Mapping Nairobi's dairy food system: An essential analysis for policy, industry and research

Demand for dairy products in sub-Saharan Africa, is expected to triple by 2050, while limited increase in supply is predicted. This poses significant food security risk to low income households. Understanding how the dairy food system operates is essential to identify mitigation measures to food insecurity impact. This study aims to determine the structure and functionality of Nairobi's dairy system using a value chain mapping approach

The enzymes LSD1 and Set1A cooperate with the viral protein HBx to establish an active hepatitis B viral chromatin state

Indexación: Web of ScienceWith about 350 million people chronically infected around the world hepatitis B is a major health problem. Template for progeny HBV synthesis is the viral genome, organized as a minichromosome (cccDNA) inside the hepatocyte nucleus. How viral cccDNA gene expression is regulated by its chromatin structure; more importantly, how the modulation of this structure impacts on viral gene expression remains elusive. Here, we found that the enzyme SetDB1 contributes to setting up a repressed cccDNA chromatin state. This repressive state is activated by the histone lysine demethylase-1 (LSD1). Consistently, inhibiting or reducing LSD1 levels led to repression of viral gene expression. This correlates with the transcriptionally repressive mark H3K9 methylation and reduction on the activating marks H3 acetylation and H3K4 methylation on viral promoters. Investigating the importance of viral proteins we found that LSD1 recruitment to viral promoters was dependent on the viral transactivator protein HBx. Moreover, the histone methyltransferase Set1A and HBx are simultaneously bound to the core promoter, and Set1A expression correlates with cccDNA H3K4 methylation. Our results shed light on the mechanisms of HBV regulation mediated by the cccDNA chromatin structure, offering new therapeutic targets to develop drugs for the treatment of chronically infected HBV patients.http://www.nature.com/articles/srep2590

MEMS 411 RC Glider 2.0 Senior Design Project

Design a radio controlled scale model glider with a true morphing wing

GEANT4 Study of Proton–Body Interactions

Proton therapy uses a beam of protons to destroy cancer cells. A problem of the method is the determination of what part of the body the protons are hitting during the irradiation. In a previous study we determine that by capturing the gamma rays produced during the irradiation one can determine the location of the proton-body interaction, in this work we investigate if by examining the gamma rays produced it is possible to determine the body part that produced the gamma rays by the proton collision. This study uses GEANT4 computer simulations of interactions of proton-tissue, protonbrain, proton-bone, etc., which produce gamma rays, to determine the characteristics of the gamma rays produced. We then analyze the characteristics of the gamma rays to find signatures that could be used to determine the source of the rays. In particular, we study the distribution of gamma ray energies, their full-width half-maximum, energy resolution, maximum height, and total number of counts. This study concludes that it is possible to use the gamma ray spectra to determine what body part produced it