Biocidal effects of silver Final technical report

Elimination of microbial and viral agents from spacecraft water systems by silver ions from electrolytic ion generato

Biocidal effects of silver Final technical report

Biocidal effects of silver with application to spacecraft water system

HLA Class-II Associated HIV Polymorphisms Predict Escape from CD4+ T Cell Responses.

Antiretroviral therapy, antibody and CD8+ T cell-mediated responses targeting human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) exert selection pressure on the virus necessitating escape; however, the ability of CD4+ T cells to exert selective pressure remains unclear. Using a computational approach on HIV gag/pol/nef sequences and HLA-II allelic data, we identified 29 HLA-II associated HIV sequence polymorphisms or adaptations (HLA-AP) in an African cohort of chronically HIV-infected individuals. Epitopes encompassing the predicted adaptation (AE) or its non-adapted (NAE) version were evaluated for immunogenicity. Using a CD8-depleted IFN-γ ELISpot assay, we determined that the magnitude of CD4+ T cell responses to the predicted epitopes in controllers was higher compared to non-controllers (p<0.0001). However, regardless of the group, the magnitude of responses to AE was lower as compared to NAE (p<0.0001). CD4+ T cell responses in patients with acute HIV infection (AHI) demonstrated poor immunogenicity towards AE as compared to NAE encoded by their transmitted founder virus. Longitudinal data in AHI off antiretroviral therapy demonstrated sequence changes that were biologically confirmed to represent CD4+ escape mutations. These data demonstrate an innovative application of HLA-associated polymorphisms to identify biologically relevant CD4+ epitopes and suggests CD4+ T cells are active participants in driving HIV evolution

Changes of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation of the past 30ka recorded in a depth transect at the Blake Outer Ridge

Oceans and climate are a tightly coupled system interacting with each other in various ways such as storage of carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. Within the global conveyor belt the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) holds a key function, transporting warm salty surface waters from the tropical to the northern Atlantic where deep water formation takes place. Following the continental rise of North America this newly formed deep water propagates southward as Western Boundary Undercurrent (WBUC) ventilating the deep Atlantic. In the past (e.g. the last glacial cycle) strength and geometry of the AMOC have changed significantly. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the temporal and spatial (also depth depended) evolution of the AMOC in the western Atlantic sector since the last glacial (∼30 ka). We have investigated four sediment cores of the Blake Outer Ridge (30°N, 74°W; ODP 1059 to 1062) in a depth transect from 3000 to 4700 m water depth in the main flow path of the WBUC. We measured four down-core profiles of neodymium (εNd) and 231Pa/230Th isotopes for the reconstruction of water mass provenance and circulation strength of the last ∼30 ka. In contrast to published Nd isotope and 231Pa/230Th records from the Blake Ridge area our records are of unprecedented resolution, resolving climate key features of the North Atlantic region: Heinrich Stadials (HS) 1 and 2, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the Bølling-Allerød and Younger Dryas (YD). Radiogenic Nd isotope signatures during the LGM reveal AABW to be the prevalent water mass in the deep western North Atlantic. The trend to more unradiogenic signatures during the deglaciation point to an increased formation of NADW which was again replaced by AABW during YD. The Holocene shows the most unradiogenic signatures and therefore established NADW. The circulation strength-proxy 231Pa/230Th indicates reduced LGM deep circulation, a pronounced slowdown during HS1 and a strong and deep circulation during the Holocene. Compared to isotopic records from the Bermuda Rise (ODP 1063) we found depth depended geometry changes of the WBUC which have occurred through the last glacial. Here, we focus on how deep northern sourced water has reached during phases of reduced circulation (indicated by increased 231Pa/230Th ratios) and the timing of this southward progradation of lower NADW

Oncolytic Virotherapy as Emerging Immunotherapeutic Modality: Potential of Parvovirus H-1

Human tumors develop multiple strategies to evade recognition and efficient suppression by the immune system. Therefore, a variety of immunotherapeutic strategies have been developed to reactivate and reorganize the human immune system. The recent development of new antibodies against immune check points may help to overcome the immune silencing induced by human tumors. Some of these antibodies have already been approved for treatment of various solid tumor entities. Interestingly, targeting antibodies may be combined with standard chemotherapy or radiation protocols. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that intratumoral (it) or intravenous (iv) injections of replicative oncolytic viruses such as herpes simplex-, pox-, parvo- or adenoviruses may also reactivate the human immune system. By generating tumor cell lysates in situ, oncolytic viruses overcome cellular tumor resistance mechanisms and induce immunogenic tumor cell death resulting in the recognition of newly released tumor antigens.This is in particular the case of the oncolytic parvovirus H-1 (H-1PV) which is able to kill human tumor cells and stimulate an antitumor immune response through increased presentation of tumor-associated antigens, maturation of dendritic cells and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Current research and clinical studies aim to assess the potential of oncolytic virotherapy and its combination with immunotherapeutic agents or conventional treatments to further induce effective antitumoral immune responses

Hydrothermal trace metal release and microbial metabolism in the northeastern Lau Basin of the South Pacific Ocean

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cohen, N. R., Noble, A. E., Moran, D. M., McIlvin, M. R., Goepfert, T. J., Hawco, N. J., German, C. R., Horner, T. J., Lamborg, C. H., McCrow, J. P., Allen, A. E., & Saito, M. A. Hydrothermal trace metal release and microbial metabolism in the northeastern Lau Basin of the South Pacific Ocean. Biogeosciences, 18(19), (2021): 5397–5422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5397-2021.Bioactive trace metals are critical micronutrients for marine microorganisms due to their role in mediating biological redox reactions, and complex biogeochemical processes control their distributions. Hydrothermal vents may represent an important source of metals to microorganisms, especially those inhabiting low-iron waters, such as in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Previous measurements of primordial 3He indicate a significant hydrothermal source originating in the northeastern (NE) Lau Basin, with the plume advecting into the southwest Pacific Ocean at 1500–2000 m depth (Lupton et al., 2004). Studies investigating the long-range transport of trace metals associated with such dispersing plumes are rare, and the biogeochemical impacts on local microbial physiology have not yet been described. Here we quantified dissolved metals and assessed microbial metaproteomes across a transect spanning the tropical and equatorial Pacific with a focus on the hydrothermally active NE Lau Basin and report elevated iron and manganese concentrations across 441 km of the southwest Pacific. The most intense signal was detected near the Mangatolo Triple Junction (MTJ) and Northeast Lau Spreading Center (NELSC), in close proximity to the previously reported 3He signature. Protein content in distal-plume-influenced seawater, which was high in metals, was overall similar to background locations, though key prokaryotic proteins involved in metal and organic uptake, protein degradation, and chemoautotrophy were abundant compared to deep waters outside of the distal plume. Our results demonstrate that trace metals derived from the NE Lau Basin are transported over appreciable distances into the southwest Pacific Ocean and that bioactive chemical resources released from submarine vent systems are utilized by surrounding deep-sea microbes, influencing both their physiology and their contributions to ocean biogeochemical cycling.This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (grant nos. 1031271, 1924554, 1850719, 1736599, and 1851007); the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grant no. 3782); and the Simons Foundation (grant no. 544236)

Guiding neutral atoms around curves with lithographically patterned current-carrying wires

Laser-cooled neutral atoms from a low-velocity atomic source are guided via a magnetic field generated between two parallel wires on a glass substrate. The atoms bend around three curves, each with a 15-cm radius of curvature, while traveling along a 10-cm-long track. A maximum flux of 2*10^6 atoms/sec is achieved with a current density of 3*10^4 A/cm^2 in the 100x100-micrometer-cross-section wires. The kinetic energy of the guided atoms in one transverse dimension is measured to be 42 microKelvin.Comment: 9 page

Broadband laser cooling of trapped atoms with ultrafast pulses

We demonstrate broadband laser cooling of atomic ions in an rf trap using ultrafast pulses from a modelocked laser. The temperature of a single ion is measured by observing the size of a time-averaged image of the ion in the known harmonic trap potential. While the lowest observed temperature was only about 1 K, this method efficiently cools very hot atoms and can sufficiently localize trapped atoms to produce near diffraction-limited atomic images