Investigation of thiol derivatized gold nanoparticle sensors for gas analysis.

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air and exhaled breath by sensor array is a very useful testing technique. It can provide non-invasive, fast, inexpensive testing for many diseases. Breath analysis has been very successful in identifying cancer and other diseases by using a chemiresistor sensor or array with gold nanoparticles to detect biomarkers. Acetone is a biomarker for diabetes and having a portable testing device could help to monitor diabetic and therapeutic progress. An advantage to this testing method is it is conducted at room temperature instead of 200 degrees Celsius. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of thiol derivatized gold nanoparticles based on sensor(s) detection of VOCs. The VOCs to be tested are acetone, ethanol, and a mixture of acetone and ethanol. Each chip is tested under all three VOCs and three concentration levels (0.1, 1, and 5.0 ppm). VOC samples are used to test the sensors’ ability to detect and differentiate VOCs. Sensors (also referred to as a chip) are prepared using several types of thiol derivatized gold nanoparticles. The factors are: thiol compound and molar volume loading of the thiol in synthesis. The average resistance results are used to determine the VOC selectivity of the sensors tested. The results show a trend of increasing resistance as VOC concentration is increased relative to dry air; which is used as baseline for VOCs. Several sensors show a high selectivity to one or more VOCs. Overall the 57 µmoles of 4-methoxy-toluenethiol sensor shows the strongest selectivity for VOCs tested

Defining Honesty: A Qualitative Analysis of the Trait Honesty

A popular theoretical model in personality psychology is the Five Factor Model, or the Big Five. This model is structured to have five superordinate factors; Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientious, Neuroticism, and Openness (McCrae & Costa, 2003). Each of these factors includes numerous facets that contribute to each of the superordinate traits. However, there is some controversy over what these facets incorporate. For example, Agreeableness, according consists of straightforwardness, altruism, compliance, modesty, and tender-mindedness (Costa & McCrae, 1995). However, the factor of Agreeableness, as defined by the Big Five Model, lacks an important personality variable: honesty. Honesty can be conceptualized as acting in a manner consistent with ones values and beliefs in addition to telling the truth. It is displayed by someone who has a tendency to be fair and genuine towards others (Hilbig, Zettler, & Heydasch, 2011). Honesty has been viewed to be an important personality trait, as evidenced by honesty being consistently listed as one of the most desirable qualities in a romantic partner (citation). If honesty is such an important personality trait, it should be incorporated into a well-established model of personality. Although the Big Five does not incorporate honesty into the model, a different personality theory, the HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness (versus Anger), Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience) model, has emerged which does factor in honesty. This theory is based on the lexical approach using data from different languages. The HEXACO model incorporates a sixth factor in addition to the factors included in the Big Five model. This additional trait has been labeled Honesty-Humility, which has been shown to be related to Agreeableness (Ashton & Lee, 2005). Research has shown that this model, with the inclusion of the Honesty-Humility trait, explains incremental variance beyond the classical five‐factor approach (Hilbig, Zettler, & Heydasch, 2011). Although the lexical approach, which investigates the importance of personality traits by looking at the presence of descriptive words for the trait within a given language (citation – I think Allport but double check), is a decent start, it does not address how individuals conceptualize the trait. The lexical approach only investigates whether or not there is a word present in language to explain the trait. Therefore, although the HEXACO model is a decent start at understanding the trait of honesty, it is important to investigate how regular people conceptualize honesty using empirical methods. Consequently, we used open-ended questions as a framework for identifying major themes related to the trait of honesty in the current study. 85 undergraduates participated in the online survey in exchange for course credit. The survey consisted of 8 open-ended questions inquiring into participants perceptions of honesty in addition to demographic questions. These questions asked participants to describe both honest and dishonest situations, as well as the qualities that both honest and dishonest people have. Therefore, we were able to address both individual differences and situational factors that contribute to the conceptualization of honesty. 12 members of the research team read through the responses and identified major themes and commonalities of honesty and dishonesty. The next step for this project is to create a quantitative measure of honesty based on the major themes generated from the open-ended questions and to determine how well this new measure aligns with the measure of honesty developed for the HEXACO model in addition to the Big Five Factor of Agreeableness. By incorporating how individuals conceptualize honesty into the development of the scale, we will be better able to understand the construct through further research

Using culturally significant birds to guide the timing of prescribed fires in the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion

Historically, wildfire and tribal burning practices played important roles in shaping ecosystems throughout the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion of northern California and southern Oregon. Over the past several decades, there has been increased interest in the application of fire for forest management through the implementation of prescribed fires within habitats that are used by a diversity of migrant and resident land birds. While many bird species may benefit from habitat enhancements associated with wildfires, cultural burning, and prescribed fire, individuals may face direct or indirect harm. In this study, we analyzed the timing of breeding and molting in 11 species of culturally significant land birds across five ecologically distinct regions of northern California and southern Oregon to explore the potential timeframes that these bird species may be vulnerable to wildland fires (wildfire, prescribed fire, or cultural burning). We estimated that these selected species adhered to a breeding season from April 21 to August 23 and a molting season from June 30 to October 7 based on bird capture data collected between 1992 and 2014. Within these date ranges, we found that breeding and molting seasons of resident and migratory bird species varied temporally and spatially throughout our study region. Given this variability, spring fires that occur prior to April 21 and fall fires that occur after October 7 may reduce the potential for direct and indirect negative impacts on these culturally significant birds across the region. This timing corresponds with some Indigenous ecocultural burning practices that are aligned with traditionally observed environmental cues relating to patterns of biological phenology, weather, and astronomy. We detail the timing of breeding and molting seasons more specific to regions and species, and estimate 75%, 50%, and 25% quartiles for each season to allow for greater flexibility in planning the timing of prescribed fires and cultural burning, or regarding the potential implications of wildfires. The results of our study may serve as an additional resource for tribal members and cultural practitioners (when examined within the context of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge) and forest and wildland fire managers to promote stable populations of culturally significant bird species within fire-dependent forest systems

Regulation of D-galacturonate metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus by HumR, a LacI-family transcriptional repressor

The oligotrophic freshwater bacterium Caulobacter crescentus encodes a cluster of genes (CC_1487 to CC_1495) shown here to be necessary for metabolism of D-galacturonate, the primary constituent of pectin, a major plant polymer. Sequence analysis suggests that these genes encode a version of the bacterial hexuronate isomerase pathway. A conserved 14 bp sequence motif is associated with promoter regions of three operons within this cluster, and is conserved in homologous gene clusters in related alpha-Proteobacteria. Embedded in the hexuronate gene cluster is a gene (CC_1489) encoding a member of the LacI family of bacterial transcription factors. This gene product, designated here as HumR (hexuronate metabolism regulator), represses expression of the uxaA and uxaC operon promoters by binding to the conserved operator sequence. Repression is relieved in the presence of galacturonate or, to a lesser extent, by glucuronate. Other genes potentially involved in pectin degradation and hexuronate transport are also under the control of HumR. Adoption of a LacI-type repressor to control hexuronate metabolism parallels the regulation of xylose, glucose, and maltose utilization in C. crescentus, but is distinct from the use of GntR-type repressors to control pectin and hexuronate utilization in gamma-Proteobacteria such as Escherichia coli

Abraham model correlations for predicting gas-to-liquid partition coefficients and activity coefficients of organic solutes dissolved in 1-(2-methoxyethyl)-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate

Article on Abraham model correlations for predicting gas-to-liquid partition coefficients and activity coefficients of organic solutes

Determination of the Solubilizing Character of 1-Methoxyethyl-1-Methylpiperidinium Tris(Pentafluoroethyl)Trifluorophosphate Based on the Abraham Solvation Parameter Model

Article on determination of solubilizing character of 1-methoxyethyl-1-methylpiperidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate based on the Abraham solvation parameter model

Correlation of the Solubilizing Abilities of 1-Butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium Tris(pentafluoroethyl)-trifluorophosphate, 1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium Triflate and 1-Methoxyethyl-1-methylmorpholinium Tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate

This article discusses the correlation of the solubilizing abilities

Analysis of changing statistical significance from .05 to .005 in foot and ankle randomized controlled trials

Background: Misinterpretation of p-values in RCTs is extremely problematic since they are the core basis for high levels of recommendation in clinical practice guidelines, especially Orthopaedics. Benjamin et al. proposed a universal protocol change, moving statistical significance from a p-value of .05 to .005 to combat the misinterpretation that is happening in medical literature. In this study, we are looking to evaluate the effect of the protocol suggested by Benjamin et al. on foot and ankle-related RCTs in the top 3 Foot and Ankle-related journals.Methods: We conducted a Pubmed search looking at studies published from January 1st, 2016 to November 10, 2021, in the following three journals; Foot and Ankle International, Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, and Foot & Ankle International. The inclusion criteria for the study were RCTs published in the above journals with specifically stated primary endpoints. If a study has multiple primary endpoints, all were included. Exclusion criteria were any study that was not prospective and randomized by design, also any study that did not state primary endpoints was excluded. Two authors extracted the data using a pilot-tested Google form, any disagreements or questions were resolved by published methodologic orthopaedic authors.Results: Of the 222 endpoints, 101 endpoints (45.5%; 101/222) were at or below the .05 threshold while 121 endpoints (54.5%; 121/222) were above the .05 threshold. We also found that 59 endpoints (26.6%; 59/222) were below .005.Conclusion: Our results suggest that changing the threshold for statistical significance from .05 to .005 in foot and ankle RCTs would heavily alter literature published in the field. By implementing this methodology, it is a promising measure to be able to increase RCT quality until a more substantial solution can be found. With that being said, caution must be taken when interpreting our results, also requiring further evaluation

Determination of the Solubilizing Character of 1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-1-Methylimidazolium Tris(Pentafluoroethyl)Trifluorophosphate Based on the Abraham Solvation Parameter Model

Article discussing the solubilizing character of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate based on the Abraham solvation parameter model

Condensin I Recruitment to Base Damage-Enriched DNA Lesions Is Modulated by PARP1

Condensin I is important for chromosome organization and segregation in mitosis. We previously showed that condensin I also interacts with PARP1 in response to DNA damage and plays a role in single-strand break repair. However, whether condensin I physically associates with DNA damage sites and how PARP1 may contribute to this process were unclear. We found that condensin I is preferentially recruited to DNA damage sites enriched for base damage. This process is dictated by PARP1 through its interaction with the chromosome-targeting domain of the hCAP-D2 subunit of condensin I