Diversification of a University Faculty: Women Faculty in the MIT Schools of Science and Engineering

A broadly diverse faculty is critical to MIT’s educational mission, and significant efforts have been made to achieve a faculty whose diversity reflects that of the students we train. To assess the success of some of these efforts, I examined the percentage of women faculty in the Schools of Science and Engineering over time. In Science, the increased number (and percentage) of women faculty today is the consequence of: pressures associated with the civil rights movement in the early 1970s; unusual efforts between 1996 and 2000 by former Dean of Science Bob Birgeneau in response to the 1996 Report on Women Faculty in Science; and efforts that sustained the progress made as a result of these two initiatives. The women faculty hired in the School of Science as a result of these pressures achieved tenure at the same rate as men and have achieved at least the same level of professional success as their male colleagues as measured by election to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. In the School of Engineering, the number of women faculty rose more steadily with time and with the increasing number of women receiving PhDs. But as in Science, a recent rapid increase in the number of women faculty resulted from the leadership of its Dean, Tom Magnanti, working collaboratively with then Provost Bob Brown, in response to the “Report on Women Faculty in the School of Engineering.” The data suggest that usual departmental hiring processes do not always identify exceptional female candidates. But, women faculty were readily hired by involvement of the central administration, including the use of novel hiring procedures, collaborations among the Provost, Deans, Department Heads, and women faculty committees, all with the visible support of the President

Re University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association and University of Saskatchewan

This is the determination of an Arbitration Committee established to hear and determine whether or not the grounds for the President\u27s recommendation for the dismissal of Lucinda Vandervort, a tenured Associate Professor, are established and, if established, whether or not they constitute good and sufficient cause for dismissal. The Committee has already issued an interim decision that, even if established, the grounds for the President\u27s recommendation for dismissal do not constitute good and sufficient cause for dismissal and Professor Vandervort has been fully reinstated pending this determination. We advised the parties of our conclusion to that effect after the University had put in its case, in the hope that time and money would be saved. It suffices to say that it did not have that effect

Two Factors that Bind to Highly Conserved Sequences in Mammalian Type C Retroviral Enhancers.

The transcriptional enhancers of the Moloney and Friend murine leukemia viruses (MLV) are important determinants of viral pathogenicity. We used electrophoretic mobility shift and methylation interference assays to study nuclear factors which bind to a region of these enhancers whose sequence is identical between Moloney and Friend viruses and particularly highly conserved among 35 mammalian type C retroviruses whose enhancer sequences have been aligned (E. Golemis, N. A. Speck, and N. Hopkins, J. Virol. 64:534-542, 1990). Previous studies identified sites for the leukemia virus factor b (LVb) and core proteins in this region (N. A. Speck and D. Baltimore, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:1101-1110, 1987) as well as a site, overlapping those for LVb and core, for a third factor (N. R. Manley, M. A. O\u27Connell, P. A. Sharp, and N. Hopkins, J. Virol. 63:4210-4223, 1989). Surprisingly, the latter factor appeared to also bind two sites identified in the Friend MLV enhancer, Friend virus factor a and b1 (FVa and FVb1) sites, although the sequence basis for the ability of the protein to bind these diverse sites was not apparent. Here we describe the further characterization of this binding activity, termed MCREF-1 (for mammalian type C retrovirus enhancer factor 1), and the identification of a consensus sequence for its binding, GGN8GG. We also identify a factor, abundant in mouse T-cell lines and designated LVt, which binds to two sites in the Moloney MLV enhancer, overlapping the previously identified LVb and LVc binding sites. These sites contain the consensus binding site for the Ets family of proteins. We speculate on how distinct arrays of these factors may influence the disease-inducing phenotype

Estudos radiométricos sobre a oxidação de (U-14C) L-aminoácidos por micobactérias sensíveis e resistentes a drogas

A radiometric assay system has been used to study oxidation patterns of (U-14C) L-amino acids by drug-susceptible and drug-resistant mycobacteria. Drug-susceptible M. tuberculosis (H37Rv TMC 102 and Erdman) along with the drug-resistant organism M. tuberculosis (H37 Rv TMC 303), M. bovis, M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. kansasii and M. chelonei were used. The organisms were inoculated into a sterile reaction system with liquid 7H9 medium and one of the (U-14C) L-amino acids. Each organism displayed a different pattern of amino acid oxidation, but these patterns were not distinctive enough for identification of the organism. Complex amino acids such as proline, phenylalanine and tyrosine were of no use in identification of mycobacteria, since virtually all organisms failed to oxidize them. There was no combination of substrates able to separate susceptible from resistant organisms.Um sistema radiométrico foi utilizado para estudar os padrões de oxidação dos (U-14C) L-aminoácidos por micobactérias sensíveis e resis tentes a drogas. Foram usadas duas cepas do M. tuberculosis sensíveis a todas as drogas, H37Rv e Erdman. As micobactérias resistentes foram M. tuberculosis H37Rv resistente a 5 ug/ml de hidrazida, M. bovis, M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. kansasii e M. chelonei. As micobac térias foram inoculadas em frascos estéreis contendo o meio líquido 7H9 e um dos (U-14C) L-aminoácidos. Cada micobactéria apresentou um padrão de oxidação de aminoácidos, mas estes padrões não foram suficientemente diferentes para identificá-la. Aminoácidos complexos como a prolina, fenilalanina e tirosina não tiveram utilidade na identificação das micobactérias, pois praticamente todos os microorganismos foram incapazes de oxidá-los. Nenhuma combinação de aminoácidos foi capaz de separar as micobactérias sensíveis das resistentes a drogas

POLYMORPHISMS IN THE SERUM- AND GLUCOCORTICOID-INDUCIBLE KINASE 1 GENE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD PRESSURE AND RENIN RESPONSE TO DIETARY SALT INTAKE

Serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) plays a central role in epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)-dependent Na+ transport in the distal nephron. We hypothesized that SGK1 gene variants may contribute to the effect of dietary salt intake on BP in humans with hypertension, and consequentially influence renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system activity. Our study population included 421 hypertensive Caucasian participants of the HyperPath group who had completed a dietary salt protocol with measurement of BP and RAA system activity. Three SGK1 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the HapMap CEU population captured the genetic variation in the SGK1 region. Assuming an additive genetic model, two SNPs (rs2758151 and rs9402571) were associated with BP and plasma renin activity (PRA) effects of dietary salt intake. Major alleles were associated with higher systolic BP on high salt and decreased PRA on low salt. In contrast, low salt neutralized genotype differences. Similar, non-significant trends were observed in a normotensive population (N=152). Genotype was also associated with two salt-sensitive subtypes of hypertension. SGK1 genetic variants are associated with salt sensitivity of BP and PRA in human hypertension. Genotype status at these SGK1 variants may identify individuals prone to salt-sensitive hypertension

Identification of Native Defects (Vacancies and Antisites) in CdSiP2 Crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to identify four native defects in single crystals of CdSiP2. This nonlinear optical material is used in optical parametric oscillators to generate tunable output in the mid-infrared. The performance of these frequency-conversion devices is limited when infrared absorption bands associated with native defects overlap a pump wavelength. Cadmium, silicon, and phosphorus vacancies and also silicon-on-cadmium antisites are present in the as-grown undoped CdSiP2 crystals. Using near-band-edge 632.8 nm light from a He-Ne laser, a paramagnetic charge state, and thus an EPR spectrum, is formed at liquid-helium temperatures for three of the four defects. The EPR spectrum from the singly ionized silicon vacancy (V-Si) is present without light and has five hyperfine lines due to equal interactions with the four neighboring 31P nuclei. In contrast, the photoinduced EPR spectrum from the singly ionized cadmium vacancy (V-Cd) has a three-line hyperfine pattern due to equal interactions with only two of its four neighboring 31P nuclei. The light-induced spectrum from the singly ionized silicon-on-cadmium antisite (Si+Cd) also has a three-line hyperfine pattern, thus indicating that the unpaired spin interacts primarily with only two 31P neighbors. For the neutral phosphorus vacancy (V0P), the unpaired spin is primarily localized on the nearest-neighbor silicon ions and the photoinduced EPR spectrum has no resolved 31P hyperfine interactions. The silicon and cadmium vacancies are acceptors, and the silicon-on-cadmium antisite and the phosphorus vacancy are donors

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Optical Absorption Study of Acceptors in CdSiP\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Crystals

Cadmium silicon diphosphide (CdSiP2) is a nonlinear material often used in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) to produce tunable laser output in the mid-infrared. Absorption bands associated with donors and acceptors may overlap the pump wavelength and adversely affect the performance of these OPOs. In the present investigation, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to identify two unintentionally present acceptors in large CdSiP2 crystals. These are an intrinsic silicon-on-phosphorus antisite and a copper impurity substituting for cadmium. When exposed to 633 µm laser light at temperatures near or below 80 K, they convert to their neutral paramagnetic charge states (Si0P and Cu0Cd) and can be monitored with EPR. The corresponding donor serving as the electron trap is the silicon-on-cadmium antisite (Si2+Cd before illumination and Si+Cd after illumination). Removing the 633 µm light and warming the crystal above 90 K quickly destroys the EPR signals from both acceptors and the associated donor. Broad optical absorption bands peaking near 0.8 and 1.4 μm are also produced at low temperature by the 633 µm light. These absorption bands are associated with the Si0P and Cu0Cd acceptors

Defect-related Optical Absorption Bands in CdSiP\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Crystals

When used as optical parametric oscillators, CdSiP2 crystals generate tunable output in the mid-infrared. Their performance, however, is often limited by unwanted optical absorption bands that overlap the pump wavelengths. A broad defect-related optical absorption band peaking near 800 nm, with a shoulder near 1 µm, can be photoinduced at room temperature in many CdSiP2 crystals. This absorption band is efficiently produced with 633 nm laser light and decays with a lifetime of ∼0.5 s after removal of the excitation light. The 800 nm band is accompanied by a less intense absorption band peaking near 1.90 µm. Data from eight CdSiP2crystals grown at different times show that the singly ionized silicon vacancy (V-Si) is responsible for the photoinduced absorption bands. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to identify and directly monitor these silicon vacancies. © 2017 Optical Society of Americ

Intravenous anakinra can achieve experimentally effective concentrations in the central nervous system within a therapeutic time window: results of a dose-ranging study

The naturally occurring antagonist of interleukin-1, IL-1RA, is highly neuroprotective experimentally, shows few adverse effects, and inhibits the systemic acute phase response to stroke. A single regime pilot study showed slow penetration into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at experimentally therapeutic concentrations. Twenty-five patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and external ventricular drains were sequentially allocated to five administration regimes, using intravenous bolus doses of 100 to 500 mg and 4 hours intravenous infusions of IL-1RA ranging from 1 to 10 mg per kg per hour. Choice of regimes and timing of plasma and CSF sampling was informed by pharmacometric analysis of pilot study data. Data were analyzed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling. Plasma and CSF concentrations of IL-1RA in all regimes were within the predicted intervals. A 500-mg bolus followed by an intravenous infusion of IL-1RA at 10 mg per kg per hour achieved experimentally therapeutic CSF concentrations of IL-1RA within 45 minutes. Experimentally, neuroprotective CSF concentrations in patients with SAH can be safely achieved within a therapeutic time window. Pharmacokinetic analysis suggests that IL-1RA transport across the blood–CSF barrier in SAH is passive. Identification of the practicality of this delivery regime allows further studies of efficacy of IL-1RA in acute cerebrovascular disease