Macrophage Survival Assay Using High Content Microscopy

Macrophages are phagocytic innate immune cells and are the main drivers of inflammation in tissue (Medzhitov, 2008). These cells are associated with cancer together with autoimmune, autoinflammatory, infectious, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases (Ginhoux and Jung, 2014). In this context, the role of macrophages in inflammation is well-studied, however, the impact of macrophage survival in non-infectious and infectious diseases is largely unknown. Our study showed that the activation of certain pathogen-associated receptors (PRRs) can induce macrophage survival (Eren et al., 2016). We described a molecular mechanism that demonstrated how an obligate intracellular pathogen exploits PRR-induced cell survival (Eren et al., 2016). Thus, further studies are necessary to understand the role of macrophage survival in different disease settings

Mass distributions for nuclear disintegration from fission to evaporation

By a proper choice of the excitation energy per nucleon we analyze the mass distributions of the nuclear fragmentation at various excitation energies. Starting from low energies (between 0.1 and 1 MeV/nucleon) up to higher energies about 12 MeV/n, we classified the mass yield characteristics for heavy nuclei (A>200) on the basis of Statistical Multifragmentation Model. The evaluation of fragment distribution with the excitation energy show that the present results exhibit the same trend as the experimental ones.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Interstory drift based scaling of earthquake ground motions

A novel amplitude scaling procedure is proposed in this study where the ground motion scaling factors are defined as the ratio of interstory drift distributions under target spectrum versus under the associated ground motion spectrum. The advantage of employing interstory drift ratio in ground motion scaling, compared to employing spectral intensity directly, is that it provides a strong theoretical link between the target spectrum intensity and the fundamental dynamic characteristics of the structure. Hence, scaling is conditioned on structural response, which is in turn a function of seismic intensity. The interstory drift-based scaling procedure (IDS) is presented herein for planar frames for brevity. Accuracy and efficiency of the IDS procedure is assessed under a set of near fault strong motions from large magnitude events. The results revealed that the proposed procedure is accurate since the resulting bias in estimating linear elastic interstory drifts is negligibly small. Further, it is noticeably more effective as compared to the conventional procedures suggested in recent seismic codes, yet it is simpler

"A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being"

We use the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-being (LIMEW), the most comprehensive income measure available to date, to compare economic well-being in Canada and the United States in the first decade of the 21st century. This study represents the first international comparison based on LIMEW, which differs from the standard measure of gross money income (MI) in that it includes noncash government transfers, public consumption, income from wealth, and household production, and nets out all personal taxes. We find that, relative to the United States, median equivalent LIMEW was 11 percent lower in Canada in 2000. By 2005, this gap had narrowed to 7 percent, while the difference in median equivalent MI was only 3 percent. Inequality was notably lower in Canada, with a Gini coefficient of 0.285 for equivalent LIMEW in 2005, compared to a US coefficient of 0.376-a gap that primarily reflects the greater importance of income from wealth in the States. However, the difference in Gini coefficients declined between 2000 and 2005. We also find that the elderly were better off relative to the nonelderly in the United States, but that high school graduates did better relative to college graduates in Canada.Well-Being; Living Standards; Inequality; Income; International Comparisons

A Theoretical Analysis of the Conditions for Unambiguous Node Localization in Sensor Networks

In this paper we provide a theoretical foundation for the problem of network localization in which some nodes know their locations and other nodes determine their locations by measuring distances or bearings to their neighbors. Distance information is the separation between two nodes connected by a sensing/communication link. Bearing is the angle between a sensing/communication link and the x-axis of a node's local coordinate system. We construct grounded graphs to model network localization and apply graph rigidity theory and parallel drawings to test the conditions for unique localizability and to construct uniquely localizable networks. We further investigate partially localizable networks

A Theoretical Analysis of the Conditions for Unambiguous Node Localization in Sensor Networks

In this paper we provide a theoretical foundation for the problem of network localization in which some nodes know their locations and other nodes determine their locations by measuring distances or bearings to their neighbors. Distance information is the separation between two nodes connected by a sensing/communication link. Bearing is the angle between a sensing/communication link and the x-axis of a node's local coordinate system. We construct grounded graphs to model network localization and apply graph rigidity theory and parallel drawings to test the conditions for unique localizability and to construct uniquely localizable networks. We further investigate partially localizable networks

Factors affecting Acheulean handaxe variation: Experimental insights, microevolutionary processes, and macroevolutionary outcomes

PublishedJournal ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The “Acheulean” is comprised of individual knapping events undertaken by individual hominins. In other words, it is a particular component of hominin behavior that we draw out and amalgamate into a wider “pattern.” The resultant phenomenon (i.e., “the Acheulean”) is an entity that stretches over the space of three continents and spans a time period in excess of one million years. If such an exercise has any merit, it is because it provides a means of comparative (behavioral) analysis over these swathes of time and space. Comparative research can document, measure, and statistically assess temporo-spatial patterns of artifactual variation, and so test hypotheses regarding the character of that variation. However, it does not provide an independent means of examining some of the key phenomena which it is necessary to further understand in order to increase our comprehension of this archaeological legacy. Here, we review and synthesize recent experimental work that we have undertaken, which has specifically investigated some of the factors potentially responsible for the generation and constraint of variation within the Acheulean techno-complex. We examine issues of raw material, copying errors, and their relationship to mechanisms of social learning. Understanding these microevolutionary factors via experiments, we contend, is essential in order to reach a secure understanding of the macroscale phenomenon typically referred to as the “Acheulean.” Moreover, we outline how a “quantitative genetic” framework to these issues provides an essential means of linking these inherent micro- and macro-evolutionary factors into a coherent whole, while also simultaneously reconciling the potential influence of different sources of variation that are part of a temporally and geographically dispersed entity such as the Acheulean.We thank Marie-Hélène Moncel and Daniele Schreve for their invitation to take part in this issue. We are also grateful to the four reviewers (Michael O'Brien and three anonymous), whose thoughtful and constructive comments on the manuscript were much appreciated. Much of the work reported in this paper was funded by the Leverhulme Trust

Caspase-mediated cleavage of raptor participates in the inactivation of mTORC1 during cell death.

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a highly conserved protein complex regulating key pathways in cell growth. Hyperactivation of mTORC1 is implicated in numerous cancers, thus making it a potential broad-spectrum chemotherapeutic target. Here, we characterized how mTORC1 responds to cell death induced by various anticancer drugs such rapamycin, etoposide, cisplatin, curcumin, staurosporine and Fas ligand. All treatments induced cleavage in the mTORC1 component, raptor, resulting in decreased raptor-mTOR interaction and subsequent inhibition of the mTORC1-mediated phosphorylation of downstream substrates (S6K and 4E-BP1). The cleavage was primarily mediated by caspase-6 and occurred at two sites. Mutagenesis at one of these sites, conferred resistance to cell death, indicating that raptor cleavage is important in chemotherapeutic apoptosis

Determination of anomalous pulmonary venous return with high-pitch low-dose computed tomography in paediatric patients

Background: In this study, we aimed to image pulmonary venous return anomalies and associated cardiovascular and pulmonary abnormalities by high-pitch low-dose computed tomography (CT) in children. Materials and methods: Forty-one patients with total or partial anomalous pulmonary venous return anomalous between May 2012 and June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The anomalies were determined using high-pitch low-dose CT. The patients’ mean age was 3 years (6 months to 15 years), and 24 of them were female. Results: There were 10 patients with total pulmonary venous return anomalies (TPVRA) and 31 patients with partial pulmonary venous return anomalies (PPVRA). Six (60%) patients with TPVRA had the supracardiac type, 2 (20%) had the cardiac type, and 2 (20%) had the mixed type. All patients with TPVRA had a large atrial septal defect (ASD), 1 patient also had patent ductus arteriosus, and 1 patient had right cardiac hypertrophy. Forty cases of PPVRA were found in 31 patients. Twenty-seven (67%) of them were right-sided, and 13 were left-sided (33%). Twenty (65%) patients also had an additional cardiovascular anomaly (ASD in 12 patients, persistent superior vena cava in 4 patients, patent ductus arteriosus in 3 patients, and aortic coarctation in 2 patients). Of the 27 patients with right-sided PPVRA, it drained into the superior vena cava in 19 patients, the right atrium in 5 patients, and the inferior vena cava in 3 patients. In left-sided cases, the anomalous pulmonary vein drained into the left innominate vein in 9 patients, and in 4 patients, there were accessory pulmonary veins that drained into the left innominate vein. Many of the patients had additional lung anomalies, including pneumonic infiltration (n = 12), atelectasis (n = 8), and lobar emphysema (n = 5), and some of these findings coexisted. Conclusions: Anomalous pulmonary venous drains and associated cardiac and extra-cardiac anomalies can be detected reliably and quickly with high-pitch low-dose CT without sedation in paediatric patients

A case of pediatric stiff-person syndrome in Kenya

Background: Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare progressive autoimmune disease that is especially uncommon in the pediatric population. SPS is often undiagnosed for years. Case: Here we present a 12 year-old girl with a history of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus who presented with epigastric pain and whole body rigidity to a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. A high-clinical suspicion led to targeted autoimmune testing and diagnosis in 15 days. The serum anti–glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) level was greater than 2000 (normal 0-10 IU/ml), strongly supporting the diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome plus. The patient recovered with diazepam, baclofen, and supportive care. Intravenous immunoglobulin was unavailable due to the patient’s economic constraints and challenges in accessing the health facility. Several weeks later she returned with recrudescence of her symptoms. Conclusion: We hope this case presentation will help illustrate the need to build care systems that can address the longitudinal care of patients with neurologic diseases in resource-limited settings.   French title:Un cas pédiatrique de syndrome de la personne raide au Kenya Introduction: Le syndrome de la personne raide (SPR) est une maladie auto-immune progressive rare qui est particulièrement rare dans la population pédiatrique. Le SPR n'y est souvent pas diagnostiqué pendant des années. Observation: Nous présentons ici le cas d’une fille de 12 ans ayant des antécédents de diabète sucré insulino-dépendant qui s'est présentée avec des douleurs épigastriques et une rigidité corporelle totale dans un hôpital d'Eldoret, au Kenya. Une forte suspicion clinique a conduit à des tests auto-immuns ciblés et à un diagnostic en 15 jours. Le taux sérique d'acide anti-glutamique décarboxylase (GAD) était supérieur à 2000 (normal 0-10 UI/ml), ce qui étaye fortement le diagnostic du syndrome de la personne raide plus. Le patient s'est rétabli avec du diazépam, du baclofène et des soins de soutien. L’immunoglobuline intraveineuse n’était pas disponible en raison des contraintes économiques du patient et des difficultés d’accès au centre de santé. Plusieurs semaines plus tard, elle est revenue avec une recrudescence de ses symptômes. Conclusion Nous espérons que cette observation aidera à illustrer la nécessité de créer des systèmes de soins capables de prendre en charge les soins longitudinaux des patients atteints de maladies neurologiques dans des milieux à ressources limitées