Frequency of the codon 807 mutation in the cGMP phosphodiesterase beta-subunit gene in Irish setters and other dog breeds with hereditary retinal degeneration

Prostate cancer (PCA), the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in the United States, is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of males in this country. Because of the poor success rate in the treatment of PCA, an intervention at an early stage may reduce the progression of small carcinoma to large metastatic lesion, thereby reducing PCA-related deaths. Concerted efforts are needed to establish mechanism-based approaches to develop: (a) the markers for early detection of the disease as well as toward monitoring the efficacy of treatment(s); and (b) novel chemopreventive strategies against PCA. Using unique samples of pair-matched benign and cancer tissue obtained from the same PCA patient, we showed that ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity is significantly (P < 0.001) elevated in PCA (1142 +/- 100; mean +/- SE) than in paired benign tissue (427 +/- 51; mean +/- SE). The immunoblot analysis also showed a significant elevation in the protein expression of ODC in the PCA tissues as compared with the paired benign tissue. Furthermore, our data showed that the ODC activity in the prostatic fluid obtained by a digital rectal massage from the patients with PCA (3847 +/- 162; mean +/- SE) was significantly higher than in the patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (2742 +/- 167; mean +/- SE) or normal individuals (1244 +/- 67; mean +/- SE). This observation might be of significance because the prostatic fluid could be obtained noninvasively by digital rectal massage. We suggest that ODC could serve as a target for early detection of human PCA as well as for monitoring the efficacy of treatment(s). The development of ODC as a target for novel chemopreventive strategies against PCA is an intriguing possibility.     

Identification of statistical patterns in complex systems via symbolic time series analysis

Identification of statistical patterns from observed time series of spatially distributed sensor data is critical for performance monitoring and decision making in human-engineered complex systems, such as electric power generation, petrochemical, and networked transportation. This paper presents an information-theoretic approach to identification of statistical patterns in such systems, where the main objective is to enhance structural integrity and operation reliability. The core concept of pattern identification is built upon the principles of Symbolic Dynamics, Automata Theory, and Information Theory. To this end, a symbolic time series analysis method has been formulated and experimentally validated on a special-purpose test apparatus that is designed for data acquisition and real-time analysis of fatigue damage in polycrystalline alloys.     

Cryogenic tests of volume-phase holographic gratings: results at 100 K

We present results from cryogenic tests of volume-phase holographic (VPH) gratings at approximately 100 K. The aims of these tests are to see whether the diffraction efficiency as a function of wavelength is significantly different at a low temperature from that at room temperature and to see how the performance of a VPH grating is affected by a number of thermal cycles. We have completed ten cycles between room temperature and 100 K and find no clear evidence that the diffraction efficiency changes with temperature or with a successive thermal cycle.     

Novel tubing microreactor for monitoring chemical reactions

There is an expanding interest in small-scale methods to evaluate catalysts and chemical reactions at a variety of conditions, ranging up to 6.9 MPa (1000 psig) and 300 degrees C. Multiwell parallel batch techniques are most commonly applied in high-throughput screening systems. In contrast, we describe here a rapid, serial, highly controllable method based on LC-type steel tubing rated for high pressures. The tube, containing a variety of flowing ingredients, such as carrier solvents, catalyst formulations, and reactants, is self-heated ohmically using electrical current from a power supply monitored and regulated with a precision of 0.01%. An array of voltage taps arranged along its length serves to sense the real-time temperature profile of the tube. Reactions are seen as temperature pulses progressing through the reactor, in zones of 200 microL each, and tracked with a temperature precision of 0.1 degrees C. A unique pressure controller was devised to maintain constant reactor pressures despite effluent viscosity fluctuations due to polymerization. Several chemical reaction systems have been characterized to date, including decomposition reactions of di-tert-butyl peroxide, polymerizations of styrene, formation of polyethylene from ethylene, and copolymerization of ethylene with 1-octene. For ethylene polymerization, the amount of mass of polymer formed is proportional to the responses observed.     

Temperature-dependent electrical properties of plasma-grown gate oxides on tensile-strained Si0.993 C0.007 layers

Ultra-thin (<10 nm) gate oxides have been grown directly on tensile-strained Si_0.993 C_0.007 layers at a low temperature using microwave O₂-plasma. The changes in gate voltage (V_g), flat-band voltage (V_FB), oxide charge density (Q_ox/q) an interface state density (D_it) have been studied using a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure over the temperature range of 77–450 K. Inversion capacitance increases with temperature above 400 K, leading to a transition from high-frequency to low-frequency characteristics. The dominant types of charges in the oxide are found to be strongly temperature dependent. It is found that charge-trapping properties under Fowler–Nordheim (F–N) constant-current stressing are significantly improved with increasing temperature.     

All‐Natural,Degradable, Rolled‐Up Straws Based on Cellulose Micro‐ and Nano‐Hybrid Fibers

Among all the plastic pollution, straws have brought particularly intricate problems since they are single use, consumed in a large volume, cannot be recycled in most places, and can never be fully degraded. To solve this problem, replacements for plastic straws are being developed following with the global trend of plastic straw bans. Nevertheless, none of the available degradable alternatives are satisfactory due to drawbacks including poor natural degradability, high cost, low mechanical performance, and poor water stability. Here, all‐natural degradable straws are designed by hybridizing cellulose nanofibers and microfibers in a binder‐free manner. Straws are fabricated by rolling up the wet hybrid film and sealed by the internal hydrogen bonding formed among the cellulose fibers after drying. The cellulose hybrid straws show exceptional behaviors including 1) excellent mechanical performance (high tensile strength of ≈70 MPa and high ductility with a fracture strain of 12.7%), 2) sufficient hydrostability (10× wet mechanical strength compared to commercial paper straw), 3) low cost, and 4) high natural degradability. Given the low‐cost raw materials, the binder‐free hybrid design based on cellulose structure can potentially be a suitable solution to solve the environmental challenges brought by the enormous usage of plastics straws.