Vulnerability assessment for the hazards of crosswinds when vehicles cross a bridge deck

AbstractA new procedure to assess the crosswind hazard of operating a vehicle over a bridge deck has been developed using a probabilistic approach that utilizes long-term wind data at bridge sites as well as the aerodynamic properties of bridge decks and vehicles. The proposed procedure for safety assessment considers the probabilities of two accident types: sideslip and overturning. The vulnerability of vehicles to crosswinds is represented by the number of days for traffic control that would be required to secure vehicle safety over a period of one year. The distribution of wind speed over a bridge deck was estimated from a section model wind tunnel test. A sea-crossing bridge was selected as an example, and a series of case studies were performed to identify the influential factors affecting vehicle vulnerability to crosswinds: vehicle type and loaded weight, the position of a running vehicle over a bridge deck, the bridge alignment relative to the dominant wind direction, and vehicle speed

One-pot Enzymatic Synthesis of Deoxy-thymidine-diphosphate (TDP)-2-deoxy-∝-d-glucose Using Phosphomannomutase

Production of deoxy-thymidine-diphosphate (TDP)-sugars as substrates of glycosyltransferases, has been one of main hurdles for combinatorial antibiotic biosynthesis, which combines sugar moiety with aglycon of various antibiotics. Here, we report the one-pot enzymatic synthesis of TDP-2-deoxy-glucose employing high efficient TMP kinase (TMK; E.C. 2.7.2.12), acetate kinase (ACK; E.C. 2.7.1.21), and TDP-glucose synthase (TGS; E.C. 2.7.7.24) with phosphomannomutase (PMM; E.C. 5.4.2.8). In this study, replacing phosphoglucomutase (PGM; E.C. 5.4.2) by PMM from Escherichia coli gave four times higher specific activity on 2-deoxy-6-phosphate glucose, suggesting that the activity on 2-deoxy-glucose-6-phosphate was mainly affected by PMM activity, not PGM activity. Using an in vitro system starting from TMP and 2-deoxy-glucose-6-phosphate glucose, TDP-2-deoxy-glucose (63% yield) was successfully synthesized. Considering low productivity of NDP-sugars from cheap starting materials, this paper showed how production of NDP-sugars could be enhanced by controlling mutase activity

Circulating levels of DNA-histone complex and dsDNA are independent prognostic factors of disseminated intravascular coagulation

AbstractIntroductionNeutrophils can be induced to release DNA combined with histones. The resulting neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) provides a scaffold for growing hemostatic plug. Therefore, the NET formation may be inevitable in clinical conditions that are characterized by formation of vascular thrombi. Thus far, there have been no reports on the clinical significance of NET in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Therefore, we investigated circulating levels of NET in DIC and analyzed their potential values to assess coagulation severity and predict clinical outcome.MethodsThe plasma levels of DNA-histone complexes and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), considered to be in vivo markers of NET, were measured in 199 patients suspected of having DIC and 20 healthy controls.ResultThe circulating levels of DNA-histone complexes and dsDNA were significantly elevated in overt-DIC. The increased levels of these two markers correlated with the severity of coagulopathy including DIC score and D-dimer. Multivariable Cox regression analysis, adjusted for the conventional DIC markers, revealed that elevated DNA-histone complexes and dsDNA are poor independent prognostic markers.ConclusionThe circulating levels of NET release reflect the coagulation activation and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with DIC, thereby providing potential clinical relevance for mortality prediction in DIC

Evaluating cultural authenticity in multicultural picture books : a collaborative analysis for diversity education

This study examines cultural authenticity reflected in multicultural picture books. Specifically, this study attempts to reframe issues surrounding the topic of cultural authenticity based on a systematic and empirical analysis of picture books that represent three different ethnic groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans. A total of forty-five systematically selected picture books that represent fifteen books per ethnic group were selected and evaluated by multiple reviewers who were insiders of the culture. A coding scheme was developed to evaluate each book in terms of profile of major and minor characters, settings of the story, stereotypical features, and cultural authenticity. An in-depth evaluation of all selected books was added by a team of three reviewers in order to validate the results of the coded analysis. This study aims to shed light on library youth services and diversity education in a society with increasing ethnic diversity.Publisher's version/PDF (Embargo Over)Includes bibliographical references

Investigation of Splicing Quantitative Trait Loci in

The alteration of alternative splicing patterns has an effect on the quantification of functional proteins, leading to phenotype variation. The splicing quantitative trait locus (sQTL) is one of the main genetic elements affecting splicing patterns. Here, we report the results of genome-wide sQTLs across 141 strains of Arabidopsis thaliana with publicly available next generation sequencing datasets. As a result, we found 1,694 candidate sQTLs in Arabidopsis thaliana at a false discovery rate of 0.01. Furthermore, among the candidate sQTLs, we found 25 sQTLs that overlapped with the list of previously examined trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In summary, this sQTL analysis provides new insight into genetic elements affecting alternative splicing patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana and the mechanism of previously reported trait-associated SNPs

A plausible mode of action of pseudin-2, an antimicrobial peptide from Pseudis paradoxa

AbstractThe search for new antibiotic agents is continuous, reflecting the continuous emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Among the new agents are the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have the potential to become a leading alternative to conventional antibiotics. Studies for the mechanisms of action of the naturally occurring parent peptides can provide the structural and functional information needed for the development of effective new antibiotic agents. We therefore characterized pseudin-2, an AMP isolated from the skin of the South American paradoxical frog Pseudis paradoxa. We found that pseudin-2 organized to an aggregated state in aqueous solution, but that it dissociated into monomers upon binding to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), even though it did not neutralize LPS in Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, pseudin-2 assumed an α-helical structure in the presence of biological membranes and formed pores in both bacterial and fungal membranes, through which it entered the cytoplasm and tightly bound to RNA. Thus, the potent antimicrobial activity of pseudin-2 likely results from both the formation of pores capable of collapsing the membrane potential and releasing intracellular materials and its inhibition of macromolecule synthesis through its binding to RNA

Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Korean adults: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS)

*Context:* Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a combination of excess weight and reduced muscle mass and/or strength, is suggested to be associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. 
*Objectives:* To examine the prevalence and characteristics of Sarcopenic and SO defined by using different indices such as Appendicular Skeletal muscle Mass (ASM)/height^2^ and Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI (%): skeletal muscle mass (kg)/weight (kg) × 100) for Korean adults. 
*Methods:* 591 participants were recruited from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) which is an ongoing prospective observational cohort study. Analysis was conducted in 526 participants (328 women, 198 men) who had complete data on body composition using Dual X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. 
*Results:* The prevalence of sarcopenia and SO increases with aging. Using two or more standard deviations (SD) of ASM/height^2^ below reference values from young, healthy adults as a definition of sarcopenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 6.3% and 1.3% in men and 4.1% and 1.7% in women over 60 years of age. However, using two or more SD of SMI, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 5.1% and 5.1% respectively in men and 14.2% and 12.5% respectively in women. As defined by SMI, subjects with SO had 3 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-7.26) and subjects with non-sarcopenic obesity had approximately 2 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.18-3.02) compared with normal subjects. 
*Conclusion:* Obese subjects with relative sarcopenia were associated with a greater likelihood for metabolic syndrome. As Koreans were more obese and aging, the prevalence of SO and its impact on health outcomes are estimated to be rapidly grow. Further research is requested to establish the definition, cause and consequences of SO.
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