Temporary Markers Research Articles

What is affect?

In this article, the relationship between affect and becoming in Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy is explored. It is argued that affects and becoming are closely linked, and where there is becoming, there is also affect. Conversely, the absence of becoming implies the absence of affect. The concept of becoming is described as a process of desubjectification, where the ego loses its boundaries and transforms into the unbounded entity known as the schizo. Various identities or names can be assumed by the schizo, each representing a zone of intensity that the schizo moves through and derives value from. These identities should not be interpreted as permanent identifications in the psychoanalytic sense, but instead as temporary markers that the schizo transitions through like a nomad. The fact that the schizo's state of being is pathological is emphasized, and it requires a novel analytical approach called schizoanalysis, which aims to comprehend the specific logic of becoming that defines the schizo experience. Overall, crucial concepts in Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy, such as the correlation between affect and becoming and the significance of desubjectification in understanding the schizo experience, are introduced in this article. It also highlights the importance of innovative analytical approaches that consider the fluid and boundless nature of the schizo's identity. Key words: Deleuze, Guattari, affect, desubjectification, schizoanalysis, identity

Cvasi în direct: evenimentul revoluției române în Istoria lui Mihai Iovănel

This essay aims to examine several means by which literary historian and critic Mihai Iovănel grounds his synthesis work around the seminal moment of the Romanian revolution. It proceeds by defining two central occurrences of that event throughout the volume – as a temporary marker, useful insofar as it manages to divide more or less arbitrarily a historic period, and as a source for the narratives that would develop in quick response to the brutal transition towards capitalism. The article questions the meaning of the choice to engage the contemporary history starting from the Romanian revolution, while also pointing out the media transformations that this globally televised event brought to the literary field.

Profiling changes in primary metabolites and antioxidants during apple fruit decay caused by Penicillium crustosum

Penicillium crustosum is one of the causal agents of apple fruit blue mold decay. It produces mycotoxins and it is widely distributed, although a less aggressive pathogen than P. expansum. Changes in sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), organic acids (malic and shikimic), and antioxidants (total glutathione, ascorbate, and phenolics) were monitored in P. crustosum infected apples at 6 and 24 hpi, 3, 5, 7, and 11 dpi. The initial stage of infection (6 hpi) was characterized by a decline in fructose, malic acid, and total phenolic contents, whereas the total glutathione considerably increased. Twenty-four hpi and 3 dpi the strong activation of ascorbate-glutathione cycle correlated significantly with total phenolics and organic acid enhancement at the expense of sugars. At 5 dpi the progress of visible symptoms caused a temporary breakdown of apple defense, leading to degradation of total phenolics, glutathione, and glucose, whereas the fructose as a crucial signal molecule increased significantly. An acclimation of the defense system was achieved at 7 dpi by accumulating fructose, sucrose and antioxidants that further resulted in stable ratio of most of the investigated metabolites at 11 dpi. LDA analysis enabled us to define the fructose, glucose, malic acid and ascorbate-glutathione cycle as crucial temporary marker with balanced cross-induction playing a complex role in apple defense against P. crustosum. In summary, apple fruit reacted on P. crustosum by activating defense mechanisms quickly after inoculation (6 hpi), and stayed at the higher level until 5 dpi when temporary breakdown occurred. Apple fruit managed to recover as metabolites were fairly in balance after 11 dpi. Phenolics were viewed as a wheel of the apple fruit defense mechanism, driven by the ascorbate–glutathione system, while glutathione and fructose are believed to have had a crutial role in signaling.

Investigation of the new possibility of mathematical processing of Raman spectra for dating documents

The use of spectral analysis methods to determine the age of writing inks is an important forensic task. However, the use of spectral data for this purpose has a number of limitations and difficulties. This paper considers the application of the Raman spectroscopy method to an urgent forensic task. The known mechanisms of dye degradation are analyzed; Raman bands are identified that are related to the age of the sample. In a sample of 5 randomly selected writing inks, temporary markers were identified. Narrow sections of Raman spectra containing characteristic lines were used for analysis. It was shown that processing narrow sections of the Raman spectra using the PCA chemometric method allowed the separation of writing inks into groups (clusters) corresponding to different creation intervals.

Application of spectral computing technics for color vision testing using virtual reality devices

Will autonomous vehicles ever be able to drive around safely? In Germany lane markers on streets are white. In construction zones temporary markers are installed on top of the standard ones that are yellow and they direct the traffic e.g. into shifted lanes. So, the only differentiation is the color. But what about the white markers at times close to the sunset? Then we drive into Austria and the temporary markers are turning orange. Or driving in the US makes the whole country a construction zone because markers are always yellow. Automotive cameras are often times not RGB cameras. They have other color filters to maximize sensitivity, which often times does not help differentiating colors. So does the spectral reflectance matter? Which impact does the illumination have? And there are many different ones like daylight at different times of the day, different kinds of streetlights, different headlights of the cars etc. Traffic signs create another color problem. We drive from Switzerland to France. In Switzerland the freeway signs are green and the major road signs are blue. When you cross the French border, it is the other way around. How can these problems be solved?

Injectable Biodegradable Multimodal Mammography Marker.

Introducing temporary markers for imaging studies is an idea, which in the proper clinical settings can be advantageous for patient compliance and in selected cases where a permanent marker is nondesirable. Hence, we developed injectable marker formulation using a biodegradable "pasty polymer" of poly(ricinoleic acid-co-sebacic acid) (PSA:RA) containing iodixanol and iron oxide as contrast agents that can serve as a visual marker for the region suspected to have tumor growth. The goal of this work is to noninvasively evaluate the visibility, shape, and degradation of the injectable PSA:RA formulation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US). Prescreening of the marker formulation was performed under MRI and CT scanning using agar gel phantom models with poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PCL:LA) solid inserts (clips) that contained varying combinations of the contrast agents. The contrast agent combination with the PCL:LA clip that had the best visibility in both MRI and CT was selected and additionally tested as in PSA:RA formulation. Further, we evaluated the PSA:RA marker placement in bovine liver and poultry muscles. The PSA:RA formulation is predictable with good MRI, CT, and US visibility and shows no in vivo systemic toxicity symptoms when implanted subcutaneously in mice. Further, the advantage of PSA:RA formulation is its undefined shape and ease of injecting through a small gauge needle, making it possible to reach into the regions of the body.

Analysis through dynamic temporal sequence alignment in SpO2 signals

In this paper a methodology for the alignment of waves in the photoplethysmography (PPG) register signal is shown. The procedure uses algorithms for dynamic programming and for optimization in order to generate a single segmentation of these waves in the PPG signal and the individual reconstruction of each wave. By aligning a pattern signal for the photoplethysmography, it is possible to make an individual segmentation of waves present in the PPG signal. Once the reconstruction of each individual wave is obtained, these data are indexed in an array, which enables easier temporary markers such as the individual location of each peak to the signal wave analysis.

Can Thermoclines Be a Cue to Prey Distribution for Marine Top Predators? A Case Study with Little Penguins

The use of top predators as bio-platforms is a modern approach to understanding how physical changes in the environment may influence their foraging success. This study examined if the presence of thermoclines could be a reliable signal of resource availability for a marine top predator, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor). We studied weekly foraging activity of 43 breeding individual penguins equipped with accelerometers. These loggers also recorded water temperature, which we used to detect changes in thermal characteristics of their foraging zone over 5 weeks during the penguin’s guard phase. Data showed the thermocline was detected in the first 3 weeks of the study, which coincided with higher foraging efficiency. When a thermocline was not detected in the last two weeks, foraging efficiency decreased as well. We suggest that thermoclines can represent temporary markers of enhanced food availability for this top-predator to which they must optimally adjust their breeding cycle.

CD133 is a temporary marker of cancer stem cells in small cell lung cancer, but not in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Current investigations in the field of cancer research have intensively focused on the 'cancer stem cell' or 'tumor-initiating cell'. While CD133 was initially considered as a stem cell marker only in the hematopoietic system and the nervous system, the membrane antigen also identifies tumorigenic cells in certain solid tumors. In this study, we investigated the human lung cancer cell lines A549, H157, H226, Calu-1, H292 and H446. The results of real-time PCR analysis after chemotherapy drug selection and the fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis showed that CD133 only functioned as a marker in the small cell lung cancer line H446. The sorted CD133+ subset presented stem cell-like features, including self-renewal, differentiation, proliferation and tumorigenic capacity in subsequent assays. Furthermore, a proportion of the CD133+ cells had a tendency to remain stable, which may explain the controversies arising from previous studies. Therefore, the CD133+ subset should provide an enriched source of tumor-initiating cells among H446 cells. Moreover, the antigen could be used as an investigative marker of the tumorigenic process and an effective treatment for small cell lung cancer.

A self-deleting Cre– lox–ermAM cassette, Cheshire, for marker-less gene deletion in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Although targeted mutagenesis of Streptococcus pneumoniae is readily accomplished with the aid of natural genetic transformation and chimeric donor DNA constructs assembled in vitro, the drug resistance markers often employed for selection of recombinant products can themselves be undesirable by-products of the genetic manipulation. A new cassette carrying the erythromycin-resistance marker ermAM that can be used as a temporary marker for selection of desired recombinants is described. The cassette may subsequently be removed at will by virtue of an embedded fucose-regulated Cre recombinase gene and terminal lox66 and lox71 Cre recognition sites, with retention of 34 bp from the cassette as an inert residual double-mutant lox72 site.

Carbonic Anhydorase Isoenzyme I (CA-I) Concentration in Feces and Urine as a Temporary Marker of Occult Blood in Beagle Dogs

This study was undertaken to investigate whether the concentration of carbonic anhydorase isoenzyme I (CA-I) in canine feces and urine is useful as a temporary marker of occult blood. Concentrations of CA-I were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fecal CA-I concentrations in 113 healthy beagle dogs (50 male and 63 female) of various ages ranged from 4.3 to 16.7 ng/g feces (mean; 7.0 +/- 2.9 ng/g feces). One milliliter of blood from 3 healthy beagle dogs was found to contain 1,047, 1,062 and 1,150 microg CA-I. The fecal CA-I concentrations of dogs receiving intragastric infusions of autologous blood (10 ml) were very low. However, the fecal CA-I concentrations of dogs receiving infusion of autologous blood (5 ml) into the ascending colon were very high. Detection of fecal CA-I would be useful for identifying dogs with hemorrhaging of the large intestine. Of 55 urinary samples collected from healthy beagle dogs by catheter, chemical tests for occult blood were negative in 44, but CA-I concentrations ranged from 1.8 to 12.6 ng/ml (mean; 6.9 +/- 5.4 ng/ml) by ELISA. The CA-I concentrations of the other 11 samples, which tested positive for occult blood on chemical testing, ranged from 41.2 to 525.0 ng/ml by ELISA. Although CA-I is not a specific marker of erythrocytes, CA-I may be used to detect occult blood in canine feces and urine until a specific immunological test kit using antibody for Hb is developed.

Biodegradable X-ray markers of controlled radio-opacity

In order to analyze X-ray markers for potential use in biodegradable implants or radiostereogrammatic analysis (RSA), we combined iopromide contrast fluid with biodegradable calcium phosphate cement. The radio-opacity of 10×10 mm markers containing different iodine concentrations (0, 120, 240, 360 and 720 mg per gram cement) was compared to an aluminium wedge of increasing (1–10 mm) thickness. The addition of iopromide increased the radio-opacity in a dose-dependent manner, which was comparable to 9-mm aluminium at concentrations of 240–720 mg/g. Radiographs of markers placed in explanted rabbit and in human femora were made to investigate the clinical accuracy for position determination. Markers of 1×1 mm (120 mg/g) were clearly discernable in all femora, and could be used to adequately measure distances of 5–45 mm (accuracy 0.10–2.19 mm). These markers might be embedded in biodegradable implants or used as temporary markers in the bone to analyze postoperative position on radiographs.

Crop improvement through modification of the plant's own genome.

Plant genetic engineering has, until now, relied on the incorporation of foreign DNA into plant genomes. Public concern about the extent to which transgenic crops differ from their traditionally bred counterparts has resulted in molecular strategies and gene choices that limit, but not eliminate, the introduction of foreign DNA. Here, we demonstrate that a plant-derived (P-) DNA fragment can be used to replace the universally employed Agrobacterium transfer (T-) DNA. Marker-free P-DNAs are transferred to plant cell nuclei together with conventional T-DNAs carrying a selectable marker gene. By subsequently linking a positive selection for temporary marker gene expression to a negative selection against marker gene integration, 29% of derived regeneration events contain P-DNA insertions but lack any copies of the T-DNA. Further refinements are accomplished by employing Omega-mutated virD2 and isopentenyl transferase cytokinin genes to impair T-DNA integration and select against backbone integration, respectively. The presented methods are used to produce hundreds of marker-free and backbone-free potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants displaying reduced expression of a tuber-specific polyphenol oxidase gene in potato. The modified plants represent the first example of genetically engineered plants that only contain native DNA.

Development of a temporary marker for peptides.

3-[(N,N-Dimethylaminophenyl)-4'-diazenyl]benzoic acid was coupled with several amino acid esters and the product acylated further with Boc. The material thus obtained was then submitted to cleavage by electrolysis and nucleophilic attack in order to evaluate the possibility of using this chromophore as a temporary marker.

A temporary marker for biological applications

Having in mind the development of new colour labelled amino acid derivatives, a carboxyl azo dye was coupled to amino acid esters to give the corresponding orange N-acyl derivatives, which were in turn further acylated at their N-terminus with Boc for investigation of the conditions of possible cleavage of the chromophore by electrolysis or with nucleophiles. While difficulties were met with electrolysis owing to competitive reduction of the azo group, cleavage with N,N-diethylaminoethylamine (DEAEA) gave satisfactory results. This allows the use of the chromophore as a temporary marker.

Home Range Behavior among Box Turtles (Terrapene c. carolina) of a Bottomland Forest in Maryland

Home Range Behavior among Box Turtles (Terrapene c. carolina) of a Bottomland Forest in Maryland