Novel Tunnel Magnetoresistive Sensor Functionalities via Oblique-Incidence Deposition.

Controlling the magnetic properties of ultrathin films remains one of the main challenges to the further development of tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR) device applications. The magnetic response in such devices is mainly governed by extending the primary TMR trilayer with the use of suitable contact materials. The transfer of magnetic anisotropy to ferromagnetic electrodes consisting of CoFeB layers results in a field-dependent TMR response, which is determined by the magnetic properties of the CoFeB as well as the contact materials.

Peptidoglycan Contribution to the B Cell Superantigen Activity of Staphylococcal Protein A.

causes reiterative and chronic persistent infections. This can be explained by the formidable ability of this pathogen to escape immune surveillance mechanisms. Cells of display the abundant staphylococcal protein A (SpA).

Acceptability and Feasibility of Early Palliative Care Among Women with Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of early palliative care (EPC) among patients with advanced ovarian cancer and to determine the feasibility of larger-scale phase III trials.

Methods: We performed a randomized controlled pilot study of adult women (>18 years) with pathologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer that had recurred or progressed on first-line therapy and had no immediate need for palliative care. We randomly assigned patients to either EPC or standard oncologic care (SOC), and collected patient-reported outcomes (PRO) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months; end-of-life care quality indicators were collected at study completion.

Regulated cleavage of glycan strands by the murein hydrolase SagB in involves a direct interaction with LyrA (SpdC).

LyrA (SpdC), a homologue of eukaryotic CAAX proteases that act on prenylated substrates, has been implicated in the assembly of several pathways of the envelope of We described earlier the sostaphin esistance (Lyr) and taphylococcal rotein A isplay (Spd) phenotypes associated with loss of the () gene. However, a direct contribution to the assembly of pentaglycine crossbridges, the target of lysostaphin cleavage in peptidoglycan, or of Staphylococcal protein A attachment to peptidoglycan could not be attributed directly to LyrA (SpdC). These two processes are catalyzed by the Fem factors and Sortase A, respectively.

FmhA and FmhC of incorporate serine residues into peptidoglycan cross-bridges.

Staphylococcal peptidoglycan is characterized by pentaglycine cross-bridges that are cross-linked between adjacent wall peptides by penicillin-binding proteins to confer robustness and flexibility. In , pentaglycine cross-bridges are synthesized by three proteins: FemX adds the first glycine, and the homodimers FemA and FemB sequentially add two Gly-Gly dipeptides. Occasionally, serine residues are also incorporated into the cross-bridges by enzymes that have heretofore not been identified.

Applicability of a human cell co-culture model to evaluate antioxidant responses triggered by chemical mixtures in fish and oyster homogenates.

The accumulation of chemical compounds in fish tissue represents significant health concerns for seafood consumers, but little is known about the risks to human health associated with such substances. The identification of adverse biological responses upon exposure to contaminants has been facilitated by the development of in vitro systems resembling the human dietary pathway. The present study explores the applicability of an organotypic co-culture system, using intestinal (Caco-2) and hepatic (HepaRG) cell lines, to provide insight into the toxicity of chemical mixtures found in commercially available seafood.

EssH Peptidoglycan Hydrolase Enables Staphylococcus aureus Type VII Secretion across the Bacterial Cell Wall Envelope.

The ESAT-6-like secretion system (ESS) of is assembled in the bacterial membrane from core components that promote the secretion of WXG-like proteins (EsxA, EsxB, EsxC, and EsxD) and the EssD effector. Genes encoding the ESS secretion machinery components, effector, and WXG-like proteins are located in the locus. Here, we identify , a heretofore uncharacterized gene of the locus, whose product is secreted via an N-terminal signal peptide into the extracellular medium of staphylococcal cultures.

Inducible Expression of as a Universal Tool for Studying Sporulation in .

remains a leading nosocomial pathogen, putting considerable strain on the healthcare system. The ability to form endospores, highly resistant to environmental insults, is key to its persistence and transmission. However, important differences exist between the sporulation pathways of and the model Gram-positive organism .

Metal nanoparticle film-based room temperature Coulomb transistor.

Single-electron transistors would represent an approach to developing less power-consuming microelectronic devices if room temperature operation and industry-compatible fabrication were possible. We present a concept based on stripes of small, self-assembled, colloidal, metal nanoparticles on a back-gate device architecture, which leads to well-defined and well-controllable transistor characteristics. This Coulomb transistor has three main advantages.

Linkage of clinical trial and administrative data: a survey of cancer patient preferences.

Background: Personal health information, including diagnoses and hospital admissions, is routinely collected in administrative databases. Patients enrolling on clinical trials consent to separate collection and storage of their personal health information. We evaluated patient preferences for linking long-term data from administrative databases with clinical trials.

Coulomb blockade based field-effect transistors exploiting stripe-shaped channel geometries of self-assembled metal nanoparticles.

Metallic nanoparticles offer possibilities to build basic electric devices with new functionality and improved performance. Due to the small volume and the resulting low self-capacitance, each single nanoparticle exhibits a high charging energy. Thus, a Coulomb-energy gap emerges during transport experiments that can be shifted by electric fields, allowing for charge transport whenever energy levels of neighboring particles match.

Increased toxin expression in a Clostridium difficile mfd mutant.

Background: The symptoms of Clostridium difficile infection are mediated primarily by two toxins, TcdA and TcdB, the expression of which is governed by a multitude of factors including nutrient availability, growth phase and cell stress. Several global regulators have been implicated in the regulation of toxin expression, such as CcpA and CodY.

Results: During attempts to insertionally inactivate a putative secondary cell wall polysaccharide synthesis gene, we obtained several mutants containing off-target insertions.

Metal Domain Size Dependent Electrical Transport in Pt-CdSe Hybrid Nanoparticle Monolayers.

Thin films prepared of semiconductor nanoparticles are promising for low-cost electronic applications such as transistors and solar cells. One hurdle for their breakthrough is their notoriously low conductivity. To address this, we precisely decorate CdSe nanoparticles with platinum domains of one to three nanometers in diameter by a facile and robust seeded growth method.

Clostridium difficile surface proteins are anchored to the cell wall using CWB2 motifs that recognise the anionic polymer PSII.

Gram-positive surface proteins can be covalently or non-covalently anchored to the cell wall and can impart important properties on the bacterium in respect of cell envelope organisation and interaction with the environment. We describe here a mechanism of protein anchoring involving tandem CWB2 motifs found in a large number of cell wall proteins in the Firmicutes. In the Clostridium difficile cell wall protein family, we show the three tandem repeats of the CWB2 motif are essential for correct anchoring to the cell wall.

Do sequentially-presented answer options prevent the use of testwiseness cues on continuing medical education tests?

Testwiseness--that is, the ability to find subtle cues towards the solution by the simultaneous comparison of the available answer options--threatens the validity of multiple-choice (MC) tests. Discrete-option multiple-choice (DOMC) has recently been proposed as a computerized alternative testing format for MC tests, and presumably allows for a better control of testwiseness. It is based on a sequential rather than simultaneous presentation of answer options.

Sleep architecture in ziprasidone-treated bipolar depression: a pilot study.

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of ziprasidone augmentation therapy on sleep architecture in bipolar depression.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical pilot trial of ziprasidone versus placebo in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition bipolar disorder with current major depressive episode. The effects during acute (2-5 days) and continuation treatment (28-31 days) were measured.

Do children with central venous line (CVL) dysfunction have increased risk of symptomatic thromboembolism compared to those without CVL-dysfunction, while on cancer therapy?

Background: Thromboembolism (TE) and infection are two common complications of central venous line (CVL). Thrombotic CVL-dysfunction is a common, yet less studied, complication of CVL. Two retrospective studies have reported significant association of CVL-dysfunction and TE.

Roles of cysteine proteases Cwp84 and Cwp13 in biogenesis of the cell wall of Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile expresses a number of cell wall proteins, including the abundant high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight S-layer proteins (SLPs). These proteins are generated by posttranslational cleavage of the precursor SlpA by the cysteine protease Cwp84. We compared the phenotypes of C.

The polity of academic medicine: evidence-based democracy.

The authors consider the empirical data examining relationships between democratic governance and organizational success. There is overwhelming evidence that democratically run organizations excel in key parameters of success, such as business valuation, productivity, responsiveness, innovation, decision making, and worker morale and satisfaction. A review of physician surveys shows that discontent with academic administration is a major contributor to faculty turnover.

The polity of academic medicine: a critical analysis of autocratic governance.

How should academic radiology departments be governed? This question has rarely been directly addressed in the radiology literature. The dominant model of administration in present-day academic departments differs from that typically seen in private group practices. Whereas private group practices tend to follow a democratic model whereby key decisions must be supported by a majority of the partners, in academic institutions, medical school deans and department chairs generally possess great latitude in strategic and operational decision making.

The polity of academic medicine: status of faculty governance.

How should academic medical departments be governed? Models of governance span a wide spectrum between autocracies, in which important decisions are made by a single individual, to democracies, in which each member enjoys a voice in decision making. Despite the fact that more participatory governance models are the norm in practice settings outside of academia, many academic physicians seem to take an autocratic model more or less for granted. In fact, however, most medical schools and universities do not mandate a governance system that vests authority in a powerful chairperson, and departments frequently enjoy more latitude than they suppose in determining how to govern themselves.

The acute impact of continuous positive airway pressure on nasal resistance: a randomized controlled comparison.

Subjective nasal obstruction is common among users of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The aim of this study was to measure the acute effect of CPAP on nasal resistance and nasal symptoms in awake normal subjects. Twenty-four healthy CPAP-naive adults [8 men, 16 women; mean age 30 yr (SD 14)] underwent a randomized controlled crossover study comparing nasal CPAP (8 cmH(2)O) for 6 h on one occasion and the control condition (nasal mask without CPAP) on the other.