Chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates for assaying xylanases of Neurospora

The Oak Ridge strains of wild type N. crassa grow well with high molecular wight xylan from oat spelts (Sigma X-0376) as the sole carbon source. Xylan, a substituted ß-1,4 linked polymer of xylose, induces high levels of xylanase, xylosidase and ß-galactosidase activities in both culture medium and mycelium. To assay for xylanase activity, chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates have been prepared by procedures based on those of Biely et al. 1985. Anal. Biochem. 144:142-146; Biely et al. 1985. Anal. Biochem. 144:147-151; Rinderknecht et al. 1967. Experientia 23:805; and De Belder and Granath 1973. Carb. Res. 30:375-378. Batches of xylan that have a tan color and granular texture should be dissolved in boiling water, precipitated with two volumes of absolute ethanol, and dried as described below before use. These techniques may also be used to prepare chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates from dextrans, glucans or other high molecular weight polysaccharides to assay endoglycosidases for which suitable assay reagents are not readily available

Institutional and Post-Institutional Treatment of the Sex Offender

The problem of the sex offender is as old as society itself. Today, as in the distant past, man is more concerned, in the first instance, with protecting himself and his loved ones from the corrupting touch of the so-called sex-fiend than he is with the punishment, treatment or cure of such persons. This phenomenon of social psychology still prevails in spite of the growing preachments of the doctor, psychologist, criminologist and more recently, of the lawyer prosecutor, the lawyer law-maker and the lawyer practitioner,\u27 to the effect that the primarily desirable end of protecting society can best be achieved by a greater emphasis on penological, therapeutic and hygienic techniques applicable in the institutional and post-institutional treatment of such offenders. Much of what is herein proposed in the way of legislative and administrative improvement is generally applicable to the whole field of correction, but the special problem of the sex offender requires that it be underlined

Final Report of the Commission on Presidential Disability and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment

This Report examines the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to identify potential difficulties in presidential succession and makes recommendations

An algorithm for diagnosing IgE-mediated food allergy in study participants who do not undergo food challenge.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy diagnosis in clinical studies can be challenging. Oral food challenges (OFC) are time-consuming, carry some risk and may, therefore, not be acceptable to all study participants. OBJECTIVE: To design and evaluate an algorithm for detecting IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. METHODS: An algorithm for trial participants in the Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention (BEEP) study who were unwilling or unable to attend OFC was developed. BEEP is a pragmatic, multi-centre, randomized-controlled trial of daily emollient for the first year of life for primary prevention of eczema and food allergy in high-risk infants (ISRCTN21528841). We built on the European iFAAM consensus guidance to develop a novel food allergy diagnosis algorithm using available information on previous allergenic food ingestion, food reaction(s) and sensitization status. This was implemented by a panel of food allergy experts blind to treatment allocation and OFC outcome. We then evaluated the algorithm's performance in both BEEP and Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study participants who did undergo OFC. RESULTS: In 31/69 (45%) BEEP and 44/55 (80%) EAT study control group participants who had an OFC the panel felt confident enough to categorize children as "probable food allergy" or "probable no food allergy". Algorithm-derived panel decisions showed high sensitivity 94% (95%CI 68, 100) BEEP; 90% (95%CI 72, 97) EAT and moderate specificity 67% (95%CI 39, 87) BEEP; 67% (95%CI 39, 87) EAT. Sensitivity and specificity were similar when all BEEP and EAT participants with OFC outcome were included. CONCLUSION: We describe a new algorithm with high sensitivity for IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This may be a useful tool for excluding food allergy in future clinical studies where OFC is not conducted

Bronchiectasis:an emerging global epidemic

Abstract Bronchiectasis has an increasing profile within respiratory medicine. This chronic and irreversible airways disease is common but suffers from a lack of evidenced based therapy for patients and, a lack of understanding of its inherent heterogeneity. Research focused on bronchiectasis must therefore be prioritized if we are to adequately address this evolving clinical problem. This special issue on bronchiectasis focuses on its clinical, microbiological and therapeutic aspects. By bringing together a unique collection of original research and review articles, we hope this issue will showcase international research efforts, encourage future research collaborations and stimulate debate. In doing so, we hope to bring greater attention to the urgent need for sustained investment into focused, dedicated and collaborative research platforms in bronchiectasis, an emerging “global epidemic”

New and improved demonstrations, each illustrating a single scientific paper

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Recreating Early Islamic Glass Lamp Lighting

Early Islamic light sources are not simple, static, uniform points, and the fixtures themselves are often combinations of glass, water, fuel and flame. Various physically based renderers such as Radiance are widely used for modeling ancient architectural scenes; however they rarely capture the true ambiance of the environment due to subtle lighting effects. Specifically, these renderers often fail to correctly model complex caustics produced by glass fixtures, water level, and fuel sources. While the original fixtures of the 8th through 10th century Mosque of Córdoba in Spain have not survived, we have applied information gathered from earlier and contemporary sites and artifacts, including those from Byzantium, to assume that it was illuminated by either single jar lamps or supported by polycandela that cast unique downward caustic lighting patterns which helped individuals to navigate and to read. To re-synthesize such lighting, we gathered experimental archaeological data and investigated and validated how various water levels and glass fixture shapes, likely used during early Islamic times, changed the overall light patterns and downward caustics. In this paper, we propose a technique called Caustic Cones, a novel data-driven method to ‘shape’ the light emanating from the lamps to better recreate the downward lighting without resorting to computationally expensive photon mapping renderers. Additionally, we demonstrate on a rendering of the Mosque of Cordoba how our approach greatly benefits archaeologists and architectural historians by providing a more authentic visual simulation of early Islamic glass lamp lighting

Daily emollient during infancy for prevention of eczema: the BEEP randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Skin barrier dysfunction precedes eczema development. We tested whether daily use of emollient in the first year could prevent eczema in high-risk children. METHODS: We did a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial in 12 hospitals and four primary care sites across the UK. Families were approached via antenatal or postnatal services for recruitment of term infants (at least 37 weeks' gestation) at high risk of developing eczema (ie, at least one first-degree relative with parent-reported eczema, allergic rhinitis, or asthma, diagnosed by a doctor). Term newborns with a family history of atopic disease were randomly assigned (1:1) to application of emollient daily (either Diprobase cream or DoubleBase gel) for the first year plus standard skin-care advice (emollient group) or standard skin-care advice only (control group). The randomisation schedule was created using computer-generated code (stratified by recruiting centre and number of first-degree relatives with atopic disease) and participants were assigned to groups using an internet-based randomisation system. The primary outcome was eczema at age 2 years (defined by UK working party criteria) with analysis as randomised regardless of adherence to allocation for participants with outcome data collected, and adjusting for stratification variables. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN21528841. Data collection for long-term follow-up is ongoing, but the trial is closed to recruitment. FINDINGS: 1394 newborns were randomly assigned to study groups between Nov 19, 2014, and Nov 18, 2016; 693 were assigned to the emollient group and 701 to the control group. Adherence in the emollient group was 88% (466 of 532) at 3 months, 82% (427 of 519) at 6 months, and 74% (375 of 506) at 12 months in those with complete questionnaire data. At age 2 years, eczema was present in 139 (23%) of 598 infants with outcome data collected in the emollient group and 150 (25%) of 612 infants in the control group (adjusted relative risk 0·95 [95% CI 0·78 to 1·16], p=0·61; adjusted risk difference -1·2% [-5·9 to 3·6]). Other eczema definitions supported the results of the primary analysis. Mean number of skin infections per child in year 1 was 0·23 (SD 0·68) in the emollient group versus 0·15 (0·46) in the control group; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1·55 (95% CI 1·15 to 2·09). INTERPRETATION: We found no evidence that daily emollient during the first year of life prevents eczema in high-risk children and some evidence to suggest an increased risk of skin infections. Our study shows that families with eczema, asthma, or allergic rhinitis should not use daily emollients to try and prevent eczema in their newborn. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment