Parameters affecting the efficiency of affinity-based reversed micellar extraction and separation (ARMES) in glycoprotein purification

The Bladder Neck Support Prosthesis (BNSP) was used in 21 women with combined genuine stress incontinence (GSI) and detrusor instability (DI). Outcomes included frequency volume charts, pad tests, voiding cystometry and quality of life scores, up to the sixth month. Of the 21 recruits, 5 never wore the BNSP home, leaving 16 participants. A further 2 did not reach week 4 because of poor efficacy or inability to fit the device. In the 14 who reached week 4, the median number of leaks/day declined from 4.3 to 1.0 (p = 0.002). Median pad test loss fell from 53 to 7 mL (p = 0.012). Cystometry showed an increase in maximum bladder capacity (p < 0.05) and a modest reduction in severity of detrusor instability, with no evidence of outflow obstruction. Three further women discontinued because of poor efficacy (2) or a poorly fitting device (1), leaving 11 of 16 participants (69%) at week 8, when median pad test loss fell to 2 mL. The BNSP is a useful option in patients with the unfortunate combination of an unstable bladder and an incompetent urethra, but requires careful fitting and attention to detail.     

A novel model to study the effects of burn lymph on pulmonary vascular hemodynamic variables

The possible hypocholesterolaemic properties of milk and fermented milk products have been investigated in groups of albino rats given a basal diet, basal diet plus cholesterol, and basal diet plus cholesterol together with whole milk or standard or bifidus yogurt. The yogurts were fortified with skim milk powder, condensed whey or lactose-hydrolysed condensed whey. After 30 d, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were measured in serum. Whole milk and ordinary yogurt had no hypocholesterolaemic effect, but standard yogurt containing lactose-hydrolysed condensed whey and all bifidus yogurts lowered serum cholesterol. In general, yogurts changed HDL-cholesterol little, but tended to raise triacylglycerols. There was marked lowering of LDL-cholesterol in rats given either type of yogurt fortified with whey proteins. This study has demonstrated in a rat model that bifidus yogurts and yogurts fortified with whey proteins can reduce total and LDL-cholesterol, and suggests that if they have the same effect in human subjects they have potential value in cholesterol-lowering diets.     

Cloning and sequencing of the pyrG encoding cytidine 5''-triphosphate synthetase from Mycobacterium bovis BCG

Treatment of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells with 10 nM 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induced formation of a nuclear aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor complex as determined by ligand-binding and gel electrophoretic mobility shift assays. TCDD also induced CYP1A1-dependent activity in MDA-MB-468 cells, which represents the first ER-negative Ah receptor-positive human breast cancer cell line that has been identified. Treatment of this cell line with TCDD and related compounds also caused a 50% inhibition of cell growth, which resembled the growth inhibitory effects previously reported for epidermal growth factor (EGF). However, EGF expression is minimal in this cell line and is not induced by TCDD; moreover, EGF and TCDD induced a different pattern of oncogene expression and apoptosis in MDA-MB-468 cells. In contrast, TCDD caused a rapid and sustained induction of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) gene expression and secreted protein (nearly 2-fold); moreover, the growth-inhibitory effects of TCDD could be blocked by antibodies to the EGF receptor. In a separate experiment, it was shown that TGF alpha also inhibited growth of MDA-MB-468 cells. The results of this study indicate that the mechanism of growth inhibition of MDA-MB-468 cells by TCDD is due to induction of TGF alpha, which is a potent antimitogen in this cell breast cancer line.     

Pile Driving Analysis for Top Hammering and Bottom Hammering

Piles are used for platform foundations and other offshore structures. Pile driving performance is predicted and analyzed using the wave equation analysis method. In general, the hammering point can be any part of the pile and the same analyses used for hammering at the top of the pile (top hammering) can be used for pile driving by hammering at the bottom of the pile (bottom hammering). Based on the numerical analyses in this research including residual stresses in the pile, there is little difference between the predictions of pile penetration per hammer blow by single- or multiple-blow analyses when soil resistance is low, such as 10 blows/m. The same is true for top hammering and bottom hammering when soil resistance is low. However, when soil resistance is high compared to that of the pile-hammer system, single-blow analysis predicts early refusal for top hammering and unrealistically high pile penetration for bottom hammering. Therefore, multiple-blow analysis, which considers residual stresses, should be used for better understanding of realistic pile driving performance and predictions. Additionally, this study shows that gravity is another controlling factor for pile driving in low-resistance soil.     

High temperature characteristics of strained InGaAs/lnGaAsP quantumwell lasers lattice matched to GaAs

The effect of high temperature on the threshold current density and the gain of In_xGa_1-xAs/InGaAsP (E_g=1.6 eV) QW lasers lattice matched to GaAs is investigated theoretically. These results are also compared with those of In_x Ga_1-xAs/GaAs QW lasers. It is found that better performance can be achieved in InGaAs/InGaAsP lasers compared to InGaAs/GaAs lasers at high temperature. This is due to the fact that the temperature dependence of the threshold carrier density for InGaAs/InGaAsP lasers is weaker than that for InGaAs/GaAs lasers. The calculated characteristic temperature is in good agreement with reported experimental results     

Electrochemical detection of peroxynitrite using a biosensor based on a conducting polymer-manganese ion complex

A peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) biosensor has been developed through the preparation of a new manganese-[poly-2,5-di-(2-thienyl)-1H-pyrrole)-1-(p-benzoic acid)] (Mn-pDPB) complex. DPB monomer was first synthesized and polymerized for the purpose of providing a polymer backbone for complex formation with Mn(2+) ion. The Mn-pDPB complex was characterized via Magnetomotive Force (MMF) simulation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry. The complex selectively enhanced the reduction process of ONOO(-) which was used as the analytical signal for chronoamperometric detection. A polyethyleneimmine (PEI) layer was coated on the complex surface to increase selectivity and stability. The chronoamperometric calibration plot showed the hydrodynamic range of 2.0 × 10(-8)-5.0 × 10(-7) M. The detection limit was determined to be 1.9 (±0.2) × 10(-9) M based on S/N = 3. The microbiosensor, fabricated on a 100 μm diameter Pt tip, was applied in a real rat plasma sample for the detection of spiked concentrations of ONOO(-). The reliability and long-term stability of the microbiosensor was also examined with YPEN-1 cells in vitro, and the results shown were promising.     

Fracture behavior of Cu-cored solder joints

Copper-cored solder can be regarded as the next-generation solder for microelectronic semiconductors exposed to harsh operating conditions owing to its excellent sustainability under extreme thermal conditions, e.g., in microelectronic semiconductors used in transportation systems. Cu-cored solder joints with two different coating layers, Sn–3.0Ag and Sn–1.0In, were compared with the baseline Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder. The fracture strength and failure mode were examined using the high-speed ball-pull and normal-speed shear tests. The Cu-cored solder joint with the Sn–1.0In plating layer exhibited the highest ball-pull and shear strengths. In addition, it showed a much lower percentage of interface fracture between the Cu-core and plating layer than the interface fracture percentage in the Sn–3.0Ag plating layer due to the improved wettability between the Cu-core and Sn–1.0In plating layer.     

Highly Exposed ?NH2 Edge on Fragmented g-C3N4 Framework with Integrated Molybdenum Atoms for Catalytic CO2 Cycloaddition: DFT and Techno-Economic Assessment

This study focuses on the applicability of single-atom Mo-doped graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets which are specifically engineered with high surface area (exfoliated GCN),  NH₂ rich edges, and maximum utilization of isolated atomic Mo for propylene carbonate (PC) production through CO₂ cycloaddition of propylene oxide (PO). Various operational parameters are optimized, for example, temperature (130 °C), pressure (20 bar), catalyst (Mo₂GCN), and catalyst mass (0.1 g). Under optimal conditions, 2% Mo-doped GCN (Mo₂GCN) has the highest catalytic performance, especially the turnover frequency (TOF) obtained, 36.4 h⁻¹ is higher than most reported studies. DFT simulations prove the catalytic performance of Mo₂GCN significantly decreases the activation energy barrier for PO ring-opening from 50–60 to 4.903 kcal mol⁻¹. Coexistence of Lewis acid/base group improves the CO₂ cycloaddition performance by the formation of coordination bond between electron-deficient Mo atom with O atom of PO, while  NH₂ surface group disrupts the stability of CO₂ bond by donating electrons into its low-level empty orbital. Steady-state process simulation of the industrial-scale consumes 4.4 ton h⁻¹ of CO₂ with PC production of 10.2 ton h⁻¹. Techno-economic assessment profit from Mo₂GCN is estimated to be 60.39 million USD year⁻¹ at a catalyst loss rate of 0.01 wt% h⁻¹.     

Volumetric real-time imaging using a CMUT ring array

A ring array provides a very suitable geometry for forward-looking volumetric intracardiac and intravascular ultrasound imaging. We fabricated an annular 64-element capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array featuring a 10-MHz operating frequency and a 1.27-mm outer radius. A custom software suite was developed to run on a PC-based imaging system for real-time imaging using this device. This paper presents simulated and experimental imaging results for the described CMUT ring array. Three different imaging methods--flash, classic phased array (CPA), and synthetic phased array (SPA)--were used in the study. For SPA imaging, two techniques to improve the image quality--Hadamard coding and aperture weighting--were also applied. The results show that SPA with Hadamard coding and aperture weighting is a good option for ring-array imaging. Compared with CPA, it achieves better image resolution and comparable signal-to-noise ratio at a much faster image acquisition rate. Using this method, a fast frame rate of up to 463 volumes per second is achievable if limited only by the ultrasound time of flight; with the described system we reconstructed three cross-sectional images in real-time at 10 frames per second, which was limited by the computation time in synthetic beamforming.