Selective fluorescence sensing and quantification of uric acid by naphthyridine-based receptor in biological sample

Naphthyridine-based fluorescent probe H1 was synthesized and characterized for the quantification and selective detection of Uric Acid (UA) in live cell. In presence of UA, H1 forms the specific host-guest complex mainly through intermolecular hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking which produces “turn-off” fluorescence. The probe and UA is found to be 1:1 stoichiometry on the basis of absorption and fluorescence titrations. The probe H1 has been shown to detect UA up to 0.6 µM at pH 7.4. DFT-TDDFT calculations were performed in order to demonstrate the sensing mechanism and the electronic properties of the receptor-donor complex. The selectivity was evaluated in Vero cells in the presence of UA with other purine derivatives, structurally similar to UA. It was found to exhibit no cytotoxicity effect in tested concentration of H1 and good membrane permeability for the detection of UA in living cell system. The unknown concentration of UA in serum and urine can be measured easily using the fluorescence property of probe H1.     

The Unknown Vygotsky: On the Experience of a Literary Translation from Hebrew

Following is the first publication of a previously unknown translation by L.S. Vygotsky from Hebrew of a fictional short story by M.J. Berdyczewski, a Jewish writer popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. The commentary by the authors of this article reconstructs the context of Vygotsky’s life situation during the prerevolutionary period. Particular attention is focused on the questions of ethnic and cultural self-determination that were confronting him. The cultural contexts essential for an understanding and interpretation of the artistic and world-view features of the text of the short story are explored. A comparison is drawn to show the connection between the themes addressed in the story and the substantive problems that Vygotsky would subsequently deal with as a professional psychology: the artistic inner experience, moral choice, and cultural mediation.     

Short-Term,Intermittent Fasting Induces Long-Lasting Gut Health and TOR-Independent Lifespan Extension

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Medical societies,patient education initiatives,public debate and marketing of unproven stem cell interventions

Businesses marketing unproven stem cell interventions proliferate within the U.S. and in the larger global marketplace. There have been global efforts by scientists, patient advocacy groups, bioethicists, and public policy experts to counteract the uncontrolled and premature commercialization of stem cell interventions. In this commentary, we posit that medical societies and associations of health care professionals have a particular responsibility to be an active partner in such efforts. We review the role medical societies can and should play in this area through patient advocacy and awareness initiatives     

Moralizing regulation: the implications of policing “good” versus “bad” immigrants

Recently, the US has dramatically expanded immigration enforcement. At the same time, some advocates have sought to support “good” immigrants. This paper considers how the resulting good/bad binaries affect undocumented immigrants. I examine a case study in Los Angeles, where policing intertwined with protection. Based on participant observation and interviews, I show that respondents believed state agents classified them either as “bad” criminals or “good”, immigrants. To the extent immigrants identified as “good”, they credited the US with offering them “freedom” and hoped for political inclusion. At the same time, in what I call moralizing regulation, they also performed “good” behaviour and distinguished themselves from those seen as “bad”. Some also tied “good” behaviour to femininity and “acting white”. At the extreme, they blamed other migrants for inviting state mistreatment. The effects were ambivalent: while immigrants appreciated US support, they also adopted and adapted to the state’s moral norms.     

Systematic Position of the Rhoipteleaceae: Evidence from Nucleotide Sequences of rbc L Gene

Systematic position of the Rhoipteleaceae was investigated using nucleotide sequences of the chloroplast gene rbcL. Two sets of parsimony analyses were conducted, one using Bauera as the outgroup and the other using Cercidiphyllum-Liquidambar as outgroups. The results of these analyses are consistent. Rhoiptelea is allied with sampled Jug-landaceous genera in the rbcL phylogeny, suggesting its close relationship with the Juglandaceae.     

River-reef connectivity in the Meso-American Region

The accumulation and seasonal impact of riverine discharge on coral reefs of the Meso-American Region (MAR) were estimated using a numerical simulation of river runoff dispersion. River-reef connectivity, or source-sink dynamics of terrestrial runoff was further assessed from more than 400 watersheds of the region onto discrete coral reef areas. Using land use for 2003 and 2004 in the MAR, this work builds upon a Regional Ocean Modeling System simulation of the MAR validated by ocean color satellite data, and on the monthly river nutrient and sediment load and discharge provided by the World Resources Institute using the N-SPECT model. Analysis of the variability of simulated runoff transport to the reefs showed that reefs of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) were mostly impacted from June to September, following the peak time of river discharge. At that time, the coastal and oceanic circulations contribute quickly to expel the runoff from the MBRS. High runoff concentration waters leaving the eastern coast of Honduras during the months of October to December return to the southwestern MAR in March as they are entrained in a cyclonic gyre. Coral reefs of the MAR are thus impacted twice, first from the coastal side with runoff of local origin and later from the oceanic side with runoff from mixed origin. High probability of connectivity between rivers and remote reefs is established as this study revealed that river runoff from the north shore of Honduras has a wide-spread impact on most of the coral reefs of southern Belize, while watersheds on the Gulf of Honduras are mostly connected to coral reefs in the northern shore of Honduras. Although the level of remote influence (or runoff concentration reaching the reef) is lower than the local, the cumulative effect of numerous remote river-reef connections remains significant. Communicated by Biology Editor Michael Lesser