Resonant two-photon ionization and laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy of jet-cooled adenine

Resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) techniques were used to obtain the electronic spectra of the jet-cooled DNA base adenine. The spectrum consisted of two bands of the n??* and ????* characters. The vibronic mixing between the two states resulted in the broad absorption whose onset was located 1100 cm -1 above the n??* origin. The presence of these electronically states revealed the presence of vibronic mixing.open12813

Electrodeposited mesh-type dimensionally stable anode for oxygen evolution reaction in acidic and alkaline media

© 2019A mesh-type dimensionally stable anode (DSA) consisting of ruthenium and iridium with low catalyst loading was prepared as an oxygen evolution reaction catalyst in acidic and alkaline media. The electrodeposition (ED) conditions, i.e., applied current density and total cycle number, and ED solutions with different precursor ratios of ruthenium to iridium are examined to fabricate various DSAs with a uniform thickness, and the effect of the iridium content on the catalytic activity is investigated. Among various DSA electrodes, the DSA electrode without iridium exhibits the highest activity and stability in the acidic medium owing to the high ratio of ruthenium. Conversely, the DSA electrode obtained using the ED solution with the ratio of 8:2 exhibits the highest performance in the alkaline medium. This is because the DSA electrode without iridium showed low stability, which is attributed to the dissolution of ruthenium oxide in the alkaline medium. In addition, two large-scale DSA electrodes optimized in the acidic and alkaline electrolytes show excellent performance, indicating the feasibility of the application of this electrode in practical electrolysis11sciescopu

Random telegraph noise in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes

We have investigated random telegraph noise (RTN) observed in individual metallic carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Mean lifetimes in high- and low-current states, shigh and slow, have been studied as a function of bias-voltage and gate-voltage as well as temperature. By analyzing the statistics and features of the RTN, we suggest that this noise is due to the random transition of defects between two metastable states, activated by inelastic scattering with conduction electrons. Our results indicate an important role of defect motions in the 1=f noise in CNTs.Comment: 4 page

Artificial neural networks for prostate carcinoma risk assessment

No abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34357/1/1178_ftp.pd

The role of PET/CT in detection of gastric cancer recurrence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the course of surveillance of gastric cancer recurrence after curative resection, contrast CT scan is used in general. However, new findings from CT scan are not always confirmatory for the recurrence. In this case, we usually use short-term follow up strategy or therapeutic intervention with clinical decision. Recently, the use of fusion Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is increasing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of PET/CT for detecting recurrence of gastric cancer after curative resection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty two patients who received curative resection of gastric cancer and had undergone PET/CT and contrast CT for surveillance of recurrence until Dec 2006 in Seoul National University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Recurrence of gastric cancer was validated by histologic confirmation (n = 17) or serial contrast CT follow up with at least 5 month interval (n = 35). McNemar's test and Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT and contrast CT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 52 patients, 38 patients were confirmed as recurrence. The sensitivity was 68.4% (26/38) for PET/CT and 89.4% (34/38) for contrast CT (p = 0.057). The specificity was 71.4% (10/14) and 64.2% (9/14), respectively (p = 1.0). In terms of the recurred sites, the sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were similar to those of contrast CT in all sites except peritoneum. Contrast CT was more sensitive than PET/CT (p = 0.039) for detecting peritoneal seeding. Additional PET/CT on contrast CT showed no further increase of positive predictive value regardless of sites. Among 13 patients whose image findings between two methods were discordant and tissue confirmation was difficult, the treatment decision was made in 7 patients based on PET/CT, showing the final diagnostic accuracy of 42.8% (3/7).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PET/CT was as sensitive and specific as contrast CT in detection of recurred gastric cancer except peritoneal seeding. However, additional PET/CT on contrast CT did not increase diagnostic accuracy in detection of recurred gastric cancer. Further studies are warranted to validate the role of PET/CT in detection of gastric cancer recurrence.</p

Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Response of Auxotrophic Mycobacterium avium Subsp. paratuberculosis leuD Mutant under Environmental Stress

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of severe gastroenteritis in cattle. To gain a better understanding of MAP virulence, we investigated the role of leuD gene in MAP metabolism and stress response. For this, we have constructed an auxotrophic strain of MAP by deleting the leuD gene using allelic exchange. The wildtype and mutant strains were then compared for metabolic phenotypic changes using Biolog phenotype microarrays. The responses of both strains to physiologically relevant stress conditions were assessed using DNA microarrays. Transcriptomic data was then analyzed in the context of cellular metabolic pathways and gene networks. Our results showed that deletion of leuD gene has a global effect on both MAP phenotypic and transcriptome response. At the metabolic level, the mutant strain lost the ability to utilize most of the carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and nutrient supplements as energy source. At the transcriptome level, more than 100 genes were differentially expressed in each of the stress condition tested. Systems level network analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes were distributed throughout the gene network, thus explaining the global impact of leuD deletion in metabolic phenotype. Further, we find that leuD deletion impacted metabolic pathways associated with fatty acids. We verified this by experimentally estimating the total fatty acid content of both mutant and wildtype. The mutant strain had 30% less fatty acid content when compared to wildtype, thus supporting the results from transcriptional and computational analyses. Our results therefore reveal the intricate connection between the metabolism and virulence in MAP