вторник, 5 марта 2013 г.

Games

Games

Pharmaceuticals, Vol. 6, Pages 287-294: RNAi Therapeutics in Autoimmune Disease

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Since the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), excitement has grown over its potential therapeutic uses. Targeting RNAi pathways provides a powerful tool to change biological processes post-transcriptionally in various health conditions such as cancer or autoimmune diseases. Optimum design of shRNA, siRNA, and miRNA enhances stability and specificity of RNAi-based approaches whereas it has to reduce or prevent undesirable immune responses or off-target effects. Recent advances in understanding pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases have allowed application of these tools in vitro as well as in vivo with some degree of success. Further research on the design and delivery of effectors of RNAi pathway and underlying molecular basis of RNAi would warrant practical use of RNAi-based therapeutics in human applications. This review will focus on the approaches used for current therapeutics and their applications in autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome.

JPM, Vol. 3, Pages 40-69: Personalized Medicine in Ophthalmology: From Pharmacogenetic Biomarkers to Therapeutic and Dosage Optimization

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Rapid progress in genomics and nanotechnology continue to advance our approach to patient care, from diagnosis and prognosis, to targeting and personalization of therapeutics. However, the clinical application of molecular diagnostics in ophthalmology has been limited even though there have been demonstrations of disease risk and pharmacogenetic associations. There is a high clinical need for therapeutic personalization and dosage optimization in ophthalmology and may be the focus of individualized medicine in this specialty. In several retinal conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion and pre-threshold retinopathy of prematurity, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapeutics have resulted in enhanced outcomes. In glaucoma, recent advances in cytoskeletal agents and prostaglandin molecules that affect outflow and remodel the trabecular meshwork have demonstrated improved intraocular pressure control. Application of recent developments in nanoemulsion and polymeric micelle for targeted delivery and drug release are models of dosage optimization, increasing efficacy and improving outcomes in these major eye diseases.

Life, Vol. 3, Pages 260-275: Quorum Sensing in Some Representative Species of Halomonadaceae

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Cell-to-cell communication, or quorum-sensing (QS), systems are employed by bacteria for promoting collective behaviour within a population. An analysis to detect QS signal molecules in 43 species of the Halomonadaceae family revealed that they produced N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which suggests that the QS system is widespread throughout this group of bacteria. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis of crude AHL extracts, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 (pZLR4) as biosensor strain, resulted in different profiles, which were not related to the various habitats of the species in question. To confirm AHL production in the Halomonadaceae species, PCR and DNA sequencing approaches were used to study the distribution of the luxI-type synthase gene. Phylogenetic analysis using sequence data revealed that 29 of the species studied contained a LuxI homolog. Phylogenetic analysis showed that sequences from Halomonadaceae species grouped together and were distinct from other members of the Gammaproteobacteria and also from species belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria.

Metals, Vol. 3, Pages 150-158: Potential of Metal Fibre Felts as Passive Absorbers in Absorption Silencers

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

The growing noise exposure of residents, due to a rising number of flights, causes significant impacts on physical health. Therefore it is necessary to reduce the noise emission of aircrafts. During take-off, the noise generated by the jet engines is dominating. One way to lower the noise emission of jet engines is to build an absorption silencer by using porous liners. Because of the high thermic and corrosive attacks as well as high fatigue loads, conventional absorbers cannot be used. A promising material is sintered metal fibre felts. This study investigates the suitability of metal fibre felts for the use as absorption material in silencers. The influences of pore morphology, absorption coefficient, determined with perpendicular sound incidence, as well as geometric parameters of the silencer to the damping are identified. To characterise the material, the parameters fibre diameter, porosity and thickness are determined using three-dimensional computer tomography images. The damping potential of absorption silencers is measured using an impedance tube, which was modified for transmission measurements. The essential parameter to describe the acoustic characteristics of porous materials is the flow resistivity. It depends on the size, shape and number of open pores in the material. Finally a connection between pore morphology, flow resistivity of the metal fibre felts and damping potential of the absorption silencer is given.

Microarrays, Vol. 2, Pages 1-23: Testing a Microarray to Detect and Monitor Toxic Microalgae in Arcachon Bay in France

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur worldwide, causing health problems and economic damages to fisheries and tourism. Monitoring agencies are therefore essential, yet monitoring is based only on time-consuming light microscopy, a level at which a correct identification can be limited by insufficient morphological characters. The project MIDTAL (Microarray Detection of Toxic Algae)—an FP7-funded EU project—used rRNA genes (SSU and LSU) as a target on microarrays to identify toxic species. Furthermore, toxins were detected with a newly developed multiplex optical Surface Plasmon Resonance biosensor (Multi SPR) and compared with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In this study, we demonstrate the latest generation of MIDTAL microarrays (version 3) and show the correlation between cell counts, detected toxin and microarray signals from field samples taken in Arcachon Bay in France in 2011. The MIDTAL microarray always detected more potentially toxic species than those detected by microscopic counts. The toxin detection was even more sensitive than both methods. Because of the universal nature of both toxin and species microarrays, they can be used to detect invasive species. Nevertheless, the MIDTAL microarray is not completely universal: first, because not all toxic species are on the chip, and second, because invasive species, such as Ostreopsis, already influence European coasts.

Fun Greetings Deluxe 1.0.2 - Make beautiful greeting cards. (Shareware)

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 03:07 AM PST



Fun Greetings Deluxe is a complete redesign of the #1 best selling photo greeting-card software for Mac.

  • Nearly 200 1-Click Styles.
  • Brand new Card Editor with far more control.
  • 15 photo effects.
  • Print cards in many sizes (including custom sizes).
  • Ecard, Facebook, Flickr & Twitter sharing built-in.
  • Full-screen mode.
  • Made for Retina MacBook Pros (but also looks awesome on non-retina Macs).
Ohanaware today is pleased to introduce Fun Greetings Deluxe 1.0 for OS X, a complete redesign of its best selling photo greeting-card software. The Retina-ready app offers nearly 200 professionally designed card templates, appropriate for 13 different occasions. With step-by-step guidance, users can quickly add photos to the cover or inside of the card, crop or apply photo effects to photos; create personalized messages in any font in their font library; and add shapes, borders, or graphics. Users can also create their own templates, starting with a blank page and building the card exactly as they want it. The app includes a variety of shapes, text boxes, text captions, graphics, and photo holders. Each element is easily modified, allowing users to create completely original, artistic designs. Featuring an advanced, hi-res print engine, Fun Greetings Deluxe is capable of printing folded cards in many different sizes (including custom sizes), or cards can be shared via email, Facebook, flickr, or Twitter.

Feature Highlights:

  • Nearly 200 different 1-Click Styles are included, with more professionally designed templates coming soon
  • Many 1-Click Style categories: Holiday Season, Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Congratulations, Invitation, Thinking of You, Get Well Soon, Halloween, Blank Message, Post Cards, eCards, Miscellaneous, User-Designed
  • New, hi-res print engine offers superior print quality
  • Square cards, flat cards, single-fold cards, double-fold cards, money holders, and custom-sized cards
  • 15 built-in photo effects; 35 built-in frames
  • Beautiful, new clutter-free GUI with Retina-display compatibility
  • Card templates (1-Click Styles) are easily selected from the card shelf (resembling a real-world card shelf)
  • Full-screen mode employs the entire screen for card design
  • Large style previews showing the front page and the inside message
  • Snapping Palettes (Inspectors) for photos, shapes, and text that slide 95% offscreen when moved to the side of the screen
  • Save custom card designs as 1-Click Styles
  • Change the style, photo, or text of the card at any time
  • Designed to print on heavy weight, premium paper or card stock (depending on the printer)
No matter the screen size of their Mac, the app's single window design makes detailed card creation easy. On launch, the app displays the Selection window, where many card styles are displayed. Mousing over the card removes it from the shelf for a better view, and clicking on it opens the card to fill the window. Card designers can return to browsing card styles or click the Use Style button, which flips the window over, revealing the Edit window. Whichever 1-Click Style is chosen, each outside and inside page has its own canvas, which scrolls horizontally in the Edit window. Drag 'n' Drop convenience allows users to easily browse, select, and place images, graphics, and photos.

The hi-res, custom designed print engine in Fun Greetings Deluxe is able to print many different types of cards, including: square cards, flat cards, post cards, single- and double-fold cards, and exclusively to this app, Money Holders. Money Holders are cards that fit in standard letter envelopes, and when folded can easily contain money, gift cards, or checks. Print margins are not an issue for Fun Greetings Deluxe as it is smart enough to take the margins and convert them into an elegant border, unless users choose to print without any borders at all. A simple tutorial helps users with double-sided printing and offers advice on printing cards that are indistinguishable from the costly alternatives available at the greeting card store.

Version 1.0.2:

  • Emergency Update: fixes a problem where some users were not able to print cards with their photos.


OS X 10.6 or later

Download Now

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Brain Sciences, Vol. 3, Pages 191-214: Neuroprotective Therapies after Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury is one of the main causes of disabilities in term-born infants. It is the result of a deprivation of oxygen and glucose in the neural tissue. As one of the most important causes of brain damage in the newborn period, the neonatal HI event is a devastating condition that can lead to long-term neurological deficits or even death. The pattern of this injury occurs in two phases, the first one is a primary energy failure related to the HI event and the second phase is an energy failure that takes place some hours later. Injuries that occur in response to these events are often manifested as severe cognitive and motor disturbances over time. Due to difficulties regarding the early diagnosis and treatment of HI injury, there is an increasing need to find effective therapies as new opportunities for the reduction of brain damage and its long term effects. Some of these therapies are focused on prevention of the production of reactive oxygen species, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-apoptotic interventions and in a later stage, the stimulation of neurotrophic properties in the neonatal brain which could be targeted to promote neuronal and oligodendrocyte regeneration.

Sensors, Vol. 13, Pages 3109-3130: Comparison and Intercalibration of Vegetation Indices from Different Sensors for Monitoring Above-Ground Plant Nitrogen Uptake in Winter Wheat

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Various sensors have been used to obtain the canopy spectral reflectance for monitoring above-ground plant nitrogen (N) uptake in winter wheat. Comparison and intercalibration of spectral reflectance and vegetation indices derived from different sensors are important for multi-sensor data fusion and utilization. In this study, the spectral reflectance and its derived vegetation indices from three ground-based sensors (ASD Field Spec Pro spectrometer, CropScan MSR 16 and GreenSeeker RT 100) in six winter wheat field experiments were compared. Then, the best sensor (ASD) and its normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI (807, 736)) for estimating above-ground plant N uptake were determined (R2 of 0.885 and RMSE of 1.440 g·N·m−2 for model calibration). In order to better utilize the spectral reflectance from the three sensors, intercalibration models for vegetation indices based on different sensors were developed. The results indicated that the vegetation indices from different sensors could be intercalibrated, which should promote application of data fusion and make monitoring of above-ground plant N uptake more precise and accurate.

Brain Sciences, Vol. 3, Pages 177-190: Therapeutic Effect of Caffeine Treatment Immediately Following Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury on Spatial Memory in Male Rats

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Hypoxia Ischemia (HI) refers to the disruption of blood and/or oxygen delivery to the brain. Term infants suffering perinatal complications that result in decreased blood flow and/or oxygen delivery to the brain are at risk for HI. Among a variety of developmental delays in this population, HI injured infants demonstrate subsequent memory deficits. The Rice-Vannucci rodent HI model can be used to explore behavioral deficits following early HI events, as well as possible therapeutic agents to help reduce deleterious outcomes. Caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist that has recently shown promising results as a therapeutic agent following HI injury. The current study sought to investigate the therapeutic benefit of caffeine following early HI injury in male rats. On post-natal day (P) 7, HI injury was induced (cauterization of the right common carotid artery, followed by two hours of 8% oxygen). Male sham animals received only a midline incision with no manipulation of the artery followed by room air exposure for two hours. Subsets of HI and sham animals then received either an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of caffeine (10 mg/kg), or vehicle (sterile saline) immediately following hypoxia. All animals later underwent testing on the Morris Water Maze (MWM) from P90 to P95. Results show that HI injured animals (with no caffeine treatment) displayed significant deficits on the MWM task relative to shams. These deficits were attenuated by caffeine treatment when given immediately following the induction of HI. We also found a reduction in right cortical volume (ipsilateral to injury) in HI saline animals as compared to shams, while right cortical volume in the HI caffeine treated animals was intermediate. These findings suggest that caffeine is a potential therapeutic agent that could be used in HI injured infants to reduce brain injury and preserve subsequent cognitive function.

IJMS, Vol. 14, Pages 5250-5263: The Study of Dynamical Potentials of Highly Excited Vibrational States of HOBr

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

The vibrational nonlinear dynamics of HOBr in the bending and O–Br stretching coordinates with anharmonicity and Fermi 2:1 coupling are studied with dynamical potentials in this article. The result shows that the H–O stretching vibration mode has significantly different effects on the coupling between the O–Br stretching mode and the H–O–Br bending mode under different Polyad numbers. The dynamical potentials and the corresponding phase space trajectories are obtained when the Polyad number is 27, for instance, and the fixed points in the dynamical potentials of HOBr are shown to govern the various quantal environments in which the vibrational states lie. Furthermore, it is also found that the quantal environments could be identified by the numerical values of action integrals, which is consistent with former research.

IJERPH, Vol. 10, Pages 879-891: Water Sources and Their Protection from the Impact of Microbial Contamination in Rural Areas of Beijing, China

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Bacterial contamination of drinking water is a major public health problem in rural China. To explore bacterial contamination in rural areas of Beijing and identify possible causes of bacteria in drinking water samples, water samples were collected from wells in ten rural districts of Beijing, China. Total bacterial count, total coliforms and Escherichia coli in drinking water were then determined and water source and wellhead protection were investigated. The bacterial contamination in drinking water was serious in areas north of Beijing, with the total bacterial count, total coliforms and Escherichia coli in some water samples reaching 88,000 CFU/mL, 1,600 MPN/100 mL and 1,600 MPN/100 mL, respectively. Water source types, well depth, whether the well was adequately sealed and housed, and whether wellhead is above or below ground were the main factors influencing bacterial contamination levels in drinking water. The bacterial contamination was serious in the water of shallow wells and wells that were not closed, had no well housing or had a wellhead below ground level. The contamination sources around wells, including village dry toilets and livestock farms, were well correlated with bacterial contamination. Total bacterial counts were affected by proximity to sewage ditches and polluting industries, however, proximity to landfills did not influence the microbial indicators.

IJERPH, Vol. 10, Pages 867-878: Early Childhood Caries and Body Mass Index in Young Children from Low Income Families

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

The relationship between early childhood caries (ECC) and obesity is controversial. This cross-sectional survey investigated this association in children from low-income families in Goiania, Goias, Brazil and considered the role of several social determinants. A questionnaire examining the characteristics of the children and their families was administered to the primary caregiver during home visits. In addition, children (approximately 6 years of age) had their height, weight, and tooth condition assessed. The primary ECC outcome was categorized as one of the following: caries experience (decayed, missing, filled tooth: "dmft" index > 0), active ECC (decayed teeth > 0), or active severe ECC (decayed teeth ≥ 6). Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted. The participants in the current study consisted of 269 caregiver-child dyads, 88.5% of whom were included in the Family Health Program. Caregivers were mostly mothers (67.7%), were 35.3 ± 10.0 years old on average and had 9.8 ± 3.1 years of formal education. The mean family income was 2.3 ± 1.5 times greater than the Brazilian minimum wage. On average, the children in the current study were 68.7 ± 3.8 months old. Of these, 51.7% were boys, 23.4% were overweight or obese, 45.0% had active ECC, and 17.1% had severe ECC. The average body mass index (BMI) of the children was 15.9 ± 2.2, and their dmft index was 2.5 ± 3.2. BMI was not associated with any of the three categories of dental caries (p > 0.05). In contrast, higher family incomes were significantly associated with the lack of caries experience in children (OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.01–1.50), but the mother's level of education was not significantly associated with ECC.

Molecules, Vol. 18, Pages 2997-3017: Polyphenols, Antioxidant Potential and Color of Fortified Wines during Accelerated Ageing: The Madeira Wine Case Study

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Polyphenols, antioxidant potential and color of three types of fortified Madeira wines were evaluated during the accelerated ageing, named as estufagem. The traditional estufagem process was set to 45 °C for 3 months. Overheating conditions, 1 month at 70 °C, were also examined. Total polyphenols (TP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA) and total flavonoids (TF) were assessed by spectrophotometric methods, while individual polyphenols and furans were simultaneously determined by HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant potential (AP) was estimated by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays, while color was evaluated by Glories and CIELab. Traditional estufagem decreased the TP and AP up to 20% and 26%, respectively, with final values similar to other wines. TMA of the Madeira wines from red grapes decreased during estufagem. Six hydroxybenzoic acids, three hydroxycinnamic acids, one stilbene, three flavonols and three flavan-3-ols were found in these wines. The prominent phenolics were hydroxycinnamates and hydroxybenzoates, even after estufagem. Most polyphenols decreased, with the exception of caffeic, ferulic, p-coumaric, gallic and syringic acids. Finally, both chromatic systems revealed that all wines tended to similar chromatic characteristics after estufagem. The study suggests that estufagem can be applied without high impact on polyphenols and antioxidant potential of these fortified wines.

Molecules, Vol. 18, Pages 2988-2996: Oleodaphnoic Acid and Coriaceol, Two New Natural Products from the Stem Bark of Wikstroemia coriacea

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Fractionation of the chloroform extract of Wikstroemia coriacea led to the isolation of two new compounds, oleodaphnoic acid (1), a guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid, and coriaceol (2), an 1,5-diphenyl-1-pentanone analogue, together with nine known compounds. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis. The known compounds were oleodaphnal (3), indicanone (4), (5R,8R,8aR)-3,8-dimethyl-4,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-5-(1-methylethenyl)-2(1H)-azulenone, (5), 1,5 diphenyl-1-pentanone (6), (+)-3-hydroxy-1,5-diphenyl-1-pentanone (7), umbelliferone (8), daphnoretin (9), β-sitostenone (10) and (−)-hinokinin (11).

Brutal Legend (PC) - The B-List

Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:13 PM PST

Tyler fires up the new PC version of Brutal Legend and takes 'er for a spin on The B-List!

 

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Brutal Legend (PC) - The B-List" was posted by DanM on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:13:16 -0800

Aliens: Colonial Marines dev TimeGate suffers layoffs

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 01:05 AM PST

Aliens: Colonial Marines co-developer TimeGate Studios has confirmed a recent round of layoffs at the company.While the Houston, Texas-based firm didn't

Foods, Vol. 2, Pages 76-82: Total, Soluble and Insoluble Oxalate Contents of Ripe Green and Golden Kiwifruit

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Three bulk samples of two different cultivars of kiwifruit, green (Actinidia deliciosa L.) and golden (Actinidia chinensis L.) were bought ripe, ready to eat from a local market. The aim of the study was to determine the oxalate composition of each of the three fractions of kiwifruit, namely skin, pulp and seeds. The pulp consisted of 90.4% of the edible portion of the two cultivars while the skin and seeds made up a mean of 8.0% and 1.6% respectively. Total oxalate was extracted with 2.0 M HCL at 21 °C for 15 min and soluble oxalates extracted at 21 °C in water for 15 min from each fraction. The total and soluble oxalate compositions of each fraction were determined using ion exchange HPLC chromatography. The pulp of golden kiwifruit contained lower amounts of total oxalates (15.7 vs. 19.3 mg/100 g FW) and higher amounts of soluble oxalates (8.5 vs. 7.6 mg/100 g FW) when compared to the green cultivar. The skin of the green cultivar contained lower levels of insoluble oxalates (36.9 vs. 43.6 mg/100 g FW), while the seeds of the green cultivar contained higher levels of insoluble oxalates 106.7 vs. 84.7 mg/100 g FW.

Electronics, Vol. 2, Pages 57-79: Design of a Parallel Sampling Encoder for Analog to Information (A2I) Converters: Theory, Architecture and CMOS Implementation

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

We discuss the architecture and design of parallel sampling front ends for analog to information (A2I) converters. As a way of example, we detail the design of a custom 0.5 m CMOS implementation of a mixed signal parallel sampling encoder architecture. The system consists of configurable parallel analog processing channels, whose output is sampled by traditional analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The analog front-end modulates the signal of interest with a high-speed digital chipping sequence and integrates the result prior to sampling at a low rate. An FPGA is employed to generate the chipping sequences and process the digitized samples.

Any Changes in Gambling Fee Would Be Made by Legislature

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:27 AM PST

West Virginia Lottery Commission officials need the Legislature to decide whether Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has to pay a $2.5 million fee to keep roulette wheels spinning beyond July 13.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Entropy, Vol. 15, Pages 972-982: Information Properties of Boundary Line Models for N2O Emissions from Agricultural Soils

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST

Boundary line models for N2O emissions from agricultural soils provide a means of estimating emissions within defined ranges. Boundary line models partition a two-dimensional region of parameter space into sub-regions by means of thresholds based on relationships between N2O emissions and explanatory variables, typically using soil data available from laboratory or field studies. Such models are intermediate in complexity between the use of IPCC emission factors and complex process-based models. Model calibration involves characterizing the extent to which observed data are correctly forecast. Writing the numerical results from graphical two-threshold boundary line models as 3×3 prediction-realization tables facilitates calculation of expected mutual information, a measure of the amount of information about the observations contained in the forecasts. Whereas mutual information characterizes the performance of a forecaster averaged over all forecast categories, specific information and relative entropy both characterize aspects of the amount of information contained in particular forecasts. We calculate and interpret these information quantities for experimental N2O emissions data.
Автор: на

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий

Подписаться на: Комментарии к сообщению (Atom)