Establishment of immortalized innate lymphoid cell lines from the mouse lung

The purpose of this proposal was to create immortalized innate lymphoid cell (ILC) lines from normal and transgenic mic

Implementing Push-Pull Efficiently in GraphBLAS

We factor Beamer's push-pull, also known as direction-optimized breadth-first-search (DOBFS) into 3 separable optimizations, and analyze them for generalizability, asymptotic speedup, and contribution to overall speedup. We demonstrate that masking is critical for high performance and can be generalized to all graph algorithms where the sparsity pattern of the output is known a priori. We show that these graph algorithm optimizations, which together constitute DOBFS, can be neatly and separably described using linear algebra and can be expressed in the GraphBLAS linear-algebra-based framework. We provide experimental evidence that with these optimizations, a DOBFS expressed in a linear-algebra-based graph framework attains competitive performance with state-of-the-art graph frameworks on the GPU and on a multi-threaded CPU, achieving 101 GTEPS on a Scale 22 RMAT graph.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, International Conference on Parallel Processing (ICPP) 201

A tetraspecific VHH-based neutralizing antibody modifies disease outcome in three animal models of Clostridium difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), a leading cause of nosocomial infection, is a serious disease in North America, Europe, and Asia. CDI varies greatly from asymptomatic carriage to life-threatening diarrhea, toxic megacolon, and toxemia. The incidence of community-acquired infection has increased due to the emergence of hypervirulent antibiotic-resistant strains. These new strains contribute to the frequent occurrence of disease relapse, complicating treatment, increasing hospital stays, and increasing morbidity and mortality among patients. Therefore, it is critical to develop new therapeutic approaches that bypass the development of antimicrobial resistance and avoid disruption of gut microflora. Here, we describe the construction of a single heteromultimeric VHH-based neutralizing agent (VNA) that targets the two primary virulence factors of Clostridium difficile, toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB). Designated VNA2-Tcd, this agent has subnanomolar toxin neutralization potencies for both C. difficile toxins in cell assays. When given systemically by parenteral administration, VNA2-Tcd protected against CDI in gnotobiotic piglets and mice and to a lesser extent in hamsters. Protection from CDI was also observed in gnotobiotic piglets treated by gene therapy with an adenovirus that promoted the expression of VNA2-Tcd

Expression and purification of AlgX in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract only availablePseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium that is the leading cause of hospital acquired infections. While this bacteria is present in water and soil, this bacteria only severely affects severely ill patients, such as those with cystic fibrosis. In cystic fibrosis patients, the bacteria will lodge in the lungs and form a coating, called a biofilm, around itself to protect it from the natural defenses of the body and antibiotics. This biofilm is formed by exopolysacchride sugar, known as alginate. The goal of this project is to, by isolating some of the proteins that help produce the biofilm, find the three-dimensional structure of those proteins. This will make it easier for various pharmaceutical research companies to create a drug to inhibit the specific active site in the proteins, preventing biofilm formation and allowing the infection to be treated with traditional antibiotics. The proteins encoded by two genes were picked for this study, algK and algX. Both are believed good targets because they have been shown in previously written papers to be critical to formation of the biofilm in P. aeruginosa. (1, 2) The cloned genes (in the form of a plasmid) previously obtained were used in the transformation step into E. coli. The lab protocol for general transformations was followed. To show that the bacteria were actually producing the protein we needed, the growth tubes were harvested; the cells lysed, and run on a 10% acrylamide gel to check for protein expression in the experimental versus control sample. The algK gel was inconclusive, however algX clearly overexpresses in large quantities. While most of the protein is insoluble, enough is soluble to warrant complete purification of the protein to set up crystallization trays. The current problem is how to optimize purification, because it co-elutes from a nickel column with contaminating proteins. A slow concentration bump of the buffers used to purify is being tested to see if it helps with this problem. References 1. Antonette Robles-Price, Thiang Yian Wong, Havard Sletta, Svein Valla, Neal L. Schiller. 2004. AlgX Is a Periplasmic Protein Required for Alginate Biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. of Bacteriology. 186:7369-7377. 2. Jain, Sumita, Franklin, Michael J., Ertesvag, Helga, Valla, Svein, Ohman, Dennis E. 2003. The dual roles of AlgG in C-5-epimerization and secretion of alginate polymers in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Molecular Microbiology. 47. 1123-1133NSF-REU Program in Biological Sciences & Biochemistr

Sympathy, empathy, and compassion: A grounded theory study of palliative care patients’ understandings, experiences, and preferences

Background: Compassion is considered an essential element in quality patient care. One of the conceptual challenges in healthcare literature is that compassion is often confused with sympathy and empathy. Studies comparing and contrasting patients’ perspectives of sympathy, empathy, and compassion are largely absent. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate advanced cancer patients’ understandings, experiences, and preferences of “sympathy,” “empathy,” and “compassion” in order to develop conceptual clarity for future research and to inform clinical practice. Design: Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and then independently analyzed by the research team using the three stages and principles of Straussian grounded theory. Setting/participants: Data were collected from 53 advanced cancer inpatients in a large urban hospital. Results: Constructs of sympathy, empathy, and compassion contain distinct themes and sub-themes. Sympathy was described as an unwanted, pity-based response to a distressing situation, characterized by a lack of understanding and self-preservation of the observer. Empathy was experienced as an affective response that acknowledges and attempts to understand individual’s suffering through emotional resonance. Compassion enhanced the key facets of empathy while adding distinct features of being motivated by love, the altruistic role of the responder, action, and small, supererogatory acts of kindness. Patients reported that unlike sympathy, empathy and compassion were beneficial, with compassion being the most preferred and impactful. Conclusion: Although sympathy, empathy, and compassion are used interchangeably and frequently conflated in healthcare literature, patients distinguish and experience them uniquely. Understanding patients’ perspectives is important and can guide practice, policy reform, and future research

The Vehicle, Fall 1990

Table of Contents Poetry Loss of the SpokenMatt Mansfieldpage 6-7 A Wyeth ReproductionLynn A. Rafoolpage 8 CornerSuzanna Portpage 9 FatherSuzanna Portpage 10 Past two,Victoria Bennettpage 11 VertigoVictoria Bennettpage 12 HeatVictoria Bennettpage 13 Pre-HistoryLuiz da Silveirapage 14 BloomsLuiz da Silveirapage 15 Hashimoto\u27s Thyrotoxicosis at Key WestAnthony Smithpage 16 Davy by the Pawn ShopAnthony Smithpage 17 Art UntitledMark Randallpage 19 UntitledMark Randallpage 20 UntitledSteve Reyespage 21 UntitledSteve Reyespage 22 Photographs UntitledSteve Beamerpage 24-25 UntitledSteve Beamerpage 26 UntitledSteve Beamerpage 27 Prose YikesMichael Brownpage 29 Thirty Minutes or LessSteve Fitzgeraldpage 30-35 Telling StoriesMatt Mansfieldpage 36-40 Interview Poet Donald HallMatt Mansfieldpage 42-44 Authors Biographiespage 46-47https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1054/thumbnail.jp

Radiation Test Results for a MEMS Microshutter Operating at 60 K

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is due to be launched in 2013 with the goal of searching the very distant Universe for stars that formed shortly after the Big Bang. Because this occurred so far back in time, the available light is strongly red-shifted, requiring the use of detectors sensitive to the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. HgCdTe infrared focal plane arrays, cooled to below 30 K to minimize noise, will be used to detect the faint signals. One of the instruments on JWST is the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC) designed to measure the infrared spectra of up to 100 separate galaxies simultaneously. A key component in NIRSPEC is a Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS), a two-dimensional micro-shutter array (MSA) developed by NASA/GSFC. The MSA is inserted in front of the detector to allow only the light from the galaxies of interest to reach the detector and to block the light from all other sources. The MSA will have to operate at 30 K to minimize the amount of thermal radiation emitted by the optical components from reaching the detector array. It will also have to operate in the space radiation environment that is dominated by the MSA will be exposed to a large total ionizing dose of approximately 200 krad(Si). Following exposure to ionizing radiation, a variety of MEMS have exhibited performance degradation. MEMS contain moving parts that are either controlled or sensed by changes in electric fields. Radiation degradation can be expected for those devices where there is an electric field applied across an insulating layer that is part of the sensing or controlling structure. Ionizing radiation will liberate charge (electrons and holes) in the insulating layers, some of which may be trapped within the insulating layer. Trapped charge will partially cancel the externally applied electric field and lead to changes in the operation of the MEMS. This appears to be a general principle for MEMS. Knowledge of the above principle has raised the concern at NASA that the MSA might also exhibit degraded performance because, i) each shutter flap is a multilayer structure consisting of metallic and insulating layers and ii) the movement of the shutter flaps is partially controlled by the application of an electric field between the shutter flap and the substrate (vertical support grid). The whole mission would be compromised if radiation exposure were to prevent the shutters from opening and closing properly. energetic ionizing particles. Because it is located A unique feature of the MSA is that, as outside the spacecraft and has very little shielding, previously mentioned, it will have to operate at temperatures near 30 K. To date, there are no published reports on how very low temperatures (- 30K) affect the response of MEMS devices to total ionizing dose. Experiments on SiO2 structures at low temperatures (80 K) indicate that the electrons generated by the ionizing radiation are mobile and will move rapidly under the application of an external electric field. Holes, on the other hand, that would normally move in the opposite direction through the SiO2 via a "thermal hopping" process, are effectively immobile at low electric fields as they are trapped close to their generation sites. However, for sufficiently large electric fields (greater than 3 MV/cm) holes are able to move through the SiO2. The larger the field, the more rapidly the holes move. The separation of the electrons and holes leads to a reduced electric field within the insulating layer. To overcome this reduction in electric field, a greater external voltage will have to be applied that alters the normal operation of the device. This report presents the results of radiation testing of the MSA at 60 K. The temperature was higher than the targeted temperature because of a faulty electrical interconnect on the test board. Specifically, our goal was to determine whether the MSA would function propey after a TID of 200 krad(Si)

Quantification and Analysis of Micro-Level Activities Data from Children Aged 1-12 Years Old for Use in the Assessments of Exposure to Recycled Tire on Turf and Playgrounds.

BACKGROUND: There are growing health concerns about exposure to toxicants released from recycled tire rubber, which is commonly used in synthetic turf and playground mats. To better estimate children\u27s exposure and risk from recycled tire rubber used in synthetic turf and playground mats, there is a need to collect detailed accurate information on mouthing activity and dermal contact behaviors. The objective of this study was to quantify and analyze micro-level activity time series (MLATS) data from children aged 1-12 years old while playing (non-sport-related games) at turf-like locations and playgrounds. Another objective was to estimate the incidental ingestion rate of rubber crumb among children. METHODS: Hand and mouth contact frequency, hourly duration, and median contact duration with different objects were calculated for children playing on turf (i.e., parks, lawns, and gardens) (n = 56) and for children playing on playground structures (n = 24). Statistically significant differences between males and females as well as children\u27s age groups were evaluated. The daily incidental ingestion rate of rubber crumb was calculated. RESULTS: For children playing on turf, there were significant differences between younger (1-6 y) and older (7-12 y) children for the mouthing median duration with non-dietary objects and all objects. For children playing on playground structures, we found significant mouthing frequency differences between younger (1-6 y) and older children (7-12 y) with all objects, and for mouthing median duration with non-dietary objects. There were no significant differences between males and females playing on artificial turf-like surfaces or playground mats. Our estimated mean incidental ingestion rate was 0.08, 0.07, and 0.08 g rubber crumb/day for children DISCUSSION: our results suggest that age and contact duration should be considered in risk assessment models to evaluate mouthing activities when children are playing on artificial turf surfaces or playground mats

Combining genetic and geospatial analyses to infer population extinction in mygalomorph spiders endemic to the Los Angeles region. Anim

Abstract Although hyperdiverse groups like terrestrial arthropods are almost certainly severely impacted by habitat fragmentation and destruction, few studies have formally documented such effects. In this paper, we summarize the results of a multifaceted research approach to assess the magnitude and importance of anthropogenic population extinction on the narrowly endemic trapdoor spider genus Apomastus. We used geographical information systems modeling to reconstruct the likely historical distribution of Apomastus, and used molecular phylogeographic data to discern population genetic structure and detect genetic signatures of population extinction. In combination, these complementary lines of inference support direct observations of population extinction, and lead us to conclude that population extinction via urbanization has played an important role in defining the modern-day distribution of Apomastus species. This population loss implies coincident loss of genetic and adaptive diversity within this genus, and more generally, suggests a loss of ground-dwelling arthropod population diversity throughout the Los Angeles Basin. Strategies for minimizing this loss are proposed