A Brief Survey of Vedāntic Oneirology

The Upaniṣads, as one of the trilogy of principal Vedāntic texts, the oldest and the most fundamental of them, have exposed a more or less detailed discussion on dreaming, taking it whether as the factual object of their discourse or as a symbol. However, there has been a debate between different schools of Vedāntic philosophy about oneirology, science of dreams and their interpretation, discussion of nature of the dream state, its reality and unreality. This paper, after a short study of oneirology in the Vedas and Upaniṣads, examines argumentations of four great philosophers of different Vedāntic schools, Gauḍapāda, Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva, pertaining to dreams

Surface and Subsurface Application of Chemical Dispersants and Associated Ecosystem Impacts

Chemical dispersants are applied to spilled oil in marine environments when other, less controversial, methods are not adequate for the incident. They are considered to be a response method as opposed to a direct cleanup method, with the intended goals of reducing risk of exposure to sensitive shorelines, reducing environmental injury to surface-dwelling sea birds and marine mammals, and facilitating the biodegradation of spilled oil into the water column. For this research, both surface and subsurface application of dispersants were evaluated in terms of oil characteristics and volume, and oceanic and atmospheric conditions. More data exists to support the effectiveness of chemical dispersant application at surface water oil slicks as opposed to subsurface plumes. However, since Deepwater Horizon in 2010, there have been several hundred scientific research papers published to study subsurface application of oil spill dispersants. While the efficacy, ecosystem impacts, and ultimate fate of chemical dispersants and dispersed oil generates conflicting opinions in the scientific community, there are measures that could be taken in order to minimize potential impacts. Research that accounts for variable conditions and ecosystems could be initiated, simulating field conditions in laboratory settings, processing data from Deepwater Horizon, and utilizing current response and monitoring protocols

Macroscale multimodal imaging reveals ancient painting production technology and the vogue in Greco-Roman Egypt.

Macroscale multimodal chemical imaging combining hyperspectral diffuse reflectance (400-2500 nm), luminescence (400-1000 nm), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF, 2 to 25 keV) data, is uniquely equipped for noninvasive characterization of heterogeneous complex systems such as paintings. Here we present the first application of multimodal chemical imaging to analyze the production technology of an 1,800-year-old painting and one of the oldest surviving encaustic ("burned in") paintings in the world. Co-registration of the data cubes from these three hyperspectral imaging modalities enabled the comparison of reflectance, luminescence, and XRF spectra at each pixel in the image for the entire painting. By comparing the molecular and elemental spectral signatures at each pixel, this fusion of the data allowed for a more thorough identification and mapping of the painting's constituent organic and inorganic materials, revealing key information on the selection of raw materials, production sequence and the fashion aesthetics and chemical arts practiced in Egypt in the second century AD

Molecular Impact of the Tumor Microenvironment on Multiple Myeloma Dissemination and Extramedullary Disease.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most common malignant monoclonal disease of plasma cells. Aside from classical chemotherapy and glucocorticoids, proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents and monoclonal antibodies are used in the current treatment scheme of MM. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a fundamental role in the development and progression of numerous solid and non-solid cancer entities. In MM, the survival and expansion of malignant plasma cell clones heavily depends on various direct and indirect signaling pathways provided by the surrounding bone marrow (BM) niche. In a number of MM patients, single plasma cell clones lose their BM dependency and are capable to engraft at distant body sites or organs. The resulting condition is defined as an extramedullary myeloma (EMM). EMMs are highly aggressive disease stages linked to a dismal prognosis. Emerging literature demonstrates that the dynamic interactions between the TME and malignant plasma cells affect myeloma dissemination. In this review, we aim to summarize how the cellular and non-cellular BM compartments can promote plasma cells to exit their BM niche and metastasize to distant intra-or extramedullary locations. In addition, we list selected therapy concepts that directly target the TME with the potential to prevent myeloma spread

Molecular Immunotherapy: Promising Approach to Treat Metastatic Colorectal Cancer by Targeting Resistant Cancer Cells or Cancer Stem Cells.

The immune system is able to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. Some tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), induce immune tolerance via different mechanisms of "immunoediting" and "immune evasion" and can thus escape immune surveillance. The impact of immunotherapy on cancer has been investigated for many years, but so far, the application was limited to few cancer types. Immuno-oncological therapeutic strategies against metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the adaptive immune system activating approaches, offer a high potential for adaptation to the great heterogeneity of CRC. Moreover, novel treatment approaches are currently being tested that might specifically target the disease initiating and maintaining population of colorectal cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this review, we aim to summarize the current state of immune-oncology and tumor immunotherapy of patients with mCRC and discuss different therapeutic modalities that focus on the activation of tumor-specific T-cells and their perspectives such as tumor vaccination, checkpoint inhibition, and adoptive T-cell transfer or on the eradication of colorectal CSCs

Demand driven growth and two class capital distribution with applications to the United States

We present a structuralist growth and distribution model of capitalists and workers. Our model highlights the role of class-differentiated savings propensities as well as an independent accumulation function in determining the dynamics of wealth distribution in the long run. At the steady state, investment parameters do not influence the distribution of wealth but there exists a long run paradox of thrift effect, which distributes wealth to capital- ists whilst simultaneously exerting downward pressure on the long run state of aggregate demand. Applied to annual US data from 1950-2015 using the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm we find that the share of capitalist wealth will stabilize at approximately 68%, fairly close to the Kotlikoff-Summers dynas- tic capital range. We estimate the ratio of worker-capitalist saving propen- sities to be as low as 6%. Our paper has implications for the interaction between wealth inequality and long run economic stagnation in low-growth mature economies