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Purpose To investigate the dosimetric accuracy of synthetic computed tomography (sCT) images generated by a clinically-ready voxel-based MRI simulation package, and to develop a simple and feasible method to improve the accuracy. Methods 20 patients with brain tumor were selected to undergo CT and MRI simulation. sCT images were generated by a clinical MRI simulation package. The discrepancy between planning CT and sCT in CT number and body contour were evaluated. To resolve the discrepancies, an sCT specific CT-relative electron density (RED) calibration curve was used, and a layer of pseudo-skin was created on the sCT. The dosimetric impact of these discrepancies, and the improvement brought about by the modifications, were evaluated by a planning study. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans for each patient were created and optimized on the planning CT, which were then transferred to the original sCT and the modified-sCT for dose re-calculation. Dosimetric comparisons and gamma analysis between the calculated doses in different images were performed. Results The average gamma passing rate with 1%/1 mm criteria was only 70.8% for the comparison of dose distribution between planning CT and original sCT. The mean dose difference between the planning CT and the original sCT were −1.2% for PTV D95 and −1.7% for PTV Dmax, while the mean dose difference was within 0.7 Gy for all relevant OARs. After applying the modifications on the sCT, the average gamma passing rate was increased to 92.2%. Mean dose difference in PTV D95 and Dmax were reduced to −0.1% and −0.3% respectively. The mean dose difference was within 0.2 Gy for all OAR structures and no statistically significant difference were found. Conclusions The modified-sCT demonstrated improved dosimetric agreement with the planning CT. These results indicated the overall dosimetric accuracy and practicality of this improved MR-based treatment planning method.

Translation of Ribosomal Protein-coding mRNAs (RP-mRNAs) constitutes a key step in ribosome biogenesis, but the mechanisms which modulate RP-mRNA translation in coordination with other cellular processes are poorly defined. Here we show that the subcellular localization of RP-mRNAs acts as a key regulator of their translation during cell migration. As cells migrate into their surroundings, RP-mRNAs localize to the actin-rich protrusive fronts of the cells. This localization is mediated by La-related protein 6 (LARP6), an RNA binding protein that is enriched in protrusions. Protrusions act as hotspots of translation for RP-mRNAs, resulting in enhancement of RP synthesis, ribosome biogenesis, and overall protein synthetic capacity of migratory cells, required for supporting efficient migration and proliferation. In human breast carcinomas, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) upregulates LARP6 expression to enhance protein synthesis and support invasive growth. Our findings reveal LARP6 mediated mRNA localization as a key regulator of ribosome biogenesis during cell migration, and demonstrate a role for this process in cancer progression downstream of EMT.

We investigated the emission of visible light from perovskite zirconate CaZrO3 and BaZrO3 nanocrystals (NCs) implanted with Cu ions. The CaZrO3 and BaZrO3 NCs were synthesized by using the combustion method, and were post-annealed at various temperatures for the purpose of changing their structural properties. The annealed NCs were subjected to Cu-ion implantation with ion doses from 0 up to 1 × 1016 particles/cm2. The XRD patterns of the NCs indicated that the Cu-ion implantation did not affect the structural properties of the NCs. In their photoluminescence spectra, we identified sizable yellow and green/blue emissions, which were caused by the Cu-ion implantation, in addition to a violet emission which was due to structural defects of the host compound. As the Cu-ion dose and annealing temperature were increased, the implantation-induced emission became stronger from both the CaZrO3 and BaZrO3 NCs. In comparison with the case of the previously studied implanted SrZrO3 NCs, the intensity and the spectral shape of the Cu-ion emission were found to depend strongly on the identity of the divalent cation (A in AZrO3) in close relation to the structural properties of the host zirconate. Analysis of absorption coefficient spectra of the NC samples showed that their band gaps were not affected by Cu-ion implantation. From the measured PL spectra, we calculated the CIE color coordinates, and found that colors of the light emitted from the NCs changed from violet-blue to white (close to yellow).

We provide a multiple time scales analysis for the Swift–Hohenberg equation with delayed feedback via Pyragas control, with and without additive noise. An analysis of the pattern formation near onset indicates both the possibility of either standing waves (rolls) or traveling waves via Turing or Turing–Hopf bifurcations, respectively, depending on the product of the strength of the feedback and the length of the delay. The remainder of the paper is focused on Turing bifurcations, where the delay can drive the appearance of an additional time scale, intermediate to the usual slow and fast time scales observed in the modulation of rolls without delay. In the deterministic case, a Ginzburg–Landau-type modulation equation is derived that inherits Pyragas control terms from the original equation. The Eckhaus stability criteria is obtained for the rolls, with the intermediate time scale observed in the transients. In the stochastic context, slow modulation equations are derived for the amplitudes of the primary modes that are coupled to a fast Ornstein–Uhlenbeck-type equation with delay for the zero mode driven by the additive noise. By deriving an averaging approximation for the amplitude of the primary mode, we show how the interaction of noise and delay influences the existence and stability range for the noisy roll-type patterns. Furthermore, approximations for the spectral densities of the primary and zero modes show that oscillations on the intermediate times scale are sustained through the phenomenon of coherence resonance. These dynamics on the intermediate time scale are sustained through the interaction of noise and delay, in contrast to the deterministic context where dynamics on the intermediate times scale are transient.

Recombinant tau protein is widely used to study the biochemical, cellular and pathological aspects of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTPD-17). Pure tau in high yield is a requirement for in vitro evaluation of the protein's physiological and toxic functions. However, the preparation of recombinant tau is complicated by the protein's propensity to aggregate and form truncation products, necessitating the use of multiple, time-consuming purification methods. In this study, we investigated parameters that influence the expression of wild type and FTPD-17 pathogenic tau, in an attempt to identify ways to maximise expression yield. Here, we report on the influence of the choice of host strain, induction temperature, duration of induction, and media supplementation with glucose on tau expression in Escherichia coli. We also describe a straightforward process to purify the expressed tau proteins using immobilised metal affinity chromatography, with favourable yields over previous reports. An advantage of the described method is that it enables high yield production of functional oligomeric and monomeric tau, both of which can be used to study the biochemical, physiological and toxic properties of the protein., Highlights • Factors influencing the expression of wild type and FTPD-17 pathogenic tau were investigated in an attempt to maximise yield. • Soluble monomeric tau expression level was highest at 37 °C compared to 20 °C and 25 °C. • Media supplementation with 0.2% glucose did not significantly influence monomeric tau expression levels. • Circular dichroism confirmed that the purified tau proteins were mostly unfolded, with negative peaks around 200 nm. • The circular dichroism peaks shifted towards 220 nm following the preparation of Alzheimer-like filaments, suggesting secondary structure re-orientation towards β-sheets. • The tau proteins adopted classical fibrillisation similar to filaments isolated from the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.

Purpose Optimal intraoperative anticoagulation strategy for patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) undergoing pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) that necessitates deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) remains controversial. Cangrelor is an intravenous direct-acting P2Y12 platelet receptor antagonist that achieves therapeutic effect and eliminates rapidly. Its antiplatelet activity is unaffected by stagnation of blood, nor is it influenced by patient's age, renal status or hepatic function. We report our novel strategy and experience in utilizing cangrelor in combination with heparin for anticoagulation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and DHCA in HIT patients undergoing PTE. Methods Retrospective chart review of 297 patients who underwent PTE from January 2018 through June 2019 was performed. Patients with suspected, acute, subacute A/B, and remote HIT at the time of procedure were identified (n=7). All 7 patients received cangrelor with heparin intraoperatively for anticoagulation during CPB and DHCA. Our institutional intraoperative anticoagulation strategy for HIT patients is to administer a loading dose of cangrelor (30 μg/kg) prior to giving full-dose heparin for CPB. Cangrelor infusion is initiated at 4 μg/kg/min and is adjusted throughout CPB depending on the intraoperative VerifyNow P2Y12 reaction unit values. Cangrelor infusion is stopped 10 minutes before heparin reversal with protamine. Postoperatively, bivalirudin and warfarin were used for anticoagulation. Results Of these 7 patients, HIT was suspected in 3 patients (43%) at the time of procedure, whilst 1 patient had subacute B HIT and 1 patient had remote HIT. Acute HIT was confirmed by serotonin release assay in 2 patients (29%) who underwent emergent PTE. All patients survived the procedure. Intraoperative platelet transfusion was required by 4 patients (57%). There were no serious postoperative thrombotic events nor major bleeding complications that required re-operation. One in-hospital death was associated with advanced intracardiac malignancy. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 10.6±5.5 days. Conclusion In patients with various phases of HIT who require PTE, the use of cangrelor in combination with heparin may be a promising alternative intraoperative anticoagulation strategy providing acceptable outcomes.

Purpose Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is an exceedingly rare disease with historically poor survival. PAS is often mistaken for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) owing to similarities in clinical presentation. Controversy exists regarding need to definitively differentiate PAS from CTEPH prior to surgical therapy. Furthermore lung resection would seem inferior palliation to tumor endarterectomy in a predominantly bilateral disease dominated by hemodynamic compromise. Methods Retrospective review of all patients who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) and tumor resection surgery at a single institution between March 1992 and February 2019, identified 55 patients diagnosed with PAS. Results In this series of 55 patients (23 male, 32 female, age 23-82 years), median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 8 months (IQR 5-12 months). Many patients were severely limited on initial assessment (median WHO Functional Class III). Forty-six patients (83.6%) had suspected PAS diagnosis prior to surgery. Preoperative testing identified bilateral disease (37/50 V/Q scans, 39/46 CTA) and PA mass (35/55) in majority of cases. Fifty patients (90.9%) had pathologically-confirmed bilateral pulmonary involvement, while 20 also had valvular or intracardiac tumor extension resected at time of surgery. A majority of sarcomas (87%) were classified as undifferentiated or intimal subtype and 64% were high-grade. PEA resulted in significant improvement in hemodynamics [mPAP decreased by 6 mmHg (p Conclusion PAS is a rare disease with poor prognosis. Tumor endarterectomy may alleviate symptoms and increase life-expectancy. Knowledge that PAS is a predominantly bilateral disease (90.9% in our series), suggests lung resection would rarely if ever be curative, whereas PEA can be diagnostic and effective treatment of hemodynamic compromise. Furthermore, earlier surgical treatment may enable earlier referral and tolerability of adjuvant chemoradiation or immunotherapy resulting in improved survival.

In this paper, we investigated high power selectively oxidation-confined AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs 850 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and fabricated two-dimensional VCSEL arrays by photolithography using photo masks. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) was employed to create the deep platform during the mesa process. The number of illuminating lasers has been designed at 60, 85, and 109 in the array. We further studied the influence of the number of illuminating lasers on the characteristics of the VCSEL devices. The threshold current was found to be increased significantly at about 93 mA, 118 mA, and 149 mA, respectively. The injection current should produce a greater than the critical current density to meet the criteria for population inversion. However, the corresponding voltage remained almost unchanged, in the range of 1.57–1.63 V. The maximum optical output power was increased even more appreciably. It was measured at 448 mW, 592 mW, and 746 mW, respectively. On the other hand, the device equivalent series resistance was decreased with more illumination lasers in the array. The averaged resistance has been estimated at 4.16 Ω, 3.14 Ω, and 2.47 Ω, respectively. In addition, the optical spectrum became more dispersed, showing more lasing modes for the samples with the highest number in illumination lasers in the array. The peak wavelength full width at half-maximum was also slightly increased. The related electro-optical characteristics have been summarized and further discussed.

In Rat-1 cells, the dramatic decrease in the levels of both intracellular cyclic 3'5' adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP; cAMP) and in the activity of cAMP-activated protein kinase A (PKA) observed in mitosis was paralleled by a profound increase in cAMP hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) activity. The decrease in PKA activity, which occurs during mitosis, was attributable to PDE4 activation as the PDE4 selective inhibitor, rolipram, but not the phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE3) inhibitor, cilostamide, specifically ablated this cell cycle-dependent effect. PDE4 inhibition caused Rat-1 cells to move from S phase into G2/M more rapidly, to transit through G2/M more quickly and to remain in G1 for a longer period. Inhibition of PDE3 elicited no observable effects on cell cycle dynamics. Selective immunopurification of each of the four PDE4 sub-families identified PDE4D as being selectively activated in mitosis. Subsequent analysis uncovered PDE4D9, an isoform whose expression can be regulated by Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1)/activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) complex, as the sole PDE4 species activated during mitosis in Rat-1 cells. PDE4D9 becomes activated in mitosis through dual phosphorylation at Ser585 and Ser245, involving the combined action of ERK and an unidentified 'switch' kinase that has previously been shown to be activated by H2O2. Additionally, in mitosis, PDE4D9 also becomes phosphorylated at Ser67 and Ser81, through the action of MK2 (MAPKAPK2) and AMP kinase (AMPK), respectively. The multisite phosphorylation of PDE4D9 by all four of these protein kinases leads to decreased mobility (band-shift) of PDE4D9 on SDS-PAGE. PDE4D9 is predominantly concentrated in the perinuclear region of Rat-1 cells but with a fraction distributed asymmetrically at the cell margins. Our investigations demonstrate that the diminished levels of cAMP and PKA activity that characterise mitosis are due to enhanced cAMP degradation by PDE4D9. PDE4D9, was found to locate primarily not only in the perinuclear region of Rat-1 cells but also at the cell margins. We propose that the sequestration of PDE4D9 in a specific complex together with AMPK, ERK, MK2 and the H2O2-activatable 'switch' kinase allows for its selective multi-site phosphorylation, activation and regulation in mitosis.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare genetic disorder that develops following exposure to volatile anaesthetic agents and depolarizing muscle relaxants. In this case report, a 10-year-old boy with cleft lip and palate underwent alveolar bone grafting for right cleft alveolus. In this surgery, the MH episode occurred approximately 2 h following induction of anaesthesia when the patient was noted to develop hypercapnia, tachycardia and hyperthermia. An MH crisis was declared. Immediate management included active cooling and intravenous dantrolene, to which the patient responded. In conclusion, early diagnosis and prompt action are very important in the successful management of MH.

The seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infections was examined using serum or plasma samples from 746 pet cats collected between May and July 2009 from clinics and hospitals located in and around Bangkok, Thailand. The samples were tested for heartworm, FIV, and FeLV using a commercial ELISA. Of the 746 samples, 4.6% (34/746) were positive for heartworm antigen, 24.5% (183/746) had circulating FeLV antigen, and 20.1% (150/746) had antibodies against FIV. In addition, the first 348 submitted samples were tested for T. gondii antibodies using a modified agglutination test (MAT, cut off 1:25); 10.1% (35/348) were seropositive. Of the 348 cats sampled for all four pathogens, 11, 10, and 1 were positive for T. gondii antibodies and FIV antibodies, FeLV antigen, or D. immitis antigen, respectively. Of the 35 T. gondii-seropositive cats, 42.9% (15/35) were co-infected with at least one of the other three pathogens. The presence of antibodies to FIV was significantly associated with both age and gender, while FeLV antigen presence was only associated with age. In the case of FIV, males were twice as likely to be infected as females, and cats over 10 years of age were 13.5 times more likely to be infected than cats less than 1 year of age. FeLV antigen was more common in younger cats, with cats over 10 years of age being 10 times less likely to be FeLV positive than cats under 1 year of age. This is the first survey for these four pathogens affecting feline health in Thailand.

This study aims at investigating the effect of the vertical baffle height on the liquid sloshing in a laterally moving three-dimensional (3D) rectangular tank. To simulate 3D incompressible viscous two-phase flow in a tank partially filled with liquid, the volume of fluid (VOF) method based on the finite volume method has been utilized. The ratio of baffle height (hB) to initial liquid height (h) has been changed in the range 0≤hB/h≤1.2. The critical baffle height is hB/h=0.3 beyond which liquid does not reach the roof of the tank at any instant and consequently does not lead to roof impact. When hB/h>1, the liquid no longer goes over the baffle and the liquid sloshing is restricted to within half of the tank and an almost linear behavior of the free surface is observed in each section. The vortex generated by the flow separation from the baffle tip becomes weaker and smaller with increasing baffle height, leading to a diminished damping effect of the tip vortex on the liquid sloshing. The time variation of pressure, the mean maximum pressure and the free surface elevation in relation to the baffle height have been highlighted.

A novel series of glucagon receptor antagonists has been discovered. These pyrazole ethers and aminopyrazoles have lower molecular weight and increased polarity such that the molecules fall into better drug-like property space. This work has culminated in compounds 44 and 50 that were shown to have good pharmacokinetic attributes in dog, in contrast to rats, in which clearance was high; and compound 49, which demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in glucose excursion in a rat glucagon challenge experiment.

Background Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) caused by 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is an autosomal recessive disorder due to mutation in the CYP21A2 gene. Objective To elucidate the genetic basis of 21-hydroxylase-deficient CAH in Hong Kong Chinese patients. Patients and methods Mutational analysis of the CYP21A2 gene was performed on 35 Hong Kong Chinese patients with 21OHD using direct DNA sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Results The genetic findings of 21 male and 14 female patients are the following: c.293-13A/C>G (intron 2 splice site; 20 alleles), p.I172N (13), p.R356W (7), p.Q318X (4). A total of 20 mutant alleles contained gross deletion/conversion of all or part of the CYP21A2 gene. A novel mutation, c.1367delA (p.D456fs), was detected in one patient. One patient had only a heterozygous mutation detected. Out of 35 patients, 16 would have been incorrectly genotyped if either DNA sequencing or MLPA alone was used for molecular analysis. Conclusions The frequency of various mutations in the studied patients differs from those reported in other Asian populations. Gross deletion/conversion accounts for nearly one-third of the genetic defects. Therefore, laboratories must include methods for detecting point mutations as well as gross deletions/conversions to avoid misinterpretation of genotype. Genotyping has increasingly been proven to be a useful tool for supplementing, if not replacing, hormonal profiling for the diagnosis of 21OHD.

Canine heartworm is endemic in many parts of the world, and veterinarians rely on rapid in-clinic antigen tests to screen for this infection. Recently, an in-clinic, instrument-based rotor employing a colloidal gold agglutination immunoassay was launched in the marketplace (VetScan VS2(®) Canine Heartworm (HW) Antigen Test Kit; Abaxis, Inc.). Because of the widespread use of heartworm prevention and possible false negative test results in dogs with low heartworm burdens, the performance of the VetScan VS2(®) HW test and a commercially available in-clinic, membrane-based ELISA test (SNAP(®) Heartworm RT Test; IDEXX Laboratories) was compared using samples from dogs with low heartworm burdens and/or low levels of circulating antigen. Ninety serum samples were evaluated using the two methods. Testing was performed according to the manufacturer's product insert by personnel blinded to sample status. The samples were derived from two populations: dogs with necropsy-confirmed heartworm status (40 with 1-4 female worms, 30 with no worms), and field dogs (20) confirmed positive for antigen by microtiter plate ELISA (PetChek(®) Heartworm PF Antigen Test; IDEXX Laboratories). All 40 dogs with heartworms on necropsy were also confirmed to have circulating antigen by the PetChek HW ELISA. In necropsy-negative dogs (n=30), neither the VetScan VS2 HW nor SNAP HW tests detected heartworm antigen. Of the samples testing positive for antigen by PetChek HW (n=60), the VetScan VS2 HW and SNAP HW tests detected antigen in 15 and 56 samples, respectively. Percent agreement (plus 95% confidence interval) for each test relative to the PetChek HW qualitative result was 50% (40-60%) for VetScan VS2 HW and 96% (89-98%) for SNAP HW. Relative to the presence or absence of female worms at necropsy, agreement was 61% (50-72%) for VetScan VS2 HW and 99% (92-99.6%) for SNAP HW tests. It is clinically important that dogs with low heartworm burdens and/or low levels of circulating heartworm antigen be correctly identified by veterinarians in order to ensure prompt treatment, and the VetScan(®) VS2 HW test does not appear to be as accurate as the SNAP HW or PetChek HW tests when performed on this subset of patients.

Heartworms can cause serious cardiopulmonary disease in their canid hosts. Canine heartworm has become widespread in many parts of the world, and its range continues to expand. Wildlife reservoirs play a role in perpetuation and transmission of this parasite to dogs. Human heartworm infection is incidental and is typically not associated with severe clinical disease; however, because no serological test is readily available, patients must undergo invasive procedures to differentiate heartworm from other more serious diseases. Human cases have been reported mainly in areas of high canine prevalence, highlighting the importance of heartworm testing and chemoprophylaxis in all dogs to reduce transmission. Future efforts should focus on the development of a non-invasive diagnostic test for people, and on epidemiological surveys for both animals and people.

The aim of this paper is to propose a mathematical programming technique referred to as Hyperbolic Network Data Envelopment Analysis (HNDEA) to appraise service performance in a service industry. International tourist hotels in Taiwan are used as an example to illustrate the process. The results show that productive efficiency and service effectiveness differ across hotel businesses. Some hotels are good in terms of their production operations, while others are good in regard to their marketing operations. By identifying each competitor's performance, in terms of productive efficiency and service effectiveness, managers can select appropriate benchmark hotels to improve their operations.

THORplan is a treatment planning system developed at Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) purpose. It is recently developed with user-friendly interface using Interactive Data Language. In this article the accuracy of THORplan is verified by comparing results of Snyder phantom calculation with the analytical model results of MCNP. Neutron source from THOR epithermal neutron beam is used as the source for the calculation. The thermal neutron flux calculated by THORplan is very close to the reference results. SERA overestimates thermal neutron flux by 2-5%. NCTPlan underestimates thermal neutron flux by 4-9% in most locations. The total weighted dose calculated by THORplan is accurate to within 3% except at the tissue interface. SERA overestimates the total weighted dose at depth >1.5 cm by 2-5%. NCTPlan underestimates the total weighted dose by approximately 10% at depth >1cm.

A heifer co-twin to a bull, in most cases, is a sterile freemartin which needs to be identified and culled from replacement stock. Various methods are available for the diagnosis of freemartinism, but none is ideal in terms of speed, sensitivity, or specificity. The present study was thus conducted to develop and validate a satisfactory fluorescence in situ hybridization procedure on interphase nuclei (I-FISH) for identifying the bovine XX/XY-karyotypic chimerism, the hallmark of freemartinism. A 190-bp DNA FISH probe containing the bovine male-specific BC1.2 DNA sequence was synthesized and labeled with digoxigenin by PCR. The FISH was performed on metaphase spreads and interphase nuclei of blood lymphocytes. Upon FISH, the probe expectedly bound to the nucleus of the male cell or to a region of the p12 locus of the Y chromosome. Twenty-four young heterosexual twins (Holstein-Friesian and Korean Cattle breeds; 10 pairs and 4 singletons) were analyzed in the present study; all but three exhibited the XX/XY-karyotypic chimerism to varying extents in both I-FISH and karyotyping. One heifer was identified to have 100% XX cells by both analyses, whereas two bulls were judged as 100% XY- and XX/XY-chimeric karyotypes by karyotyping and I-FISH, respectively. Nevertheless, the ratios of the XY to XX cells in these animals were very similar between the two analyses. In conclusion, the present I-FISH was a rapid and reliable procedure that can be used for early-life diagnosis of bovine freemartinism.

Biological treatment of high-strength nitrogen wastewater by a combined anaerobic (upflow sludge bed filter, UBF)/aerobic (membrane bioreactor, MBR) system has been studied. This system exhibited high performance on the removal of organic matter and nitrogen simultaneously. Organic and nitrogen concentrations increased from 6,000 to 14,500 mg/L and 300 to 1,000 mg/L, respectively. At the internal recycle ratio of Q ( Q is the influent flow rate), average removal efficiencies of organic and total nitrogen were found to be 99 and 46%, respectively with the relatively short HRT of 24 h. When operated with the insufficient alkalinity supply, the organic removal efficiency in anaerobic reactor reduced from 98 to 82%. At high influent ammonia concentration, ammonification which is the dissimilatory nitrate reduction to NH 4 + was observed. In case of membrane fouling, transmembrane pressure (TMP) of the combined process was about 9 times higher than that of a unit MBR under same operation conditions. The reason of severe fouling in the combined system might be caused by increased extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and hydrophobicity. EPS composition and SUVA were more sensitive parameters than surface charge and total EPS content, with respect to the change of internal recycle ratio 100–300%.

The East Asian monsoon Holocene optimal period has been debated both about duration and whether conditions were a maximum in thermal conditions or in precipitation. In this study we show Holocene climate variability inferred by a forest reconstruction of a subalpine pollen sequence from peat bog deposits in central Taiwan, based on modern analogues of various altitudinal biomes in the region. A warmer interval occurred between 8 and 4 ka BP (calibrated 14 C years) when the subtropical forests were more extensive. The Holocene thermal optimum is represented by an altitudinal tropical forest at 6.1–5.9 ka BP and 6.9 ka BP and only the latter was accompanied by wet conditions, indicating decoupling of thermal and precipitation mechanism in the middle Holocene. Abrupt and relative severe cold phases, shown by biome changes, occurred at about 11.2–11.0 ka BP; 7.5 ka BP; 7.2 ka BP; 7.1 ka BP; 5.2 ka BP, 5.0 ka BP and 4.9 ka BP. A spectral analysis of pollen of a relatively cold taxon — Salix, reveals that the time series is dominated by a 1500 yr periodicity and similar to the cold cycle reported in the marine records of Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The cold–warm conditions inferred by the change of forests show close relationship to solar energy in comparison with the production rate of Be-10.

An automatic station for soil gas monitoring was set up on an active fault zone of SW Taiwan. After more than one year of continuous measurements, some spike-like anomalous high radon and thoron concentrations could be observed. A similar soil radon spectrum was also obtained from an independent monitoring station, which was only 100 m away. These anomalous peaks usually occurred a few days or weeks before the earthquakes ( M L ⩾ 4.5 ) . This indicates that variations of both soil radon and thoron can serve as useful tools for earthquake surveillance, esp. at fault zones.

Eighty crossbred barrows aged 120 to 141 days and weighing 71.2F0.8 kg were randomly divided into eight pens, after which each of 40 animals in four pens was implanted with 24 mg of estradiol-17h (E2; CompudoseR). The animals were allowed an unrestricted access to water and a finisher diet containing 16% crude protein and 3.4 Mcal DE/kg and slaughtered at 107.4F0.8 kg. Blood samples were obtained by jugular venipuncture at day 0 before the implantation and at days 21 and 42. Serum concentration of E2 increased between days 0 and 21 after the implantation and declined to a level above that of day 0 (Pb0.01) by day 42. E2 implantation caused a decrease (Pb0.01) in feed intake and backfat thickness and a tendency (P=0.08) of decreased average daily gain. However, feed conversion efficiency (FCE; live weight gain/feed intake) did not change due to the implantation (P=0.20). The E2 implantation did not affect physicochemical characteristics of longissimus muscle including percentages of protein (P=0.17) and fat (P=0.43), 24-h pH (P=0.39), drip loss (P=0.99), L* (lightness; P=0.78) and a* (redness; P=0.49) values. Serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I decreased between days 0 and 21 (Pb0.01) and also between days 21 and 42 (Pb0.05) in unimplanted pigs, but not in implanted pigs (PN0.05), which resulted in a greater (Pb0.05) mean IGF-I concentration in the implanted vs. unimplanted group. By contrast, serum concentrations of IGF-II and IGF-binding protein-3 did not differ between the two groups (PN0.05). In summary, results suggest that E2 suppresses voluntary feed intake and backfat deposition without significantly affecting growth efficiency and muscle characteristics in barrows and that effects of E2 may be partly mediated by IGF-I. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationships of plasma insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-II concentrations during the growing period to multiple growth measures and estimates at 90-kg body weight (BW) and thereby to evaluate plasma IGF concentrations as potential indicators for the growth measure in the pig. Jugular blood samples were obtained from 151 Landrace and 241 Yorkshire female pigs, which had been born of approximately equal numbers of a low ( μ+0.5S.D.)–ADG line dams in each breed, at 25-, 60- and 90-kg BW. Backfat thickness (BFT), loin muscle area (LMA) and lean percentage were measured or estimated by ultrasonography at 90-kg BW, after which breeding values for ADG (ADG-BV) and BFT (BFT-BV) were predicted. Plasma IGF-I concentration at 25-kg BW was correlated with BFT in Landrace (r=0.26; P

The use of fly ash as a cement replacement material increases the long-term strength and durability of concrete. Despite these great benefits, the use of fly ash is limited due to the low early strength of fly ash concrete. To eliminate this problem, many studies have been conducted on accelerating the pozzolanic properties of fly ash. The study reported below investigated the strength and microstructural characteristics of fly ash–cement systems containing three kinds of activators—Na 2 SO 4 , K 2 SO 4 , and triethanolamine—to accelerate the early strength of fly ash mortars. Through the use of thermal gravity analysis, it was demonstrated that the activators not only decreased or maintained the amount of Ca(OH) 2 products, but also increased the production of ettringite at early ages. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microcopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry also confirmed that in the early curing stages of fly ash–cement pastes containing activators, large amounts of ettringite were formed, resulting in a reduction in the pore size ranging from 0.01 to 5 μm. The research results support the supposition that the addition of small amounts of activators is a viable solution for increasing the early-age compressive strength of fly ash concrete.

Flow of a polymer solution in a co-rotating two-roll mill is studied as the speed of one of the rolls is varied. Optical experiments using aqueous solutions of PEO verify the presence of a “birefringent strand”, caused by the elongation and alignment of polymer molecules downstream of a stagnation point in the nip. Measurements of its position and its parametric dependence on K, the ratio of roll speeds, are presented. A strand theory, in which the elastic stresses created by the polymer are approximated by a line discontinuity in shear–stress, is used to form governing differential equations for the strand velocity and position and the pressure gradient. Integration of the equations yields profiles of the strand position and velocity for given parameters K and λ, a non-Newtonian parameter dependent on material properties of the polymer. Numerical results for the symmetric case (K=1.0) compare well with previously published results; a best-fit to the corresponding experiment yields a value of λ≈10, which compares well with estimated values of apparent extensional viscosity and direct measurement of the strand thickness. The numerical solutions for K

We report the development and the characterization of a multipoint parallel excitation and CCD-based imaging system for high-throughput fluorescence detection of biochip micro-arrays. A two-dimensional array of (19×19) points with uniform intensity distribution, generated by a holographic array generator, was used for parallel excitation of two-dimensional micro-arrays of fluorescence samples. A CCD-based imaging system was used for high-throughput parallel detection and quantitative analysis of the fluorescence output. Micro-array samples of cyanine (Cy5) dye dots on silicon wafers and on glass substrates with varying concentration were used to evaluate the performance of the system. Results of fluorescence intensity measurements with varying concentration of dye and with different image acquisition time are presented. We have demonstrated that this novel approach will, in general, outperform the conventional approach in the excitation efficiency, the signal-to-noise ratio, and the throughput. The limitations and the potential improvements of the present method are discussed.

A modified sol–gel process was used to prepare nanostructured TiO 2 catalysts of controlled particle size (i.e. 6, 11, 16 and 20 nm). The influence of the TiO 2 particle size in the gas phase photocatalytic oxidation of toluene was investigated under both dry and humid conditions. The main products of reaction were carbon dioxide and water, although small amounts of benzaldehyde were also detected. The smaller particle size (i.e. 6 nm) lead to higher conversion and complete mineralization of toluene into CO 2 and H 2 O. Both electronic and structural effects (i.e. size and ensemble effects) are responsible for the excellent performance of 6 nm TiO 2 catalyst for toluene photo-degradation. The structural differences between 6 nm TiO 2 and larger catalysts were analyzed using EPR spectroscopy.

Successful reproduction is a determining factor for species survival. Pollution may impair reproductive success of adults through effects on gamete quality. Reproductive impairment of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina upon chronic (4 weeks) exposure to 0.01 and 0.1 mg l−1 Cd2+ was investigated. Criteria used for assessing gamete quality included sperm motility, egg morphology, fertilization rate and dynamics of first cleavage. A dose–response relationship was found between Cd2+ levels and changes in sperm motility, and percentage fertilization. Sperm motility, measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis, indicated that percent motile sperm, velocities, and percent sperm with normal trajectory were significantly affected by chronic exposure to ⩾0.1 mg l−1 Cd2+. A decline in sperm motility was also accompanied by a decrease in fertilization success of sea urchin sperm. Width/height ratio of sea urchin eggs was not affected by cadmium, but larger egg sizes were found when sea urchins were exposed to 0.1 mg l−1 Cd2+. Male sea urchins exposed to Cd2+ produced poorer quality sperm, as indicated by a lower percent fertilization and lower cleavage rate, implying that male sea urchins were more sensitive than females to chronic Cd2+ exposure. Results of the present study provide an explanation of reproductive impairment in marine invertebrates upon chronic exposure to Cd2+.

We have investigated the upper critical fields of Y 1− x RE x Ni 2 B 2 C (RE=Er, Ho, Dy, Gd; 0≤ x H c2 ( T ). The upward curvature of the H c2 ( T ) curve in the Y 1− x RE x Ni 2 B 2 C system might suggest an intrinsic anomalous pairing mechanism. Based on the value of upper critical field near T c , the superconducting coherence length is estimated at 6.4 nm for an x =0 sample. The Ginzburg–Landau parameter κ estimated is ∼11 in the pristine YNi 2 B 2 C system.

Kap104p is a Saccharomyces cerevisiaenuclear import receptor for two essential mRNA-binding proteins, Nab2p and Nab4p/Hrp1p. We demonstrate direct binding of Kap104p to each of these substrates. We have defined the nuclear localization signals in both Nab2p and Nab4p/Hrp1p by Kap104p binding in vitroand KAP104-dependent nuclear import in vivo. The nuclear localization signals map to similar arginine/glycine-rich RNA-binding domains in both proteins and are thus termed rg-nuclear localization signals to distinguish them from classical nuclear localization signals. We also demonstrate that Kap104p, like other known β-karyopherins (or importins), interacts directly with the small GTPase Ran/Gsp1. However, unlike other known import factors, Ran binding is not sufficient to mediate release of substrates from Kap104p; efficient Ran-GTP-mediated substrate release requires RNA. Also, addition of Kap104p to Nab2p and Nab4p/Hrp1p prebound to single-stranded DNA-cellulose stimulated release of both proteins from the resin. We suggest a simple cycle in which Nab2p and Nab4p/Hrp1p, upon import, are released in the nucleus at sites of transcription by the concerted action of Ran-GTP and binding to newly synthesized mRNA. The resulting ribonucleoprotein complexes are exported to the cytoplasm, where Kap104p rebinds to Nab2p and Nab4p/Hrp1p, contributing to their release from mRNA.

The effect of linear contouring of crystal strips on the resonance frequencies, the coupling among vibration modes, and the spatial variation of mode shapes have attracted analytical and experimental studies for many decades for its application in crystal resonator design. In the present paper, exact solutions are obtained for the coupled thickness–shear and flexural vibrations of quartz strips with linearly varying thickness by the Frobenius method. Four special functions in terms of infinite power series are obtained from which displacements and stresses can be derived. The efficient and precise evaluation of these functions is aided by a multiprecision program. Frequency spectra and mode shapes are computed for various parameters of crystal strip resonators with beveled edges. Some important effects of contouring are discussed from these results.

A rabbit antiserum (anti-EP), induced against a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 68 to 86 of guinea pig myelin basic protein, powerfully immunostained abnormal-appearing oligodendrocytic processes and cell bodies in demyelinating areas associated with multiple system atrophy (MSA). However, as we reported previously, the antiserum, which is highly specific for the sequence QDENPVV corresponding to human myelin basic protein residues 82 to 88, failed to recognize any structures in normal human brain. QD-9, a mouse monoclonal antibody raised against human myelin basic protein residues 69 to 88, which also recognizes specifically the epitope QDENPVV, gave the same results as did anti-EP. The unusual epitope recognized by anti-EP/QD-9 antibodies appears to be accessible in areas of myelin degeneration, and the antibodies have been shown to detect such areas in multiple sclerosis and infarcted brains. These antibodies detect myelin degeneration more widely than previous conventional methods. The present study emphasizes the importance of myelin degeneration in the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy.

Recent studies making use of channel-blocking peptides as molecular calipers have revealed the architecture of the pore-forming region of Shaker-type potassium channels. Here we show that the low-resolution, experimentally derived geometric information can be incorporated as restraints within the context of an annealed molecular dynamics simulation to predict an atomic structure for the channel pore which, by virtue of restraints, conforms to the experimental evidence. The simulation is reminiscent of the computational method employed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopists to resolve solution structures of biological macromolecules, but in lieu of restraints conventionally derived from NMR spectra, novel restraints are developed that include side-chain orientation of amino acid residues and assumed symmetry of protein subunits. The method presented here offers the possibility of expanding cooperation between simulation and experiment in developing structural models, especially for systems such as ion channels whose three-dimensional structures may not be amenable to determination by direct methods at the present time.

Correct air diffusion and the proper quantity of conditioned air are essential for comfortable conditions in forced-ventilation systems. Three different kinds of air diffusion models are studied for summer cooling conditions. These air diffusion types include a one inlet-one outlet, a two inlet-one outlet, and a one inlet-two outlet diffuser in an indoor environment. Evaluation of thermal comfort is made in terms of the percentage dissatisfied (PD) and air diffusion performance index (ADPI). A complete computed field is presented and discussed using an air flow velocity vector, temperature profile, and contours of PD as well as ADPI.