Stem cells in prostatic epithelia

The normal prostate is, structurally and functionally, a highly complex glandular tissue in which populations of epithelial and stromal cells interact, one with the other, and are under a constant state of proliferation, differentiation, elimination and selective secondary replenishment so that functional integrity of the tissue is maintained. The ability of normal prostatic tissue to maintain its structure and function is dependent upon retention of cells, generally regarded as 'stem cells', which are able to respond by proliferation and selective differentiation within a wide range of phenotypic alternatives. With respect to cells in the epithelial compartment, replenishment is possible at several levels from within distinct pathways of normal cellular differentiation. It is now appreciated that fully differentiated prostatic epithelial cells retain a far greater degree of phenotypic 'plasticity' than was earlier apparent from morphological examination of the intact tissue. This inherent plasticity, coupled with the ability of the intact tissue to respond to diverse environmental (particularly humoral) stimuli by regenerating a wide and divergent spectrum of functional prostatic epithelial phenotypes is its strength--but also its weakness. Disturbance and distortion of the homeostatic regulatory mechanisms, whether physical or humoral, which control the normal sequence of epithelial proliferation, differentiation and elimination exposes these cells, particularly multipotent 'stem cells', to an increased probability of genetic change, thus resulting in either transient, or permanent, neoplastic transformation.     

Recovering spectral data from natural scenes with an RGB digital camera and colored filters

Many spectral‐recovery methods using RGB digital cameras assume the underlying smoothness of illuminant and reflectance spectra, and apply low‐dimensional linear models. The aim of the present work was to test whether a direct‐mapping method could be used instead of a linear‐models approach to recover spectral radiances and reflectances from natural scenes with an RGB digital camera and colored filters. In computer simulations, a conventional RGB digital camera with up to three colored filters was used to image scenes drawn from a hyperspectral image database. Three measures were used to evaluate recovery with the direct‐mapping method: goodness‐of‐fit, root‐mean‐square error, and a color‐difference metric. It was found that with two and three filters both spectral radiances and reflectances could be recovered sufficiently accurately for many practical applications. With little increase in computational complexity, an RGB camera and a few colored filters can provide significantly better recovery of natural scenes than an RGB camera alone. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 32, 352–360, 2007     

Scaling System-Level Science: Scientific Exploration and IT Implications

The study and creation of the infrastructure required to enable system-level science--the integration of diverse sources of knowledge about the constituent parts of a complex system with the goal of obtaining an understanding of the system's properties as a whole--is becoming increasingly important, spawning new knowledge in variety of fields at a rapid pace.     

The Pigmentation of Acrylic Resins*

Acrylic resins may be divided into two main categories—solvent-bome and water-borne systems—and these have been further subdivided into two groups, namely solutions and dispersions. Problems associated with the pigmentation of acrylic resins are discussed, and methods of assessing the wetting properties of the system are mentioned. The use of wetting and dispersing agents is examined, and the concept of the hydrophilic-lyophilic balance (HLB) value is investigated in this context. Pigmentation is one important factor that must be considered in assessing the exterior durability of acrylic resins, certain types of which are ideal media for metallic finishes because of their excellent polishing and weathering properties. The phenomenon of geometric metamerism associated with metallic finishes is discussed.     

A geometric solution to the largest-free-sphere problem in zeolite frameworks

We have applied Delaunay triangulation to models of the known zeolite frameworks. We show that this well-established technique from computational geometry provides for each framework; (i) the location and shape of the open pores and channels, (ii) the diameter of the largest possible included sphere, and indirectly (iii) the diameter of the largest-free-sphere that can diffuse through the framework by at least one lattice translation. Since Delaunay triangulation naturally locates the empty spaces within a set of points, it provides a powerful computer-automated tool for determining the physical characteristics of pores and channels of zeolite frameworks. Such tools will further enhance the usefulness of large databases of hypothetical framework materials.

Here, we tabulate results for the 165 zeolite frameworks that are presently listed in the Atlas of Zeolite Frameworks. Of the known zeolites, refined as pure silicates, the largest included sphere occurs in the TSC framework, with a diameter of 16.39 Å. The largest-free-sphere has a diameter of 11.33 Å, for diffusion along the [0 0 1] direction in the VFI framework.     

Effects of code growth and parsimony pressure on populations in genetic programming

Parsimony pressure, the explicit penalization of larger programs, has been increasingly used as a means of controlling code growth in genetic programming. However, in many cases parsimony pressure degrades the performance of the genetic program. In this paper we show that poor average results with parsimony pressure are a result of "failed" populations that overshadow the results of populations that incorporate parsimony pressure successfully. Additionally, we show that the effect of parsimony pressure can be measured by calculating the relationship between program size and performance within the population. This measure can be used as a partial indicator of success or failure for individual populations.     

Development into blastocysts of bovine oocytes cryopreserved by ultra-rapid cooling

The objective of the research described was to devise an efficient procedure to cryopreserve in vitro-matured bovine oocytes, using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and development of resultant zygotes into blastocysts as criteria of oocyte survival. Oocytes at metaphase II were found to be extremely sensitive to chilling. Cooling them to O degrees C for as little as 5 sec significantly decreased their capability to cleave and develop further after IVF; after 80 sec at 0 degrees C, only approximately 10% of chilled oocytes developed into blastocysts. Oocytes were also adversely affected by brief exposures to 4 M and 5.5 M ethylene glycol (EG) solutions supplemented with sucrose; after being suspended in either of these EG solutions in plastic straws and plunged directly into liquid nitrogen (LN2), few of the oocytes were fertilized and developed. To "outrace" chilling injury, oocytes contained in < 1 microliter of EG solution were placed onto electron microscope grids and plunged directly into N2 slush or LN2. After such ultra-rapidly cooled oocytes were warmed, 30% of them cleaved after IVF, and half of these developed into blastocysts-- survival rates equivalent to those for oocytes that had been exposed to EG without any cooling. This method offers promise as a novel way to cryopreserve bovine oocytes.