Mother-Infant Interactions in Rats Lacking CCKA Receptors.

Mediation of mother-infant interactions by the brain-gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) was examined by observing behavior of Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, which lack functional CCKA receptors because of a genetic abnormality. OLETF (n = 10) and control (Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka [LETO] n = 10) dams interacted with 1 pup of each line on Postpartum Days 6-9. OLETF pups received more body and anogenital licking and emitted substantially more ultrasonic vocalizations than LETO pups. OLETF dams carried pups less frequently and showed a nursing position more frequently than LETO dams. No significant Pup X Dam Line interactions or line differences in dams' activity were detected. The results provide convergent validity to previous pharmacological studies implicating CCK mediation of both infant and maternal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of an HPTLC and an HPLC procedure for the determination of chlorpropham, propham and thiabendazole residues in potatoes.

HPTLC was used to check for residues of chlorpropham, propham (sprout inhibitors) and thiabendazole (fungicide) applied to potatoes. The method used gave good precision and analytical sensitivity. The sample preparation method developed by the authors was simple and gave good recovery and selectivity as far as other components of the matrix were concerned. Comparison with liquid chromatography confirmed the validity of the results.     

On the equivalence of some transductions involving letter to letter morphisms on regular languages

Summary Equivalence problems of some transductions involving letter to letter morphisms on regular languages are discussed. In particular, we deal with finite substitutions and inverses of finite substitutions. Our main results are the following: (i) The equivalence problem of inverses of finite substitutions on regular languages is undecidable, (ii) The existential equivalence problem of finite substitutions on regular languages is undecidable, and (iii) The length-equivalence problem of finite substitutions on regular languages is decidable.     

Array-based binary analysis for bacterial typing

An allele-specific oligonucleotide microarray was developed for rapid typing of pathogens based on analysis of genomic variations. Using a panel of Escherichia coli strains as a model system, selected loci were sequenced to uncover differences, such as single- or multiple-nucleotide polymorphisms as well as insertion/deletions (indels). While typical genomic profiling experiments employ specific sequences targeted to genomic DNA unique to a single strain or virulent gene, the present array is designed to type bacteria based on a patterned signature response across multiple loci. In the signature concept, all strains are interrogated by hybridizing their amplified DNA to an array containing multiple probe sequences. Allele-specific oligonucleotide probe sequences targeting each of these variable regions were synthesized and included in a custom fiber-optic array. For each locus, a set of specific probe sequences is selected, such that hybridization gives a binary signal/no signal response to each of the probes. Using this strategy for multiple loci, many pathogens or microorganisms could be classified using a limited number of probes. Because of the advantages of the fiber-optic array platform over other array formats, including sensitivity and speed, the platform described in this paper is capable of supporting a high-throughput diagnostic strategy.     

Dynamic repair priority for a transfer line with a finite buffer

We formulate a continuous-time Markov chain model of a transfer line in which there are two unreliable machines separated by a finite buffer. Due to limited repair resources, simultaneous repairs are not possible in cases where both machines fail, and therefore we develop a repair priority rule that depends on the number of work-pieces present in the buffer. Each machine is characterized by three exponentially distributed random variables: processing time, time to failure, and time to repair. We provide a stochastic model for finding an optimal repair priority rule and an efficient algorithm accompanied by easy-to-use Matlab software. An extensive numerical study is performed to test the sensitivity of the proposed dynamic repair priority rule. While in previous studies repair priority was given to the bottleneck machine, we show that there are situations in which priority should be given to the non-bottleneck machine. Finally, we identify conditions in which adding a second technician is economically advisable.     

Multi-sensor task allocation framework for supply networks security using task administration protocols

This research proposes a multi-sensor task allocation framework for security of supply networks aimed to maximise the number of correctly detected and reported security events (defined as tasks). The framework includes a double layer system consisting of a process layer and a monitoring layer. The process layer allocates sensors to tasks using an ant colony algorithm. The monitoring layer applies four task administration protocols (TAPs) specially developed and implemented to deal with high time-consuming tasks, conflicts in task priorities and sensor failure, defined in this research as overloading, deception and tampering of sensors, respectively. A system objective function for sensor to task allocation was developed to allow computation of the expected value of system performance given the sensor and the task parameters. Sensory limitations evaluated including reliability, distance coverage and the limited number of sensors are addressed in the decision-making process. The framework enables detection of tasks as soon as they occur in every location along the supply network, based on the sensor network distribution. The dual layer system analyses reveal that TAPs increase the systems performance in the scenarios of deception, tampering and overloading by more than 64% with respect to the number of unallocated tasks in comparison to a single layer system. Overall availability was analysed using Monte Carlo simulation and the fault tolerant system yielded significantly increased number of treated tasks (by 11%, p = 0.02).     

Chemiluminescent optical fiber immunosensor detection of Brucella cells presenting smooth-A antigen

Brucellosis is a worldwide distributed zoonotic re-emerging disease, causing abortions in domesticated animals and Malta fever in humans. Currently, the gold standard for confirmation of the existence of the causative agent genus Brucella is the isolation of the bacteria from body or liquid samples, whereas standard serological tests are used for diagnosis. The need for a rapid point of care identification of Brucella organisms has led us to develop a novel chemiluminescent optical fiber immunosensor. The immunosensor based on a conventional enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) technique was implemented on optical fibers and its performance was compared to the standard ELISA method. We show that depending on the detecting antibodies used specificity of the assay is achieved. Brucella cells presenting smooth-A O-chain determinant were detected at a minimal protein concentration of 1.098 ng/ml, correlating to 305 cfu/ml, while smooth-M O-chain cells, rough cells and two gram-negative bacteria other than Brucella sp. produced negative results, confirming the high specificity of the technique.