Do spherical tokamaks have a thermonuclear future?

This work has been initiated by the publication of a review by B.V.Kuteev et al., ??Intense Fusion Neutron Sources?? [Plasma Physics Reports 36, 281 (2010)]. It is stated that the key thesis of the above review that a spherical tokamak can be recommended for research neutron sources and for demonstration hybrid systems as an alternative to expensive ??classical?? tokamaks of the JET and ITER type is inconsistent. The analysis of the experimental material obtained during the last 10 years in the course of studies on the existing spherical tokamaks shows that the TIN-ST fusion neutron source spherical tokamak proposed by the authors of the review and intended, according to the authors?? opinion, to replace ??monsters?? in view of its table-top dimensions (2 m³) and laboratory-level energetics cannot be transformed into any noticeable stationary megawatt-power neutron source competing with the existing classical tokamaks (in particular, with JET with its quasi-steady DT fusion power at a level of 5 MW). Namely, the maximum plasma current in the proposed tokamak will be not 3 MA, as the authors suppose erroneously, but, according to the present-day practice of spherical tokamaks, within 0.6?C0.7 MA, which will lead to a reduction on the neutron flux by two to three orders of magnitude from the expected 5 MW. The possibility of the maintenance of the stationary process itself even in such a ??weakened?? spherical tokamak is very doubtful. The experience of the largest existing devices of this type (such as NSTX and MAST) has shown that they are incapable of operating even in a quasi-steady operating mode, because the discharge in them is spontaneously interrupted about 1 s after the beginning of the current pulse, although its expected duration is of up to 5 s. The nature of this phenomenon is the subject of further study of the physics of spherical tokamaks. This work deals with a critical analysis of the available experimental data concerning such tokamaks and a discussion of the potential possibility of their use in thermonuclear research.     

Does zoo herpetology have a future?

Fifty-two North American zoo reptile and amphibian departments were surveyed to determine their contributions to recognized American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA)-sponsored programs and formalized research projects over the past 10 years. Surveys also requested information concerning the allocation of resources for conservation and research programs, staff educational background, and entry level salaries. Twenty-two institutions responded to the survey, collectively indicating a total of 164 technical papers, 16 field studies, and 101 non-technical articles completed between 1987 and 1997. Of the 164 technical papers published, 130 (79%) were contributed by three institutions. Of the 16 field studies, seven were outside the United States, whereas nine focused on native species and ecosystems. Six of the reported field studies involved only financial or logistical support. Of the 101 non-technical articles, 42 (42%) were contributed by a single institution. Twenty-one formalized in-house research projects were reported. However, only four appeared to have a clearly defined objective. Survey respondents also reported nine species of reptiles and one amphibian taxon are managed by Species Survival Plans (SSPs). There are currently 12 Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) coordinators, with four of the current coordinators having served on multiple TAG committees. There are 41 AZA-approved studbooks for reptiles and two for amphibians, with 29 having actually been published to date. The average starting salary reported in our survey for entry level keeper positions was $19,500 (range, $13,500–30,000). The average level of education reported was high school graduate. There was no correlation between productivity and higher wages, or level of education. Only one institution received funding specifically for research. We conclude that zoo herpetology departments are not realizing their potential for formalized research and conservation projects and propose recommendations for future involvement. Zoo Biol 17:453–462, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Do tastants have a smell?

The stimuli used in taste research are usually considered to be odourless. This was tested in two experiments with aqueous solutions of two representative compounds for each of the five taste qualities including umami. In the first experiment elderly and young subjects rated the intensity and pleasantness of three concentrations of the stimuli, while wearing or not wearing a noseclip. Saliva production was also measured. Blocking olfaction only influenced salivation for umami. It reduced taste intensity ratings, but as in an earlier experiment with the same compounds in food products, this effect was stronger in the young, who also liked the stimuli better wearing the noseclip. In the second experiment, another group of young people tried to detect the odours of the tastants dissolved in demineralized, double-distilled or Evian water. A considerable number of subjects could regularly detect seven of the ten tastants by olfaction and the extent to which they did correlated significantly with the reduction in taste intensity ratings for the different tastants found in the first experiment. We suggest that most tastants can be smelled and that this smell contributes to taste intensity ratings.     

Do DNA microarrays have their future behind them?

The first report on DNA microarray technology appeared in Science in 1995. Starting from gene expression profiling, its application fields have considerably evolved and extend from microbiology to cancer study. DNA microarrays are now routinely used for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms, microRNAs analysis, study of copy number variation, CpG methylations detection.... Furthermore, the approval of DNA microarray technology by US Food and Drug Administration has opened the door to new applications in clinical diagnostics. At the same time, DNA arrays have to face the concurrence of the latest generation of very high throughput sequencing devices which are predicted to make the microarray technology obsolete. This review will discuss on this paradoxical situation.     

Do small animals have a biogeography?

It has been stated that small organisms do not have barriers for distribution and will not show biogeographic discreteness. General models for size-mediated biogeographies establish a transition region between ubiquitous dispersal and restricted biogeography at about 1–10 mm. We tested patterns of distribution versus size with water mites, a group of freshwater organisms with sizes between 300 μm and 10 mm.We compiled a list of all known water mite species for Sierra del Guadarrama (a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula) from different authors and our own studies in the area. Recorded habitats include lotic, lentic and interstitial environments. Species body size and world distribution were drawn from our work and published specialized taxonomic literature. The null hypothesis was that distribution is size-independent. The relationship between distribution and size was approached via analysis of variance and between size and habitat via logistic regression. Contrary to expectations, there is no special relationship between water mite size and area size distribution. On the other hand, water mite size is differentially distributed among habitats, although this ecological sorting is very weak. Larger water mites are more common in lentic habitats and smaller water mites in lotic habitats. Size-dependent distribution in which small organisms tend to be cosmopolitan breaks down when the particular biology comes into play. Water mites do not fit a previously proposed size-dependent biogeographical distribution, and are in accordance with similar data published on Tardigrada, Rotifera, Gastrotricha and the like.     

Do corticosteroids have a role in treating Ebola virus disease?

<正>Dear Editor,Humans have been fighting Ebola virus disease(EVD)since its first outbreak in 1976 in Yambuku village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(previously Zaire).EVD is part of the Filoviridae family of viruses that includes Ebola and Marburg viruses.To date,EVD,one of the most deadly communicable diseases known to humans,has had15 outbreaks in Africa.In 2014,the most severe and complicated outbreak yet swept through the West African countries of Guinea,Liberia,Nigeria,Senegal and Sierra Leone,     

Do miRNAs have a deep evolutionary history?

The recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in unicellular eukaryotes, including miRNAs known previously only from animals or plants, implies that miRNAs have a deep evolutionary history among eukaryotes. This contrasts with the prevailing view that miRNAs evolved convergently in animals and plants. We re-evaluate the evidence and find that none of the 73 plant and animal miRNAs described from protists meet the required criteria for miRNA annotation and, by implication, animals and plants did not acquire any of their respective miRNA genes from the crown ancestor of eukaryotes. Furthermore, of the 159 novel miRNAs previously identified among the seven species of unicellular protists examined, only 28 from the algae Ectocarpus and Chlamydomonas, meet the criteria for miRNA annotation. Therefore, at present only five groups of eukaryotes are known to possess miRNAs, indicating that miRNAs have evolved independently within eukaryotes through exaptation of their shared inherited RNAi machinery.     

Do eosinophils have a role in the killing of helminth parasites?

Eosinophils have been shown to be potent effector cells for the killing of helminth parasites in in vitro cultures. However, an in vivo role for eosinophils has been more difficult to establish. Early data showed close associations between eosinophils and damaged or dead parasites in histological sections, and significant correlations between resistance to parasites and the capacity to induce eosinophilia after infection. However, more recent studies, using mice that have reduced or increased eosinophil levels through targeting of the eosinophil-specific cytokine interleukin 5, have not unanimously supported an in vivo role for eosinophils in resistance to parasites. Here, Els Meeusen and Adam Balic review these studies and suggest a major role for the innate immune response in unnatural mouse-parasite models to explain some of the findings. They conclude that the data so far are consistent with a role for eosinophils in the killing of infective larval stages, but not adults, of most helminth parasites.     

Do asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains in glycoproteins have a preference for β-bends?

X-ray structures of the conformation of carbohydrate moieties and connected regions of glycoproteins are summarized. Evidence is presented that there is some preference for carbohydrate attachment at -bends. Evolution may have favored glycosylation to occur at bends to ensure free mobility of the carbohydrate moieties.     

Grafting dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease: do stem cells have a role in the future?

Previous studies have suggested that human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) may serve as a rich source of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic stem cells and that conditions exist that can coax hematopoietic cells to express neural characteristics. In our laboratory, these cells were tested for several models of neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries. Through a series of transplantation studies we have begun to uncover the properties of HUCB-derived cells in neuropoietic regions of the neonatal (1) and aging rodent brain. The systematic application of phenotyping approaches to characterize survival, migratory potential and morphologic properties of the differentiated HUCB progeny within normal/unaffected brain will serve as a base for understanding the potential effect of these cells in the diseased brain.
Acknowledgements:  Supported in part by R01 6155039 (TZ). HUCB cells were obtained from Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. and BioWhittaker, Inc.