SpinDx: A Rapid Sensitive and Deployable Platform for Detection of Pathogenic Nucleic Acids Proteins and Toxin Protein Activity.
Abstract Not Provided
Koh, Chung-Yan↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Activity detect”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Detection and Characterication of Shielded Highly Enriched Uranium Under Active Interrogation Through Time Correlation of Fission Events.
Abstract not provided.
Monterial, Mateusz↗
Highly Stable Fe/Co-TPY-MIL-88(NH 2 ) Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) in Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for Chemiluminescence-Based Detection of Extracellular Vesicles
Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) can deliver many advantages when acting as enzyme mimics to assist with signal amplification in molecular detection: they have abundant active catalytic sites per unit volume of the material; their structures and elemental compositions are highly tunable, and their high specific surface area and porous property can assist with target separation and enrichment. In the present work, we have demonstrated that, by adding the pore partition agent, 2,4,6-tris(4-pyridyl)pyridine (TPY) during synthesis of the bimetallic Fe/Co-MIL-88(NH 2 ) MOF to block the open metal sites, a highly porous MOF of Fe/Co-TPY-MIL-88(NH 2 ) can be produced. This material also exhibits high stability in basic solutions and biofluids and possesses high peroxidase-mimicking activity, which can be utilized to produce long-lasting chemiluminescence (CL) from luminol and H 2 O 2 . Moreover, acting as the peroxidase-mimic, the Fe/Co-TPY-MIL-88(NH 2 ) MOF can form the enzymatic cascade with glucose oxidase (GOx) for biomarker detection. Further, when applied to detect extracellular vesicles (EVs), the MOF material and GOx are brought to the proximity on the EVs through two surface proteins, which triggers the enzyme cascade to produce high CL from glucose and luminol. EVs within the concentration range of 5 × 10 5 - 4 ×10 7 particles/mL can be detected, and the method can be used to analyze EV contents in human serum without sample preparation and EV purification. Overall, our work demonstrates that the high versatility and tunability of the MOF structures could bring in significant benefits to biosensing and enable ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers with judicious material designs.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Cancer cell specific cytotoxic gene expression mediated by ARF tumor suppressor promoter constructs
Highlights: • ARF promoter showed higher responsiveness to deregulated E2F activity than the E2F1 promoter. • ARF promoter showed higher cancer cell-specificity than E2F1 promoter to drive gene expression. • HSV-TK driven by ARF promoter showed higher cancer cell-specific cytotoxicity than that driven by E2F1 promoter. - Abstract: In current cancer treatment protocols, such as radiation and chemotherapy, side effects on normal cells are major obstacles to radical therapy. To avoid these side effects, a cancer cell-specific approach is needed. One way to specifically target cancer cells is to utilize a cancer specific promoter to express a cytotoxic gene (suicide gene therapy) or a viral gene required for viral replication (oncolytic virotherapy). For this purpose, the selected promoter should have minimal activity in normal cells to avoid side effects, and high activity in a wide variety of cancers to obtain optimal therapeutic efficacy. In contrast to the AFP, CEA and PSA promoters, which have high activity only in a limited spectrum of tumors, the E2F1 promoter exhibits high activity in wide variety of cancers. This is based on the mechanism of carcinogenesis. Defects in the RB pathway and activation of the transcription factor E2F, the main target of the RB pathway, are observed in almost all cancers. Consequently, the E2F1 promoter, which is mainly regulated by E2F, has high activity in wide variety of cancers. However, E2F is also activated by growth stimulation in normal growing cells, suggesting that the E2F1 promoter may also be highly active in normal growing cells. In contrast, we found that the tumor suppressor ARF promoter is activated by deregulated E2F activity, induced by forced inactivation of pRB, but does not respond to physiological E2F activity induced by growth stimulation. We also found that the deregulated E2F activity, which activates the ARF promoter, is detected only in cancer cell lines. These observations suggest that ARF promoter is activated by E2F only in cancer cells and therefore may be more cancer cell-specific than E2F1 promoter to drive gene expression. We show here that the ARF promoter has lower activity in normal growing fibroblasts and shows higher cancer cell-specificity compared to the E2F1 promoter. We also demonstrate that adenovirus expressing HSV-TK under the control of the ARF promoter shows lower cytotoxicity than that of the E2F1 promoter, in normal growing fibroblasts but has equivalent cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. These results suggest that the ARF promoter, which is specifically activated by deregulated E2F activity, is an excellent candidate to drive therapeutic cytotoxic gene expression, specifically in cancer cells.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Infrared–ultrasonic sensor fusion for support vector machine–based fall detection
Not provided.
Materials Science↗
Spectroscopy of faint asteroids, satellites, and comets
Nineteen asteroids with orbital elements comparable to those of short-period comets and the outer Jovian satellites J6 Himalia and J7 Elara have been observed with the 228-cm telescope and image-tube spectrograph of Steward Observatory. No activity indicating cometary outgassing was detected. If comets are being perturbed into asteroidal orbits, then this lack of activity can be explained by an apparently short transition time between active and extinct phase. In addition, spectra of the faint comets Sanguin 1977p, Chernykh 1977l, Arend-Rigaux 1950 VII, West 1978a, and van Biesbroeck 1954 IV were obtained, showing CN(0,0) and in some cases C2(1,0) and C3 emission. Comet Arend-Rigaux was active again in the fall of 1977 and Comet West showed on May 31, 1978 a weak tail at a distance from the sun of 6.0 AU.
Degewij, J.↗
THE RADIAL VELOCITY DETECTION OF EARTH-MASS PLANETS IN THE PRESENCE OF ACTIVITY NOISE: THE CASE OF {alpha} CENTAURI Bb
We present an analysis of the publicly available HARPS radial velocity (RV) measurements for {alpha} Cen B, a star hosting an Earth-mass planet candidate in a 3.24 day orbit. The goal is to devise robust ways of extracting low-amplitude RV signals of low-mass planets in the presence of activity noise. Two approaches were used to remove the stellar activity signal which dominates the RV variations: (1) Fourier component analysis (pre-whitening), and (2) local trend filtering (LTF) of the activity using short time windows of the data. The Fourier procedure results in a signal at P = 3.236 days and K = 0.42 m s{sup -1}, which is consistent with the presence of an Earth-mass planet, but the false alarm probability for this signal is rather high at a few percent. The LTF results in no significant detection of the planet signal, although it is possible to detect a marginal planet signal with this method using a different choice of time windows and fitting functions. However, even in this case the significance of the 3.24 day signal depends on the details of how a time window containing only 10% of the data is filtered. Both methods should have detected the presence of {alpha} Cen Bb at a higher significance than is actually seen. We also investigated the influence of random noise with a standard deviation comparable to the HARPS data and sampled in the same way. The distribution of the noise peaks in the period range 2.8-3.3 days has a maximum of Almost-Equal-To 3.2 days and amplitudes approximately one-half of the K-amplitude for the planet. The presence of the activity signal may boost the velocity amplitude of these signals to values comparable to the planet. It may be premature to attribute the 3.24 day RV variations to an Earth-mass planet. A better understanding of the noise characteristics in the RV data as well as more measurements with better sampling will be needed to confirm this exoplanet.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Development of field-based separations for the rapid identification of uranium and plutonium
The development of rapid, radioanalytical techniques to separate uranium and plutonium from complex, field samples are needed for the timely and accurate determination of nuclear material origin, and processing activities. Widespread use of nuclear power and technology in the world has increased demands on analytical laboratories from the monitoring of numerous low-level, environmental samples with variable compositions. Environmental sampling has proven to be one of the strongest technical measures for detecting nuclear material and activities. With the increase in sampling demands, new technologies must offer improvements such as automation, high throughput, reproducible chemical separations, short analysis times, and reduced costs to be effective. We have been developing a portable, separations system for uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) separations based upon selective extraction of target elements using an extraction chromatographic resin which would allow for simple and fast identifcation when coupled with the appropriate sample digestor and detection systems. The microfluidic design minimizes elution volumes and concentrates the elements of interest in a purified stream. Flowsheet development and testing was demonstrated on a single, micro-column system with an acidified, iron, uranium, and plutonium nitrate stream. The recovery of Pu was optimized by examining various reducing agents at different concentrations for rapid, quantitative recovery from the flow-through design. Quantitative recovery and high selectivity of U and Pu was achieved in the appropriate stripping stages and provided purified and concentrated U and Pu streams. The microfluidic system suggests automation in a small, footprint unit while exploiting the in-line processing of extraction chromatographic resins as the primary means of concentrating the radionuclides from the raw acidic feed and separating the elements into purified streams.
Extraction Chromatography↗
Subspace-Driven Learning for Anomaly Detection in Process Transients
Nuclear power plant (NPP) monitoring and diagnostic centers are actively investigating and implementing automated anomaly detection algorithms to help plants catch anomalies sooner, thereby preventing or reducing the duration of unexpected shutdowns. Current machine learning-based anomaly detection methods are expected to be highly effective during stable, full-power operations because NPPs typically operate as baseload power generators, meaning there are extensive operating data available from plant equipment. However, it is expected that anomaly detection methods will face significant challenges during transient conditions (i.e., when power output falls below full power) because plants only occasionally operate at these lower power levels, generating sparse transient operational data, and resulting in false alarms or missed detections. Here, to address this issue, transfer learning is used, which for this problem leverages knowledge (in the form of learned features) from stable, full-power operations to improve detection accuracy during transient conditions, even with limited data. In this effort, a novel subspace approach is developed to transfer a subset of the data features from full power operation to transients. This approach is validated through experiments using synthetic data and was found to outperform two baseline transfer learning approaches in anomaly detection performance across a range of amounts of transient data used in the training process.
46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
Workshop Report for Next-Gen AI for Proliferation Detection: Accelerating the Development and Use of Explainability Methods to Design AI Systems Suitable for Nonproliferation Mission Applications
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises powerful new capabilities in an expansive array of applications. One area is proliferation detection, where AI can provide transformative tools to achieve objectives currently inaccessible using conventional methods. In particular, AI affords the opportunity to use new indicators and process massive amounts of heterogeneous data that can increase sensitivity to proliferant activities and push proliferation detection to the earliest possible stages. However, existing AI tools are not ready to achieve such potential, falling short in regard to some important considerations involved in proliferation detection. One crucial aspect that requires improvement is the explainability of the most powerful AI algorithms (i.e., understanding how the algorithms actually arrive at their conclusions)-the lack of which prevents widespread adoption in national security missions. The Data Science and AI portfolio within the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development is driving the development of next-generation AI for proliferation detection through the expertise and work of the national laboratories and partners in academia. The "Next-Gen AI for Proliferation Detection: Accelerating the Development and Use of Explainability Methods to Design AI Systems Suitable for Nonproliferation Mission Applications" workshop aimed to further this objective. The meeting was held virtually on Sept. 15-16, 2020 and included more than 170 participants, primarily from the national laboratories with additional contributions from university researchers and mission partners. Each day included a keynote presentation, four technical presentations about cutting-edge research in explainability, and a panel to explore considerations in applying explainability and developing AI systems that can accelerate the transition of emerging AI technologies among partners and end users to solve critical mission questions. This report summarizes the Next-Gen AI for Proliferation Detection workshop's content and findings.
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
The Einstein observatory medium sensitivity survey - The quasars sample
A complete sample of X-ray-selected quasars and Seyfert galaxies extracted from the Einstein Observatory Medium Sensitivity Survey is described, and their physical characteristics are discussed. A Hubble constant of 50 km/s per Mpc and a Friedmann universe with a deceleration parameter of q(0)=0 are assumed throughout the survey, and the sample of X-ray sources was selected according to the following criteria: the significance of the detection exceeds a confidence level of 5 beta; the source is physically unrelated to the target of the IPC observation; and that the source is at a galactic latitude higher than 20 deg. The redshift and optical luminosity distributions of 55 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) detected in the survey are discussed. A number flux relation for the different classes of extragalactic objects are analyzed in detail, using a Maximum Likelihood method and the assumption that the relation can be represented as a power law.
Gioia, I. M.↗
Assessment of an Automated Touchdown Detection Algorithm for the Orion Crew Module
Orion Crew Module (CM) touchdown detection is critical to activating the post-landing sequence that safe?s the Reaction Control Jets (RCS), ensures that the vehicle remains upright, and establishes communication with recovery forces. In order to accommodate safe landing of an unmanned vehicle or incapacitated crew, an onboard automated detection system is required. An Orion-specific touchdown detection algorithm was developed and evaluated to differentiate landing events from in-flight events. The proposed method will be used to initiate post-landing cutting of the parachute riser lines, to prevent CM rollover, and to terminate RCS jet firing prior to submersion. The RCS jets continue to fire until touchdown to maintain proper CM orientation with respect to the flight path and to limit impact loads, but have potentially hazardous consequences if submerged while firing. The time available after impact to cut risers and initiate the CM Up-righting System (CMUS) is measured in minutes, whereas the time from touchdown to RCS jet submersion is a function of descent velocity, sea state conditions, and is often less than one second. Evaluation of the detection algorithms was performed for in-flight events (e.g. descent under chutes) using hi-fidelity rigid body analyses in the Decelerator Systems Simulation (DSS), whereas water impacts were simulated using a rigid finite element model of the Orion CM in LS-DYNA. Two touchdown detection algorithms were evaluated with various thresholds: Acceleration magnitude spike detection, and Accumulated velocity changed (over a given time window) spike detection. Data for both detection methods is acquired from an onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor. The detection algorithms were tested with analytically generated in-flight and landing IMU data simulations. The acceleration spike detection proved to be faster while maintaining desired safety margin. Time to RCS jet submersion was predicted analytically across a series of simulated Orion landing conditions. This paper details the touchdown detection method chosen and the analysis used to support the decision.
Gay, Robert S.↗
Thermal Neutron Die-Way-Time Studies for P and DGNAA of Radioactive Waste Drums at the MEDINA Facility
In Germany, radioactive waste with negligible heat production has to pass through a process of quality checking in order to check its conformance with national regulations prior to its transport, intermediate storage and final disposal. Additionally to its radioactive components, the waste may contain non-radioactive chemically toxic substances that can adversely affect human health and pollute the environment, especially the ground water. After an adequate decay time, the waste radioactivity will become harmless but the non-radioactive substances will persist over time. In principle, these hazardous substances may be quantified from traceability and quality controls performed during the production of the waste packages. As a consequence, a research and development program was initiated in 2007 with the aim to develop a nondestructive analytical technique for radioactive waste packages based on prompt and delayed gamma neutron activation analysis (P and DGNAA) employing a DT-neutron generator in pulsed mode. In a preliminary study it was experimentally demonstrated that P and DGNAA is suitable to determine the chemical composition of large samples. In 2010 a facility called MEDINA (Multi Element Detection based on Instrumental Neutron Activation) was developed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of nonradioactive, toxic elements and substances in 200-l steel drums. The determination of hazardous substances and elements is generally achieved measuring the prompt gamma-rays induced by thermal neutrons. Additional information about the composition of the waste matrix could be derived measuring the delayed gamma-rays from short life activation products. However a sensitive detection of these delayed gamma-rays requires that thermal neutrons have almost vanished. Therefore, the thermal neutron die-away-time has to be known in order to achieve an optimal discrimination between prompt and delayed gamma-ray spectra acquisition. Measurements Thermal neutron die-away times have been determined for the following cases: a) the empty chamber, b ) an empty 200-l steel drum, for a 200-l steel drum filled c) with concrete d) with polyethylene and e) with a mixture of polyethylene and concrete by measuring the prompt-gamma ray count rate of relevant isotopes like of {sup 1}H, {sup 10}B, {sup 12}C, {sup 28}Si, {sup 35}Cl, {sup 40}Ca and {sup 56}Fe which are emitted from different parts of the facility and the sample. Additionally, the average die-away-time was determined from the total detector count rate. The neutron generator was operated with a neutron emission of 8x10{sup 7} n.s{sup -1}, a neutron pulse with a length of 250 μs and a repetition time of 5 ms. The spectra were acquired between the neutron pulses over t{sub c}=500 μs after a pre-defined waiting time t{sub D} (multiple of 500 μs). The thermal neutron die-away time was ranging between 0.9 ms and 5 ms according to the sample composition. As an example the measured thermal neutron die-away-time Λ [μs] of a drum filled with concrete is presented. Detailed results of this study will be presented and discussed. (authors)
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Imaging Primary Mouse Sarcomas After Radiation Therapy Using Cathepsin-Activatable Fluorescent Imaging Agents
Purpose: Cathepsin-activated fluorescent probes can detect tumors in mice and in canine patients. We previously showed that these probes can detect microscopic residual sarcoma in the tumor bed of mice during gross total resection. Many patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and other tumors undergo radiation therapy (RT) before surgery. This study assesses the effect of RT on the ability of cathepsin-activated probes to differentiate between normal and cancerous tissue. Methods and Materials: A genetically engineered mouse model of STS was used to generate primary hind limb sarcomas that were treated with hypofractionated RT. Mice were injected intravenously with cathepsin-activated fluorescent probes, and various tissues, including the tumor, were imaged using a hand-held imaging device. Resected tumor and normal muscle samples were harvested to assess cathepsin expression by Western blot. Uptake of activated probe was analyzed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Parallel in vitro studies using mouse sarcoma cells were performed. Results: RT of primary STS in mice and mouse sarcoma cell lines caused no change in probe activation or cathepsin protease expression. Increasing radiation dose resulted in an upward trend in probe activation. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence showed that a substantial proportion of probe-labeled cells were CD11b-positive tumor-associated immune cells. Conclusions: In this primary murine model of STS, RT did not affect the ability of cathepsin-activated probes to differentiate between tumor and normal muscle. Cathepsin-activated probes labeled tumor cells and tumor-associated macrophages. Our results suggest that it would be feasible to include patients who have received preoperative RT in clinical studies evaluating cathepsin-activated imaging probes.
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
Final Report on the Detection of Green Monopropellants
In 2014, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) funded a project titled "Familiarization and Detection of Green Monopropellants" utilizing Independent Research and Technology Development (IR&TD) and Center Innovation Fund (CIF) funding. The purpose of the project was to evaluate methods of detection for ammonium dinitramide (ADN) and hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN). An Engineering Services Contract (ESC) task order was created with the scope of evaluation of several methods of detecting ADN- and HAN-based propellants, as well as development of methods for detection. Detection methods include developed methods such as colorimetric indicating absorbent socks, and commercial-off-the- shelf (COTS) units for ammonia detection. An additional goal of the task order was for ESC to become familiar with ADN's and HAN's material properties and material compatibility. Two approaches were initially investigated as possible methods for the detection of HAN (or AFM315E) and ADN (or LMP-103S). These approaches were colorimetric analysis and instrumentation-based COTS vapor sensors utilization. Initial testing showed that the relatively non-existent vapor pressure of the AF-M315E (of which HAN is a major component) propellant would make the use of COTS sensors difficult for real-time area monitoring of HAN; a small response was detected through the use of active COTS sensors, including the RAE Systems MultiRAE Lite and Drager X-act (registered) 5000, but the levels detected were below the threshold limit value for the toxic gas ammonia. Therefore, a detection system ased upon a colorimetric indicator impregnated into an absorbent material was developed. Preliminary analysis (ESC-245-FDG-001) identified a particularly outstanding candidate as a colorimetric indicator for the detection of the presence of AF-M315E in the form of a Methyl Red (Basic) indicator. Materials impregnated with this indicator exhibit significant color change and the materials are not susceptible to interference from exposure to water or carbon dioxide. The completed detection system for HAN/AF-M315E consists of absorbent socks packed with Fisher Universal Spill Absorbent capable of absorbing and containing any propellant spills that they come into contact with along with indicating wipes. The absorbent socks are also chemically treated with a Methyl Red (Basic) indicator solution to provide the end user with a visual indication that a leak has occurred and proper protective precautions must be undertaken. An added benefit of this detection system is that the absorbent socks should neutralize/absorb any commodity that it comes into contact with (until saturation is reached). Additional adsorbent socks can be deployed until a color change is not seen, indicating that the HAN/AF-M315E contamination has been contained. The indicating wipes provide the user the opportunity to wipe surfaces to determine if there is any HAN/AF-M315E or HAN/AFM315E residue present. The wipes should allow the detection of fuel levels that may be too small to detect with the absorbent socks. The development of a detection system for the ADN/LMP-103S focused on the use of various COTS sensors used as real-time area monitoring devices and personal dosimeters. These COTS based sensor systems were of several different types, including both actively pumped and diffusion-based passive systems, as well as a "rope"-type chemical sensing cable. The results highlighted some of the major differences between the two monopropellants undergoing evaluation. Unlike HAN, ADN (which is the major constituent of LMP-103S) exhibits a much more volatile nature in comparison to AF-M315E. In fact, testing showed that a large percentage of the fuel was lost during the sampling measurement (greater than 10 percent by mass); although this testing cannot tell if the volatile component is the ADN itself or another component of the monopropellant solution. Not surprisingly, all four of the procured vapor-based COTS sensors showed positive results when exposed to solutions of the LMP-103S (ESC-245-FDG-002). The completed detection system for ADN/LMP-103S consists of a combination of two of the tested COTS sensor systems, the RAE Systems MultiRAE Lite and the BW Technologies GasAlert Extreme. These systems are meant to be used in conjunction with one another, which allows for the end-user to have both real-time area monitoring (MultiRAE Lite) as well as a personal dosimeter device (GasAlert Extreme) which can be worn as additional personal protective equipment. An stainless steel extension wand was fabricated and included in the detection system for the MultiRAE Lite to allow for more remote sensing, and connects via the active pumping inlet of the sensor. As stated, the final results of this testing resulted in the production of two "kits" which can be used for the detection of HAN/AF-M315E and ADN/LMP-103s (ESC-245-FDG-003).
Detection↗
Photofission Validation Measurements for Active Interrogation Standards
Executive Summary PNNL has been developing technical standards for the detection of special nuclear material (SNM) in cargo containers using active interrogation approaches. Since the use of kilogram-scale quantities of SNM is impractical for standards testing, the work focused on designing surrogates that provided similar signature as the SNM. There are many active interrogation approaches to detect SNM; the standards development considered photofission, differential die-away and nuclear resonance fluorescence. Of these approaches, photofission currently carries the most interest. However, uncertainties in the photofission cross sections are as large as 50%, so that validation measurements are necessary to provide confidence that the surrogate will perform similarly to the SNM. This document describes approaches for conducting those validation measurements as well as provides a rough order-of-magnitude cost estimate for performing them. Photofission provides many observables for the detection of SNM. The standards development considered prompt neutrons, delayed neutrons and delayed gamma rays as possible detected particles. The surrogates, which consist primarily of depleted uranium (DU), were designed to reproduce the strength of these particles for a targeted quantity of 2 kg of HEU. Different surrogates are required for different measurement approaches because of the difference in cross section between 235 U and 238 U. For the standards validations, the relative strength of the detected particles for HEU and DU must be measured. To avoid measurements with kilogram-sized SNM, the validation approach is focused on two comparisons. In the first comparison, the relative rates for approximately 10 g samples of DU and HEU will be measured. This comparison will provide the basis for validating the relative strength of the detected particles for HEU and DU. In the second comparison, the relative rates for the approximately 10 g and 1 kg sample of DU will be measured. This comparison will enable the validation of secondary processes that occur after photofission that impact the measurement for kilogram-scale samples. For instance, for 2 kg of HEU, as much as 50% of the fission induced in the sample is induced from fission neutrons generated through photofission. There is a limited range of facilities in the U.S. that have both the necessary accelerator capability and the ability and willingness to handle SNM. Two such facilities, the Idaho Accelerator Center at Idaho State University and the Nuclear Engineering Program at the University of Michigan, have both expressed an interest in participating in such measurements. Both would need to amend their licensing to handle the 10 g of HEU proposed for these measurements. The rough order-of-magnitude cost estimate for all three validation measurements is $1.1M, spread over three years. Each of the three measurements could be performed separately, at approximately one-third of that cost. There are a number of critical assumptions in these cost estimate that will need to be confirmed before a more reliable cost estimate can be established. PNNL will manage the effort to ensure that the overall objective of the validation measurements can be achieved and will fabricate the 10 g samples of HEU and DU. Most the labor for the measurements will be provided by two collaborating universities as research opportunities for students. The successful completion of these validation measurements will reduce the uncertainties in the proposed standards from about 50% to 5%. The measurements would also provide some much-needed nuclear data on photofission.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DNA-binding activity of STAT3 increased in hypothalamus of DIO mice; the reduction of STAT3 phosphorylation may facilitate leptin signaling
Highlights: • The DNA-binding activity of STAT3 significantly increased, POMC expression decreased in the hypothalamus of DIO mice. • The reduction of STAT3 phosphorylation facilitated leptin-mediated POMC expression in cultured cells. • The DNA-binding activity of STAT3 and the proximal SBE of POMC promoter was essential to leptin-mediated POMC transcription. Leptin-mediated DNA-binding activity of STAT3 in hypothalamus plays crucial roles in the maintenance of energy homeostasis in lean mice; however its effects still remains unclear in case of leptin resistance in mice with diet induced obesity (DIO). In this study significant elevation of both basal and exogenously leptin-treated DNA-binding activity of STAT3 was detected using EMSA in the hypothalamus of male C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet for 10 wks, in concomitant with hyperleptinemia, high body weight, high fat mass, and hyperphagia as well as decreased POMC expression. The studies in vitro showed that both DNA binding activity and the proximal SBE of POMC promoter was essential to leptin-mediated POMC expression. However, the diminution of STAT3 phosphorylation, achieved by S3I-201 or a FoxO1 mutant, facilitated leptin-mediated POMC expression. The findings here demonstrated excess STAT3 activity negatively regulated POMC expression in hypothalamus of DIO mice, and suggested the limitation of STAT3 activity may promote leptin signaling.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Development of the Photonuclear Method for Detection of Hidden (N; C) Concentrations with Registration of Induced ({sup 12}N; {sup 12}B) Activities
An overview of the studies devoted to the development of the photonuclear method of external detection of hidden explosives and narcotic drugs using the registration of induced activities of the short-lived radioisotopes {sup 12}N and {sup 12}B is presented. The main aspects of this method are considered: the involved nuclear reactions; emission of γ-quanta, electrons, and positrons from irradiated objects upon ({sup 12}N; {sup 12}B) decays; radiation safety problems; detectors for registration of ({sup 12}N; {sup 12}B) activities at pulsed electron accelerators; and model descriptions of the attempts to implement the method.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗