Stabilizing Acetylcholinesterase on Carbon Electrodes Using Peptide Nanotubes to Produce Effective Biosensors

A biosensor for the detection of organophosphates in water was created by immobilizing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on a carbon screen printed electrode using peptide nanotubes (PNT) and Nafion®. This sensor was used with acetylthiocholine (ASCh) substrate to detect the inhibitory effects of malathion. The stability of the encapsulated enzyme was measured over 50 days of storage at 4°C in a phosphate buffer solution. The oxidation of thiocholine, a product of the enzymatic reaction of ASCh and AChE, was used to measure the activity of the encapsulated enzyme. Cyclic voltammograms were taken in an ASCh and phosphate buffer solution, and the peak oxidation was used to measure the performance of the sensor. Amperometric studies were also conducted at 310 mV vs Ag/AgCl to measure the response of the sensors to ASCh and malathion. This research demonstrates that the use of PNTs and Nafion® allows the sensor to remain stable under these conditions for a much longer period than similar biosensors relying on adsorption alone, losing 17.3% and 14.2%, activity, respectively, after 50 days. Detection limits of as low as 48 nM of malathion were obtained using PNT, and 102 nM using PNT and Nafion®

SigTree: A Microbial Community Analysis Tool to Identify and Visualize Significantly Responsive Branches in a Phylogenetic Tree.

Microbial community analysis experiments to assess the effect of a treatment intervention (or environmental change) on the relative abundance levels of multiple related microbial species (or operational taxonomic units) simultaneously using high throughput genomics are becoming increasingly common. Within the framework of the evolutionary phylogeny of all species considered in the experiment, this translates to a statistical need to identify the phylogenetic branches that exhibit a significant consensus response (in terms of operational taxonomic unit abundance) to the intervention. We present the R software package SigTree, a collection of flexible tools that make use of meta-analysis methods and regular expressions to identify and visualize significantly responsive branches in a phylogenetic tree, while appropriately adjusting for multiple comparisons

PAT-GEOM: A Software Package for the Analysis of Animal Patterns

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Data Accessibility: The PAT-GEOM software package and its User Guide are available from the first author’s personal website (www.ianzwchan.com/my-research/pat-geom) or the Zenodo repository, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1834035 (for the software package; Chan, Stevens & Todd, 2018a) and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1835291 (for the User Guide; Chan, Stevens & Todd, 2018b). Datasets and R code are also available from Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1831671 (Chan, Stevens & Todd, 2018c).1. Colour patterns often influence how animals interact with one another, but the ability 21 of researchers to quantify pattern per se is hampered by a lack of easily-accessible and user-friendly measurement software packages. 2. We address this issue by releasing PAT-GEOM, a free software package for use within ImageJ that allows users to measure seven properties of a pattern: (1) the shape of its markings, (2) the directionality in the shape of its markings, (3) the size of its markings, (4) the contrast of the pattern, (5) the distribution of its markings, (6) the directionality in the distribution of its markings, and (7) the randomness of the pattern. 3. We provide examples of how PAT-GEOM may be used, such as to visualise the ‘average pattern’ of a population of animals, or to compare the patterns on two animals. Using data from two case studies, we also demonstrate PAT-GEOM’s ability to identify the specific aspects of an organism’s pattern that match its background and to design artificial prey items that accurately resemble their model organism for use in predation experiments. 4. PAT-GEOM collates the tools to measure these seven diverse properties of animal colour patterns into one convenient, easy-to-use package. It can be employed in a wide range of studies on topics such as aposematism, camouflage and mimicry, and also has the potential to be applied to other research fields such as landscape ecology, botany and cellular biology.Singapore Ministry of Educatio

Evolution of Electronic Approval Request Procedures at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

At many major U.S. airports, a departure approval request, or 'APREQ,' establishes a later runway departure time for a flight, allowing it to absorb tactical delay on the ground. APREQ times are traditionally coordinated by a process known as 'call-for-release' whereby an airport surface traffic manager calls an airspace traffic manager on the telephone. This research examines new electronic APREQ coordination enabled by the NASA Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 system and compares it to the call-for-release method of coordination. During the initial deployment period, electronic APREQ coordination was used for more than half of eligible flights. A majority of electronic requests were approved in less than one minute on average. Data suggest that both the average tactical delay and compliance with the electronically coordinated departure times did not differ significantly from departure times coordinated using call-for-release

An Historical Analysis of Rule and Policy Changes in the Texas University Interscholastic League One-Act Play Contest, 1986-2006, and the Results of Those Changes: Administrator and Teacher Perceptions

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) One-Act Play Contest is a competition where similarly sized Texas schools present an 18-40 minute play usually adjudicated by a single judge. At each level of competition the judge awards individual acting awards as well as selecting two productions to advance to the next level of competition. After the awards are announced the judge gives an oral critique to each of the schools. Because of the wide participation and diversity of plays produced, certain rules and guidelines have been adopted to ensure safety, allow for equity, satisfy legal standards, and make the running of the contest practical. These rules can be modified to achieve positive outcomes and improved educational results. Changes in the rules of a UIL contest are in accordance with stated educational objectives of the UIL. Occasionally, however, modifications in procedures raise questions. The problem of this study was to determine, from the perceptions of administrators and teachers, whether significant modifications in the rules and policies for the UIL One-Act Play Contest over a time span of 20 years have had impacts on the goals and procedures of the contest. The study utilized a qualitative approach through historical analysis and a survey to answer two research questions. Historical analysis identified the six modifications in the UIL OAP over the years 1986-2006. The survey instrument determined the impact of these changes on the goals and procedures of the contest. Based on the responses of the survey the competition experience has been enhanced by recent changes

Tumors Metastatic to Thyroid Neoplasms: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Metastasis into a thyroid neoplasm—tumor-to-tumor metastasis—is exceedingly rare. We describe the 28th documented case of a tumor metastatic to a thyroid neoplasm and review the literature on tumor-to-tumor metastasis involving a thyroid neoplasm as recipient. All cases showed a recipient thyroid neoplasm with an abrupt transition to a morphologically distinct neoplasm. Metastasis into primary thyroid neoplasm was synchronous in 33% of cases and metachronous in 67%. Follicular adenoma was the most common recipient thyroid neoplasm overall (16/28), and papillary thyroid carcinoma was the most common malignant recipient neoplasm (9/28). Of the 9 recipient papillary carcinomas, 6 were follicular variants. Renal cell carcinoma was the most common neoplasm to metastasize to a primary thyroid neoplasm (9/28), followed by lung (6/28), breast (5/28), and colon (3/28) carcinoma. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis should be considered whenever a dimorphic pattern is encountered in a thyroid tumor

Functional connectivity during a social emotion task in adolescents and in adults

In this fMRI study we investigated functional connectivity between components of the mentalising system during a social emotion task, using psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis. Ten adults (22–32 years) and 18 adolescents (11–18 years) were scanned while thinking about scenarios in which a social or a basic emotion would be experienced. Unlike basic emotions (such as disgust and fear), social emotions (such as embarrassment and guilt) require the representation of another's mental states. In both adults and adolescents, an anterior rostral region of medial prefrontal cortex (arMPFC) involved in mentalising showed greater connectivity with the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) bordering on the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and with anterior temporal cortex (ATC) during social than during basic emotion. This result provides novel evidence that components of the mentalising system interact functionally during a social emotion task. Furthermore, functional connectivity differed between adolescence and adulthood. The adolescent group showed stronger connectivity between arMPFC and pSTS/TPJ during social relative to basic emotion than did the adult group, suggestive of developmental changes in functional integration within the mentalising system

Evaluating PSU\u27s Community Forests: Langdon Woods and Fox Park

Langdon Woods and Fox Park are two community forests located on the Plymouth State University campus which provide numerous ecosystem services for students and residents. The goal of this project is to evaluate these services and propose future courses of action which will improve and protect these areas. We are also working with the ES&P Seminar class to achieve Tree Campus USA status for PSU. Langdon Woods borders the Baker River and is located on its floodplain. This area has walking and biking trails and is used by a variety of PSU’s ES&P and Adventure Education classes. We will examine the possibility of putting Langdon Woods into a conservation easement. We will also work with Angel Ekstrom, who has proposed a cluster project to further develop mountain biking trails in Langdon Woods and Fox Park. Our group will utilize both iTree canopy and iTree design to get an idea of the tree species composition, canopy cover, potential economic value, etc. Also, we will work in GIS to develop analyze these areas and produce maps. We have access to the wildlife management plan and will use this to evaluate the animal species present and their conservation status

Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising in Tattooed Skin

Introduction. Tattoos have increasingly become accepted by mainstream Western society. As a result, the incidence of tattoo-associated dermatoses is on the rise. The presence of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in an old tattooed skin is of interest as it has not been previously documented. Case Presentation. A 79-year-old white homeless man of European descent presented to the dermatology clinic with a painless raised nodule on his left forearm arising in a tattooed area. A biopsy of the lesion revealed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma infiltrating into a tattoo. The lesion was completely excised and the patient remains disease-free one year later. Conclusion. All previous reports of squamous cell carcinomas arising in tattoos have been well-differentiated low-grade type or keratoacanthoma-type and are considered to be coincidental rather than related to any carcinogenic effect of the tattoo pigments. Tattoo-associated poorly differentiated invasive carcinoma appears to be extremely rare