Hanging drop crystal growth apparatus

This invention relates generally to control systems for controlling crystal growth, and more particularly to such a system which uses a beam of light refracted by the fluid in which crystals are growing to detect concentration of solutes in the liquid. In a hanging drop apparatus, a laser beam is directed onto drop which refracts the laser light into primary and secondary bows, respectively, which in turn fall upon linear diode detector arrays. As concentration of solutes in drop increases due to solvent removal, these bows move farther apart on the arrays, with the relative separation being detected by arrays and used by a computer to adjust solvent vapor transport from the drop. A forward scattering detector is used to detect crystal nucleation in drop, and a humidity detector is used, in one embodiment, to detect relative humidity in the enclosure wherein drop is suspended. The novelty of this invention lies in utilizing angular variance of light refracted from drop to infer, by a computer algorithm, concentration of solutes therein. Additional novelty is believed to lie in using a forward scattering detector to detect nucleating crystallites in drop

Informatic system for a global tissue–fluid biorepository with a graph theory–oriented graphical user interface

The Richard Floor Biorepository supports collaborative studies of extracellular vesicles (EVs) found in human fluids and tissue specimens. The current emphasis is on biomarkers for central nervous system neoplasms but its structure may serve as a template for collaborative EV translational studies in other fields. The informatic system provides specimen inventory tracking with bar codes assigned to specimens and containers and projects, is hosted on globalized cloud computing resources, and embeds a suite of shared documents, calendars, and video-conferencing features. Clinical data are recorded in relation to molecular EV attributes and may be tagged with terms drawn from a network of externally maintained ontologies thus offering expansion of the system as the field matures. We fashioned the graphical user interface (GUI) around a web-based data visualization package. This system is now in an early stage of deployment, mainly focused on specimen tracking and clinical, laboratory, and imaging data capture in support of studies to optimize detection and analysis of brain tumour–specific mutations. It currently includes 4,392 specimens drawn from 611 subjects, the majority with brain tumours. As EV science evolves, we plan biorepository changes which may reflect multi-institutional collaborations, proteomic interfaces, additional biofluids, changes in operating procedures and kits for specimen handling, novel procedures for detection of tumour-specific EVs, and for RNA extraction and changes in the taxonomy of EVs. We have used an ontology-driven data model and web-based architecture with a graph theory–driven GUI to accommodate and stimulate the semantic web of EV science

New Additions to the Flora of San Nicolas Island, Ventura County, California

Ongoing collecting efforts on San Nicolas Island have substantially increased the number of plant species documented from the island. Here we report thirty-one plants previously unrecorded from the island. The list includes six eudicots, one monocot, four liverworts and twenty mosses. Five of these species are understood to be introduced on San Nicolas and the remainder are believed to be native. The native vascular plants are Logfia filaginoides, Cistanthe maritima and Muhlenbergia microsperma. Of the twenty-four new bryophytes, one—Asterella bolanderi—is the first record from the Channel Islands. Specific ecological and locality information are provided for the new vascular plant finds and general patterns of bryophyte richness and ecological preferences are discussed

Als3 is a Candida albicans invasin that binds to cadherins and induces endocytosis by host cells.

Candida albicans is the most common cause of hematogenously disseminated and oropharyngeal candidiasis. Both of these diseases are characterized by fungal invasion of host cells. Previously, we have found that C. albicans hyphae invade endothelial cells and oral epithelial cells in vitro by inducing their own endocytosis. Therefore, we set out to identify the fungal surface protein and host cell receptors that mediate this process. We found that the C. albicans Als3 is required for the organism to be endocytosed by human umbilical vein endothelial cells and two different human oral epithelial lines. Affinity purification experiments with wild-type and an als3delta/als3delta mutant strain of C. albicans demonstrated that Als3 was required for C. albicans to bind to multiple host cell surface proteins, including N-cadherin on endothelial cells and E-cadherin on oral epithelial cells. Furthermore, latex beads coated with the recombinant N-terminal portion of Als3 were endocytosed by Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing human N-cadherin or E-cadherin, whereas control beads coated with bovine serum albumin were not. Molecular modeling of the interactions of the N-terminal region of Als3 with the ectodomains of N-cadherin and E-cadherin indicated that the binding parameters of Als3 to either cadherin are similar to those of cadherin-cadherin binding. Therefore, Als3 is a fungal invasin that mimics host cell cadherins and induces endocytosis by binding to N-cadherin on endothelial cells and E-cadherin on oral epithelial cells. These results uncover the first known fungal invasin and provide evidence that C. albicans Als3 is a molecular mimic of human cadherins

Detection Of KOI-13.01 Using The Photometric Orbit

We use the KOI-13 transiting star-planet system as a test case for the recently developed BEER algorithm (Faigler & Mazeh 2011), aimed at identifying non-transiting low-mass companions by detecting the photometric variability induced by the companion along its orbit. Such photometric variability is generated by three mechanisms, including the beaming effect, tidal ellipsoidal distortion, and reflection/heating. We use data from three Kepler quarters, from the first year of the mission, while ignoring measurements within the transit and occultation, and show that the planet's ephemeris is clearly detected. We fit for the amplitude of each of the three effects and use the beaming effect amplitude to estimate the planet's minimum mass, which results in M_p sin i = 9.2 +/- 1.1 M_J (assuming the host star parameters derived by Szabo et al. 2011). Our results show that non-transiting star-planet systems similar to KOI-13.01 can be detected in Kepler data, including a measurement of the orbital ephemeris and the planet's minimum mass. Moreover, we derive a realistic estimate of the amplitudes uncertainties, and use it to show that data obtained during the entire lifetime of the Kepler mission, of 3.5 years, will allow detecting non-transiting close-in low-mass companions orbiting bright stars, down to the few Jupiter mass level. Data from the Kepler Extended Mission, if funded by NASA, will further improve the detection capabilities.Comment: Accepted to AJ on October 4, 2011. Kepler Q5 Long Cadence data will become publicly available on MAST by October 23. Comments welcome (V2: minor changes, to reflect proof corrections

Metabolic and Ventilatory Responses to Interval-Based Active and Passive Treadmill Sprinting

Historically, exercise scientists and practitioners believed that continuous, steady exercise at a single moderate intensity was most beneficial for health, but recent findings suggests that higher intensity interval training may be more beneficial for many health and performance-based outcomes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the metabolic and ventilatory responses to a brief, intense interval protocol using a treadmill in the active and passive mode. Methods: Twelve physically fit participants (30.5±6.2y; 175.9±9.9 cm; 79.1±18.2 Kg) completed three exercise sessions. In the first session, biometric and demographic data were obtained prior to the performance of a peak VO2 treadmill test using a single speed, variable incline protocol. In sessions 2 and 3, participants performed an intense, 4-minute exercise protocol. The interval protocol consisted of eight repetitions, each 20 seconds in length with 10 seconds rest between with a 15% incline. The interval exercise was performed in an active or passive treadmill mode. During the active mode (ACT), participants controlled the speed of the treadmill belt using an electronic control board mounted on the front of the treadmill. During the passive mode (PAS), participants controlled the speed of the treadmill belt by exerting greater effort against the belt with their legs. In each condition, the participants were encouraged to exert a maximal effort; the ACT and PAS conditions were performed in random order on separate days. Continuous oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), and Ventilation (VE) were collected during all sessions using a metabolic cart and data were compared using a factorial ANOVA with repeated measures using mode (ACT vs PAS) and interval (8 intervals). Results: VO2 peak in the participants tested was 44.4±4.5 mL.kg-1.min-1. There was a significant mode by interval interaction for VO2 (p=0.003). VO2 was elevated compared to baseline in both conditions, but PAS was greater than ACT at intervals 2 (∆3.55 mL.kg-1.min-1; p=0.003) and 3 (∆3.40 mL.kg-1.min-1; p=0.004). There was a significant interaction for RER (pConclusions: The results indicate that participants completing self-selected sprints in the PAS mode exert greater metabolic effort in earlier, but not late intervals compared to ACT. This could be due to the extreme fatigue resulting from anaerobic work in PAS. Future studies should determine if participants training using ACT or PAS sprinting adapt strategies to improve metabolic efficiency or gain capabilities to exert greater metabolic effort during a single session of treadmill exercise

Revealing hidden pore structure in nanoporous thin films using positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

The highly inhomogeneous pore morphology of a plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited ultralow-kk dielectric film (k = 2.2)(k=2.2) has been revealed using depth-profiled positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) combined with progressive etch back of the film surface. The film is found to have a dense surface layer, an intermediate layer of 1.8 nm1.8nm diameter mesopores, and a deep region of ∼ 3 nm∼3nm diameter mesopores. After successively etching of the sealing layer and the isolated 1.8 nm1.8nm pore region, PALS reveals that the underlying large pores are highly interconnected. This inhomogeneous pore structure is proposed to account for observed difficulties in film integration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87843/2/121904_1.pd

A Novel Imaging System Permits Real-time in Vivo Tumor Bed Assessment After Resection of Naturally Occurring Sarcomas in Dogs

Background Treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) includes complete tumor excision. However, in some patients, residual sarcoma cells remain in the tumor bed. We previously described a novel hand-held imaging device prototype that uses molecular imaging to detect microscopic residual cancer in mice during surgery. Questions/purposes To test this device in a clinical trial of dogs with naturally occurring sarcomas, we asked: (1) Are any adverse clinical or laboratory effects observed after intravenous administration of the fluorescent probes? (2) Do canine sarcomas exhibit fluorescence after administration of the cathepsin-activated probe? (3) Is the tumor-to-background ratio sufficient to distinguish tumor from tumor bed? And (4) can residual fluorescence be detected in the tumor bed during surgery and does this correlate with a positive margin? Methods We studied nine dogs undergoing treatment for 10 STS or mast cell tumors. Dogs received an intravenous injection of VM249, a fluorescent probe that becomes optically active in the presence of cathepsin proteases. After injection, tumors were removed by wide resection. The tumor bed was imaged using the novel imaging device to search for residual fluorescence. We determined correlations between tissue fluorescence and histopathology, cathepsin protease expression, and development of recurrent disease. Minimum followup was 9 months (mean, 12 months; range, 9–15 months). Results Fluorescence was apparent from all 10 tumors and ranged from 3 × 107 to 1 × 109 counts/millisecond/cm2. During intraoperative imaging, normal skeletal muscle showed no residual fluorescence. Histopathologic assessment of surgical margins correlated with intraoperative imaging in nine of 10 cases; in the other case, there was no residual fluorescence, but tumor was found at the margin on histologic examination. No animals had recurrent disease at 9 to 15 months. Conclusions These initial findings suggest this imaging system might be useful to intraoperatively detect residual tumor after wide resections. Clinical Relevance The ability to assess the tumor bed intraoperatively for residual disease has the potential to improve local control

Source Mechanism of Seismic Explosion Signals at Santiaguito Volcano, Guatemala:New Insights From Seismic Analysis and Numerical Modeling

Volcanic activity at the Santiaguito dome complex (Guatemala) is characterized by lava extrusion interspersed with small, regular, gas-and-ash explosions that are believed to result from shallow magma fragmentation; yet, their triggering mechanisms remain debated. Given that the understanding of source processes at volcanoes is essential to risk assessments of future eruptions, this study seeks to shed light on those processes. We use data from a permanent seismic and infrasound network at Santiaguito volcano, Guatemala, established in 2018 and additional temporary stations, including a seismic array deployed during a 13-day field investigation in January 2019 to analyze and resolve the source characteristics of fragmentation leading to gas-and-ash explosions. Seismic data gathered within a distance of 4.5 km from the vent show a weak seismic signal 2–6 s prior to the explosions and associated main seismic signal. To resolve the source location and origin of the seismic signals, we first used ambient noise analysis to assess seismic velocities in the subsurface and then used two-dimensional spectral element modeling (SPECFEM2D) to simulate seismic waveforms. The analyzed data revealed a two-layer structure beneath the array, with a shallow, low-velocity layer (v$_{s}$ = 650 m/s) above deeper, high-velocity rocks (v$_{s}$ = 2,650 m/s). Using this velocity structure, possible source mechanisms and depths were constrained using array and particle motion analyses. The comparison of simulated and observed seismic data indicated that the precursory signal is associated with particle motion in the RZ-plane, pointing toward the opening of tensile cracks at a depth of ∼600 m below the summit; in contrast, the main signal is accompanied by a vertical single force, originating at a shallow depth of about ∼200 m. This suggests that the volcanic explosions at Santiaguito are following a bottom-up process in which tensile fractures develop at depth and enable rapid gas rise which leads to the subsequent explosion. The result indicates that explosions at Santiaguito do not occur from a single source location, but from a series of processes possibly associated with magma rupture, gas channeling and accumulation, and fragmentation. Our study provides a good foundation for further investigations at Santiaguito and shows the value of comparing seismic observations with synthetic data calculated for complex media to investigate in detail the processes leading up to gas-ash-rich explosions found at various other volcanoes worldwide

Functional insights from the structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit and its interactions with antibiotics

The 30S ribosomal subunit has two primary functions in protein synthesis. It discriminates against aminoacyl transfer RNAs that do not match the codon of messenger RNA, thereby ensuring accuracy in translation of the genetic message in a process called decoding. Also, it works with the 50S subunit to move the tRNAs and associated mRNA by precisely one codon, in a process called translocation. Here we describe the functional implications of the high-resolution 30S crystal structure presented in the accompanying paper, and infer details of the interactions between the 30S subunit and its tRNA and mRNA ligands. We also describe the crystal structure of the 30S subunit complexed with the antibiotics paromomycin, streptomycin and spectinomycin, which interfere with decoding and translocation. This work reveals the structural basis for the action of these antibiotics, and leads to a model for the role of the universally conserved 16S RNA residues A1492 and A1493 in the decoding process