Contract Formation Jurisdiction of the United States Claims Court

This new United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has jurisdiction over appeals in contract and patent infringement cases. The former Court of Claims\u27 trial division has also been replaced with a new United States Claims Court. This court, inter alia, has been invested with the jurisdiction to conduct trials in contract and patent cases. Of particular interest to the government contracting community, is the provision of the Act regarding the contract formation or pre-award jurisdiction of the new Claims Court. The Claims Court has the potential to provide the most effective forum for the resolution of protests against the award of federal government contracts. Early decisions by the Claims Court defining both the court\u27s jurisdiction over pre-award issues and the scope of review in cases found to be within the court\u27s jurisdiction, however, raised substantial fears whether that potential ever would be reached. The March 23, 1983 decision of the new Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in United States v. Grimberg Co. and subsequent Claims Court opinions applying that decision now confirm those fears. Section I looks at the situation in government contracts cases before the creation of the new court. Section II briefly acknowledges the limitations of the former system, and how Congress sought to fix these problems in the Federal Courts Improvement Act. Then Section II turns to discuss the decision in US v. Grimberg

Contract Formation Jurisdiction of the United States Claims Court

This new United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has jurisdiction over appeals in contract and patent infringement cases. The former Court of Claims\u27 trial division has also been replaced with a new United States Claims Court. This court, inter alia, has been invested with the jurisdiction to conduct trials in contract and patent cases. Of particular interest to the government contracting community, is the provision of the Act regarding the contract formation or pre-award jurisdiction of the new Claims Court. The Claims Court has the potential to provide the most effective forum for the resolution of protests against the award of federal government contracts. Early decisions by the Claims Court defining both the court\u27s jurisdiction over pre-award issues and the scope of review in cases found to be within the court\u27s jurisdiction, however, raised substantial fears whether that potential ever would be reached. The March 23, 1983 decision of the new Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in United States v. Grimberg Co. and subsequent Claims Court opinions applying that decision now confirm those fears. Section I looks at the situation in government contracts cases before the creation of the new court. Section II briefly acknowledges the limitations of the former system, and how Congress sought to fix these problems in the Federal Courts Improvement Act. Then Section II turns to discuss the decision in US v. Grimberg

Plant genetic resources for agriculture, plant breeding, and biotechnology: Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela

"Local farming communities throughout the world face binding productivity constraints, diverse nutritional needs, environmental concerns, and significant economic and financial pressures. Developing countries address these challenges in different ways, including public and private sector investments in plant breeding and other modern tools for genetic crop improvement. In order to measure the impact of any technology and prioritize investments, we must assess the relevant resources, human capacity, clusters, networks and linkages, as well as the institutions performing technological research and development, and the rate of farmer adoption. However, such measures have not been recently assessed, in part due to the lack of complete standardized information on public plant breeding and biotechnology research in developing countries. To tackle this void, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in consultation with the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI) and other organizations, designed a plant breeding and biotechnology capacity survey for implementation by FAO consultants in 100 developing countries. IFPRI, in collaboration with FAO and national experts contracted by FAO to complete in-country surveys, identified and analyzed plant breeding and biotechnology programs in four developing countries: Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela. Here, we use an innovation systems framework to examine the investments in human and financial resources and the distribution of resources among the different programs, as well as the capacity and policy development for agricultural research in the four selected countries. Based on our findings, we present recommendations to help sustain and increase the efficiency of publicly- and privately-funded plant breeding programs, while maximizing the use of genetic resources and developing opportunities for GM crop production. Policy makers, private sector breeders, and other stakeholders can use this information to prioritize investments, consider product advancement, and assess the relative magnitude of the potential risks and benefits of their investments." from Author's Abstractplant breeding, biotechnology, public research, Funding, Innovation systems, Capacity building, Biosafety,

Nitric Oxide-Releasing Nanoparticles Prevent Propionibacterium acnes-Induced Inflammation by Both Clearing the Organism and Inhibiting Microbial Stimulation of the Innate Immune Response.

Propionibacterium acnes induction of IL-1 cytokines through the NLRP3 (NLR, nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor) inflammasome was recently highlighted as a dominant etiological factor for acne vulgaris. Therefore, therapeutics targeting both the stimulus and the cascade would be ideal. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent biological messenger, has documented broad-spectrum antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. To harness these characteristics to target acne, we used an established nanotechnology capable of generating/releasing NO over time (NO-np). P. acnes was found to be highly sensitive to all concentrations of NO-np tested, although human keratinocyte, monocyte, and embryonic zebra fish assays revealed no cytotoxicity. NO-np significantly suppressed IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-8, and IL-6 from human monocytes, and IL-8 and IL-6 from human keratinocytes, respectively. Importantly, silencing of NLRP3 expression by small interfering RNA did not limit NO-np inhibition of IL-1 β secretion from monocytes, and neither TNF-α nor IL-6 secretion, nor inhibition by NO-np was found to be dependent on this pathway. The observed mechanism by which NO-np impacts IL-1β secretion was through inhibition of caspase-1 and IL-1β gene expression. Together, these data suggest that NO-np can effectively prevent P. acnes-induced inflammation by both clearing the organism and inhibiting microbial stimulation of the innate immune response

Development of Dromedary Antibody-based Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting Chikungunya virus Infections

Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne Togavirus belonging to the genus Alphavirus that is responsible for sporadic worldwide outbreaks of Chikungunya fever, an acute febrile illness often associated with severe polyarthralgia. In Kenya, Chikungunya virus is of great epidemiological concern, with the last major outbreak occurring in 2016 in North Eastern Kenya. Reliable detection of CHIKV infections is key to controlling this re-emerging pathogen, for which no cure currently exists.  Current diagnostic methods for CHIKV employ a combination of tests, particularly immunologic, serologic or virologic techniques.  However, the independent scientific reviews on the validity and sensitivity of currently available commercial assays have been conflicting. Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a dromedary antibody-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for detecting Chikungunya virus infections. Methods: To produce sufficient antigen for camel immunization, Chikungunya virus (strain Lamu 33) was propagated in confluent C6-36 E2 cells using Cytodex microcarrier system. Purified and inactivated CHIKV immunogen was used to inoculate two camels reared at the University of Nairobi farm in Kibwezi, Kenya. Camel serum samples collected over the entire immunization period were assayed for the presence of anti-Chikungunya IgG by indirect ELISA. Purification of camel Heavy Chain IgG antibodies was performed by lectin affinity chromatography on protein A and protein G-Sepharose columns; then conjugated with horse radish peroxidase (HRP). The HRP-conjugated camel Heavy Chain IgG2 and IgG3 were optimized for ELISA, with optical density measured using a microplate reader set at 492nm.   A total of 188 human sera samples were assayed using the developed dromedary-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to determine Chikungunya virus infections. Results: The sensitivity of the dromedary HCAb IgG2 assay was 91.3% (95% CI: 0.831 - 0.994); while that for HCAb IgG3 assay was 95.7% (95% CI: 0.898 - 1.01).  The specificity of HCAb IgG2 assay was 92.3% (95% CI: 0.879 - 0.967); while the specificity of HCAb IgG3 method was 90% (95% CI: 0.851 - 0.949). For HCAb IgG2 and IgG3 based assays, the positive predictive values were 79.2% and 75.8 % respectively; while the negative predictive values were 97% and 98.4% for HCAb IgG2 and IgG3 based assays respectively. Conclusion: The camel antibody based assay was found to be reliable assay with very good sensitivity and specificity, and can be deployed for detection of Chikungunya virus infections. Key words: Chikungunya, ELISA, camel antibodies, diagnosi

Quantities and qualities of fecal sludge : experiences from field implementation with a Volaser in 7 countries during a pandemic

Reasonable estimates for quantities and qualities (Q&Q) of fecal sludge that accumulate in onsite sanitation containments are fundamental for the design of appropriate management and treatment solutions, from community to city-scale. There are increasing attempts to improve Q&Q estimates, but current approaches are still at a conceptual level, and are not yet standardized with confirmed statistical relationships. To reach this level, we will need consistent approaches for planning, measuring, and global collaborations. Hence, the objectives of this study were: (1) to assess and compare Q&Q of fecal sludge from seven cities and communities, and explore statistical relationships that could be used to increase accuracy of Q&Q estimations; (2) to test and launch the Volaser device for measuring in situ volumes of fecal sludge; and (3) to capture lessons learned from field implementation with collaborators in seven countries during a global pandemic when no international travel was possible. The study took place in Ghana, India, Lebanon, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Q&Qs were measured in 204 containments with a Volaser, laboratory analysis, and questionnaire. Results indicate that there are differences in Total Solids (TS) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in fecal sludge based on containment type, toilet type, source, and whether there is a water connection on the premises. Based on the results of this study, together with previously published open-source data, an empirical relationship for Volatile Solids (VS) and TS of 0.49 (R2 = 0.88) was established using 1,206 data points. For COD/TS, no significant relationship was observed. Developing such empirical relationships will be useful for planning and modeling approaches. An external evaluation was conducted to evaluate overall project management, Volaser technology transfer, and effects of collaborating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Success factors for collaborating with new and existing partners without face-to-face meetings included laboratory capacity and experience with analytical methods, study objectives that were relevant for the partner and locality, and a strong quality assurance plan to ensure comparability of results. The lessons learned can be taken forward as ways to reduce carbon footprint, and contribute to resilient, inclusive development research projects

Synthetic Lethal Targeting of ARID1A-Mutant Ovarian Clear Cell Tumors with Dasatinib

New targeted approaches to ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCC) are needed, given the limited treatment options in this disease and the poor response to standard chemotherapy. Using a series of high-throughput cell-based drug screens in OCCC tumor cell models, we have identified a synthetic lethal (SL) interaction between the kinase inhibitor dasatinib and a key driver in OCCC, ARID1A mutation. Imposing ARID1A deficiency upon a variety of human or mouse cells induced dasatinib sensitivity, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this is a robust synthetic lethal interaction. The sensitivity of ARID1A-deficient cells to dasatinib was associated with G1 -S cell-cycle arrest and was dependent upon both p21 and Rb. Using focused siRNA screens and kinase profiling, we showed that ARID1A-mutant OCCC tumor cells are addicted to the dasatinib target YES1. This suggests that dasatinib merits investigation for the treatment of patients with ARID1Amutant OCCC. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(7); 1472-84. Ó2016 AACR.</p

Fine-scale spatial segregation in a pelagic seabird driven by differential use of tidewater glacier fronts

In colonially breeding marine predators, individual movements and colonial segregation are influenced by seascape characteristics. Tidewater glacier fronts are important features of the Arctic seascape and are often described as foraging hotspots. Albeit their documented importance for wildlife, little is known about their structuring effect on Arctic predator movements and space use. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that tidewater glacier fronts can influence marine bird foraging patterns and drive spatial segregation among adjacent colonies. We analysed movements of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in a glacial fjord by tracking breeding individuals from five colonies. Although breeding kittiwakes were observed to travel up to ca. 280 km from the colony, individuals were more likely to use glacier fronts located closer to their colony and rarely used glacier fronts located farther away than 18 km. Such variation in the use of glacier fronts created fine-scale spatial segregation among the four closest (ca. 7 km distance on average) kittiwake colonies. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that spatially predictable foraging patches like glacier fronts can have strong structuring effects on predator movements and can modulate the magnitude of intercolonial spatial segregation in central-place foragers