Ray Rappaport spent many years studying microtubule asters, and how they induce cleavage furrows. Here, we review recent progress on aster structure and dynamics in zygotes and early blastomeres of Xenopus laevis and Zebrafish, where cells are extremely large. Mitotic and interphase asters differ markedly in size, and only interphase asters span the cell. Growth of interphase asters occurs by a...

This study aims to determine the accuracy level at which different forms of land degradation can be mapped from medium-resolution satellite data, and to assess how accurately degraded land can be detected from multi-temporal satellite images. Land degradation in the form of salinization and waterlogging in Tongyu County, western Jilin Province of Northeast China was mapped from Landsat TM and A...

Soon after its foundation in 1919, Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd began to develop the domestic production of Santonin, an anthelmintic agent, which, until then, had been totally imported from Russia. In 1927, Artemisia maritima ssp. monogyna was introduced from Europe and confirmed to contain Santonin. This European aster plant was named Mibu-yomogi after the place name of the headquarters of Nippon...

We present development of automated algorithm for mapping global urban area in high resolution using ASTER satellite images and coarse-resolution urban area maps. The algorithm consists of two steps: classifying pixels of ASTER satellite images into urban or non-urban by Learning with Global and Local Consistency (LLGC) technique; and integration with existing urban area maps using logistic reg...

To determine suitable indices for vegetation cover and production assessment based on remote sensing data, simultaneous digital data with field data belonged to summer rangeland of southern part of Isfahan province were analyzed. During 2 years of monitoring, annuals, grasses, forbs and shrubs vegetation cover and total production data from sixty 1 square meter plots in each site were collected...

BACKGROUND Sperm aster organization during bovine and human fertilization requires a paternally-derived centriole that must first disengage from the sperm tail connecting-piece. We investigated the participation of the 26S proteasome in this process. METHODS Proteasome localization and enzymatic activity were studied in normal and pathological human spermatozoa by immunocytochemistry and enzyme...

Signaling by the centrosomal asters and spindle midzone coordinately directs formation of the cytokinetic furrow. Here, we explore the contribution of the asters by analyzing the consequences of altering interaster distance during the first cytokinesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. Delaying aster separation, by using TPXL-1 depletion to shorten the metaphase spindle, leads to a correspo...

Accurate estimation of surface energy fluxes from space at high spatial resolution has the potential to improve prediction of the impact of land-use changes on the local environment and to provide a means to assess local crop conditions. To achieve this goal, a combination of physically based surface flux models and high-quality remote-sensing data are needed. Data from the ASTER sensor are par...

A new study presents a quantitative biophysical model of microtubule aster growth with autocatalytic microtubule nucleation. The model accounts for asters that grow indefinitely, even when their microtubules are unstable.