Measurements of the effects of colored light on the body

Colored light is used in movies, restaurants, and other situations to create particular environments. It creates a mood and sets a stage for specific events. This study used colored light to create relaxation and stress in order to evaluate physiological reactions in the human body. In all four studies of this paper, EEG, EKG, and peripheral blood flow were recorded and observed and in the latter two studies peripheral temperature and conductance were also recorded. An audio stressor was introduced in the first three studies to evaluate the stability of the altered mood of the individuals. Considerable mood alterations were observed and were easily depicted in most of the signals recorded. Although the additional stressor did create a stress response with and without colored light, it was more severe in the absence of colored light. In the fourth study, the audio stressor was not used and it was found that colored light was a stressor in itself

Fabrication of Modularly Functionalizable Microcapsules Using Protein-Based Technologies

Proteins are desirable building blocks to create self-assembled, spatially defined structures and interfaces on length-scales that are inaccessible by traditional methods. Here, we describe a novel approach to create functionalized monolayers using the proteins BslA and SpyCatcher/SpyTag. BslA is a bacterial hydrophobin whose amphiphilic character underlies its ability to assemble into a monolayer at both air/water and oil/water interfaces. We demonstrate that Bsa1A having the SpyTag peptide fused at the N- or C-terminus does not affect the formation of such monolayers. We establish the creation of stable oil-in-water microcapsules using BslA, and also show the fabrication of capsules outwardly displaying the reactive SpyTag peptide by fusing it to the C-terminus of BslA. Such capsules can be covalently labeled by reacting the surface-displayed SpyTag with SpyCatcher fused to any desired protein. We demonstrate this principle by labeling microcapsules using green fluorescent protein (GFP). All components are genetically encodable, the reagents can be readily prepared in large quantities, and all reactions occur at ambient temperature in aqueous solution. Thus, this straightforward, modular, scalable strategy has myriad potential applications in the creation of novel, functional materials, and interfaces

Diet quality measured by four a priori-defined diet quality indices is associated with lipid-soluble micronutrients in the Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC)

© 2018, Springer Nature Limited. Background/Objectives: This study examined the long-term relation of lipid-soluble micronutrients with diet quality as assessed by four a priori-defined dietary patterns. Subjects/Methods: In a prospective design, nutritional biomarkers (carotenoids, tocopherols, retinol, and coenzyme Q10) were measured using a validated HPLC-based assay. General linear models were applied to obtain covariate-adjusted means of biomarkers for tertiles of four a priori diet quality indices: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010, Alternative HEI (AHEI) 2010, Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). For a subcohort of 8367 participants within the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), diet was assessed by a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 1993–96 and serum was collected in 2001–06. Results: Participants with the highest diet-quality scores had significantly higher serum concentrations of all carotenoids, total tocopherols, and a-tocopherol, whereas ?-tocopherol was inversely associated with diet quality. Adjusted means for the lowest vs. highest tertile of HEI 2010 were 1.2 vs. 1.5 mg/L for total carotenoids, 11.4 vs. 12.3 mg/L for total tocopherols, and 1.9 vs. 1.6 mg/L for ?-tocopherol (ptrend < 0.0001). The associations for the other dietary indices were similar; no indication for sex and ethnic differences was detected. Vegetable and fruit components were major predictors of most circulating micronutrients, but most other components were also associated. Conclusions: Higher diet-quality scores measured by four a priori diet quality indices were significantly associated higher serum concentrations of carotenoids and a-tocopherol, whereas ?-tocopherol was inversely associated with diet quality

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgX

The expression, purification and crystallization of the periplasmic protein AlgX from P. aeruginosa is described. The crystals diffracted to 2.1 Å resolution