Using Peptoids to Build Robust, Efficient Microarray Systems

Recent studies have shown microarrays to be indispensable for various biological applications, allowing for high-throughput processing and screening of biological samples such as RNA, DNA, proteins and peptides using a small sample volume (\u3c 1 µL). Peptoids (poly-N-substituted glycine oligomers) can be used as a substitute for antibodies as capture molecules, as well as coatings for slides in antibody microarrays. The ease of synthesis of peptoids, high customizability with desired bioactivity, and speed of synthesis allows us to build a diagnostic system with a large dynamic range that can detect biomolecules from a minimal sample size. In this study, peptoid-based antibody mimics are designed to have both structural and functional features similar to those of antibodies, including a stable constant region (scaffolding) and a variable region for protein recognition. Peptoids previously screened via combinatorial library synthesis to be specific to bind Mdm-2 (mouse double minute 2 homolog) and GST (gluthathione S-transferase), have been synthesized. The protein recognition peptoids have been conjugated to PEG (polyethylene glycol) molecules with modified end groups; an amine group on one end that allows for immobilization and orientation on the slide, and an azide group on the other end that will allow for attachment to the peptoid through “click chemistry”. The number of capture molecules printed on the slides can be increased by making the available surface area of the slide larger via coating with microspheres. We have determined that partially water soluble peptoids that are also helical, can self-assemble into microspheres. Sequences have been developed that can consistently produce uniform microsphere coatings on slides that increase the overall surface area. A high surface area corresponds to a higher number of binding sites, and therefore a more sensitive system. The work done has shown that slides may be successfully coated in order to potentially improve the detection system

EVALUATE THE ANTIFERTILITY POTENTIAL OF FICUS RACEMOSA LINN BARK IN FEMALE WISTAR RATS

Objective: The present study was formulated in order to Evaluate the Antifertility Potential of Ficus Racemosa Linn on Female Wistar Rats.Methods: Effects of Ficus Racemosa bark extract was studied on physicochemical parameters, successive solvent extraction and phytochemical screening and antifertility activity. After acute oral toxicity study, antifertility activity in proven fertile female Wistar Rats at the doses 500mg/kg b.wt./day for 30 days. Effects on dimensions of Reproductive outcome, Anti-implantation, Abortifacient, Estrogenic and Antiestrogenic activity were observed.Results: Phytochemical studies of Ficus Racemosa bark shown positive test for Alkaloids, Steroid, Flavonoids, Terpene, Carbohydrates and Tannin. The extract of Ficus Racemosa has anti-fertility effect the control rats showed good number of litters. Treatment of animal with different extracts, resulted a significant (P< 0.05, P< 0.01). antifertility activity (56.5% and 40.3%) was exhibited by AFR and WFR respectively. After 21 days of the extracts free period, the antifertility effect of the extracts was reversed. The extract treatments with AFR, an increase in the resorption index (%) by the extract is an indication of failure in the development of the embryo. The mean percentage of anti-implantation and percent resorption (abortifacient) were found to be highest for AFR-41.21%, WFR 28.07, and AFR-32.56%, WFR-20.76% respectively. The decrement in implantation caused by the extracts may be due to estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity. However, along with standard AFR exhibiting more potent estrogenic and less potent anti-estrogenic when compared with standard.Conclusion: The above results revealed the potential, reversible Female antifertility effect of alcoholic extract F. Racemosa bark.Â

Statistical process control for high precision deep drawn sheet metal parts

In today\u27s world, industrial expertise has come to be judged in terms of the quality of the product. Good quality has become the ultimate aim in a manufacturing environment, which leads to many innovations for ease in the inspection of parts. In considering a metal working company like Hudson Tool & Die Company, a study of the various operations and the application of Statistical Process Control to the forming operations is performed using STORM software. Important characteristics have been carefully studied with regards to metal forming like uniform metal thickness, radius of the bend, depth of the drawing operation. In-depth analysis was performed on the pattern, and the cause of the variations. Various control charts such as average chart, range chart and p chart were obtained and different processes were studied. Computer aided quality control is fast becoming a standard in the manufacturing world. Non-contact gaging, coordinate measuring machines, and automatic conversion of the data into useful information are noteworthy and hence have been mentioned

RT_BUILD: An expert programmer for implementing and simulating Ada real-time control software

The RT BUILD is an expert control system programmer that creates real-time Ada code from block-diagram descriptions of control systems. Since RT BUILD embodies substantial knowledge about the implementation of real-time control systems, it can perform many, if not most of the functions normally performed by human real-time programmers. Though much basic research was done in automatic programming, RT BUILD appears to be the first application of this research to an important problem in flight control system development. In particular, RT BUILD was designed to directly increase productivity and reliability for control implementations of large complex systems

Social Bootstrapping: How Pinterest and Last.fm Social Communities Benefit by Borrowing Links from Facebook

How does one develop a new online community that is highly engaging to each user and promotes social interaction? A number of websites offer friend-finding features that help users bootstrap social networks on the website by copying links from an established network like Facebook or Twitter. This paper quantifies the extent to which such social bootstrapping is effective in enhancing a social experience of the website. First, we develop a stylised analytical model that suggests that copying tends to produce a giant connected component (i.e., a connected community) quickly and preserves properties such as reciprocity and clustering, up to a linear multiplicative factor. Second, we use data from two websites, Pinterest and Last.fm, to empirically compare the subgraph of links copied from Facebook to links created natively. We find that the copied subgraph has a giant component, higher reciprocity and clustering, and confirm that the copied connections see higher social interactions. However, the need for copying diminishes as users become more active and influential. Such users tend to create links natively on the website, to users who are more similar to them than their Facebook friends. Our findings give new insights into understanding how bootstrapping from established social networks can help engage new users by enhancing social interactivity.Comment: Proc. 23rd International World Wide Web Conference (WWW), 201

Large-amplitude chirped coherent phonons in tellurium mediated by ultrafast photoexcited carrier diffusion

We report femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity measurements of coherent phonons in tellurium performed over a wide range of temperatures (3K to 296K) and pump laser intensities. A totally symmetric A$_{1}$ coherent phonon at 3.6 THz responsible for the oscillations in the reflectivity data is observed to be strongly positively chirped (i.e, phonon time period decreases at longer pump-probe delay times) with increasing photoexcited carrier density, more so at lower temperatures. We show for the first time that the temperature dependence of the coherent phonon frequency is anomalous (i.e, increasing with increasing temperature) at high photoexcited carrier density due to electron-phonon interaction. At the highest photoexcited carrier density of $\sim$ 1.4 $\times$ 10$^{21}$cm$^{-3}$ and the sample temperature of 3K, the lattice displacement of the coherent phonon mode is estimated to be as high as $\sim$ 0.24 \AA. Numerical simulations based on coupled effects of optical absorption and carrier diffusion reveal that the diffusion of carriers dominates the non-oscillatory electronic part of the time-resolved reflectivity. Finally, using the pump-probe experiments at low carrier density of 6 $\times$ 10$^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$, we separate the phonon anharmonicity to obtain the electron-phonon coupling contribution to the phonon frequency and linewidth.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PR

Analysis and Survey of FPGA Based PROFIBUS Board

Fieldbus system has been established as a communication network, used to connect field devices such as sensors, transduser,controller,man machine interface.Currently a large number of global fieldbus standards are available for consumers.Citation of different types of field bus present an analytical review of various fieldbus systemthat how to gather the data from various equipment distributed far away from each other in the field with reduced wiring and cabling requirement, those are the basic components of communication system. This work also discuss about FPGA based PROFIBUS communication board. It proposes the alternative solution to complexity of communication system and devise it more reliable, high integral and transmission efficient

Determinants of skilled birth attendants in Nepal: a case of Surkhet district

Background: Safe delivery incentive program was introduced to increase the skilled attendants at births. The program provided childbirth by skilled birth attendants as well as incentives to skilled birth attendants ‘cash’ to women giving birth in a health facility in addition to incentives to health provider for each delivery attended, either at home or the facility. Due to its implementation and administrative delays, the program was reformed and implemented as a ‘safer mother program’ popularly known as “aama-suraksha-karyakram” since January 2009. Methods: The study was conducted in Surkhet district of Nepal. Surkhet is a hilly district and is head-quarter of mid-western development region of Nepal. There is one hospital, 5 PHCCs, 9 HPs and 38 SHPs serving 288,527 people in the district. The delivery by trained health worker (HW) in the district is 31.8% in 2005/06 which has increased about two times for two years. Surkhet is one of the districts monitoring the process indicators for safe motherhood programme in Nepal. Birth preparedness package programme has been implementing in the district from this year. The study population were the mothers within the age group of 15 to 49 years in Surkhet district. The sampling frame of the study was the mothers who had delivered the baby within 12 months preceding the survey. Results: About one third mothers, having 0-5 poverty score, utilised delivery assisted by HWs, while about three fourth of them having more than 5 score utilised HWs as delivery assistant. Higher educated mothers utilised HWs as delivery assistant more than that of higher educated husband. Among higher educated mothers, about 85% utilised delivery assisted by HWs, while it was about 75% for higher educated husband. Occupation of mother was also significantly associated with utilisation of delivery by HWs. Mother having office work utilised about 5 times higher HWs than others as their delivery assistant. The distance to health facility was significantly associated with utilisation of delivery attendant (p value <0.001). The mothers with less travelling time to reach health facility were more likely to utilise HWs as delivery attendant. About three fourth mothers who needed less than half an hour utilised delivery assisted by HWs. There was equal proportion of mothers who needed 30-59 minutes to reach the nearest health facility. In the other hand, about 73% of mothers who needed one hour or more to reach health facility utilised others as delivery assistant. Perceived quality of service to nearby health facility by mothers was also significantly associated with utilisation of HWs as delivery attendant (p value <0.05). About two third of mothers perceiving good quality of service at local health facility utilised HWs as delivery attendant while, it was only 44% among mothers perceiving poor quality of services. Conclusions: There should be adequate planning and preparation at all levels of health facilities; implementing a new program should not adversely affect another existing service delivery system. For the optional implementation, hospital organogram should be revised; and physical facilities and the low-risk birthing-centers with referral linkages should be expanded.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio