A revised checklist of Hawaiian mosses

A revised and updated literature-based checklist of Hawaiian mosses is presented. Geographic coverage includes the eight main Hawaiian Islands; the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are excluded. The checklist is alphabetically ordered by scientific names; the family is noted for each genus. Synonyms and misapplied names are cross-referenced to the accepted names. A bibliography of supporting references is included

Strain relaxation and phonon confinement in self-assembled InAsSb/InP (001) quantum dashes: Effect of deposition thickness and composition

This paper presents a study on the strain relaxation and phonon confinement effect in InAsSb/InP quantum dashes QDashes. The phonon mode with a frequency between that of InAs-like longitudinal optical mode and that of InP transverse optical mode is determined to be originated from InAsSb QDashes. Despite the small height of the QDashes, their phonon frequency is found to be mainly determined by the strain relaxation in the dashes. With increasing InAsSb deposition thickness and Sb composition in InAsSb dashes, the phonon mode shows an upward shift of its frequency due to the increased compressive strain.Financial support from Australian Research Council DP0774366 is gratefully acknowledged

Understanding improved electrochemical properties of NiO-doped NiF2-C composite conversion materials by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and pair distribution function analysis.

The conversion reactions of pure NiF2 and the NiO-doped NiF2-C composite (NiO-NiF2-C) were investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The enhanced electronic conductivity of NiO-NiF2-C is associated with a significant improvement in the reversibility of the conversion reaction compared to pure NiF2. Different evolutions of the size distributions of the Ni nanoparticles formed during discharge were observed. While a bimodal nanoparticle size distribution was maintained for NiO-NiF2-C following the 1st and 2nd discharge, for pure NiF2 only smaller nanoparticles (∼14 Å) remained following the 2nd discharge. We postulate that the solid electrolyte interphase formed upon the 1st discharge at large overpotential retards the growth of metallic Ni leading to formation of smaller Ni particles during the 2nd discharge. In contrast, the NiO doping and the carbon layer covering the NiO-NiF2-C possibly facilitate the conversion process on the surface preserving the reaction kinetics upon the 2nd discharge. Based on the electronic conductivity and surface properties, the resulting size of the Ni nanoparticles is associated with the conversion kinetics and consequently the cyclability

ApoE Receptor 2 Regulates Synapse and Dendritic Spine Formation

Apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoEr2) is a postsynaptic protein involved in long-term potentiation (LTP), learning, and memory through unknown mechanisms. We examined the biological effects of ApoEr2 on synapse and dendritic spine formation-processes critical for learning and memory.In a heterologous co-culture synapse assay, overexpression of ApoEr2 in COS7 cells significantly increased colocalization with synaptophysin in primary hippocampal neurons, suggesting that ApoEr2 promotes interaction with presynaptic structures. In primary neuronal cultures, overexpression of ApoEr2 increased dendritic spine density. Consistent with our in vitro findings, ApoEr2 knockout mice had decreased dendritic spine density in cortical layers II/III at 1 month of age. We also tested whether the interaction between ApoEr2 and its cytoplasmic adaptor proteins, specifically X11α and PSD-95, affected synapse and dendritic spine formation. X11α decreased cell surface levels of ApoEr2 along with synapse and dendritic spine density. In contrast, PSD-95 increased cell surface levels of ApoEr2 as well as synapse and dendritic spine density.These results suggest that ApoEr2 plays important roles in structure and function of CNS synapses and dendritic spines, and that these roles are modulated by cytoplasmic adaptor proteins X11α and PSD-95

Automatic generation of hardware/software interfaces

Enabling new applications for mobile devices often requires the use of specialized hardware to reduce power consumption. Because of time-to-market pressure, current design methodologies for embedded applications require an early partitioning of the design, allowing the hardware and software to be developed simultaneously, each adhering to a rigid interface contract. This approach is problematic for two reasons: (1) a detailed hardware-software interface is difficult to specify until one is deep into the design process, and (2) it prevents the later migration of functionality across the interface motivated by efficiency concerns or the addition of features. We address this problem using the Bluespec Codesign Language~(BCL) which permits the designer to specify the hardware-software partition in the source code, allowing the compiler to synthesize efficient software and hardware along with transactors for communication between the partitions. The movement of functionality across the hardware-software boundary is accomplished by simply specifying a new partitioning, and since the compiler automatically generates the desired interface specifications, it eliminates yet another error-prone design task. In this paper we present BCL, an extension of a commercially available hardware design language (Bluespec SystemVerilog), a new software compiling scheme, and preliminary results generated using our compiler for various hardware-software decompositions of an Ogg Vorbis audio decoder, and a ray-tracing application.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF (#CCF-0541164))National Research Foundation of Korea (grant from the Korean Government (MEST) (#R33-10095)

Characterization, selection and micro-assembly of nanowire laser systems

Semiconductor nanowire (NW) lasers are a promising technology for the realization of coherent optical sources with ultrasmall footprint. To fully realize their potential in on-chip photonic systems, scalable methods are required for dealing with large populations of inhomogeneous devices that are typically randomly distributed on host substrates. In this work two complementary, high-throughput techniques are combined: the characterization of nanowire laser populations using automated optical microscopy, and a high-accuracy transfer-printing process with automatic device spatial registration and transfer. Here, a population of NW lasers is characterized, binned by threshold energy density, and subsequently printed in arrays onto a secondary substrate. Statistical analysis of the transferred and control devices shows that the transfer process does not incur measurable laser damage, and the threshold binning can be maintained. Analysis on the threshold and mode spectra of the device populations proves the potential for using NW lasers for integrated systems fabrication

Evaluation studies of a sensing technique for electrostatic charge polarity of pharmaceutical particulates

Electrostatic charge due to inter-particle and particle-wall contacts may generate significant hazards during the processing of particulates within the pharmaceutical industry. Although charge behaviour of particulates is erratic and not easy to predict, it would be desirable to characterise the tendency of tribocharging prior to manufacturing. The work reported in this paper concentrates on a new and novel techniques for the detection of the active ingredient and excipient in a bipolar material. Three different case studies are presented for demonstration of the applicability of the method in different practical situations. Work confirmed through an experimental rig set-up indicates that materials that accumulate opposite charge via contact and rubbing can be detected from their charge sign as well as their relative magnitude. The results reported clearly demonstrated that the developed method for charge characterisation is a useful tool to understand how the charges are distributed in a population of particles showing a number of advantages over conventional methods

Enhancing the efficacy of glycolytic blockade in cancer cells via RAD51 inhibition.

Targeting the early steps of the glycolysis pathway in cancers is a well-established therapeutic strategy; however, the doses required to elicit a therapeutic effect on the cancer can be toxic to the patient. Consequently, numerous preclinical and clinical studies have combined glycolytic blockade with other therapies. However, most of these other therapies do not specifically target cancer cells, and thus adversely affect normal tissue. Here we first show that a diverse number of cancer models - spontaneous, patient-derived xenografted tumor samples, and xenografted human cancer cells - can be efficiently targeted by 2-deoxy-D-Glucose (2DG), a well-known glycolytic inhibitor. Next, we tested the cancer-cell specificity of a therapeutic compound using the MEC1 cell line, a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell line that expresses activation induced cytidine deaminase (AID). We show that MEC1 cells, are susceptible to 4,4\u27-Diisothiocyano-2,2\u27-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DIDS), a specific RAD51 inhibitor. We then combine 2DG and DIDS, each at a lower dose and demonstrate that this combination is more efficacious than fludarabine, the current standard- of- care treatment for CLL. This suggests that the therapeutic blockade of glycolysis together with the therapeutic inhibition of RAD51-dependent homologous recombination can be a potentially beneficial combination for targeting AID positive cancer cells with minimal adverse effects on normal tissue. IMPLICATIONS: Combination therapy targeting glycolysis and specific RAD51 function shows increased efficacy as compared to standard of care treatments in leukemias

Preliminary Study of Prospective ECG-Gated 320-Detector CT Coronary Angiography in Patients with Ventricular Premature Beats

BACKGROUND: To study the applicability of prospective ECG-gated 320-detector CT coronary angiography (CTCA) in patients with ventricular premature beats (VPB), and determine the scanning mode that best maximizes image quality and reduces radiation dose. METHODS: 110 patients were divided into a VPB group (60 cases) and a control group (50 cases) using CTCA. All the patients then underwent coronary angiography (CAG) within one month. CAG served as a reference standard through which the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CTCA in diagnosing significant coronary artery stenosis (luminal stenosis ≥50%) could be analyzed. The two radiologists with more than 3 years' experience in cardiac CT each finished the image analysis after consultation. A personalized scanning mode was adopted to compare image quality and radiation dose between the two groups. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: At the coronary artery segment level, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV in the premature beat group were 92.55%, 98.21%, 88.51%, and 98.72% respectively. In the control group these values were found to be 95.79%, 98.42%, 90.11%, and 99.28% respectively. Between the two groups, specificity, sensitivity PPV, NPV was no significant difference. The two groups had no significant difference in image quality score (P>0.05). Heart rate (77.20±12.07 bpm) and radiation dose (14.62±1.37 mSv) in the premature beat group were higher than heart rate (58.72±4.73 bpm) and radiation dose (3.08±2.35 mSv) in the control group. In theVPB group, the radiation dose (34.55±7.12 mSv) for S-field scanning was significantly higher than the radiation dose (15.10±1.12 mSv) for M-field scanning. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: With prospective ECG-gated scanning for VPB, the diagnostic accuracy of coronary artery stenosis is very high. Scanning field adjustment can reduce radiation dose while maintaining good image quality. For patients with slow heart rates and good rhythm, there was no statistically significant difference in image quality

A Cluster-Randomised Trial of Staff Education to Improve the Quality of Life of People with Dementia Living in Residential Care: The DIRECT Study

BACKGROUND: The Dementia In Residential care: EduCation intervention Trial (DIRECT) was conducted to determine if delivery of education designed to meet the perceived need of GPs and care staff improves the quality of life of participants with dementia living in residential care. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted in 39 residential aged care facilities in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. 351 care facility residents aged 65 years and older with Mini-Mental State Examination ≤ 24, their GPs and facility staff participated. Flexible education designed to meet the perceived needs of learners was delivered to GPs and care facility staff in intervention groups. The primary outcome of the study was self-rated quality of life of participants with dementia, measured using the QOL-Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QOL-AD) at 4 weeks and 6 months after the conclusion of the intervention. Analysis accounted for the effect of clustering by using multi-level regression analysis. Education of GPs or care facility staff did not affect the primary outcome at either 4 weeks or 6 months. In a post hoc analysis excluding facilities in which fewer than 50% of staff attended an education session, self-rated QOL-AD scores were 6.14 points (adjusted 95%CI 1.14, 11.15) higher at four-week follow-up among residents in facilities randomly assigned to the education intervention. CONCLUSION: The education intervention directed at care facilities or GPs did not improve the quality of life ratings of participants with dementia as a group. This may be explained by the poor adherence to the intervention programme, as participants with dementia living in facilities where staff participated at least minimally seemed to benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ANZCTR.org.au ACTRN12607000417482