158 research outputs found
Anaphoric <em>one </em>and its implications
The nominal anaphoric element one has figured prominently in discussions of linguistic nativism because of an important argument advanced by C. L. Baker (1978). His argument has been frequently cited within the cognitive and linguistic sciences, and has provided the topic for a chain of experimental and computational psycholinguistics papers. Bakerâs crucial grammaticality facts, though much repeated in the literature, have not been critically investigated. A corpus investigation shows that his claims are not true: one does not take only phrasal antecedents, but can also take nouns on their own, including semantically relational nouns, and can take various of-PP dependents of its own. We give a semantic analysis of anaphoric one that allows it to exhibit this kind of freedom, and exhibit frequency evidence that goes a long way to explaining why linguists have been inclined to regard phrases like the one of physics or three ones as ungrammatical when in fact (as corpus evidence shows) they are merely dispreferred relative to available grammatical alternatives. The main implication for the acquisition literature is that one of the most celebrated arguments from poverty of the stimulus is shown to be without force. 1. INTRODUCTION. Suppos
An Indacenopiceneâbased Buckybowl Catcher for Recognition of Fullerenes
A novel buckybowl catcher with an extended Ï-surface has been synthesized via cross-coupling of two bowl shaped bromoindacenopicene moieties with a tolyl linker. The obtained catcher has been unambiguously characterized by 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry. DFT calculations indicate that the curved shape of the receptor moieties is favourable for binding fullerenes. Effective binding was confirmed for interactions with C and C utilizing NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The resulting binding values show a higher affinity of the catcher towards C over C. The designed catcher demonstrated the fundamental possibility of creating sensors for spherical aromaticity
Cold atmospheric pressure plasma for treatment of chronic wounds: drug or medical device?
Objective:
The use of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) as a new therapeutic option to aid the healing of chronic wounds appears promising. Currently, uncertainty exists regarding their classification as medical device or medical drug. Because the classification of CAPP has medical, legal, and economic consequences as well as implications for the level of preclinical and clinical testing, the correct classification is not an academic exercise, but an ethical need.
Method:
A multidisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, physicists and lawyers has analysed the physical and technical characteristics as well as legal conditions of the biological action of CAPP.
Results:
It was concluded that the mode of action of the locally generated CAPP, with its main active components being different radicals, is pharmacological and not physical in nature.
Conclusion:
Depending on the intended use, CAPP should be classified as a drug, which is generated by use of a medical device directly at the point of therapeutic application
A broadly cross-reactive monoclonal antibody against hepatitis E virus capsid antigen
To generate a hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 (HEV-3)âspecific monoclonal antibody (mAb), the Escherichia coliâexpressed carboxy-terminal part of its capsid protein was used to immunise BALB/c mice. The immunisation resulted in the induction of HEV-specific antibodies of high titre. The mAb G117-AA4 of IgG1 isotype was obtained showing a strong reactivity with the homologous E. coli, but also yeast-expressed capsid protein of HEV-3. The mAb strongly cross-reacted with ratHEV capsid protein derivatives produced in both expression systems and weaker with an E. coliâexpressed batHEV capsid protein fragment. In addition, the mAb reacted with capsid protein derivatives of genotypes HEV-2 and HEV-4 and common vole hepatitis E virus (cvHEV), produced by the cell-free synthesis in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf21) cell lysates. Western blot and line blot reactivity of the mAb with capsid protein derivatives of HEV-1 to HEV-4, cvHEV, ratHEV and batHEV suggested a linear epitope. Use of truncated derivatives of ratHEV capsid protein in ELISA, Western blot, and a Pepscan analysis allowed to map the epitope within a partially surface-exposed region with the amino acid sequence LYTSV. The mAb was also shown to bind to human patientâderived HEV-3 from infected cell culture and to hare HEV-3 and camel HEV-7 capsid proteins from transfected cells by immunofluorescence assay. The novel mAb may serve as a useful tool for further investigations on the pathogenesis of HEV infections and might be used for diagnostic purposes.
Key points
âą The antibody showed cross-reactivity with capsid proteins of different hepeviruses.
âą The linear epitope of the antibody was mapped in a partially surface-exposed region.
âą The antibody detected native HEV-3 antigen in infected mammalian cells
Critical Assessment of Analytical Methods for the Harmonized and Cost-Efficient Analysis of Microplastics
Microplastics are of major concerns for society and is currently in the focus of legislators and administrations. A small number of measures to reduce or remove primary sources of microplastics to the environment are currently coming into effect. At the moment, they have not yet tackled important topics such as food safety. However, recent developments such as the 2018 bill in California are requesting the analysis of microplastics in drinking water by standardized operational protocols. Administrations and analytical labs are facing an emerging field of methods for sampling, extraction, and analysis of microplastics, which complicate the establishment of standardized operational protocols. In this review, the state of the currently applied identification and quantification tools for microplastics are evaluated providing a harmonized guideline for future standardized operational protocols to cover these types of bills. The main focus is on the naked eye detection, general optical microscopy, the application of dye staining, flow cytometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-Ir) and microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and microscopy, thermal degradation by pyrolysisâgas chromatographyâmass spectrometry (py-GC-MS) as well as thermo-extraction and desorption gas chromatographyâmass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS). Additional techniques are highlighted as well as the combined application of the analytical techniques suggested. An outlook is given on the emerging aspect of nanoplastic analysis. In all cases, the methods were screened for limitations, field work abilities and, if possible, estimated costs and summarized into a recommendation for a workflow covering the demands of society, legislation, and administration in cost efficient but still detailed manner
Biofunctionalization of zinc oxide nanowires for DNA sensory applications
We report on the biofunctionalization of zinc oxide nanowires for the attachment of DNA target molecules on the nanowire surface. With the organosilane glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane acting as a bifunctional linker, amino-modified capture molecule oligonucleotides have been immobilized on the nanowire surface. The dye-marked DNA molecules were detected via fluorescence microscopy, and our results reveal a successful attachment of DNA capture molecules onto the nanowire surface. The electrical field effect induced by the negatively charged attached DNA molecules should be able to control the electrical properties of the nanowires and gives way to a ZnO nanowire-based biosensing device
Myosin-driven peroxisome partitioning in S. cerevisiae
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the class V myosin motor Myo2p propels the movement of most organelles. We recently identified Inp2p as the peroxisome-specific receptor for Myo2p. In this study, we delineate the region of Myo2p devoted to binding peroxisomes. Using mutants of Myo2p specifically impaired in peroxisome binding, we dissect cell cycleâdependent and peroxisome partitioningâdependent mechanisms of Inp2p regulation. We find that although total Inp2p levels oscillate with the cell cycle, Inp2p levels on individual peroxisomes are controlled by peroxisome inheritance, as Inp2p aberrantly accumulates and decorates all peroxisomes in mother cells when peroxisome partitioning is abolished. We also find that Inp2p is a phosphoprotein whose level of phosphorylation is coupled to the cell cycle irrespective of peroxisome positioning in the cell. Our findings demonstrate that both organelle positioning and cell cycle progression control the levels of organelle-specific receptors for molecular motors to ultimately achieve an equidistribution of compartments between mother and daughter cells
Induction and processing of the radiation-induced gamma-H2AX signal and Its link to the underlying pattern of DSB: A combined experimental and modelling study
We present here an analysis of DSB induction and processing after irradiation with X-rays in an extended dose range based on the use of the ÎłH2AX assay. The study was performed by quantitative flow cytometry measurements, since the use of foci counting would result in reasonable accuracy only in a limited dose range of a few Gy. The experimental data are complemented by a theoretical analysis based on the GLOBLE model. In fact, original aim of the study was to test GLOBLE predictions against new experimental data, in order to contribute to the validation of the model. Specifically, the ÎłH2AX signal kinetics has been investigated up to 24 h after exposure to increasing photon doses between 2 and 500 Gy. The prolonged persistence of the signal at high doses strongly suggests dose dependence in DSB processing after low LET irradiation. Importantly, in the framework of our modelling analysis, this is related to a gradually increased fraction of DSB clustering at the micrometre scale. The parallel study of ÎłH2AX dose response curves shows the onset of a pronounced saturation in two cell lines at a dose of about 20 Gy. This dose is much lower than expected according to model predictions based on the values usually adopted for the DSB induction yield (â 30 DSB/Gy) and for the ÎłH2AX foci extension of approximately 2 Mbp around the DSB. We show and discuss how theoretical predictions and experimental findings can be in principle reconciled by combining an increased DSB induction yield with the assumption of a larger genomic extension for the single phosphorylated regions. As an alternative approach, we also considered in our model the possibility of a 3D spreading-mechanism of the H2AX phosphorylation around the induced DSB, and applied it to the analysis of both the aspects considered. Our results are found to be supportive for the basic assumptions on which GLOBLE is built. Apart from giving new insights into the H2AX phosphorylation process, experiments performed at high doses are of relevance in the context of radiation therapy, where hypo-fractionated schemes become increasingly popular
Abortive Lytic Reactivation of KSHV in CBF1/CSL Deficient Human B Cell Lines
Since Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) establishes a persistent infection in human B cells, B cells are a critical compartment for viral pathogenesis. RTA, the replication and transcription activator of KSHV, can either directly bind to DNA or use cellular DNA binding factors including CBF1/CSL as DNA adaptors. In addition, the viral factors LANA1 and vIRF4 are known to bind to CBF1/CSL and modulate RTA activity. To analyze the contribution of CBF1/CSL to reactivation in human B cells, we have successfully infected DG75 and DG75 CBF1/CSL knock-out cell lines with recombinant KSHV.219 and selected for viral maintenance by selective medium. Both lines maintained the virus irrespective of their CBF1/CSL status. Viral reactivation could be initiated in both B cell lines but viral genome replication was attenuated in CBF1/CSL deficient lines, which also failed to produce detectable levels of infectious virus. Induction of immediate early, early and late viral genes was impaired in CBF1/CSL deficient cells at multiple stages of the reactivation process but could be restored to wild-type levels by reintroduction of CBF1/CSL. To identify additional viral RTA target genes, which are directly controlled by CBF1/CSL, we analyzed promoters of a selected subset of viral genes. We show that the induction of the late viral genes ORF29a and ORF65 by RTA is strongly enhanced by CBF1/CSL. Orthologs of ORF29a in other herpesviruses are part of the terminase complex required for viral packaging. ORF65 encodes the small capsid protein essential for capsid shell assembly. Our study demonstrates for the first time that in human B cells viral replication can be initiated in the absence of CBF1/CSL but the reactivation process is severely attenuated at all stages and does not lead to virion production. Thus, CBF1/CSL acts as a global hub which is used by the virus to coordinate the lytic cascade
Recurrent Die-Offs of Adult Coho Salmon Returning to Spawn in Puget Sound Lowland Urban Streams
Several Seattle-area streams in Puget Sound were the focus of habitat restoration projects in the 1990s. Post-project effectiveness monitoring surveys revealed anomalous behaviors among adult coho salmon returning to spawn in restored reaches. These included erratic surface swimming, gaping, fin splaying, and loss of orientation and equilibrium. Affected fish died within hours, and female carcasses generally showed high rates (>90%) of egg retention. Beginning in the fall of 2002, systematic spawner surveys were conducted to 1) assess the severity of the adult die-offs, 2) compare spawner mortality in urban vs. non-urban streams, and 3) identify water quality and spawner condition factors that might be associated with the recurrent fish kills. The forensic investigation focused on conventional water quality parameters (e.g., dissolved oxygen, temperature, ammonia), fish condition, pathogen exposure and disease status, and exposures to metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and current use pesticides. Daily surveys of a representative urban stream (Longfellow Creek) from 2002â2009 revealed premature spawner mortality rates that ranged from 60â100% of each fall run. The comparable rate in a non-urban stream was <1% (Fortson Creek, surveyed in 2002). Conventional water quality, pesticide exposure, disease, and spawner condition showed no relationship to the syndrome. Coho salmon did show evidence of exposure to metals and petroleum hydrocarbons, both of which commonly originate from motor vehicles in urban landscapes. The weight of evidence suggests that freshwater-transitional coho are particularly vulnerable to an as-yet unidentified toxic contaminant (or contaminant mixture) in urban runoff. Stormwater may therefore place important constraints on efforts to conserve and recover coho populations in urban and urbanizing watersheds throughout the western United States
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