Selected wheat seed defense proteins exhibit competitive binding to model microbial lipid interfaces

Puroindolines (Pins) and purothionins (Pths) are basic, amphiphilic, cysteine-rich wheat proteins that play a role in plant defense against microbial pathogens. We have examined the co-adsorption and sequential addition of Pins (Pin-a, Pin-b and a mutant form of Pin-b with Trp-44 to Arg-44 substitution) and β-purothionin (β-Pth) model anionic lipid layers, using a combination of surface pressure measurements, external reflection FTIR spectroscopy and neutron reflectometry. Results highlighted differences in the protein binding mechanisms, and in the competitive binding and penetration of lipid layers between respective Pins and β-Pth. Pin-a formed a blanket-like layer of protein below the lipid surface that resulted in the reduction or inhibition of β-Pth penetration of the lipid layer. Wild-type Pin-b participated in co-operative binding with β-Pth, whereas the mutant Pin-b did not bind to the lipid layer in the presence of β-Pth. The results provide further insight into the role of hydrophobic and cationic amino acid residues in antimicrobial activity

Ovarian Cyst Fluid of Serous Ovarian Tumors Contains Large Quantities of the Brain Amino Acid N-acetylaspartate

BACKGROUND: In humans, N-acetyl L-aspartate (NAA) has not been detected in other tissues than the brain. The physiological function of NAA is yet undefined. Recently, it has been suggested that NAA may function as a molecular water pump, responsible for the removal of large amounts of water from the human brain. Ovarian tumors typically present as large cystic masses with considerable fluid accumulation. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, we demonstrated that NAA was present in a high micromolar concentration in oCF of epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs) of serous histology, sometimes in the same range as found in the extracellular space of the human brain. In contrast, oCF of EOTs with a mucinous, endometrioid and clear cell histological subtype contained a low micromolar concentration of NAA. Serous EOTs have a cellular differentiation pattern which resembles the lining of the fallopian tube and differs from the other histological subtypes. The NAA concentration in two samples of fluid accumulation in the fallopian tube (hydrosalpinx) was in the same ranges as NAA found in oCF of serous EOTs. The NAA concentration in oCF of patients with serous EOTs was mostly 10 to 50 fold higher than their normal serum NAA concentration, whereas in patients with other EOT subtypes, serum and cyst fluid NAA concentration was comparable. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The high concentration of NAA in cyst fluid of serous EOTs and low serum concentrations of NAA in these patients, suggest a local production of NAA in serous EOTs. Our findings provide the first identification of NAA concentrations high enough to suggest local production outside the human brain. Our findings contribute to the ongoing research understanding the physiological function of NAA in the human body

High resolution dynamical mapping of social interactions with active RFID

In this paper we present an experimental framework to gather data on face-to-face social interactions between individuals, with a high spatial and temporal resolution. We use active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices that assess contacts with one another by exchanging low-power radio packets. When individuals wear the beacons as a badge, a persistent radio contact between the RFID devices can be used as a proxy for a social interaction between individuals. We present the results of a pilot study recently performed during a conference, and a subsequent preliminary data analysis, that provides an assessment of our method and highlights its versatility and applicability in many areas concerned with human dynamics

Ensuring Precariousness: The Status of Designated Foreign National under the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act 2012

This article interrogates a specific legal response to the unauthorised arrival by sea of asylum seekers to Canada. It focuses in particular on the treatment of such individuals after they have been recognised as refugees under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention). It is a critical analysis of the introduction of the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act (PCISA) in Canada, which amends the Immigration Refugee Protection Act. The article focuses on the establishment of the new legal status of Designated Foreign National (DFN) under the PCISA. In the article, it is argued that this response has resulted in the creation of legal standards that undermine the rights guaranteed to recognised refugees in the Refugee Convention. The establishment of the DFN status also represents the creation of a legal space where those so designated are confronted by restrictions established as a response to the arrival of asylum seekers in the state by sea. This article examines how the creation of the DFN status has shifted the approach to the regulation of space in Canada. Drawing on critical legal studies, as well as critical legal geography, this article focuses on the interrelationship between legal knowledges, and the control of space as it relates to the DFN. Finally, the article examines how it may be possible for DFNs to oppose the creation of a two-tier system of refugee protection under the PCISA by asserting their rights under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Women Denied Partnerships: from Hishon to Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins

This article reviews the seminal Supreme Court decision governing access to partnership status in professional settings in the context of a sex discrimination challenge. As women entered the workforce in record numbers, they thrived against the backdrop of the 1964 Civil Rights Acts. There were still obstacles however, to the complete participation of women in the workforce one generation later. Although legal precedent existed for the equal treatment of women in low and middle management jobs, this was not the case for women seeking executive and partner-level jobs. The Supreme Court considered this issue in the case, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins. In a plurality decision, the Court struggled with enunciating a coherent paradigm for deciding what is and what is not permissible to consider in partnership decisions, and this lack of clarity is discussed in detail. It is important though, to understand that the Hopkins case reflects the all-too-common reality of a woman\u27s questioning the legitimacy of a partnership decision, and subsequently, our society\u27s struggle with appropriate factors of admission to partnership. Hopkins raises issues, and that perhaps the next generation will be better equipped to resolve these issues

Foreign Multinational Enterprises Operating in the United States Seek Sanctuary from Title VII Employment Discrimination Charges in Treaties of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation

Where foreign multinational enterprises do business in the United States through locally incorporated subsidiaries, the employer\u27s equal employment opportunity obligations under the U.S. laws may be tempered by international commercial treaties that permit foreign employers to freely choose key personnel such as accountants, technical experts, executives, attorneys, agents and other specialists. While the free choice exemption contained in the many bilateral treaties of friendship, commerce and navigation to which the United States is signatory protects the economic and legal interests of foreign investors, it allows foreign-owned companies to prefer their own nationals, which may disadvantage U.S. nationals. Because employment patterns in some foreign countries restrict opportunities for women, the use of free choice exemptions may also disparately impact women. This Article examines the interrelationship of Title VII and these commercial treaties. The authors discuss each of the cases construing the two laws, and he government\u27s position. Finally, the authors recommend an interpretation of the treaties that reconciles domestic anti-discrimination laws with international concerns of comity in the global marketplace

Initial experience of a large, self-expanding, and fully recapturable transcatheter aortic valve: The UK & Ireland Implanters' registry.

OBJECTIVES: The UK & Ireland Implanters' registry is a multicenter registry which reports on real-world experience with novel transcatheter heart valves. BACKGROUND: The 34 mm Evolut R transcatheter aortic valve is a self-expanding and fully recapturable transcatheter aortic valve, designed to treat patients with a large aortic annulus. METHODS: Between January 2017 and April 2018, clinical, procedural and 30-day outcome data were prospectively collected from all patients receiving the 34 mm Evolut R valve across 17 participating centers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The primary efficacy outcome was the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2(VARC-2)-defined endpoint of device success. The primary safety outcome was the VARC-2-defined composite endpoint of early safety at 30 days. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients underwent attempted implant. Mean age was 79.5 ± 8.8 years and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality Score 5.2% ± 3.4%. Iliofemoral access was used in 91.2% of patients. Device success was 79.7%. Mean gradient was 7.0 ± 4.6 mmHg and effective orifice area 2.0 ± 0.6 cm2 . Paravalvular regurgitation was more than mild in 7.2%. A new permanent pacemaker was implanted in 15.7%. Early safety was demonstrated in 91.2%. At 30 days, all-cause mortality was 3.2%, stroke 3.7%, and major vascular complication 2.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Real-world experience of the 34 mm Evolut R transcatheter aortic valve demonstrated acceptable procedural success, safety, valve function, and incidence of new permanent pacemaker implantation