Mechanism of Amplified Photoacoustic Effect for Silica-Coated Spherical Gold Nanoparticles.

Plasmonic nanomaterials are effective photoacoustic (PA) contrast agents with diverse biomedical applications. While silica coatings on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been demonstrated to increase PA efficiency, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we systematically investigated the impact of silica coatings on PA generation under picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses.

Clinical utility of PCR compared to conventional culture and sensitivity testing for management of complicated urinary tract infections in adults: Part II.Evaluation of diagnostic concordance, discordant results, and antimicrobial selection efficacy.

Purpose: Complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) are difficult to manage due to their polymicrobial nature and resistance to standard therapies. In current clinical practice, the management of a cUTI often starts with broad-spectrum antimicrobials until culture and sensitivity (C&S) results are available, but these diagnostic delays further hinder treatment efficacy. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) offers a faster alternative.

Clinical utility of PCR compared to conventional culture and sensitivity testing for the management of complicated urinary tract infections in adults: Part I. Assessment of clinical outcomes, investigator satisfaction scores, and turnaround times.

Purpose: Managing complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) poses significant challenges, often resulting in the overprescription of empiric antibiotics. This approach exposes patients to multiple antimicrobials and raises the risk of inadequate treatment efficacy. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the clinical utility of molecular testing (PCR) versus conventional culture and sensitivity (C&S) in managing cUTI, to identify optimal management strategies for cUTI patients.

Energy digestibility in broilers and poult performance when fed palm or soybean oil with or without glyceryl monolaurate.

Two trials were conducted to determine interactive effects between lipid source (palm oil, PO versus soybean oil, SO) and emulsifier addition (none versus glycerol monolaurate-GML) on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) in broilers and growth performance in poults. In trial 1, 0.05 % GML addition had no impact on the ATTD of GE of SO but improved the ATTD of PO from 77.

Acroamine A, a 2-Amino Adenine Alkaloid from the Marine Soft Coral and Its Semisynthetic Derivatives That Inhibit cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A Catalytic Subunit Alpha.

A high throughput screen performed to identify catalytic inhibitors of the oncogenic fusion form of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A catalytic subunit alpha (J-PKAcα) found an individual fraction from an organic extract of the marine soft coral as active. Bioassay-guided isolation led to the identification of a 2-amino adenine alkaloid acroamine A (), the first secondary metabolite discovered from this genus and previously reported as a synthetic product. As a naturally occurring protein kinase inhibitor, to unambiguously assign its chemical structure using modern spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques, five -methylated derivatives acroamines A-A (-) were semisynthesized.

Identification of novel toxins associated with the extracellular contractile injection system using machine learning.

Secretion systems play a crucial role in microbe-microbe or host-microbe interactions. Among these systems, the extracellular contractile injection system (eCIS) is a unique bacterial and archaeal extracellular secretion system that injects protein toxins into target organisms. However, the specific proteins that eCISs inject into target cells and their functions remain largely unknown.

Mealybug Population Dynamics: A Comparative Analysis of Sampling Methods for and in Sugarcane ( sp. Hybrids).

This research is focused on a comparative field-based study of the population dynamics and sampling methods of two mealybug species, (Cockerell, 1895) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha, Pseudococcidae) and (Brookes, 1978) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha, Pseudococcidae), in sugarcane ( sp. hybrids) (f. Poaceae) over consecutive growing seasons.

A genetic screen in Drosophila uncovers a role for senseless-2 in surface glia in the peripheral nervous system to regulate CNS morphology.

Despite increasing in mass approximately 100-fold during larval life, the Drosophila CNS maintains its characteristic form. Dynamic interactions between the overlying basement membrane and underlying surface glia are known to regulate CNS structure in Drosophila, but the genes and pathways that establish and maintain CNS morphology during development remain poorly characterized. To identify genes that regulate CNS shape in Drosophila, we conducted an EMS-based, forward genetic screen of the second chromosome, uncovered 50 mutations that disrupt CNS structure, and mapped these alleles to 17 genes.

Hierarchical determinants in cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF) toxins driving Rho G-protein deamidation versus transglutamination.

The cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF) family of AB-type bacterial protein toxins catalyze two types of modification on their Rho GTPase substrates: deamidation and transglutamination. It has been established that CNF1 and its close homolog proteins catalyze primarily deamidation and dermonecrotic toxin (DNT) catalyzes primarily transglutamination. The rapidly expanding microbial genome sequencing data have revealed that there are at least 13 full-length variants of CNF1 homologs.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease in Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.

Objective: To characterize myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in Labrador Retrievers (LRs) and Golden Retrievers (GRs).

Methods: 52 LRs and 20 GRs diagnosed with MMVD composed a retrospective study sample (February 1, 2010, to July 31, 2021). Stored echocardiograms were remeasured.

Regulating nanoscale directional heat transfer with Janus nanoparticles.

Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) with heterogeneous compositions or interfacial properties can exhibit directional heating upon external excitation with optical or magnetic energy. This directional heating may be harnessed for new nanotechnology and biomedical applications. However, it remains unclear how the JNP properties (size, interface) and laser excitation method (pulsed continuous) regulate the directional heating.

Signal execution modes emerge in biochemical reaction networks calibrated to experimental data.

Mathematical models of biomolecular networks are commonly used to study cellular processes; however, their usefulness to explain and predict dynamic behaviors is often questioned due to the unclear relationship between parameter uncertainty and network dynamics. In this work, we introduce PyDyNo (Python dynamic analysis of biochemical networks), a non-equilibrium reaction-flux based analysis to identify dominant reaction paths within a biochemical reaction network calibrated to experimental data. We first show, in a simplified apoptosis execution model, that despite the thousands of parameter vectors with equally good fits to experimental data, our framework identifies the dynamic differences between these parameter sets and outputs three dominant execution modes, which exhibit varying sensitivity to perturbations.

How do invasive predators and their native prey respond to prescribed fire?

Fire shapes animal communities by altering resource availability and species interactions, including between predators and prey. In Australia, there is particular concern that two highly damaging invasive predators, the feral cat () and European red fox (), increase their activity in recently burnt areas and exert greater predation pressure on the native prey due to their increased exposure. We tested how prescribed fire occurrence and extent, along with fire history, vegetation, topography, and distance to anthropogenic features (towns and farms), affected the activity (detection frequency) of cats, foxes, and the native mammal community in south-eastern Australia.

Temporal coordination of the transcription factor response to HO stress.

Oxidative stress from excess HO activates transcription factors that restore redox balance and repair oxidative damage. Although many transcription factors are activated by HO, it is unclear whether they are activated at the same HO concentration, or time. Dose-dependent activation is likely as oxidative stress is not a singular state and exhibits dose-dependent outcomes including cell-cycle arrest and cell death.

Glioblastoma Margin as a Diffusion Barrier Revealed by Photoactivation of Plasmonic Nanovesicles.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most complex and lethal primary brain cancer. Adequate drug diffusion and penetration are essential for treating GBM, but how the spatial heterogeneity in GBM impacts drug diffusion and transport is poorly understood. Herein, we report a new method, photoactivation of plasmonic nanovesicles (PANO), to measure molecular diffusion in the extracellular space of GBM.

Loss of dihydroceramide desaturase drives neurodegeneration by disrupting endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplet homeostasis in glial cells.

Dihydroceramide desaturases convert dihydroceramides to ceramides, the precursors of all complex sphingolipids. Reduction of DEGS1 dihydroceramide desaturase function causes pediatric neurodegenerative disorder hypomyelinating leukodystrophy-18 (HLD-18). We discovered that , the homolog, is expressed primarily in glial cells to promote CNS development by guarding against neurodegeneration.

Comparing Sensor Fusion and Multimodal Chemometric Models for Monitoring U(VI) in Complex Environments Representative of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel.

Optical sensors and chemometric models were leveraged for the quantification of uranium(VI) (0-100 μg mL), europium (0-150 μg mL), samarium (0-250 μg mL), praseodymium (0-350 μg mL), neodymium (0-1000 μg mL), and HNO (2-4 M) with varying corrosion product (iron, nickel, and chromium) levels using laser fluorescence, Raman scattering, and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared absorption spectra. In this paper, an efficient approach to developing and evaluating tens of thousands of partial least-squares regression (PLSR) models, built from fused optical spectra or multimodal acquisitions, is discussed. Each PLSR model was optimized with unique preprocessing combinations, and features were selected using genetic algorithm filters.

Glioblastoma Margin as a Diffusion Barrier Revealed by Photoactivation of Plasmonic Nanovesicles.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most complex and lethal adult primary brain cancer. Adequate drug diffusion and penetration are essential for treating GBM, but how the spatial heterogeneity in GBM impacts drug diffusion and transport is poorly understood. Herein, we report a new method, photoactivation of plasmonic nanovesicles (PANO), to measure molecular diffusion in the extracellular space of GBM.

Discovery and Synthesis of a Naturally Derived Protein Kinase Inhibitor that Selectively Inhibits Distinct Classes of Serine/Threonine Kinases.

The oncogenic gene fusion results in an active kinase enzyme, J-PKAcα, that has been identified as an attractive antitumor target for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC). A high-throughput assay was used to identify inhibitors of J-PKAcα catalytic activity by screening the NCI Program for Natural Product Discovery (NPNPD) prefractionated natural product library. Purification of the active agent from a single fraction of an sp.

Space-based quantum networking in the presence of a nuclear disturbed environment.

Space-based quantum networks provide a means for near-term long-distance transmission of quantum information. This article analyzed the performance of a downlink quantum network between a low-Earth-orbit satellite and an observatory operating in less-than-ideal atmospheric conditions. The effects from fog, haze, and a nuclear disturbed environment on the long-range distribution of quantum states were investigated.

Rare Caulamidine Hexacyclic Alkaloids from the Marine Ascidian sp.

Two new caulamidines C () and D () and three isocaulamidines B, C, and D (, , and ) along with the known compound caulamidine B () were isolated from the marine ascidian sp. Their structures were elucidated by analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. Isocaulamidines have an altered pattern of -methyl substitution (N-15 vs N-13 in the caulamidines) with a concomitant double-bond rearrangement to provide a new C-14/N-13 imine functionality.

Biochemical Discovery, Intracellular Evaluation, and Crystallographic Characterization of Synthetic and Natural Product Adenosine 3',5'-Cyclic Monophosphate-Dependent Protein Kinase A (PKA) Inhibitors.

The recent demonstration that adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) plays an oncogenic role in a number of important cancers has led to a renaissance in drug development interest targeting this kinase. We therefore have established a suite of biochemical, cell-based, and structural biology assays for identifying and evaluating new pharmacophores for PKA inhibition. This discovery process started with a 384-well high-throughput screen of more than 200,000 substances, including fractionated natural product extracts.

Temporal Coordination of the Transcription Factor Response to HO stress.

The p53 and FOXO transcription factors (TFs) share many similarities despite their distinct evolutionary origins. Both TFs are activated by a variety of cellular stresses and upregulate genes in similar pathways including cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Oxidative stress from excess HO activates both FOXO1 and p53, yet whether they are activated at the same time is unclear.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Contributes to Increased Mammalian Respiratory Epithelial Permeability Induced by Pasteurella multocida Infection.

Pasteurella multocida infection can cause significant zoonotic respiratory problems in both humans and animals, but little is known about the mechanisms used by P. multocida to invade and cross the mammalian respiratory barrier. In this study, we investigated the influence of P.

Effects of a nuclear-disturbed environment on electromagnetic wave propagation through the atmosphere.

This paper investigates the effects of a nuclear-disturbed environment on the transmission of electromagnetic (EM) waves through the atmosphere. An atmospheric nuclear detonation can produce heightened free electron densities in the surrounding atmosphere that can disrupt EM waves that propagate through the disturbed region. Radiation transport models simulated the ionization and free electron densities created in the atmosphere from a 1 MT detonation at heights of burst of 5 km, 25 km, and 75 km.