Lighting direction affects recognition of untextured faces in photographic positive and negative

Face recognition in photographic positive and negative was examined in a same/different matching task in five lighting direction conditions using untextured 3-D laser-scanned faces. The lighting directions were +60, +30, 0, -30 and -60 degrees, where negative values represent bottom lighting and positive values represent top lighting. Recognition performance was better for faces in positive than in negative when lighting directions were at +60 degrees. In one experiment, the same effect was also found at +30 degrees. However, faces in negative were recognized better than positive when the direction was -60 degrees. There was no difference in recognition performance when the lighting direction was 0 and -30 degrees. These results confirm that the effect of lighting direction can be a determinant of the photographic negative effect. Positive faces, which normally appear to be top-lit, may be difficult to recognize in negative partly because of the accompanying change in apparent lighting direction to bottom-lit.     

Myxoma of upper jaw

Myxoma of the jaws are relatively uncommon. A slow growing myxoma of upper jaw of 26 years female patient is reported in the light of available literature.     

Effect of preimplantation treatment on the bone-forming potential of decalcified allogeneic and xenogeneic bone-matrix implants

Summary Bone-forming property of 0.6 M HCl decalcified (a) allogeneic bone matrix preserved in 70% alcohol, (b) allogeneic bone matrix preserved in anaesthetic ether, (c) allogeneic Ossein provided by the Leather Research Institute, Madras, and (d) xenogeneic bone-matrix preserved in alcohol was studied by fitting the implants in surgically created complete circumferential osteo-periosteal gaps in the ulna of rabbits. Bone formation was assessed radiologically, macroscopically, histologically, and by tetracycline fluorescence up to 16 postimplantation weeks. Successful bridging of the gap by new bone formation was observed in 75% of (a) and 28.6% of (d) preserved up to 2 weeks. Ether-preserved implants did not induce bone formation. The Ossein implants remained as inert material neither invaded by host cells nor inducing any bone formation. The xenogeneic implants exhibited local immune response which was probably responsible for poor osteogeneic response. Bone forming quality of bone-matrix implants appears to be influenced by the chemical treatment during preparation and preservation, host cellular response and immune reaction invoked by the implant.     

Strain-enhanced stress relaxation impacts nonlinear elasticity in collagen gels

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex assembly of structural proteins that provides physical support and biochemical signaling to cells in tissues. The mechanical properties of the ECM have been found to play a key role in regulating cell behaviors such as differentiation and malignancy. Gels formed from ECM protein biopolymers such as collagen or fibrin are commonly used for 3D cell culture models of tissue. One of the most striking features of these gels is that they exhibit nonlinear elasticity, undergoing strain stiffening. However, these gels are also viscoelastic and exhibit stress relaxation, with the resistance of the gel to a deformation relaxing over time. Recent studies have suggested that cells sense and respond to both nonlinear elasticity and viscoelasticity of ECM, yet little is known about the connection between nonlinear elasticity and viscoelasticity. Here, we report that, as strain is increased, not only do biopolymer gels stiffen but they also exhibit faster stress relaxation, reducing the timescale over which elastic energy is dissipated. This effect is not universal to all biological gels and is mediated through weak cross-links. Mechanistically, computational modeling and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicate that strain-enhanced stress relaxation of collagen gels arises from force-dependent unbinding of weak bonds between collagen fibers. The broader effect of strain-enhanced stress relaxation is to rapidly diminish strain stiffening over time. These results reveal the interplay between nonlinear elasticity and viscoelasticity in collagen gels, and highlight the complexity of the ECM mechanics that are likely sensed through cellular mechanotransduction.The composition and architecture of ECM is heterogeneous and varies with tissue type and location. One particularly important ECM protein is type Ι collagen, which is the most abundant ECM component and primarily determines the mechanics of connective tissue (1). Type 1 collagen self-assembles into fibers, and these fibers can form networks in vitro. Studies investigating the mechanical properties of collagen networks have revealed that these networks are nonlinearly elastic and exhibit strain stiffening, or an increase in the elasticity as the strain on the network is enhanced (1–3). This nonlinear elasticity is also a characteristic feature of fibrin gels, which serve as the major component of blood clots, as well as in reconstituted networks of intermediate filaments and cytoskeletal actin networks (2, 4–7). These networks are all composed of semiflexible polymers or fibers, which are relatively rigid, so that the tangent to the contour of the polymer is correlated over long lengths, yet undergo substantial bending fluctuations due to thermal energy. Semiflexible polymers or fibers form networks at low volume fractions (8). Strain stiffening in these networks is thought to arise from either the entropic elasticity of single polymers resisting extension (entropic model) (2, 5), or from alignment of fibers in the direction of strain with a corresponding transition to a regime of elasticity dominated by fiber stretching at higher strains (nonentropic model) (5, 7, 9, 10). Although it has long been known that cells sense and respond to the elastic modulus of ECMs (11–14), recent work has indicated an impact of nonlinear elasticity as well. Studies have found that the nonlinear elasticity of ECM regulates modes of cell motility (15) and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (16), alters how far cells are able to sense into the ECM (17), and enables long-range mechanical signaling between cells (18).In addition to often displaying nonlinear elasticity, most biological gels are viscoelastic and exhibit a time-dependent elastic modulus. These gels undergo stress relaxation in response to an applied strain: the initial stress resisting an applied strain decreases over time due to reorganization processes that relax the stresses in the matrix. In the case of collagen gels typically used for in vitro studies, viscoelasticity and stress relaxation likely arise from unbinding of the weak interactions, such as hydrophobic and electrostatic forces, which hold the fibers in a network (19–21). Interestingly, recent studies have found that viscoelasticity in synthetic hydrogels used as cell culture substrates can influence cell behaviors such as spreading, proliferation, and differentiation (22–25). The nonlinear elasticity of collagen and fibrin is dependent on the history of applied strains, indicating an influence of viscoelasticity on nonlinear elasticity (19). Here, we directly investigate the coupling between viscoelasticity and nonlinear elasticity for various gels, and find that increased strain leads to faster stress relaxation in collagen and fibrin gels. In collagen gels, these results can be explained by force-dependent unbinding of cross-links, and indicate a mechanism whereby strain stiffening is rapidly dissipated.     

A noncovalent class of papain-like protease/deubiquitinase inhibitors blocks SARS virus replication

We report the discovery and optimization of a potent inhibitor against the papain-like protease (PLpro) from the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). This unique protease is not only responsible for processing the viral polyprotein into its functional units but is also capable of cleaving ubiquitin and ISG15 conjugates and plays a significant role in helping SARS-CoV evade the human immune system. We screened a structurally diverse library of 50,080 compounds for inhibitors of PLpro and discovered a noncovalent lead inhibitor with an IC(50) value of 20 microM, which was improved to 600 nM via synthetic optimization. The resulting compound, GRL0617, inhibited SARS-CoV viral replication in Vero E6 cells with an EC(50) of 15 microM and had no associated cytotoxicity. The X-ray structure of PLpro in complex with GRL0617 indicates that the compound has a unique mode of inhibition whereby it binds within the S4-S3 subsites of the enzyme and induces a loop closure that shuts down catalysis at the active site. These findings provide proof-of-principle that PLpro is a viable target for development of antivirals directed against SARS-CoV, and that potent noncovalent cysteine protease inhibitors can be developed with specificity directed toward pathogenic deubiquitinating enzymes without inhibiting host DUBs.     

Developement of health risk rating scale for indoor airborne fungal exposure

Abstract

This paper aims to quantify airborne fungal load in air-conditioned rooms and develop a health risk rating scale for different indoor environments. Five sampling locations in Kolkata frequented by a heterogeneous human population, containing various types of fungal growth-promoting substances (FGPS) like old documents, food items, waste hair, etc. were chosen as sampling locations where an Andersen Two-Stage Cascade Impactor was ran using Rose Bengal agar and Potato Dextrose agar media plates. Total spore load (CFU/m³), species diversity, species dominance, human exposure time, susceptible age and FGPS were considered the risk factors for this study. A risk rating scale was developed after evaluating the relative importance of these different factors in relation to human health. The most dominant genera were Aspergillus, followed by Penicillium. Maximum CFU was observed at library, followed by computer room.