A homogeneous DNA hybridization system by using a new luminescence terbium chelate

Homogeneous DNA hybridization assay based on the luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) from a new luminescence terbium chelate, N,N,N-1,N-1-[2,6-bis(3'-aminomethyl-1'-pyrazolyl)-4-phenylpyridine]tetrakis(acetic acid) (BPTA)-Tb3+ (lambda(ex) = 325 nm and lambda(em) = 545 nm) to an organic dye, Cy3 (A,. = 548 nm and A,. = 565 nm), has been developed. In the system, two DNA probes whose sequences are complementary to the two different consecutive sequences of a target DNA are used; one of the probes is labeled with the Tb3+ chelate at the T-end, and the other is with Cy3 at the 5'-end. Labeling of the Tb3+ chelate is accomplished via the linkage of a biotin-labeled DNA probe with the Tb3+ chelate-labeled streptavidin. Strong sensitized emission of Cy3 was observed upon excitation of the Tb3+ chelate at 325 run, when the two probe DNAs were hybridized with the target DNA. The sensitivity of the assay was very high compared with those of the previous homogeneous-format assays using the conventional organic dyes; the detection limit of the present assay is about 30 pM of the target DNA strand.

Identifying framework titanium in TS-1 zeolite by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy

Framework titanium in Ti-silicalite-1 (TS-1) zeolite was selectively identified by its resonance Raman bands using ultraviolet (W) Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra of the TS-1 and silicalite-1 zeolites were obtained and compared using continuous wave laser lines at 244, 325, and 488 nm as the excitation sources. It was only with the excitation at 244 nm that resonance enhanced Raman bands at 490, 530, and 1125 cm(-1) appeared exclusively for the TS-1 zeolite. Furthermore, these bands increased in intensity with the crystallization time of the TS-1 zeolite. The Raman bands at 490, 530, and 1125 cm(-1) are identified as the framework titanium species because they only appeared when the laser excites the charge-transfer transition of the framework titanium species in the TS-1. No resonance Raman enhancement was detected for the bands of silicalite-1 zeolite and for the band at 960 cm(-1) of TS-1 with any of the excitation sources ranging from the visible tb UV regions. This approach can be applicable for the identification of other transition metal ions substituted in the framework of a zeolite or any other molecular sieve.

Inoculação com Azospirillum brasilense: inovação em rendimento a baixo custo.

O que são bactérias promotoras do crescimento de plantas?; Bactérias do gênero Azospirillum promovem o crescimento de plantas?; O que é a fixação biológica do nitrogênio? Azospirillum também pode realizar esse processo?; Que outros benefícios às plantas são atribuídos ao Azospirillum?; Há muitos ensaios de inoculação com Azospirillum conduzidos no mundo?; Pode existir especificidade de Azospirillum com as plantas hospedeiras? E no Brasil, há muitos estudos básicos e aplicados com Azospirillum?; Qual foi a pesquisa que resultou no primeiro inoculante contendo Azospirillum comercializado no Brasil?; Nessa pesquisa pioneira, quais foram os resultados encontrados com o trigo?; E qual foi o efeito da inoculação do milho com Azospirillum?; Quais foram as repercussões desses ensaios com trigo e milho?; E no caso de inoculantes líquidos, quais foram os resultados obtidos em trigo e milho?; Os benefícios pela inoculação com Azospirillum no Brasil são atribuídos à fixação biológica do nitrogênio?; Rendimentos elevados de milho podem ser obtidos via inoculação com Azospirillum?; A partir dos resultados de todos esses ensaios, qual pode ser a recomendação para as culturas do trigo e do milho?; Existem mais resultados obtidos com diferentes doses de fertilizante nitrogenado em trigo e milho?; Quais cuidados devem ser tomados com a compra do inoculante contendo Azospirillum?; Como deve ser feita a inoculação das sementes com Azospirillum?

Psychologically Inspired Sensory-Motor Development in Early Robot Learning

Lee, M., Meng, Q. (2005). Psychologically Inspired Sensory-Motor Development in Early Robot Learning. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 325-334.

Waterworks and commemoration: purity, rurality, and civic identity in Britain, 1880-1921

Roberts, Owen, 'Waterworks and commemoration: purity, rurality, and civic identity in Britain, 1880-1921', Continuity and Change (2007) 22(2) pp.305-325 RAE2008

Monturas de cuero recubiertas con pellones y gualdrapas tejidas con hilos de color, de los indígenas Wayúu Guajira.

11 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías a color.

Addressing non-linear hardware limitations and extending network coverage area for power aware wireless sensor networks

Science Foundation Ireland (07/CE/11147); Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology (Embark Initiative)

Human dimensions of bycatch reduction technology: Current assumptions and directions for future research

Bycatch reduction technology (BRT) modifies fishing gear to increase selectivity and avoid capture of non-target species, or to facilitate their non-lethal release. As a solution to fisheries-related mortality of non-target species, BRT is an attractive option; effectively implemented, BRT presents a technical 'fix' that can reduce pressure for politically contentious and economically detrimental interventions, such as fisheries closures. While a number of factors might contribute to effective implementation, our review of BRT literature finds that research has focused on technical design and experimental performance of individual technologies. In contrast, and with a few notable exceptions, research on the human and institutional context of BRT, and more specifically on how fishers respond to BRT, is limited. This is not to say that fisher attitudes are ignored or overlooked, but that incentives for fisher uptake of BRT are usually assumed rather than assessed or demonstrated. Three assumptions about fisher incentives dominate: (1) economic incentives will generate acceptance of BRT; (2) enforcement will generate compliance with BRT; and (3) 'participation' by fishers will increase acceptance and compliance, and overall support for BRT. In this paper, we explore evidence for and against these assumptions and situate our analysis in the wider social science literature on fisheries. Our goal is to highlight the need and suggest focal areas for further research. © Inter-Research 2008.

Cumulative exposure to traumatic events in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the impact of cumulative trauma exposure on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity in a nonclinical sample of adults in their 60s. The predictive utility of cumulative trauma exposure was compared to other known predictors of PTSD, including trauma severity, personality traits, social support, and event centrality. METHOD: Community-dwelling adults (n = 2515) from the crest of the Baby Boom generation completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Centrality of Event Scale, and rated their current social support. RESULTS: Cumulative trauma exposure predicted greater PTSD symptom severity in hierarchical regression analyses consistent with a dose-response model. Neuroticism and event centrality also emerged as robust predictors of PTSD symptom severity. In contrast, the severity of individuals' single most distressing life event, as measured by self-report ratings of the A1 PTSD diagnostic criterion, did not add explanatory variance to the model. Analyses concerning event categories revealed that cumulative exposure to childhood violence and adulthood physical assaults were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity in older adulthood. Moreover, cumulative self-oriented events accounted for a larger percentage of variance in symptom severity compared to events directed at others. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the cumulative impact of exposure to traumatic events throughout the life course contributes significantly to posttraumatic stress in older adulthood above and beyond other known predictors of PTSD.

Validation of ICDPIC software injury severity scores using a large regional trauma registry.

BACKGROUND: Administrative or quality improvement registries may or may not contain the elements needed for investigations by trauma researchers. International Classification of Diseases Program for Injury Categorisation (ICDPIC), a statistical program available through Stata, is a powerful tool that can extract injury severity scores from ICD-9-CM codes. We conducted a validation study for use of the ICDPIC in trauma research. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort validation study of 40,418 patients with injury using a large regional trauma registry. ICDPIC-generated AIS scores for each body region were compared with trauma registry AIS scores (gold standard) in adult and paediatric populations. A separate analysis was conducted among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) comparing the ICDPIC tool with ICD-9-CM embedded severity codes. Performance in characterising overall injury severity, by the ISS, was also assessed. RESULTS: The ICDPIC tool generated substantial correlations in thoracic and abdominal trauma (weighted κ 0.87-0.92), and in head and neck trauma (weighted κ 0.76-0.83). The ICDPIC tool captured TBI severity better than ICD-9-CM code embedded severity and offered the advantage of generating a severity value for every patient (rather than having missing data). Its ability to produce an accurate severity score was consistent within each body region as well as overall. CONCLUSIONS: The ICDPIC tool performs well in classifying injury severity and is superior to ICD-9-CM embedded severity for TBI. Use of ICDPIC demonstrates substantial efficiency and may be a preferred tool in determining injury severity for large trauma datasets, provided researchers understand its limitations and take caution when examining smaller trauma datasets.