Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) occur in coastal habitats along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States and have experienced range-wide population declines due to habitat loss and entrapment in commercial and recreational crab pots. While physical barriers have been proposed such as bycatch reduction devices, their effectiveness is skewed towards the largest individuals. Diamondback terrapins are attracted to the same bait used to lure crabs, thus causing them to become entrapped. An ex-situ experiment observing terrapin entry behavior to crab pots was performed.
GNPs can generate highly localized heating after exposure to radiation and have been used to augment the efficacy of cancer radiotherapy to eradicate cancer cells. To promote specific tumor accumulation and reduce side effects, GNPs were conjugated to an anti-HER2 antibody to target breast cancer cells overexpressing the HER2 receptor. In addition, penetratin, a cell-penetrating peptide, was fused to the C-terminus of an anti-HER antibody without compromising its receptor binding function. The recombinant antibody was able to cross the cellular membrane more efficiently and deliver more GNPs into cancer cells. With the accumulation of GNPs in cancer cells, a much lower dose of radiation could be used to generate a similar cancer cell mortality rate. Our study offers a novel approach to engineer cell-penetrating mAbs. An effective cell-penetrating antibody could promote the delivery of GNPs into target cancer cells to augment the efficacy of cancer radiotherapy and reduce side effects in patients.
Proton beam therapy is an effective treatment option for deep-seated tumors. Although the behavior of protons as they travel through tissue is well understood, there are significant technological challenges involved in generating and optimizing a beam to effectively treat a specific tumor. Proton therapy Monte Carlo simulation packages require designated operating systems and software, thus making it difficult to study the effects of a proton beam in a non-clinical setting. Here we seek to (1) develop a model that captures the salient physics while simulating a proton beam entering the body given the beam energy and beam width, and (2) optimize these properties to effectively target a simulated tumor in three dimensions.
Around 803 new cases of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) are diagnosed in the United Kingdom every year (Cancer Research UK, 2018). Cytarabine (Ara-C) is a chemotherapeutic drug used to treat leukemic patients, however, chemotherapy resistance occurs frequently. Mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance to Ara-C are poorly understood. DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway is one of the pathways responsible to repair errors caused during DNA replication. MMR can also repair damage due to Ara-C and therefore a proficient MMR can confer resistance to Ara-C. Our project aims to investigate the expression of MMR genes MSH2 and MSH3 in ALL carrying Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL), also known as KMT2A, chromosomal translocations.
Small birds and mammals are often injured by dogs and cats. Some of these animals are brought to the wildlife rehabilitation centers. The number of admitted animals varies seasonally, and dogs and cats can have different effects on animals in different life stages. This study looked at 9,696 records of small birds and mammals admitted to a wildlife center in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin) between 2014 and 2017. Data regarding taxon, species, date of admission, life stage, circumstance of rescue, and outcome were compared between dogs and cats. Data from dog and cat interactions were also compared to other causes for admission.
Homophonic substitution ciphers have long pervaded brute-force decryption attempts due to the astronomical number of possible keys. The aim of this study is to identify only those combinations of homophones most likely to represent a given plaintext character, in order to reduce the key space of the cipher and increase the efficiency of brute-force decryption attempts.
Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin produced by fungi, primarily Aspergillus flavus. Aspergillus flavus is often found in maize and peanuts. Aflatoxin is a serious health concern, especially in countries such as Kenya, where improper crop storage in warm, humid conditions causes it to thrive. In this review, we analyze the possible reasons behind the 2004 aflatoxin outbreak in Kenya. We also discuss the lessons learned from the tragedy and put forth potential solutions to prevent future outbreaks. Aflatoxin control is important to minimize crop damage and its adverse health effect on humans.
The standard motors that drive prosthetic fingers cannot provide both the speed and torque required to hold objects as efficiently as a human hand. This problem of high speed/torque can be solved by using multiple motors or transmissions to drive a prosthetic finger, but these increase weight, cost, and complexity of the prosthetic finger system, which lead to people abandoning their device. Presented here is a novel clutch mechanism that alleviates the high speed/torque problem by holding the motor in place during gripping using nickel-titanium “memory wire” called Flexinol. This clutch mechanism allows an inexpensive low-torque motor to drive fingers while retaining the grip strength benefits of a high torque motor thus reducing cost and weight of the prosthetic finger system.
To study potential inhibitory molecules of Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-glucosidase, a new homology model based on the most recent crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isomaltase (PDB: 3A47) was built. This newest model was used to dock five known natural α-glucosidase inhibitors to explore the putative allosteric drug binding pockets. Examination of the docking simulations and in silico mutagenesis revealed a potential druggable pocket for binding and a critical lysine residue making thermodynamically favorable binding with the inhibitors. In order to support the data analyzed from the docking simulation a series of inhibition assays were conducted.
Cellular therapeutics is an emerging field with significant advances in the engineering of immune effector cells, which play a revolutionary role in treatment for cancer. Although most immunomodulatory strategies focus on enhancing T cells – which have proved their ability in successful cellular therapies against leukemia – this strategy may soon face competition. Through several preclinical studies, researchers have discovered new guardian immune cells called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified natural killer (NK) cells, which show cytotoxic activity against various solid tumor types. The preclinical evidence suggests that NK cells have the same cancer-homing receptors as T cells and but need to be genetically modified to recognize and kill targets.
Naturally, zebrafish are found in places with a large amount of plants. However in laboratories, they are kept in very simple and empty environments, which has negative effects on their welfare. A common issue linked to this is the level of aggression within the group; lack of hiding spaces means victimised zebrafish cannot escape the aggressive individuals. Despite this, researchers worry that adding hiding spaces could reduce the water quality, affect the fish, and influence the experimental results. The aim of this experiment was to see if zebrafish were less aggressive when they had places to hide, compared to when the tank was empty. We also tested which type of hiding space the fish liked the most; this was done by seeing where the fish spent the most time when given the choice.
Neutron choppers are devices that pulsate and filter beams of neutrons at varying energy levels using rotating chopper blades. Advancements in this technology over the past 80 years have played a crucial role for a variety of applications and discoveries, such as obtaining nuclear cross-section data. Over the last decade, computational scattering science has helped shed light on issues with stress reduction and thermal control of neutron choppers by linking computer simulations with physics experiments. Advanced manufacturing and instrumentation, an emerging technology that makes physical products efficient and sustainable beyond virtual study, may enable breakthroughs in neutron chopper design. This survey investigates a modern method to design stable rotors and provide effective cooling for neutron choppers.
