Exposure to Abnormal Self Antigens During Non-Malignant Inflammatory Events Provides Immunological Defense Against Tumors

Cancer immunosurveillance is the body’s sentinel mechanism of recognizing and eliminating malignancy. Specifically, the immune system can mount a response against cancer through the recognition of tumor associated antigens (TAA). While studying two TAAs, MUC1 and cyclin B1, our group discovered T cell and antibody responses specific for these abnormal molecules not only in cancer patients but also in healthy individuals with no cancer history. While seeking to explain why TAA specific responses exist in healthy people, our group and others’ epidemiologic studies revealed that individuals who had a history of febrile pathogenic infections had a lower risk of cancer development. These results led us to hypothesize that non-malignant events such as influenza infection, elicit abnormal expression of multiple self-antigens on infected cells and specific immune memory against those antigens. Abnormal expression of the same antigens on tumor cells triggers specific immune responses and provides adaptive immune memory to participate in tumor surveillance. Rather than classifying these abnormal molecules common to virus infected and malignant cells as TAAs, they should be recognized as disease associated antigens (DAA). I first tested this hypothesis in MUC1Tg mice and found that, influenza infection induces abnormal MUC1 expression in the lung, MUC1 specific CD8+ T cells, and that influenza experienced mice control MUC1+ tumor growth. I next addressed if this infection model could lead to the identification of other DAA. I modified the mouse model by using C57BL/6 mice, using two influenza virus strains as the stronger pathogenic insult to the lung and using a lung tumor Lewis Lung Carcinoma (3LL) as the tumor challenge. Through the use of 2D-Difference Gel Electrophoresis to resolve and identify tumor proteins detected deferentially by pre- and post-infection mouse sera, I selected from over 120 proteins five specific molecules (DAAs) for further iv study: GAPDH, Histone H4, HSP90, Malate Dehydrogenase 2 and Annexin A2. Western blot analysis confirmed their overexpression in two mouse tumor cell lines and in flu-infected lungs compared to healthy lungs. Additionally I confirmed that antibodies and CD8+ T cell specific responses were generated against these 5 DAAs following flu infection. Lastly, animals vaccinated with peptide derived from these candidate DAA demonstrated a prolonged delay in tumor growth. Better understanding of early life events that prepare the immune system to protect individuals against known and unknown pathogens as well as future malignancies will help direct vaccines towards strengthening life-long immunosurveillance. Importantly, these findings support the use of vaccines based on DAAs/TAAs for cancer prevention

The strategic implications of the current Internet design for cyber security

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-89).In the last two decades, the Internet system has evolved from a collection point of a few networks to a worldwide interconnection of millions of networks and users who connect to transact virtually all kinds of business. The evolved network system is also known as Cyberspace. The use of Cyberspace is now greatly expanded to all fields of human endeavor by far exceeding the original design projection. And even though, the Internet architecture and design has been robust enough to accommodate the extended domains of uses and applications, it has also become a medium used to launch all sorts of Cyber attacks that results into several undesirable consequences to users. This thesis analyzes the current Internet system architecture and design and how their flaws are exploited to launch Cyber attacks; evaluates reports from Internet traffic monitoring activities and research reports from several organizations; provides a mapping of Cyber attacks to Internet architecture and design flaw origin; conducts Internet system stakeholder analysis; derives strategic implications of the impact of Internet system weaknesses on Cyber security; and makes recommendations on the broader issues of developing effective strategies to implement Cyber security in enterprise systems that have increasingly become complex. From a global architectural design perspective, the study conducted demonstrates that although the Internet is a robust design, the lack of any means of authentication on the system is primarily responsible for the host of Cyber security issues and thus has become the bane of the system. Following the analysis, extrapolation of facts and by inferences we conclude that the myriad of Cyber security problems will remain and continue on the current exponential growth path until the Internet and in particular the TCP/IP stack is given the ability to authenticate and that only through a collaborative effort by all stakeholders of the Internet system can the other major Cyber security issues be resolved especially as it relates to envisioning and fashioning new Cyber security centric technologies.by Charles M. Iheagwara.S.M.in Engineering and Managemen

Economic Valuation for Information Security Investment: A Systematic Literature Review

Research on technological aspects of information security risk is a well-established area and familiar territory for most information security professionals. The same cannot be said about the economic value of information security investments in organisations. While there is an emerging research base investigating suitable approaches measuring the value of investments in information security, it remains difficult for practitioners to identify key approaches in current research. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic literature review on approaches used to evaluate investments in information security. Following a defined review protocol, we searched several databases for relevant primary studies and extracted key details from the identified studies to answer our research questions. The contributions of this work include: a comparison framework and a catalogue of existing approaches and trends that would help researchers and practitioners navigate existing work; categorisation and mapping of approaches according to their key elements and components; and a summary of key challenges and benefits of existing work, which should help focus future research efforts

Comparative Analysis of the Use of Banana Peels and NaOH in Ph Control In Nigerian Clays

This paper documents an investigation into the control of pH in drilling mud. The experiments were designed using local and imported additives, namely banana peels and NaOH, KOH. The clays used in the experiment were sourced locally from two Nigerian towns. Ash produced from burnt banana peels were used as a substitutive for the industrial sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide, (KOH). The negative adverse effects of mud cuttings with inorganic additives on the environment have been demonstrated. The ash were observed to be environmentally more friendly and readily degradable. It also showed an appreciable improvement of the pH of the drilling fluid from 5.0 -7.9 to 11.3.Keywords: Nigeria; clay; biodegradable additive

The Effect of Hydrocarbon Pollution on Niger Delta Root Crops: A Case Study of Cocoyam [Colocasia Esculenta]

<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>This paper investigates effects of re-occurring oil spillages on cocoyam, Colocasia esculenta (L.). It studies changes in petiole lengths, leaf blades, chlorophyll concentrations in leaves, and PAH and BTEX concentrations in tubers for three generations under diverse conditions. 8 10-gallon grow bags were used: Grow bags 5–8 were treated with a controlled quantity (4 L/cubic metre) of liquid crude hydrocarbon in the months of June 2019–2021; with 2 replications, after a 2-3-day interval within a week. In grow bags 3, 4, 7, and 8, poultry manure were applied once in 2 months after small seedlings emerged from soil surfaces. Grow bags 1 and 2, 3, and 4 served as "controls" for non-contaminated growth. Grow bags 7 and 8 were treated with hydrocarbons and poultry manure. In the first generation, coco yams planted in grow bags 7-8 showed growth responses (average values of 1.04 m, 51 cm, 4.45 mg/g for petiole length, leaf blade length, and chlorophyll concentration, respectively) very similar to coco yams planted in pristine soil with poultry manure with average values of 1.00 m, 50 cm, 3.45 mg/g. The cocoyams planted in pristine organic rich soils showed similar response with or without fertilizers (average values of 0.98 m, 48 cm 1.83mg/g and 1.00m, 50 cm, 3.45mg/g) with progressively smaller leaves as generation increases. The cocoyams in hydrocarbon impacted soils generally perform poorer than uncontaminated soil with or without poultry manure by the second and third generation. Poultry manure on soils with re-occurring hydrocarbon contamination exacerbates soil weakening. Mean PAH and mean BTEX concentrations in tubers were 0.001-0.0035 mg/kg and <0.001mg/kg respectively. Cocoyams are not strong BTEX bioactive scavenger but gradually became more concentrated in PAH.</p&gt

Optimization of Gas Flow Network using the Traveling Salesman And the Nearest Neighbors Algorithms

The overall goal of this paper is to develop a general formulation for an optimal infrastructure layout design of gas pipeline distribution networks using algorithm developed from the application of two industrial engineering concepts: the traveling salesman problem (TSP) and the nearest neighbor (NN). The focus is on the optimization of pipe length and the selection of satisfactory pipe diameters (based on economics and market availability) to minimize the length of pipe used. A computer model is developed for the optimization of pipeline lengths. The formulation was based on well-known equations for the pressure loss at every node. The mathematical model embedded in the C#NET code was developed in a Window environment so as to make the solution user-friendly. Validation of the solution is done for layout design by manual selection of optimal path.Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics, Volume 19 (November, 2011), pp 433 – 43