Applications of fibrous substrates containing insolubilized phase change polymers

Incorporation of polyethylene glycols into fibrous substrates produces several improved functional properties when they are insolubilized by crosslinking with a methylolamide resin or by polyacetal formation by their reaction with glyoxal. The range of molecular weights of polyols that may be insolubilized is broad as are the curing conditions (0.25-10 min at 80-200C). Most representative fiber types and blends (natural and synthetic) and all types of fabric constructions (woven, nonwoven and knit) have been modified by incorporation of the bound polyols. The most novel property is the thermal adaptability of the modified substrates to many climatic conditions. This adaptability is due to the high latent heat of the crosslinked polyols that function as phase change materials, the hydrophilic nature of the crosslinked polymer and its enhanced thermal conductivity. Other enhanced properties imparted to fabrics include flex and flat abrasion, antimicrobial activity, reduced static charge, resistance to oily soils, resiliency, wind resistance and reduced lint loss. Applications commercialized in the U.S. and Japan include sportswear and skiwear. Several examples of electric sets of properties useful for specific end uses are given. In addition, other uses are biomedical horticultural, aerospace, indoor insulation, automotive interiors and components and packaging material

Energy Resource Transportation Governance: Case Studies of The Alberta Oil Sands and The Argentinian Vaca Muerta Shale Oil Fields

In recent years, there has been increasing focus on the economic and other benefits of the development of “unconventional” sources of oil—resources that cannot be produced using traditional production techniques—partly due to the increased scarcity of conventional oil reserves. This paper compares and contrasts unconventional oil resources in Canada and Argentina. Canada has deposits of bitumen known as oil sands/tar sands. Bitumen is “a thick, sticky form of crude oil that is so heavy and viscous that it will not flow unless it is heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons” (Government of Alberta 2009), and when mixed with sand and clay, is known as the oil sands. In Argentina there are shale oil formations, which is crude oil found in low-permeability rock formations. The unconventional hydrocarbons in Canada (the oil sands) and Argentina (shale oil) are significant resources for both countries, especially when compared with their conventional reserves. Though the institutional structure is different in both countries—Canada’s oil and gas and transportation companies are privately-owned, whereas in Argentina, they are partially government owned—the rhetoric of the discussions seems to be similar in both countries: many are in favor of development due to the significance of the economic benefits. However, in both countries, the development of transport infrastructure has been hindered by different factors, on environmental grounds, notably with regard to concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions (in Canada) and lacking sufficient planning capabilities and institutional framework for long-term investments such as railroads (in Argentina)

Calorimetric and magnetic study for Ni50_{50}Mn36_{36}In14_{14} and relative cooling power in paramagnetic inverse magnetocaloric systems

The non-stoichiometric Heusler alloy Ni$_{50}$Mn$_{36}$In$_{14}$ undergoes a martensitic phase transformation in the vicinity of 345 K, with the high temperature austenite phase exhibiting paramagnetic rather than ferromagnetic behavior, as shown in similar alloys with lower-temperature transformations. Suitably prepared samples are shown to exhibit a sharp transformation, a relatively small thermal hysteresis, and a large field-induced entropy change. We analyzed the magnetocaloric behavior both through magnetization and direct field-dependent calorimetry measurements. For measurements passing through the first-order transformation, an improved method for heat-pulse relaxation calorimetry was designed. The results provide a firm basis for the analytic evaluation of field-induced entropy changes in related materials. An analysis of the relative cooling power (RCP), based on the integrated field-induced entropy change and magnetizing behavior of the Mn spin system with ferromagnetic correlations, shows that a significant RCP may be obtained in these materials by tuning the magnetic and structural transformation temperatures through minor compositional changes or local order changes

Right ventricular infarction complicated by right to left shunt

A case of right ventricular infarction complicated by a right to left shunt through a patent foramen ovale is presented. The diagnosis was confirmed by two-dimensional echocardiography with contrast injection and indicator dye-dilution curve and oximetry at cardiac catheterization

Louse- and flea-borne rickettsioses: biological and genomic analyses

In contrast to 15 or more validated and/or proposed tick-borne spotted fever group species, only three named medically important rickettsial species are associated with insects. These insect-borne rickettsiae are comprised of two highly pathogenic species, Rickettsia prowazekii (the agent of epidemic typhus) and R. typhi (the agent of murine typhus), as well as R. felis, a species with unconfirmed pathogenicity. Rickettsial association with obligate hematophagous insects such as the human body louse (R. prowazekii transmitted by Pediculus h. humanus) and several flea species (R. typhi and R. felis, as well as R. prowazekii in sylvatic form) provides rickettsiae the potential for further multiplications, longer transmission cycles and rapid spread among susceptible human populations. Both human body lice and fleas are intermittent feeders capable of multiple blood meals per generation, facilitating the efficient transmission of rickettsiae to several disparate hosts within urban/rural ecosystems. While taking into consideration the existing knowledge of rickettsial biology and genomic attributes, we have analyzed and summarized the interacting features that are unique to both the rickettsiae and their vector fleas and lice. Furthermore, factors that underlie rickettsial changing ecology, where native mammalian populations are involved in the maintenance of rickettsial cycle and transmission, are discussed

Gene expression in primate liver during viral hemorrhagic fever

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rhesus macaques infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) provide a model for human Lassa fever. Disease begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses rapidly with fatal consequences. Previously, we profiled the blood transcriptome of LCMV-infected monkeys (M. Djavani et al J. Virol. 2007) showing distinct pre-viremic and viremic stages that discriminated virulent from benign infections. In the present study, changes in liver gene expression from macaques infected with virulent LCMV-WE were compared to gene expression in uninfected monkeys as well as to monkeys that were infected but not diseased.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on a functional pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes, virulent LCMV-WE had a broader effect on liver cell function than did infection with non-virulent LCMV-Armstrong. During the first few days after infection, LCMV altered expression of genes associated with energy production, including fatty acid and glucose metabolism. The transcriptome profile resembled that of an organism in starvation: mRNA for acetyl-CoA carboxylase, a key enzyme of fatty acid synthesis was reduced while genes for enzymes in gluconeogenesis were up-regulated. Expression was also altered for genes associated with complement and coagulation cascades, and with signaling pathways involving STAT1 and TGF-β.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most of the 4500 differentially expressed transcripts represented a general response to both virulent and mild infections. However, approximately 250 of these transcripts had significantly different expression in virulent infections as compared to mild infections, with approximately 30 of these being differentially regulated during the pre-viremic stage of infection. The genes that are expressed early and differently in mild and virulent disease are potential biomarkers for prognosis and triage of acute viral disease.</p

Reversing HOXA9 oncogene activation by PI3K inhibition: epigenetic mechanism and prognostic significance in human glioblastoma

HOXA genes encode critical transcriptional regulators of embryonic development that have been implicated in cancer. In this study, we documented functional relevance and mechanism of activation of HOXA9 in glioblastoma (GBM), the most common malignant brain tumor. Expression of HOXA genes was investigated using reverse transcription-PCR in primary gliomas and glioblastoma cell lines and was validated in two sets of expression array data. In a subset of GBM, HOXA genes are aberrently activated within confined chromosomal domains. Transcriptional activation of the HOXA cluster was reversible by a phosphoinostide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor through an epigenetic mechanism involving histone H3K27 trimethylation. Functional studies of HOXA9 showed its capacity to decrease apoptosis and increase cellular proliferation along with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-including ligand resistance. Notably, aberrant expression of HOXA9 was independently predictive of shorter overall and progression-free survival in two GBM patient sets and improved survival prediction by MGMT promoter methylation. Thus, HOXA9 activation is a novel, independent, and negative prognostic marker in GBM that is reversible through a PI3K-associated epigenetic mechanism. Our findings suggest a transcriptional pathway through which PI3K activates oncogenic HOXA expression with implications for mTOR or PI3K targeted therapies.NIH grants NIH CA094971 (J.F. Costello) and NIH/NCI F32 CA113039-01 (J.S. Smith); Karen Osney Brownstein Endowed Chair (J.F. Costello); UC Discovery grant Bio05-10501 (J.F. Costello and H.S. Phillips); Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation SFRH/BD/15258/2004 (B.M. Costa); and Luso-American Development Foundation, Portugal 186/06 (B.M. Costa