Geostatistically Constrained Seismic Deconvolution

We present a method for combining seismic deconvolution and geostatistical interpolation. Both problems are posed as a single joint inverse problem in the maximum likelihood framework. Joint inversion allows for well data to improve the deconvolution results and, conversely, allows the seismic data to improve the interpolation of well data. Traditional interpolation and trace-by-trace deconvolution are special cases of the joint inverse problem. Inversion is performed on 2-D and 3-D field data sets.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Earth Resources Laborator

Sustaining Patient Portal Continuous Use Intention and Enhancing Deep Structure Usage: Cognitive Dissonance Effects of Health Professional Encouragement and Security Concerns

Sustaining patient portal use is a major problem for many healthcare organizations and providers. If this problem can be successfully addressed, it could have a positive impact on various stakeholders. Through the lens of cognitive dissonance theory, this study investigates the role of health professional encouragement as well as patients\u27 security concerns in influencing continuous use intention and deep structure usage among users of a patient portal. The analysis of data collected from 177 patients at a major medical center in the Midwestern region of the United States shows that health professional encouragement helps increase the continuous use intention and deep structure usage of the patient portal, while security concerns impede them. Interestingly, health professional encouragement not only has a direct positive influence on continuous use intention and deep structure usage but also lowers the negative impact of security concerns on them. The research model explains a substantial variance in continuous use intention (i.e., 40%) and deep structure usage (i.e., 32%). The paper provides theoretical implications as well as practical implications to healthcare managers and providers to improve patient portal deep structure usage and sustained use for user retention

Eosinophil granules function extracellularly as receptor-mediated secretory organelles

Intracellular granules in several types of leukocytes contain preformed proteins whose secretions contribute to immune and inflammatory functions of leukocytes, including eosinophils, cells notably associated with asthma, allergic inflammation, and helminthic infections. Cytokines and chemokines typically elicit extracellular secretion of granule proteins by engaging receptors expressed externally on the plasma membranes of cells, including eosinophils. Eosinophil granules, in addition to being intracellular organelles, are found as intact membrane-bound structures extracellularly in tissue sites of eosinophil-associated diseases. Neither the secretory capacities of cell-free eosinophil granules nor the presence of functional cytokine and chemokine receptors on membranes of leukocyte granules have been recognized. Here, we show that granules of human eosinophils express membrane receptors for a cytokine, IFN-γ, and G protein–coupled membrane receptors for a chemokine, eotaxin, and that these receptors function by activating signal-transducing pathways within granules to elicit secretion from within granules. Capacities of intracellular granule organelles to function autonomously outside of eosinophils as independent, ligand-responsive, secretion-competent structures constitute a novel postcytolytic mechanism for regulated secretion of eosinophil granule proteins that may contribute to eosinophil-mediated inflammation and immunomodulation

Dimerization of Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein Is Essential For Its Cytokine-Like Activity

BACKGROUND:Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) found in nasal lavage fluids of allergic patients was named IgE-dependent histamine-releasing factor (HRF). Human recombinant HRF (HrHRF) has been recently reported to be much less effective than HRF produced from activated mononuclear cells (HRFmn). METHODS AND FINDINGS:We found that only NH(2)-terminal truncated, but not C-terminal truncated, TCTP shows cytokine releasing activity compared to full-length TCTP. Interestingly, only NH(2)-terminal truncated TCTP, unlike full-length TCTP, forms dimers through intermolecular disulfide bonds. We tested the activity of dimerized full-length TCTP generated by fusing it to rabbit Fc region. The untruncated-full length protein (Fc-HrTCTP) was more active than HrTCTP in BEAS-2B cells, suggesting that dimerization of TCTP, rather than truncation, is essential for the activation of TCTP in allergic responses. We used confocal microscopy to evaluate the affinity of TCTPs to its putative receptor. We detected stronger fluorescence in the plasma membrane of BEAS-2B cells incubated with Del-N11TCTP than those incubated with rat recombinant TCTP (RrTCTP). Allergenic activity of Del-N11TCTP prompted us to see whether the NH(2)-terminal truncated TCTP can induce allergic airway inflammation in vivo. While RrTCTP had no influence on airway inflammation, Del-N11TCTP increased goblet cell hyperplasia in both lung and rhinal cavity. The dimerized protein was found in sera from allergic patients, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from airway inflamed mice. CONCLUSIONS:Dimerization of TCTP seems to be essential for its cytokine-like activity. Our study has potential to enhance the understanding of pathogenesis of allergic disease and provide a target for allergic drug development

Transcriptional Changes in Schistosoma mansoni during Early Schistosomula Development and in the Presence of Erythrocytes

Schistosome blood flukes cause more mortality and morbidity than any other human worm infection, but current control methods primarily rely on a single drug. There is a desperate need for new approaches to control this parasite, including vaccines. People become infected when the free-swimming larva, the cercaria, enters through the skin and becomes the schistosomulum. Schistosomula are susceptible to immune responses during their first few days in the host before they become adult parasites. We characterised the genes that these newly transformed parasites switch on when they enter the host to identify molecules that are critical for survival in the human host. Some of these highly up-regulated genes can be targeted for future development of new vaccines and drugs