WO3-enhanced TiO2 nanotube photoanodes for solar water splitting with simultaneous wastewater treatment.

Composite WO3/TiO2 nanostructures with optimal properties that enhance solar photoconversion reactions were developed, characterized, and tested. The TiO2 nanotubes were prepared by anodization of Ti foil and used as substrates for WO3 electrodeposition. The WO3 electrodeposition parameters were controlled to develop unique WO3 nanostructures with enhanced photoelectrochemical properties.

Design and analysis of Bar-seq experiments.

High-throughput quantitative DNA sequencing enables the parallel phenotyping of pools of thousands of mutants. However, the appropriate analytical methods and experimental design that maximize the efficiency of these methods while maintaining statistical power are currently unknown. Here, we have used Bar-seq analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast deletion library to systematically test the effect of experimental design parameters and sequence read depth on experimental results.

Splitting multiple bonds: a comparison of methodologies on the accuracy of bond dissociation energies.

A benchmarking of different quantum chemical methodologies for the splitting of multiply bonded systems is presented, with an emphasis on quantitative reproduction of experimentally determined dissociation energies. New benchmark full configuration interaction (FCI) calculations are presented for nitrogen and acetylene, and comparisons are made between various methods with both the FCI results and with experiment in an effort to understand qualitatively and quantitatively how well these different methods cope with the bond-breaking process. It is found that the multireference methods fare well, but are sometimes slowly convergent with respect to the size of the basis set, and in particular the angular momenta of the polarization functions.

Yeast Mnn9 is both a priming glycosyltransferase and an allosteric activator of mannan biosynthesis.

The fungal cell possesses an essential carbohydrate cell wall. The outer layer, mannan, is formed by mannoproteins carrying highly mannosylated O- and N-linked glycans. Yeast mannan biosynthesis is initiated by a Golgi-located complex (M-Pol I) of two GT-62 mannosyltransferases, Mnn9p and Van1p, that are conserved in fungal pathogens.

Receptor-mediated transport of vacuolar proteins: a critical analysis and a new model.

In this article we challenge the widely accepted view that receptors for soluble vacuolar proteins (VSRs) bind to their ligands at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and transport this cargo via clathrin-coated vesicles (CCV) to a multivesicular prevacuolar compartment. This notion, which we term the "classical model" for vacuolar protein sorting, further assumes that low pH in the prevacuolar compartment causes VSR-ligand dissociation, resulting in a retromer-mediated retrieval of the VSRs to the TGN. We have carefully evaluated the literature with respect to morphology and function of the compartments involved, localization of key components of the sorting machinery, and conclude that there is little direct evidence in its favour.

Putative p24 complexes in Arabidopsis contain members of the delta and beta subfamilies and cycle in the early secretory pathway.

p24 proteins are a family of type I membrane proteins localized to compartments of the early secretory pathway and to coat protein I (COPI)- and COPII-coated vesicles. They can be classified, by sequence homology, into four subfamilies, named p24α, p24β, p24γ, and p24δ. In contrast to animals and fungi, plants contain only members of the p24β and p24δ subfamilies, the latter probably including two different subclasses.

Prevalence of anti-peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis and unaffected first-degree relatives in indigenous North American Populations.

Objective: To determine whether anti-peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 (PAD4) antibodies were present in first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2 indigenous North American populations with high prevalence of RA.

Methods: Participants were recruited from 2 indigenous populations in Canada and the United States, including patients with RA (probands), their unaffected FDR, and healthy unrelated controls. Sera were tested for the presence of anti-PAD4 antibodies, anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, and rheumatoid factor (RF).

Allocation of gross primary production in forest ecosystems: allometric constraints and environmental responses.

Understanding the allocation of gross primary production (GPP) and its response to climate is essential for improving terrestrial carbon (C) modelling. Here, we synthesize data on component GPP fluxes from a worldwide forest database to determine the allocation patterns of GPP across global gradients in climate and nitrogen deposition (Ndep ). Our results reveal that allocation of GPP is governed in an integrated way by allometric constraints and by three trade-offs among GPP components: wood production (NPPwood ) vs fine-root production (NPPfroot ), NPPwood vs foliage production (NPPfoliage ), and autotrophic respiration (Ra ) vs all biomass production components.

AZD3514: a small molecule that modulates androgen receptor signaling and function in vitro and in vivo.

Continued androgen receptor (AR) expression and signaling is a key driver in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after classical androgen ablation therapies have failed, and therefore remains a target for the treatment of progressive disease. Here, we describe the biological characterization of AZD3514, an orally bioavailable drug that inhibits androgen-dependent and -independent AR signaling. AZD3514 modulates AR signaling through two distinct mechanisms, an inhibition of ligand-driven nuclear translocation of AR and a downregulation of receptor levels, both of which were observed in vitro and in vivo.

Novel Treatment of an Enlarging Internal Iliac Artery Aneurysm in Association with a Type 2 Endoleak via Percutaneous Embolisation of the Superior Gluteal Artery through a Posterior Approach.

Internal iliac artery (IIA) aneurysms, while rare, carry a significant risk of mortality if they rupture. Endovascular intervention is now the preferred method of treatment for IIAs; however, due to technical considerations, this is not always feasible. We report a case of a patient who developed an enlarging IIA aneurysm in association with a type 2 endoleak supplied by multiple feeding arteries where conventional endovascular treatment was not possible.

Synthesis and biological properties of novel brefeldin A analogues.

New brefeldin A (1) analogues were obtained by introducing a variety of substituents at C15. Most of the analogues exhibited significant biological activity. (15R)-Trifluoromethyl-nor-brefeldin A (3), (15R)-vinyl-nor-brefeldin A (5), their epimers 4 and 6 as well as (15S)-ethyl-nor-brefeldin A (2) were prepared from the key building blocks 12 or 24 by Julia-Kocienski olefination with tetrazolyl sulfones and subsequent macrolactonization.

Comparison of membrane targeting strategies for the accumulation of the human immunodeficiency virus p24 protein in transgenic tobacco.

Membrane anchorage was tested as a strategy to accumulate recombinant proteins in transgenic plants. Transmembrane domains of different lengths and topology were fused to the cytosolic HIV antigen p24, to promote endoplasmic reticulum (ER) residence or traffic to distal compartments of the secretory pathway in transgenic tobacco. Fusions to a domain of the maize seed storage protein γ-zein were also expressed, as a reference strategy that leads to very high stability via the formation of large polymers in the ER lumen.

Causes of death in men with prostate cancer: an analysis of 50,000 men from the Thames Cancer Registry.

Objective: To investigate causes of death in a UK cohort of patients with prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: We examined causes of death in a UK cohort of 50,066 men with prostate cancer diagnosed between 1997 and 2006 reported to the Thames Cancer Registry (TCR) and followed-up to the end of 2007. The underlying cause of death was taken from the death certificate.

Use of 5α-reductase inhibitors for lower urinary tract symptoms and risk of prostate cancer in Swedish men: nationwide, population based case-control study.

Objective: To assess the association between 5α-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) use in men with lower urinary tract symptoms and prostate cancer risk.

Design: Nationwide, population based case-control study for men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007-09 within the Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden 2.0.

A Polarizable Force-Field for Cholesterol and Sphingomyelin.

A polarizable force-field, based on the Drude oscillator model, has been developed for cholesterol and the sphingomyelin class of lipids crucial to membrane raft formation, with testing performed on several 100 ns simulations. These have been validated against experimental observables as well as previous, nonpolarizable force-fields. Membrane bilayer properties, such as area-per-lipid and membrane thickness, produce results of comparable quantitative accuracy to those from the nonpolarizable force-field, while the membrane dipole potential is computed to be approximately 260 mV for a pure sphingomyelin bilayer, showing quantitative agreement with experimental results.

The influence of substrate stiffness gradients on primary human dermal fibroblasts.

Materials mechanical properties are known to be an important regulator of cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and migration, and have seen increasing attention in recent years. At present, there are only few approaches where the mechanical properties of thin films can be controllably varied across an entire surface. In this work, we present a technique for controlled generation of gradients of surface elastic moduli involving a weak polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) system of approximately 100 nm thickness and time dependent immersion in a solution of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) as a crosslinking agent.

Customized fenestrated endovascular graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm with concomitant horseshoe kidney.

The occurrence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with horseshoe kidney (HSK) is an uncommon but complex surgical problem. This report outlines three such cases, the particular issues encountered and how customized endovascular grafts were successfully used to overcome them. Case one shows an accessory renal artery arising from the left common iliac artery, case two shows a right accessory renal artery from the AAA sac and case three has the right renal artery coming off the distal abdominal aorta within the sac.

Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, aggregate around offshore platforms in Qatari waters of the Arabian Gulf to feed on fish spawn.

Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, are known to aggregate to feed in a small number of locations in tropical and subtropical waters. Here we document a newly discovered major aggregation site for whale sharks within the Al Shaheen oil field, 90 km off the coast of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf. Whale sharks were observed between April and September, with peak numbers observed between May and August.

First-degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis exhibit high prevalence of joint symptoms.

Objective: The preclinical period of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies such as anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF). Little is known about the joint symptom profile preceding onset of RA, and whether symptoms are associated with RA autoantibodies. Because first-degree relatives (FDR) of North American Native (NAN) RA probands exhibit multiple risk factors for development of future RA, we investigated the prevalence of joint symptoms in this high-risk population.

Task-oriented training with computer gaming in people with rheumatoid arthritisor osteoarthritis of the hand: study protocol of a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background: Significant restriction in the ability to participate in home, work and community life results from pain, fatigue, joint damage, stiffness and reduced joint range of motion and muscle strength in people with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis of the hand. With modest evidence on the therapeutic effectiveness of conventional hand exercises, a task-oriented training program via real life object manipulations has been developed for people with arthritis. An innovative, computer-based gaming platform that allows a broad range of common objects to be seamlessly transformed into therapeutic input devices through instrumentation with a motion-sense mouse has also been designed.

The liquid<−>amorphous transition and the high pressure phase diagram of carbon.

The phase diagram of carbon is mapped to high pressure using a computationally-tractable potential model. The use of a relatively simple (Tersoff-II) potential model allows a large range of phase space to be explored. The coexistence (melting) curve for the diamond crystal/liquid dyad is mapped directly by modelling the solid/liquid interfaces.

QM/MM excited state molecular dynamics and fluorescence spectroscopy of BODIPY.

Absorption and emission spectra arising from the lowest energy transition in BODIPY have been simulated in the gas phase and water using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) is used to calculate both ground (So) and first excited (S1) states using the maximum overlap method to obtain the S1 state. This approach gives ground and excited state structures in good agreement with structures found using multiconfigurational perturbation theory (CASPT2).

Photochemical water oxidation by crystalline polymorphs of manganese oxides: structural requirements for catalysis.

Manganese oxides occur naturally as minerals in at least 30 different crystal structures, providing a rigorous test system to explore the significance of atomic positions on the catalytic efficiency of water oxidation. In this study, we chose to systematically compare eight synthetic oxide structures containing Mn(III) and Mn(IV) only, with particular emphasis on the five known structural polymorphs of MnO2. We have adapted literature synthesis methods to obtain pure polymorphs and validated their homogeneity and crystallinity by powder X-ray diffraction and both transmission and scanning electron microscopies.