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Dramatic Events (dramatic + event)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences33%

Selected Abstracts

A new approach to long QT syndrome mutation detection by Sequenom MassARRAY® system

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 10 2010
Catarina Allegue
Abstract Congenital long QT syndrome is an inherited cardiac disorder characterized by a prolonged QT interval and polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias that could result in recurrent syncope, seizures or sudden death as the most dramatic event. Until now QT interval mutations have been described in 12 genes, where the majority of mutations reside in three genes KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCN5A. Diagnosis and prognosis are directly related with the gene and mutation involved. We have developed a diagnostic approach for long QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome based on published mutations and Sequenom MassArray® system. Three diagnostic tests have been developed, oriented to each of the three most prevalent genes in the long QT syndrome. A total of 433 mutations are analyzed in 38 multiplex reactions, allowing their detection in about 48,h. Tests were validated on 502 samples from individuals with different clinical conditions and family history. The average call rates obtained for each of the tests were 93, 83, and 73% in KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCNA, respectively. Sequenom MassARRAY mutation detection is a reliable, highly flexible, and cost-efficient alternative to conventional methods for genetic testing in long QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome, facilitating flexible upgrades of the version of the test presented here with the inclusion of new mutations. [source]

The first second of the Universe

ANNALEN DER PHYSIK, Issue 4 2003
D.J. Schwarz
Abstract The history of the Universe after its first second is now tested by high quality observations of light element abundances and temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background. The epoch of the first second itself has not been tested directly yet; however, it is constrained by experiments at particle and heavy ion accelerators. Here I attempt to describe the epoch between the electroweak transition and the primordial nucleosynthesis. The most dramatic event in that era is the quark-hadron transition at 10 ,s. Quarks and gluons condense to form a gas of nucleons and light mesons, the latter decay subsequently. At the end of the first second, neutrinos and neutrons decouple from the radiation fluid. The quark-hadron transition and dissipative processes during the first second prepare the initial conditions for the synthesis of the first nuclei. As for the cold dark matter (CDM), WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles) , the most popular candidates for the CDM , decouple from the presently known forms of matter, chemically (freeze-out) at 10 ns and kinetically at 1 ms. The chemical decoupling fixes their present abundances and dissipative processes during and after thermal decoupling set the scale for the very first WIMP clouds. [source]

Balancing Theory versus Fact, Stasis versus Change: A Look at Some Introductions to International Relations

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2004
Andrew J. Enterline
Do dramatic events in international relations (IR) signal fundamental changes in political behavior? How do international relations texts address change, and what are the implications of textbook design for the way that we teach undergraduate introductions to the field? This article provides an initial inquiry into these questions by surveying a sample of five international relations texts. Rather than seek to pick the best book, the article examines the methods by which the textbook authors balance theory versus facts, as well as stasis versus change, in formulating introductory frameworks. This analysis is motivated by way of a general comparison of the sample texts with Organski's (1958) text, World Politics. Finally, the author discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different balancing strategies, and the implications of these strategies for teaching introductions to international relations. [source]

CHARNIA AT 50: DEVELOPMENTAL MODELS FOR EDIACARAN FRONDS

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
JONATHAN B. ANTCLIFFE
Abstract:, Correct interpretation of the Ediacara biota is critical to our understanding of the dramatic events at the base of the Cambrian. We review here the history of thought and examine new laser images of the holotype of Charnia masoniFord, 1958, of the Ediacara biota, in terms of growth and development. Growth and development are argued to provide critical tools for understanding this and other enigmatic fossil groups. We show that Charnia cannot be related to the modern cnidarian group, the sea pens, with which it has for so long been compared, because they have opposite growth polarities. This is shown by our work on material collected by HMS challenger. Recent evolutionary studies also show that sea pens are a highly derived group of actively burrowing cnidarians that are likely to have evolved later than the Palaeozoic. The traditional paradigm of translating Phanerozoic animal phyla back into the Ediacaran is therefore questioned. [source]

Cold War Illuminations of the Classical Past: ,The Sound and Light Show, on the Athenian Acropolis

ART HISTORY, Issue 4 2001
Elisabeth MarloweArticle first published online: 23 DEC 200
Drawing upon the text of ,The Sound and Light Show' and French and Greek newspaper coverage of the show's premier in 1959, this article uses the metaphor of the museum to consider the ways in which the show limits and controls the history that the Acropolis monuments are allowed to represent. I argue that the show's premise of a causal link between the defeat of tyrannical Eastern enemies and the flourishing of democracy and the arts is a product of the Cold War. This ideological backdrop can be traced through the dramatic events surrounding the show's star-studded, international premier and the richly nuanced political controversies that it reflected and in turn provoked. [source]

Therapeutic potential of RNA interference against cancer

CANCER SCIENCE, Issue 8 2006
Fumitaka Takeshita
One of the most dramatic events of the past 5 years in the field of molecular biology has been the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi). Although RNAi is an evolutionarily conserved phenomenon for sequence-specific gene silencing in mammalian cells, exogenous small interfering RNA (siRNA) and vector-based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) can also invoke RNAi responses. Both are now not only experimental tools for analyzing gene function but are expected to be excellent avenues for drug target discovery and the emerging class of gene medicine for targeting incurable diseases such as cancer. The success of cancer therapeutic use of RNAi relies on the development of safe and efficacious delivery systems that introduce siRNA and shRNA expression vectors into target tumor cells. For their delivery, a variety of strategies have been used, most of them based on traditional gene therapy delivery systems. In this review, we present siRNA delivery method strategies and discuss the potential of RNAi-based gene therapy in cancer treatment. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 689,696) [source]