Materials specificity and directed assembly of a gold-binding peptide

Adsorption studies of a genetically engineered gold-binding peptide, GBP1, were carried out using a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) to quantify its molecular affinity to noble metals. The peptide showed higher adsorption onto and lower desorption from a gold surface compared to a platinum substrate. The material specificity, that is, the preferential adsorption, of GBP1 was also demonstrated using gold and platinum micropatterned on a silicon wafer containing native oxide. The biotinylated three-repeat units of GBP1 were preferentially adsorbed onto gold regions delineated using streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots (SAQDs). These experiments not only demonstrate that an inorganic-binding peptide could preferentially adsorb onto a metal (Au) rather than an oxide (SiO2) but also onto one noble metal (Au) over another (Pt). This result shows the utility of an engineered peptide as a molecular erector in the directed immobilization of a nanoscale hybrid entity (SAQDs) over selected regions (Au) on a fairly complex substrate (Au and Pt micropatterned regions on silica). The selective and controlled adsorption of inorganic-binding peptides may have significant implications in nano- and nanobiotechnology, where they could be genetically tailored for specific use in the development of self-assembled molecular systems.     

A novel distance measure on q-rung picture fuzzy sets and its application to decision making and classification problems

Artificial Intelligence Review - In recent years, different higher order fuzzy sets have been introduced to better handle the uncertainty in many practical decision making and data mining problems....     

An effective real-time color quantization method based on divisive hierarchical clustering

Journal of Real-Time Image Processing - Color quantization (CQ) is an important operation with many applications in graphics and image processing. Clustering algorithms have been extensively...     

Automatic segmentation of human facial tissue by MRI–CT fusion: A feasibility study

The aim of this study was to develop automatic image segmentation methods to segment human facial tissue which contains very thin anatomic structures. The segmentation output can be used to construct a more realistic human face model for a variety of purposes like surgery planning, patient specific prosthesis design and facial expression simulation. Segmentation methods developed were based on Bayesian and Level Set frameworks, which were applied on three image types: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) and fusion, in which case information from both modalities were utilized maximally for every tissue type. The results on human data indicated that fusion, thickness adaptive and postprocessing options provided the best muscle/fat segmentation scores in both Level Set and Bayesian methods. When the best Level Set and Bayesian methods were compared, scores of the latter were better. Number of algorithm parameters (to be trained) and computer run time measured were also in favour of the Bayesian method.     

Liver hamartoma in an adult: report of a rare case

Liver hamartoma is a rare type of benign tumor which usually occurs in the first few years of life. Although it is the second most common benign tumor in childhood, only about 100 cases have been reported in the English literature. Thus, it is extremely rare to encounter liver hamartoma in adults. This report details the clinical presentation and surgical management of a 24-year-old woman with a rapidly growing liver hamartoma. A right hepatic lobectomy was successfully performed and the patient was discharged in good health on the 10th postoperative day.     

CMOS PLL calibration techniques

The article discusses auto calibration of phase lock loops (PLLs), particularly when used as frequency synthesizers in fully integrated radios targeting future generations of broadband wireless applications. These PLLs use wideband voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) covering a wide tuning range. A calibration technique is discussed and used in a wireless LAN radio.     

A new dual entropy core true random number generator

The entropy produced by a conventional single chaotic map based true random number generator (TRNG) is usually limited due to the finite number of Lyapunov exponents. In this work, we present a new dual entropy core TRNG architecture which is capable of producing high levels of randomness using hardware redundancy. Mathematical models of conventional and proposed TRNG architectures have been developed for a comparative analysis of the statistical and randomness properties. Our theoretical studies showed that the proposed architecture which employs Bernoulli map as the entropy source, has an inherently symmetric probability density function with zero mean. Using a practical information metric, T-entropy, we demonstrated that the proposed architecture performs better in terms of randomness, for a wide range of control parameter values when compared to its single entropy core counterpart. A proof of concept prototype of the proposed architecture is designed and implemented using a field programmable analog array integrated circuit. Random numbers acquired from the prototype have successfully passed all NIST 800.22 statistical tests.     

Public-Private Partnerships in U.S. Transportation: Research Overview and a Path Forward

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are contractual relationships between government and industry to deliver facilities or service for public benefit. In the United States, existing transportation infrastructure is aging and new infrastructure is underfunded. PPPs are considered one way to help meet this looming need. Although PPPs have a long history, interest in modern PPPs is renewed. The current debate over PPPs lacks theory and research to support the various views of PPPs. Promoters say they bring needed financing, technology, management, and risk sharing to infrastructure development. Detractors say government agencies are better positioned to finance and own infrastructure and protect the public interest. The unique contribution of this paper is to provide the results of a national survey on the state-of-practice of PPPs in transportation in the United States, and to provide a comprehensive overview of research on U.S. transportation PPPs in the areas of economics, law, and public opinion. Additionally, a path forward is offered to help organize and guide research in U.S. transportation PPPs in the future.     

A two-phase level tracking method

Interfacial closure models in most two-fluid system codes for reactor safety are usually tied to the flow regime map through the mean void fraction in a computational cell. When a void fraction discontinuity exists in a computational volume, neither heat nor momentum exchange at the phase interface for this particular cell can be properly represented in finite-difference equations governing the fluid flow. Moreover, finite-difference methods with a fixed, Eulerian grid will inaccurately predict the cell-to-cell convection of mass, momentum and energy when the mean cell macroscopic variables are convected from the cell containing the void fraction front. The adequate modeling of two-phase mixture levels requires the knowledge of front position and void fractions above and below the front. In order to obtain such information, an efficient and simple tracking method was implemented in the TRAC-BWR code (released April 1984). We have tested this method with a simple problem involving a moving two-phase air/water mixture level. The results revealed inconsistencies in the behavior of velocities, pressures and interfacial friction, and some bounded numerical oscillations. Following our numerical experiment, we developed a systematic approach to improve the two-phase level tracking method. We present this approach and the results of implementation in the TRAC-BWR code.     

Infectious ocular complications in orthotopic liver transplant patients

We report the frequency and type of infectious ocular complications following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and review diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. During the period September 1988 through November 1994, 684 patients underwent OLT at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York). Nine orthotopic liver transplant patients (1.3%) developed ocular infections: Candida albicans endophthalmitis (2), Aspergillus fumigatus endophthalmitis (1), cytomegalovirus retinitis (4), herpes simplex virus keratitis (1), and varicella-zoster virus panophthalmitis (1). The mean time from OLT to ocular symptoms was 42 days for patients with fungal infections and 128 days for patients with viral infections. Blurred vision was the commonest symptom (five of nine cases). The mean duration of follow-up was 2 years (range, 33 days to 5 years). Permanent loss of vision occurred in three patients, five had improvement in visual acuity, and one died of disseminated aspergillosis 33 days after OLT. Infectious ocular complications following OLT may occur as isolated events or with disseminated disease. Fungal infections occur earlier (mean, 42 days after OLT) than viral infections (mean, 4 months after OLT). The clinical presentation may be atypical; aggressive vitreoretinal procedures and serial examinations may be required to establish the diagnosis. Cytomegalovirus retinitis in orthotopic liver transplant patients may not require life-long maintenance therapy with antiviral agents.