Potentia (Namibia)

Anyone who has ventured to an online message board or discussion forum has become well acquainted with the "first-post roach"--that post that simply declares, "First!" with little or no value added to the topic. In many instances, arriving first is nearly synonymous with being annoying. Fortunately, there are still trailblazers whose honest efforts have paved the way for future generations.

Excessive complement (C) activation due to ischemia/reperfusion following organ transplantation has been associated with graft dysfunction. A number of anti‐C agents have been developed; however, systemic administration of these leaves recipients vulnerable to infection. To develop a targeted therapy we created a novel method to decorate cells with proteins by using fusogenic lipid vesicles (FLVs) that fuse with cells and incorporate their lipids into cell membranes. These lipids contain biotin tethers which link with fusion proteins containing streptavidin (SA). The purpose of this study was to develop an anti‐C targeted therapy in which the C3 convertase inhibitor vaccinia virus C control protein (VCP) was combined with SA (SA‐VCP). We hypothesized that cells decorated with SA‐VCP would reduced C3b deposition after C activation. Studies were conducted in human fibroblasts and SKOV‐3 cells. Biotinylation of cells were optimized by adjusting FLV formulation, and by determining the ideal incubation times and levels of FLVs. Trastuzimab and human serum were used for C activation, and C3b deposition was measured using a microplate reader. We found that SA‐VCP treatment significantly (p<0.001) reduced C3b deposition compared to controls. We conclude that membrane display of anti‐C proteins is effective in reducing C deposition, and that this therapy has potential in transplantation. NIH funded R41 HL079855.

SummaryThe need for accurate well-productivity models with arbitrary well trajectories spurred a revival in analytic solution methodology for fluid transport problems. Analytic formulations often depict single-phase flow throughout the reservoir. The Babu-Odeh horizontal-well solution for abox-shaped reservoir with spatially invariant properties is generalized here toallow closed-form solutions for heterogeneous media. A reservoir is decomposed into interacting regions, each with its own reservoir properties and associated analytic potential flow solution. Using established boundary element techniques, pressure and flux continuity are imposed at selected interface points to solve for the steady material exchange between regions. Constant pressure and zero flux features (fractures and barriers) are easily entertained at region boundaries. The 2D, pseudo steady-state solution for heterogeneous media is embedded within a reservoir performance feedback loop of a powerful gradient search method to produce a robust optimal infill well placement algorithm. Utilizing this approach, new criteria are developed concerning optimal placement of vertical wells for primary production with respect to heterogeneity, asymmetry, and anisotropy. The semianalytic method has been extended to 3D flows to serve as a compute engine for a new generation of reservoir management and optimization tools.

Whatever kind of organization you work for, business, government or academia, or even more obviously if you go out on your own, adequate financial resources are an absolute necessity for a secure job environment. What defines "adequate" may depend on time and circumstances. If jobs are plentiful and the economy is healthy, then more might be expected in terms of salary, perks and opportunities. On the other hand, if the economy is on a downturn, expectations might be commensurately reduced. In any case, to get a regular paycheck, there has got to be money in some bank account to cover it. Whether you are a new BS graduate or a freshly minted PhD, or you have several years of experience, this financial reality is pretty much the same. It may seem that financial issues should be the concern only of others higher up in the organization. After all, they are being paid the big salaries to handle such things. Whatever the correctness of that perception (think Enron), you need to acknowledge your own role and responsibilities in contributing to the financial wellbeing of your employer. Some aspects of that role are considered in the article, with respect to the business, academic and government environments.

You have the grades. You have the talent. You have the drive to succeed. But, getting to the top requires political savvy. Whether you work for a research laboratory, university, or corporation, you will be subjected to on-the-job politics unique to that organization.

Many engineers view the master's of business administration degree as a magical open sesame to management and the big money of high-tech industry. But before you succumb to the supposed enchantment of the M.B.A., you should look carefully beyond the fantasy.

Ten Outstanding Centennial Students recently spent four active days attending meetings, receptions, luncheons, and banquets as they rubbed elbows with 20th-century electrical engineering greats such as Ian M. Ross, president of AT&T Bell Labs, and John Bardeen, two-time Nobel Prize winner in physics and co-inventor of the transistor. All their travel, lodging, and meal expenses were picked up by the IEEE. The special event? The IEEE Centennial Celebration in Boston, Mass., May 12 through May 15.

High tech demands exquisite precision. When time is measured in nanoseconds and tolerances in parts per million, it is imperative that the instruments used be as exact as the state of the art can make them. For want of an off pulse in a gate, a whole system may crash; for want of 0.5 millivolt, a wrong diagnosis in a serious illness may be made.