Revan weighted PI index on some product of graphs

In chemical graph thoery, PI index is an additive topological index which has been used to measure the characteristics of chemical compounds. In this paper we introduce the weighted version of PI index of graph called the Revan Weighted PI index and we have obtained it for the hierarchical product of graphs, cartesian product, subdivision and join of two graphs. Also we have derived this index for some molecular graphs.Publisher's Versio

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling: A Case Study of Dry/Wet Extremes

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address deficiencies in numerical weather prediction and climate models due to improper treatment of L-A interactions, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land-PBL coupling at the process-level. In this study, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts oflocalland-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of2006-7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet regimes of this region, along with the behavior and accuracy of different land-PBL scheme couplings under these conditions. In addition, we examine the impact of improved specification ofland surface states, anomalies, and fluxes that are obtained through the use of a hew optimization and uncertainty module in LIS, on the L-A coupling in WRF forecasts. Results demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to coupled model components in the context of their integrated impacts on the process-chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and support of hydrological anomalies

Multivalent Recognition of Peptides by Modular Self-Assembled Receptors

Developing nontraditional approaches to the synthesis and characterization of multivalent compounds is critical to our efforts to study and interface with biological systems and to build new noncovalent materials. This paper demonstrates a biomimetic approach to the construction of discrete, modular, multivalent receptors via molecular self-assembly in aqueous solution. Scaffolds presenting 1−3 viologen groups recruit a respective 1−3 copies of the synthetic host, cucurbit[8]uril, in a noncooperative manner and with a consistent equilibrium association constant (Ka) value of 2 × 106 M−1 per binding site. The assembled mono-, di-, and trivalent receptors bind to their cognate target peptides containing 1−3 Trp residues with Ka values in the range 1.7 × 104−4.7 × 106 M−1 and in predetermined mono- or multivalent binding modes with 31−280-fold enhancements in affinity and additive enthalpies due to multivalency. The extent of valency was determined directly by measuring the visible charge-transfer absorptivity due to the viologen−indole pair. The predictable behavior of this system and its ease of synthesis and analysis make it well suited to serve as a model for multivalent binding and for the multivalent recognition of peptides by design

Discontinuities Concentrate Mobile Predators: Quantifying Organism-Environment Interactions at a Seascape Scale

Understanding environmental drivers of spatial patterns is an enduring ecological problem that is critical for effective biological conservation. Discontinuities (ecologically meaningful habitat breaks), both naturally occurring (e.g., river confluence, forest edge, drop-off) and anthropogenic (e.g., dams, roads), can influence the distribution of highly mobile organisms that have land- or seascape scale ranges. A geomorphic discontinuity framework, expanded to include ecological patterns, provides a way to incorporate important but irregularly distributed physical features into organism–environment relationships. Here, we test if migratory striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are consistently concentrated by spatial discontinuities and why. We quantified the distribution of 50 acoustically tagged striped bass at 40 sites within Plum Island Estuary, Massachusetts during four-monthly surveys relative to four physical discontinuities (sandbar, confluence, channel network, drop-off), one continuous physical feature (depth variation), and a geographic location variable (region). Despite moving throughout the estuary, striped bass were consistently clustered in the middle geographic region at sites with high sandbar area, close to channel networks, adjacent to complex confluences, with intermediate levels of bottom unevenness, and medium sized drop-offs. In addition, the highest striped bass concentrations occurred at sites with the greatest additive physical heterogeneity (i.e., where multiple discontinuities co-occurred). The need to incorporate irregularly distributed features in organism–environment relationships will increase as high-quality telemetry and GIS data accumulate for mobile organisms. The spatially explicit approach we used to address this challenge can aid both researchers who seek to understand the impact of predators on ecosystems and resource managers who require new approaches for biological conservation

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in NWP models remains largely undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with observations during the summers of 2006/7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which enables a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. This coupling is one component of a larger project to develop a NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) system. A range of diagnostics exploring the feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture

Dosimetry, clinical factors and medication intake influencing urinary symptoms after prostate radiotherapy: An analysis of data from the RADAR prostate radiotherapy trial

Purpose/Objective: To identify dosimetry, clinical factors and medication intake impacting urinary symptoms after prostate radiotherapy. Material and Methods: Data describing clinical factors and bladder dosimetry (reduced with principal component (PC) analysis) for 754 patients treated with external beam radiotherapy accrued by TROG 03.04 RADAR prostate radiotherapy trial were available for analysis. Urinary symptoms (frequency, incontinence, dysuria and haematuria) were prospectively assessed using LENT-SOMA to a median of 72 months. The endpoints assessed were prevalence (grade≥1) at the end of radiotherapy (representing acute symptoms), at 18-, 36- and 54-month follow-ups (representing late symptoms) and peak late incidence including only grade≥2. Impact of factors were assessed using multivariate logistic regression models with correction for over-optimism. Results: Baseline symptoms, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, age and PC1 (correlated to the mean dose) impact symptoms at \u3e1 timepoints. Associations at a single timepoint were found for cerebrovascular condition, ECOG status and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug intake. Peak incidence analysis shows the impact of baseline, bowel and cerebrovascular condition and smoking status. Conclusions: The prevalence and incidence analysis provide a complementary view for urinary symptom prediction. Sustained impacts across time points were found for several factors while some associations were not repeated at different time points suggesting poorer or transient impact

Re-evaluating the effi cacy of the aqueous leaf extract of Bridelia ferrugenia and its potential combination with metformin in the management of diabetes mellitus

Herbal medicinal products play a significant role in the management of diabetes and other chronic diseaseseither as a monotherapy or in combination with allopathic treatments. The hypoglycemic activity of a Ghanaianherbal antidiabetic product (Bridelia Tea) prepared from the dried leaves of Bridelia ferrugenia [BRD] was reevaluatedin this study with the view of improving, its activity and explore the possible benefit of using theproduct in combination with metformin (MET). Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (210-220 g) were renderedhyperglycemic by a single intraperitoneal administration of streptozocin (70 mg/kg) after an overnight fast. Thehyperglycemic rats then received one of the following treatments ([BRD 30 mg/kg or 300 mg/kg], [MET 250 mg/kgor 1000 mg/kg], [MET 250 mg/kg and BRD 30 mg/kg], [MET 1000 mg/kg and BRD 300 mg/kg]). The hypoglycemiceffect of BRD, MET, and the combination of the two products were not significantly different during an initial6 h of monitoring (P > 0.05). In the long-term study over 28 days, BRD 300 mg/kg had hypoglycemic effectscomparable to MET 1000 mg/kg p.o. and better than BDF 30 mg/kg p.o. (P < 0.05). However, the combination ofthe two products BRD and MET at the two doses reduced their therapeutic effect compared to animals receivingeither one of the two treatments alone

T cells enhance gold nanoparticle delivery to tumors in vivo

Gold nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown great potential for the treatment of cancer in mouse studies and is now being evaluated in clinical trials. For this therapy, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are injected intravenously and are allowed to accumulate within the tumor via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The tumor is then irradiated with a near infrared laser, whose energy is absorbed by the AuNPs and translated into heat. While reliance on the EPR effect for tumor targeting has proven adequate for vascularized tumors in small animal models, the efficiency and specificity of tumor delivery in vivo, particularly in tumors with poor blood supply, has proven challenging. In this study, we examine whether human T cells can be used as cellular delivery vehicles for AuNP transport into tumors. We first demonstrate that T cells can be efficiently loaded with 45 nm gold colloid nanoparticles without affecting viability or function (e.g. migration and cytokine production). Using a human tumor xenograft mouse model, we next demonstrate that AuNP-loaded T cells retain their capacity to migrate to tumor sites in vivo. In addition, the efficiency of AuNP delivery to tumors in vivo is increased by more than four-fold compared to injection of free PEGylated AuNPs and the use of the T cell delivery system also dramatically alters the overall nanoparticle biodistribution. Thus, the use of T cell chaperones for AuNP delivery could enhance the efficacy of nanoparticle-based therapies and imaging applications by increasing AuNP tumor accumulation

Three Measures of Tobacco Dependence Independently Predict Changes in Neural Structure

Studies have demonstrated moderate correlations between fractional anisotropy (FA, a measure of white matter organization), and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) scores in various white matter brain structures (r=-.52 to -.64). FA increases with smoking in adolescents, but in adult smokers FA declines with the progression of physical dependence. We examined correlations between FA and 3 measures of tobacco dependence: the FTND, Levels of Physical Dependence (PD), and the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC). The latter 2 measures assess only symptoms rather than behaviors, based on an assumption that a direct assessment of subjective symptoms will better reflect underlying biological conditions than behaviors that might be constrained by sociocultural factors.We compared white matter FA in 8 smokers and 10 nonsmokers and plotted the location of maximal correlation between FA and each dependence measure. FA trended higher in smokers than nonsmokers in the anterior cingulum bundle (ACb) (p=0.05). Among smokers, plots of the maximal correlation for all 3 measures fell within a circumscribed area of the left ACb, showing excellent concordance of results across measures. The maximal correlation with FA was r= -.78 for the FTND, -.85 for Levels of PD, and -.96 for the HONC (

Holonomic quantum computing in symmetry-protected ground states of spin chains

While solid-state devices offer naturally reliable hardware for modern classical computers, thus far quantum information processors resemble vacuum tube computers in being neither reliable nor scalable. Strongly correlated many body states stabilized in topologically ordered matter offer the possibility of naturally fault tolerant computing, but are both challenging to engineer and coherently control and cannot be easily adapted to different physical platforms. We propose an architecture which achieves some of the robustness properties of topological models but with a drastically simpler construction. Quantum information is stored in the symmetry-protected degenerate ground states of spin-1 chains, while quantum gates are performed by adiabatic non-Abelian holonomies using only single-site fields and nearest-neighbor couplings. Gate operations respect the symmetry, and so inherit some protection from noise and disorder from the symmetry-protected ground states.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. v2: published versio