Characterizing a Shallow Groundwater System beneath Irrigated Sugarcane with Electrical Resistivity and Radon (222Rn), Puunene, Hawai

In this study, we use a combination of electrical resistivity profiling and radon (222Rn) measurements to characterize a shallow groundwater system beneath the last remaining, largescale sugarcane plantation on Maui, Hawaii. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company has continuously operated a sugarcane plantation on the western flank of Haleakala Volcano since 1878. The sugarcane is irrigated with a combination of surface water brought through tunnels from the wetter, eastern flank of Haleakala Volcano and groundwater from wells within the plantation. To assess the flow of irrigation water through the shallow subsurface, we collected a representative topo-sequence of four 2-D resistivity profiles that sample different topographic and hydrologic settings within the plantation. The profiles show a down-slope-thickening (0 to 20 m), surficial low-resistivity (10-200 Ohm-m) layer extending from the upslope limit of irrigated sugarcane to the lowest elevations of the plantation. At a canal crossing, the low resistivity layer thickens and is less resistive upslope of the canal. Beneath a reservoir at midelevation, the layer thickens to 20 m and curves down slope beneath the reservoir and up to the base of the field beyond. At the base of the slope, the low resistivity layer is 20-m thick below both fields and a second reservoir. An increase in radon concentration in the down-flow direction within the canal system at one location suggests groundwater infiltration into the canal. We attribute the low-resistivity layer to irrigation water that has infiltrated below the root zone and leaked from canals and reservoirs within the plantation. The water flows down slope to the base of the slope and there flows vertically, recharging the basal aquifer. We suggest that seepage from the canals and reservoirs is in part controlled by the local pressure head within the shallow flow system

ROR-γ drives androgen receptor expression and represents a therapeutic target in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The androgen receptor (AR) is overexpressed and hyperactivated in human castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, the determinants of AR overexpression in CRPC are poorly defined. Here we show that retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (ROR-γ) is overexpressed and amplified in metastatic CRPC tumors, and that ROR-γ drives AR expression in the tumors. ROR-γ recruits nuclear receptor coactivator 1 and 3 (NCOA1 and NCOA3, also known as SRC-1 and SRC-3) to an AR-ROR response element (RORE) to stimulate AR gene transcription. ROR-γ antagonists suppress the expression of both AR and its variant AR-V7 in prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines and tumors. ROR-γ antagonists also markedly diminish genome-wide AR binding, H3K27ac abundance and expression of the AR target gene network. Finally, ROR-γ antagonists suppressed tumor growth in multiple AR-expressing, but not AR-negative, xenograft PCa models, and they effectively sensitized CRPC tumors to enzalutamide, without overt toxicity, in mice. Taken together, these results establish ROR-γ as a key player in CRPC by acting upstream of AR and as a potential therapeutic target for advanced PCa

An integrated framework on autonomous-EV charging and autonomous valet parking (AVP) management system

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) transform traditional commuting by decreasing congestion, improving road safety, and naturally integrate better with electric controls for flexible implementation of autonomous driving technologies. Indeed, electric-powered AVs or autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs) are benefiting each other in many aspects. While autonomy brings great efficiency in driving as well as battery use, EVs require less maintenance and drastically cut fuel costs. With AVs, a pivotal concern is within the realm of long-range Autonomous Valet Parking (LAVP), such as diverse customer demands on parking (or drop-off / pick-up) for various journey planning. On the other hand, electric-powered AVs are typically with limited cruising range, and locating convenient charging services are also among the major impediments. As of yet, recent studies have started to investigate EV charging and LAVP in isolation as they rarely consider a joint optimization on user trip and energy refueling. Rather, we target in this work the integration of vehicle charging with autonomy in the sense of a systemic approach. Specifically, we propose an integrated AEV charging and LAVP management scheme, to resolve critical decision-making on convenient charging and parking management upon customer requirements during their journeys. The proposed scheme jointly considers charging reservations as well as parking duration at car parks (CPs), aiming to enable accurate predictions on future charging (and parking) states at CPs. Results show the advantage of our proposal over benchmarks, in terms of enhanced customer experiences in traveling period, as well as charging performances at both AEV and CP sides. Particularly, effective load balancing can be achieved across the network regarding the amount of charged as well as parked vehicles