Thermoelectric Processes and Materials

Contains research objectives and reports on two research projects.U. S. Navy (Office of Naval Research) under Contract Nonr-1841(51

Biological Time Series Analysis Using a Context Free Language: Applicability to Pulsatile Hormone Data

National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NASA NCC 9-58 HFP01603)National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NASA NCC 9-58 HPF00405)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH NCRR-GCRC-M01-RR-02635)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR F49620-95-1-0388)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR FA9550-06-0080)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH P01-AG09975)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH T32 HL07901-10)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH F31-GM095340-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH K24-HL105664)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH K02-HD045459)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH RC2-HL101340)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01-AR43130)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH K24-HL103845)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01-MH071847)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01 HL098433)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01 HL098433-02S1

A core set of venom proteins is released by entomopathogenic nematodes in the genus Steinernema.

Parasitic helminths release molecular effectors into their hosts and these effectors can directly damage host tissue and modulate host immunity. Excreted/secreted proteins (ESPs) are one category of parasite molecular effectors that are critical to their success within the host. However, most studies of nematode ESPs rely on in vitro stimulation or culture conditions to collect the ESPs, operating under the assumption that in vitro conditions mimic actual in vivo infection. This assumption is rarely if ever validated. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are lethal parasites of insects that produce and release toxins into their insect hosts and are a powerful model parasite system. We compared transcriptional profiles of individual Steinernema feltiae nematodes at different time points of activation under in vitro and in vivo conditions and found that some but not all time points during in vitro parasite activation have similar transcriptional profiles with nematodes from in vivo infections. These findings highlight the importance of experimental validation of ESP collection conditions. Additionally, we found that a suite of genes in the neuropeptide pathway were downregulated as nematodes activated and infection progressed in vivo, suggesting that these genes are involved in host-seeking behavior and are less important during active infection. We then characterized the ESPs of activated S. feltiae infective juveniles (IJs) using mass spectrometry and identified 266 proteins that are released by these nematodes. In comparing these ESPs with those previously identified in activated S. carpocapsae IJs, we identified a core set of 52 proteins that are conserved and present in the ESPs of activated IJs of both species. These core venom proteins include both tissue-damaging and immune-modulating proteins, suggesting that the ESPs of these parasites include both a core set of effectors as well as a specialized set, more adapted to the particular hosts they infect

Biological Time Series Analysis Using a Context Free Language: Applicability to Pulsatile Hormone Data

We present a novel approach for analyzing biological time-series data using a context-free language (CFL) representation that allows the extraction and quantification of important features from the time-series. This representation results in Hierarchically AdaPtive (HAP) analysis, a suite of multiple complementary techniques that enable rapid analysis of data and does not require the user to set parameters. HAP analysis generates hierarchically organized parameter distributions that allow multi-scale components of the time-series to be quantified and includes a data analysis pipeline that applies recursive analyses to generate hierarchically organized results that extend traditional outcome measures such as pharmacokinetics and inter-pulse interval. Pulsicons, a novel text-based time-series representation also derived from the CFL approach, are introduced as an objective qualitative comparison nomenclature. We apply HAP to the analysis of 24 hours of frequently sampled pulsatile cortisol hormone data, which has known analysis challenges, from 14 healthy women. HAP analysis generated results in seconds and produced dozens of figures for each participant. The results quantify the observed qualitative features of cortisol data as a series of pulse clusters, each consisting of one or more embedded pulses, and identify two ultradian phenotypes in this dataset. HAP analysis is designed to be robust to individual differences and to missing data and may be applied to other pulsatile hormones. Future work can extend HAP analysis to other time-series data types, including oscillatory and other periodic physiological signals

Thermoelectric Processes and Materials

Contains reports on four research projects.U. S. Navy (Office of Naval Research) under Contract Nonr-1841(51

Relative mobility of radioactive trace elements across the sediment-water interface in the MERL model ecosystems of Narragansett Bay

The mobilities of radioactive trace elements across the water sediment boundary of a coastal marine ecosystem were investigated. The studies carried out included chemical speciation experiments ofthe solution and solid phases, as well as verification experiments in controlled model ecosystems ( MERL tanks). The latter included backdiffusion experiments under oxic and anoxic conditions and experiments with artificially increased sediment resuspension rates. These studies have produced seven general conclusions: (1) The backdiffusion of Cs, Mn, Co, and Zn radiotracers across the sediment-water interface into oxic waters and of Mn and Co radiotracers into anoxic waters was predicted from laboratory experiments. (2) The removal from the water and the partial immobilization in the sediments of Cs, Zn and Cd tracers, during anoxic conditions, agreed with results from selective leaching experiments of surface sediments with dithionite-citrate solution, a mildly reducing agent which can reprecipitate liberated metals as sulfides. While most nuclides were leached by this solution to the same extent as by hydroxylamine, another reducing agent, Zn, Cd and Cs tracers were not, possibly due to the formation of sulfidic and other phases by the former solution. (3) Radioisotopes of particle-reactive elements (Sn, Fe, Hg and Cr) were shown by sequential extraction and ultrafiltration experiments to be involved in the dynamic cycle of colloid formation and aggregation in the water column and sediments. (4) In order to extend the information on nuclide behavior gained from the radiotracer methodology to stable trace elements, (which are often introduced into coastal water in ionic form) stable metals were added to one tank. Radiotracer behavior in the water column (removal rates and extent of uptake by suspended particles) was quite similar to that of their stable metal counterparts at ambient concentrations (Mn, Cr, Fe, Cd and Zn), added simultaneously to one tank, and to the metal behavior in other tanks operating under similar conditions. (5) The experiments with increased resuspension rates without concomitant increased bioturbation rates had, as expected, only small effects on removal rates of the radiotracers. (6) Sediment profiles of the tracers revealed both seasonal and element-specific differences in mobility near the sediment interface. Tracer profiles allowed the calculation of bioturbation (tracer microspheres) and pore water diffusion (22Na) rates, as well as an investigation of the spacial and temporal dynamics of trace element cycling near the sediment-water interface. (7) Se and Cr nuclides which were added in different oxidation states to different tanks, showed that the higher oxidation state forms (Se-VI, Cr-VI) are removed more slowly from the water column than the lower oxidation state forms (Se-IV, Cr-III). Furthermore, speciation experiments have shown that the increase in the colloidal fraction of Se may be used to calculate the characteristic times of Se-reduction to elemental or organically-bound forms

Clinical Presentation, Cholangiographic Features, Natural History, and Outcome: A Series of 16 Cases

Secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients (SSC-CIP) is an important differential diagnosis in patients presenting with cholestasis and PSC-like cholangiographic changes in endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). As a relatively newly described entity, SSC-CIP is still underdiagnosed, and the diagnosis is often delayed. The present study aims to improve the early detection of SSC-CIP and the identification of its complications. A total of 2633 records of patients who underwent or were listed for orthotopic liver transplantation at the University Hospital Charité, Berlin, were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical presentation and outcome (mean follow-up 62.7 months) of the 16 identified SSC-CIP cases were reviewed. Cholestasis was the first sign of SSC-CIP. GGT was the predominant enzyme of cholestasis. Hypercholesterolemia occurred in at least 75% of the patients. SSC-CIP provoked a profound weight loss (mean 18 kg) in 94% of our patients. SSC-CIP was diagnosed by ERC in all patients. The 3 different cholangiographic features detected correspond roughly to the following stages: (I) evidence of biliary casts, (II) progressive destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts, and (III) picture of pruned tree. Biliary cast formation is a hallmark of SSC-CIP and was seen in 87% of our cases. In 75% of the patients, the clinical course was complicated by cholangiosepsis, cholangitic liver abscesses, acalculous cholecystitis, or gallbladder perforation. SSC-CIP was associated with worse prognosis; transplant-free survival was ∼40 months (mean). Because of its high rate of serious complications and unfavorable prognosis, it is imperative to diagnose SSC-CIP early and to differentiate SSC-CIP from other types of sclerosing cholangitis. Specific characteristics enable identification of SSC-CIP. Early cooperation with a transplant center and special attention to biliary complications are required after diagnosis of SSC-CIP

IN718 Additive Manufacturing Properties and Influences

No abstract availabl

The Full Range of Predictions for B Physics From Iso-singlet Down Quark Mixing

We extend the range of predictions of the isosinglet (or vector) down quark model to the fully allowed physical ranges, and also update this with the effect of new physics constraints. We constrain the present allowed ranges of sin(2*beta) and sin(2*alpha), gamma, x_s, and A_{B_s}. In models allowing mixing to a new isosinglet down quark (as in E_6) flavor changing neutral currents are induced that allow a Z^0 mediated contribution to B-Bbar mixing and which bring in new phases. In (rho, eta), (x_s, sin(gamma)), and (x_s, A_{B_s}) plots for the extra isosinglet down quark model which are herein extended to the full physical range, we find new allowed regions that will require experiments on sin(gamma) and/or x_s to verify or to rule out an extra down quark contribution.Comment: 13 pages in RevTeX, 7 postscript figure

Adapting the Smart-seq2 Protocol for Robust Single Worm RNA-seq.

Most nematodes are small worms that lack enough RNA for regular RNA-seq protocols without pooling hundred to thousand of individuals. We have adapted the Smart-seq2 protocol in order to sequence the transcriptome of an individual worm. While developed for individual Steinernema carpocapsae and Caenorhabditis elegans larvae as well as embryos, the protocol should be adaptable for other nematode species and small invertebrates. In addition, we describe how to analyze the RNA-seq results using the Galaxy online environment. We expect that this method will be useful for the studying gene expression variances of individual nematodes in wild type and mutant backgrounds