Stuff: The Abandoned Land An Interactive Sustainable Role-Playing Game

Stuff: The Abandoned Land is an interactive role-playing game web application designed to help teenagers and young adults understand environmental destruction and the importance of recycling and reducing waste. We are part of the production and consumption cycle but we can instead change our consumptive behavior in order to create a better future. This web application is designed for teenagers and young adults, ages 15 to 24. By developing an engaging interactive game application, we intended to focus the target audience\u27s attention on serious environmental topics. The story begins with the main character, Kevin, who questions the worth of life lived inside the city wall. Inside the wall, the citizens never question where all the manufacture products come from, how things are made or where they go. He decides to go beyond the wall to discover answers. After he makes it outside the wall, he is surrounded by enormous quantities of waste. Then he meets a local citizen and tells him that he needs to travel all the way to the end of the wasteland to discover the best method to clean up this toxic mess. The project is a combination of storytelling, character design, game environment design, equipment design, user interface design and game development. The final presentation exhibits a playable role-playing HTML5 application that contains an intro motion graphic, 7 combat levels, 1 shelter town and a world map with 1 main character, 4 non-player characters (NPC) and 10 monsters

Utilization of statins and aspirin among patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia: Taiwan, 1998–2006

AbstractBackgroundThe proper use of statins and aspirin decrease the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among patients with diabetes (DM) and hyperlipidemia. The purpose of this study was to analyze the time trends and determinants of prescribing statins and aspirin among patients with DM and hyperlipidemia in medical practice in Taiwan.MethodsA cohort of 21,667 patients with DM and hyperlipidemia during the period from 1998 to 2006 was identified by using data of ambulatory care claims from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database. The dataset was categorized into two equal calendar periods: Period 1 (September 1998–June 2002) and Period 2 (July 2002–April 2006). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent determinants associated with receipt of lipid-lowering agents and aspirin among these patients.ResultsThere were significant increases in the prescribing of statins (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.66−1.91) and aspirin (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.50−1.59) in Period 2 as compared with Period 1. Nevertheless, 30% of patients with coexisting CHD neither received statins nor aspirin. Only 15% to 25% of DM patients with hyperlipidemia and CHD received the combined treatment with aspirin and statin. In multivariate logistic regression, we found that women received aspirin less frequently than men. Old patients (>45 years) with concomitant CHD were more likely to receive statins and aspirin.ConclusionDespite the increasing trend in the use of statins and aspirin in DM patients with hyperlipidemia in Taiwan, the improvements were at best modest, particularly for secondary prevention. Our data indicate the need for continued efforts to improve the utilization of these drugs in daily practice

Renal Protection for Coronary Angiography in Advanced Renal Failure Patients by Prophylactic Hemodialysis A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectivesWe performed a study to determine whether prophylactic hemodialysis reduces contrast nephropathy (CN) after coronary angiography in advanced renal failure patients.BackgroundPre-existing renal failure is the greatest risk factor for CN. Hemodialysis can effectively remove contrast media, but its effect upon preventing CN is still uncertain.MethodsEighty-two patients with chronic renal failure, referred for coronary angiography, were assigned randomly to receive either normal saline intravenously and prophylactic hemodialysis (dialysis group; n = 42) or fluid supplement only (control group; n = 40).ResultsProphylactic hemodialysis lessened the decrease in creatinine clearance within 72 h in the dialysis group (0.4 ± 0.9 ml/min/1.73 m2vs. 2.2 ± 2.8 ml/min/1.73 m2; p < 0.001). Compared with the dialysis group, the serum creatinine concentrations in the control group were significantly higher at day 4 (6.3 ± 2.3 mg/dl vs. 5.1 ± 1.3 mg/dl; p = 0.010) and at peak level (6.7 ± 2.7 mg/dl vs. 5.3 ± 1.5 mg/dl; p = 0.005). Temporary renal replacement therapy was required in 35% of the control patients and in 2% of the dialysis group (p < 0.001). Thirteen percent of the control patients, but none of the dialysis patients, required long-term dialysis after discharge (p = 0.018). For the patients not requiring chronic dialysis, 13 patients in the control group (37%) and 2 in the dialysis group (5%) had an increase in serum creatinine concentration at discharge of more than 1 mg/dl from baseline (p < 0.001).ConclusionsProphylactic hemodialysis is effective in improving renal outcome in chronic renal failure patients undergoing coronary angiography

Selection of DDX5 as a novel internal control for Q-RT-PCR from microarray data using a block bootstrap re-sampling scheme

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The development of microarrays permits us to monitor transcriptomes on a genome-wide scale. To validate microarray measurements, quantitative-real time-reverse transcription PCR (Q-RT-PCR) is one of the most robust and commonly used approaches. The new challenge in gene quantification analysis is how to explicitly incorporate statistical estimation in such studies. In the realm of statistical analysis, the various available methods of the probe level normalization for microarray analysis may result in distinctly different target selections and variation in the scores for the correlation between microarray and Q-RT-PCR. Moreover, it remains a major challenge to identify a proper internal control for Q-RT-PCR when confirming microarray measurements.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sixty-six Affymetrix microarray slides using lung adenocarcinoma tissue RNAs were analyzed by a statistical re-sampling method in order to detect genes with minimal variation in gene expression. By this approach, we identified <it>DDX5 </it>as a novel internal control for Q-RT-PCR. Twenty-three genes, which were differentially expressed between adjacent normal and tumor samples, were selected and analyzed using 24 paired lung adenocarcinoma samples by Q-RT-PCR using two internal controls, <it>DDX5 </it>and <it>GAPDH</it>. The percentage correlation between Q-RT-PCR and microarray were 70% and 48% by using <it>DDX5 </it>and <it>GAPDH </it>as internal controls, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Together, these quantification strategies for Q-RT-PCR data processing procedure, which focused on minimal variation, ought to significantly facilitate internal control evaluation and selection for Q-RT-PCR when corroborating microarray data.</p

Obliquity pacing of the western Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zone over the past 282,000 years

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) encompasses the heaviest rain belt on the Earth. Few direct long-term records, especially in the Pacific, limit our understanding of long-term natural variability for predicting future ITCZ migration. Here we present a tropical precipitation record from the Southern Hemisphere covering the past 282,000 years, inferred from a marine sedimentary sequence collected off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea. Unlike the precession paradigm expressed in its East Asian counterpart, our record shows that the western Pacific ITCZ migration was influenced by combined precession and obliquity changes. The obliquity forcing could be primarily delivered by a cross-hemispherical thermal/pressure contrast, resulting from the asymmetric continental configuration between Asia and Australia in a coupled East Asian-Australian circulation system. Our finding suggests that the obliquity forcing may play a more important role in global hydroclimate cycles than previously thought

) The Influence of Low-powered Family LED Lighting on Eyes in Mice Experimental Model

Abstract: Ocular tissue damage because of exposure to visible light has been demonstrated by the results of human and animal studies. The short-wavelength visible light between 430 nm to 500 nm (blue light) is especially associated with retina damage. Recently, new powerful sources and relatively inexpensive blue energy of LED (light emitting diodes) family lamps in home illumination are available. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of illumination source from the low-powered and the conscious spectrum source of LED family lamps on retina tissues. The illumination source of LED family lamps was analyzed from 300 nm to 800 nm using an UVvisible spectrophotometer. In animal experiments, young adult mice were assigned to expose to family LED light for 2h every day ranging 2 to 4 weeks or light environment using LED family lamps for 39 weeks. After LED light treatment, sections of eyes were stained with hematoxylin and examined using histopathology. The data clearly demonstrated irradiation of the white LED is above 400 nm and is not within the ultraviolet light region. However, the analysis of spectrum distribution demonstrated that the family LED lighting exhibited power-peak at 450 nm is within the blue light region. Histological results showed that the photoreceptor layer is significantly reduced in thickness after 4 weeks of LED exposure 2h every day or LED illuminated environment. This study provides important data regarding the efficacy and safety of LED light in family illumination. It is impossible to consider these degenerative changes are related unavoidably part of their mechanism of action or an avoidable toxic effect

Pilot Scale Production of Highly Efficacious and Stable Enterovirus 71 Vaccine Candidates

BACKGROUND: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has caused several epidemics of hand, foot and mouth diseases (HFMD) in Asia and now is being recognized as an important neurotropic virus. Effective medications and prophylactic vaccine against EV71 infection are urgently needed. Based on the success of inactivated poliovirus vaccine, a prototype chemically inactivated EV71 vaccine candidate has been developed and currently in human phase 1 clinical trial. PRINCIPAL FINDING: In this report, we present the development of a serum-free cell-based EV71 vaccine. The optimization at each step of the manufacturing process was investigated, characterized and quantified. In the up-stream process development, different commercially available cell culture media either containing serum or serum-free was screened for cell growth and virus yield using the roller-bottle technology. VP-SFM serum-free medium was selected based on the Vero cell growth profile and EV71 virus production. After the up-stream processes (virus harvest, diafiltration and concentration), a combination of gel-filtration liquid chromatography and/or sucrose-gradient ultracentrifugation down-stream purification processes were investigated at a pilot scale of 40 liters each. Although the combination of chromatography and sucrose-gradient ultracentrifugation produced extremely pure EV71 infectious virus particles, the overall yield of vaccine was 7-10% as determined by a VP2-based quantitative ELISA. Using chromatography as the downstream purification, the virus yield was 30-43%. To retain the integrity of virus neutralization epitopes and the stability of the vaccine product, the best virus inactivation was found to be 0.025% formalin-treatment at 37 °C for 3 to 6 days. Furthermore, the formalin-inactivated virion vaccine candidate was found to be stable for >18 months at 4 °C and a microgram of viral proteins formulated with alum adjuvant could induce strong virus-neutralizing antibody responses in mice, rats, rabbits, and non-human primates. CONCLUSION: These results provide valuable information supporting the current cell-based serum-free EV71 vaccine candidate going into human Phase I clinical trials

Antimetastatic Effects of Norcantharidin on Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Transcriptional Inhibition of MMP-9 through Modulation of NF-kB Activity

The rate of morbidity and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Taiwan has not lessened because of difficulty in treating tumor metastasis. Norcantharidin (NCTD) is currently used as an anticancer drug for hepatoma, breast cancer, and colorectal adenocarcinoma. NCTD possesses various biological anticancer activities, including apoptosis. However, detailed effects and molecular mechanisms of NCTD on metastasis are unclear. Thus, HCC cells were subjected to treatment with NCTD and then analyzed to determine the effects of NCTD on cell metastasis.Modified Boyden chamber assays revealed that NCTD treatment inhibited cell migration and invasion capacities of HCC cells substantially. Results of zymography and western blotting showed that activities and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) were inhibited by NCTD. Western blot analysis showed that NCTD inhibits phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Testing of mRNA level, quantitative real-time PCR, and promoter assays evaluated the inhibitory effects of NCTD on MMP-9 and u-PA expression in HCC cells. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay for analyzing the genomic DNA sequences bound to these proteins was reactive to the transcription protein nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, which was inhibited by NCTD. The expression of NF-kappa B was measured by western blot analysis, which revealed decreased nuclear-factor DNA-binding activity after NCTD treatment.NCTD inhibited MMP-9 and u-PA expression through the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-kappaB signaling pathway which serves as a powerful chemopreventive agent in HCC cell metastasis

Rationalization and Design of the Complementarity Determining Region Sequences in an Antibody-Antigen Recognition Interface

Protein-protein interactions are critical determinants in biological systems. Engineered proteins binding to specific areas on protein surfaces could lead to therapeutics or diagnostics for treating diseases in humans. But designing epitope-specific protein-protein interactions with computational atomistic interaction free energy remains a difficult challenge. Here we show that, with the antibody-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) interaction as a model system, the experimentally observed amino acid preferences in the antibody-antigen interface can be rationalized with 3-dimensional distributions of interacting atoms derived from the database of protein structures. Machine learning models established on the rationalization can be generalized to design amino acid preferences in antibody-antigen interfaces, for which the experimental validations are tractable with current high throughput synthetic antibody display technologies. Leave-one-out cross validation on the benchmark system yielded the accuracy, precision, recall (sensitivity) and specificity of the overall binary predictions to be 0.69, 0.45, 0.63, and 0.71 respectively, and the overall Matthews correlation coefficient of the 20 amino acid types in the 24 interface CDR positions was 0.312. The structure-based computational antibody design methodology was further tested with other antibodies binding to VEGF. The results indicate that the methodology could provide alternatives to the current antibody technologies based on animal immune systems in engineering therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies against predetermined antigen epitopes