Compartmentalization of Cells Bearing "Rheumatic” Cell Surface Antigens in Peripheral Blood and Tonsils in Rheumatic Heart Disease

Monoclonal antibodies that recognize "rheumatic” antigens of peripheral blood non-T cells were used to study the compartmentalization of such cells in peripheral blood and tonsils of individuals with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and suitable control subjects. The peripheral blood of most (71%) of the 42 individuals with RHD contained cells reacting with monoclonal antibody 83S19.23 or 256S.10, whereas these cells were present in only 17% of the 41 control subjects (P < .02). However, none of 21 individuals with RHD had such cells in their tonsils, although they were present in the tonsils of 50% of the 40 control subjects (P < .03). These results may reflect a failure in RHD of organ-specific homing of cells with the epitopes recognized by the antibodies. The presence of these cells in tonsils may be important in the immune response to streptococcal pharyngeal infection, and their absence in RHD may be involved in the unusual immune responses characteristic of this diseas

Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) Technique: CY 04 Year-end Progress Report

Idaho National Laboratory (INL), along with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC), are developing an electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technology for the detection of smuggled nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This CY04 report describes the latest developments and progress with the development of the Pulsed, Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) nuclear material inspection ystem, such as: (1) the identification of an optimal range of electron beam energies for interrogation applications, (2) the development of a new “cabinet safe” electron accelerator (i.e., Varitron II) to assess “cabinet safe-type” operations, (3) the numerical and experimental validation responses of nuclear materials placed within selected cargo configurations, 4) the fabrication and utilization of Calibration Pallets for inspection technology performance verification, 5) the initial technology integration of basic radiographic “imaging/mapping” with induced neutron and gamma-ray detection, 6) the characterization of electron beam-generated photon sources for optimal performance, 7) the development of experimentallydetermined Receiver-Operator-Characterization curves, and 8) several other system component assessments. This project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security and is a technology component of the Science & Technology Active Interrogation Portfolio entitled “Photofission-based Nuclear Material Detection and Characterization.

Detection of Shielded Nuclear Material in a Cargo Container

The Idaho National Laboratory, along with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center, are developing electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technologies for the detection of shielded nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This paper describes a developing prototypical cargo container inspection system utilizing the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) technology, incorporates interchangeable, well-defined, contraband shielding structures (i.e., "calibration" pallets) providing realistic detection data for induced radiation signatures from smuggled nuclear material, and provides various shielded nuclear material detection results. Using a 4.8-kg quantity of depleted uranium, neutron and gamma-ray detection responses are presented for well-defined shielded and unshielded configurations evaluated in a selected cargo container inspection configuration. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserve

Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) Technique: CY-05 Project Summary Report

Idaho National Laboratory, along with Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is developing an electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technology, called the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) system, for the detection of nuclear material concealed within air-, rail-, and, primarily, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This report summarizes the advances and progress of the system’s development in 2005. The contents of this report include an overview of the prototype inspection system, selected Receiver-Operator-Characteristic curves for system detection performance characterization, a description of the approach used to integrate the three major detection components of the PPA inspection system, highlights of the gray-scale density mapping technique being used for significant shield material detection, and higher electron beam energy detection results to support an evaluation for an optimal interrogating beam energy. This project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Research and Development and, more recently, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office

Cytosolic NADPH balancing in Penicillium chrysogenum cultivated on mixtures of glucose and ethanol

The in vivo flux through the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) in Penicillium chrysogenum was determined during growth in glucose/ethanol carbon-limited chemostat cultures, at the same growth rate. Non-stationary 13C flux analysis was used to measure the oxPPP flux. A nearly constant oxPPP flux was found for all glucose/ethanol ratios studied. This indicates that the cytosolic NADPH supply is independent of the amount of assimilated ethanol. The cofactor assignment in the model of van Gulik et al. (Biotechnol Bioeng 68(6):602–618, 2000) was supported using the published genome annotation of P. chrysogenum. Metabolic flux analysis showed that NADPH requirements in the cytosol remain nearly the same in these experiments due to constant biomass growth. Based on the cytosolic NADPH balance, it is known that the cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase in P. chrysogenum is NAD +  dependent. Metabolic modeling shows that changing the NAD + -aldehyde dehydrogenase to NADP + -aldehyde dehydrogenase can increase the penicillin yield on substrate

Promoter polymorphism of the erythropoietin gene in severe diabetic eye and kidney complications

Significant morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus result largely from a greatly increased incidence of microvascular complications. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) are two of the most common and severe microvascular complications of diabetes. A high concordance exists in the development of PDR and ESRD in diabetic patients, as well as strong familial aggregation of these complications, suggesting a common underlying genetic mechanism. However, the precise gene(s) and genetic variant(s) involved remain largely unknown. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a potent angiogenic factor observed in the diabetic human and mouse eye. By a combination of case–control association and functional studies, we demonstrate that the T allele of SNP rs1617640 in the promoter of the EPO gene is significantly associated with PDR and ESRD in three European-American cohorts [Utah: P = 1.91 × 10−3; Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD) Study: P = 2.66 × 10−8; and Boston: P = 2.1 × 10−2]. The EPO concentration in human vitreous body was 7.5-fold higher in normal subjects with the TT risk genotype than in those with the GG genotype. Computational analysis suggests that the risk allele (T) of rs1617640 creates a matrix match with the EVI1/MEL1 or AP1 binding site, accounting for an observed 25-fold enhancement of luciferase reporter expression as compared with the G allele. These results suggest that rs1617640 in the EPO promoter is significantly associated with PDR and ESRD. This study identifies a disease risk-associated gene and potential pathway mediating severe diabetic microvascular complications

Revisiting Family Leisure Research and Critical Reflections on the Future of Family-Centered Scholarship

In this special issue of Leisure Sciences, we examine the progress made and challenges ahead in research on leisure and families—20 years revisited. We consider what advancements have been made in family leisure research and potential new directions that family-centered scholars can look towards. We also consider the dominance of particular theoretical perspectives and methodological designs, and the limitations and consequences of such perspectives, to understand the complexities, diversity, and richness of the lived family experience. Emphasis is placed on the need for scholarship that explores diverse constructions of family and to provide a call to action for family-centered scholars to engage with broader global social issues