Sum Of Intensities Research Articles

Discrete cosine single-pixel microscopic compressive imaging via fast binary modulation

Single-pixel imaging technology has significant imaging advantages in the invisible wavelength and low light environment. Considering the energy compressive characteristic of discrete cosine spectrum, a single-pixel microscopic compressive imaging method based on the two-dimensional discrete cosine transform is proposed. In this method, a digital micro-mirror device is used for high-speed binary differential modulation of discrete cosine basis patterns; and the zigzag sorting is adopted to perform the under-sampling. The discrete cosine spectrum is generated by calculating the weighted sum of the light intensities measured by a single-pixel detector, and the object is reconstructed by two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transform. The proposed method is verified by both computational simulations and laboratory experiments. The effects of different sampling rates, binary quantization level and compressive sampling modes on imaging results are discussed. The results show that the proposed method can realize high quality and high efficiency imaging. The method is suitable for microscopic imaging applications.

A New Perspective on Terrestrial Hydrologic Intensity That Incorporates Atmospheric Water Demand

AbstractHydrologic intensity is often quantified using precipitation without directly incorporating atmospheric water demand. We develop a hydrologic intensity index called the surplus deficit intensity (SDI) index that accounts for variation in supply and demand. SDI is the standardized sum of standardized surplus intensity (mean of daily surplus when supply > demand) and deficit time (mean of consecutive days when demand > supply). Using an observational ensemble of global daily precipitation and atmospheric water demand during 1979–2017, we document widespread hydrologic intensification (SDI; +0.11 z‐score per decade) driven primarily by increased surplus intensity. Using a climate model ensemble of the United States, hydrologic intensification is projected for the mid‐21st century (+0.86 in z‐score compared to 1971–2000), producing greater apparent intensification when compared to an index that does not explicitly incorporate demand. While incorporating demand had a minor effect on observed hydrologic intensification, it doubles hydrological intensification for the mid‐21st century.

Transnational Economic Connection Analysis Based on Railway Class Accessibility Between China and Russia

Under the background of ‘the Belt and Road’ initiative, the economic cooperation has great potential between China and Russia. The railway accessibility has an important influence on the economic connections of cities along the railway line. This paper studied the Sino-Russian transnational economic connection based on the railway class accessibility along Trans-Siberian railway (the transnational China railway branch line). The results are as following. First, the railway accessibility of the Chinese nodes is stronger than that of the Russian nodes, which in general displays a tendency of space attenuation from China to the Sino-Russian border, then to Russia. Spatially, the railway accessibility within the study area shows a ‘High East, Low West’ and ‘High South, Low North’ spatial pattern. The railway accessibility of the nodes, which are located at the beginning and end of the railway line, is weaker than those nodes located in the middle of the line. Second, the railway accessibility and external economic connection intensity summation of the nodes show a positive relationship along the railway line. The economic connection intensity summation of different nodes presents obvious regional differentiation. Finally, as economic connection network has evolved, the small world effect of Sino-Russian railway economic connection network becomes strong.

Cryptanalysis and Improvement of a Color Image Encryption Scheme Based on DNA Sequences and Multiple 1D Chaotic Maps

This paper presents cryptanalysis of a color image encryption scheme. DNA encoding and multiple 1D chaotic maps are used in the encryption process which increases its computational speed. The key streams generated in this scheme are dependent on secret keys, updated using the sum of pixel intensities of plain image of size [Formula: see text]. This paper analyzes the security of encryption scheme against the chosen plaintext attack and finds that only [Formula: see text] different key matrices for diffusion are possible, an equivalent version of which can be revealed with [Formula: see text] chosen plain images. Experimental results are presented to prove that equivalent diffusion keys and block permutation sequence can be effectively revealed through the attack. In addition, low sensitivity of keys towards changes in plaintext along with insecure diffusion process involved in encryption process is also reported. Finally, to remedy the shortcomings of the original encryption scheme, an enhanced encryption scheme is generated that can resist chosen/known plaintext attack while maintaining the merits of the original encryption scheme.

Structure design and modulation of dual-wavelength sensitive upconversion luminescence in RE2MoO6:Er3+/Yb3+ materials

A series of RE2MoO6: 2%Er3+, 15%Yb3+ (RE = Y, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, and Lu) nanoparticles were prepared by citric acid-assisted sol–gel method. The upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties of block-shaped Gd2MoO6: 2%Er3+, 15%Yb3+ were the best among the materials obtained. In addition, the UCL properties of the investigated systems by two strategies could be further improved. Modulation of the crystal structure could be achieved by the substitution of rare earth ions in matrix lattice. The UC emission intensity of Gd2MoO6 doped with Y3+ (40%) was enhanced about 2.27 (2.52) more times than that of Y3+-absent samples excited at 980 nm (1550 nm). Secondly, dual wavelength was used as the excitation wavelength simultaneously: The green UCL intensity of RE2MoO6: 2%Er3+, 15%Yb3+ was almost not changed, while the red UCL intensity was enhanced compared to the sum of the red UCL intensities excited by 980 nm and 1550 nm, respectively. The UCL mechanism excited by dual wavelength was investigated in detail, in which the two co-operative excitation processes were presented.

Sum of peak intensities outperforms peak area integration in iTRAQ protein expression measurement by LC-MS/MS using a TripleTOF 5600+ platform.

In the field of quantitative proteomics, the Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ) technology has demonstrated efficacy for proteome monitoring despite its lack of a consensus for data handling. In the present study, after peptide and protein identification, we compared the widespread quantitation method based on the calculation of MS/MS reporter ion peaks areas ratios (ProteinPilot) to the alternative method based on the calculation of ratios of the sum of peak intensities (jTRAQx [Quant]) and we processed output data with the in-house Customizable iTRAQ Ratios Calculator (CiR-C) algorithm. Quantitation based on peak area ratios displayed no significant linear correlation with Western blot quantitation. In contrast, quantitation based on the sum of peak intensities displayed a significant linear association with Western blot quantitation (non-zero slope; Pearson correlation coefficient test, r = 0.296, P=0.010**) with an average bias of 0.087 ± 0.500 and 95% Limits of Agreement from −0.893 to 1.068. We proposed the Mascot-jTRAQx-CiR-C strategy as a simple yet powerful data processing adjunct to the iTRAQ technology.

Comparison of midwave versus longwave intensity signatures for infrared search and track of small rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles

Longwave infrared (LWIR) and midwave infrared (MWIR) UAV signature data have been acquired and analyzed in collaboration with L3 Technologies, and we present intensity and root sum square delta T for two rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the popular DJI Phantom 4 and DJI Inspire, at 0-, 45-, and 90-deg aspect angles. Signature measurements are conducted in the field with clear sky, cloudy, and land backgrounds. We compare MWIR values to that of LWIR for the following criteria: aspect angle, background type, and UAV type.

A practical approach to the direct-derivation method for QPA: use of observed powder patterns of individual components without background subtraction in whole-powder-pattern fitting

The direct-derivation (DD) method for quantitative phase analysis (QPA) can be used to derive weight fractions of individual phases in a mixture from the sums of observed intensities along with the chemical composition data [Toraya (2016). J. Appl. Cryst. 49, 1508–1516]. The whole-powder-pattern fitting (WPPF) technique can be used as one of the tools for deriving the observed intensities of individual phases. In WPPF, the observed powder pattern of a single-phase sample after background (BG) subtraction can be used as the fitting function in combination with the fitting functions widely used in Pawley and Rietveld refinements. The direct fitting of the observed pattern is a very useful technique when the target component is a low-crystallinity or amorphous material [Toraya (2018). J. Appl. Cryst. 51, 446–455]. Technical problems in utilizing the BG-subtracted pattern are the uncertainty associated with the determination of BG height and the parameter interaction between the BG function (BGF) and the BG-subtracted pattern in the least-squares fit. In this study, a practical approach in which single-phase observed patterns are used for the direct fitting without subtracting their BG intensities is proposed. In QPA, the contribution of BG intensities can be neutralized by converting the sum of BG-included intensities into the sum of BG-subtracted intensities by multiplying by a conversion factor. When the magnitudes of the conversion factors are almost identical for all components, they can be canceled out under the normalization condition in deriving weight fractions, and they are not required in QPA. The magnitude of the conversion factor for each component can be determined by one of two experimental techniques: using a single-phase powder of the target component or a mixture containing the target component in a known weight ratio. The theoretical basis of the present procedure is given, and the procedure is experimentally verified. In this procedure, the interaction between the BGF and the BG-included observed pattern is negligibly small. Least-squares fitting with a few adjustable parameters is very fast and stable. Accurate QPA could be conducted, as indicated by the average deviation of 0.05% from weighed values in QPA of α-Al2O3 + γ-Al2O3 mixtures with five different weight ratios and 0.4% in QPA of an α-SiO2 + SiO2 glass mixture

DIAGNOSING OF DRUG TOXIDERMIA CAUSED BY NUROFEN BY THE METHOD OF BARIUM SULFATE STIMULATED LUMINOL-DEPENDENT CHEMILUMINESCENCE OF LEUKOCYTES

Objective. to determine the general patterns of changes barium sulfat stimulated luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of leukocytes in patients with drug toxidermia caused by taking nurofen (ibuprofen) and in the control group, as well as to select NSAIDs for replacement therapy. Material and methods. the object of the study were 15 patients (11 women and 4 men) with drug toxidemia (7 patients with toxidermia, 4 patients with acute urticaria) developed after taking nurofen (ibuprofen), and a control group consisting of 15 people (9 women and 6 men) who were not intolerant to this drug. The study participants were aged 18 to 75 years, median - 53. Measurement of barium sulfate-stimulated luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (SLCL) of leukocytes was performed on the Lum-100 chemiluminometer. The calculations were carried out using the computer program PowerGraph. Results. during the influence of nurofen (ibuprofen) on the blood of patients with intolerance to this drug and the control group dose-dependent changes in SLCL were observed. The relative intensity and relative light sum of blood SLCL in patients was significantly lower than in the control group at all studied drug concentrations (p < 0.01). SLCL indices in different forms of LT do not differ significantly (p < 0.01). The relative intensity and relative light sum of blood SLCL in patients were significantly lower in samples with the drug that caused the development of the disease than with drugs for replacement therapy (p < 0.01). At minimum concentration, there are no significant differences (p > 0.05).

Impact of neuromuscular function on pain during walking in individuals with knee osteoarthritis

Purpose: The neuromuscular mechanisms for pain-related mobility deficits in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) are not well understood. Alterations in muscle activity including prolonged activation and greater co-activation of muscles surrounding the knee have been reported and vary with radiographic severity; however, their relevance for symptom onset, severity and mobility impairment is not clear. The first study aim was to quantify differences in muscle activation patterns for individuals who do or do not experience increased pain with walking. We hypothesized that those who experience pain with walking would have greater activation intensity and total activation power as compared to those who do not. The second aim was to quantify the impact of increased pain on muscle activity during a bout of walking. We hypothesized with an increase in pain there would be a decreased mean activation intensity of medial muscles and total activation power. Methods: Twenty-two individuals with knee OA performed a 20-minute treadmill walk at a preferred pace: 11 reported an increase in self-reported pain (IP) in the affected limb, and 11 who reported no change in pain (NC)(Table1). Electromyography (EMG) was collected at 2000Hz on 8 lower extremity muscles of the most affected limb (Rectus Femoris(RF), Tibialis Anterior(TA), and the medial and lateral Vastii(VM, VL), gastronemii(MG,LG), and hamstrings(MH,LH). Nine walking strides from minute 2 and minute 20 of the treadmill walk were resolved in time and frequency space simultaneously using 20 non-linearly scaled wavelets ranging from 0-250Hz. EMG for each muscle was normalized to mean activation intensity in minute 2 and time normalized to 100% of the gait cycle. To test for group and time effects in EMG intensity a curve analysis with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to apply 2-way repeated measures ANOVA over the gait cycle. EMG power (sum of intensity over time) for high (cfs: 108.7-246.1) and low (cfs: 12.2-93.0) frequency bands, and total power were also calculated. Group and time effect were assessed with a 2-way repeated measures ANOVA. Post-hoc tests were applied where appropriate.Tabled 1Table 1 DemographicsAge (yrs)BMI(kg/m2)Gait Speed (m/s)ΔvNRSKOOS painNC62.8 (6.3)25.8 (3.1)1.16 (0.6)-0.09 (0.3)69.9 (12.6)IP67.9 (3.3)25.4 (4.2)1.39 (0.4)2.27 (1.4)71.45 (11.6) Open table in a new tab Results: No significant group effects for EMG intensity were found. Main effects of time were found with a decrease of EMG intensity in the LG from 79-84% (p<0.001), and MG from 69-73% of the gait cycle (p<0.001)(Fig.1). A group*time interaction effect was found for the TA in late-stance (p<0.001; 35-43% gait cycle). Post-hoc testing found greater TA EMG intensity from 32-47% (p=0.006) of the gait cycle for NC compared to IP at minute 2 only as NC had a decrease pre to post for 10-56% gait cycle (p<0.001). Significant main effect of time was found with ∼12% decrease in total power in LG (p=0.04) and a group*time interaction in the TA (p=0.009). Post-hoc testing found at the end of the walk IP had greater TA EMG power compared to NC (p=0.04) as the NC decreased total EMG power in the walk by ∼20%, while IP had no change. No other significant differences were found for total or lower frequency power. For high frequency EMG power, main effects of time were found with decreases in LG, MH, LH, RF, TA, and VL (p<0.05). Group*time interactions were found for the TA (p=0.028), VL (p=0.029), VM (p=0.046). IP had lower EMG power compared to NC in the VL (p=0.02) and VM (p=0.002) at minute 2, and VM (p=0.04) at minute 20 (Fig.2). NC decreased EMG power in the VL (p=0.003) and VM(p=0.021) with walking. No significant post hoc differences were found for the TA. Conclusions: The study findings suggest there are differences at baseline in the EMG power within higher frequency bands of the Vastii muscles for knee OA patients who do vs do not experience pain with a bout of walking. Those who reported an increase in pain during the walk had 40% lower EMG power in the Vastii muscles at the walk start compared to those who reported no change in pain. Greater TA activation intensity at baseline was also found for those with no pain change compared to pain increase suggesting there may be differences in stride length. In response to the treadmill walk, those who had no change in pain had a reduction in high frequency EMG power in the Vastii muscles. Yet, at the end of the walk, high frequency power in the VM remained lower in those with a pain increase as compared to those without. Several possible physiologic changes may alter the higher frequency EMG including a modulation of motor unit recruitment, firing rate, and/or slowing of conduction velocity and should be further explored to understand the neuromuscular mechanisms for pain-related mobility deficits.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

A prospective randomized assessment of quality of life between open and robotic hysterectomy in early endometrial cancer.

There are limited prospective data on the evaluation of quality of life in patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Our objective was to determine whether post-operative recovery differs between robotic and abdominal hysterectomy. At a Swedish tertiary referral university hospital, 50 women with low-risk endometrial cancer scheduled for surgery between February 2012 and May 2016 were included in a randomized trial. Surgery was performed according to principles for minimal invasive surgery. Anesthesia and peri-operative care followed a standardized enhanced recovery after surgery program in both groups. The EuroQol Group form EQ-5D and the Short Form-36 were used to evaluate patients' health-related quality of life. The Swedish Postoperative Symptoms Questionnaire assessed symptoms pre-operatively, daily for 7 days from the day of surgery, and then weekly until 6 weeks post-operatively. Data were analyzed by means of non-parametric tests and repeated measures ANOVA. To evaluate the time-dependent occurrence of complications, Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional-hazard models were used. A total of 50 women were enrolled in the study (25 robotic and 25 abdominal hysterectomy). Median age (68 years vs 67 years), estimated blood loss (50 mL vs 50 mL), length of hospital stay de facto (53 hours vs 51 hours), and time to meet discharge criteria (36 hours vs 36 hours) in the robotic and abdominal groups, respectively, did not differ significantly (p>0.05) Women in the robotic hysterectomy group recovered significantly faster (p=0.01) in the EQ-5D health index, and reached their pre-operative level after approximately 3 weeks, nearly 2 weeks earlier than the abdominal group. Differences regarding improvement in health-related quality of life (Short Form-36) were statistically significant in general health and social functioning only, and were in favor of robotic hysterectomy. Consumption of analgesics, pain intensity, and symptom sum score post-operatively were equal. Occurrence of complications was an independent risk factor and influenced significantly the EQ-5D health index, length of hospital stay, pain intensity, opioid consumption, and symptom sum score adversely. Robotic hysterectomy in the setting of an enhanced recovery after surgery program led to faster recovery in health-related quality of life compared with abdominal hysterectomy.

Evaluation of metabolome sample preparation and extraction methodologies for oleaginous filamentous fungi Mortierella alpina.

Metabolomics has been successfully applied to guide the rational engineering of industrial strains and improve the performance of bioprocesses. Mortierella alpina has traditionally been one of the most popular industrial strains for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, a systematic comparison and optimisation of the metabolomic analysis methods of M. alpina has not yet been reported. We sought to identify potential weaknesses that are important for accurate metabolomic analysis. We also aimed to determine an efficient sample preparation protocol for metabolomics studies in the oleaginous filamentous fungus M. alpina. In this study, using GC-MS, we evaluated three sample preparation protocols and five solvent mixtures by assessment of the metabolite profile differences, the sum of peak intensities and the reproducibility of metabolite quantification. The freeze-dried biomass had better reproducibility and recovery than fresh biomass for metabolite extraction and data normalisation that is part of a metabolomics analysis of filamentous fungi M. alpina. Methanol:water (1:1) was superior for the profiling of metabolites in oleaginous fungi M. alpina. The unbiased metabolite profiling difference between the growth phase and lipids synthesis phase revealed that the degradation of amino acids were critical nodes for the efficient synthesis of lipids in M. alpina. The use of freeze-dried biomass for metabolite extraction and data normalisation was more efficient at measuring the active state of the intracellular metabolites in M. alpina. We recommend extracting the intracellular metabolites with methanol:water (1:1). An important role of amino acid oxidation in the nitrogen limitation-mediated lipid accumulation was found.

Observed changes in convective and stratiform precipitation in Northern Eurasia over the last five decades

Long-term changes in convective and stratiform precipitation in Northern Eurasia (NE) over the last five decades are estimated. Different types of precipitation are separated according to their genesis using routine meteorological observations of precipitation, weather conditions, and morphological cloud types for the period 1966–2016. From an initial 538 stations, the main analysis is performed for 326 stations that have no gaps and meet criteria regarding the artificial discontinuity absence in the data. A moderate increase in total precipitation over the analyzed period is accompanied by a relatively strong growth of convective precipitation and a concurrent decrease in stratiform precipitation. Convective and stratiform precipitation totals, precipitation intensity and heavy precipitation sums depict major changes in summer, while the relative contribution of the two precipitation types to the total precipitation (including the contribution of heavy rain events) show the strongest trends in transition seasons. The contribution of heavy convective showers to the total precipitation increases with the statistically significant trend of 1%–2% per decade in vast NE regions, reaching 5% per decade at a number of stations. The largest increase is found over the southern Far East region, mostly because of positive changes in convective precipitation intensity with a linear trend of more than 1 mm/day/decade, implying a 13.8% increase per 1 °C warming. In general, stratiform precipitation decreases over the majority of NE regions in all seasons except for winter. This decrease happens at slower rates in comparison to the convective precipitation changes. The overall changes in the character of precipitation over the majority of NE regions are characterized by a redistribution of precipitation types toward more heavy showers.

Expression of p53 and PTEN in human primary endometrial carcinomas: Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical analysis and study of their concomitant expression.

Endometrial carcinoma is a common malignancy of the female genital tract. Alterations in the expression levels of various oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes serve important roles in the carcinogenesis and biological behavior of endometrial carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the combination and individual expression of p53 and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) protein in human endometrial carcinoma. In addition, the correlation of these proteins with clinicopathological parameters was also assessed. Retrospective immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of p53 and PTEN tumor suppressor proteins was conducted in 99 women with endometrial carcinoma. The overall rate of p53 and PTEN positivity was 89 and 77%, respectively, according to the sum of stain intensity and scores of immunopositive cells. The sum of p53 positivity correlated strongly with PTEN expression (ρ=0.256; P=0.044). The concomitant sum of p53 and PTEN expression was identified in 45% of patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma. Notably, the sum of the immunohistochemical expression of p53 was significantly correlated with patient age (P=0.037), histologic type (P=0.008), histologic grade (P=0.002) and fallopian and/or ovarian invasion (P=0.014). Furthermore, PTEN expression was associated with myometrial invasion (ρ=−0.377; P=0.002) and clinical stage (P=0.019). In addition, concomitant p53 and PTEN expression was correlated with patient age (P=0.008) and histologic differentiation (P=0.028). The findings indicated a correlation between the expression of p53 and PTEN in endometrial adenocarcinoma, which suggested an intrinsic association between expression levels of these tumor suppressor genes. The study also suggested that concomitant p53 and PTEN expression contributed in characterizing the tumor behavior of endometrial carcinoma. Taken together, the present study suggested the combined expression of p53 and PTEN in the development of high-grade endometrial carcinoma in older patients. In addition, the findings indicated activation of different molecular pathways in the tumor progression between low-grade and high-grade endometrial carcinomas.

FeinPhone: Low-cost Smartphone Camera-based 2D Particulate Matter Sensor.

Precise, location-specific fine dust measurement is central for the assessment of urban air quality. Classic measurement approaches require dedicated hardware, of which professional equipment is still prohibitively expensive (>10k$) for dense measurements, and inexpensive sensors do not meet accuracy demands. As a step towards filling this gap, we propose FeinPhone, a phone-based fine dust measurement system that uses camera and flashlight functions that are readily available on today’s off-the-shelf smart phones. We introduce a cost-effective passive hardware add-on together with a novel counting approach based on light-scattering particle sensors. Since our approach features a 2D sensor (the camera) instead of a single photodiode, we can employ it to capture the scatter traces from individual particles rather than just retaining a light intensity sum signal as in simple photometers. This is a more direct way of assessing the particle count, it is robust against side effects, e.g., from camera image compression, and enables gaining information on the size spectrum of the particles. Our proof-of-concept evaluation comparing several FeinPhone sensors with data from a high-quality APS/SMPS (Aerodynamic Particle Sizer/Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer) reference device at the World Calibration Center for Aerosol Physics shows that the collected data shows excellent correlation with the inhalable coarse fraction of fine dust particles (r > 0.9) and can successfully capture its levels under realistic conditions.

Image steganography based on digital holography and saliency map

A gray-level intensity image can be employed as a host image for hiding a watermark image to protect information security. Past research works demonstrate that a gray-level hidden image can be embedded into the host image by a digital phase-only holography method. However, the fidelity of retrieved watermark image from the host image is not very satisfactory and the host image quality is degraded due to the insertion of external data bits, especially when observers focus on the saliency regions in the host image. To address this problem, we propose a steganography method based on digital holography and the saliency map of the host image. First, we calculate the hidden capacity (number of bits to be replaced) for each host image pixel based on the weighted sum of pixel intensity and saliency value. Next, a multilevel phase-only digital hologram of the watermark image will be calculated by the Gerchberg–Saxton method under the constraint of the hidden capacity of host image. Finally, we embedded the multilevel phase-only digital hologram into the host image by replacing a corresponding number of bits in each pixel. In this way, the host image can preserve good image fidelity for its saliency regions even if we hide a large amount of digital hologram data into the host image. The experimental results show that the quality of retrieved watermark image from the host image and the quality of saliency regions in the watermarked host image, in our proposed scheme, are superior to the state-of-the-art works reported.

Cancer stem cell-related marker NANOG expression in ovarian serous tumors using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry: comparison of two techniques

Purpose of Investigation: The objective of the study was to evaluate cancer stem cell-related marker NANOG expression in ovarian serous tumors using Western blotting (WB) and to compare WB results to immunohistochemical (IHC) results of NANOG expression in the same tumors. Materials and Methods: Of the 37 ovarian tumor samples obtained intraoperatively, diagnosis of ovarian serous tumors was established histopathologically in 17 cases. WB and IHC for NANOG was performed on the parallel portions of the same ovarian tumors in the latter cases. The IHC staining samples were made up of a NANOG positive and a NANOG-negative group. Pursuant to summation of signal intensity and positive cell occurrence, the authors additionally divided the NANOG-positive group into three subgroups. Correlation coefficient between NANOG WB and NANOG IHC results was calculated. Results: NANOG measured by means of WB was significantly higher in the IHC determined NANOG-positive group than in the NANOG-negative group (p = 0.003). Comparison of the amount of NANOG measured by WB and IHC scores of individual cases revealed substantial dispersion of WB results among the NANOG subgroups; the dispersion was largest when NANOG was IHC only slightly-positive. In the NANOG moderate- and strongly-positive subgroups, WB values were higher and more homogenously arranged. In all IHC determined NANOG-negative cases NANOG WB values were low, with low value variability among tumor samples. However, correlation between NANOG WB results and NANOG IHC scoring subgroups revealed statistical significance (r = 0.73, p = 0.001). Conclusion: By means of WB and IHC the authors demonstrated NANOG to be a potential marker of ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Further research on the correlation between NANOG WB expression and clinical parameters is needed.

The Prediction of the Ion Fraction of the Peptide with Selected Charge in Mass Spectrometry with Positive Electrospray Ionization

The possibility of prediction of selected ion fraction in the total peptide fraction obtained during mass spectrometry with positive ionization by electrospray was investigated on the basis of the amino acid sequence. The data obtained in the MS / MS experiment [Ramus et al., 2015] using the standardized UPS1 kit (48 highly purified human proteins) and deposited in ProteomeXchange (identifier PXD001819) were used as the initial data set. For each of the identified peptides belonging to one of the proteins of the UPS kit, a list of detected ions of different charge was formed. The sum of the peak intensities detected for the primary ion was used as a measure of quantity. Since the ratio of the peptide fractions of ions with different charges does not depend on the concentration in the experimental sample, the total sample was assembled by combining the data obtained for different dilutions of UPS1. A set of equations of prediction of the fraction of 1+, 2+, and 3+ ions has been constructed. This computational analysis has shown applicability of the proposed for prediction of the ion fraction of the peptide with selected charge in mass spectrometry with positive electrospray ionization.

Autoionization of strontium atom during excitation of 4p&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt; shell

Background : Autoionization is an indirect ionization process that significantly increases the total ionization cross section of the atom. Measurements of electron autoionizing spectra in a broad range of impact energies and the determination of their total intensity allow obtaining the absolute value of the autoionization contribution (the autoionization cross section) and its energy behavior. Methods : The study of the ejected-electron spectra of strontium atoms were carried out by using an electron spectrometer. It consists of a source of the incident electron beam, an electron energy analyzer (of 127° electrostatic type deflector) and an atomic beam source. To minimize the influence of the anisotropy of the angular distribution of ejected electrons, the measurements were carried out at a magic observation angle of 54.7°. The incident and ejected-electron energy resolutions were about 0.4 eV and 0.07 eV, respectively. The increment step of the incident electron energy was 0.1 eV in the near-threshold energy region. The autoionization cross section was determined as the normalized sum of total intensities of ejected-electron spectra measured at different impact energies. Results : Autoionization cross section for 4p 6 shell of strontium atoms was determined in an incident-electron energy range from the lowest autoionization threshold (20,98 eV) up to 600 eV. Energy behavior of the cross section is characterized by the presence of the strong resonance structure in the threshold region of 21-30 eV and a broad maximum at approximately 100 eV. Cross section reaches its maximum value of 1.6×10 -16 сm 2 at 24.8 eV. We analyze the excitation and decay processes of the 4p 5 n 1 l 1 n 2 l 2 n 3 l 3 autoionizing states. They determine the magnitude and the energy behavior of the autoionization cross section. Conclusions : The strong resonant excitation of the levels in 4p 5 4d5s 2 , 4p 5 4d 2 5s, and 4p 5 5s 2 5p configurations determines the resonant behavior of the measured autoionization cross section at low impact energies. Shape and magnitude of the cross section at high impact energies are determined by the total contribution from dipole-allowed and singlets autoionizing levels in the configurations 4p 5 4d5s 2 , 4p 5 4d 2 5s.

Characterizing chemical composition of polyolefin‐based copolymers from spectral features in the C―H stretching region

AbstractThe comonomer content of a series of commercial ethylene–octene (Engage®, Infuse®), ethylene–butene (Engage), and ethylene–propylene (Versify®, Nordel®) copolymers is investigated using the Raman spectroscopy. The analysis relies upon the different content of methyl, methylene, and methine groups of each copolymer and focuses on the spectral features of the C―H stretching region. Raman spectra of a series of molecules with well‐defined content of methyl, methylene, and methine groups (alkanes and well‐defined polymer chains) are first addressed to rationalize the complex spectral features arising from different stretching modes, their Fermi resonance, and the different molecular conformations. Results are interpreted on the base of recent work on the topic. A curve‐fitting procedure is proposed to resolve contributions arising from CH2 and CH3 groups. The sum of intensity of bands at 2,855 and 2,865 cm−1 (symmetric C―H stretching and Fermi resonance) correlates linearly with CH2 content whereas that at 2,880 cm−1 (symmetric C―H stretching) does with CH3 content. With that base, Raman spectra of ethylene‐based copolymers are analyzed to quantify comonomer content. Results are compared with independent results from 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis with good agreement between the methods. Overall, it highlights the importance of Raman spectroscopy as versatile tool for process monitoring, quality control, or sample identification not only at academics but also in industrial environments.