether adult depressives with either bipolar or unipolar disorder differ in the prevalence of childhood sexual or physical abuse.The investigators reviewed data from patients who were evaluated over a 2-year period by a semi-structured clinical interview. In total, 333 cases with a bipolar or unipolar diagnosis were included in the present study.A childhood history of abuse, in particular sexual abuse, was significantly more frequent in bipolar subjects compared with unipolar subjects. Consistent with previous studies, women reported higher rates of sexual abuse than men, although no interaction by diagnosis was shown. Sexual abuse incidence in male samples was markedly dissimilar, with male bipolar subjects demonstrating a significantly increased rate of sexual abuse and combined sexual and physical abuse compared with unipolar male subjects.The increased incidence of sexual abuse in women supports growing evidence of gender differences in sexual abuse among adult depressives. In contrast to literature reports, the finding that male bipolar patients have significantly increased rates of sexual abuse histories suggests differences in psychiatric depressive subgroups. This result may reflect the particular characteristics of our cohort (treatment resistant, privately insured, and educated). Further work will aid in characterizing sexual abuse prevalence in other male bipolar samples.

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of hematologic malignant cells. Previously, we reported that As2O3 had an antitumoral effect in head and neck cancer. Here, we investigated the induction of apoptosis and its mechanism in PCI-1 head and neck squamous carcinoma cells, after treatment with As2O3. Treatment with 2 microM of As2O3 caused apoptosis in PCI-1 cells following 3 days of exposure, which was detected by the annexin V-PI and DAPI staining methods. The cell death population was markedly increased, being 88% larger than the As2O3-untreated control cells. To address the mechanism of apoptosis, a Western blot assay was performed, showing that Bax was up-regulated without a change in Bcl-2. Activation of caspase-9 during As2O3-induced apoptosis was substantiated by monitoring the proteolysis of the caspase-9, which was associated with an increase of Apaf-1 and cytochrome c protein. PCI-1 cells rapidly changed the mitochondria membrane potential (DeltaPsim) after addition of As2O3. Furthermore, activation of caspase-3 was demonstrated by monitoring the proteolysis of the caspase-3 and by measuring caspase-3 activity with a fluorogenic substrate, which was associated with the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. To examine the in vivo effect of As2O3, C3H mouse inoculated with syngenic SCC7 cells was treated by intratumoral injection of As2O3 (300 microg) every day, demonstrating that tumor mass was dramatically reduced on day 4, and revealed induction of apoptosis by TUNEL assay. These results suggest that apoptosis of PCI-1 cells by As2O3 is induced by activation of caspase-3 via cytochrome c, caspase-9 and Apaf-1 complex.

EB1089, a novel 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 analogue, has been known to have potent antiproliferative properties in a variety of malignant cells both in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we analysed the effect of EB1089 on NCI-H929 human myeloma cells. EB1089 inhibited cell growth of NCI-H929 and efficiently induced the G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle in a dose-dependent manner. We could also detect apoptosis in NCI-H929 cells exposed to EB1089 (1 x 10-7 M for 72 h) using the sub-G1 group of the cell cycle by FACS and annexin V binding assays. Induction of apoptosis by EB1089 was associated with down-regulation of the Bcl-2 protein without change of the Bax protein. Regarding caspase activity, which plays a crucial role in apoptosis, EB1089-treated NCI-H929 cells revealed an increased activity of caspase 3 protease accompanied by degradation of the PARP protein in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, EB1089 caused the down-regulation of p44 extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) activity and up-regulation of the p38 kinase activity during apoptosis of NCI-H929 cells. These results suggest that EB1089 inhibits growth of NCI-H929 cells via G1 cell cycle arrest as well as apoptosis by activating p38 kinase and suppressing ERK activity.

We investigated the in vitro effect of As2O3 on proliferation, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis in human myeloma cell lines. As2O3 significantly inhibited the proliferation of all of eight myeloma cell lines examined in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 of approximately 1-2 microM. DNA flow cytometric analysis indicated that As2O3 (2 microM) induced a G1 and/or a G2-M phase arrest in these cell lines. To address the mechanism of the antiproliferative effect of As2O3, we examined the effect of As2O3 on cell cycle-related proteins in MC/CAR cells in which both G1 and G2-M phases were arrested. Western blot analysis demonstrated that treatment with As2O3 (2 microM) for 72 h did not change the steady-state levels of CDK2, CDK4, cyclin D1, cyclin E, and cyclin B1 but decreased the levels of CDK6, cdc2, and cyclin A. The mRNA and protein levels of CDKI, p21 were increased by treatment with As2O3, but those of p27 were not. In addition, As2O3 markedly enhanced the binding of p21 with CDK6, cdc2, cyclin E, and cyclin A compared with untreated control cells. Furthermore, the activity of CDK6-associated kinase was reduced in association with hypophosphorylation of Rb protein. The activity of cdc2-associated kinase was decreased, which was accompanied by the up-regulation of cdc2 phosphorylation (cdc2-Tyr15 phosphorylation) resulting from reduction of cdc25B and cdc25C phosphatases. As2O3 also induced apoptosis in MC/CAR cells as evidenced by flow cytometric detection of sub-G1 DNA content and annexin V binding assay. This apoptotic process was associated with down-regulation of Bcl-2, loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (delta psi(m)), and an increase of caspase-3 activity. These results suggest that As2O3 inhibits the proliferation of myeloma cells, especially MC/CAR cells, via cell cycle arrest in association with induction of p21 and apoptosis.

Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of hematologic malignant cells. However, little is known about the effect of As(2)O(3) on solid tumor. In this study, we investigated the antitumoral effect of As(2)O(3) on head and neck cancer cell lines in vitro. Treatment of As(2)O(3) inhibited the proliferation of all of 4 cell lines examined in a dose-dependent manner. To address the mechanism of antitumoral effect of As(2)O(3), cell cycle analysis was attempted in As(2)O(3)-most sensitive PCI-1 cells. Treatment of As(2)O(3) (2 microM) induced efficiently G2/M arrest in PCI-1 cells following 3 days of exposure. During the G2/M arrest, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21, was increased in a time-dependent manner. Analysis of cell cycle regulatory proteins demonstrated that As(2)O(3) (2 microM) did not change the steady-state levels of CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, cyclin E and cyclin A, but decreased the protein levels of cdc2 and cyclin B1. Furthermore, treatment of As(2)O(3) markedly enhanced the binding of p21 with cdc2, and the activity of cdc2 kinase was decreased in a time-dependent manner. These results suggest that As(2)O(3) inhibits the proliferation of head and neck cancer cells via G2/M arrest in association with the induction of p21 and the reduction of cdc2 kinase activity.

Although patient motion on 201Tl SPECT studies has been reported as a source of artifacts, systematic studies on motion patterns and resultant artifacts are lacking. Accordingly, we simulated 74 motion patterns upon a normal study. The tomograms were assessed for presence of defects: The "motion pixel area index" ranged from 1 to 83; 26 of 30 (87%) simulations with an indexor = 21 had defects, whereas 38 of 44 (86%) simulations with an index21 were normal. Defect location was dependent on motion direction; defect intensity was dependent on its magnitude and timing. Review of data acquisition in 164 recent normal patient studies revealed motion in 42 (26%). Motion was generally minimal and caused defects in only seven (4%). Thus, mild motion is unlikely to produce defects. In our laboratory, motion is now an infrequent source of artifacts; severe motion produces recognizable patterns that depend on its direction, magnitude and timing.

The applicability of the piecewise linear function in place of a similar smoothly-varying current profile is examined in the baroclinic context. Within the framework of small-perturbation linearization, the behavior of the vertical velocity and the horizontal divergence is analyzed at the discontinuity of the current shear. In the conventional geostrophic-type instability regime, the discontinuity in the horizontal divergence at the shear discontinuity is suppressed, and, therefore, the piecewise linear profile leads to a useful approximation to the true solution. In the symmetric-type instability regime, however, due to the magnified discontinuity in the horizontal divergence at the shear discontinuity, the solution thus obtained will show a major distortion, rendering the piecewise linear profile inadequate for modeling the smoothly-varying current profile. Using exemplary current profiles, numerical results are presented to demonstrate the behavior of the horizontal divergence near the discontinuity of current shear.

Spin-up is the general process of adjustment of an initially uniformly-rotating fluid (angular velocity Ω0) to an externally imposed change in the magnitude of the rotation rate of its container, ΔΩ = Ω — Ωo, where ft is the final angular velocity. A review by Benton and Clark (1974) is available for this subject.

Aging is an inevitable process with senescence being one of its hallmarks. Recent advances have indicated that the elimination of senescent cells can reduce the signs of aging and increase healthy life span. Here, we identify a negative modulator of aging, Sprr1a, and in turn a negative modulator of Sprr1a, miR-130b. We show that reductions in Sprr1a levels, including via miR-130b expression, promotes cell senescence-like phenotype. We find that mediators of senescence, such as inflammatory cytokines and cell cycle regulators, are modulated by the miR-130b and Sprr1a-related pathway. For example, the levels of p16, p53 and p21 become decreased or increased upon the respective expression of Sprr1a versus miR-130b. Further, as shown in relation to p16 levels and β-galactosidase levels, cells expressing Sprr1a exhibit significant protection from senescence-inducing factors such as radiation or Doxorubicin, suggesting that Sprr1a might contribute to protection against age-related pathologies. Taken together, we introduce two modulators of properties associated with senescence-like phenotype.