High-resolution HLA-DRB typing using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and direct sequencing

Skeletal development of transgenic mice with a type II collagen mutation was analyzed and compared with wild-type littermates. The single base substitution in Col2a1 resulted in a glycine to serine mutation within the helical domain and corresponded to one previously identified in a patient with the lethal human chondrodysplasia, hypochondrogenesis (Horton et al. [1992] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:4583-4587). Skeletal staining of embryos from 14.5 through 18.5 days of gestation demonstrated a dwarf phenotype in the transgenic embryos, most notably short limb bones and vertebral column that was first detected at 15.5 days post-coitus. In addition to the reduced length, the extent of ossification was less in the transgenic mice. The architecture of the long bone growth plate was abnormal in the transgenic tissue, in particular there was no discernible proliferative zone. There were few stacks of characteristically flattened cells and the overall length of the growth plate in the mutant embryos was reduced. At the ultrastructural level, there were fewer collagen fibrils present in the transgenic mouse cartilage compared to that of wild-type littermates. Ultrastructural localization of collagen types II, IX and XI revealed a similar pattern between the transgenic and wild-type pups, suggesting that the collagen fibrils present in the matrix of littermates with both phenotypes had a similar composition. Skeletal analysis and cartilage histochemistry indicated that effect of the type II collagen mutation was to reduce the density of the collagen fibrils within the cartilage matrix which was associated with delayed bone formation and resulted in a short-limbed phenotype.     

A new technique for on-line and off-line high speed computation

A novel technique for both online and offline computation is presented. With this technique, a reconstruction analysis in elementary particle physics, otherwise prohibitively long, has been accomplished. It will be used online in an upcoming Fermilab experiment to reconstruct more than 100000 events per second and to trigger on the basis of that information. The technique delivers 40 gigaoperations per second, has a bandwidth on the order of gigabytes per second, and has a modest cost. An overview of the program, details of the system, and performance measurements are presented     

The response of lactating dairy cows to increasing levels of whole roasted soybeans

Twenty-four Holstein cows, including four primiparous and four ruminally cannulated, were in replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares with 21-d periods to determine the effects of feeding level of whole roasted soybeans on lactation performance and rumen function. Cows were fed rations containing a 50:50 forage:concentrate ratio with 0, 12, 18, or 24% of diet DM as whole roasted soybeans. Rations contained 16.8, 16.9, 18.6, and 19.7% CP and 1.68, 1.71, 1.72, and 1.74 Mcal NEL/kg DM, respectively. Milk production and milk fat percentages for diets containing 0, 12, 18, or 24% whole roasted soybeans were 34.9, 37.5, 38.5, and 38.8 kg/d and 3.23, 3.20, 3.32, and 3.37%, respectively. Milk protein percentage was depressed at all levels of whole roasted soybeans. Ruminal pH, VFA molar percentages except valerate, and DM disappearance of forage from dacron bags did not differ among treatments. Responses were similar among primiparous and multiparous cows. Results suggest benefit from feeding whole roasted soybeans at levels up to 18% of ration DM without adversely affecting DMI, milk fat, or rumen fermentation.     

When laws and ethics collide: What should psychologists do?

At times the laws under which psychologists function may appear to contradict generally recognized ethical values and/or good clinical care. When these circumstances arise, psychologists must determine if a conflict really exists and, if so, seek solutions that reconcile respect for the law with their ethical values. At times, psychologists may decide to follow the law despite their ethical concerns. At other times, they may determine that a conscientious objection is warranted. The authors recommend options to consider when these situations arise and offer a decision-making process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigation of fusion reactions in palladium and titanium tritide using galvanostatic,coulometric, and hydrogen permeation techniques

We describe several electrochemical methods used to investigate the possibility of cold fusion phenomena in palladium and titanium tritide cathodes. We performed long-term (up to 77 days) electrolysis experiments with electrochemical cells of the University of Utah type at current densities as high as 1 A/cm², while monitoring neutron and tritium levels. With some cells, we pulsed the current to determine if neutron bursts would result. In another cell, we used titanium tritide as the cathode to determine if D-T reactions yielding neutrons would occur. In no instance were levels of neutrons or tritium significantly above background except in the titanium tritide cell where isotopic exchange, occcurring between the electrode and the electrolyte, resulted in significant tritium levels. We also combined x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical hydrogen permeation experiments to determine the effectiveness of various Pd surface treatment procedures on the resultant electrochemical hydrogen absorption efficiency. Electroanalytical and thermal desorption/gas analysis techniques indicated the maximum loading of H in Pd was to a ratio of HPd=0.8.     

Study of siloxane additives migration to the surface of polyester-(melamine)-polyurethane coatings: Aging effects after ethanol cleaning

This study determines the influences of siloxane flow agents’ migration on the outermost surface composition of clearcoats, before and after ethanol cleaning. This evaluation is undertaken to improve adhesion of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) on automotive paint systems. Most of the siloxane flow agents segregate from the bulk to the clearcoat outermost surface during curing. These additives can cover until 50% of the surface area but X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analyses indicate that they can be removed by ethanol cleaning. Composition of the cleaned clearcoats surfaces are similar as the composition of clearcoat formulated without siloxane additives: the polyester-(melamine)-polyurethane network is more detected than before cleaning. However, outermost surface analyses show that several aging weeks increase the siloxane additives segregation. This post-cleaning migration modifies the clearcoat surface composition and cancels the chemical modifications due to the ethanol cleaning. XPS analyses show that silicon concentrations after cleaning and aging are inversely proportional to the initial silicon concentrations measured after curing. It highlights that aging has to be controlled to improve adhesion of PSAs on clearcoats. A second ethanol cleaning on aged clearcoats is not effective to remove these new siloxane additives. Their formulation should be different from the flow agents and it could modify their solubility in ethanol. This result could also indicate that these new siloxane additives are not located on the last molecular layer of surface and they would not be soluble in ethanol.     

Invasive species detection in Hawaiian rainforests using airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR

Remote sensing of invasive species is a critical component of conservation and management efforts, but reliable methods for the detection of invaders have not been widely established. In Hawaiian forests, we recently found that invasive trees often have hyperspectral signatures unique from that of native trees, but mapping based on spectral reflectance properties alone is confounded by issues of canopy senescence and mortality, intra- and inter-canopy gaps and shadowing, and terrain variability. We deployed a new hybrid airborne system combining the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) small-footprint light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system with the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) to map the three-dimensional spectral and structural properties of Hawaiian forests. The CAO-AVIRIS systems and data were fully integrated using in-flight and post-flight fusion techniques, facilitating an analysis of forest canopy properties to determine the presence and abundance of three highly invasive tree species in Hawaiian rainforests.

The LiDAR sub-system was used to model forest canopy height and top-of-canopy surfaces; these structural data allowed for automated masking of forest gaps, intra- and inter-canopy shadows, and minimum vegetation height in the AVIRIS images. The remaining sunlit canopy spectra were analyzed using spatially-constrained spectral mixture analysis. The results of the combined LiDAR-spectroscopic analysis highlighted the location and fractional abundance of each invasive tree species throughout the rainforest sites. Field validation studies demonstrated < 6.8% and < 18.6% error rates in the detection of invasive tree species at  7 m² and  2 m² minimum canopy cover thresholds. Our results show that full integration of imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR measurements provides enormous flexibility and analytical potential for studies of terrestrial ecosystems and the species contained within them.     

An artificial life approach to dense stereo disparity

This article presents an adaptive approach to improving the infection algorithm that we have used to solve the dense stereo matching problem. The algorithm presented here incorporates two different epidemic automata along a single execution of the infection algorithm. The new algorithm attempts to provide a general behavior of guessing the best correspondence between a pair of images. Our aim is to provide a new strategy inspired by evolutionary computation, which combines the behaviors of both automata into a single correspondence problem. The new algorithm will decide which automata will be used based on the transmission of information and mutation, as well as the attributes, texture, and geometry, of the input images. This article gives details about how the rules used in the infection algorithm are coded. Finally, we show experiments with a real stereo pair, as well as with a standard test bed, to show how the infection algorithm works.