The novel cuticular collagen Ovcol-1 of Onchocerca volvulus is preferentially recognized by immunoglobulin G3 from putatively immune individuals

The concentration and affinity to concanavalin A (ConA) of plasma alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and AGP levels in extracts of liver tissues were investigated in specific-pathogen-free chickens infected with the highly virulent HPS-2 strain or virulent reference GBF-1 strain of infectious bursal disease virus. The plasma AGP value in uninfected control 3- to 7-wk-old chickens was 161.8 +/- 25.8 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SD), and ConA-unreactive and ConA-reactive AGP comprised 47% and 63% of total AGP. Increases in AGP levels in plasma and liver extracts were observed in both the HPS-2 and the GBF-1 groups, although albumin levels decreased. The plasma AGP values were higher in the HPS-2 group than in the GBF-1 group through the experimental period. In the HPS-2 group, ConA-reactive AGP reached levels 6.8-fold greater than control values and comprised 80% of total AGP at 4 days post-inoculation. In the lipopolysaccharide group, a great increase in ConA-reactive AGP was observed.     

Assessment of atrial septal defect morphology by transthoracic three dimensional echocardiography using standard grey scale and Doppler myocardial imaging techniques: comparison with magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative findings

The properties of chemically cured and light-cured composite resins were recorded at baseline and at intervals over seven years, while the materials were exposed to controlled storage conditions as well as to various conditions typical of clinical situations. For chemically cured resins in clinical conditions, mechanical properties decreased, and working and setting times increased over four years; if refrigerated (controlled), properties remained constant past seven years. For light-cured resins, test results were constant over the entire seven-year test period regardless of storage conditions. An accelerated aging protocol was developed to allow for the evaluation of the relative storage stability of new and similar materials.     

Effects of piracetam on the performance of rats in a delayed match-to-position task

The growing use of antibody-based separation methods has paralleled the expansion of immunochemical detection methods in moving beyond the clinical diagnostic field to applications in environmental monitoring. In recent years high-performance immunoaffinity chromatography, which began as a separation technique in biochemical and clinical research, has been adapted for separating and quantifying environmental pollutants. Bioaffinity offers a selective biological basis for separation that can be incorporated into a modular analytical process for more efficient environmental analysis. The use of immunoaffinity chromatography for separation complements the use of immunoassay for detection. A widely used immunochemical detection method for environmental analyses is enzyme immunoassay. The objective of this paper is to review the status of bioaffinity-based analytical procedures for environmental applications and human exposure assessment studies. Environmental methods based on bioaffinity range from mature immunoassays to emerging techniques such as immunosensors and immunoaffinity chromatography procedures for small molecules.     

The relative positions of alanine residues in the hydrophobic core control the formation of two-stranded or four-stranded {alpha}-helical coiled-coils

The objective of this study was to investigate the positionaleffect of hydrophobic interactions in the -helical interfacein controlling the formation of two-stranded and four-strandedcoiled-coils. Two disulfide-bridged antiparallel coiled-coilswere designed which differ only in the position of a singleAla residue in the middle heptad: in peptide 2H the Ala residuesare in register (in the same rung), while in peptide 4H theyare not. Data from size-exclusion chromatography and sedimentationequilibrium experiments showed that under benign conditionspeptides 2H and 4H were two-stranded and four-stranded coiled-coilsrespectively. These results, in conjunction with molecular modelingstudies, suggest that when four Ala residues are in the sameplane of a potential four-stranded coiled-coil, the small sidechains of Ala would create a large cavity in the hydrophobicinterface of the potential four-stranded structure which isdestabilizing and favors the two-stranded, disulfide-bridgedcoiled-coil. In contrast, an alternating Leu-Ala hydrophobicpacking in the two planes distributes the potential cavity overa larger region, which may be partially filled by minor adjustmentsof the neighboring Leu side chains. As a result, there is stillsufficient hydrophobic contact to maintain the four-strandedstructure.     

Nonminimal Kane's Equations of Motion for Multibody Dynamical Systems Subject to Nonlinear Nonholonomic Constraints

Nonholonomic constraint equations that are nonlinear in velocities are incorporated with Kane's dynamical equations by utilizing the acceleration form of constraints, resulting in Kane's nonminimal equations of motion, i.e. the equations that involve the full set of generalized accelerations. Together with the kinematical differential equations, these equations form a state-space model that is full-order, separated in the derivatives of the states, and involves no Lagrange multipliers. The method is illustrated by using it to obtain nonminimal equations of motion for the classical Appell–Hamel problem when the constraints are modeled as nonlinear in the velocities. It is shown that this fictitious nonlinearity has a predominant effect on the numerical stability of the dynamical equations, and hence it is possible to use it for improving the accuracy of simulations. Another issue is the dynamics of constraint violations caused by integration errors due to enforcing a differentiated form of the constraint equations. To solve this problem, the acceleration form of the constraint equations is augmented with constraint stabilization terms before using it with the dynamical equations. The procedure is illustrated by stabilizing the constraint equations for a holonomically constrained particle in the gravitational field.     

Multistage bayesian autonomy for high‐precision operation in a large field

This paper presents a generalized multistage bayesian framework to enable an autonomous robot to complete high‐precision operations on a static target in a large field. The proposed framework consists of two multistage approaches, capable of dealing with the complexity of high‐precision operation in a large field to detect and localize the target. In the multistage localization, locations of the robot and the target are estimated sequentially when the target is far away from the robot, whereas these locations are estimated simultaneously when the target is close. A level of confidence (LOC) for each detection criterion of a sensor and the associated probability of detection (POD) of the sensor are defined to make the target detectable with different LOCs at varying distances. Differential entropies of the robot and target are used as a precision metric for evaluating the performance of the proposed approach. The proposed multistage observation and localization approaches were applied to scenarios using an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Results with the UGV in simulated environments and then real environments show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches to real‐world problems. A successful demonstration using the UAV is also presented.     

User experimentation: an evaluation of velocity control techniques in immersive virtual environments

While many of the existing velocity control techniques are well designed, the techniques are often application-specific, making it difficult to compare their effectiveness. In this paper, we evaluate five known velocity control techniques using the same experimental settings. We compare the techniques based on the assumption that a good travel technique should be easy to learn and easy to use, should cause the user to have few collisions with the VE, should allow the user to complete tasks faster, and should promote better recollection of the environment afterwards. In our experiments, we ask twenty users to use each velocity control technique to navigate through virtual corridors while performing information-gathering tasks. In all cases, the users use pointing to indicate the direction of travel. We then measure the users’ ability to recollect the information they see in the VE, as well as how much time they spend in the VE and how often they collide with the virtual walls. After each test, we use questionnaires to evaluate the ease of learning and ease of use of the velocity control technique, and the users’ sense of presence in the environment. Each of the travel techniques is then evaluated based on the users’ performances in the VE and the results of their questionnaires.     

Gender identity and adjustment in black, Hispanic, and white preadolescents.

The generality of S. K. Egan and D. G. Perry's (2001) model of gender identity and adjustment was evaluated by examining associations between gender identity (felt gender typicality, felt gender contentedness, and felt pressure for gender conformity) and social adjustment in 863 White, Black, and Hispanic 5th graders (mean age = 11.1 years). Relations between gender identity and adjustment varied across ethnic/racial groups, indicating that S. K. Egan and D. G. Perry's model requires amendment. It is suggested that the implications of gender identity for adjustment depend on the particular meanings that a child attaches to gender (e.g., the specific attributes the child regards as desirable for each sex); these meanings may vary across and within ethnic/racial groups. Cross-ethnic/racial investigation can aid theory building by pointing to constructs that are neglected in research with a single ethnic/racial group but that are crucial components of basic developmental processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)