Automation and ISO 17025 test validation of a Toxoplasma Gondii antibodies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

The authors automated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect porcine serum antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. Two thousand swine sera can be assayed in two eight-hour shifts using a robotic workstation. The automated-ELISA programming is not complex and the test configuration is flexible. This high-throughput screening (HTS) a-ELISA can achieve a 10-fold increase (100→1000 tests) in test capacity over the manual method. The assay has been validated according to the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. These include repeatability, reproducibility, and optimal threshold value studies. Other requirements are proficiency panel testing, analyst training, standard operation procedure, and equipment certifications.     

Kin recognition in captive California sea lions (Zalophus californianus).

Observations of behavior were made of a captive colony of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) at Sea Life Park, Hawaii. Animals were classified as relatives or nonrelatives, and behavior was categorized as aggressive or affiliative. Mothers interacted in an affiliative manner exclusively with their offspring (1–21 yrs of age). In addition, siblings and half-siblings interacted more with each other than they did with unrelated animals. Females with no relatives in the colony kept primarily to themselves, and when they did interact, it was usually in an aggressive manner. There were very few aggressive interactions between relatives, even during feeding sessions where there was intense competition. Mother–pup bonding and familial relationships in captive California sea lions extend over a number of years and may last a lifetime. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some products of winged bean lipoxygenase-catalysed reaction: A note

Purified isoenzymes of lipoxygenase from winged bean were shown to catalyse the formation of hydroperoxides as well as carbonyl compounds. Preliminary experiments indicate formation of two volatile compounds by lipoxygenase in a model purified lipoxygenase-linoleic acid system which are similar to two of the volatile components of raw winged bean homogenate.     

Examining community-level collaborative vs. competitive approaches to enhance household electricity-saving behavior

To test the effectiveness of a competitive or collaborative approach on engaging people to change their household electricity-use habits, a mobile app, called Social Power, is developed to provide electricity meter feedback in two gamified environments. The project aims at stimulating social engagement and promoting behavioral change to save electricity at the household level by forming teams of neighbors in two Swiss cities. The household participants are assigned to one of two teams: either a collaborative team where citizens in the same city try to reach a fixed, 10% electricity savings target collectively or a competitive team which tries to save the most electricity in comparison to another city. The collaborative and competitive gamified structures are run in parallel as a 3-month field experiment (February to May 2016) involving 108 recruited household participants in two cities, with ultimately 46 who actively play. In this paper, we present the result of the two gamified structures on the sustainability of reported behavior, as well as on actual saved electricity. Overall, a collaborative or a competitive intervention contributes to electricity savings and reported behavior as compared to the control group; however, no significant difference is found between the two gamified structures.     

Microtubule-based gold nanowires and nanowire arrays

Biological structures are attractive as templates to form nanoscale architectures for electronics because of their dimensions and the ability to interact with inorganic materials. In this study, we report the fabrication and electrical properties of microtubule (MT)-templated Au nanowires, and methods for assembling Au nanowire arrays based on these templates. The adsorption of MTs on silicon substrates is an effective means for preserving the conformation of the MT and provides a convenient platform for electrical measurements. To improve the metallization of MTs, a photochemical route for gold reduction is adapted, which leads to continuous coverage. The conductivity values measured on micrometer-long nanowires are similar to those reported for other biotemplated gold nanowires. A protocol for fabricating arrays of MT-templated gold nanowires is demonstrated.     

Programmable assembly of nanoarchitectures using genetically engineered viruses

Biological systems possess inherent molecular recognition and self-assembly capabilities and are attractive templates for constructing complex material structures with molecular precision. Here we report the assembly of various nanoachitectures including nanoparticle arrays, hetero-nanoparticle architectures, and nanowires utilizing highly engineered M13 bacteriophage as templates. The genome of M13 phage can be rationally engineered to produce viral particles with distinct substrate-specific peptides expressed on the filamentous capsid and the ends, providing a generic template for programmable assembly of complex nanostructures. Phage clones with gold-binding motifs on the capsid and streptavidin-binding motifs at one end are created and used to assemble Au and CdSe nanocrytals into ordered one-dimensional arrays and more complex geometries. Initial studies show such nanoparticle arrays can further function as templates to nucleate highly conductive nanowires that are important for addressing/interconnecting individual nanostructures.     

Airborne system for fast measurements of upwelling and downwelling spectral actinic flux densities

An airborne system for fast measurements of spectral actinic flux densities in the wavelength range 305-700 nm is introduced. The system is called the Actinic Flux Density Meter (AFDM). The AFDM utilizes the diode array technique and measures downwelling and upwelling spectral actinic flux densities separately with a time resolution of less than 1 s. For airborne measurements this means a spatial resolution of approximately 60 m, assuming an average aircraft velocity of 60 m/s. Thus the AFDM resolves fast changes in the actinic radiation field, which are of special importance for conditions of inhomogeneous clouds or surface reflection. Laboratory characterization measurements of the AFDM are presented, and a method to correct the nonideal angular response of the optical inlets is introduced. Furthermore, exemplar field data sampled simultaneously with spectral irradiance measurements are shown. The horizontal variability of the measured spectra of actinic flux density is quantified, and profile measurements for overcast situations are presented. Finally, the effects of clouds on the spectral actinic flux density are discussed.     

Motivation and language behavior: A content analysis of suicide notes.

"Messages produced under heightened drive level should (a) be more stereotyped, (b) be more disorganized, if the motivation level is extremely high, (c) reflect the specific nature of the motives operating, and (d) reflect conflict of responses if two or more competing motives are operating. These hypotheses were tested by (a) a comparison of suicide notes with ordinary letters to friends and relatives and (b) a comparison of genuine suicide notes with simulated suicide notes, written by suicidal people." The hypotheses are supported and the results related to psycholinguistic theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)