Bandwidth and density for block graphs

The bandwidth of a graph G is the minimum of the maximum difference between adjacent labels when the vertices have distinct integer labels. We provide a polynomial algorithm to produce an optimal bandwidth labeling for graphs in a special class of block graphs (graphs in which every block is a clique), namely those where deleting the vertices of degree one produces a path of cliques. The result is best possible in various ways. Furthermore, for two classes of graphs that are ``almost'' caterpillars, the bandwidth problem is NP-complete.Comment: 14 pages, 9 included figures. Note: figures did not appear in original upload; resubmission corrects thi

Sialylation of vasorin by ST3Gal1 facilitates TGF-β1-mediated tumor angiogenesis and progression.

ST3Gal1 is a key sialyltransferase which adds α2,3-linked sialic acid to substrates and generates core 1 O-glycan structure. Upregulation of ST3Gal1 has been associated with worse prognosis of breast cancer patients. However, the protein substrates of ST3Gal1 implicated in tumor progression remain elusive. In our study, we demonstrated that ST3GAL1-silencing significantly reduced tumor growth along with a notable decrease in vascularity of MCF7 xenograft tumors. We identified vasorin (VASN) which was shown to bind TGF-β1, as a potential candidate that links ST3Gal1 to angiogenesis. LC-MS/MS analysis of VASN secreted from MCF7, revealed that more than 80% of its O-glycans are sialyl-3T and disialyl-T. ST3GAL1-silencing or desialylation of VASN by neuraminidase enhanced its binding to TGF-β1 by 2- to 3-fold and thereby dampening TGF-β1 signaling and angiogenesis, as indicated by impaired tube formation of HUVECs, suppressed angiogenesis gene expression and reduced activation of Smad2 and Smad3 in HUVEC cells. Examination of 114 fresh primary breast cancer and their adjacent normal tissues showed that the expression levels of ST3Gal1 and TGFB1 were high in tumor part and the expression of two genes was positively correlated. Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed a significantly shorter relapse-free survival for those with lower expression VASN, notably, the combination of low VASN with high ST3GAL1 yielded even higher risk of recurrence (p = 0.025, HR = 2.967, 95% CI = 1.14-7.67). Since TGF-β1 is known to transcriptionally activate ST3Gal1, our findings illustrated a feedback regulatory loop in which TGF-β1 upregulates ST3Gal1 to circumvent the negative impact of VASN

Identification, Distribution, and Biology of Fire Ants in Texas.

25 p

Measuring response functions of active materials from data

From flocks of birds to biomolecular assemblies, systems in which many individual components independently consume energy to perform mechanical work exhibit a wide array of striking behaviors. Methods to quantify the dynamics of these so called active systems generally aim to extract important length or time scales from experimental fields. Because such methods focus on extracting scalar values, they do not wring maximal information from experimental data. We introduce a method to overcome these limitations. We extend the framework of correlation functions by taking into account the internal headings of displacement fields. The functions we construct represent the material response to specific types of active perturbation within the system. Utilizing these response functions we query the material response of disparate active systems composed of actin filaments and myosin motors, from model fluids to living cells. We show we can extract critical length scales from the turbulent flows of an active nematic, anticipate contractility in an active gel, distinguish viscous from viscoelastic dissipation, and even differentiate modes of contractility in living cells. These examples underscore the vast utility of this method which measures response functions from experimental observations of complex active systems

Inhibition of long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) and ischemia reperfusion injury

Various triacsin C analogs, containing different alkenyl chains and carboxylic acid bioisoteres including 4-aminobenzoic acid, isothiazolidine dioxide, hydroxylamine, hydroxytriazene, and oxadiazolidine dione, were synthesized and their inhibitions of long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) were examined. Two methods, a cell-based assay of ACSL activity and an in situ [¹⁴C]-palmitate incorporation into extractable lipids were used to study the inhibition. Using an in vivo leukocyte recruitment inhibition protocol, the translocation of one or more cell adhesion molecules from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane on either the endothelium or leukocyte or both was inhibited by inhibitors 1, 9, and triacsin C. The results suggest that inhibition of ACSL may attenuate the vascular inflammatory component associated with ischemia reperfusion injury and lead to a decrease of infarct expansion

Studies on Homalomeneae (Araceae) of Borneo XI: Homalomena matangae, a new species from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Homalomena matangae Y.C.Hoe, S.Y.Wong & P.C.Boyce is described and illustrated as a new species from and endemic to the Matang massif sandstone formation, Kuching Division, NW Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, from where it was originally collected by Odorado Beccari during his first ascent of Matang

Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK

The growing literature on international migration has a tendency to emphasize homogenous elements such as shared ethnic background, social network and cultural similarities in shaping immigrants' identity. We argue that this underestimates the differences (and sometimes conflicts) of interests between ethnic employers and migrant workers and that class needs to be brought back into the studies of ethnic relationship. Based upon findings from a series of fieldwork in Veneto, Italy and East Midlands, UK, this article contends that class consciousness has co-existed, sometimes uneasily, alongside co-ethnic and cultural relationships among Chinese migrant workers and has played an important part in the making of new Chinese communities. By analysing the perspectives of Chinese migrant workers and their relationship with co-ethnic entrepreneurs, this article illustrates complex factors behind the formation, diffusion and development of class consciousness among Chinese migrant workers

Multimodal x-ray and electron microscopy of the Allende meteorite.

Multimodal microscopy that combines complementary nanoscale imaging techniques is critical for extracting comprehensive chemical, structural, and functional information, particularly for heterogeneous samples. X-ray microscopy can achieve high-resolution imaging of bulk materials with chemical, magnetic, electronic, and bond orientation contrast, while electron microscopy provides atomic-scale spatial resolution with quantitative elemental composition. Here, we combine x-ray ptychography and scanning transmission x-ray spectromicroscopy with three-dimensional energy-dispersive spectroscopy and electron tomography to perform structural and chemical mapping of an Allende meteorite particle with 15-nm spatial resolution. We use textural and quantitative elemental information to infer the mineral composition and discuss potential processes that occurred before or after accretion. We anticipate that correlative x-ray and electron microscopy overcome the limitations of individual imaging modalities and open up a route to future multiscale nondestructive microscopies of complex functional materials and biological systems