Pectic Galactan Polysaccharide-Based Gene Delivery System for Targeting Neuroinflammation

Treating neuroinflammation-related injuries and disorders through manipulation of neuroinflammation functions is being heralded as a new therapeutic strategy. In this study, a novel pectic galactan (PG) polysaccharide based gene therapy approach is developed for targeting reactive gliosis in neuroinflammation. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a cell protein with a high affinity to β-galactoside sugars and is highly expressed in reactive gliosis. Since PG carries galactans, it can target reactive gliosis via specific carbohydrate interaction between galactan and Gal-3 on the cell membrane, and therefore can be utilized as a carrier for delivering genes to these cells. The carrier is synthesized by modifying quaternary ammonium groups on the PG. The resulting quaternized PG (QPG) is found to form complexes with plasmid DNA with a mean diameter of 100 nm and have the characteristics required for targeted gene therapy. The complexes efficiently condense large amounts of plasmid per particle and successfully bind to Gal-3. The in vivo study shows that the complexes are biocompatible and safe for administration and can selectively transfect reactive glial cells of an induced cortical lesion. The results confirm that this PG-based delivery system is a promising platform for targeting Gal-3 overexpressing neuroinflammation cells for treating neuroinflammation-related injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.     

Clinical psychologists reflect on the usefulness of various components of graduate training.

Graduates of clinical training programs were surveyed to determine the degree to which they have found various graduate school experiences useful in their professional work. Samples of academic clinical psychologists and practicing clinical psychologists reported time allocation and preference for various professional activities, perceived usefulness of various theoretical orientations, and the influence on their current professional work of 19 different graduate training topics. Results suggest that where differences exist, academic clinical psychologists are generally more satisfied with Boulder-model-inspired scientific training than are clinical practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinctiveness and Correlation in Conceptual Structure: Behavioral and Computational Studies.

Patients with category-specific deficits have motivated a range of hypotheses about the structure of the conceptual system. One class of models claims that apparent category dissociations emerge from the internal structure of concepts rather than fractionation of the system into separate substores. This account claims that distinctive properties of concepts in the living domain are vulnerable because of their weak correlation with other features. Given the assumption that mutual activation among correlated properties produces faster activation in the normal system, the authors predicted a disadvantage for the distinctive features of living things for unimpaired adults. Results of a speeded feature verification study supported this prediction, as did a computational simulation in which networks mapped from orthography to semantics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity as a predictor of passive transfer status in crias

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity and serum IgG concentration in neonatal crias. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. ANIMALS: 21 llama and 4 alpaca crias from 0 to 5 days old. PROCEDURE: Serum GGT activity was measured, using a commercially available kit. Serum IgG concentration was determined by use of radial immunodiffusion. With a serum IgG concentration of 1,000 mg/dl (considered adequate passive transfer), specificity and sensitivity of serum GGT activity in the detection of failure of passive transfer were determined. Regression models were developed to determine the relationship between serum GGT activity and serum IgG concentration. RESULTS: Sensitivity ranged from 0.56 to 0.89, and specificity ranged from 0.88 to 0.31, depending on the value of serum GGT activity chosen as a threshold. Proportion of crias correctly classified ranged from 0.76 to 0.52. Regression models failed to demonstrate a significant relationship between serum GGT activity and serum IgG concentration. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Passive transfer status in crias cannot be accurately predicted on the basis of serum GGT activity.     

An electrical network approach to the analysis of semiconductordevices

A simple electrical network is used to represent the five differential equations describing basic phenomena in one-dimensional semiconductor devices. Both standard and integrated approaches for solving transport equations are developed. Also, an electrical network equivalent for the nonlinear Poisson equation was derived. It allows students to better understand the physical phenomena and the process of computer simulation of such semiconductor devices     

Deconvolution methods for mitigation of transverse blurring in optical coherence tomography.

Imaging resolution in optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a key determinant for acquiring clinically useful optical biopsies of tissues. In contrast to light or confocal microscopy, the axial and transverse resolutions in OCT are independent and each can be analyzed individually. A method for mitigating transverse blurring and the apparent loss of transverse resolution in OCT by means of Gaussian beam deconvolution is presented. Such a method provides better representation of a specimen by using known physical parameters of a lens. To implement this method, deconvolution algorithms based on a focal-dependent kernel are investigated. First, the direct inverse problem is investigated using two types of regularization, truncated singular value decomposition, and Tikhonov. Second, an iterative expectation maximization algorithm, the Richardson-Lucy algorithm, with a beam-width-dependent iteration scheme is developed. A dynamically iterative Richardson-Lucy algorithm can reduce transverse blurring by providing an improvement in the transverse point-spread-function for sparse scattering samples in regions up to two times larger than the confocal region of the lens. These deblurring improvements inside and outside of the confocal region, which are validated experimentally, are possible without introducing new optical imaging hardware or acquiring multiple images of the same specimen. Implementation of this method in sparse scattering specimens, such as engineered tissues, has the potential to improve cellular detection and categorization.     

Distribution among tissues of intravenously administered sucrose octaoleate

The distribution of [¹⁴C]oleate label in rat tissues in the 6 hr after intravenous administration of sucrose octa-[¹⁴C]oleate (7.5 mg; SuO₈) was compared with that observed after administration of [¹⁴C]triolein. The [¹⁴C]-oleate label, whether injected as triolein emulsion, or as chylomicrons obtained from donor animals, rapidly cleared from the serum; only 10% or less remained in the serum 15 min after injection. Labeled SuO₈ disappeared less rapidly from the serum; about one-third of the dose was present after 15 min, and after 120 min 14% remained. In the liver, there was an initial greater accumulation of fatty acid label when and emulsion of either triolein or SuO₈ was given rather than the chylomicrons. The octaester continued to accumulate in the liver throughout the 6 hr of study, and 78% of the initial dose was present at that time. By contrast, although one-third of the triolein, as of SuO₈, was found in the liver shortly after injection, levels subsequently decreased; at 6 hr, 12% of the label remained associated with that organ. A small portion, up to 8% of the acid label, whether administered as chylomicrons or as a triolein emulsion, was found in the epididymal fat pads. Smaller amounts, usually 1% or less, of the [¹⁴C]oleate label were found in fat pads following the injection of labeled SuO₈. In a separate study, the levels of acid label in the liver and spleen were monitored for 21 days following the intravenous administration of [¹⁴C]SuO₈. There was an initial accumulation of approximately half of the injected lipid label in the liver and one-quarter in the spleen. By day 21, the level in the liver had decreased to one-third of that administered, while the level in spleen remained at one-quarter.     

Deposition of PtxRu1−x Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation in Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Platinum-ruthenium electrodes (Pt_xRu_1-x) have been prepared by electrochemical and electroless deposition and investigated as catalysts for the oxidation of methanol in acidic solutions. Pt_xRu_1-x deposits were electrochemically deposited from acidic chloride electrolytes at potentials between −0.46 and 0.34 V (vs. NHE). The composition of the electrodeposit was estimated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and is a strong function of the electrode potential. An empirical model for the deposition process is presented and kinetic parameters are estimated and discussed. Also, the methanol oxidation activity of the Pt_xRu_1-x catalysts was characterized by cyclic voltammetry in 1.0 M CH₃OH, 1.0 M H₂SO₄ solutions. Electroless Pt_xRu_1-x samples were prepared in a modified Leaman bath with hydrazine dihydrochloride as the reducing agent. The kinetic results for the electrochemical deposition of Pt_xRu_1-x were directly applied and the deposition potential was estimated as approximately 0.40 V.     

Collective restraint in social dilemmas: Procedural justice and social identification effects on support for authorities.

This study examined people's willingness to restrain themselves during a naturally occurring social dilemma situation—the 1991 California water shortage. The findings suggest that people are more willing to support authorities who make water conservation decisions when these authorities use fair decision-making procedures. Procedural justice effects were not found to be influenced by the perceived severity of the resource scarcity or the favorability of the authorities' decisions. Rather, they were primarily based on concerns for having positive, relational bonds to the authorities. These relational effects were found to be stronger for those respondents who identify more with their community. The study suggests that the effectiveness of authorities is primarily linked to the nature of their social bonds with community members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)