Dependence of both spontaneous and antibody-dependent, granule exocytosis-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity on extracellular signal-regulated kinases

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK, also known as mitogen-activated protein kinases) are serine-threonine kinases transducing signals elicited upon ligand binding to several tyrosine kinase-associated receptors. We have reported that ERK2 phosphorylation and activation follows engagement of the low affinity receptor for the Fc portion of IgG (CD16) on NK cells, and is necessary for CD16-induced TNF-alpha mRNA expression. Here, we analyzed the involvement of ERK in NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma expression induced upon stimulation with targets cells, coated or not with Abs. Our data indicate that, as with immune complexes, ERK2 phosphorylation occurs in human primary NK cells upon interaction with target cells sensitive to granule exocytosis-mediated spontaneous cytotoxicity, and that this regulates both target cell- and immune complex-induced cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma mRNA expression. A specific inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase reduced both spontaneous and Ab-dependent cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner involving, at least in part, inhibition of granule exocytosis without affecting effector/target cell interaction and rearrangement of the cytoskeleton proteins actin and tubulin. Involvement of ERK in the regulation of Ca2+-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity was confirmed, using a genetic approach, in primary NK cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding an ERK inactive mutant. These data indicate that the biochemical pathways elicited in NK cells upon engagement of receptors responsible for either spontaneous or Ab-dependent recognition of target cells, although distinct, utilize ERK as one of their downstream molecules to regulate effector functions.     

Habitat quality–physicochemical water quality–littoral macroinvertebrate community nexus in Lugo Lake (Ethiopia): Priorities for sustainable water resources management

The integration of water quality characteristics with habplot-based habitat quality assessment score (HabQA) has received little attention in ecological quality assessment studies. This study investigated the macroinvertebrate community structure in relation with lake habitat quality and physicochemical water quality variables in Lugo Lake (Ethiopia). Twelve sampling sites (eight agricultural and four recreational) were included. The variation among macroinvertebrates data was significantly explained by HabQA score and soluble reactive phosphorus. The study revealed the greater importance of habitat quality characteristics in comparison with the other conventional physicochemical characteristics on macroinvertebrate community structure. We strongly recommend the use of HabQA system while studying macroinvertebrate community structure for a deeper understanding of the environmental functioning of tropical lakes. The results suggested the need to apply integrated and sustainable protection and management of the lake catchment (including wetlands) to enhance the ecological integrity and hence biodiversity of lakes.     

Classification of rose flowers based on Fourier descriptors and color moments

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In this paper, a rose-flower variety classification scheme, using color and shape features is presented. The first three statistical moments of the R, G, and B...     

Impact of pre-treatment (soaking or germination) on nutrient and anti-nutrient contents,cooking time and acceptability of cooked red dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown in Ethiopia

Pulses are processed in diverse ways prior to consumption. Soaking and germination are among the most common traditional, household-level food processing strategies. This study was carried out to determine the effects of soaking, germination, cooking and their combinations on the contents of selected nutrients and anti-nutrients of red dry bean and chickpea. In addition, the effects of pre-treatment on cooking time and the acceptability of dishes prepared from red dry bean and chickpea were determined. The nutrient compositions (zinc, iron and calcium) of most soaked-cooked and germinated-cooked red dry bean and chickpea samples were not significantly different than those of respective controls. However, soaking and germination pre-treatments significantly lowered the phytate and tannin contents of the red dry bean and chickpea samples, with a few exceptions, and overall, polyphenol contents were lower after soaking-cooking than after germination-cooking. Most scores for sensory attributes of bean-based and chickpea-based dishes prepared from soaked or germinated samples were not significantly different than those of the controls. For most red dry bean and chickpea samples, longer germination times yielded superior results in terms of reductions in cooking time, tannin content, and phytate:zinc and phytate:iron molar ratio.     

Electrochemical reduction of CO2: Two- or three-electrode configuration

Electrocatalytical conversion of CO₂ into various chemicals like hydrocarbons and CO is regarded as a promising approach to mitigate carbon emission and, meanwhile, to provide sustainable energy and value-added chemicals. Two different reactors are used in this work. One is based upon the two-electrode configuration powered by a DC power supply or Si solar cell, which is suitable for practical applications. Another is three-electrode one powered by a potentiostat, which is feasible to study the electrode performance. Polycrystalline Cu electrode is used as the cathode, and hematite is the anode. Performance of CO₂ reduction using the two- and three-electrode configurations is studied by measuring electrode potential, cell voltage, current density, Faradaic efficiency, and reduction selectivity of CO₂. Cu cathode used here exhibits a low overpotential for CO₂ reduction, specifically for the cell with two-electrode configuration. No obvious difference can be observed between the two types of configurations at a low bias like −0.3 and −0.4 V; while the reactor with two-electrode configuration exhibits better performance at a high bias like −0.8 V than the one with three-electrode configuration. Thus, the reactors with two-electrode configuration are desirable for practical applications, specifically considering solar cells can be used as the power source to provide green and sustainable energy.     

Information Theory and Neural Networks for Managing Uncertainty in Flood Routing

This paper presents an approach for handling uncertainties arising mainly from ignored or misrepresented processes in physically based models. The approach is based on the application of a parallel artificial neural network (ANN) model that uses state variables, input and output data, and previous model errors at specific time steps to predict the errors of a physically based model. Concepts from information theory are used to discover the relationships between the variables and the model errors, which also serves as a mechanism to detect the predictability of the errors. The resulting information is used to select the best related input data for the error prediction model. The error prediction model is then trained and applied to improve the forecasts made by the physically based model. This approach was applied to a routing model of a 70 km reach of the River Wye, United Kingdom. The results demonstrate that errors from the physically based model show a consistent trend governed by some dynamics of their own, which can be modeled with learning algorithms. Errors were forecasted at different lead times. In all cases the forecasts made by the combined application of both models were more accurate than those made by the physically based model alone. From this it was concluded that, along with proper information analysis techniques, the use of ANN models to predict the forecast errors of physically based models can help to improve significantly the prediction and therefore to reduce the associated uncertainty.     

The Influence of Dam Construction on the Catchment Hydrologic Behavior and its Effects on a Discharge Forecast in Hydrological Models

Water Resources Management - The hydrological properties of a river basin are extremely affected by the construction of a dam. The discharges and sediment flow distribution, in a modified river...     

Demographic, clinical, and neurocognitive correlates of everyday functional impairment in severe mental illness.

Although cognitive deficits often accompany severe mental illness, their implications for everyday functioning remain poorly understood. In this study, an occupational therapist (OT) rated the everyday functioning of 105 adult psychiatric patients. Using demographic, clinical, and cognitive variables, the authors tested alternative models to account for the observed variability in OT ratings. Although age, education, and the presence of schizophrenia each contributed to a model that accounted for 27% of the variation in functional independence, adding terms for auditory divided attention and verbal learning increased the proportion of explained variance to 45% and decreased the beta weights for age and education—but not schizophrenia—to nonsignificant levels. These findings demonstrate the relevance of cognitive performance to everyday functioning in severe mental illness. They are discussed with respect to hypothesized determinants of psychiatric disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Photolithographically patterned smart hydrogel based bilayer actuators

We describe the fabrication of photopatterned actuators, composed of stimuli-responsive hydrogel bilayers made from N-isopropyl-acrylamide (NIPAm), acrylic acid (AAc), and poly-ethylene oxide diacrylate (PEODA). The hydrogels were deposited by spin coating and casting and were patterned by non-contact photolithography. We investigated the swelling behavior of the individual photopatterned hydrogels in aqueous solutions of varying pH and ionic strength (IS). By combining materials with optimal swelling responses, bilayer structures were triggered via changes in pH and IS to actuate into three dimensional (3D) structures. We also used these hydrogel bilayers as hinges to actuate integrated structures composed of rigid polymeric SU-8 panels, patterned to resemble the shape of a Venus Flytrap. This system provides a straightforward way to design and fabricate actuator hinges composed entirely of polymers.