CD8+ T cells from a novel T cell receptor transgenic mouse induce liver-stage immunity that can be boosted by blood-stage infection in rodent malaria

To follow the fate of CD8+ T cells responsive to Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infection, we generated an MHC I-restricted TCR transgenic mouse line against this pathogen. T cells from this line, termed PbT-I T cells, were able to respond to blood-stage infection by PbA and two other rodent malaria species, P. yoelii XNL and P. chabaudi AS. These PbT-I T cells were also able to respond to sporozoites and to protect mice from liver-stage infection. Examination of the requirements for priming after intravenous administration of irradiated sporozoites, an effective vaccination approach, showed that the spleen rather than the liver was the main site of priming and that responses depended on CD8α+ dendritic cells. Importantly, sequential exposure to irradiated sporozoites followed two days later by blood-stage infection led to augmented PbT-I T cell expansion. These findings indicate that PbT-I T cells are a highly versatile tool for studying multiple stages and species of rodent malaria and suggest that cross-stage reactive CD8+ T cells may be utilized in liver-stage vaccine design to enable boosting by blood-stage infections

The CI-FLOW Project: A System for Total Water Level Prediction from the Summit to the Sea

Kildow et al. (2009) reported that coastal states support 81% of the U.S. population and generate 83 percent [$11.4 trillion (U.S. dollars) in 2007] of U.S. gross domestic product. Population trends show that a majority of coastal communities have transitioned from a seasonal, predominantly weekend, tourist-based economy to a year-round, permanently based, business economy where industry expands along shorelines and the workforce commutes from inland locations. As a result of this transition, costs associated with damage to the civil infrastructure and disruptions to local and regional economies due to coastal flooding events are escalating, pushing requirements for a new generation of flood prediction technologies and hydrologic decision support tools

Supporting and Extending the SEACOOS Program: The Extension and Education Work Group

In addition to the observation, collection and analysis of data, Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) funding supported the development of a complementary Extension and Education (E&E) component. Extension activities were operated through the Sea Grant Extension Programs of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Education activities were channeled through the three Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence in the SEACOOS domain, and the University of Georgia Marine Extension program, E&E Work Group (WG) activities included identifying stakeholders and their needs, increasing awareness of SEACOOS and ocean observing systems in general, and developing concepts for potential products. This article is designed to describe (1) how education and outreach functions were developed with SEACOOS funding to E&E Principal Investigators, (2) the lessons learned from the many collaborations, and (3) best practices gleaned from the four years of activity funding. Best practices for E&E included defining clearly the target audiences, identifying information needs, providing products appropriate to the audience, designing evaluations with a strong feedback loop, and developing long-term relationships between audiences and providers. This article is one of seven published in this special edition of the MTS Journal to provide a forward-looking discussion of future development of the Southeast Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (SE RCOOS)

Seacoos Program Management

The management of the SEACOOS program and its evolution over a five-year period are reviewed. The topics included pertain to the mechanisms used to create a consortium, define its mission, develop and manage its annual budget and tasking cycle; and the history of its focus over a five-year period. The management of SEACOOS was complex and required significant efforts to develop new approaches and collaborative mechanisms. Changes in management were made as weaknesses were identified and to enable a more unified approach to the evaluation, operations, data management and outreach efforts. A number of programmatic lessons learned are summarized that may be of value for future development of regional coastal ocean observing systems

The subcellular location of ovalbumin in Plasmodium berghei blood stages influences the magnitude of T-cell responses.

Host-parasite interactio