He, Yun | Search NASA

DOE OSTI2024

Paternal preconception alcohol consumption increased Angiotensin II‐mediated vasoconstriction in male offspring cerebral arteries via oxidative stress‐AT1R pathway

Abstract Alcohol consumption is popular worldwidely and closely associated with cardiovascular diseases. Influences of paternal preconception alcohol consumption on offspring cerebral arteries are largely unknown. Male rats were randomly given alcohol or water before being mated with alcohol‐naive females to produce alcohol‐ and control‐sired offspring. Middle cerebral artery (MCA) was tested with a Danish Myo Technology wire myograph, patch‐clamp, IONOPTIX, immunofluorescence and quantitative PCR. Alcohol consumption enhanced angiotensin II (AngII)‐mediated constriction in male offspring MCA mainly via AT1R. PD123,319 only augmented AngII‐induced constriction in control offspring. AngII and Bay K8644 induced stronger intracellular calcium transient in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from MCA of alcohol offspring. L‐type voltage‐dependent calcium channel (L‐Ca 2+ ) current at baseline and after AngII‐stimulation was higher in VSMCs. Influence of large‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channel (BK C a ) was lower. Caffeine induced stronger constriction and intracellular calcium release in alcohol offspring. Superoxide anion was higher in alcohol MCA than control. Tempol and thenoyltrifluoroacetone alleviated AngII‐mediated contractions, while inhibition was significantly higher in alcohol group. The mitochondria were swollen in alcohol MCA. Despite lower Kcnma1 and Prkce expression, many genes expressions were higher in alcohol group. Hypoxia induced reactive oxygen species production and increased AT1R expression in control MCA and rat aorta smooth muscle cell line. In conclusion, this study firstly demonstrated paternal preconception alcohol potentiated AngII‐mediated vasoconstriction in offspring MCA via ROS‐AT1R. Alcohol consumption increased intracellular calcium via L‐Ca 2+ channel and endoplasmic reticulum and decreased BK Ca function. The present study provided new information for male reproductive health and developmental origin of cerebrovascular diseases.

Zhang, Ze↗

DOE OSTI2024

Intro to HPC Bootcamp: Engaging New Communities Through Energy Justice Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a long-standing leader in research and development of high-performance computing (HPC) in the pursuit of science. However, we face daunting challenges in fostering a robust and diverse HPC workforce. Basic HPC is not typically taught at early stages of students' academic careers, and the capacity and knowledge of HPC at many institutions are limited. Even so, such topics are prerequisites for advanced training programs, internships, graduate school, and ultimately for careers in HPC. To help address this challenge, as part of the DOE Exascale Computing Project's Broadening Participation Initiative, we recently launched the Introduction to HPC Training and Workforce Pipeline Program to provide accessible introductory material on HPC, scalable AI, and analytics. We describe the Intro to HPC Bootcamp, an immersive program designed to engage students from underrepresented groups as they learn foundational HPC skills. Here, the program takes a novel approach to HPC training by turning the traditional curriculum upside down. Instead of focusing on technology and its applications, the bootcamp focuses on energy justice to motivate the training of HPC skills through project-based pedagogy and real-life science stories. Additionally, the bootcamp prepares students for internships and future careers at DOE labs. The first bootcamp, hosted by the advanced computing facilities at Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, and Oak Ridge National Labs and organized by Sustainable Horizons Institute, took place in August 2023.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗