Synthesis of calculational methods for design and analysis of radiation shields for nuclear rocket systems

Eight computer programs make up a nine volume synthesis containing two design methods for nuclear rocket radiation shields. The first design method is appropriate for parametric and preliminary studies, while the second accomplishes the verification of a final nuclear rocket reactor design

Diversité et caractérisation morphologique des variétés d’ananas (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill) cultivées au Bénin

Objectifs : Au Bénin, une faible proportion de l’ananas produit pour l’exportation parvient à franchir le marché international. En effet, plus de 80% des fruits produits sont déclassés en raison de leur hétérogénéité. Le but cette étude a été d’inventorier et de caractériser les variétés d’ananas cultivées au Bénin en vue d’une épuration variétale.Méthodologie et Résultats : Les données ont été collectées au sud et au centre du Bénin dans 11 plantations d’ananas qui sont de deux types : les plantations conventionnelles et celles traditionnelles. Les variétés et morphotypes ont été identifiés et dénombrés à l’intérieur de 5 placeaux de 4 m2 dans chaque plantation. Les variétés d’ananas recensées sont au nombre de 5, à savoir : Cayenne lisse, Pain de sucre, Queen, Red Spanish et Perolera. Elles renferment 16 morphotypes dont 4 pour la Cayenne lisse, 10 pour le Pain de sucre et 2 pour le Queen. Le nombre de variétés par plantation varie de 1 à 3, avec une moyenne de 1,91 ± 0,94. L’indice de diversité de Shannon varie de 0 à 1,05 bit. L’équitabilité de Piélou est comprise entre 0 et 1. Les plantations traditionnelles sont les plus diversifiées. Les variétés ou cultivars sont désignés, par la population, par 2 mots dont le premier signifie Ananas comosus et le second est un adjectif portant sur un caractère propre à la variété.Conclusion et application des résultats : Le mélange des cultivars observé dans les plantations conventionnelles exige alors l’accompagnement scientifique des producteurs afin de les aider à obtenir les cultivars purs et répondant à leurs attentes.Mots clés : ananas, variété, morphotypes, diversité, caractères morphologique

The challenge of predicting groundwater quality impacts in a CO2 leakage scenario: Results from field, laboratory, and modeling studies at a natural analog site in New Mexico, USA

AbstractA vital aspect to public and regulatory acceptance of carbon sequestration is assurance that groundwater resources will be protected. Theoretical and laboratory studies can, to some extent, be used to predict the consequences of leakage. However, direct observations of CO2 flowing through shallow drinking water aquifers are invaluable for informing credible risk assessments. To this end, we have sampled shallow wells in a natural analog site in New Mexico, USA, where CO2 from natural sources is upwelling from depth. We collected major ion, trace element, and isotopic (3H, 18O, and Sr) data and, coupled with laboratory experiments and reactive transport modeling, have concluded that the major control on groundwater quality at this site is not chemical reaction of CO2 with the aquifer but intrusion of saline waters upwelling with the CO2.Using reactive transport modeling based on field data, we show the difference in reactivity of the CO2 and CO2/saline water source terms, particularly with respect to carbonate mineralogy. Sr isotopes were used to investigate whether aquifer waters were affected by carbonate mineral reaction with CO2 or by saline water intrusion. Preliminary data suggest that Sr isotopes can successfully be used to discriminate between the two types of source terms at Chimayó; this technique shows promise for monitoring CCS sites.In developing predictive capabilities for future sites, it is critical to identify the solid phases and specific reactions controlling dissolved trace metal concentrations in both the presence and absence of CO2. We have conducted laboratory experiments to identify these phases and have found that some elements (e.g., U, Ca) are largely controlled by ion exchange and/or carbonate minerals. In the experiments, the concentration of some metals increases after exposure to CO2 (although concentrations remain below the U.S. EPA primary drinking water standards); we are currently extending these experiments to determine if the reactions causing the increase are reversible and, if so, on what time scales. Metal scavenging by secondary mineral precipitation, as observed at other natural analog sites, may be important at certain temporal scales.We are using the information gained from this field and laboratory study to develop predictive models for application to risk assessment at future CCS sites. The models will be particularly useful in identifying the temporal and spatial scales of water quality changes and in developing possible mitigation strategies in the case of leaks at engineered CCS sites

The Transcriptional Programme of Human Heart Valves Reveals the Natural History of Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infectious disease that is mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp. It usually leads to valvular destruction and vegetation formation. Its pathophysiology is badly understood and likely involves immune and coagulation systems with close interactions with the microorganism. Our objective was to evaluate host response by comparing transcriptional profiles of cardiac valves from IE patients with controls. Hierarchical clustering revealed a signature of IE consisting of 146 genes. Among the 89 up-regulated genes, we identified two genes strongly associated with IE: metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) and aquaporin-9, a member of the aquaglyceroporin membrane channel family. The up-regulation of MMP-12 gene is strengthened by the down-modulation of the gene encoding its inhibitor TIMP3. In addition, MMP-12 was expressed in macrophages infiltrating EI valves. We also found that aquaporin-9 was expressed in endothelial cells lining neo-vessel lumen, suggesting that aquaporin-9 might be associated with neovascularization of infected valves leading to tissue oedema secondary to the inflammatory process. The Gene Ontology annotation and the resulting functional classification showed that most up-regulated genes account for recruitment of inflammatory cells in vegetations, angiogenesis and remodelling of endocardium tissue. A network analysis confirmed the involvement of molecules related to the remodelling of endocardium tissue and angiogenesis in IE. It also evidenced the role of caspases, especially that of caspase-9 and intrinsic apoptotic pathway in IE. Based on this study we propose a scenario for the natural history of IE in humans. Some parameters identified in this work could become tools for measuring the disease activity and should be tested as biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis assessment in future studies

Ligand-Receptor Interactions

The formation and dissociation of specific noncovalent interactions between a variety of macromolecules play a crucial role in the function of biological systems. During the last few years, three main lines of research led to a dramatic improvement of our understanding of these important phenomena. First, combination of genetic engineering and X ray cristallography made available a simultaneous knowledg of the precise structure and affinity of series or related ligand-receptor systems differing by a few well-defined atoms. Second, improvement of computer power and simulation techniques allowed extended exploration of the interaction of realistic macromolecules. Third, simultaneous development of a variety of techniques based on atomic force microscopy, hydrodynamic flow, biomembrane probes, optical tweezers, magnetic fields or flexible transducers yielded direct experimental information of the behavior of single ligand receptor bonds. At the same time, investigation of well defined cellular models raised the interest of biologists to the kinetic and mechanical properties of cell membrane receptors. The aim of this review is to give a description of these advances that benefitted from a largely multidisciplinar approach

Coxiella burnetii Phagocytosis Is Regulated by GTPases of the Rho Family and the RhoA Effectors mDia1 and ROCK

The GTPases belonging to the Rho family control the actin cytoskeleton rearrangements needed for particle internalization during phagocytosis. ROCK and mDia1 are downstream effectors of RhoA, a GTPase involved in that process. Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic agent of Q fever, is internalized by the host´s cells in an actin-dependent manner. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism involved in this process has been poorly characterized. This work analyzes the role of different GTPases of the Rho family and some downstream effectors in the internalization of C. burnetii by phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells. The internalization of C. burnetii into HeLa and RAW cells was significantly inhibited when the cells were treated with Clostridium difficile Toxin B which irreversibly inactivates members of the Rho family. In addition, the internalization was reduced in HeLa cells that overexpressed the dominant negative mutants of RhoA, Rac1 or Cdc42 or that were knocked down for the Rho GTPases. The pharmacological inhibition or the knocking down of ROCK diminished bacterium internalization. Moreover, C. burnetii was less efficiently internalized in HeLa cells overexpressing mDia1-N1, a dominant negative mutant of mDia1, while the overexpression of the constitutively active mutant mDia1-ΔN3 increased bacteria uptake. Interestingly, when HeLa and RAW cells were infected, RhoA, Rac1 and mDia1 were recruited to membrane cell fractions. Our results suggest that the GTPases of the Rho family play an important role in C. burnetii phagocytosis in both HeLa and RAW cells. Additionally, we present evidence that ROCK and mDia1, which are downstream effectors of RhoA, are involved in that processFil: Salinas Ojeda, Romina Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz Flores, Rodolfo Matias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Distel, Jesús Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Aguilera, Milton Osmar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Colombo, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Beron, Walter. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentin

Nuclear envelope structural defects cause chromosomal numerical instability and aneuploidy in ovarian cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite our substantial understanding of molecular mechanisms and gene mutations involved in cancer, the technical approaches for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer are limited. In routine clinical diagnosis of cancer, the procedure is very basic: nuclear morphology is used as a common assessment of the degree of malignancy, and hence acts as a prognostic and predictive indicator of the disease. Furthermore, though the atypical nuclear morphology of cancer cells is believed to be a consequence of oncogenic signaling, the molecular basis remains unclear. Another common characteristic of human cancer is aneuploidy, but the causes and its role in carcinogenesis are not well established.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the expression of the nuclear envelope proteins lamin A/C in ovarian cancer by immunohistochemistry and studied the consequence of lamin A/C suppression using siRNA in primary human ovarian surface epithelial cells in culture. We used immunofluorescence microscopy to analyze nuclear morphology, flow cytometry to analyze cellular DNA content, and fluorescence <it>in situ </it>hybridization to examine cell ploidy of the lamin A/C-suppressed cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that nuclear lamina proteins lamin A/C are often absent (47%) in ovarian cancer cells and tissues. Even in lamin A/C-positive ovarian cancer, the expression is heterogeneous within the population of tumor cells. In most cancer cell lines, a significant fraction of the lamin A/C-negative population was observed to intermix with the lamin A/C-positive cells. Down regulation of lamin A/C in non-cancerous primary ovarian surface epithelial cells led to morphological deformation and development of aneuploidy. The aneuploid cells became growth retarded due to a p53-dependent induction of the cell cycle inhibitor p21.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that the loss of nuclear envelope structural proteins, such as lamin A/C, may underlie two of the hallmarks of cancer - aberrations in nuclear morphology and aneuploidy.</p

Open reduction and internal fixation compared to closed reduction and external fixation in distal radial fractures: A randomized study of 50 patients

Background and purpose In unstable distal radial fractures that are impossible to reduce or to maintain in reduced position, the treatment of choice is operation. The type of operation and the choice of implant, however, is a matter of discussion. Our aim was to investigate whether open reduction and internal fixation would produce a better result than traditional external fixation