Role of Terrestrial Wild Birds in Ecology of Influenza A Virus (H5N1)

Recent viruses are pathogenic for some small terrestrial bird species

Generation of human vascular smooth muscle subtypes provides insight into embryological origin-dependent disease susceptibility.

Heterogeneity of embryological origins is a hallmark of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and may influence the development of vascular disease. Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into developmental origin-specific SMC subtypes remains elusive. Here we describe a chemically defined protocol in which hPSCs were initially induced to form neuroectoderm, lateral plate mesoderm or paraxial mesoderm. These intermediate populations were further differentiated toward SMCs (>80% MYH11(+) and ACTA2(+)), which displayed contractile ability in response to vasoconstrictors and invested perivascular regions in vivo. Derived SMC subtypes recapitulated the unique proliferative and secretory responses to cytokines previously documented in studies using aortic SMCs of distinct origins. Notably, this system predicted increased extracellular matrix degradation by SMCs derived from lateral plate mesoderm, which was confirmed using rat aortic SMCs from corresponding origins. This differentiation approach will have broad applications in modeling origin-dependent disease susceptibility and in developing bioengineered vascular grafts for regenerative medicine

Pharmacological Fingerprints of Contextual Uncertainty

Successful interaction with the environment requires flexible updating of our beliefs about the world. By estimating the likelihood of future events, it is possible to prepare appropriate actions in advance and execute fast, accurate motor responses. According to theoretical proposals, agents track the variability arising from changing environments by computing various forms of uncertainty. Several neuromodulators have been linked to uncertainty signalling, but comprehensive empirical characterisation of their relative contributions to perceptual belief updating, and to the selection of motor responses, is lacking. Here we assess the roles of noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and dopamine within a single, unified computational framework of uncertainty. Using pharmacological interventions in a sample of 128 healthy human volunteers and a hierarchical Bayesian learning model, we characterise the influences of noradrenergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic receptor antagonism on individual computations of uncertainty during a probabilistic serial reaction time task. We propose that noradrenaline influences learning of uncertain events arising from unexpected changes in the environment. In contrast, acetylcholine balances attribution of uncertainty to chance fluctuations within an environmental context, defined by a stable set of probabilistic associations, or to gross environmental violations following a contextual switch. Dopamine supports the use of uncertainty representations to engender fast, adaptive responses. \ua9 2016 Marshall et al

Non-coding Transcription Instructs Chromatin Folding and Compartmentalization to Dictate Enhancer-Promoter Communication and T Cell Fate

It is now established that Bcl11b specifies T cell fate. Here, we show that in developing T cells, the Bcl11b enhancer repositioned from the lamina to the nuclear interior. Our search for factors that relocalized the Bcl11b enhancer identified a non-coding RNA named ThymoD (thymocyte differentiation factor). ThymoD-deficient mice displayed a block at the onset of T cell development and developed lymphoid malignancies. We found that ThymoD transcription promoted demethylation at CTCF bound sites and activated cohesin-dependent looping to reposition the Bcl11b enhancer from the lamina to the nuclear interior and to juxtapose the Bcl11b enhancer and promoter into a single-loop domain. These large-scale changes in nuclear architecture were associated with the deposition of activating epigenetic marks across the loop domain, plausibly facilitating phase separation. These data indicate how, during developmental progression and tumor suppression, non-coding transcription orchestrates chromatin folding and compartmentalization to direct with high precision enhancer-promoter communication

Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT (semester?), IPRO 304B

The objective of this project is to design a renewably powered hydrogen fuelling station at IIT to be part of the Illinois Hydrogen Highway. Based on past recommendations a project site will be selected for the fuelling station. This site will also include a wind turbine and solar panel array to capture renewable energy. The principles of process design will be used to layout hydrogen production, storage, and implementation of renewable energy technologies. The stations will meet all local codes for hydrogen storage, production, and usage. This station will be designed in conjunction with the House of the Future, which is part of IIT’s Sustainable Village.Deliverables for IPRO 304B: Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT for the Spring 2005 semeste

Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT (semester?), IPRO 304B: Solar Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station IPRO 304B Poster Sp05

The objective of this project is to design a renewably powered hydrogen fuelling station at IIT to be part of the Illinois Hydrogen Highway. Based on past recommendations a project site will be selected for the fuelling station. This site will also include a wind turbine and solar panel array to capture renewable energy. The principles of process design will be used to layout hydrogen production, storage, and implementation of renewable energy technologies. The stations will meet all local codes for hydrogen storage, production, and usage. This station will be designed in conjunction with the House of the Future, which is part of IIT’s Sustainable Village.Deliverables for IPRO 304B: Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT for the Spring 2005 semeste

Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT (semester?), IPRO 304B: Solar Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station IPRO 304B Project Plan Sp05

The objective of this project is to design a renewably powered hydrogen fuelling station at IIT to be part of the Illinois Hydrogen Highway. Based on past recommendations a project site will be selected for the fuelling station. This site will also include a wind turbine and solar panel array to capture renewable energy. The principles of process design will be used to layout hydrogen production, storage, and implementation of renewable energy technologies. The stations will meet all local codes for hydrogen storage, production, and usage. This station will be designed in conjunction with the House of the Future, which is part of IIT’s Sustainable Village.Deliverables for IPRO 304B: Solar/Wind Hydrogen Fueling Station at IIT for the Spring 2005 semeste