Collection and determination of nucleotide metabolites in neonatal and adult saliva by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Saliva contains a number of biochemical components which may be useful for diagnosis/monitoring of metabolic disorders, and as markers of cancer or heart disease. Saliva collection is attractive as a non-invasive sampling method for infants and elderly patients. We present a method suitable for saliva collection from neonates. We have applied this technique for the determination of salivary nucleotide metabolites. Saliva was collected from 10 healthy neonates using washed cotton swabs, and directly from 10 adults. Two methods for saliva extraction from oral swabs were evaluated. The analytes were then separated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The limits of detection for 14 purine/pyrimidine metabolites were variable, ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 mu M. Recovery of hydrophobic purine/pyrimidine metabolites from cotton tips was consistently high using water/acetonitrile extraction (92.7-111%) compared with water extraction alone. The concentrations of these metabolites were significantly higher in neonatal saliva than in adults. Preliminary ranges for nucleotide metabolites in neonatal and adult saliva are reported. Hypoxanthine and xanthine were grossly raised in neonates (49.3 +/- 25.4; 30.9 +/- 19.5 mu M respectively) compared to adults (4.3 +/- 3.3; 4.6 +/- 4.5 mu M); nucleosides were also markedly raised in neonates. This study focuses on three essential details: contamination of oral swabs during manufacturing and how to overcome this; weighing swabs to accurately measure small saliva volumes; and methods for extracting saliva metabolites of interest from cotton swabs. A method is described for determining nucleotide metabolites using HPLC with photo-diode array or MS/MS. The advantages of utilising saliva are highlighted. Nucleotide metabolites were not simply in equilibrium with plasma, but may be actively secreted into saliva, and this process is more active in neonates than adults. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of rod-cone interactions on mesopic visual performance mediated by chromatic and luminance pathways

We studied the effect of rod–cone interactions on mesopic visual reaction time (RT). Rod and cone photoreceptor excitations were independently controlled using a four-primary photostimulator. It was observed that (1) lateral rod–cone interactions increase the cone-mediated RTs; (2) the rod–cone interactions are strongest when rod sensitivity is maximal in a dark surround, but weaker with increased rod activity in a light surround; and (3) the presence of a dark surround nonselectively increased the mean and variability of chromatic (+L-M, S-cone) and luminance (L+M+S) RTs independent of the level of rod activity. The results demonstrate that lateral rod–cone interactions must be considered when deriving mesopic luminous efficiency using RT.

Driven by distraction: Investigating the effects of anxiety on driving performance using the Attentional Control Theory

This study investigates the effects of trait anxiety on self-reported driving behaviours through its negative impacts on Central Executive functions. Following a self-report study that found trait anxiety to be significantly related to driving behaviours, the present study extended the predictions of Eysenck and Calvo’s Attentional Control Theory, proposing that anxiety affects driving behaviours, in particular driving lapses, through its impact across the Central Executive. Seventy-five Australian drivers participated in the study, completing the Parametric Go/No-Go and n-back tasks, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire. While both trait anxiety and processing efficiency of the Central Executive was found to significantly predict driving lapses, trait anxiety remained a strong predictor of driving lapses after processing efficiency was controlled for. It is concluded that while processing efficiency of the central Executive is a key determinant of driving lapses, another Central Executive function that is closer to the driving lapses in the trait anxiety – driving lapses relationship may be needed. Suggestions regarding how to improve future trait anxiety – driving behaviours research are discussed.

On the growth process of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 absorber layer formed by selenizing Cu–ZnS–SnS precursors and its photovoltaic performance

Sputtering and subsequent sulfurization(orselenization)is one of the methods that have been extensively employed to fabricate Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin films. However, there are limited reports on the effect of precursor stacking order of the sputtered source materials on the properties of the synthesized CZTSSe films. In this work,the morphology and crystallization process of the CZTSSe films which were prepared by selenizing Cu–ZnS–SnS precursor layers with different stacking sequences and the adhesion property between the as-synthesized CZTSSe layer and Mosubstrate have been thoroughly investigated. It has been found that the growth of CZTSSe material and the morphology of the film strongly depend on the location of Culayer in the precursor film. The formation of CZTSSe starts from the diffusion of Cu–Se to Sn(S,Se)layert o form Cu–Sn–(S,Se) compound,followed by the reaction with Zn(S,Se). The investigation of themorphology of the CZTSSe films has shown that large grains are formed in the film with the precursor stacking order of Mo/SnS/ZnS/Cu,which is attributed to a bottom-to-top growth mechanism. In contrast, the film made from a precursor with a stacking sequence of Mo/ZnS/ SnS/Cu is mainly consisted of small grains due to a top-to-bottom growth mechanism. The best CZTSSe solar cell with energy conversion efficiency of3.35%has been achieved with the selenized Mo/ZnS/ SnS/Cu film, which is attributed to a good contact between the absorber layer and the Mosubstrate.

Enhanced earth grid performance by improved conductor properties

Encroaching built environment with increased fault current levels is demanding a robust design approach and prolonged improved performance of the earth grid. With this in mind, the aim of the project was to perform a sensitivity analysis of the earth grid and an earthing performance evaluation with graphene coated conductors. Subsequent to these, a conceptual design to continuously monitor the performance of the earth grid was developed. In this study, earth grid design standards were compared to evaluate their appropriate use in determining the safety condition. A process to grow a thin film of graphene on the surface of cylindrical copper rods was developed to evaluate earthing performance in terms of conductivity and corrosion susceptibility.

Latency, Power and Performance Trade-offs in Network-on-Chips by Link Microarchitecture Exploration

This paper presents a power, latency and throughput trade-off study on NoCs by varying microarchitectural (e.g. pipelining) and circuit level (e.g. frequency and voltage) parameters. We change pipelining depth, operating frequency and supply voltage for 3 example NoCs - 16 node 2D Torus, Tree network and Reduced 2D Torus. We use an in-house NoC exploration framework capable of topology generation and comparison using parameterized models of Routers and links developed in SystemC. The framework utilizes interconnect power and delay models from a low-level modelling tool called Intacte[1]1. We find that increased pipelining can actually reduce latency. We also find that there exists an optimal degree of pipelining which is the most energy efficient in terms of minimizing energy-delay product.

Effect of Grouping Feedlot Steers by Temperament on Performance and Carcass Traits

Cattle temperament is correlated with liveweight gains during feedlotting (Voisinet et al., 1997) ie. cattle that are nervous and flighty (poor temperament) do not perform as well as those that are quiet and docile (good temperament). This experiment investigated the effect of grouping into feedlot pens cattle of good temperament, poor temperament and mixed (some good and some poor) temperament on average daily gain (ADG), body condition score (CS), feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and various carcase traits. Animal production for a consuming world : proceedings of 9th Congress of the Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies [AAAP] and 23rd Biennial Conference of the Australian Society of Animal Production [ASAP] and 17th Annual Symposium of the University of Sydney, Dairy Research Foundation, [DRF]. 2-7 July 2000, Sydney, Australia.

Use of a volatile buffer at ambient temperature *1: Versatile approach to the purification of self-complementary synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract is not available.

Draft of letter by Jacques Judah Lyons to Sir Moses Montefiore, sending him payment for the Jews of Palestine, and acknowledgement

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High-performance graphene-based supercapacitors made by a scalable blade-coating approach

Graphene oxide (GO) sheets can form liquid crystals (LCs) in their aqueous dispersions that are more viscous with a stronger LC feature. In this work we combine the viscous LC-GO solution with the blade-coating technique to make GO films, for constructing graphene-based supercapacitors in a scalable way. Reduced GO (rGO) films are prepared by wet chemical methods, using either hydrazine (HZ) or hydroiodic acid (HI). Solid-state supercapacitors with rGO films as electrodes and highly conductive carbon nanotube films as current collectors are fabricated and the capacitive properties of different rGO films are compared. It is found that the HZ-rGO film is superior to the HI-rGO film in achieving high capacitance, owing to the 3D structure of graphene sheets in the electrode. Compared to gelled electrolyte, the use of liquid electrolyte (H2SO4) can further increase the capacitance to 265 F per gram (corresponding to 52 mF per cm2) of the HZ-rGO film.

Atomic layer-by-layer Co3O4/graphene composite for high performance lithium-ion batteries

An "atomic layer-by-layer" structure of Co3O4/graphene is developed as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Due to the atomic thickness of both the Co3O4 nanosheets and the graphene, the composite exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacity of 1134.4 mAh g-1 and an ultralong life up to 2000 cycles at 2.25 C, far beyond the performances of previously reported Co3O4/C composites.

Performance modulation of α-MnO2 nanowires by crystal facet engineering

Modulation of material physical and chemical properties through selective surface engineering is currently one of the most active research fields, aimed at optimizing functional performance for applications. The activity of exposed crystal planes determines the catalytic, sensory, photocatalytic, and electrochemical behavior of a material. In the research on nanomagnets, it opens up new perspectives in the fields of nanoelectronics, spintronics, and quantum computation. Herein, we demonstrate controllable magnetic modulation of α-MnO 2 nanowires, which displayed surface ferromagnetism or antiferromagnetism, depending on the exposed plane. First-principles density functional theory calculations confirm that both Mn- and O-terminated α-MnO2(1 1 0) surfaces exhibit ferromagnetic ordering. The investigation of surface-controlled magnetic particles will lead to significant progress in our fundamental understanding of functional aspects of magnetism on the nanoscale, facilitating rational design of nanomagnets. Moreover, we approved that the facet engineering pave the way on designing semiconductors possessing unique properties for novel energy applications, owing to that the bandgap and the electronic transport of the semiconductor can be tailored via exposed surface modulations.

Aqueous colloidal stability evaluated by zeta potential measurement and resultant TiO2 for superior photovoltaic performance

Controlling the morphological structure of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) is crucial for obtaining superior power conversion efficiency for dye-sensitized solar cells. Although the sol-gel-based process has been developed for this purpose, there has been limited success in resisting the aggregation of nanostructured TiO2, which could act as an obstacle for mass production. Herein, we report a simple approach to improve the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) by controlling the degree of aggregation and particle surface charge through zeta potential analysis. We found that different aqueous colloidal conditions, i.e., potential of hydrogen (pH), water/titanium alkoxide (titanium isopropoxide) ratio, and surface charge, obviously led to different particle sizes in the range of 10-500 nm. We have also shown that particles prepared under acidic conditions are more effective for DSSC application regarding the modification of surface charges to improve dye loading and electron injection rate properties. Power conversion efficiency of 6.54%, open-circuit voltage of 0.73 V, short-circuit current density of 15.32 mA/cm2, and fill factor of 0.73 were obtained using anatase TiO 2 optimized to 10-20 nm in size, as well as by the use of a compact TiO2 blocking layer.

A method of fraud & intrusion detection for e-payment systems in mobile

The need for paying with mobile devices has urged the development of payment systems for mobile electronic commerce. In this paper we have considered two important abuses in electronic payments systems for detection. The fraud, which is an intentional deception accomplished to secure an unfair gain, and an intrusion which are any set of actions that attempt to compromise the integrity, confidentiality or availability of a resource. Most of the available fraud and intrusion detection systems for e-payments are specific to the systems where they have been incorporated. This paper proposes a generic model called as Activity-Event-Symptoms(AES) model for detecting fraud and intrusion attacks which appears during payment process in the mobile commerce environment. The AES model is designed to identify the symptoms of fraud and intrusions by observing various events/transactions occurs during mobile commerce activity. The symptoms identification is followed by computing the suspicion factors for event attributes, and the certainty factor for a fraud and intrusion is generated using these suspicion factors. We have tested the proposed system by conducting various case studies, on the in-house established mobile commerce environment over wired and wire-less networks test bed.

Human rights performance disclosure by companies having operations in high risk countries: Evidence from Australian mineral sector

The aim of this study is to explore whether Australian mineral companies operating in high human rights risk countries provide more human rights disclosures than companies operating in low risk countries. A content analysis instrument containing 88 specific human rights performance items derived from a number of international human rights guidelines has been developed to investigate the annual reports, social responsibility reports and corporate websites of the top 50 Australian mineral companies (2010/2011). The findings show that human rights performance disclosures by companies with operations in high human rights risk countries are significantly higher than companies with operations in the low risk countries. By disclosing extended human rights performance information, companies operating in high risk countries appear to ease community concerns about human rights violations. The finding is consistent with legitimacy theory which posits that organisations respond to community concerns in relation to particular social issues.