Protein refolding in an oscillatory flow reactor

We demonstrate that an oscillatory flow reactor is a viable reactor for protein refolding via direct dilution. The mixing characteristics of the oscillatory flow reactor are well described and controllable and, importantly, can be scaled-up to process scale without a loss of mixing efficiency. This makes the oscillatory flow reactor an attractive alternative to conventional stirred-tank reactors for process-scale renaturation

EVALUATING THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS BROILER LITTER APPLICATIONS ON RESIDUAL SOIL FERTILITY AND YIELDS OF CORN AND SOYBEAN CROPS, AND A SIDE EXPERIMENT STUDYING THE RESIDUAL COPPER FERTILIZATION EFFECTS ON THESE CROPS

Abstract The increasing cost of commercial fertilizers and the availability of animal waste that has high nutrient content have led to producers utilizing animal waste such as poultry litter in their fertility programs. This increased use has raised concerns as to what are the optimum rates to apply to meet crop needs and how will long term use at high rates of litter effect soil test levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium. The objective of this study was to address these concerns. This study has been ongoing since 1997 with treatments of zero to seven tons of litter being applied in years where corn was planted and then in years where soybeans were planted the residual fertility from the previous years of applications were observed. In 2005, 2006, and 2009; 230 lbs/A of commercial phosphorus (P2O5) and 250 lbs/A of commercial potassium (K2O) were applied to the plots treated with the historical rates of one and two tons per acre of broiler litter. This study looked at the effects residual fertility from past broiler litter applications had on soil nutrient levels and plant nutrient uptake during the 2013 soybean growing season, as well as, the effect on soybean yield in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 the study was returned to corn and the zero through seven tons per acre broiler litter treatments were again applied. Data reported from 2014 included soil test results, R1 corn ear leaf tissue analysis, and yield. In 2007 a positive correlation between soybean uptake of copper and yield was observed. In 2009 a second study to compliment the broiler litter study was started where the effects of pre plant soil applied rates of 0, 10, and 20 lbs/A of copper on soil test copper levels, plant uptake of copper, and yield were evaluated. This study was continued with only yield data being reported for the 2012 growing season and soil test results, plant tissue analysis, and yield data being reported for the soybeans in 2013 and the corn in 2014. Mean soil test values for pH, organic matter, and total nitrogen, though not always significant, tended to be higher in plots treated with the higher rates of broiler litter. Plots treated with the higher rates of broiler litter and those treated with the past rates of one and two tons per acre rates of broiler litter, which also received high rates of commercial phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) fertilizers three years of the study, tended to have higher soil test phosphorus and potassium values. No statistical difference in mean soil test calcium values were observed among the one through seven tons per acre rates of broiler litter treatments in either year. Mean soil test magnesium values were highest in plots treated with the four through seven tons per acre rates of broiler litter. In both 2013 and 2014 mean soil test values for zinc and copper were highest in the plots treated with the seven tons per acre rate of broiler litter, then soil test values declined steadily as the rate of litter applied was reduced. Mean soil test values for boron were only collected in 2013, but followed a similar pattern as zinc and copper. Mean values for manganese did not seem to follow a pattern based on fertility, as in both years the highest values came from the no litter treatment, but were not significantly different from other treatments of moderate to high rates of broiler litter. Though not always significantly different, in both years, mean soil test values for iron tended to be lowest in the no litter and three tons per acre rates of broiler litter treatments. No statistical differences from R5 soybean leaf tissue analysis or R1 corn ear leaf analysis were observed for plant uptake of nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, zinc, manganese, or iron. Tissue analysis from both years showed that plant uptake of phosphorus was significantly lower in the plots treated with no litter, than in plots receiving any rate of litter. No statistical difference in plant uptake of potassium was observed from soybean tissue samples in 2013, but R1 corn ear leaf analysis in 2014 revealed that plant uptake of potassium was statistically lower in plots that received no litter, compared to plots that received any rate of broiler litter. Boron and copper uptake were statistically lower in soybeans treated with the seven tons per acre rate of broiler litter than the zero through five tons per acre treatments in 2013, but no statistical difference in boron or copper uptake by corn was observed in 2014. No statistical difference in soybean yield was observed among broiler litter treatments in 2012 due to extended dry periods during the growing season. In 2013 the soybeans treated with past applications of seven tons per acre of broiler litter had statistically higher yields than all other treatments except the one ton per acre treatment, which was not significantly different. In 2014, corn that received the five through seven tons per acre rates of broiler litter tended to have higher yields, due in part to the amount of nitrogen supplied by the litter. In both 2013 and 2014 mean soil test values for copper were significantly higher in the plots receiving the 2009 application of 20 lbs/A of copper and the soil test values declined steadily as the rate applied was reduced. Despite the significant differences in soil test copper values, no statistical differences in plant uptake of copper were observed from R5 leaf tissue analysis in 2013 or R1 corn ear leaf analysis in 2014. Although no statistical differences in yield were observed among the treatments from 2012 to 2014, a strong trend was observed where the plots treated with the 10 lbs/A application of copper in 2009, yielded highest among treatments. Key Words: Broiler litter, Copper, Soybeans, Corn, Fertilizatio

An analytic approximation to the Diffusion Coefficient for the periodic Lorentz Gas

An approximate stochastic model for the topological dynamics of the periodic triangular Lorentz gas is constructed. The model, together with an extremum principle, is used to find a closed form approximation to the diffusion coefficient as a function of the lattice spacing. This approximation is superior to the popular Machta and Zwanzig result and agrees well with a range of numerical estimates.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

An Examination Into The Determinants Of Positive And Negative Electronic Word-Of-Mouth Communication

The Internet has empowered consumers. More and more marketers attempt to harness the power of word-of-mouth communication in the online environment. In this paper, we attempt to explore the underlying motives for consumers engaging in both positive and negative eWOM communication. The findings reported here indicate that consumers engage in positive eWOM mostly for altruistic, self-enhancement, reciprocity, and sense of belonging. In contrast, consumers engage in negative eWOM for altruistic and venting negative feeling. The results of this exploratory study showed that though eWOM behaviour is the same, the underlying motives are very different. Thus, we recommend future research should clearly specify whether they are investigating PeWOM or NeWOM, and researchers should continue to identify corresponding theories to explain the two different eWOM phenomena

From Molecular Cores to Planet-forming Disks with SIRTF

The SIRTF mission and the Legacy programs will provide coherent data bases for extra-galactic and Galactic science that will rapidly become available to researchers through a public archive. The capabilities of SIRTF and the six legacy programs are described briefly. Then the cores to disks (c2d) program is described in more detail. The c2d program will use all three SIRTF instruments (IRAC, MIPS, and IRS) to observe sources from molecular cores to protoplanetary disks, with a wide range of cloud masses, stellar masses, and star-forming environments. The SIRTF data will stimulate many follow-up studies, both with SIRTF and with other instruments.Comment: 6 pages, from Fourth Cologne-Bonn-Zermatt-Symposium, The Dense Interstellar Matter in Galaxie

Assessment of median nerve mobility by ultrasound dynamic imaging in carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis

2013 Joint UffC, EFTF and PFM SymposiumCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common entrapment neuropathy. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) have been used as a standard for CTS diagnosis. Complementing NCS, ultrasound imaging provides anatomic information on pathologic changes of the median nerve, such as the reduced median nerve mobility. Motion of median nerve is dependent on mechanical characteristics, and body movements. The purpose of this study was therefore to measure transverse sliding patterns of the median nerve during fingers flexion and extension in ultrasound B-mode images for distinguishing healthy from CTS subjects, and to investigate any correlation between NCS severity and median nerve motion. Transverse ultrasound images were acquired from 19 normal, 15 mild, and 10 severe CTS subjects confirmed by NCS. In two-second acquisition, their fingers were initially in natural position; the median nerve was then moved toward the ulnar side and radius side in fingers flexion and extension, respectively. The displacements of the median nerve were calculated by the multilevel block-matching pyramid algorithm and averaged. All the average displacements at different acquisition times were then accumulated to obtain cumulative displacements, which were curve-fitted by polynomial function. To differentiate the normal from CTS cases, the R-squared, curvature, and amplitude of the fitted curves were computed, to evaluate the goodness, variation, and maximum value of the fit, respectively. Compared to the CTS patients, the normal subjects had higher R-square, curvature, and amplitude estimates. The three parameters were then inputted to a fuzzy c-means algorithm to classify normal cases and CTS ones. The diagnostic efficiency had an accuracy of 93.2%, a specificity of 100%, and a sensitivity of 88%. Further study includes measuring mechanical strain and stress at different neural sites to provide elasticity of the median nerve. © 2013 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

TRPCs: Influential Mediators in Skeletal Muscle

Ca2+ itself or Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways play fundamental roles in various cellular processes from cell growth to death. The most representative example can be found in skeletal muscle cells where a well-timed and adequate supply of Ca2+ is required for coordinated Ca2+-dependent skeletal muscle functions, such as the interactions of contractile proteins during contraction. Intracellular Ca2+ movements between the cytosol and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are strictly regulated to maintain the appropriate Ca2+ supply in skeletal muscle cells. Added to intracellular Ca2+ movements, the contribution of extracellular Ca2+ entry to skeletal muscle functions and its significance have been continuously studied since the early 1990s. Here, studies on the roles of channel proteins that mediate extracellular Ca2+ entry into skeletal muscle cells using skeletal myoblasts, myotubes, fibers, tissue, or skeletal muscle-originated cell lines are reviewed with special attention to the proposed functions of transient receptor potential canonical proteins (TRPCs) as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) channels under normal conditions and the potential abnormal properties of TRPCs in muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)

Binding specificity of the G1/S transcriptional regulators in budding yeast

G1/S transcriptional regulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae depends on three main transcriptional components, Swi4, Swi6 and Mbp1. These proteins constitute two transcription factor complexes that regulate over 300 G1/S transcripts, namely SBF (Swi4-Swi6) and MBF (Mbp1-Swi6). SBF and MBF are involved in regulating largely non-overlapping sets of G1/S genes via clearly distinct mechanisms

Subcellular Targeting of Theranostic Radionuclides

The last decade has seen rapid growth in the use of theranostic radionuclides for the treatment and imaging of a wide range of cancers. Radionuclide therapy and imaging rely on a radiolabeled vector to specifically target cancer cells. Radionuclides that emit β particles have thus far dominated the field of targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT), mainly because the longer range (μm–mm track length) of these particles offsets the heterogeneous expression of the molecular target. Shorter range (nm–μm track length) α- and Auger electron (AE)-emitting radionuclides on the other hand provide high ionization densities at the site of decay which could overcome much of the toxicity associated with β-emitters. Given that there is a growing body of evidence that other sensitive sites besides the DNA, such as the cell membrane and mitochondria, could be critical targets in TRT, improved techniques in detecting the subcellular distribution of these radionuclides are necessary, especially since many β-emitting radionuclides also emit AE. The successful development of TRT agents capable of homing to targets with subcellular precision demands the parallel development of quantitative assays for evaluation of spatial distribution of radionuclides in the nm–μm range. In this review, the status of research directed at subcellular targeting of radionuclide theranostics and the methods for imaging and quantification of radionuclide localization at the nanoscale are described