Glycosylation in Indolent,Significant and Aggressive Prostate Cancer by Automated High-Throughput N-Glycan Profiling

The diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health-care concern worldwide. This cancer can manifest itself in many distinct forms and the transition from clinically indolent PCa to the more invasive aggressive form remains poorly understood. It is now universally accepted that glycan expression patterns change with the cellular modifications that accompany the onset of tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate if differential glycosylation patterns could distinguish between indolent, significant, and aggressive PCa. Whole serum N-glycan profiling was carried out on 117 prostate cancer patients’ serum using our automated, high-throughput analysis platform for glycan-profiling which utilizes ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) to obtain high resolution separation of N-linked glycans released from the serum glycoproteins. We observed increases in hybrid, oligomannose, and biantennary digalactosylated monosialylated glycans (M5A1G1S1, M8, and A2G2S1), bisecting glycans (A2B, A2(6)BG1) and monoantennary glycans (A1), and decreases in triantennary trigalactosylated trisialylated glycans with and without core fucose (A3G3S3 and FA3G3S3) with PCa progression from indolent through significant and aggressive disease. These changes give us an insight into the disease pathogenesis and identify potential biomarkers for monitoring the PCa progression, however these need further confirmation studies.     

A modeling approach on the TelosB WSN platform power consumption

Substantial characteristics of wireless sensor networks, such as autonomy and miniature size, are achieved at the expense of restricted energy resources. Optimal resource management is thus among the most important challenges in WSNs development and its success requires accurate and practical models based on detailed insight concerning the factors contributing to the overall power consumption of a WSN mote. To achieve such awareness, that will enable models development, appropriate measuring test-beds and methodologies are needed, facilitating reliable and accurate power consumption measurements of critical functionalities.To cover the need for energy models that precisely define the power consumption behavior of WSN hardware platforms, this paper contributes with a measuring methodology including three steps: the design and implementation of a measuring system for a wide range of power consumption thresholds, the identification, isolation and measurement of elementary functionalities of a WSN platform with respect to their contribution to the overall mote power consumption, and the extraction of valuable conclusions based on the respective measurements resulting in the composition of a practical, yet accurate power consumption model.     

The Embedding of Transnational Entrepreneurs in Diaspora Networks: Leveraging the Assets of Foreignness

In this paper we examine how foreign actors capitalize on their ethnic identity to gain skills and capabilities that enable them to operate in a new and strange environment. We explore the mechanisms by which Bulgarian entrepreneurs in London use their ethnic identity to develop competitive advantage and business contacts. We find that the entrepreneurs studied gain access to a diaspora network, which enables them to develop essential business capabilities and integrate knowledge from both home and host country environments. The diaspora community possesses a collective asset (transactive memory) that allows its members to remove competition from the interfirm level to the network level (i.e., diaspora networks vs. networks of native businesspeople). Additionally, the cultural identity and networks to which community members have access provide bridging capabilities that allow diaspora businesspeople to make links to host country business partners and thus embed themselves in the host country environment. Thus, this paper adds to the growing body of work showing how foreignness can serve as an asset in addition to its better-known role as a liability.     

Methacrylate hydrogels reinforced with bacterial cellulose

Composite hydrogels consisting of nanofibrous bacterial cellulose (BC) embedded in a biocompatible polymeric matrix of various methacrylates were synthesized by UV polymerization using the ‘ever‐wet’ technique. The effect of monomer(s) type and ratio, system dilution at polymerization, monomer(s) hydrophilicity, crosslink density and cellulose/hydrogel ratio was investigated. The effect of BC reinforcement on equilibrium swelling depends on whether the neat gel swells more when brought into contact with water. The major improvement achieved by introduction of 1%–2% BC concerns mechanical properties. Compared with neat gels, the storage shear modulus G′ increased by a factor 10‐20, and the loss part G″ also rose significantly. The compression modulus ranged from 2 to 5.5 MPa for composites swollen to equilibrium (20‐70 wt% water). The BC‐hydrogel composites are considered for application in the tissue engineering area. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

A new strategy for plasticizing and stabilization of PVC mixtures

This study was undertaken to examine possible use of classic tetravalent tin‐based heat stabilizers for the preparation of a polymer plasticizer: poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and simultaneous stabilization of PVC in PVC/PCL mixtures. PCL was prepared from ε‐caprolactone (CL) by polymerization initiated by tin‐containing organic compounds and successfully used to simultaneously plasticize and stabilize PVC. Moreover, conditions under which the polymerization of CL took place directly in situ during PVC/CL mixture processing were found. The procedure yielded homogeneous plasticized PVC/PCL mixtures, which were stable and contained >90% of the original monomer content. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41066.     

Quantification of phosphorus metabolites from chemical shift imaging spectra with corrections for point spread effects and B1 inhomogeneity

Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite which is morphologically and ultrastructurally very similar to Toxoplasma gondii. In order to identify molecules involved in host cell entry and subsequent modification of the parasitophorous vacuole, a polyclonal antiserum directed against N. caninum tachyzoites was raised in a rabbit. Subcellular fractionation of tachyzoites was performed using the non-ionic detergent Triton-X-114. Membrane fractions were analysed by immunoblotting using the polyclonal antiserum. One of the immunoreactive protein bands had a mol. wt of 33,000 and was subsequently named Nc-p33. Affinity-purified anti-Nc-p33 antibodies were used to characterise this polypeptide using SDS-PAGE, isoelectric focusing, Western blot analysis and immuno-EM. Nc-p33 was found in two isolates of N. caninum (NC-1 and Liverpool), but could not be detected in T. gondii tachyzoites. Immunogold EM revealed that Nc-p33 constituted a dense granule-associated protein, and Western blotting demonstrated that Nc-p33 was most likely identical to the recently described antigen NCDG1. Shortly after invasion, this dense granule protein was targeted to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, and, at later timepoints after infection, was also found on the parasitophorous vacuolar network. This suggested that Nc-p33 could play a functional role in the modification of the parasitophorous vacuole and its membrane.     

Standardized tests fail to assess the effects of antibiotics on environmental bacteria

Pharmaceuticals are designed and used because of their specific biological effects. Over the past decade, compounds from various classes of pharmaceuticals have been detected in the environment. Concern has grown about the adverse effects pharmaceuticals in the environment might potentially have on human and ecological health. A sound risk assessment is therefore urgently needed for pharmaceuticals. Standardized tests for assessing the effects of chemicals on environmental organisms are widely used for this purpose. However it is questionable whether classical standardized tests give reliable data needed for environmental risk assessment. In this study we investigated the suitability of the respiration inhibition test OECD 209 for the assessment of the effects of antibiotics, disinfectants and cytotoxics on sewage sludge bacteria. We found that inhibition concentrations can strongly depend on the test period and the type of compound. We conclude that tests to assess the effects of pharmaceuticals on environmental organisms such as bacteria have to be evaluated before their results can be used in environmental risk assessment.