The development of structural adhesives systems suitable for use with liquid oxygen Annual summary report, 1 Jul. 1963 - 30 Jun. 1964

Fluorinated, chlorinated, and halogenated polymer adhesives prepared and tested for compatibility with liquid oxyge

Oxidative stress, mitochondrial perturbations and fetal programming of renal disease induced by maternal smoking

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. An adverse in-utero environment is increasingly recognized to predispose to chronic disease in adulthood. Maternal smoking remains the most common modifiable adverse in-utero exposure leading to low birth weight, which is strongly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in later life. In order to investigate underlying mechanisms for such susceptibility, female Balb/c mice were sham or cigarette smoke-exposed (SE) for 6 weeks before mating, throughout gestation and lactation. Offspring kidneys were examined for oxidative stress, expression of mitochondrial proteins, mitochondrial structure as well as renal functional parameters on postnatal day 1, day 20 (weaning) and week 13 (adult age). From birth throughout adulthood, SE offspring had increased renal levels of mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS), which left a footprint on DNA with increased 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosin (8-OHdG) in kidney tubular cells. Mitochondrial structural abnormalities were seen in SE kidneys at day 1 and week 13 along with a reduction in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins and activity of mitochondrial antioxidant Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Smoke exposure also resulted in increased mitochondrial DNA copy number (day 1-week 13) and lysosome density (day 1 and week 13). The appearance of mitochondrial defects preceded the onset of albuminuria at week 13. Thus, mitochondrial damage caused by maternal smoking may play an important role in development of CKD at adult life

Effective Temperatures of Low-Mass Stars from High-Resolution H-band Spectroscopy

High-resolution, near-infrared spectra will be the primary tool for finding and characterizing Earth-like planets around low-mass stars. Yet, the properties of exoplanets can not be precisely determined without accurate and precise measurements of the host star. Spectra obtained with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) simultaneously provide diagnostics for most stellar parameters, but the first step in any analysis is the determination of the effective temperature. Here we report the calibration of high-resolution H-band spectra to accurately determine effective temperature for stars between 4000-3000 K ($\sim$K8--M5) using absorption line depths of Fe I, OH, and Al I. The field star sample used here contains 254 K and M stars with temperatures derived using BT-Settl synthetic spectra. We use 106 stars with precise temperatures in the literature to calibrate our method with typical errors of about 140 K, and systematic uncertainties less than $\sim$120 K. For the broadest applicability, we present T$_{\rm eff}$--line-depth-ratio relationships, which we test on 12 members of the TW Hydrae Association and at spectral resolving powers between $\sim$10,000--120,000. These ratios offer a simple but accurate measure of effective temperature in cool stars that is distance and reddening independent.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and 3 tables. Accepted in Ap

L-carnitine reverses maternal cigarette smoke exposure-induced renal oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse offspring

© 2015 the American Physiological Society. Maternal smoking is associated with metabolic disorders, renal underdevelopment, and a predisposition to chronic kidney disease in offspring, yet the underlying mechanisms are unclear. By exposing female Balb/c mice to cigarette smoke for 6 wk premating and during gestation and lactation, we showed that maternal smoke exposure induced glucose intolerance, renal underdevelopment, inflammation, and albuminuria in male offspring. This was associated with increased renal oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction at birth and in adulthood. Importantly, we demonstrated that dietary supplementation of L-carnitine, an amino acid shown to increase antioxidant defenses and mitochondrial function in numerous diseases, in smoke-exposed mothers during pregnancy and lactation significantly reversed the detrimental maternal impacts on kidney pathology in these male offspring. It increased SOD2 and glutathione peroxidase 1, reduced ROS accumulation, and normalized levels of mitochondrial preprotein translocases of the outer membrane, and oxidative phosphorylation complexes I–V in the kidneys of mouse progeny after intrauterine cigarette smoke exposure. These findings support the hypothesis that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are closely linked to the adverse effects of maternal smoking on male offspring renal pathology. The results of our study suggest that L-carnitine administration in cigarette smokeexposed mothers mitigates these deleterious renal consequence

Computational Ranking of Yerba Mate Small Molecules Based on Their Predicted Contribution to Antibacterial Activity against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The aqueous extract of yerba mate, a South American tea beverage made from Ilex paraguariensis leaves, has demonstrated bactericidal and inhibitory activity against bacterial pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of two unique fractions of yerba mate aqueous extract revealed 8 identifiable small molecules in those fractions with antimicrobial activity. For a more comprehensive analysis, a data analysis pipeline was assembled to prioritize compounds for antimicrobial testing against both MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S.aureus using forty-two unique fractions of the tea extract that were generated in duplicate, assayed for activity, and analyzed with GC-MS. As validation of our automated analysis, we checked our predicted active compounds for activity in literature references and used authentic standards to test for antimicrobial activity. 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde showed the most antibacterial activity against MRSA at low concentrations in our bioassays. In addition, quinic acid and quercetin were identified using random forests analysis and 5-hydroxy pipecolic acid was identified using linear discriminant analysis. We also generated a ranked list of unidentified compounds that may contribute to the antimicrobial activity of yerba mate against MRSA. Here we utilized GC-MS data to implement an automated analysis that resulted in a ranked list of compounds that likely contribute to the antimicrobial activity of aqueous yerba mate extract against MRSA

In situ evaluation of an automated aerial bait delivery system for landscape-scale control of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam

After decades of biodiversity loss and economic burden caused by the brown treesnake invasion on the Pacific island of Guam, relief hovers on the horizon. Previous work by USDA Wildlife Services (WS) and its National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) demonstrated that brown treesnake numbers in forested habitats can be dramatically suppressed by aerial delivery of dead newborn mouse (DNM) baits treated with 80 mg of acetaminophen. However, manual bait preparation and application is impractical for landscape-scale treatment. WS, NWRC, and the US Department of the Interior have collaborated with Applied Design Corporation to engineer an automated bait manufacturing and delivery system. The core technology is an aerially delivered biodegradable “bait cartridge” designed to tangle in the tree canopy, making the acetaminophen bait available to treesnakes and out of reach of terrestrial non-target organisms. When mounted on a rotary- or fixed-wing airframe, the automated dispensing module (ADM) unit can broadcast 3,600 bait cartridges at a rate of four per second and can treat 30 hectares of forest at a density of 120 acetaminophen baits per hectare within 15 minutes of firing time. We conducted the first in situ evaluation of the ADM in July 2016. Initial acetaminophen bait deployment rates (proper opening of the bait cartridge for canopy entanglement) were low, and mechanism jams were frequent due to internal friction and wind forces; on-site remedial engineering improved these performance measures. Bait cartridge placement and spacing were accurate (average 8.9 m along 9 m swaths) under various flight heights and speeds. Canopy entanglement of properly-deployed acetaminophen baits was high (66.6%). Although only a small proportion (5.9%) of radio transmitter-equipped acetaminophen baits were confirmed to have been taken by brown treesnakes, the baiting density was high enough to make it likely that a significant proportion of brown treesnakes in the area had taken acetaminophen baits. With subsequent improvements in system reliability, the automated bait cartridge manufacturing and delivery system is poised to transition from research and development to operational field implementation. Applications include reduction of brown treesnake numbers around transportation infrastructure and within core habitats for the reintroduction of native birds extirpated by this troublesome invasive predator

In situ evaluation of an automated aerial bait delivery system for landscape-scale control of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam

After decades of biodiversity loss and economic burden caused by the brown treesnake invasion on the Pacific island of Guam, relief hovers on the horizon. Previous work by USDA Wildlife Services (WS) and its National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) demonstrated that brown treesnake numbers in forested habitats can be dramatically suppressed by aerial delivery of dead newborn mouse (DNM) baits treated with 80 mg of acetaminophen. However, manual bait preparation and application is impractical for landscape-scale treatment. WS, NWRC, and the US Department of the Interior have collaborated with Applied Design Corporation to engineer an automated bait manufacturing and delivery system. The core technology is an aerially delivered biodegradable “bait cartridge” designed to tangle in the tree canopy, making the acetaminophen bait available to treesnakes and out of reach of terrestrial non-target organisms. When mounted on a rotary- or fixed-wing airframe, the automated dispensing module (ADM) unit can broadcast 3,600 bait cartridges at a rate of four per second and can treat 30 hectares of forest at a density of 120 acetaminophen baits per hectare within 15 minutes of firing time. We conducted the first in situ evaluation of the ADM in July 2016. Initial acetaminophen bait deployment rates (proper opening of the bait cartridge for canopy entanglement) were low, and mechanism jams were frequent due to internal friction and wind forces; on-site remedial engineering improved these performance measures. Bait cartridge placement and spacing were accurate (average 8.9 m along 9 m swaths) under various flight heights and speeds. Canopy entanglement of properly-deployed acetaminophen baits was high (66.6%). Although only a small proportion (5.9%) of radio transmitter-equipped acetaminophen baits were confirmed to have been taken by brown treesnakes, the baiting density was high enough to make it likely that a significant proportion of brown treesnakes in the area had taken acetaminophen baits. With subsequent improvements in system reliability, the automated bait cartridge manufacturing and delivery system is poised to transition from research and development to operational field implementation. Applications include reduction of brown treesnake numbers around transportation infrastructure and within core habitats for the reintroduction of native birds extirpated by this troublesome invasive predator

Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on feeding stimulated by centrally administered opioid agonists

The potencies of several opioid agonists are reduced in diabetic animals and in animals made hyperglycemic via injections of glucose. In this report we examined the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the feeding responses to centrally administered opioid agonists with differing receptor selectivities. The selective mu receptor agonist Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-(Me)Phe-Gly-ol (DAGO) caused a larger increase in intake in diabetic rats than in controls. In both groups feeding responses were greater on the fourth day of daily injections than on the first day. The delta receptor agonist [D-Ser2,Leu5]-enkephalin-Thr6 (DSLET) stimulated intake in controls but not in diabetics. However, the elevated baseline and large variability in intake of the diabetics in this experiment prevent drawing a conclusion on diabetes-induced changes in the potency of this peptide. No differences between controls and diabetics were apparent in the feeding responses to U50,488H, a selective kappa receptor agonist. These data suggest that diabetes may differentially affect the classes of opioid receptors or the binding of ligands to these receptors.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28109/1/0000558.pd

Behavioral effects of corticotropin-releasing factor: localization and characterization of central effects

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has potent behavioral effects when administered intracerebroventricularly to rats. CRF and its receptors are found in an uneven distribution in the brain. In an effort to localize the site of the anorectic effect of CRF, exogenous CRF or saline was injected into cannulas directed toward the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), lateral hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus, globus pallidus, or striatum of rats. CRF decreased food intake only when injected into the PVN. In subsequent experiments PVN injections of CRF were shown to (1) increase grooming and movement; (2) not induce a conditioned taste aversion to saccharin in a single bottle test; and (3) inhibit the increase in feeding induced by injections of norepinephrine into the PVN. These results suggest that CRF induces not only anorexia, but also increased movement and grooming by action in the PVN.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27370/1/0000396.pd

Non-destructive, label free identification of cell cycle phase in cancer cells by multispectral microscopy of autofluorescence

Background: Cell cycle analysis is important for cancer research. However, available methodologies have drawbacks including limited categorisation and reliance on fixation, staining or transformation. Multispectral analysis of endogenous cell autofluorescence has been shown to be sensitive to changes in cell status and could be applied to the discrimination of cell cycle without these steps. Methods: Cells from the MIA-PaCa-2, PANC-1, and HeLa cell lines were plated on gridded dishes and imaged using a multispectral fluorescence microscope. They were then stained for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and DNA intensity as a reference standard for their cell cycle position (G1, S, G2, M). The multispectral data was split into training and testing datasets and models were generated to discriminate between G1, S, and G2 + M phase cells. A standard decision tree classification approach was taken, and a two-step system was generated for each line. Results: Across cancer cell lines accuracy ranged from 68.3% (MIA-PaCa-2) to 73.3% (HeLa) for distinguishing G1 from S and G2 + M, and 69.0% (MIA-PaCa-2) to 78.0% (PANC1) for distinguishing S from G2 + M. Unmixing the multispectral data showed that the autofluorophores NADH, FAD, and PPIX had significant differences between phases. Similarly, the redox ratio and the ratio of protein bound to free NADH were significantly affected. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that multispectral microscopy could be used for the non-destructive, label free discrimination of cell cycle phase in cancer cells. They provide novel information on the mechanisms of cell-cycle progression and control, and have practical implications for oncology research.Jared M. Campbell, Abbas Habibalahi, Saabah Mahbub, Martin Gosnell, Ayad G. Anwer, Sharon Paton, Stan Gronthos and Ewa Goldy