Studies of thermochemical water-splitting cycles

Higher temperatures and more isothermal heat profiles of solar heat sources are developed. The metal oxide metal sulfate class of cycles were suited for solar heat sources. Electrochemical oxidation of SO2 and thermochemical reactions are presented. Electrolytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide in dilute sulfuric acid solutions were appropriate for metal oxide metal sulfate cycles. The cell voltage at workable current densities required for the oxidation of SO2 was critical to the efficient operation of any metal oxide metal sulfate cycle. A sulfur dioxide depolarized electrolysis cell for the splitting of water via optimization of the anode reaction is discussed. Sulfuric acid concentrations of 30 to 35 weight percent are preferred. Platinized platinum or smooth platinum gave the best anode kinetics at a given potential of the five materials examined

It’s the Combination: Scientific Data Review of the First Corn Silage to Bring Together Fiber and Starch Digestibility

This information was presented at the 2017 Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers, organized by the Department of Animal Science In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Softcover copies of the entire conference proceedings may be purchased at http://ansci.cals.cornell.edu/extension-outreach/adult-extension/dairy-management/order-proceedings-resources.A recent study compared a newly developed brown midrib 3 corn silage with floury endosperm to a conventional corn silage and a brown midrib 3 corn silage for high-producing Holstein cows. The combination of greater rumen fiber and starch fermentability of the new hybrid resulted in greater efficiency of solids-corrected milk production and milk nitrogen efficiency compared with the brown midrib and conventional hybrids

Genome-wide linkage analysis of 972 bipolar pedigrees using single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Because of the high costs associated with ascertainment of families, most linkage studies of Bipolar I disorder (BPI) have used relatively small samples. Moreover, the genetic information content reported in most studies has been less than 0.6. Although microsatellite markers spaced every 10 cM typically extract most of the genetic information content for larger multiplex families, they can be less informative for smaller pedigrees especially for affected sib pair kindreds. For these reasons we collaborated to pool family resources and carried out higher density genotyping. Approximately 1100 pedigrees of European ancestry were initially selected for study and were genotyped by the Center for Inherited Disease Research using the Illumina Linkage Panel 12 set of 6090 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Of the ~1100 families, 972 were informative for further analyses, and mean information content was 0.86 after pruning for linkage disequilibrium. The 972 kindreds include 2284 cases of BPI disorder, 498 individuals with bipolar II disorder (BPII) and 702 subjects with recurrent major depression. Three affection status models (ASMs) were considered: ASM1 (BPI and schizoaffective disorder, BP cases (SABP) only), ASM2 (ASM1 cases plus BPII) and ASM3 (ASM2 cases plus recurrent major depression). Both parametric and non-parametric linkage methods were carried out. The strongest findings occurred at 6q21 (non-parametric pairs LOD 3.4 for rs1046943 at 119 cM) and 9q21 (non-parametric pairs logarithm of odds (LOD) 3.4 for rs722642 at 78 cM) using only BPI and schizoaffective (SA), BP cases. Both results met genome-wide significant criteria, although neither was significant after correction for multiple analyses. We also inspected parametric scores for the larger multiplex families to identify possible rare susceptibility loci. In this analysis, we observed 59 parametric LODs of 2 or greater, many of which are likely to be close to maximum possible scores. Although some linkage findings may be false positives, the results could help prioritize the search for rare variants using whole exome or genome sequencing

Nanofluidic transport governed by the liquid/vapour interface

Liquid/vapour interfaces govern the behaviour of a wide range of systems but remain poorly understood, leaving ample margin for the exploitation of intriguing functionalities for applications. Here, we systematically investigate the role of liquid/vapour interfaces in the transport of water across apposing liquid menisci in osmosis membranes comprising short hydrophobic nanopores that separate two fluid reservoirs. We show experimentally that mass transport is limited by molecular reflection from the liquid/vapour interface below a certain length scale, which depends on the transmission probability of water molecules across the nanopores and on the condensation probability of a water molecule incident on the liquid surface. This fundamental yet elusive condensation property of water is measured under near-equilibrium conditions and found to decrease from 0.36 ± 0.21 at 30 °C to 0.18 ± 0.09 at 60 °C. These findings define the regime in which liquid/vapour interfaces govern nanofluidic transport and have implications for understanding mass transport in nanofluidic devices, droplets and bubbles, biological components and porous media involving liquid/vapour interfaces.Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM (Project R10-CW-09

The main actors involved in parasitization of Heliothis virescens larva

At the moment of parasitization by another insect, the host Heliothis larva is able to defend itself by the activation of humoral and cellular defenses characterized by unusual reactions of hemocytes in response to external stimuli. Here, we have combined light and electron microscopy, staining reactions, and immunocytochemical characterization to analyze the activation and deactivation of one of the most important immune responses involved in invertebrates defense, i.e., melanin production and deposition. The insect host/parasitoid system is a good model to study these events. The activated granulocytes of the host insect are a major repository of amyloid fibrils forming a lattice in the cell. Subsequently, the exocytosed amyloid lattice constitutes the template for melanin deposition in the hemocel. Furthermore, cross-talk between immune and neuroendocrine systems mediated by hormones, cytokines, and neuromodulators with the activation of stress-sensoring circuits to produce and release molecules such as adrenocorticotropin hormone, alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and neutral endopeptidase occurs. Thus, parasitization promotes massive morphological and physiological modifications in the host insect hemocytes and mimics general stress conditions in which phenomena such as amyloid fibril formation, melanin polymerization, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and activation of the adrenocorticotropin hormone system occur. These events observed in invertebrates are also reported in the literature for vertebrates, suggesting that this network of mechanisms and responses is maintained throughout evolution

Induction of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) during epidermal invasion of the stroma in human skin organ culture: keratinocyte stimulation of fibroblast MMP-1 production

Organ cultures of human skin were incubated for 8 days under growth factor-free conditions or exposed to 10 ng ml−1 of human recombinant epidermal growth factor (EGF) during the incubation period. Normal histological features were preserved in the absence of growth factor, while epithelial cells underwent a proliferative response and invaded the underlying stroma in the presence of exogenous EGF. The same concentrations of EGF that induced stromal invasion also resulted in up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9; 92-kD gelatinase B) in organ culture and keratinocyte monolayer culture, and expression of MMP-1 (interstitial collagenase) in organ culture and fibroblast monolayer culture. When skin organ cultures were exposed to a potent, irreversible EGF–receptor tyrosine kinase (EGF–RTK) antagonist along with EGF, abnormal histological features were reversed, and MMP-9 production was suppressed. In contrast, EGF-RKT antagonism had only a modest inhibitory effect on MMP-1 production. Culture fluid from keratinocytes grown in monolayer culture stimulated fibroblast proliferation and MMP-1 elaboration. Treatment of fibroblasts with the same EGF–RTK antagonist inhibited keratinocyte-induced fibroblast proliferation but had only a modest inhibitory effect (approximately 20% inhibition) on MMP-1 production. In contrast, treatment of dermal fibroblasts with Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist had no effect on keratinocyte-induced fibroblast growth but strongly inhibited MMP-1 production (greater than 70% inhibition). These data indicate that stromal invasion by epithelial cells in EGF-treated skin is associated with events occurring in both the epidermis and dermis. The direct effect of the exogenous growth factor appears to be primarily on the epidermis. Dermal events reflect, at least in part, a response to factors elaborated in the epidermis. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign  http://www.bjcancer.co

Prostasin may contribute to chemoresistance, repress cancer cells in ovarian cancer, and is involved in the signaling pathways of CASP/PAK2-p34/actin

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers, largely due to the development of drug resistance in chemotherapy. Prostasin may have an essential role in the oncogenesis. In this study, we show that prostasin is decreased in an ovarian cancer drug-resistant cell line and in ovarian cancer patients with high levels of excision repair cross-complementing 1, a marker for chemoresistance. Our cell cultural model investigation demonstrates prostasin has important roles in the development of drug resistance and cancer cell survival. Forced overexpression of prostasin in ovarian cancer cells greatly induces cell death (resulting in 99% cell death in a drug-resistant cell line and 100% cell death in other tested cell lines). In addition, the surviving cells grow at a much lower rate compared with non-overexpressed cells. In vivo studies indicate that forced overexpression of prostasin in drug-resistant cells greatly inhibits the growth of tumors and may partially reverse drug resistance. Our investigation of the molecular mechanisms suggests that prostasin may repress cancer cells and/or contribute to chemoresistance by modulating the CASP/P21-activated protein kinase (PAK2)-p34 pathway, and thereafter PAK2-p34/JNK/c-jun and PAK2-p34/mlck/actin signaling pathways. Thus, we introduce prostain as a potential target for treating/repressing some ovarian tumors and have begun to identify their relevant molecular targets in specific signaling pathways

PSP94, an upstream signaling mediator of prostasin found highly elevated in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of cancer death as diagnosis is frequently delayed to an advanced stage. Effective biomarkers and screening strategies for early detection are urgently needed. In the current study, we identify PSP94 as a key upstream factor in mediating prostasin (a protein previously reported to be overexpressed in ovarian cancer) signaling that regulates prostasin expression and action in ovarian cancer cells. PSP94 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer cell lines and patients, and is significantly correlated with prostasin levels. Signaling pathway analysis demonstrated that both PSP94 and prostasin, as potential upstream regulators of the Lin28b/Let-7 pathway, regulate Lin28b and its downstream partner Let-7 in ovarian cancer cells. Expression of PSP94 and prostasin show a strong correlation with the expression levels of Lin28b/Let-7 in ovarian cancer patients. Thus, PSP94/prostasin axis appears to be linked to the Lin28b/Let-7 loop, a well-known signaling mechanism in oncogenesis in general that is also altered in ovarian cancer. The findings suggest that PSP94 and PSP94/prostasin axis are key factors and potential therapeutic targets or early biomarkers for ovarian cancer