Targeting BCL-2 regulated apoptosis in cancer

The ability of a cell to undergo mitochondrial apoptosis is governed by pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 protein family. The equilibrium of pro- versus anti-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins ensures appropriate regulation of programmed cell death during development and maintains organismal health. When unbalanced, the BCL-2 family can act as a barrier to apoptosis and facilitate tumour development and resistance to cancer therapy. Here we discuss the BCL-2 family, their deregulation in cancer and recent pharmaceutical developments to target specific members of this family as cancer therapy

The National Ignition Facility Project

The mission of the National Ignition Facility is to achieve ignition and gain in ICF targets in the laboratory. The facility will be used for defense applications such as weapons physics and weapons effect testing, and for civilian applications such as fusion energy development and fundamental studies of matter at high temperatures and densities. This paper reviews the design, schedule and costs associated with the construction project

16 May 1954 SOCORRO County Specimen Collection Data

Specimen collected 16 May 1954. Original Locality: Alamosa Creek at Warm Springs Apache Reservation. Locality: Alamosa Creek at Warm Springs Apache Reservation.Catalog number: MSB1687; Taxa: Gila pandora; Common name: Rio Grande chub; Count of specimens: 63; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2687; Taxa: Gila pandora; Common name: Rio Grande chub; Count of specimens: 1; Standard length

Directions of ICF research in the United States

Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) research in the United States is in a dramatic upswing. Technical progress continues at a rapid pace and with the start of construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) this year the total U.S. budget for ICF for fiscal year 1997 stands at $380 million. The NIF is being built as an essential component of the U.S. Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, which has been formulated to assure the continued safety, reliability and performance of the downsized nuclear weapons stockpile in the absence of nuclear tests. Thus the increase in funding originates in the Congressional armed services committees and is managed by Defense Programs of the Department of Energy. The NIF, however, is a fundamental research tool that will be of great benefit beyond its mission within the nuclear weapons program. Its experiments will promote fusion energy development and will open new areas of basic scientific research. This paper will discuss some of the directions that ICF research is now taking, the progress on the NIF Project, and the potential impact that these developments are likely to have on fusion energy development and on certain areas of the basic sciences

04 October 1947 TAOS County Specimen Collection Data

Specimen collected 04 October 1947. Original Locality: Taos Creek near mouth. Locality: Rio Fernando de Taos, near mouth or confluence with Rio Grande, off NM State HWY 570.Catalog number: MSB703; Taxa: Pimephales promelas; Common name: fathead minnow; Count of specimens: 3; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB707; Taxa: Pimephales promelas; Common name: fathead minnow; Count of specimens: 38; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB764; Taxa: Gambusia affinis; Common name: western mosquitofish; Count of specimens: 1; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB888; Taxa: Rhinichthys cataractae; Common name: longnose dace; Count of specimens: 11; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB926; Taxa: Rhinichthys cataractae; Common name: longnose dace; Count of specimens: 7; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1285; Taxa: Cyprinella lutrensis; Common name: red shiner; Count of specimens: 2; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1559; Taxa: Cyprinella lutrensis; Common name: red shiner; Count of specimens: 42; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1573; Taxa: Cyprinus carpio; Common name: common carp; Count of specimens: 1; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1765; Taxa: Gila pandora; Common name: Rio Grande chub; Count of specimens: 1; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1808; Taxa: Platygobio gracilis; Common name: flathead chub; Count of specimens: 5; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1812; Taxa: Platygobio gracilis; Common name: flathead chub; Count of specimens: 4; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2038; Taxa: Salmo trutta; Common name: brown trout; Count of specimens: 50; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2041; Taxa: Salmo trutta; Common name: brown trout; Count of specimens: 1; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2060; Taxa: Oncorhynchus mykiss; Common name: rainbow trout; Count of specimens: 7; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2079; Taxa: Oncorhynchus mykiss; Common name: rainbow trout; Count of specimens: 12; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2144; Taxa: Catostomus commersonii; Common name: white sucker; Count of specimens: 56; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB2148; Taxa: Catostomus commersonii; Common name: white sucker; Count of specimens: 9; Standard length

10 April 1948 VALENCIA County Specimen Collection Data

Specimen collected 10 April 1948. Original Locality: Spring run into Rio San Jose, Suwanee. Locality: Spring run into Rio San Jose, Suwanee.Catalog number: MSB923; Taxa: Rhinichthys cataractae; Common name: longnose dace; Count of specimens: 41; Standard length:Catalog number: MSB1690; Taxa: Gila pandora; Common name: Rio Grande chub; Count of specimens: 245; Standard length

Light Scattering and Gloss of an Experimental Quartz-filled Composite

For samples of polymethylmethacrylate with and without quartz filler, the inverse of the contrast-gloss ratio is shown to be related to surface roughness and to the optical scattering coefficient. This finding adds to the importance of optical scattering, which has been widely studied because of its relation to color and translucency of materials. Furthermore, optical scattering by composite fillers is shown to be linearly related to the concentration of the filler material within the range of concentrations studied. Quartz fillers were incorporated at concentrations from 5 to 20 weight percent and were short fibers or granular powder, with the granular particles ranging in median equivalent spherical diameter from 15 to 3.3 μm. The efficiency of optical scattering for the granular quartz filler increased as the size of the filler decreased.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68026/2/10.1177_00220345860650060501.pd

Soil profile modification and cotton production

Hardpan soils of the southeastern Coastal Plains were mixed to depths up to 0.61 m in an attempt to alleviate strength problems associated with a subsurface pan. It was hypothesized that mixing the dense, coarse-textured E Horizon with the less dense Ap and the relatively clayey B horizon would increase the water-holding capacity of the E and decrease its strength. Mixed soil did have a higher amount of water held than the unmixed E, increasing it from 5 to 7% at -200 kPa matric potential. This would reduce its strength by approximately 0.1 MPa allowing easier root penetration whether the increased water is available for uptake or not. Although seed cotton in the deeply-mixed treatments outyielded the moldboard-plowed treatments by 233 kg/ha in one year, they were outyielded by 132 kg/ha in another year. The decrease in strength and the increases of retention as a result of the mixing were small and infiltration was unchanged. Furthermore, mixing of field samples was less homogenous than lab samples. It is doubtful that the level of improvement of cotton would warrant the effort involved in the mixing operation. Treatments at two sites were split into fertility subplots. The only significant fertility difference was between rates of N sidedressed when plants were about 0.40 m tall. The 20 kg/ha rate outyielded the 67 kg/ha rate by up to 300 kg/ha presumably because the higher rate encouraged vegetative growth and retarded boll formation which in turn limited lint and seed production. Interactions between tillage or mixing and fertility were non-significant. Plants grew better in the deeper disturbed soils in dryer years. Other crops may respond more favorably to the mixing

Improving maternal mortality reporting at the community level with a 4‐question modified reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS)

ObjectiveTo investigate the identification of maternal deaths at the community level using the reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS) in all households in which a women of reproductive age (WRA) died and to determine the most concise subset of questions for identifying a pregnancy‐related death for further investigation.MethodsA full RAMOS survey was conducted with the families of 46 deceased WRA who died between 2005 and July 2009 and was compared with the cause of death confirmed by the maternal mortality review committee to establish the number of maternal mortalities. The positive predictive value (PPV) of each RAMOS question for identifying a maternal death was determined.ResultsCompared with years of voluntary reporting, active surveillance for maternal deaths doubled their identification. In addition, 4 questions from the full RAMOS have the highest PPV for a maternal death including the question: “Was she pregnant within the last 6 weeks?” which had a 100% PPV and a 100% negative predictive value.ConclusionActive identification of maternal mortality at the community level by using a 4‐question modified RAMOS that is systematically administered in the local language by health workers can increase understanding of the extent of maternal mortality in rural Ghana.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135380/1/ijgo29.pd