A micromachined electrochemical sensor for free chlorine monitoring in drinking water.

In this work, we designed, fabricated and tested a disposable, flow-through amperometric sensor for free chlorine determination in water. The sensor is based on the principle of an electrochemical cell. The substrate, as well as the top microfluidic layer, is made up of a polymer material. The advantages include; (a) disposability from low cost; (b) stable operation range from three-electrode design; (c) fluidic interconnections that provide on line testing capabilities; and (d) transparent substrate which provides for future integration of on-chip optics. The sensor showed a good response and linearity in the chlorine concentration ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 ppm, which applies to common chlorination process for drinking water purification.     

Operation of a nonlinear optical loop mirror with orthogonally polarized waves in nonpolarization-preserving, single-mode fiber

We demonstrate stable operation of a NOLM using orthogonally polarized control and signal beams in nonpolarization-preserving, single-mode fiber. The NOLM can transcribe data from an optically incoherent input at one wavelength to a coherent output over a range of wavelengths. Operation of the NOLM without tuning for the input bit rate is possible over a range of bit rates from less than 1 Gb/s to more than 50 Gb/s.     

Volumetric three‐dimensional up‐conversion display medium

Abstract— Several rare‐earth‐doped fluoride crystals that are excited to emit visible light by sequential two‐photon absorption have been investigated as display‐medium candidates for static volumetric three‐dimensional displays. Dispersion of powders of these materials in a refractive‐index‐matched polymer is reported because such a medium may result in a scalable display. The scattering problem in such a medium is greatly reduced by index‐matching the polymer to the crystalline particles. An index‐matching condition that optimizes the performance is identified.     

Handling degenerate cases in exact geodesic computation on triangle meshes

The computation of exact geodesics on triangle meshes is a widely used operation in computer-aided design and computer graphics. Practical algorithms for computing such exact geodesics have been recently proposed by Surazhsky et al. [5]. By applying these geometric algorithms to real-world data, degenerate cases frequently appear. In this paper we classify and enumerate all the degenerate cases in a systematic way. Based on the classification, we present solutions to handle all the degenerate cases consistently and correctly. The common users may find the present techniques useful when they implement a robust code of computing exact geodesic paths on meshes.     

Structural Antecedents to Knowledge and Participation: Extending the Knowledge Gap Concept to Participation

This paper investigates relationships between community characteristics and levels of knowledge and participation examined at both the individual and the community levels. This research extends the knowledge gap concept to a parallel phenomenon, the participation gap. Results from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey 2000 showed that community density, education, and cohesion were significant positive predictors of knowledge but less consistent predictors of participation at the individual level. At the community level, relationships were even stronger, though cohesion was associated with higher mean levels of participation and reduced participation gaps, whereas population density was associated with lower levels of participation and increased gaps.     

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-3-acetic acids. A new class of nonpeptide endothelin receptor antagonists

On the basis of structural information for the cyclic hexapeptide endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist, TAK-044, a series of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4-dione derivatives bearing a carboxyl group and aromatic rings that were important for receptor binding were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for ET receptor binding affinities and inhibitory activities against ET-induced vasoconstriction. Optimization of each substituent in the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine ring led to the discovery of a novel and potent nonpeptide ET receptor antagonist, 6-(4-methoxymethoxyphenyl)-5-methylsulfonylaminomethyl-1-(2- methylthiobenzyl)-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-d]p yrimidine-3- acetic acid (32 g), which binded to human ETA and ETB receptor subtypes with affinities (IC50) of 7.6 and 100 nM, respectively. Compound 32 g effectively antagonized ET-induced vasoconstriction and the inhibitory effect mediated by the ETB receptor was more potent than that of bosentan, while the inhibitory effect mediated by the ETA receptor was slightly less potent than that of bosentan.     

Predicting length of stay in an acute psychiatric hospital

OBJECTIVE: Multivariate statistical methods were used to identify patient-related variables that predicted length of stay in a single psychiatric facility. The study investigated whether these variables remained stable over time and could be used to provide individual physicians with data on length of stay adjusted for differences in clinical caseloads and to detect trends in the physicians' practice patterns. METHODS: Data on all patients discharged over two six-month periods were collected at an acute psychiatric inpatient facility. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted on the two datasets. RESULTS: The results from both analyses revealed that five variables significantly predicted length of stay and were stable over time. They were a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, the number of previous admissions, a primary diagnosis of a mood disorder, age, and a secondary diagnosis of an alcohol- or other drug-related disorder. For some physicians, the mean length of stay of their patients differed significantly from the length predicted by the regression model--generally, it was shorter. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that patient-related predictors of length of stay in a single psychiatric hospital can be identified using relatively simple statistical procedures and can be consistent across a large dataset and over time.     

Synthesis and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) of antitumor 3-arylisoquinoline derivatives

In this study a series of 3-arylisoquinoline derivatives were synthesized and cytotoxicity against human melanoma tumor cell evaluated, and a three dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship was investigated using the comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). The results suggested that the electrostatic, steric and hydrophobic factors of 3-arylisoquinolines were strongly correlated with the antitumor activity. Considerable predictive ability (cross-validated r2 as high as 0.721) was obtained through CoMFA.     

Evaluation of the Effects of Developmental Trauma on Neurotransmitter Systems Using Functional Molecular Imaging

Early life stress (ELS) is strongly associated with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia in adulthood. To date, biological, behavioral, and structural aspects of ELS have been studied extensively, but their functional effects remain unclear. Here, we examined NeuroPET studies of dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and serotonergic systems in ELS animal models. Maternal separation and restraint stress were used to generate single or complex developmental trauma. Body weights of animals exposed to single trauma were similar to those of control animals; however, animals exposed to complex trauma exhibited loss of body weight when compared to controls. In behavioral tests, the complex developmental trauma group exhibited a decrease in time spent in the open arm of the elevated plus-maze and an increase in immobility time in the forced swim test when compared to control animals. In NeuroPET studies, the complex trauma group displayed a reduction in brain uptake values when compared to single trauma and control groups. Of neurotransmitter systems analyzed, the rate of decrease in brain uptake was the highest in the serotonergic group. Collectively, our results indicate that developmental trauma events induce behavioral deficits, including anxiety- and depressive-like phenotypes and dysfunction in neurotransmitter systems.