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This paper presents a novel software framework called AR-Room for fast prototyping of a variety of augmented reality applications. AR-Room consists of a lot of deployable components for core augmented reality technologies, modules for hardware abstraction, and an authoring toolkit for the rapid content design. On the AR-Room, application developers are only required to describe their content scenarios together with a configuration of software components. A content scenario is represented by a set of event-action pairs. Four major procedures in an augmented reality application are an image analyzer, an interaction handler, a rendering engine and an image synthesizer. According to the provided scenarios the designated components cooperatively provide real-time analysis and synthesis of input video frames. Several augmented reality applications are implemented on the AR-Room to show how the framework can be efficiently used for the fast prototyping of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous animal models of obstructive hydrocephalus that was frequently combined with subarachnoid inflammation are not suitable for investigating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow between ventricles and cisterns in obstructive hydrocephalus. In this study, we attempted to develop a new animal model for obstructive hydrocephalus in rats sparing subarachnoid space using N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA). Methods: Hydrocephalus was induced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with NBCA ( n = 15) or with kaolin ( n = 10). For the NBCA model, a silicone tube was inserted through the foramen of Magendie into the fourth ventricle, into which 20 μL of a mixture of NBCA and ethiodized oil was injected. For the kaolin model, 100 μL of 20% kaolin solution was injected into the cistern magna. The rats in the NBCA and kaolin groups were sacrificed 3 and 21 days after surgery, respectively. Results: Eleven rats in the NBCA group developed hydrocephalus (73.3%), with a 13.3% mortality rate. The kaolin group showed hydrocephalus in eight rats (80%), with a 20% mortality rate. The mean Evans' indices were 0.37 ± 0.02, 0.45 ± 0.04, and 0.53 ± 0.09 in the control, NBCA, and kaolin groups, respectively ( p < 0.05). There was no remarkable arachnoid adhesion or inflammatory change of the ventricular wall in the NBCA group. Conclusions: The NBCA model seems to be a useful animal model for acute obstructive hydrocephalus with preserved subarachnoid CSF pathway. This model can be useful for studying CSF flow between ventricles and cisterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the epicuticular wax crystal (EWC) development in the Campbell Early Grape. Researchers Kyoung-Hee Shin et al. collected samples during the early growth period for the EWC morphology and then after harvest to observe the morphological changes in EWC through a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Findings showed little changes in EWC basic forms 18 days after bloom (DAFB) and after 34 days, changes in EWC pattern include size enlargment and change of shape.

The monoolein (MO) cubic phases containing water soluble extract (WSE) from Berberis koreana (Korean barberry) were prepared by hydrating the molten MO with aqueous solutions of WSE (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%). The phase transition temperature of cubic phase containing WSE (∼70°C) was almost the same as that of WSE-free MO cubic phase that indicates that WSE was immobilized in the water channels of the cubic phase and did not affect its structure. The release of WSE from the cubic phase fits the first order process. The cubosomes were obtained by micronizing the cubic phase in a sonicator using Pluronic F127 as a dispersant. The cubosomes were stable in size at the ethanol concentration ≲16%. When compared with WSE solution in phosphate-buffered saline (10 mM, pH 7.4), in vitro skin permeation of WSE in the cubosomes was enhanced by about two times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early detection of the protein marker troponin I in patients with a higher risk of acute myocardial infarction can reduce the risk of death from heart attacks. Most troponin assays are currently based on the conventional enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and have detection limits in the nano- and picomolar range. Here, we show that by combining viral nanoparticles, which are engineered to have dual affinity for troponin antibodies and nickel, with three-dimensional nanostructures including nickel nanohairs, we can detect troponin levels in human serum samples that are six to seven orders of magnitude lower than those detectable using conventional enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. The viral nanoparticle helps to orient the antibodies for maximum capture of the troponin markers. High densities of antibodies on the surfaces of the nanoparticles and nanohairs lead to greater binding of the troponin markers, which significantly enhances detection sensitivities. The nickel nanohairs are re-useable and can reproducibly differentiate healthy serum from unhealthy ones. We expect other viral nanoparticles to form similar highly sensitive diagnostic assays for a variety of other protein markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  We investigated the effect of the cAMP system on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced changes in the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in rat primary astrocytes. LPS stimulation increased MMP-9 and decreased tPA activity in rat primary astrocytes. Co-treatment with a cAMP analog, dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP), or the cAMP elevating beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, concentration-dependently inhibited LPS-induced MMP-9 activity. In contrast, db-cAMP concentration-dependently increased tPA activity in both basal and LPS-stimulated rat primary astrocytes. To confirm the effect of cAMP on MMP-9 and tPA activity, we treated LPS-stimulated astrocytes with cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors, IBMX or rolipram, and they exhibited similar effects to db-cAMP, namely decreasing MMP-9 activity and increasing tPA activity. RT-PCR analysis of MMP-9 mRNA expression and MMP-9 promoter luciferase reporter assays revealed transcriptional upregulation by LPS stimulation and downregulation by db-cAMP. In contrast, the level of tPA mRNA expression was increased both by LPS and by cAMP treatment. Consistent with RT-PCR analysis, tPA promoter reporter assays showed increased activity by both LPS and cAMP stimulation. Interestingly, the level of mRNA encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) was increased by LPS stimulation and decreased back to control level after co-treatment with db-cAMP, suggesting that PAI-1 expression plays a major role in the regulation of tPA activity. To examine PKA involvement in the effects of db-cAMP on MMP-9 and tPA activity, we added the PKA inhibitors, H89 or rp-cAMP, along with db-cAMP, and they inhibited db-cAMP-mediated changes in tPA activity without affecting MMP-9 activity. These data suggest that cAMP differentially modulates MMP-9 and tPA activity through a mechanism related to PKA activation. The differential regulation of MMP-9 and tPA by the cAMP system may confer more sophisticated regulation of physiological processes, such as extracellular matrix remodeling and cell migration, by activated astrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  CREAMS-PADDY, a modified version of the field-scale CREAMS model, simulates the hydrologic, sediment, and nutrient cycles in paddy fields. The CREAMS-PADDY model was applied to estimate the effects of using wastewater for irrigation on nutrient loads from paddy fields in Republic of Korea. The model was calibrated and validated using data from two rice paddy fields. The coefficient of determination between observed and simulated total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 0.92 and 0.57, respectively, for the calibration period and 0.84 and 0.73 for the validation period. Simulations showed that when using wastewater for irrigation, the total nitrogen loads increased by 210% and total phosphorus by 1,270% when compared with conventional water irrigation. The total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentration in the ponded water increased by 254 and 534%, respectively, when compared with conventional water irrigation. The effect of reducing N and P fertilizer application rates by 10, 30, and 50% on nutrient loads exiting a paddy field were also simulated using the validated CREAMS-PADDY model. These simulations indicated that total phosphorus loads from the paddy were reduced only slightly by reducing the fertilizer, while total nitrogen loads were reduced by as much as 8.8, 16.6, and 24.4% when N ferlitizer rates were reduced by 10, 30, and 50%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, the Escherichia coli proteome response to a heat-shock stress was analyzed and a 1.6-fold increase of malate dehydrogenase was observed even under the heat-shock condition where the total number of soluble proteins decreased by about 5%. We subsequently demonstrated that, as an N-terminus fusion expression partner, malate dehydrogenase facilitated the folding of, and dramatically increased the solubility of, many aggregation-prone heterologous proteins in E. coli cytoplasm. Therefore, malate dehydrogenase is well suited for production of a biologically active fusion mutant of cutinase ( Pseudomonas putida origin) that is currently of considerable to biotechnology and commercial industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this study, a co-immobilization process was developed to improve the production of neo-fructooligosaccharides (neo-FOS) by the neo-fructosyltransferase of Penicillium citrinum and to investigate its physicochemical properties. The optimal concentration of CaCl2 for the co-immobilization process was determined to be 0.25 M. In batch production, co-immobilization of whole cells together with neo-fructosyltransferase produced more neo-FOS (108.4 g/L) than did whole cell immobilization (49.4 g/L). In a study on water activity of neo-FOS, we found that the minimal concentration capable of inhibiting bacterial growth was about 42%, and that the minimal inhibitory concentration for fungal growth was about 68%. In terms of pH, neo-FOS was stable in the pH range of 7–10, but was degraded to an increasing extent with decreasing pH, and it was found to be thermally stable at food processing temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we reported on the dual function of human ferritin heavy chain (hFTN-H) used for the fusion expression and solubility enhancement of various heterologous proteins: (1) high-affinity interaction with HSP70 chaperone DnaK and (2) formation of self-assembled supramolecules with limited and constant sizes. Especially the latter, the self-assembly function of hFTN-H is highly useful in avoiding the undesirable formation of insoluble macroaggregates of heterologous proteins in bacterial cytoplasm. In this study, using enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and several deletion mutants of Mycoplasma arginine deiminase (ADI132–410) as reporter proteins, we confirmed through TEM image analysis that the recombinant fusion proteins (hFTN-H::eGFP and hFTN-H::ADI132–410) formed intracellular spherical particles with nanoscale diameter (≈10 nm), i.e., noncovalently cross-linked supramolecules. Surprisingly, the supramolecular eGFP and ADI showed much enhanced stability in bioactivity. That is, the activity level was much more stably maintained for the prolonged period of time even at high temperature, at high concentration of Gdn–HCl, and in wide range of pH. The stability enhancement by supramolecular self-assembly may make it possible to utilize the protein supramolecules as novel means for drug delivery, enzymatic material conversion (biotransformation), protein chip/sensor, etc. where the maintenance of protein/enzyme stability is strictly required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract??Despite the increasing incidence in food-borneEchinostoma hortenseinfection, the underlying immune mechanism along with the clinical manifestations and the expulsion of the worms from the mucosal surfaces are not well understood. To clarify the differences in the immune mechanisms induced byE. hortensein the host, we examined the interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-12, and interferon-? profiles and the kinetics in two genetically different mouse strains, BALB/c and C3H/HeN mice, in vivo as well as in vitro. Both the crude extract and the excretory?secretory protein prepared fromE. hortenseincreased the mRNA and protein expressions of IL-4 and IL-5 in the splenocytes isolated from both strains of infected mice. TheE. hortenserecovery rate of the C3H/HeN mice was much higher than that of the BALB/c mice. When analyzing the sera from the infected BALB/c and C3H/HeN mice, the IL-5 and immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 levels in the infected BALB/c mice were significantly higher than those from the C3H/HeN mice (p<0.05). Taken together, these results show that the BLAB/c mice withE. hortenseinfection are more resistant than are the C3H/HeN mice due to the significantly higher induction of protective Th2 immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In the fabrication of micro-devices and systems, wafer bonding offers a unique opportunity for constructing complicated three-dimensional structures. In this paper, a wafer bonding technique, called transmission laser bonding (TLB), is studied with focus on the effects of interface oxidation and contact pressure on the bonding strength. The TLB is implemented for bonding Pyrex glass-to-silicon wafers, with and without interface oxide layers, using a Q-switch pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The tensile strengths of the TLB bonded specimens are comparable to those generated by the existing major wafer bonding techniques. The advantages of TLB are also discussed with some details. The oxide thickness is measured by spectro-reflectometry while the roughness of the oxidized surfaces is quantified using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The bonded interfaces are analyzed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) to study the migration and diffusion of different atoms across the bonding interface and to provide the necessary information for the understanding of the bonding mechanism. A thermal penetration analysis is also provided to validate the findings of the bond strength and spectroscopic evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an investigation was performed into the thermal and operational characteristics of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase (EC 3.5.1.-) immobilized on silica gel that had been modified by epoxide silanization. The pH values for the optimum activity of free and immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase were almost the same. However, the pH-dependent activity profile for the immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase is considerably expanded. Both free and immobilized enzymes generally had the highest activity at 50 °C. In thermodynamic studies, it was found that immobilization using epoxide silanization made GL-7-ACA acylase thermodynamically stable. In the results of repeated batch production of 7-ACA, 89.0 and 83.5% of the 7-ACA produced at the initial cycle were maintained after 20 times of recycle at 25 °C and 30 °C, respectively. Hence it was suggested that mass production of 7-ACA at 25 °C using immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase by epoxide silanization would be possible on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture medium and conditions were optimized to improve neo-fructooilgosaccharide (neo-FOS) production by Penicillium citrinum using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The central composite designs using RSM were employed in this investigation. The quadratic models for neo-FOS production were obtained. Among culture media, optimal concentration of sucrose and yeast extract were found to be 12.65% and 2.90%, respectively, and predicted maximum value of neo-FOS production was 39.3 g/l. For culture conditions, optimal points of inoculum age (78.5 h), initial pH (7.34) and inoculum size (11.36% (v/v)) were determined and predicted maximum value of neo-FOS production was 40.6 g/l. By performing the culture under optimal culture media and conditions, actual neo-FOS production increased to 107%. It was also suggested that RSM can be used as a potential tool for optimization of factors in fermentation and food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the nitrogen content of Ti(C,N)-based cermets during powder mixing and sintering processes were investigated and the denitrification mechanism was re-evaluated. The denitrification of N-containing cermets occurrs mainly during the powder mixing process, and is relatively small during sintering periods. Denitrification during powder mixing is caused by oxidation of the Ti(C,N) powders in contrast to denitrification during sintering, which is caused by the decomposition of the nitrides due to the high nitrogen partial pressure. It was concluded that the main source of oxygen for the powder oxidation was the water present in the ethanol solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the author's views on the comparison of the workers' compensation costs of regular full-time workers with two types of contingent workers: regular part-time workers and leased workers. Increase in the percentage of contingent workers; Information on the safety condition; Problems of coordination and control.

Disability impairment ratings are used in 19 states to determine the benefits for severely injured workers; hence, these impairment ratings are implicitly a prospective assessment of wage loss. We compare 810 assessments made in 1989 for low-back injuries against the actual subsequent wage loss (through 1993), and find that the impairment ratings are statistically insignificant predictors of lost wages. Because low-back permanent partial claims form the single largest class of indemnity claim in workers' compensation in terms of cost, this research throws serious doubt on the validity of pure impairment rating schemes now used in many states' workers' compensation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]