Effective non-additive pair potential for lock-and-key interacting particles: the role of the limited valence

Theoretical studies of self-assembly processes and condensed phases in colloidal systems are often based on effective inter-particle potentials. Here we show that developing an effective potential for particles interacting with a limited number of ``lock-and-key'' selective bonds (due to the specificity of bio-molecular interactions) requires -- beside the non-sphericity of the potential -- a (many body) constraint that prevent multiple bonding on the same site. We show the importance of retaining both valence and bond-selectivity by developing, as a case study, a simple effective potential describing the interaction between colloidal particles coated by four single-strand DNA chains.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Multiple myeloma primary cells show a highly rearranged unbalanced genome with amplifications and homozygous deletions irrespective of the presence of immunoglobulin-related chromosome translocations

Background and Objectives Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell neoplasia in which genetic studies have shown that genomic changes may affect almost all chromosomes, as shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Our objective was the genomic characterization of CD 138 positive primary MM samples by means of a high resolution array CGH platform. Design and Methods For the first time, a high resolution array CGH with more than 40,000 probes, has been used to analyze 26 primary MM samples after the enrichment of CD138-positive plasma cells. Results This approach identified copy number imbalances in all cases. Bioinformatics strategies were optimized to perform data analysis allowing the segregation of hyperdiploid and non-hyperdiploid cases by array CGH. Additional analysis showed that structural chromosome rearrangements were more frequently seen in hyperdiploid cases. We also identified the same Xq21 duplication in nearly 20% of the cases, which originated through unbalanced chromosome translocations. High level amplifications and homozygous deletions were recurrently observed in our series and involved genes with meaningful function in cancer biology. Interpretation and Conclusions High resolution array CGH allowed us to identify copy number changes in 100% of the primary MM samples. We segregated different MM subgroups based on their genomic profiles which made it possible to identify homozygous deletions and amplifications of great genetic relevance in MM

Self Consistent Molecular Field Theory for Packing in Classical Liquids

Building on a quasi-chemical formulation of solution theory, this paper proposes a self consistent molecular field theory for packing problems in classical liquids, and tests the theoretical predictions for the excess chemical potential of the hard sphere fluid. Results are given for the self consistent molecular fields obtained, and for the probabilities of occupancy of a molecular observation volume. For this system, the excess chemical potential predicted is as accurate as the most accurate prior theories, particularly the scaled particle (Percus-Yevick compressibility) theory. It is argued that the present approach is particularly simple, and should provide a basis for a molecular-scale description of more complex solutions.Comment: 6 pages and 5 figure

Cortical functioning in children with developmental coordination disorder:a motor overflow study

This study examined brain activation in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) to reveal areas that may contribute to poor movement execution and/or abundant motor overflow. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, 13 boys with DCD (mean age = 9.6 years ±0.8) and 13 typically developing controls (mean age = 9.3 years ±0.6) were scanned performing two tasks (finger sequencing and hand clenching) with their dominant hand, while a four-finger motion sensor recorded contralateral motor overflow on their non-dominant hand. Despite displaying increased motor overflow on both functional tasks during scanning, there were no obvious activation deficits in the DCD group to explain the abundant motor overflow seen. However, children with DCD were found to display decreased activation in the left superior frontal gyrus on the finger-sequencing task, an area which plays an integral role in executive and spatially oriented processing. Decreased activation was also seen in the left inferior frontal gyrus, an area typically active during the observation and imitation of hand movements. Finally, increased activation in the right postcentral gyrus was seen in children with DCD, which may reflect increased reliance on somatosensory information during the execution of complex fine motor tasks

A FRAMEWORK IN ONLINE LEARNING PROCESS: A GUIDE TO EDUCATIONAL TEACHING DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Education is a continuous process of learning and it is a pinnacle of life attitude and a vision of every individual. It analyses the framework of online learning process and improvement guide during Covid 19 pandemic situation. It provides progress in work online learning process and level. The study aims to identify the different frameworks in online learning through implementation of teaching, delivery mode of teaching, support, and school system process as guide to educational system during Covid 19 pandemic. The study employs the application and benefit of Virtual Reality Design (VRD) because it possesses potential application in online learning process in education with systematic existence of design that displays the purpose of learning process and is considered as high-end design of research which is relevant to the study process. The study comprised Two Hundred Sixty Nine (269) from the professional lecturers and teachers in the different continents from Asia, Middle East, Africa, Australia, Europe, and United States of America. Random sampling technique is utilised in the study. Results of the study show an establish proper schedule of students in their regular classes during the period of Covid 19 pandemic and develop proper strategy in teaching during their lecture hours and provide focus to support students in their learning process and undertake initiatives despite of the limited resources in online teaching, identify the means of delivery mode of teaching based on the needs of students in their learning process, support students in their new modality of instruction in their online classes that boost their learning potential ability, and school provides guidelines for the online learning of student tools during Covid 19 pandemic to ensure better education.  Article visualizations

Assessment of motor functioning in the preschool period

The assessment of motor functioning in young children has become increasingly important in recent years with the acknowledgement that motor impairment is linked with cognitive, language, social and emotional difficulties. However, there is no one gold standard assessment tool to investigate motor ability in children. The aim of the current paper was to discuss the issues related to the assessment of motor ability in young pre-school children and to provide guidelines on the best approach for motor assessment. The paper discusses the maturational changes in brain development at the preschool level in relation to motor ability. Other issues include sex differences in motor ability at this young age, and evidence for this in relation to sociological versus biological influences. From the previous literature it is unclear what needs to be assessed in relation to motor functioning. Should the focus be underlying motor processes or movement skill assessment? Several key assessment tools are discussed that produce a general measure of motor performance followed by a description of tools that assess specific skills, such as fine and gross motor, ball and graphomotor skills. The paper concludes with recommendations on the best approach in assessing motor function in pre-school children

MATH APPS UTILIZATION: ITS PERCEIVED EFFECTS TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF MATHEMATICS MAJOR STUDENTS

This study aimed to determine the perceived effects of apps utilization to study habits and academic performance. Further, it also sought to determine the views of the participants and respondents on their engagement in math apps and their relationship with study habits and academic performance. This study made use of explanatory-sequential design. The purposive sampling design was used to determine the respondents in quantitative data while the quota sampling design was also used to determine the participants in qualitative data. The study revealed that the mathematical application that is mostly used by the students is the calculator app as it garnered the highest percentage value of 80.85.%. The participants agreed that math applications serve as an aid for math problems, aid for lack of teaching by the teacher, promote learning of specific lessons and increase, and help in improving their academic performance. Respondents’ perception of their utilization of math apps is due to technical problems. The respondents also agreed that math application also affected their study habits in which they become dependent on it which led to laziness and tiredness. In addition, this study also found that there is a significant relationship between respondents’ utilization of math applications and their study habits. Lastly, there is also a significant relationship between the study habits and academic performance of selected math students of Notre Dame of Midsayap College.  Article visualizations

Can ground counts reliably monitor ibex Capra ibex populations

: Can ground counts reliably monitor ibex Capra ibex populations? -Wildl. Biol. 14: 489-499. Although ground counts are often used to monitor ungulate populations, several studies show that counts of ungulates have low precision and often underestimate population size. We assessed the reliability of ibex Capra ibex counts as performed in French national parks, by analysing up to 23 years of annual censuses of six ibex populations for which a subset of animals were individually marked. We compared the population growth rate obtained from census data (estimated by use of four different methods) with the growth rate calculated from a demographic model including parameters estimated from capture-markrecapture methods. The correlations between count-based estimates and growth rate obtained from demographic models were adequate to suggest that ground counts can monitor trends in population size of ibex, provided that the occasional undercounts are identified. Substantial undercounts in some years led to biologically impossible values of yearly population growth (l>1.35) and, in the longest time series available, to marked autocorrelations in counts. Managers should replicate counts within the same year to check for underestimated counts. To reduce errors, population biologists analysing time series of ungulate counts should check the plausibility of annual growth rates estimated from two consecutive counts