Inhibition of monocyte complement receptor enhancement by low molecular weight material from human lung cancers

We have studied the effect of dialysates from lung cancer homogenates to alter both the expression of complement (C3b) receptors per se and also to inhibit leucoattractant-induced enhancement of complement rosettes on monocytes from healthy individuals. Enhancement and enhancement-inhibition by tumour extracts were compared with material derived from normal lung excised from distance from the tumour. There was no significant difference between tumour homogenate (TH) and normal lung homogenate (NLH) in terms of enhancement of complement rosettes per se. In contrast, TH produced a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of leucoattractant-induced enhancement of C3b rosettes which was significantly different from that obtained with NLH. This enhancement-inhibition was observed with four undifferentiated, four squamous and three adenocarcinomas of lung. The degree of enhancement-inhibition was not related to the type of tumour or varying accompanying histological features such as necrosis and the degree of infiltration with inflammatory cells. Following gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 each type of cancer gave a major peak of inhibitory activity which eluted with molecules having an apparent molecular size of approximately 3,000 daltons. A second larger peak (8,000-10,000 daltons) was also detected with extracts from the undifferentiated and adenocarcinomas. These results support previous findings, mainly from experimental animals, indicating that 'anti-macrophage/monocyte principles' are elaborated from certain tumour types

Near-Earth Objects: Targets for Future Human Exploration, Solar System Science, Resource Utilization, and Planetary Defense

U.S. President Obama stated on April 15, 2010 that the next goal for human spaceflight will be to send human beings to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025. Given this direction from the White House, NASA has been involved in studying various strategies for near-Earth object (NEO) exploration in order to follow U.S. Space Exploration Policy. This mission would be the first human expedition to an interplanetary body beyond the Earth-Moon system and would prove useful for testing technologies required for human missions to Mars and other Solar System destinations. Missions to NEOs would undoubtedly provide a great deal of technical and engineering data on spacecraft operations for future human space exploration while conducting in-depth scientific investigations of these primitive objects. In addition, the resulting scientific investigations would refine designs for future extraterrestrial resource extraction and utilization, and assist in the development of hazard mitigation techniques for planetary defense. This presentation will discuss some of the physical characteristics of NEOs and review some of the current plans for NEO research and exploration from both a human and robotic mission perspective

Synthesis of a [1,4]dioxane-2,5-dione based-peptidomimetic scaffold

Copyright © ARKAT USA, Inc The document attached has been archived with permission from the publisher.(2S,3S)-3-[N-Cbz-L-Leucinyl]amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoic acid 5 dimerised on treatment with EDCI and HOBT to give the symmetrical [1,4]dioxane-2,5-dione-based peptidomimetic 6.Andrew D. Abell and Andrew J. Harve

The Hayabusa Spacecraft Sample Return Mission

The Hayabusa (originally known as MUSES-C) engineering spacecraft was launched by the 5th Mu V launch vehicle on May 9, 2003 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It was designed to acquire samples from the surface of near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa (1998 SF36) and return them to Earth. The main objectives of the mission were to demonstrate the performance of various technologies such as ion engine performance, autonomous navigation and control, asteroid surface sampling, and recovery of the return capsule after high speed re-entry. Hayabusa successfully returned a small capsule to Earth in June 2010 with a parachute assisted landing in Woomera, Australia. Details of the Hayabusa mission and the recovery operation will be presented for discussion

Diurnal ocean surface layer model validation

The diurnal ocean surface layer (DOSL) model at the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center forecasts the 24-hour change in a global sea surface temperatures (SST). Validating the DOSL model is a difficult task due to the huge areas involved and the lack of in situ measurements. Therefore, this report details the use of satellite infrared multichannel SST imagery to provide day and night SSTs that can be directly compared to DOSL products. This water-vapor-corrected imagery has the advantages of high thermal sensitivity (0.12 C), large synoptic coverage (nearly 3000 km across), and high spatial resolution that enables diurnal heating events to be readily located and mapped. Several case studies in the subtropical North Atlantic readily show that DOSL results during extreme heating periods agree very well with satellite-imagery-derived values in terms of the pattern of diurnal warming. The low wind and cloud-free conditions necessary for these events to occur lend themselves well to observation via infrared imagery. Thus, the normally cloud-limited aspects of satellite imagery do not come into play for these particular environmental conditions. The fact that the DOSL model does well in extreme events is beneficial from the standpoint that these cases can be associated with the destruction of the surface acoustic duct. This so-called afternoon effect happens as the afternoon warming of the mixed layer disrupts the sound channel and the propagation of acoustic energy

Near-Earth Objects: Targets for Future Human Exploration, Solar System Science, and Planetary Defense

Human exploration of near-Earth objects (NEOs) beginning circa 2025 - 2030 is one of the stated objectives of U.S. National Space Policy. Piloted missions to these bodies would further development of deep space mission systems and technologies, obtain better understanding of the origin and evolution of our Solar System, and support research for asteroid deflection and hazard mitigation strategies. This presentation will discuss some of the physical characteristics of NEOs and review some of the current plans for NEO research and exploration from both a human and robotic mission perspective

Why is living alone in older age related to increased mortality risk? A longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND: Living alone has been associated with increased mortality risk, but it is unclear whether this is a result of a selection effect or the impact of stressful life changes such as widowhood or divorce leading to changes in living arrangements. We therefore examined the association between living alone, transitions in living arrangements and all-cause mortality. METHOD: We analysed data from 4,888 individuals who participated in both wave 2 (2004-2005) and wave 4 (2008-2009) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Transitions in living arrangements over this period were identified. Mortality status was ascertained from linked national mortality registers. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to examine the association between living alone and mortality over an average 8.5 year follow-up period. RESULTS: An association was found between living alone at wave 4 and mortality (hazard ratio (HR): 1.20, 95% CI 1.04-1.38) in a model adjusted for multiple factors including socioeconomic status, physical health, health behaviours and loneliness. We also found that participants who moved to living alone after divorce or bereavement had a higher risk of mortality compared with those who lived with others at both time points (HR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.01-1.79), while those who moved to living alone for other reasons did not show an increased mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between living alone and mortality is complicated by the reasons underlying not living with others. A greater understanding of these dynamics will help to identify the individuals who are at particular health risk because of their living arrangements

A Space-Based Near-Earth Object Survey Telescope in Support of Human Exploration, Solar System Science, and Planetary Defense

Human exploration of near-Earth objects (NEOs) beginning in 2025 is one of the stated objectives of U.S. National Space Policy. Piloted missions to these bodies would further development of deep space mission systems and technologies, obtain better understanding of the origin and evolution of our Solar System, and support research for asteroid deflection and hazard mitigation strategies. As such, mission concepts have received much interest from the exploration, science, and planetary defense communities. One particular system that has been suggested by all three of these communities is a space-based NEO survey telescope. Such an asset is crucial for enabling affordable human missions to NEOs circa 2025 and learning about the primordial population of objects that could present a hazard to the Earth in the future