Towards a Better Prediction of Cell Settling on Nanostructure Arrays—Simple Means to Complicated Ends

Vertical arrays of nanostructures (NSs) are emerging as promising platforms for probing and manipulating live mammalian cells. The broad range of applications requires different types of interfaces, but cell settling on NS arrays is not yet fully controlled and understood. Cells are both seen to deform completely into NS arrays and to stay suspended like tiny fakirs, which have hitherto been explained with differences in NS spacing or density. Here, a better understanding of this phenomenon is provided by using a model that takes into account the extreme membrane deformation needed for a cell to settle into a NS array. It is shown that, in addition to the NS density, cell settling depends strongly on the dimensions of the single NS, and that the settling can be predicted for a given NS array geometry. The predictive power of the model is confirmed by experiments and good agreement with cases from the literature. Furthermore, the influence of cell‐related parameters is evaluated theoretically and a generic method of tuning cell settling through surface coating is demonstrated experimentally. These findings allow a more rational design of NS arrays for the numerous exciting biological applications where the mode of cell settling is crucial.     

Theoretical Strength of Borides and Quasibinary Boride Eutectics at High Temperatures

Powder Metallurgy and Metal Ceramics - The theoretical strength of LaB6 and MeB2 borides and a eutectic LaB6–TiB2 system is calculated with quasiharmonic approximation for uniaxial strain in...     

Phase local approximation (PhaseLa) technique for phase unwrap from noisy data.

The local polynomial approximation (LPA) is a nonparametric regression technique with pointwise estimation in a sliding window. We apply the LPA of the argument of cos and sin in order to estimate the absolute phase from noisy wrapped phase data. Using the intersection of confidence interval (HCI) algorithm, the window size is selected as adaptive pointwise varying. This adaptation gives the phase estimate with the accuracy close to optimal in the mean squared sense. For calculations, we use a Gauss-Newton recursive procedure initiated by the phase estimates obtained for the neighboring points. It enables tracking properties of the algorithm and its ability to go beyond the principal interval [-pi, pi] and to reconstruct the absolute phase from wrapped phase observations even when the magnitude of the phase difference takes quite large values. The algorithm demonstrates a very good accuracy of the phase reconstruction which on many occasion overcomes the accuracy of the state-of-the-art algorithms developed for noisy phase unwrap. The theoretical analysis produced for the accuracy of the pointwise estimates is used for justification of the HCI adaptation algorithm.     

Advancing controlled release packaging through smart blending

Researchers from Rutgers University and Clemson University have collaborated to develop a concept of using smart blending to generate functional packaging films for the controlled release of active compounds such as antimicrobials, antioxidants and flavour compounds to extend the shelf‐life of food. In this paper, literature results are reviewed to justify the significance of controlled release packaging (CRP) and the research gaps for further development are identified. A major research gap is the lack of packaging materials that can provide the release of active compounds at rates suitable for a wide range of food packaging applications. Smart blending is a promising technology for bridging this research gap. To fully realize the potentials of smart blending, a systematic approach for developing CRP using smart blending is also presented. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Composite Index of Compliance for Chronic In‐Center Hemodialysis Patients

We developed a composite compliance index as the sum of the compliance scores for interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), pre‐dialysis serum potassium and phosphorus concentrations (each scored from zero to 3, with 3 indicating the poorest compliance), and skipping hemodialysis sessions (scored from zero to 9, with 9 indicating the poorest compliance). We used this composite score to prospectively evaluate compliance in 25 prevalent hemodialysis patients over a period of 1 year. We then followed these patients for another 3.5 years. The patients studied were divided into two groups: group A (poor compliance) consisted of 9 subjects with composite score ≥ 9 (13.2 ± 3.2); group B (better compliance) consisted of 16 subjects with composite score < 9 (4.7 ± 1.8). Age, duration of hemodialysis, and frequency of diabetes mellitus did not differ between the groups. Group A contained higher fractions of subjects with history of alcoholism (66.7% vs 12.5%, p = 0.010), other substance addiction (44.4% vs 0%, p = 0.010), and severe psychosocial problems (88.9% vs 18.8%, p = 0.002). Mean survival from the beginning of observation, estimated by actuarial life‐table survival analysis, was 1.19 years in group A and 2.60 years in group B (p = 0.0265). A composite compliance index incorporating domains indicating adherence to diet, medications, and dialysis schedule identified other behavioral problems in poorly compliant patients. Hemodialysis patients characterized by this composite index as poorly compliant had shortened survival.     

Response Selection in Visual Search: The Influence of Response Compatibility of Nontargets.

The authors used visual search tasks in which components of the classic flanker task (B. A. Eriksen & C. W. Eriksen, 1974) were introduced. In several experiments the authors obtained evidence of parallel search for a target among distractor elements. Therefore, 2-stage models of visual search predict no effect of the identity of those distractors. However, clear compatibility effects of the distractors were obtained: Responses were faster when the distractors were compatible with the response than when they were incompatible. These results show that even in parallel search tasks identity information is extracted from the distractors. In addition, alternative interpretations of the results in terms of the occasional identification of a distractor before or after the target was identified could be ruled out. The results showed that flat search slopes obtained in visual search experiments provide no benchmark for preattentive processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

IT的价值

分析家认为,从客户近期一系列的行为可以看出:公司高层仅仅注重经营是不够的,他们还需要尽快得到IT投资的回报。如果CIO们不能用商业化的语言将IT投资的价值明确地总结和表达出来,一旦公司的持续发展计划确定下来,CIO们未来的工作将会非常被动     

High-performance liquid chromatography of human milk triacylglycerols and gas chromatography of component fatty acids

Human milk triacylglycerols were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. A 5-μ Supelcosil LC-18 column (Supelco, Inc., Bellefonte, PA) was used with acetone/acetonitrile (64∶36, vol/vol) as mobile phase. Triacylglycerols were tentatively identified based on theoretical carbon number and relative retention time. Despite changes resulting from dietary fat variation, the major component triacylglycerols were those composed of palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Triacylglycerols with palmitic, stearic and oleic acids were present as minor components. Fatty acids were quantified by gas chromatography relative to an internal standard. Ratios of n−6/n−3 fatty acids were found to be high than previously reported. Based on a paper presented at the Symposium on Milk Lipids held at the AOCS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1990.     

Hemispheric contributions to nonverbal abstract reasoning and problem solving.

Hemispheric involvement in reasoning abilities has been debated for some time, and it remains unclear whether the right hemisphere's involvement in problem solving is modality specific or dependent on the type of spatial reasoning required. In the current study, 2 types of nonverbal reasoning abilities were examined, spatial reasoning and proportional reasoning, in 109 patients with cerebrovascular disease that was confined to either the right or the left hemisphere or was diffuse in nature. Results indicated that no lateralizing effects were present based on type of spatial reasoning. Findings are consistent with the suggestion that higher order cognitive processes involved in nonverbal abstraction and problem solving are not strongly lateralized to the right hemisphere but rather are more generally distributed throughout the cortex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)