Comparison of the cytotoxicities of Fusarium metabolites and Alternaria metabolite AAL-toxin to cultured mammalian cell lines

The structure of pyramidatine [1], a new bisamide alkaloid from leaves of Aglaia pyramidata, was determined through extensive nmr studies, including homonuclear COSY, NOESY, APT, HETCOR, and selective INEPT techniques. Revision of the 13C-nmr assignment of piriferine [2], an alkaloid previously isolated from A. pirifera, was achieved by examination of several 2D nmr spectra (homonuclear COSY, NOESY, and HETCOR) and confirmed by selective INEPT nmr experiments. Evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of the two alkaloids, along with two other bisamides from Aglaia odorata, odorine [3] and 5'-epi-odorine [4], was carried out in eleven human cancer cell lines. None of these bisamides showed significant cytotoxicity. Nevertheless, piriferine [2], odorine [3], and 5'-epi-odorine [4] were found to inhibit the growth of the vinblastine-resistant KB cells by enhancing the anticancer activity of vinblastine.     

The fortress mentality — Part III: Tokens,one-time password devices and the Roman Army

In the next in this series we briefly consider the history of passwords. This article discovers what needs to be done in modern times to maintain secure access controls. Perhaps the one-time password is the answer for which the two most common types are time-synchronous device and challenge response. We also discuss whether the use of software rather than hardware for the OTP device degrades the protection involved since software can be copied. However, the user remains the weakest link in the security chain.     

Stratified institutions and elementary homomorphisms

For conventional logic institutions, when one extends the sentences to contain open sentences, their satisfaction is then parameterized. For instance, in the first-order logic, the satisfaction is parameterized by the valuation of unbound variables, while in modal logics it is further by possible worlds. This paper proposes a uniform treatment of such parameterization of the satisfaction relation within the abstract setting of logics as institutions, by defining the new notion of stratified institutions. In this new framework, the notion of elementary model homomorphisms is defined independently of an internal stratification or elementary diagrams. At this level of abstraction, a general Tarski style study of connectives is developed. This is an abstract unified approach to the usual Boolean connectives, to quantifiers, and to modal connectives. A general theorem subsuming Tarski's elementary chain theorem is then proved for stratified institutions with this new notion of connectives.     

Biological vulnerability to alcoholism.

This article reviews the role of biological factors in the risk for alcoholism. The discussion notes the importance of the definition of primary alcoholism and highlights data indicating that this disorder is genetically influenced. The major emphasis is on studies of men at high risk for the future development of alcoholism. The most promising trait markers of a biological vulnerability to alcoholism include a decreased intensity of reaction to modest ethanol doses for sons of alcoholics compared with control subjects, a decreased amplitude of certain brain waves of the event-related potential, and a different pattern of background cortical electroencephalograms for young men at high risk for future alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of self-generated facial expressions on mood.

Two experiments were conducted in which participants looked at photographs (Experiment 1, n?=?129) or slides (Experiment 2, n?=?90) of people engaging in positive or negative facial expressions. Participants attempted to communicate these facial expressions as accurately as they could to a video camera while viewing themselves in a mirror or without viewing themselves in a mirror. Participants in a control group maintained neutral facial expressions. Participants experienced increased positive moods when they engaged in positive facial expressions and decreased positive moods when they engaged in negative facial expressions. These effects were enhanced when participants viewed themselves in a mirror. The effects of facial expressions on positive affect were stronger for participants with high private self-consciousness. Results were integrated with research identifying individuals who are responsive to self-produced versus situational cues and with theory and research on self-awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A fast block Hankel solver based on an inversion formula for block Loewner matrices

We propose a newO(p ³ n ²) algorithm for solving complexnp×np linear systems that have block Hankel structure, where the blocks are square matrices of sizep×p. Via FFTs the block Hankel system is transformed into a block Loewner system. An inversion formula enables us to calculate the inverse of the block Loewner matrix explicitely. The parameters that occur in this inversion formula are calculated by solving two rational interpolation problems on the unit circle. We have implemented our algorithm in Fortran 90. Numerical examples are included.     

Integration of data systems and technology improves research and collaboration for a superfund research center

Large collaborative centers are a common model for accomplishing integrated environmental health research. These centers often include various types of scientific domains (e.g., chemistry, biology, bioinformatics) that are integrated to solve some of the nation's key economic or public health concerns. The Superfund Research Center (SRP) at Oregon State University (OSU) is one such center established in 2008 to study the emerging health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons while using new technologies both in the field and laboratory. With outside collaboration at remote institutions, success for the center as a whole depends on the ability to effectively integrate data across all research projects and support cores. Therefore, the OSU SRP center developed a system that integrates environmental monitoring data with analytical chemistry data and downstream bioinformatics and statistics to enable complete "source-to-outcome" data modeling and information management. This article describes the development of this integrated information management system that includes commercial software for operational laboratory management and sample management in addition to open-source custom-built software for bioinformatics and experimental data management.