Analysis of heregulin symmetry by weighted evolutionary tracing

Heregulins are members of the protein family of EGF-like growthand differentiation factors. The primary cell-surface targetsof heregulins are heterodimers of the EGF-receptor homolog HER2with either HER3 or HER4. We used a weighted evolutionary traceanalysis to identify structural features that distinguish theEGF-like domain (hrg) of heregulins from other members of theEGF family. In this analysis, each amino acid sequence is weightedaccording to its uniqueness and the variability in each positionis assigned by an amino acid substitution matrix. Conservedresidues in heregulin that are variable in other EGF-like domainsare considered possible specificity-conferring residues. Thisanalysis identifies two clusters of residues at the foot ofthe boot-shaped hrg domain. The residues in one cluster arerecruited from the N-terminus; those in the other are from the-loop region and show a weak sequence similarity to the N-terminalresidues at the opposite side of the boot. The remaining residueswith high conservation scores distribute themselves into thesetwo distinct surfaces on hrg. This pseudo-twofold symmetry andthe presence of two distinct interfaces may reflect the preferenceof hrg for heterodimeric versus homodimeric HER complexes.     

Microelectrochemistry on Surfaces with the Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM)

The scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) is one of the scanning probe techniques that have been developed following the introduction of the scanning tunneling microscope. The approaches that have been used to modify surfaces with lateral resolution using the SECM are presented and discussed. These approaches made it possible to drive a variety of microelectrochemical reactions on surfaces, as well as to study the mechanism of these processes due to the unique advantages that the SECM offers.     

A parametric frequency response method for non-linear time-varying systems

A new parametric frequency response algorithm is introduced to investigate linear and non-linear dynamic systems with time-varying parameters. In the new algorithm the time-varying parameters are regarded as additional inputs of the systems and the non-linear generalised frequency response functions for multi-input-single-output systems are then employed to obtain Zadeh's system functions from a differential equation representation. The parametric frequency response method reveals how the time-varying parameters affect the behaviour of the systems through a time-varying term. The new method can be applied to both linear and non-linear time-varying systems.     

橡胶添加剂苯并呋咱-1-氧化物

普遍称为Ｂｅｎｚｏｆｕｒｏｘａｎ（ＢＦＯ）的苯并呋咱－１－氧化物已证明能降低填充炭黑的硫化胶的滞后损失３０％以上。ＢＦＯ大概能促进弹性体和炭黑之间的键合，导致硫化胶“佩恩效应”降低。ＢＦＯ在母炼胶混炼期间于不同温度下加入。为了最大限度地降低滞后损失，需要高温混炼，而且采用高比表面积的炭黑会更有效。镍盐会改善ＢＦＯ和弹性体／炭黑间的反应。     

A Complete and Highly Effective Mothproofing Agent Comprising a Pyrethroid and a Hexahydropyrimidine

Pyrethroids, considered as a general class of compounds, have been shown to provide effective protection from the larvae of the keratin-digesting insects Tineola bisselliella H., Tinea pellionella Linn., Hofmannophila pseudo-spretella Station and Attagenus piceus Oliv. The position regarding the susceptibility of the furniture carpet beetle to pyrethroids is less clear, however. It has been reported that both deltamethrin and permethrin are effective against Anthrenus flavipes Le Conte, whilst permethrin is also reported elsewhere to be effective against the same species. Results obtained in our laboratory, however, have indicated that pyrethroids may offer inadequate protection against Anthrenus vorax Waterh. [1, 2]. This latter species is identical to Anthrenus flavipes var. seminiveus Casey, a colour variety of Anthrenus flavipes Le Conte. The 1,3-disubstituted5-phenylcarbamoyl-2,4,6-trioxo- and 4,6-dioxo-2-thione-hexahydropyrimidine derivatives described in this paper exhibit a surprisingly high and selective toxicity to the Anthrenus species. Thus, a combination of an appropriate hexahydropyrimidine with a suitable pyrethroid, e.g. permethrin, provides complete control of a wide range of commonly encountered textile insect pests. The influence of substituents on the mothproofing activity is discussed.     

Continuous Levels‐of‐Detail and Visual Abstraction for Seamless Molecular Visualization

Molecular visualization is often challenged with rendering of large molecular structures in real time. We introduce a novel approach that enables us to show even large protein complexes. Our method is based on the level‐of‐detail concept, where we exploit three different abstractions combined in one visualization. Firstly, molecular surface abstraction exploits three different surfaces, solvent‐excluded surface (SES), Gaussian kernels and van der Waals spheres, combined as one surface by linear interpolation. Secondly, we introduce three shading abstraction levels and a method for creating seamless transitions between these representations. The SES representation with full shading and added contours stands in focus while on the other side a sphere representation of a cluster of atoms with constant shading and without contours provide the context. Thirdly, we propose a hierarchical abstraction based on a set of clusters formed on molecular atoms. All three abstraction models are driven by one importance function classifying the scene into the near‐, mid‐ and far‐field. Moreover, we introduce a methodology to render the entire molecule directly using the A‐buffer technique, which further improves the performance. The rendering performance is evaluated on series of molecules of varying atom counts.     

A new device for coating single particles under controlled conditions

A new device for coating a single levitated particle in a controllable environment is designed and tested. This enables fluidized bed processing to be simulated experimentally on a single-particle level. The device consists of a coating chamber, which contains a capillary tube for levitating the particle, a micro-dispenser for producing discrete drops of controlled size and velocity and a device for supplying gas with specified temperature and humidity. The coating chamber consists of two parts, a confined space where the particle is levitated and a droplet insertion cone where the coating solution is injected into the particle suspending gas flow. A capillary with a well-defined diameter connects the droplet insertion cone and the area where the particle is levitated. The device is equipped with a piezo-actuated flow-through micro-dispenser that has the ability to produce discrete droplets with high reproducibility in terms of droplet size and velocity. The gas required for the coating process is taken from a gas container where the water content is analysed and kept at a minimum. A liquid flow is then introduced into the gas flow at a well-defined flow rate, mixed and evaporated in a three-way mixing vault. The humidified gas flow is then split into two separate flows; a suspending gas flow and a protecting gas flow for the inside of the coating chamber. The device is equipped with a high-speed video camera for monitoring both droplet production and droplet impact. Temperatures and flow rates throughout the device are measured and logged. Preliminary results show the influence of solvent, gas quality and coating procedure on the quality of the coating.     

A smartphone-based virtual white cane

The objective of our research was to develop assistive technology for visually impaired people, with a high appreciation for the human potential to achieve, to learn, and to achieve goals. In this document, we describe a virtual white cane made of a combination of a Smartphone and a laser pointer. In our device, the laser pointer beam reflection is captured by the Smartphone camera. The distance from the virtual white cane to the reflection is computed through active triangulation. Then, a personalized vibration, the magnitude of which corresponds to distance, is generated in the Smartphone. In this way, the users receive information that could prevent collisions with obstacles in the environment. Our contributions include the development of a virtual white cane around a Smartphone and other off-the-shelf accessories and a methodology to provide personalized vibratory feedback to the user. Our experiments show that to navigate, our instrument is better option, in terms of travel time, that the use of the hands. However, the travel time is still better using a traditional white cane than our instrument.