Macroscopic Recognition Research Articles

Design, Synthesis, and Application of a Novel Probe for Macroscopic Recognition of Copper Ions

Design, Synthesis, and Application of a Novel Probe for Macroscopic Recognition of Copper Ions

Ruptured desmoid tumor imitating acute appendicitis \u2013 a rare reason for an emergency surgery

BackgroundDesmoid tumors, also known as aggressive fibromatosis, are extremely rare, accounting for less than 3% of soft-tissue sarcomas and less than 0,03% of all neoplasms. The diagnosis is usually delayed because of the lack of specific symptoms, and can sometimes lead to serious and, even fatal complications.Case presentationWe report the case of a 27-year-old male patient presenting with the clinical picture of acute appendicitis. During the operation, we found a tumor in the jejunum with a necrotic zone and perforation on its surface, causing hemorrhagic effusion into the abdominal cavity and subsequent peritonitis. The tumor was removed with negative margins via resection of the small bowel. The final histological result showed aggressive fibromatosis.ConclusionsAggressive fibromatosis remains a serious problem with the possibility of locally aggressive behavior with high rates of recurrence. Sometimes, its clinical and macroscopic recognition can be immensely tricky. As shown by our patient, on rare occasions, desmoid tumors can lead to acute surgical abdomen requiring an emergency operation.

Macroscopic recognition of iodide by polymer appended calix[4]amidocrown resin

ABSTRACTThe current study reveals the synthesis of polymer appended Calix[4]amidocrown-5 with specific binding affinity for iodide at ppm-level. The low detection limits are observed via UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The time-dependent solution and solid-state 127I NMR studies with 18.8 and 19 ppm shifts, indicate a strong sensing nature of resin towards iodide ion. A significant reduction in surface area and pore volume with higher thermostability of resin after iodide uptake indicated iodide inclusion in the amidocrown cavity. The mechanism of iodide sensing may be governed by noncovalent interactions of NH and OH protons present in amidocrown and phenyl ring as observed in terms of emission enhancement in fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding affinity and stoichiometric determinations are determined by Benesi-Hildebrand and Jobs plots, respectively.

Macroscopic Chiral Recognition by Calix[4]arene-Based Host-Guest Interactions.

Chiral recognition as an intrinsic process of life, plays a crucial role in chemical systems, and further forms various architectures in the resulted functional materials. So far, relevant studies were focused on the recognition of chiral molecules. However, weak chiral interactions transformed into macroscopic recognition, for example, for chiral drug droplets, is much more crucial due to its applicability in controlling the drugs' selective delivery and for their enantiomer separation. In this report, chiral calix[4]arene was introduced onto a surface for the selective recognition of (S)-naproxen droplet through host-guest interactions.

Detectability, visualization, and DNA analysis of bloodstains after repainting the walls.

A recurrent observation in forensic casework is that culprits and/or their abettors attempt to remove or mask bloodstain patterns, e.g., by painting the walls. The present study was designed to elucidate whether luminol treatment of bloodstains on (a) plastered and (b) wallpapered walls may help with the visualization of respective patterns after being repainted beyond macroscopic recognition. Furthermore, wallpaper punches of luminol-positive spots were analyzed for DNA. The experiments showed that the prospects for visualization after a four- to sixfold paint application declined considerably as the drying time of the paint increased. A compelling explanation for this observation is that paint becomes increasingly resistant to water during the drying process after paint application. In these cases, moistening the surface in question with distilled water for 15min has been proven to be a promising pretreatment before luminol application. DNA analysis revealed full STR profiles in 74% of luminol-positive wallpaper punches, whereas rubs of the aforementioned positively tested regions (luminol and human blood pretests) demonstrated negative results.

Modelling of underground objects and geological-tectonic structures from a point cloud: application of the developed models in studies of geodynamic processes

At present, techniques of terrestrial laser scanning are one of the most popular survey methods. They allow for fast and non-invasive data acquisition even up to several tens of thousands points per minute. Apart from high precision and measurement efficiency, one of its assets is the possibility of working in objects with natural or artificial light. Due to this, the method may be successfully used in activities related e.g. with the surveying of the present state of underground excavations. The basic product derived from laser scanning measurements is a point cloud. This set is the input data for the construction of a 3D object with a closed surface, e.g. a mesh network. This paper presents the results of inventory works performed in a complex of underground excavations below Książ Castle in Lower Silesia (SW Poland). Based on a point cloud acquired during the measurements, a 3D model of the excavations was constructed. Open source software – MeshLab – was used in the modelling. The high-resolution, calibrated metric model of the underground excavations allowed for a macroscopic recognition of the position of the main tectonic structures cutting the space of the underground excavations. The obtained model was supplemented with the results of earlier geodetic and geological surveys, performed in 2013-2015. The generated model of the geological structure in the study area is an element supporting the interpretation of kinematic activity of the rock massif registered by the instruments of the SRC PAS Geodynamic Laboratory in Książ.

Modelling of underground objects and geological-tectonic structures from a point cloud: application of the developed models in studies of geodynamic processes

At present, techniques of terrestrial laser scanning are one of the most popular survey methods. They allow for fast and non-invasive data acquisition even up to several tens of thousands points per minute. Apart from high precision and measurement efficiency, one of its assets is the possibility of working in objects with natural or artificial light. Due to this, the method may be successfully used in activities related e.g. with the surveying of the present state of underground excavations. The basic product derived from laser scanning measurements is a point cloud. This set is the input data for the construction of a 3D object with a closed surface, e.g. a mesh network. This paper presents the results of inventory works performed in a complex of underground excavations below Książ Castle in Lower Silesia (SW Poland). Based on a point cloud acquired during the measurements, a 3D model of the excavations was constructed. Open source software – MeshLab – was used in the modelling. The high-resolution, calibrated metric model of the underground excavations allowed for a macroscopic recognition of the position of the main tectonic structures cutting the space of the underground excavations. The obtained model was supplemented with the results of earlier geodetic and geological surveys, performed in 2013-2015. The generated model of the geological structure in the study area is an element supporting the interpretation of kinematic activity of the rock massif registered by the instruments of the SRC PAS Geodynamic Laboratory in Książ.

Caracterización geotécnica y vulnerabilidad por movimientos en masas entre la vereda de Puente Quemao y el corregimiento de San Francisco de Asís, en El Copey, Cesar

La presente investigación se realizó en el área que corresponde a la vereda de Puente Quemao y el corregimiento de San Francisco de Asís, pertenecientes al municipio de El Copey en el departamento del Cesar. El estudio se compone de una serie de fases en las que se realizaron varias actividades preparatorias para la recopilación, análisis e interpretación de la información; además, fue de vital importancia la identificación de la vulnerabilidad presente en el lugar con respecto a movimientos en masas. Teniendo en cuenta lo anterior, fue factible la identificación de los perfiles de meteorización, el reconocimiento macroscópico de las litologías y la interpretación del tipo de movimiento en masa, para poder plantear posibles soluciones al riesgo inminente, el cual puede proporcionar una alternativa para la prevención de desastres. Además, este estudio es de vital importancia para el conocimiento de la geología regional y la participación investigativa.

The current state of knowledge about shatter cones: Introduction to the special issue

AbstractShatter cones are a fracture phenomenon that is exclusively associated with shock metamorphism and has also been produced in the laboratory in several shock experiments. The occurrence of shatter cones is the only accepted meso‐ to macroscopic recognition criterion for impact structures. Shatter cones exhibit a number of geometric characteristics (orientation, apical angles, striation angles, sizes) that can be best described as varied, from case to case. Possible links between geometric properties with impact or crater parameters have remained controversial and the lack of understanding of the mechanism of formation of shatter cones does not offer a physical framework to discuss or understand them. A database of shatter cone occurrences has been produced for this introduction paper to the special issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science on shatter cones. Distribution of shatter cones with respect to crater size and lithology suggests that shatter cones do not occur in impact craters less than a few kilometers in diameter, with a few, currently questionable exceptions. All pertinent hypotheses of formation are presented and discussed. Several may be discarded in light of the most recent observations. The branching fracture mechanism and the interference models proposed, respectively, by Sagy et al. (2002) and Baratoux and Melosh (2003) require further evaluation. New observations, experiments, or theoretical considerations presented in this special issue promise an important step forward, based on a renewed effort to resolve the enigmatic origin of these important features.

Shatter cones at the Keurusselkä impact structure and their relation to local jointing

AbstractShatter cones are the only distinct meso‐ to macroscopic recognition criterion for impact structures, yet not all is known about their formation. The Keurusselkä impact structure, Finland, is interesting in that it presents a multitude of well‐exposed shatter cones in medium‐ to coarse‐grained granitoids. The allegedly 27 km wide Keurusselkä impact structure was formed about 1150 Ma ago in rocks of the Central Finland Granitoid Complex. Special attention was paid in this work to possible relationships between shatter cones and local, as well as regionally occurring, fracture or joint systems. A possible shatter cone find outside the previously suggested edge of the structure could mean that the Keurusselkä impact structure is larger than previously thought. The spacing between joints/fractures from regional joint systems was influenced by the impact, but impact‐induced fractures strongly follow the regional joint orientation trends. There is a distinct relationship between shatter cones and joints: shatter cones occur on and against joint surfaces of varied orientations and belonging to the regional orientation trends. Planar fractures (PF) and planar deformation features (PDF) were found in three shatter cone samples from the central‐most part of the impact structure, whereas other country rock samples from the same level of exposure but further from the assumed center lack shock deformation features. PDF occurrence is enhanced within 5 mm of shatter cone surfaces, which is interpreted to suggest that shock wave reverberation at preimpact joints could be responsible for this local enhancement of shock deformation. Some shatter cone surfaces are coated with a quasi‐opaque material which is also found in conspicuous veinlets that branch off from shatter cone surfaces and resemble pseudotachylitic breccia veins. The vein‐filling is composed of two mineral phases, one of which could be identified as a montmorillonitic phyllosilicate. The second phase could not be identified yet. The original composition of the fill could not be determined. Further work is required on this material. Observed joints and fractures were discussed against findings from Barringer impact crater. They show that impact‐induced joints in the basement rock do not follow impact‐specific orientations (such as radial, conical, or concentric).

Cobalt ion pair macroscopic recognition by orthogonal interaction

A simple calix[4]arene dialkyne diester(C4DE) was designed and synthesized in high yield (80%). C4DE was clicked onto a microstructured Au surface, and showed selective macroscopic recognition of cobalt picrate by orthogonal interactions, detected via contact angle measurements. The proposed wettability sensing device displays good specificity, is fast and easy to use, and should be suitable for the rapid detection of cobalt ions in environmental monitoring.

Pesticide Macroscopic Recognition by a Naphthol-Appended Calix[4]arene.

A new naphthol-appended calix[4]arene (NOC4) has been synthesized and characterized. NOC4 is clicked onto a microstructured Au surface and exhibits selective macroscopic recognition of metolcarb (MC) via contact angle measurements. The proposed wettability sensing device displays remarkable specificity and is fast and easy to use, which should be suitable for the rapid detection of MC in environmental monitoring.

Macroscopic Recognition of Nontraumatic Osseous Pathology in the Postcranial Skeletons of Crocodilians and Lizards

Identification of postcranial reptile pathology unrelated to trauma on the basis of macroscopic (visual) examination is feasible and effective, as previously documented in mammals, birds, and dinosaurs. Such bone disease is rare in most wild-caught lizards, with the exception of Varanids, and is also more common in crocodilians. This provides a basis for evaluation of the fossil record, suggesting that the most productive epidemiologic analyses would be concentrated in the families, Crocodylidae and Varanidae. A specific form of inflammatory arthritis and vertebral pathology, spondyloarthropathy, is clearly established as the major non-traumatic osseous pathology in lizards (although quite rare in all but varanids) and crocodilians. Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease seems to represent a secondary phenomenon, apparently limited in distribution to individuals with spondyloarthropathy. Only 9% of individual reptiles with osseous pathology examined lacked a clear diagnosis substantiated by validated observations in human and other animals.

New observations on shatter cones in the Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, and evaluation of current hypotheses for shatter cone formation

Abstract— Shatter cones have been described from many meteorite impact structures and are widely regarded as a diagnostic macroscopic recognition feature for impact. However, the origin of this meso‐ to macroscopic striated fracture phenomenon has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, and the timing of shatter cone formation in the cratering process still remains enigmatic. Here, previous results from studies of shatter cones from the Vredefort impact structure and other impact structures are discussed in the light of new field observations made in the Vredefort Dome. Contrary to earlier claims, Vredefort cone fractures do not show uniform apex orientations at any given outcrop, nor do small cones show a pattern consistent with the previously postulated “master cone” concept. Simple back‐rotation of impact‐rotated strata to a horizontal pre‐impact position also does not lead to a uniform centripetal‐upward orientation of the cone apices. Striation patterns on the cone surfaces are variable, ranging from the typically diverging pattern branching off the cone apex to subparallel‐to‐parallel patterns on almost flat surfaces. Striation angles on shatter cones do not increase with distance from the center of the dome, as alleged in the literature. Instead, a range of striation angles is measured on individual shatter cones from a specific outcrop. New observations on small‐scale structures in the collar around the Vredefort Dome confirm the relationship of shatter cones with subparallel sets of curviplanar fractures (so‐called multipli‐striated joint sets, MSJS). Pervasive, meter‐scale tensile fractures cross‐cut shatter cones and appear to have formed after the closely spaced MSJ‐type fractures.The results of this study indicate that none of the existing hypotheses for the formation of shatter cones are currently able to adequately explain all characteristics of this fracturing phenomenon. Therefore, we favor a combination of aspects of different hypotheses that includes the interaction of elastic waves, as supported by numerical modeling results and which reasonably explains the variety of shatter cone shapes, the range of striation geometries and angles, and the relationship of closely spaced fracture systems with the striated surfaces. In the light of the currently available theoretical basis for the formation of shatter cones, the results of this investigation lead to the conclusion that shatter cones are tensile fractures and might have formed during shock unloading, after the passage of the shock wave through the target rocks.

Molecular recognition and information gain

Molecular recognition is considered as an information transduction process, and information theory is applied to analyze the efficiency of the information transduction during molecular recognition. It is shown that a certain amount of information is gained in the recognition process, and it can be expressed in terms of thermodynamic quantities in the binding process of molecules. The information gain, which can be interpreted as the amount of information extracted from the sequence or structure by a molecule, represents the intrinsic ability of a molecule to recognize specific sequence or structure out of large ambient ensemble based on physical interactions. In contrast with thermodynamic quantities themselves, the information gain is a normalized quantity, and thus serves as a good measure of specificity in the molecular recognition. The information gain, which can be evaluated experimentally, enables us to identify the specific interactions and compare the specificity among different molecules quantitatively. In contrast with macroscopic recognition, specificity of molecular recognition may be severely restricted by the thermodynamic nature of molecular interactions. The thermodynamic meaning of the information gain and its biological implications to molecular recognition are discussed.

Observations on the female reproductive cycle and fecundity of three species of groupers (Epinephelus) from the southeast Tunisian seashores

In the present work, the oocytic structures of three species of groupers (Epinephelus aeneus, E. alexandrinus and E. guaza) have been studied. The oocytic maturation cycle is described, showing phases of ooplasmic pH changes and of vitellogenesis. The ripening is completed over 2 yr. The oocytes being recruited in shifts, they are also released in shifts 2 yr later inducing a spawning in several “waves”. The macroscopic recognition of characteristic ripening stages has been used to count oocytes during spawning. We have stated the total potential fecundity of these groupers and pointed out the differences between them.

Early phase acute myocardial infarct size quantification: Validation of the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride tissue enzyme staining technique

Gross histochemical delineation of myocardium which has lost dehydrogenase enzyme activity has been shown to facilitate macroscopic recognition of necrotic myocardium. The present study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) technique for quantitating myocardial infarct size very early after coronary occlusion. In 16 closed-chest dogs the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded with an intra-arterial balloon. Twelve dogs were killed 6 hours after occlusion, their hearts excised, cut from apex to base into 1 cm thick slices, and incubated in TTC. Whole-mount histologic sections of each slice were prepared. Myocardial infarct size was measured by planimetry of photographs of each gross slice and histologic section using classical criteria of necrosis. Myocardial infarct size determined in 54 slices by the TTC technique and histologically was similar (25 ± 16% vs 27 ± 16% of the left ventricular mass, mean ± SD) with close correlation between the two methods ( r = 0.91). Four dogs were killed 3 hour after occlusion and TTC stained and unstained myocardium was studied by electron microscopy. When the TTC technique identified necrosis so did electron microscopy. Areas identified by the TTC technique as non-necrotic were either normal or only ischemic by electron microscopy. Thus, using TTC, necrosis can be quantitated reliably 6, and even 3 hours after coronary occlusion, before histologic changes are clearly diagnostic. This technique represents a reliable, practical means for quantitation of recent infarction and for studying the evolution of ischemic injury in its early phase.

The effects of gibberellin A3, photoperiod, and age on vegetative growth and flowering in Cosmos bipinnatus var. Sensation

Plants of Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. 'Sensation' (a quantitative short-day plant) were grown continuously under conditions favorable or unfavorable for flowering, and some plants in each group were treated with gibberellic acid (GA3). Morphological and anatomical observations revealed that GA3 promoted floral initiation under non-inductive long days but not as efficiently as inductive short days, as judged by the rate of apical transition to the reproductive state. GA3 did not influence the total number of plants that flowered but did increase height growth. Plants treated with GA3 had a normal percentage of initiation, but a much lower developmental rate. Macroscopic recognition of flowering was not possible until the inflorescence stage of the apex.Floral apices of Cosmos are formed by the transition of previously vegetative apices, the apex passing into an intermediate stage typical of most plants held under non-inductive conditions. Transitional, prefloral, and inflorescence stages follow. The formation of an intermediate stage may account for many of the conflicting results observed in physiological studies since there is a great variation in response rate depending on age of plant and stage of the apex at the start of the experiment. Anatomical observations support the findings that although GA3 promotes floral initiation in Cosmos when applied under non-inductive conditions, floral development may not continue, thus resulting in an apparent lack of response. This may also be true of many other plants considered "non-responsive" to GA3 under non-inductive conditions.

An agar medium for the isolation and macroscopic recognition of Phytophthora spp. from soil on dilution plates.

An agar medium containing corn oil and antimicrobial compounds was developed on which Phytophthora colonies can be isolated and recognized macroscopically after 4 days of incubation. The presence of Pythium ultimum Trow, did not interfere with the recognition of P. cactorum colonies.The medium is suitable also for the isolation from soil of Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica, P. cinnamomi, and P. drechsleri, but less satisfactory for the enumeration of P. cryptogea, P. cambivora, and P. megasperma var. sojae.