State-to-state, collision-induced, energy transfer is followed to equilibrium through sequences of collision cycles in gas ensembles containing vibrationally excited oxygen molecules (v = 8 and 1) in several different atomic and molecular bath gases. Quantum state distributions for each of the constituent species are available at each stage of the ...

Abstract Conclusion: Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) application to the middle ear windows yields better functional outcomes than conventional hearing aids. However, speech discrimination scores obtained with VSB and conventional hearing aids are similar. Objective: To assess audiological outcomes of round and oval window applications of VSB in comparison with conventional hearing ...

Abstract Conclusion: The percentage of the unilateral weakness of the caloric response also reflects the clinical progress of Meniere's disease (MD), including clinical hearing loss. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between hearing status and vestibular function in patients with MD. Methods: Seventy-nine patients with unilateral definite MD underwent bithermal air ...

The visualization of RNA conformational changes has provided fundamental insights into how regulatory RNAs carry out their biological functions. The RNA structural transitions that have been characterized so far involve long-lived species that can be captured by structure characterization techniques. Here we report the nuclear magnetic resonance visualization of RNA ...

The broad success of optimally controlling quantum systems with external fields has been attributed to the favorable topology of the underlying control landscape, where the landscape is the physical observable as a function of the controls. The control landscape can be shown to contain no suboptimal trapping extrema upon satisfaction ...

Aqueous acetone mixtures represent a good example of perfectly miscible liquids in reality, and that hard to mix in silico. This is related to a key problem in molecular simulations, which is to distinguish between strongly micro-segregated mixtures from phase-separated ones. The Kirkwood-Buff integrals of in silico aqueous mixtures are ...

We report the first observation of spin-flop-induced sharp positive magnetoresistance as large as 100% and nonvolatile magnetoresistive memory in a π-d hybrid molecular conductor, (DIETSe)(2)FeCl(4) [DIETSe = dii-ode(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene]. The unprecedent-ed magnetotransport phenomena are originating from the coexistence of the spin density wave (SDW) of the quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) π electrons and ...

The temperature-dependent solvation of hydrophobic solutes in water is investigated by large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. A simultaneous fit of solvation free energies for spheres and cylinders with radii up to R = 2 nm yields a negative Tolman length on the order of 1 Å at room temperature, equivalent to ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Motion sensors offer the possibility to obtain spatiotemporal measures of mobility-related activities such as sit-stand and stand-sit transitions. However, the application of new sensor-based methods for assessing sit-stand-sit performance requires the detection of crucial events such as seat on/off in the sensor-based data. Therefore, the aim of this ...

Intermolecular complexes of phenol with xenon and nitrogen are studied by infrared absorption spectroscopy in a neon matrix and by quantum chemistry calculations. The π complex is theoretically the most stable 1:1 phenol⋅⋅⋅Xe structure, but it has no characteristic shifts in the calculated vibrational spectrum, which complicates its experimental characterization. ...

The concept of a "consistent," Kohn-Sham (KS) density functional theory (DFT) is discussed, where the functional is able to provide good total energies and its self-consistent potential is such that the KS eigenvalues correspond to accurate approximations to the principal ionization potentials for the molecule. Today, none of the vast ...

In this work, a chemical model for the camphene ozonolysis, leading to carbonyl final products, is proposed and discussed on the basis of the thermochemical properties and kinetic data obtained at density functional theory levels of calculation. The mechanism is initiated by the electrophilic attack of ozone to the double ...

Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations with long-term conservation of the total energy and a computational cost that scales linearly with system size have been obtained simultaneously. Linear scaling with a low pre-factor is achieved using density matrix purification with sparse matrix algebra and a numerical threshold on matrix elements. The extended ...

A new approach for thin film microextraction (TFME) with mixed-phase sorptive coating is presented. Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) and polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) TFME samplers were prepared using spin coating and glass wool fabric mesh as substrate. The samplers were easily tailored in size and shape by cutting tools. Good durability and flat-shape stability ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are nonepithelial, mesenchymal neoplasms that rarely occur in children. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a unique case of a GIST that developed outside the gastrointestinal tract within the mesoappendix of a 6-year old boy. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a slightly lobulated, homogeneous soft-tissue mass, with ...

An algorithm is presented to maintain rigid structures in Verlet based cartesian molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. After each unconstrained MD step, the coordinates of selected particles are corrected to maintain rigid structures through an iterative procedure of rotation matrix computation. This algorithm, named as SHAPE and implemented in CHARMM program ...

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) sense pathogen-associated molecules and respond by inducing cytokines and type I interferon. Here we show that genetic ablation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Pellino3 augmented the expression of type I interferon but not of proinflammatory cytokines in response to TLR3 activation. Pellino3-deficient mice had greater resistance against ...

The adsorption energies and changes in surface work functions for benzene on unreconstructed Cu(111), Ag (111), and Au (111) at low coverages have been studied within the framework of dispersion corrected Kohn-Sham density functional theory. Corrections to account for long range dispersive effects between the adsorbate and metal substrate were ...

The c-Src tyrosine kinase, Csk, physically interacts with the intracellular phosphatase Lyp (encoded by PTPN22) and can modify the activation state of downstream Src kinases, such as Lyn, in lymphocytes. We identified an association of CSK with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and refined its location to the intronic polymorphism rs34933034 ...

The adiabatic approximation, typically assumed when performing standard Born-Oppenheimer (BO) molecular dynamics, can become unreliable at finite temperature, and specifically when the temperature is larger than the electronic energy gap between the ground state and the low-lying excited states. In this regime, relevant for many important chemical processes, the non-adiabatic ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Chemokines and their receptors are known to play important roles in the tumorigenesis of many malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of the expression of the chemokine SDF-1 and its receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 in patients with renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: The ...

Abstract Conclusions: This study showed that patients with acoustic tumor (AT) with hearing loss in the contralateral side had severe mood disturbances. It is important for physicians to provide patients who have better hearing in the tumor side with adequate information regarding the possibility of profound bilateral hearing loss and ...

Markov state models (MSMs)--or discrete-time master equation models--are a powerful way of modeling the structure and function of molecular systems like proteins. Unfortunately, MSMs with sufficiently many states to make a quantitative connection with experiments (often tens of thousands of states even for small systems) are generally too complicated to ...

Electrospinning provides a versatile method for generating fibrous materials from a large variety of substances, including polymers, composites, proteins and nano/micro colloids. In particular, the incorporation of nano/micro particles with polymeric materials is beneficial to many of electrospun fibers with multiple functionalities. This report evaluates the spinnability of a polymer ...

Ubiquitin-mediated processes orchestrate critical DNA-damage signaling and repair pathways. We identify human DVC1 (C1orf124; Spartan) as a cell cycle-regulated anaphase-promoting complex (APC) substrate that accumulates at stalled replication forks. DVC1 recruitment to sites of replication stress requires its ubiquitin-binding UBZ domain and PCNA-binding PIP box motif but is independent of ...

Statistical analysis of protein evolution suggests a design for natural proteins in which sparse networks of coevolving amino acids (termed sectors) comprise the essence of three-dimensional structure and function. However, proteins are also subject to pressures deriving from the dynamics of the evolutionary process itself-the ability to tolerate mutation and ...

In this work, two-dimensional lattice-based self-consistent field theory is used to study the free energy cost associated with the insertion of a nanoparticle into a polymer brush. The nanoparticle is modeled as a cylinder and the self-consistent field equations are formulated on a cylindrical lattice. The use of two-dimensional formalism ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The essential oil from Fructus Alpiniae zerumbet (FAZ) is its principal bioactive ingredient, and is widely used in Miao folk herbs in Guizhou province for the treatment of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases. Several studies have confirmed that FAZ ameliorates hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. Because endothelial dysfunction often accompanies cardiovascular ...

In lithium-ion batteries, the electrochemical reaction between the electrodes and lithium is a critical process that controls the capacity, cyclability and reliability of the battery. Despite intensive study, the atomistic mechanism of the electrochemical reactions occurring in these solid-state electrodes remains unclear. Here, we show that in situ transmission electron ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The Batrachoididae family is considered to be one of the most evolved groups of all marine teleosts, on account of several of its physiological characteristics, such as the excretory, reproductive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Previous studies of the 5S rDNA gene family carried out in four species from ...

Abstract Conclusion: The most common mutation in the Swedish population was Connexin 26 (C×26) 35delG, which indicates that the percentage of Swedish persons with C×26 mutations and polymorphisms in the GJB2 gene among non-syndromic hearing-impaired (HI) persons is comparable to the rest of Europe. The results strongly support a Swedish ...

Kar3Vik1 is a heterodimeric kinesin with one catalytic subunit (Kar3) and one noncatalytic subunit (Vik1). Vik1 experiences conformational changes in regions analogous to the force-producing elements in catalytic kinesins. A molecular mechanism by which Kar3 could trigger Vik1's release from microtubules was revealed. These findings will serve as the prototype ...

The regulation of cellular activities in a controlled manner is one of the most challenging issues in fields ranging from cell biology to biomedicine. Nanoparticles have the potential of becoming useful tools for controlling cell signalling pathways in a space and time selective fashion. Here, we have developed magnetic nanoparticles ...

The interaction of potassium with mica(001) and its influence on the subsequent film growth of para-hexaphenyl (6P) was studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Freshly cleaved mica is covered with 0.5 monolayer (ML) of potassium. By intentional potassium deposition in ultra-high vacuum a ...

We investigate the effect of mechanical strain on graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) transferred onto flexible polymer substrates by observing the change in the Raman spectrum and then compare this to the behavior of exfoliated graphene. Previous studies into the effect of strain on graphene have focused on ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: In many European countries, restrictions exist around the prescription of anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Eligibility and response to treatment is assessed using the disease activity score 28 (DAS28) algorithm, which incorporates one of two inflammatory markers, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C-reactive protein ...

Nickel-rich layered lithium transition-metal oxides, LiNi(1-x)M(x)O(2) (M = transition metal), have been under intense investigation as high-energy cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries because of their high specific capacity and relatively low cost. However, the commercial deployment of nickel-rich oxides has been severely hindered by their intrinsic poor thermal stability at the ...

A method developed by Northrup et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 80, 1517 (1984)] for calculating protein-ligand binding rate constants (k(a)) from brownian dynamics (BD) simulations has been widely used for rigid molecules. Application to flexible molecules is limited by the formidable computational cost to treat conformational fluctuations during the long ...

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) requires a covalent addition of FAD for catalytic function. Mutational analyses of Sdh1 implicate C-terminal region Arg residues involvement in covalent flavinylation and SDH assembly. SDH assembly is dependent on FAD binding to Sdh1 but not covalent binding. These results document the basis for the SDH deficiency ...

Semiconductor quantum dots (Qdots) are a promising new technology with benefits in the areas of medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Quantum dots generally consist of a semiconductor core, capping shell, and surface coating. The semiconductor core of Qdots is often composed of Group II and VI metals (e.g. Cd, Se, Te, ...

We introduce a sequence-dependent parametrization for a coarse-grained DNA model [T. E. Ouldridge, A. A. Louis, and J. P. K. Doye, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 085101 (2011)] originally designed to reproduce the properties of DNA molecules with average sequences. The new parametrization introduces sequence-dependent stacking and base-pairing interaction strengths chosen ...

Silk fibers are well known for their mechanical properties such as strength and toughness and their lightweight, making them an interesting material for a variety of applications. Silk mechanics mainly rely on the secondary structure of the underlying proteins. Lacewing egg stalk silk proteins obtain a cross-beta structure with individual ...

The dependence of the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCC) on the interaction between electrons and a nucleus of finite size is theoretically analyzed. A deviation of the ratio of the NQCCs obtained from two different isotopomers of a molecule from the ratio of the corresponding bare nuclear electric quadrupole moments, ...

The electronic excited states and optical absorption spectrum of C(60) fullerene below 6.2 eV (200 nm) were calculated using the ab initio many-body wavefunction theory of cluster expansion method: the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction method. Not only optically allowed states but also optically forbidden states were calculated for studying the observed ...

Abstract Conclusion: The WHO surgical checklist is well suited to otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) and the users are satisfied with its content. Objectives: Use of the checklist will improve safety in operating rooms (ORs). The checklist has been taken into use in ORL-HNS, and preliminary experiences are promising. However, ...

The impact of particle clustering and correlation upon the percolation behavior of polydisperse cylinders with finite hard core diameter is examined within an analogy to a lattice percolation problem. Percolation thresholds and percolation and backbone probabilities are explored as functions of the degree of clustering and extent of correlation among ...

The aim of this work is to develop group-contribution+ (GC+) method (combined group-contribution (GC) method and atom connectivity index (CI) method) based property models to provide reliable estimations of environment-related properties of organic chemicals together with uncertainties of estimated property values. For this purpose, a systematic methodology for property modeling ...

LIN28B regulates developmental processes by modulating microRNAs (miRNAs) of the let-7 family. A role for LIN28B in cancer has been proposed but has not been established in vivo. Here, we report that LIN28B showed genomic aberrations and extensive overexpression in high-risk neuroblastoma compared to several other tumor entities and normal ...

We compare dispersion and induction interactions for noble gas dimers and for Ne, methane, and 2-butyne with HF and LiF using a variety of functionals (including some specifically parameterized to evaluate dispersion interactions) with ab initio methods including CCSD(T) and MP2. We see that inductive interactions tend to enhance dispersion ...

A simple hydrodynamic model has been developed to explain the experimentally observed chirality selection in stirred solutions of self-assembling achiral dyes. Selection depends on the stirring direction: the dichroic signal reverses its shape in clockwise or anti-clockwise rotations. Our model investigates the possible role of the liquid-solid interface in nucleating, ...