Cotton receipt, 11 May 1850

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_b/1235/thumbnail.jp

Promissory note, 29 June 1850

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_b/1240/thumbnail.jp

Black/White Differences in Cancer: A Framework for Intervention Linking Social Structure and Survival

Black/White differences in cancer survival persist. Factors shown to be differentiallyrelated to survival, and to differ by race, include the extent of disease present at diagnosis,disease classification or tumor histology, and host vulnerability. It is suggestedthat efforts to reduce this survival differential generally have been unsuccessful due toa failure to accurately identify the sources of this differential. Differences in the extentof disease present at diagnosis, for example, may not be a function of failure to seekphysicians or dollars spent on health care, but may be due to differences in the natureof health care provided. Similarly, differences in socioeconomic status, lifestyle characteristics,and occupational exposures between blacks and whites may be correlatedwith histologic differences and the level of host vulnerability. Differences in relativesurvival rates are viewed as resulting largely from structural sources. Some mech

Assessment and Improvement of Nitrogen Cycling in SWAT

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been successfully used to predict alterations in streamflow, evapotranspiration and soil water. Previous research suggests that while the hydrologic balance in each watershed is accurately simulated with SWAT, the SWAT model over or under predicts crop yield relative to fertilizer inputs. The SWAT model previously contained three N simulation submodels: (1) basic; (2) N routines derived from the CENTURY model (SWAT-C); and (3) a one-pool C and N model (SWAT-One). We used the measurement of microbial activity coupled with the measurement of water extractable N and C to add a flush of N after rainfall events to create a fourth N cycling option in SWAT (SWAT-flush). SWAT-flush was compared to soil-biological properties and the natural difference vegetative index on a wheat field in Temple, TX, to examine the sensitivity of SWAT-flush to field conditions and found it improved over basic SWAT. Crop yields from a long-term experiment in Lahoma, OK, managed by Oklahoma State University were compared to wheat yield predicted by the four sub-models. Weather data obtained from the Lahoma research station were used to analyze the impact of precipitation and temperature on simulated and actual yields. Nitrogen use efficiency was analyzed as well as gains in yield relative to fertilizer applications for simulated and actual yields. Actual crop yields were not significantly different from year to year nor for fertilizer treatments above 22.4 kg N ha-1. Field crop response to fertilizer additions from year to year was highly variable. SWAT-C simulated average yields were closer than other N sub-models to average actual yield. Annually there was a stronger correlation between SWAT-flush and actual yields than the other submodels. None of the N-cycling routines could accurately predict annual variability in yield at any fertilizer rate. We found that SWAT-C and SWAT-flush are the most viable choices for accurately simulating long-term average wheat yields although annual variability in yield prediction should be taken into consideration. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of SWAT-C and SWAT-flush in determining average and annual yield in various farming regions and with numerous agronomic crops

Microfluidic stochastic confinement enhances analysis of rare cells by isolating cells and creating high density environments for control of diffusible signals

Rare cells can be difficult to analyze because they either occur in low numbers or coexist with a more abundant cell type, yet their detection is crucial for diagnosing disease and maintaining human health. In this tutorial review, we introduce the concept of microfluidic stochastic confinement for use in detection and analysis of rare cells. Stochastic confinement provides two advantages: (1) it separates rare single cells from the bulk mixture and (2) it allows signals to locally accumulate to a higher concentration around a single cell than in the bulk mixture. Microfluidics is an attractive method for implementing stochastic confinement because it provides simple handling of small volumes. We present technologies for microfluidic stochastic confinement that utilize both wells and droplets for the detection and analysis of single cells. We address how these microfluidic technologies have been used to observe new behavior, increase speed of detection, and enhance cultivation of rare cells. We discuss potential applications of microfluidic stochastic confinement to fields such as human diagnostics and environmental testing

A Single Antibody based ELISA for the N-terminal sequence of BAG-75, a New Biomarker for Bone Formation [abstract]

Biomedical Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, & Medical Devices Poster SessionBone acidic glycoprotein-75 (BAG-75) is a secreted product of osteoblastic cells localized predominantly to areas of new bone formation. We have identified the N-terminal sequence of BAG-75 as LPVARYQNTEEEE and shown that anti-peptide antibodies against residues #3-13 only recognize the 75 kDa precursor and apparent 50 kDa fragment in serum and in osteoblastic cultures. Formation of the 50 kDa fragment is blocked by AEBSF, a serine protease inhibitor which we also showed blocks mineralization in osteoblastic cultures. Measurement of BAG-75 and its fragment concentration in serum represents a new method to estimate the rate of new bone formation in vivo. Our purpose was to establish an anti-VARYQNTEEEE peptide antibody based ELISA test to measure cross-reactive proteins released from bone into blood. Western blotting was performed using young rat serum from different ages, rats subjected to ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery, and normal human serum. Immunoreactive 50 kDa fragment peaked at 18 days after birth which parallels bone formation. Ovariectomized rats displayed a peak of 50 kDa immunoreactivty at 21 days after surgery which corresponds to a spike in bone formation in this model (~2.5-fold above controls). Comparable assays for osteocalcin showed only a 39% increase. Also, human serum contains a 50 kDa protein which cross-reacts with anti-VARYQNTEEEE antibodies. We then established a competitive 96-well ELISA using anti-peptide antibody and new sera at 21 days from ovariectomized or sham rats, a model for stimulated bone formation. VARYQNTEEEE peptide conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was used as the bound antigen. KLH-peptide amount, primary antibody concentration, secondary antibody concentration, and blocking agent were optimized in a series of experiments. Optimal conditions were determined to be 2 µg input KLH-peptide per well, 1/5,000 dilution of primary anti-VARYQNTEEEE antibody, 1/10,000 dilution of secondary antibody, and gelatin as a blocking agent. Sera from OVX rats and sham-operated controls were compared to the standard curve (r = 0.9923) created with free KLH-peptide as competitor to determine the equivalent amount of KLH-peptide present. OVX sera (n=3) contained an average 2.6 x 10-4 (+/- 1.4 x 10-4) µg peptide equivalent versus 1.05 x 10-4 (+/- 0.68 x 10-4) µg for sham sera (n=3). The difference was not significant (t-test, p=0.157), however, doubling the sample size is predicted to yield significance. Conclusions: A. Cross-reactive 75 kDa and 50 kDa proteins are present in human and rat serum and increase in concentration when bone formation is stimulated. B. A new, single antibody based ELISA assay was established to quantitate antigen released from bone into blood. C. In contrast to other commercial bone formation assays (collagen peptides and osteocalcin), the size of cross-reactive protein (>50 kDa) should preclude kidney filtration and facilitate measurement. D. This serum biomarker undergoes a 2-3 fold average increase within 3 weeks after simulation of bone. This test may be useful to monitor the early response to stimulatory therapy in osteoporosis patients or to repressive glucocorticoid therapy in sarcoidosis patients. Currently, a 1% change in bone mineral density requires 12-18 months to detect by x-ray methods

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1949

• Want, an Old Freedom Unused • Is History Bunk? • How Things Grow • A Real Gone Poem • Hish Proves Himself • Death? Not Yet! • On the Neglect of Victorian Literature • The Tradition Lives On • To the Other Side • Autumn\u27s Panorama • Autumn Treasure • A Walk • Leaves • The Moment • Dawn • Sentiments • Dustinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1049/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1949

• Want, an Old Freedom Unused • Is History Bunk? • How Things Grow • A Real Gone Poem • Hish Proves Himself • Death? Not Yet! • On the Neglect of Victorian Literature • The Tradition Lives On • To the Other Side • Autumn\u27s Panorama • Autumn Treasure • A Walk • Leaves • The Moment • Dawn • Sentiments • Dustinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1049/thumbnail.jp