Polyimide processing additives

A process for preparing polyimides having enhanced melt flow properties is described. The process consists of heating a mixture of a high molecular weight poly-(amic acid) or polyimide with a low molecular weight amic acid or imide additive in the range of 0.05 to 15 percent by weight of additive. The polyimide powders so obtained show improved processability, as evidenced by lower melt viscosity by capillary rheometry. Likewise, films prepared from mixtures of polymers with additives show improved processability with earlier onset of stretching by TMA

Use of BODIPY (493/503) to Visualize Intramuscular Lipid Droplets in Skeletal Muscle

Triglyceride storage is altered across various chronic health conditions necessitating various techniques to visualize and quantify lipid droplets (LDs). Here, we describe the utilization of the BODIPY (493/503) dye in skeletal muscle as a means to analyze LDs. We found that the dye was a convenient and simple approach to visualize LDs in both sectioned skeletal muscle and cultured adult single fibers. Furthermore, the dye was effective in both fixed and nonfixed cells, and the staining seemed unaffected by permeabilization. We believe that the use of the BODIPY (493/503) dye is an acceptable alternative and, under certain conditions, a simpler method for visualizing LDs stored within skeletal muscle

Polyimide processing additives

A process for preparing polyimides having enhanced melt flow properties is described. The process consists of heating a mixture of a high molecular weight poly-(amic acid) or polyimide with a low molecular weight amic acid or imide additive in the range of 0.05 to 15 percent by weight of the additive. The polyimide powders so obtained show improved processability, as evidenced by lower melt viscosity by capillary rheometry. Likewise, films prepared from mixtures of polymers with additives show improved processability with earlier onset of stretching by TMA

Diffusion Tensor MRI to Assess Damage in Healthy and Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle after Lengthening Contractions

The purpose of this study was to determine if variables calculated from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) would serve as a reliable marker of damage after a muscle strain injury in dystrophic (mdx) and wild type (WT) mice. Unilateral injury to the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) was induced in vivo by 10 maximal lengthening contractions. High resolution T1- and T2-weighted structural MRI, including T2 mapping and spin echo DTI was acquired on a 7T small animal MRI system. Injury was confirmed by a significant loss of isometric torque (85% in mdx versus 42% in WT). Greater increases in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), axial, and radial diffusivity (AD and RD) of the injured muscle were present in the mdx mice versus controls. These changes were paralleled by decreases in fractional anisotropy (FA). Additionally, T2 was increased in the mdx mice, but the spatial extent of the changes was less than those in the DTI parameters. The data suggest that DTI is an accurate indicator of muscle injury, even at early time points where the MR signal changes are dominated by local edema

Grain and Nutritional Quality Traits of Southwestern U.S. Blue Maize Landraces

Anthocyanin‐rich Southwestern blue maize (Zea mays L.) landraces are receiving interest as functional foods, and commercial production is increasing. We determined variation in kernel color, anthocyanin content, texture, and selected compositional traits of representative varieties. In 2013, eight varieties were grown at four locations in New Mexico. Total kernel anthocyanin content (TAC) and component pigments were measured with spectrophotometry and HPLC, respectively. Oil, protein, starch, and kernel density were determined using NIR spectroscopy and amino acid concentrations using wet chemistry. An average of 49.6 mg/100 g of TAC with a range of 17.6–65.1 mg/100 g was observed. Cyanidin and pelargonidin were major components, and peonidin and succinyl 3‐glucoside were minor components. Low levels of disuccinyl glucoside were detected. Blue kernels were higher in anthocyanin than purple or red kernels. Floury kernels displayed the highest protein and oil contents and the lowest starch content and kernel density. The highest starch and kernel density levels were observed in small flint/dent and pop‐flint/dent kernels. Amino acid content was variable across genotypes and locations

ALVIN dives on the continental margin off the southeastern United States, July 2-13, 1967

Originally issued as Reference No. 67-80, series later renamed WHOI-In late June and July, 1967, the Deep Submergence Research Vehicle (DSRV) ALVIN, aboard its mother snip, LULU, proceeded from the spring base of operations, Nassau, to its home port of Woods Hole. During this trip, from July 2 to July 14, a series of five dives were made by ALVIN on the Blake Plateau off Georgia and South Carolina, and on the continental slope north of Cape Hatteras.U.S. Geological Survey Contracts 14-08-0001-10875 Nonr-3484(00)

Photomorphogenic mutants of tomato

Photomorphogenesis of tomato is being studied with the aid of mutants which are either modified in their photore- ceptor composition or in their signal transduction chain(s) . Several mutants affecting the phytochrome family of photoreceptors, some of which appear deficient for specific genes encoding phytochrome apoproteins have been isolated . In addition, other mutants, including transgenic lines overexpressing phytochrome A, exhibit exaggerated photomorphogenesis during de-etiolation . Anthocyanin biosynthesis and plastid development are being used as model systems for the dissection of the complex interactions among photomorphogenic photoreceptors and to elucidate the nature of their transduction chains

Compositional Analyses Reveal Relationships among Components of Blue Maize Grains

One aim of this experiment was to develop NIR calibrations for 20-grain components in 143 pigmented maize samples evaluated in four locations across New Mexico during 2013 and 2014. Based on reference analysis, prediction models were developed using principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The predictive ability of calibrations was generally low, with the calibrations for methionine and glycine performing best by PCR and PLS. The second aim was to explore the relationships among grain constituents. In PCA, the first three PCs explained 49.62, 22.20, and 6.92% of the total variance and tend to align with nitrogen-containing compounds (amino acids), carbon-rich compounds (starch, anthocyanin, fiber, and fat), and sulfur-containing compounds (cysteine and methionine), respectively. Correlations among traits were identified, and these relationships were illustrated by a correlation network. Some relationships among components were driven by common synthetic origins, for example, among amino acids derived from pyruvate. Similarly, anthocyanins, crude fat, and fatty acids all share malonyl CoA in their biosynthetic pathways and were correlated. In contrast, crude fiber and starch have similar biosynthetic origins but were negatively correlated, and this may have been due to their different functional roles in structure and energy storage, respectively

When the path is never shortest: a reality check on shortest path biocomputation

Shortest path problems are a touchstone for evaluating the computing performance and functional range of novel computing substrates. Much has been published in recent years regarding the use of biocomputers to solve minimal path problems such as route optimisation and labyrinth navigation, but their outputs are typically difficult to reproduce and somewhat abstract in nature, suggesting that both experimental design and analysis in the field require standardising. This chapter details laboratory experimental data which probe the path finding process in two single-celled protistic model organisms, Physarum polycephalum and Paramecium caudatum, comprising a shortest path problem and labyrinth navigation, respectively. The results presented illustrate several of the key difficulties that are encountered in categorising biological behaviours in the language of computing, including biological variability, non-halting operations and adverse reactions to experimental stimuli. It is concluded that neither organism examined are able to efficiently or reproducibly solve shortest path problems in the specific experimental conditions that were tested. Data presented are contextualised with biological theory and design principles for maximising the usefulness of experimental biocomputer prototypes.Comment: To appear in: Adamatzky, A (Ed.) Shortest path solvers. From software to wetware. Springer, 201