Synthesis of O-Glycopeptiden

Glycosyl halides of 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-galactose derivatives can be selectively coupled to α-glycosides with the hydroxyl groups of L-serine and L-threonine derivatives. Using adequate protecting groups further reactions with any amino acid are possible with the obtained carbohydrate amino acid compounds after the deprotection of the N- or C-terminus. Among others examples from the field of glycophorines and interleukine-2 are described. This method is also suitable for the synthesis of glycopeptides on solid support.     

The Communication between Ocular Surface and Nasal Epithelia in 3D Cell Culture Technology for Translational Research: A Narrative Review

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the connection between the ocular and nasal epithelia. This narrative review focuses on conjunctival, corneal, ultrastructural corneal stroma, and nasal epithelia as well as an introduction into their interconnections. We describe in detail the morphology and physiology of the ocular surface, the nasolacrimal ducts, and the nasal cavity. This knowledge provides a basis for functional studies and the development of relevant cell culture models that can be used to investigate the pathogenesis of diseases related to these complex structures. Moreover, we also provide a state-of-the-art overview regarding the development of 3D culture models, which allow for addressing research questions in models resembling the in vivo situation. In particular, we give an overview of the current developments of corneal 3D and organoid models, as well as 3D cell culture models of epithelia with goblet cells (conjunctiva and nasal cavity). The benefits and shortcomings of these cell culture models are discussed. As examples for pathogens related to ocular and nasal epithelia, we discuss infections caused by adenovirus and measles virus. In addition to pathogens, also external triggers such as allergens can cause rhinoconjunctivitis. These diseases exemplify the interconnections between the ocular surface and nasal epithelia in a molecular and clinical context. With a final translational section on optical coherence tomography (OCT), we provide an overview about the applicability of this technique in basic research and clinical ophthalmology. The techniques presented herein will be instrumental in further elucidating the functional interrelations and crosstalk between ocular and nasal epithelia.     

Prism adaptation in Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease.

13 Ss with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 14 with Huntington's disease (HD), and 16 normal elderly control Ss were compared on a perceptual adaptation task involving laterally displaced vision. All Ss were required to point to a target while wearing distorting prisms that shifted objects 20° to the right or left. Quantitative indices of baseline, preadaptation, adaptation, and aftereffects were obtained. Only HD patients failed to adapt to the prisms after visuomotor feedback and to evidence negative aftereffects when the prisms were removed. Adaptation was significantly correlated with dementia for HD patients (r?=?–.63, p?r?=?–.13, p?     

Scattering from a metallic object embedded near the randomly roughsurface of a lossy dielectric

Two-dimensional electromagnetic scattering from a perfectly conducting target embedded near the randomly rough surface of an isotropic lossy dielectric is investigated. The randomly rough surface is illuminated by a finite width beam from an antenna in the free space above the surface, with off-normal incidence. Standard integral equation methods are applied and include all subsurface interactions between the object and rough surface. For a chosen embedded target, Monte Carlo simulations are performed for a selection of ensembles of rough surface types intended to be suggestive of natural ground. Far field scattering coefficient distributions and corresponding synthetic images suggest when the buried object should be discernible. Sensitivities are explored in terms of surface type, polarization of the incident field, depth and orientation of target, soil characteristics, incidence angle, and beamwidth. Many of the scattering features identified should also apply in 3D     

The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica

The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) is the first true-color, high-spatial-resolution image of the seventh continent. It is constructed from nearly 1100 individually selected Landsat-7 ETM⁺ scenes. Each image was orthorectified and adjusted for geometric, sensor and illumination variations to a standardized, almost seamless surface reflectance product. Mosaicing to avoid clouds produced a high quality, nearly cloud-free benchmark data set of Antarctica for the International Polar Year from images collected primarily during 1999–2003. Multiple color composites and enhancements were generated to illustrate additional characteristics of the multispectral data including: the true appearance of the surface; discrimination between snow and bare ice; reflectance variations within bright snow; recovered reflectance values in regions of sensor saturation; and subtle topographic variations associated with ice flow. LIMA is viewable and individual scenes or user defined portions of the mosaic are downloadable at http://lima.usgs.gov. Educational materials associated with LIMA are available at http://lima.nasa.gov.     

Application of the method of auxiliary sources to the wide-bandelectromagnetic induction problem

The Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) is formulated and applied to solution of wide-band electromagnetic induction problems involving highly conducting and possibly permeable metallic objects. Improved remote sensing discrimination of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) motivates the study. The method uses elementary auxiliary magnetic charges and magnetic current elements to produce the unknown field. Auxiliary sources are located on virtual surfaces that usually conform to but do not coincide with the real surface of the object. Once the source coefficients are determined, the-secondary field can easily be found. The method involves no confrontations with source or Green's function singularities. It is capable of treating penetrable as well as nonpenetrable objects. Because the solution is composed of fields that automatically satisfy the governing equations, by construction, all approximation resides only in the enforcement of boundary conditions at matching (collocation) points. Accuracy in satisfying the boundary conditions can be evaluated explicitly using noncollocation points over the surface. This in turn allows one to identify problem areas on the surface and make intelligent adjustments of the source distributions, to improve solutions at minimal cost. A general 3D formulation is presented, and a version specialized to treat bodies of revolution is applied in the specific test cases discussed     

Comparison of three methods for detecting Campylobacter spp. in chilled or frozen meat

There is a demand from the meat industry as well as from public health authorities for a simple and rapid detection method for thermophilic Campylobacter spp. from food. Hence, we compared different isolation procedures for their usefulness for this purpose. Bolton enrichment medium without blood, incubated statically in stomacher bags in microaerophilic atmosphere, detected more samples positive for thermophilic Campylobacter spp. than did Preston enrichment broth in bottles with small headspace and tight caps, incubated in aerobic atmosphere. Use of an automated antigen detection system to identify enrichment cultures positive for Campylobacter spp. was as sensitive as selective agars, and reduced the detection time by 24 h. Campylobacter spp. were recovered from 18.4% of the 461 samples tested. The prevalence was highest in refrigerated poultry meat (52% of the 80 samples tested) and poultry offal (41% of the 44 samples tested).     

A three-parameter mechanical property reconstruction method for MR-based elastic property imaging

A reconstruction process featuring full parameterization of the three dimensional, time-harmonic equations of linear elasticity is developed and reconstructed property images are presented from simulation-based investigation. While interesting in its own right through the potential for increased adaptability of these reconstructive elastic imaging techniques, this study also presents a set of analysis tools used to study the poor convergence behavior found in the case of tissue like conditions (i.e. nearly incompressible materials). The choice of elastic properties for imaging in elastography research remains an open question at this point; the use of the stability and sensitivity-based analytical methods described here will help to predict and understand the value and reliability of different parameterizations of elasticity imaging. Additionally, though results indicate significant work needs to be done to achieve effective multiparameter reconstructive imaging, the methods detailed here offer the promise of increased flexibility and sophistication in elastographic imaging techniques.     

In vivo quantification of a homogeneous brain deformation model for updating preoperative images during surgery

Clinicians using image-guidance for neurosurgical procedures have recently recognized that intraoperative deformation from surgical loading can compromise the accuracy of patient registration in the operating room. While whole brain intraoperative imaging is conceptually appealing it presents significant practical limitations. Alternatively, a promising approach may be to combine incomplete intraoperatively acquired data with a computational model of brain deformation to update high resolution preoperative images during surgery. The success of such an approach is critically dependent on identifying a valid model of brain deformation physics. Towards this end, we evaluate a three-dimensional finite element consolidation theory model for predicting brain deformation in vivo through a series of controlled repeat-experiments. This database is used to construct an interstitial pressure boundary condition calibration curve which is prospectively tested in a fourth validation experiment. The computational model is found to recover 75%-85% of brain motion occurring under loads comparable to clinical conditions. Additionally, the updating of preoperative images using the model calculations is presented and demonstrates that model-updated image-guided neurosurgery may be a viable option for addressing registration errors related to intraoperative tissue motion.     

Origin of vector parasites in numerical Maxwell solutions

Dispersion relations are derived for conventional finite-element (FE) and finite-difference (FD) approximations for four versions of the Maxwell equations in the plane: the double-curl equation; the vector Helmholtz equation; the penalty equation; and the primitive, coupled Maxwell curl equations. Comparison with their analytic counterparts reveals the presence and origin of vector parasites. For the double-curl and penalty methods, the dispersion relations are double-valued, admitting an extra, spurious dispersion surface of real-valued wavenumbers. As a result, low wavenumbers support well-resolved and poorly resolved vector parasites. The Helmholtz schemes have monotonic, single-valued dispersion relations for divergence-free physical modes. Specification of divergence-free boundary conditions is sufficient to guarantee the absence of parasites. The primitive schemes have single-valued but folded (nonmonotonic) dispersion relations, supporting poorly resolved vector parasites at low wavenumbers. Use of a staggered finite-difference grid eliminates these parasites and results in a dispersion relation identical to that for the Helmholtz scheme. In cases where vector parasites arise, the same essential weakness in the discretized form of either the first or cross-derivative is responsible