Experimental Hamiltonian identification for controlled two-level systems

We present a strategy to empirically determine the internal and control Hamiltonians for an unknown two-level system (black box) subject to various (piecewise constant) control fields when direct readout by measurement is limited to a single, fixed observable

A Comparison of Energy-Resolved Vibrational Activation/Dissociation Characteristics of Protonated and Sodiated High Mannose N-Glycopeptides

Fragmentation of glycopeptides in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) plays a pivotal role in site-specific protein glycosylation profiling by allowing specific oligosaccharide compositions and connectivities to be associated with specific loci on the corresponding protein. Although MS/MS analysis of glycopeptides has been successfully performed using a number of distinction dissociation methods, relatively little is known regarding the fragmentation characteristics of glycopeptide ions with various charge carriers. In this study, energy-resolved vibrational activation/ dissociation was examined via collision-induced dissociation for a group of related high mannose tryptic glycopeptides as their doubly protonated, doubly sodiated, and hybrid protonated sodium adduct ions. The doubly protonated glycopeptide ions with various compositions were found to undergo fragmentation over a relatively low but wide range of collision energies compared with the doubly sodiated and hybrid charged ions, and were found to yield both glycan and peptide fragmentation depending on the applied collision energy. By contrast, the various doubly sodiated glycopeptides were found to dissociate over a significantly higher but narrow range of collision energies, and exhibited only glycan cleavages. Interestingly, the hybrid protonated sodium adduct ions were consistently the most stable of the precursor ions studied, and provided fragmentation information spanning both the glycan and the peptide moieties. Taken together, these findings illustrate the influence of charge carrier over the energyresolved vibrational activation/dissociation characteristics of glycopeptides, and serve to suggest potential strategies that exploit the analytically useful features uniquely afforded by specific charge carriers or combinations thereof

CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ZnO NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY CO PRECIPITATION METHOD

Objective: In the present study the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles was investigated against gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans) organisms.Methods: The synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles was carried out by co-precipitation method using zinc sulfate and sodium hydroxide as precursors. These nanoparticles were characterized by XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation), UV-Visible spectroscopy and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) with EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis). As well as antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the nanoparticles were carried out by agar well diffusion method and broth dilution method respectively against gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans) bacteria.Results: The average crystallite size of ZnO nanoparticles was found to be 35 nm by X-ray diffraction. The vibration bands at 450 and 603 cm-1 which were assigned for ZnO stretching vibration were observed in FTIR spectrum. The optical absorption band at 383 nm was obtained from UV-Visible spectrum. Spherical shape morphology was observed in SEM studies. The antibacterial assay clearly expressed that E. coli showed a maximum zone of inhibition (32±0.20 mm) followed by Proteus vulgaris (30±0.45 nm) at 50 mg/ml concentration of ZnO nanoparticles.Conclusion: Zinc oxide nanoparticles have exhibited good antibacterial activity with gram negative bacteria when compared to gram positive bacteria

From rods to helices: evidence of a screw-like nematic phase

Evidence of a special chiral nematic phase is provided using numerical simulation and Onsager theory for systems of hard helical particles. This phase appears at the high density end of the nematic phase, when helices are well aligned, and is characterized by the C$_2$ symmetry axes of the helices spiraling around the nematic director with periodicity equal to the particle pitch. This coupling between translational and rotational degrees of freedom allows a more efficient packing and hence an increase of translational entropy. Suitable order parameters and correlation functions are introduced to identify this screw-like phase, whose main features are then studied as a function of radius and pitch of the helical particles. Our study highlights the physical mechanism underlying a similar ordering observed in colloidal helical flagella [E. Barry et al. \textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{96}, 018305 (2006)] and raises the question of whether it could be observed in other helical particle systems, such as DNA, at sufficiently high densities.Comment: List of authors correcte

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF VILDAGLIPTIN SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS

Vildagliptin belongs to a class of orally active anti-diabetic drug which inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4(DPP-4) and to potentiate the secretion of insulin in the β-cells, there by decreasing blood glucose level. Vildagliptin is a short half life drug so it needs to formulate into sustained release dosage form to reduce dose frequency for patient compliance. Among various techniques, formulation of matrix tablets using matrix formers is a simple and industrially useful technique in the design of sustained release drug delivery systems. In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop sustained release matrix tablets of Vildagliptin using hydrophilic polymers like HPMC (k15M, K100M) and Carbapol by using wet granulation method. Dissolution study was done by using type-II dissolution apparatus gave good results with combination of HPMC K100 M and Carbapol. Drug release from the formulation follows zero order, first order, Higuchi's equation, and korsemeyer's equation

Optimizing Sequence Coverage for a Moderate Mass Protein in Nano-Electrospray Ionization Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Sample pretreatment was optimized to obtain high sequence coverage for human serum albumin (HSA, 66.5 kDa) when using nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (nESI-Q-TOF-MS). Use of the final method with trypsin, Lys-C and Glu-C digests gave a combined coverage of 98.8%. The addition of peptide fractionation resulted in 99.7% coverage. These results were comparable to those obtained previously with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The sample pretreatment/nESI-Q-TOF-MS method was also used with collision-induced dissociation to analyze HSA digests and to identify peptides that could be employed as internal mass calibrants in future studies of modifications to HSA

Optimizing Sequence Coverage for a Moderate Mass Protein in Nano-Electrospray Ionization Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Sample pretreatment was optimized to obtain high sequence coverage for human serum albumin (HSA, 66.5 kDa) when using nano-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (nESI-Q-TOF-MS). Use of the final method with trypsin, Lys-C and Glu-C digests gave a combined coverage of 98.8%. The addition of peptide fractionation resulted in 99.7% coverage. These results were comparable to those obtained previously with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The sample pretreatment/nESI-Q-TOF-MS method was also used with collision-induced dissociation to analyze HSA digests and to identify peptides that could be employed as internal mass calibrants in future studies of modifications to HSA

Prospective Phase II trial of drug-eluting bead chemoembolization for liver transplant candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma and marginal hepatic reserve.

Purpose: To determine whether chemoembolization using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) is safe and effective for liver transplantation candidates with liver-limited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without vascular invasion and baseline hepatic dysfunction. Materials and methods: Seventeen adult liver transplantation candidates (median age 66 years, range 58-73 years; 13 men) with HCC were treated with DEB-TACE as a part of Stage 1 of a prospective single-institution Phase II trial. All patients had marginal hepatic reserve based on at least one of the following criteria: ascites (n=14), bilirubin between 3 and 6 mg/dL (n=5), AST 5-10 times upper normal limit (n=1), INR between 1.6 and 2.5 (n=4), portal vein thrombosis (n=2), and/or portosystemic shunt (n=2). Primary study objectives were safety and best observed radiographic response. Results: Thirty-seven DEB-TACE procedures were performed. Objective response rate and disease control rate were 63% and 88%, respectively. HCC progression was observed in 12 patients. Median time to progression was 5.6 months (range 0.9-13.6 months). Within 1 month following DEB-TACE, 13 patients (76%) developed grade 3 or 4 AE attributable to the procedure. Four patients (all within Milan Criteria) were transplanted (2.7-6.9 months after DEB-TACE), and 12 patients died (1.8-32 months after DEB-TACE). All deaths were due to liver failure that was either unrelated to HCC (n=5), in the setting of metastatic HCC (n=5), or in the setting of locally advanced HCC (n=2). Mortality rate at 1 month was 0%. Conclusions: DEB-TACE achieves tumor responses but carries a high risk of hepatotoxicity for liver transplant candidates with HCC and marginal hepatic reserve

Scaling up index insurance for smallholder farmers: Recent evidence and insights

This report explores evidence and insights from five case studies that have made significant recent progress in addressing the challenge of insuring poor smallholder farmers and pastoralists in the developing world. In India, national index insurance programmes have reached over 30 million farmers through a mandatory link with agricultural credit and strong government support. In East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania), the Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE) has recently scaled to reach nearly 200,000 farmers, bundling index insurance with agricultural credit and farm inputs. ACRE has built on strong partnerships with regional initiatives such as M-PESA mobile banking. In Ethiopia and Senegal, the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative has scaled unsubsidized index insurance to over 20,000 poor smallholder farmers who were previously considered uninsurable, using insurance as an integral part of a comprehensive risk management portfolio. With strong public and private sector support, the Mongolia Index-Based Livestock Insurance Project (IBLIP) insures more than 15,000 nomadic herders and links commercial insurance with a government disaster safety net. Finally, the Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) project in Kenya and Ethiopia demonstrates innovative approaches to insuring poor nomadic pastoralists in challenging circumstances. A few common features appear to have contributed to recent progress within these case studies: explicitly targeting obstacles to improving farmer income; integration of insurance with other development interventions; giving farmers a voice in the design of products; investing in local capacity; and investing in science-based index development. Evidence from these case studies can inform the ongoing debate about the viability of scaling up index-based insurance for vulnerable smallholder farmers in the developing world. The rapid progress observed in recent years suggests that index insurance has the potential to benefit smallholder farmers at a meaningful scale, and suggests the need to reassess arguments that lack of demand and practical implementation challenges prevent index-based insurance from being a useful tool to reduce rural poverty