Polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA from aged blood stains: quantitative evaluation of the "suitability for purpose" of four filter papers as archival media

In collaboration with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology's Department of Defense DNA Registry, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently evaluated the performance of a short tandem repeat multiplex with dried whole blood stains on four different commercially available identification card matrixes. DNA from 70 stains that had been stored for 19 months at ambient temperature was extracted or directly amplified and then processed using routine methods. All four storage media provided fully typeable (qualitatively identical) samples. After standardization, the average among-locus fluorescence intensity (electropherographic peak height or area) provided a suitable metric for quantitative analysis of the relative amounts of amplifiable DNA in an archived sample. The amounts of DNA in Chelex extracts from stains on two untreated high-purity cotton linter pulp papers and a paper treated with a DNA-binding coating were essentially identical. Average intensities for the aqueous extracts from a paper treated with a DNA-releasing coating were somewhat lower but also somewhat less variable than for the Chelex extracts. Average intensities of directly amplified punches of the DNA-binding paper were much larger but somewhat more variable than the Chelex extracts. Approximately 25% of the observed variation among the intensity measurements is shared among the four media and thus can be attributed to intrinsic variation in white blood count among the donors. All of the evaluated media adequately "bank" forensically useful DNA in well-dried whole blood stains for at least 19 months at ambient temperature.     

取代苯甲酸葡萄糖酯的合成及生物活性

以两种方法合成了10个取代苯甲酸葡萄糖酯类化合物，一是相转移催化法，二是在三忆胺的存在下，取代苯甲酸与溴代葡萄糖反应，该种合成糖酯的方法未见文献报道，取代苯甲酸葡萄糖酯的结构由IR、MS、^1H NMR和元素分析确认。对化合物的抗病毒活性测试结果发现，其中有两个化合物具有一定的抑制TMV的活性。     

Effects of cavities on monopole antenna current distribution and decoupling from mounting structure

The effects of cavities located near the base of a ground plane-mounted coax-driven monopole antenna are investigated. The cavities are either embedded in the tubular antenna itself or in the region below the conducting surface. Coupled integral equations are formulated and solved to determine the distribution of current on the structure. Two primary functions of the cavities are discussed. 1) At certain frequencies the input impedance of the cavity is infinite and the current at the base of the antenna is forced to zero. A single structure may contain several cavities, each cavity having unique resonant frequencies. It is demonstrated that superposition of these cavities may provide multiple resonant frequencies within a large frequency band. The utility of base cavities in the design of an antenna that is decoupled from the ground plane on which it is mounted is discussed. 2) Regardless of frequency, the cavities affect the distribution of current on the structure and, concomitantly, the standing wave ratio and gain of the antenna. The cavities are shown to be efficient and physically-rigid tools for current-shaping and tuning coax-fed antennas. Results computed from solutions of the coupled integral equations are compared with those from physical measurements.     

Radiation loss of grating-assisted directional couplers using the Floquet-Bloch theory

The Floquet-Bloch theory (FBT) is used to determine the radiation loss of a grating-assisted directional coupler. Improper waves obtained by FBT represent leakage and produce radiation loss along the transverse direction. By summing the fields of all leaky harmonics, the power flow radiated into the superstrate and substrate can be calculated from Poynting's theorem. However, the locations at which these summations occur impact the accuracy. An analytic formula for radiation loss is also derived. Results from both the FBT and the analytic formula are compared with results obtained using the coupled-mode theory.     

Predicting Addiction Severity Index (ASI) interviewer severity ratings for a computer-administered ASI.

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is a reliable and valid measure of problem severity among addicted patients. Concerns have been raised about the reliability of the Interviewer Severity Rating (ISR), a summary score for each of 7 domains. As part of an effort to build a computer-administered ASI, regression equations were developed to predict the ISR. Repeated resampling of a large dataset, consisting of 1,124 ASIs conducted by trained interviewers, permitted derivation of stable regression equations predicting the ISR for each ASI domain from patients' answers to preselected interview items. The resulting 7 Predicted Severity Ratings (PSRs) were tested on 8, standardized vignettes, with "gold standard," expert-generated ISRs. Reliabilities compared well with those of intensively trained interviewers. The PSRs could provide an alternative to potentially unreliable interviewer ratings, enhancing the ASI's role in treatment planning and treatment matching and make possible a computer-administered version of the ASI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age- and gender-related elastin distribution changes in human vocal folds

To elucidate the mechanism of gut hypertrophy observed in rats artificially reared (AR) on milk formulas, the effects of four refined formulas with different ratios of casein (C) and whey protein (W), CW 2:8, CW 4:6, CW 6:4 and CW 8:2, on the gut growth of AR rats were examined. Four groups of pups were infused with each formula through an intragastric cannula from age 5 to 15 days. Each of the four milk formulas showed a different character in the stomach, such as no curd, very soft curd, soft curd and hard curd, in response to an increasing ratio of C:W. There were no significant differences in body weight gain among the AR groups and mother-reared (MR) controls. The stomach growth, in weight, of AR rats increased in response to the increasing ratios of C:W. In comparison with MR controls, hypertrophy of the stomach of AR rats appeared within the formulas with higher proportions of casein than whey protein (CW 6:4 and CW 8:2), but not those with lower proportions (CW 2:8 and CW 4:6). The growth of the small intestine was also related to the increasing ratio of C:W in the formulas. A similar pattern of hypertrophy in the hindgut was seen in AR rats. There was no association between hypertrophy of the gut in AR rats and plasma triiodothyronine. The present results clearly demonstrated that the gut growth of AR rat pups was directly influenced by the diet but not by AR per se, and that hard casein-curd in the stomach might be one cause of gut hypertrophy.     

Rolandic type cerebral palsy in children as a pattern of hypoxic-ischemic injury in the full-term neonate

Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the brains of 11 patients aged from 1 week to 12 years with a distinctive type of cerebral palsy were selected based on distribution of cerebral lesions, which were restricted to bilateral perirolandic cortical and subcortical regions, including frequent symmetric involvement of basal ganglia and ventrolateral nucleus of thalami. Retrospectively, the perinatal history and clinical features were reviewed to correlate clinical data with this distinctive pattern of brain injury. Clinically affected neonates had an encephalopathy associated with a severe perinatal asphyxial event. Older children with cerebral palsy survived a similar perinatal course and demonstrated spastic quadriparesis with bulbar or pseudobulbar involvement, lack of verbal speech and variable delays in cognitive development. The distribution of hypoxic-ischemic lesions involving bilateral perirolandic regions, basal ganglia, and thalami, appears to correlate with increased metabolic areas of primary myelination in full-term neonates, but not with arterial border zones nor a single cerebral artery distribution. Myelination is a critical process in maturing brain associated with marked increase in tissue respiration and thus greater susceptibility to oxygen deprivation. It is believed that the extent of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is determined principally by brain maturity and regional metabolic rates at time of insult and this correlates with active myelination in full-term neonates. This study confirms previous data from neuropathologic literature and recent reports of neuroimaging studies of asphyxiated neonates. In addition, retrospective analysis of the clinical data enables recognition of a type of cerebral palsy that might be the hallmark of hypoxic-ischemic injury in term neonates.