9 CFR 317.354 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... broccoli in this meal is high in vitamin C”). (c) “Good Source” claims. (1) The terms “good source... that nutrient (excluding total carbohydrate) in § 317.309(c), may only be made on the label or in... defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be used on the label or in labeling of a meal-type product...

9 CFR 381.454 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... broccoli in this meal is high in vitamin C”). (c) “Good Source” claims. (1) The terms “good source... that nutrient (excluding total carbohydrate) in § 381.409(c), may only be made on the label or in... defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be used on the label or in labeling of a meal-type product...

9 CFR 317.354 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... broccoli in this meal is high in vitamin C”). (c) “Good Source” claims. (1) The terms “good source... that nutrient (excluding total carbohydrate) in § 317.309(c), may only be made on the label or in... defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be used on the label or in labeling of a meal-type product...

9 CFR 381.454 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... broccoli in this meal is high in vitamin C”). (c) “Good Source” claims. (1) The terms “good source... that nutrient (excluding total carbohydrate) in § 381.409(c), may only be made on the label or in... defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be used on the label or in labeling of a meal-type product...

Focus on Food Labeling. An FDA Consumer Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Food and Drug Administration (DHHS/PHS), Washington, DC.

This special issue is designed for those who want to know all they can about the new federal requirements for nutrition information on food labels. Nine articles are included. "Good Reading for Good Eating" (Paula Kurtzweil) addresses mandatory nutrition labeling, the nutrition panel, nutrient content and health claims, and ingredient…

Energy efficiency through integrated environmental management.

PubMed

Benromdhane, Souad Ahmed

2015-05-01

Integrated environmental management became an economic necessity after industrial development proved to be unsustainable without consideration of environmental direct and indirect impacts. Energy dependency and air pollution along with climate change grew into major challenges facing developed and developing countries alike. Thus, a new global market structure emerged and changed the way we do trade. The search intensified for alternatives to petroleum. However, scientists, policy makers, and environmental activists agreed to focus on strategic conservation and optimization of energy use. Environmental concerns will remain partially unaddressed with the current pace of consumption because greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise with economic growth. This paper discusses energy efficiency, steady integration of alternative sources, and increased use of best available technologies. Energy criteria developed for environmental labeling certification are presented. Our intention is to encourage manufacturers and service providers to supply consumers with less polluting and energy-consuming goods and services, inform consumers of the environmental and energy impacts, and thereby instill sustainable and responsible consumption. As several programs were initiated in developed countries, environmental labeling requirements created barriers to many exports manufactured in developing countries, affecting current world trade and putting more pressure on countries to meet those requirements. Defining an institutional and legal framework of environmental labeling is a key challenge in implementing such programs for critical economic sectors like tourism, textiles, and food production where energy needs are the most important aspect to control. A case study of Tunisia and its experience with eco-labeling is presented.

Current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding of drugs; revision of certain labeling controls--FDA. Final rule.

PubMed

1993-08-03

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human and veterinary drug products to revise certain labeling control provisions. Specifically, the final rule defines the term "gang-printed labeling," specifies conditions for the use of gang-printed or cut labeling, exempts manufacturers that employ automated 100-percent labeling inspection systems from CGMP labeling reconciliation requirements, and requires manufacturers to identify filled drug product containers that are set aside and held in an unlabeled condition for future labeling operations. These changes are intended to reduce the frequency of drug product mislabeling and associated drug product recalls.

Evidence of progress. Measurement of impacts of Australia's S and L program from 1990-2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lowenthal-Savy; McNeil, Michael; Harrington, Lloyd

2013-10-15

Australia first put categorical energy efficiency labels on residential appliances in the mid-1980s, and the first Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for refrigerators was implemented in 1999. Updated in 2005, these MEPS were aligned with US 2001 levels. Considered together, these actions set Australia apart as having one of the most aggressive appliance efficiency programs in the world. For these reasons, together with good data on product sales over time, Australia represents a potentially fruitful case study for understanding the dynamics energy efficiency standards and labeling (EES and L) programs impacts on appliance markets. This analysis attempts to distinguish betweenmore » the impacts of labeling alone as opposed to MEPS, and to probe the time-dependency of such impacts. Fortunately, in the Australian case, detailed market sales data and a comprehensive registration system provides a solid basis for the empirical evaluation of these questions. This paper analyzes Australian refrigerator efficiency data covering the years 1993-2009. Sales data was purchased from a commercial market research organization (in this case, the GfK Group) and includes sales and average price in each year for each appliance model – this can be used to understand broader trends by product class and star rating category, even where data is aggregated. Statistical regression analysis is used to model market introduction and adoption of high efficiency refrigerators according to logistic adoption model formalism, and parameterizes the way in which the Australian programs accelerated adoption of high-efficiency products and phased out others. Through this analysis, the paper presents a detailed, robust and quantitative picture of the impacts of EES and L in the Australian case, but also demonstrates a methodology of the evaluation of program impacts that could form the basis of an international evaluation framework for similar programs in other countries.« less

Evidence of Progress - Measurement of Impacts of Australia's S&L Program from 1990-2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lowenthal-Savy, Danielle; McNeil, Michael; Harrington, Lloyd

2013-09-11

Australia first put categorical energy efficiency labels on residential appliances in the mid-1980s, and the first Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for refrigerators was implemented in 1999. Updated in 2005, these MEPS were aligned with US 2001 levels. Considered together, these actions set Australia apart as having one of the most aggressive appliance efficiency programs in the world. For these reasons, together with good data on product sales over time, Australia represents a potentially fruitful case study for understanding the dynamics energy efficiency standards and labeling (EES&L) programs impacts on appliance markets. This analysis attempts to distinguish between the impactsmore » of labeling alone as opposed to MEPS, and to probe the time-dependency of such impacts. Fortunately, in the Australian case, detailed market sales data and a comprehensive registration system provides a solid basis for the empirical evaluation of these questions. This paper analyzes Australian refrigerator efficiency data covering the years 1993-2009. Sales data was purchased from a commercial market research organization (in this case, the GfK Group) and includes sales and average price in each year for each appliance model; this can be used to understand broader trends by product class and star rating category, even where data is aggregated. Statistical regression analysis is used to model market introduction and adoption of high efficiency refrigerators according to logistic adoption model formalism, and parameterizes the way in which the Australian programs accelerated adoption of high-efficiency products and phased out others. Through this analysis, the paper presents a detailed, robust and quantitative picture of the impacts of EES&L in the Australian case, but also demonstrates a methodology of the evaluation of program impacts that could form the basis of an international evaluation framework for similar programs in other countries.« less

Triple-Label β Liquid Scintillation Counting

PubMed Central

Bukowski, Thomas R.; Moffett, Tyler C.; Revkin, James H.; Ploger, James D.; Bassingthwaighte, James B.

2010-01-01

The detection of radioactive compounds by liquid scintillation has revolutionized modern biology, yet few investigators make full use of the power of this technique. Even though multiple isotope counting is considerably more difficult than single isotope counting, many experimental designs would benefit from using more than one isotope. The development of accurate isotope counting techniques enabling the simultaneous use of three β-emitting tracers has facilitated studies in our laboratory using the multiple tracer indicator dilution technique for assessing rates of transmembrane transport and cellular metabolism. The details of sample preparation, and of stabilizing the liquid scintillation spectra of the tracers, are critical to obtaining good accuracy. Reproducibility is enhanced by obtaining detailed efficiency/quench curves for each particular set of tracers and solvent media. The numerical methods for multiple-isotope quantitation depend on avoiding error propagation (inherent to successive subtraction techniques) by using matrix inversion. Experimental data obtained from triple-label β counting illustrate reproducibility and good accuracy even when the relative amounts of different tracers in samples of protein/electrolyte solutions, plasma, and blood are changed. PMID:1514684

Measurement of skeletal muscle perfusion dynamics with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL): Assessment of relative labeling efficiency at rest and during hyperemia, and comparison to pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL).

PubMed

Englund, Erin K; Rodgers, Zachary B; Langham, Michael C; Mohler, Emile R; Floyd, Thomas F; Wehrli, Felix W

2016-10-01

To compare calf skeletal muscle perfusion measured with pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) methods, and to assess the variability of pCASL labeling efficiency in the popliteal artery throughout an ischemia-reperfusion paradigm. At 3T, relative pCASL labeling efficiency was experimentally assessed in five subjects by measuring the signal intensity of blood in the popliteal artery just distal to the labeling plane immediately following pCASL labeling or control preparation pulses, or without any preparation pulses throughout separate ischemia-reperfusion paradigms. The relative label and control efficiencies were determined during baseline, hyperemia, and recovery. In a separate cohort of 10 subjects, pCASL and PASL sequences were used to measure reactive hyperemia perfusion dynamics. Calculated pCASL labeling and control efficiencies did not differ significantly between baseline and hyperemia or between hyperemia and recovery periods. Relative to the average baseline, pCASL label efficiency was 2 ± 9% lower during hyperemia. Perfusion dynamics measured with pCASL and PASL did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). Average leg muscle peak perfusion was 47 ± 20 mL/min/100g or 50 ± 12 mL/min/100g, and time to peak perfusion was 25 ± 3 seconds and 25 ± 7 seconds from pCASL and PASL data, respectively. Differences of further metrics parameterizing the perfusion time course were not significant between pCASL and PASL measurements (P > 0.05). No change in pCASL labeling efficiency was detected despite the almost 10-fold increase in average blood flow velocity in the popliteal artery. pCASL and PASL provide precise and consistent measurement of skeletal muscle reactive hyperemia perfusion dynamics. J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2016;44:929-939. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Radionuclide 131I-labeled multifunctional dendrimers for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of tumors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jingyi; Zhao, Lingzhou; Cheng, Yongjun; Xiong, Zhijuan; Tang, Yueqin; Shen, Mingwu; Zhao, Jinhua; Shi, Xiangyang

2015-10-01

We report the synthesis, characterization, and utilization of radioactive 131I-labeled multifunctional dendrimers for targeted single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and radiotherapy of tumors. In this study, amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers of generation 5 (G5.NH2) were sequentially modified with 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid-OSu (HPAO) and folic acid (FA) linked with polyethylene glycol (PEG), followed by acetylation modification of the dendrimer remaining surface amines and labeling of radioactive iodine-131 (131I). The generated multifunctional 131I-G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers were characterized via different methods. We show that prior to 131I labeling, the G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers conjugated with approximately 9.4 HPAO moieties per dendrimer are noncytotoxic at a concentration up to 20 μM and are able to target cancer cells overexpressing FA receptors (FAR), thanks to the modified FA ligands. In the presence of a phenol group, radioactive 131I is able to be efficiently labeled onto the dendrimer platform with good stability and high radiochemical purity, and render the platform with an ability for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of an FAR-overexpressing xenografted tumor model in vivo. The designed strategy to use the facile dendrimer nanotechnology may be extended to develop various radioactive theranostic nanoplatforms for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of different types of cancer.We report the synthesis, characterization, and utilization of radioactive 131I-labeled multifunctional dendrimers for targeted single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and radiotherapy of tumors. In this study, amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers of generation 5 (G5.NH2) were sequentially modified with 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid-OSu (HPAO) and folic acid (FA) linked with polyethylene glycol (PEG), followed by acetylation modification of the dendrimer remaining surface amines and labeling of radioactive iodine-131 (131I). The generated multifunctional 131I-G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers were characterized via different methods. We show that prior to 131I labeling, the G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers conjugated with approximately 9.4 HPAO moieties per dendrimer are noncytotoxic at a concentration up to 20 μM and are able to target cancer cells overexpressing FA receptors (FAR), thanks to the modified FA ligands. In the presence of a phenol group, radioactive 131I is able to be efficiently labeled onto the dendrimer platform with good stability and high radiochemical purity, and render the platform with an ability for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of an FAR-overexpressing xenografted tumor model in vivo. The designed strategy to use the facile dendrimer nanotechnology may be extended to develop various radioactive theranostic nanoplatforms for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of different types of cancer. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Part of the experimental details and additional experimental results. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05585g

[Development and Application of Catalytic Tyrosine Modification].

PubMed

Sato, Shinichi; Tsushima, Michihiko; Nakamura, Kosuke; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

2018-01-01

 The chemical labeling of proteins with synthetic probes is a key technique used in chemical biology, protein-based therapy, and material science. Much of the chemical labeling of native proteins, however, depends on the labeling of lysine and cysteine residues. While those methods have significantly contributed to native protein labeling, alternative methods that can modify different amino acid residues are still required. Herein we report the development of a novel methodology of tyrosine labeling, inspired by the luminol chemiluminescence reaction. Tyrosine residues are often exposed on a protein's surface and are thus expected to be good targets for protein functionalization. In our studies so far, we have found that 1) hemin oxidatively activates luminol derivatives as a catalyst, 2) N-methyl luminol derivative specifically forms a covalent bond with a tyrosine residue among the 20 kinds of natural amino acid residues, and 3) the efficiency of tyrosine labeling with N-methyl luminol derivative is markedly improved by using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a catalyst. We were able to use molecular oxygen as an oxidant under HRP/NADH conditions. By using these methods, the functionalization of purified proteins was carried out. Because N-methyl luminol derivative is an excellent protein labeling reagent that responds to the activation of peroxidase, this new method is expected to open doors to such biological applications as the signal amplification of HRP-conjugated antibodies and the detection of protein association in combination with peroxidase-tag technology.

Temporal and Spatial Variances in Arterial Spin-Labeling Are Inversely Related to Large-Artery Blood Velocity.

PubMed

Robertson, A D; Matta, G; Basile, V S; Black, S E; Macgowan, C K; Detre, J A; MacIntosh, B J

2017-08-01

The relationship between extracranial large-artery characteristics and arterial spin-labeling MR imaging may influence the quality of arterial spin-labeling-CBF images for older adults with and without vascular pathology. We hypothesized that extracranial arterial blood velocity can explain between-person differences in arterial spin-labeling data systematically across clinical populations. We performed consecutive pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling and phase-contrast MR imaging on 82 individuals (20-88 years of age, 50% women), including healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and older adults with cerebral small vessel disease or chronic stroke infarcts. We examined associations between extracranial phase-contrast hemodynamics and intracranial arterial spin-labeling characteristics, which were defined by labeling efficiency, temporal signal-to-noise ratio, and spatial coefficient of variation. Large-artery blood velocity was inversely associated with labeling efficiency ( P = .007), temporal SNR ( P < .001), and spatial coefficient of variation ( P = .05) of arterial spin-labeling, after accounting for age, sex, and group. Correction for labeling efficiency on an individual basis led to additional group differences in GM-CBF compared to correction using a constant labeling efficiency. Between-subject arterial spin-labeling variance was partially explained by extracranial velocity but not cross-sectional area. Choosing arterial spin-labeling timing parameters with on-line knowledge of blood velocity may improve CBF quantification. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding of drugs; revision of certain labeling controls. Final rule.

PubMed

2012-03-20

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the packaging and labeling control provisions of the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human and veterinary drug products by limiting the application of special control procedures for the use of cut labeling to immediate container labels, individual unit cartons, or multiunit cartons containing immediate containers that are not packaged in individual unit cartons. FDA is also permitting the use of any automated technique, including differentiation by labeling size and shape, that physically prevents incorrect labeling from being processed by labeling and packaging equipment when cut labeling is used. This action is intended to protect consumers from labeling errors more likely to cause adverse health consequences, while eliminating the regulatory burden of applying the rule to labeling unlikely to reach or adversely affect consumers. This action is also intended to permit manufacturers to use a broader range of error prevention and labeling control techniques than permitted by current CGMPs.

Determination of N-glycans by high performance liquid chromatography using 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate as the glycosylamine labeling reagent.

PubMed

Wu, Yike; Sha, Qiuyue; Du, Juan; Wang, Chang; Zhang, Liang; Liu, Bi-Feng; Lin, Yawei; Liu, Xin

2018-02-02

Robust, efficient identification and accurate quantification of N-glycans are of great significance in N-glycomics analysis. Here, a simple and rapid derivatization method, based on the combination of microwave-assisted deglycosylation and 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (AQC) labeling, was developed for the analysis of N-glycan by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). After optimizing various parameters affecting deglycosylation and derivatization by RNase B, the time for N-glycan labeling was shortened to 50 min with ∼10-fold enhancement in detection sensitivity comparing to conventional 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA) labeling method. Additionally, the method showed good linearity (correlation coefficients > 0.991) and reproducibility (RSD < 8.7%). These advantages of the proposed method were further validated by the analysis of complex samples, including fetuin and human serum. Investigation of serum N-glycome for preliminary diagnosis of human lung cancer was conducted, where significant changes of several N-glycans corresponding to core-fucosylated, mono- and disialylated glycans have been evidenced by a series of statistical analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple SPION Incubation as an Efficient Intracellular Labeling Method for Tracking Neural Progenitor Cells Using MRI

PubMed Central

D. M., Jayaseema; Lai, Jiann-Shiun; Hueng, Dueng-Yuan; Chang, Chen

2013-01-01

Cellular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been well-established for tracking neural progenitor cells (NPC). Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) approved for clinical application are the most common agents used for labeling. Conventionally, transfection agents (TAs) were added with SPIONs to facilitate cell labeling because SPIONs in the native unmodified form were deemed inefficient for intracellular labeling. However, compelling evidence also shows that simple SPION incubation is not invariably ineffective. The labeling efficiency can be improved by prolonged incubation and elevated iron doses. The goal of the present study was to establish simple SPION incubation as an efficient intracellular labeling method. To this end, NPCs derived from the neonatal subventricular zone were incubated with SPIONs (Feridex®) and then evaluated in vitro with regard to the labeling efficiency and biological functions. The results showed that, following 48 hours of incubation at 75 µg/ml, nearly all NPCs exhibited visible SPION intake. Evidence from light microscopy, electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the effectiveness of the labeling. Additionally, biological assays showed that the labeled NPCs exhibited unaffected viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis and differentiation. In the demonstrated in vivo cellular MRI experiment, the hypointensities representing the SPION labeled NPCs remained observable throughout the entire tracking period. The findings indicate that simple SPION incubation without the addition of TAs is an efficient intracellular magnetic labeling method. This simple approach may be considered as an alternative approach to the mainstream labeling method that involves the use of TAs. PMID:23468856

Double-quantum homonuclear rotary resonance: Efficient dipolar recovery in magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, N. C.; Bildsøe, H.; Jakobsen, H. J.; Levitt, M. H.

1994-08-01

We describe an efficient method for the recovery of homonuclear dipole-dipole interactions in magic-angle spinning NMR. Double-quantum homonuclear rotary resonance (2Q-HORROR) is established by fulfilling the condition ωr=2ω1, where ωr is the sample rotation frequency and ω1 is the nutation frequency around an applied resonant radio frequency (rf) field. This resonance can be used for double-quantum filtering and measurement of homonuclear dipolar interactions in the presence of magic-angle spinning. The spin dynamics depend only weakly on crystallite orientation allowing good performance for powder samples. Chemical shift effects are suppressed to zeroth order. The method is demonstrated for singly and doubly 13C labeled L-alanine.

75 FR 40840 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Current Good...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-14

... Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements... regulations regarding current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for dietary supplements. DATES: Submit either... in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements--21 CFR Part 111...

HON label and DISCERN as content quality indicators of health-related websites.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Chatton, Anne; Zullino, Daniele; Khan, Riaz

2012-03-01

Content quality indicators are warranted in order to help patients and consumers to judge the content quality of health-related on-line information. The aim of the present study is to evaluate web-based information on health topics and to assess particular content quality indicators like HON (Health on the Net) and DISCERN. The present study is based on the analysis of data issued from six previous studies which assessed with a standardized tool the general and content quality (evidence-based health information) of health-related websites. Keywords related to Social phobia, bipolar disorders, pathological gambling as well as cannabis, alcohol and cocaine addiction were entered into popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability and content quality (evidence-based information). "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label, and DISCERN scale scores were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. Of 874 websites identified, 388 were included. Despite an observed association with higher content quality scores, the HON label fails to predict good content quality websites when used in a multiple regression. Sensibility and specificity of a DISCERN score >40 in the detection of good content quality websites were, respectively, 0.45 and 0.96. The DISCERN is a potential quality indicator with a relatively high specificity. Further developments in this domain are warranted in order to facilitate the identification of high-quality information on the web by patients.

[Justification of off-label antibiotics uses in hospitalized children].

PubMed

Berthod, Christelle; Kassaï, Behrouz; Boussageon, Remy; Adelaide, Léopold; Jacquet-Lagrèze, Matthias; Lajoinie, Audrey

2017-12-01

Unlicensed and off-label (UL/OL) drugs are commonly used in pediatrics wards, especially the antibiotics. It remains unclear if this strategy is justified by randomized controlled trials of good quality? The aim of this study was to compare the level of evidence of UL/OL antibiotics prescription in hospitalized children. The initial hypothesis was that the UL/OL antibiotics prescriptions had a lower level of evidence than licensed antibiotics. This observational study assessed the antibiotics prescription in the children mother and women hospital of Lyon. Each antibiotic medicine courses was classified depending on: (i) they were licensed, UL or OL, (ii) their level of evidence for efficiency (sufficient evidence, insufficient evidence, no evidence) and (iii) the existence or not of randomized controlled trials (RCT) or not. The antibiotics medicine courses in atypical cases were excluded (rare disease, lack of diagnosis, comorbidities modifying antibiotic use). Data were collected with computerized patient file data. The data were compared using Fisher exact test and χ 2 . One hundred and eight medicine courses were identified, corresponding to 72 mono, bi or tri-antibiotic therapies administered to 62 patients; 34% were OL and 66% were licensed. No prescriptions were UL. Thirty-two prescriptions were excluded from the evidence assessment. No proof of efficiency was found for any of the 76 analyzed medicine courses. RCTs were found for 36 of the analyzed medicine courses (47%); licensed medicine courses were significantly more justified by RCTs than UL/OL medicine courses (63% vs. 16%, P<0.001). This study has shown the absence of RCTs of good quality to justify the prescriptions of antibiotics in pediatrics, regardless their license status. Nevertheless, the licensed prescriptions have shown more data of efficiency than OL prescriptions. Still, even when data were found, no antibiotics prescriptions reach the threshold of good quality studies. New clinical trials should respond to the patient needs. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Rapid protein concentration, efficient fluorescence labeling and purification on a micro/nanofluidics chip.

PubMed

Wang, Chen; Ouyang, Jun; Ye, De-Kai; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan; Xia, Xing-Hua

2012-08-07

Fluorescence analysis has proved to be a powerful detection technique for achieving single molecule analysis. However, it usually requires the labeling of targets with bright fluorescent tags since most chemicals and biomolecules lack fluorescence. Conventional fluorescence labeling methods require a considerable quantity of biomolecule samples, long reaction times and extensive chromatographic purification procedures. Herein, a micro/nanofluidics device integrating a nanochannel in a microfluidics chip has been designed and fabricated, which achieves rapid protein concentration, fluorescence labeling, and efficient purification of product in a miniaturized and continuous manner. As a demonstration, labeling of the proteins bovine serum albumin (BSA) and IgG with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is presented. Compared to conventional methods, the present micro/nanofluidics device performs about 10(4)-10(6) times faster BSA labeling with 1.6 times higher yields due to the efficient nanoconfinement effect, improved mass, and heat transfer in the chip device. The results demonstrate that the present micro/nanofluidics device promises rapid and facile fluorescence labeling of small amount of reagents such as proteins, nucleic acids and other biomolecules with high efficiency.

Essays on environmental policies, corruption, and energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksi, Soham

This thesis consists of four essays. The first essay looks at pollution taxation under capital mobility, and analyzes the role of pre-commitment by countries to their pollution tax rate. A polluting firm sells its product in two countries, and can locate and produce in a single country or in both countries. Due to the discrete-choice nature of the firm's location problem, the countries' welfare functions are discontinuous in their pollution tax rate. We show that when the countries cannot pre-commit to their pollution tax, the firm can still engender tax competition between them by strategically locating in both the countries. Moreover, pre-commitment pollution taxation may not be welfare improving for the countries, although it always makes the firm better off. The second essay studies the effect of liberalization on corruption. Corruptible inspectors enforce an environmental regulation on firms, and are monitored by an honest regulator. Liberalization not only increases the variety of goods and the marginal utility of accepting a bribe, but also puts pressure on the regulator to curb corruption. The interaction of these two effects can cause corruption to initially increase with liberalization, and then decrease beyond a threshold. Moreover, equilibrium corruption is lower when the regulator is able to pre-commit to her monitoring frequency. The third essay analyzes optimal labeling (information revelation) procedures for hidden attributes of credence goods. Consumers are heterogeneous in their preference for the hidden attribute, and producers can either self-label their products, or have them certified by a third party. The government can impose self or third-party labeling requirements on either the "green" or the "brown" producers. When corrupt producers can affix spurious labels, the government needs to monitor them. A mandatory self-labeling policy is shown to generally dominate mandatory third-party labeling. The fourth essay develops formulas for computing the economy-wide energy intensity decline rate by aggregating sectoral energy efficiency improvements, and sectoral shifts in economic activities. The formulas are used to (i) construct plausible scenarios for the global rate of energy intensity decline, and (ii) show the restraining role of the "electricity generation" sector on the energy intensity decline rate.

21 CFR 211.130 - Packaging and labeling operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Packaging and Labeling Control § 211.130 Packaging and labeling operations. There shall be written procedures designed to... manufacture and control of the batch. (d) Examination of packaging and labeling materials for suitability and...

Highly efficient one-pot labeling of new phosphonium cations with fluorine-18 as potential PET agents for myocardial perfusion imaging.

PubMed

Zhao, Zuoquan; Yu, Qian; Mou, Tiantian; Liu, Chang; Yang, Wenjiang; Fang, Wei; Peng, Cheng; Lu, Jie; Liu, Yu; Zhang, Xianzhong

2014-11-03

Lipophilic cations such as phosphonium salts can accumulate in mitochondria of heart in response to the negative inner-transmembrane potentials. Two phosphonium salts [(18)F]FMBTP and [(18)F]mFMBTP were prepared and evaluated as potential myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) agents in this study. The cations were radiolabeled via a simplified one-pot method starting from [(18)F]fluoride and followed by physicochemical property tests, in vitro cellular uptake assay, ex vivo mouse biodistribution, and in vivo rat microPET imaging. The total radiosynthesis time was less than 60 min including HPLC purification. The [(18)F] labeled compounds were obtained in high radiolabeling yield (∼50%) and good radiochemical purity (>99%). Both compounds were electropositive, and their log P values at pH 7.4 were 1.16 ± 0.003 (n = 3) and 1.05 ± 0.01 (n = 3), respectively. Both [(18)F]FMBTP and [(18)F]mFMBTP had high heart uptake (25.24 ± 2.97% ID/g and 31.02 ± 0.33% ID/g at 5 min postinjection (p.i.)) in mice with good retention (28.99 ± 3.54% ID/g and 26.82 ± 3.46% ID/g at 120 min p.i.). From the PET images in rats, the cations exhibited high myocardium uptake and fast clearance from liver and small intestine to give high-contrast images across all time points. These phosphonium cations were radiosynthesized via a highly efficient one-pot procedure for potential MPI offering high heart accumulation and rapid nontarget clearance.

[The contribution of persuasion social psychology to the retention of donors: the impact of labelling the previous donation].

PubMed

Callé, N; Plainfossé, C; Georget, P; Sénémeaud, C; Rasonglès, P

2011-12-01

The supply of blood cell products requires from the National French Blood Institute (Établissement Français du Sang - EFS) to rely upon regular blood donors. Contact with donors, tailored to individuals as much as possible, helps them to donate on a regular basis. Within the context of a research program conducted with the Psychology Department of the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, persuasive theoretical models from social psychology have been tested. These models allow adapting messages according to the motivation of donors. The content is centred on the previous donation, differently labelled according to two types of labelling: functional labelling and social labelling. Functional labelling points out the efficiency of what "has been done" (the previous blood donation), whereas social labelling emphasizes the social value of the individual. Different types of mailing invitations have been sent to 1917 donors from the Normandy database, invited to three different blood collections. Every experimental letter worked better than the standard EFS letter (which was used as the "control" letter) in terms of effective blood donation after reception of the letter. Some of the letters are more efficient in motivating donors than other ones. The letters labelling the previous blood donation as functional (efficiency of the donation) appeared more efficient than those with social label (social value) in whichever motivation induced. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

9 CFR 317.354 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nutrient content claims for âgood... Nutrition Labeling § 317.354 Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.” (a) General... nutrient content claims in § 317.313; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in...

9 CFR 381.454 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nutrient content claims for âgood... Nutrition Labeling § 381.454 Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.” (a) General... nutrient content claims in § 381.413; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in...

High-efficiency dual labeling of influenza virus for single-virus imaging.

PubMed

Liu, Shu-Lin; Tian, Zhi-Quan; Zhang, Zhi-Ling; Wu, Qiu-Mei; Zhao, Hai-Su; Ren, Bin; Pang, Dai-Wen

2012-11-01

Many viruses invade host cells by entering the cells and releasing their genome for replication, which are remarkable incidents for viral infection. Therefore, the viral internal and external components should be simultaneously labeled and dynamically tracked at single-virus level for further understanding viral infection mechanisms. However, most of the previously reported methods have very low labeling efficiency and require considerable time and effort, which is laborious and inconvenient for researchers. In this work, we report a general strategy to high-efficiently label viral envelope and genome for single-virus imaging with quantum dots (QDs) and Syto 82, respectively. It was found that nearly all viral envelopes could be labeled with QDs with superior stability, which makes it possible to realize global and long-term tracking of single virus in individual cells. Effectively labeling their genome with Syto 82, about 90% of QDs-labeled viruses could be used to monitor the viral genome signal, which may provide valuable information for deeply studying viral genome transport. This is very important and meaningful to investigate the viral infection mechanism. Our labeling strategy has advantage in commonality, convenience and efficiency, which is expected to be widely used in biological research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 1271.250 - Labeling controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Labeling controls. 1271.250 Section 1271.250 Food..., AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.250 Labeling controls. (a) General. You must establish and maintain procedures to control the labeling of HCT/Ps. You must design...

21 CFR 1271.250 - Labeling controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Labeling controls. 1271.250 Section 1271.250 Food..., AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.250 Labeling controls. (a) General. You must establish and maintain procedures to control the labeling of HCT/Ps. You must design...

21 CFR 1271.250 - Labeling controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Labeling controls. 1271.250 Section 1271.250 Food..., AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.250 Labeling controls. (a) General. You must establish and maintain procedures to control the labeling of HCT/Ps. You must design...

21 CFR 1271.250 - Labeling controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Labeling controls. 1271.250 Section 1271.250 Food..., AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.250 Labeling controls. (a) General. You must establish and maintain procedures to control the labeling of HCT/Ps. You must design...

21 CFR 1271.250 - Labeling controls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Labeling controls. 1271.250 Section 1271.250 Food..., AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.250 Labeling controls. (a) General. You must establish and maintain procedures to control the labeling of HCT/Ps. You must design...

An empirical study of ensemble-based semi-supervised learning approaches for imbalanced splice site datasets.

PubMed

Stanescu, Ana; Caragea, Doina

2015-01-01

Recent biochemical advances have led to inexpensive, time-efficient production of massive volumes of raw genomic data. Traditional machine learning approaches to genome annotation typically rely on large amounts of labeled data. The process of labeling data can be expensive, as it requires domain knowledge and expert involvement. Semi-supervised learning approaches that can make use of unlabeled data, in addition to small amounts of labeled data, can help reduce the costs associated with labeling. In this context, we focus on the problem of predicting splice sites in a genome using semi-supervised learning approaches. This is a challenging problem, due to the highly imbalanced distribution of the data, i.e., small number of splice sites as compared to the number of non-splice sites. To address this challenge, we propose to use ensembles of semi-supervised classifiers, specifically self-training and co-training classifiers. Our experiments on five highly imbalanced splice site datasets, with positive to negative ratios of 1-to-99, showed that the ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches represent a good choice, even when the amount of labeled data consists of less than 1% of all training data. In particular, we found that ensembles of co-training and self-training classifiers that dynamically balance the set of labeled instances during the semi-supervised iterations show improvements over the corresponding supervised ensemble baselines. In the presence of limited amounts of labeled data, ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches can successfully leverage the unlabeled data to enhance supervised ensembles learned from highly imbalanced data distributions. Given that such distributions are common for many biological sequence classification problems, our work can be seen as a stepping stone towards more sophisticated ensemble-based approaches to biological sequence annotation in a semi-supervised framework.

An empirical study of ensemble-based semi-supervised learning approaches for imbalanced splice site datasets

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Recent biochemical advances have led to inexpensive, time-efficient production of massive volumes of raw genomic data. Traditional machine learning approaches to genome annotation typically rely on large amounts of labeled data. The process of labeling data can be expensive, as it requires domain knowledge and expert involvement. Semi-supervised learning approaches that can make use of unlabeled data, in addition to small amounts of labeled data, can help reduce the costs associated with labeling. In this context, we focus on the problem of predicting splice sites in a genome using semi-supervised learning approaches. This is a challenging problem, due to the highly imbalanced distribution of the data, i.e., small number of splice sites as compared to the number of non-splice sites. To address this challenge, we propose to use ensembles of semi-supervised classifiers, specifically self-training and co-training classifiers. Results Our experiments on five highly imbalanced splice site datasets, with positive to negative ratios of 1-to-99, showed that the ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches represent a good choice, even when the amount of labeled data consists of less than 1% of all training data. In particular, we found that ensembles of co-training and self-training classifiers that dynamically balance the set of labeled instances during the semi-supervised iterations show improvements over the corresponding supervised ensemble baselines. Conclusions In the presence of limited amounts of labeled data, ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches can successfully leverage the unlabeled data to enhance supervised ensembles learned from highly imbalanced data distributions. Given that such distributions are common for many biological sequence classification problems, our work can be seen as a stepping stone towards more sophisticated ensemble-based approaches to biological sequence annotation in a semi-supervised framework. PMID:26356316

Labeling viral envelope lipids with quantum dots by harnessing the biotinylated lipid-self-inserted cellular membrane.

PubMed

Lv, Cheng; Lin, Yi; Liu, An-An; Hong, Zheng-Yuan; Wen, Li; Zhang, Zhenfeng; Zhang, Zhi-Ling; Wang, Hanzhong; Pang, Dai-Wen

2016-11-01

Highly efficient labeling of viruses with quantum dots (QDs) is the prerequisite for the long-term tracking of virus invasion at the single virus level to reveal mechanisms of virus infection. As one of the structural components of viruses, viral envelope lipids are hard to be labeled with QDs due to the lack of efficient methods to modify viral envelope lipids. Moreover, it is still a challenge to maintain the intactness and infectivity of labeled viruses. Herein, a mild method has been developed to label viral envelope lipids with QDs by harnessing the biotinylated lipid-self-inserted cellular membrane. Biotinylated lipids can spontaneously insert in cellular membranes of host cells during culture and then be naturally assembled on progeny Pseudorabies virus (PrV) via propagation. The biotinylated PrV can be labeled with streptavidin-conjugated QDs, with a labeling efficiency of ∼90%. Such a strategy to label lipids with QDs can retain the intactness and infectivity of labeled viruses to the largest extent, facilitating the study of mechanisms of virus infection at the single virus level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Far-Red Fluorescent Lipid-Polymer Probes for an Efficient Labeling of Enveloped Viruses.

PubMed

Lacour, William; Adjili, Salim; Blaising, Julie; Favier, Arnaud; Monier, Karine; Mezhoud, Sarra; Ladavière, Catherine; Place, Christophe; Pécheur, Eve-Isabelle; Charreyre, Marie-Thérèse

2016-08-01

Far-red emitting fluorescent lipid probes are desirable to label enveloped viruses, for their efficient tracking by optical microscopy inside autofluorescent cells. Most used probes are rapidly released from membranes, leading to fluorescence signal decay and loss of contrast. Here, water-soluble lipid-polymer probes are synthesized harboring hydrophilic or hydrophobic far-red emitting dyes, and exhibiting enhanced brightness. They efficiently label Hepatitis C Virus pseudotyped particles (HCVpp), more stably and reproducibly than commercial probes, and a strong fluorescence signal is observed with a high contrast. Labeling with such probes do not alter virion morphology, integrity, nor infectivity. Finally, it is shown by fluorescence microscopy that these probes enable efficient tracking of labeled HCVpp inside hepatocarcinoma cells used as model hepatocytes, in spite of their autofluorescence up to 700 nm. These novel fluorescent lipid-polymer probes should therefore enable a better characterization of early stages of infection of autofluorescent cells by enveloped viruses. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison of Test Procedures and Energy Efficiency Criteria in Selected International Standards and Labeling Programs for Clothes Washers, Water Dispensers, Vending Machines and CFLs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fridley, David; Zheng, Nina; Zhou, Nan

Since the late 1970s, energy labeling programs and mandatory energy performance standards have been used in many different countries to improve the efficiency levels of major residential and commercial equipment. As more countries and regions launch programs covering a greater range of products that are traded worldwide, greater attention has been given to harmonizing the specific efficiency criteria in these programs and the test methods for measurements. For example, an international compact fluorescent light (CFL) harmonization initiative was launched in 2006 to focus on collaboration between Australia, China, Europe and North America. Given the long history of standards and labelingmore » programs, most major energy-consuming residential appliances and commercial equipment are already covered under minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and/or energy labels. For these products, such as clothes washers and CFLs, harmonization may still be possible when national MEPS or labeling thresholds are revised. Greater opportunity for harmonization exists in newer energy-consuming products that are not commonly regulated but are under consideration for new standards and labeling programs. This may include commercial products such as water dispensers and vending machines, which are only covered by MEPS or energy labels in a few countries or regions. As China continues to expand its appliance standards and labeling programs and revise existing standards and labels, it is important to learn from recent international experiences with efficiency criteria and test procedures for the same products. Specifically, various types of standards and labeling programs already exist in North America, Europe and throughout Asia for products in China's 2010 standards and labeling programs, namely clothes washers, water dispensers, vending machines and CFLs. This report thus examines similarities and critical differences in energy efficiency values, test procedure specifications and other technical performance requirements in existing international programs in order to shed light on where Chinese programs currently stands and considerations for their 2010 programs.« less

A fluorescent aptasensor for amplified label-free detection of adenosine triphosphate based on core-shell Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles.

PubMed

Song, Quanwei; Peng, Manshu; Wang, Le; He, Dacheng; Ouyang, Jin

2016-03-15

The novel, facile and universal aptamer-based methods for the highly sensitive and selective fluorescence detection of important biomolecules have attracted considerable interest. Here, we present a label-free aptasensor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection in aqueous solutions by using an ultra-sensitive nucleic acid stain PicoGreen (PG) as a fluorescent indicator and core-shell Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) as a metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) platform. In the presence of ATP, the complementary DNA (cDNA)/aptamer duplexes confined onto the Ag@SiO2 NPs surface can release their aptamers into the buffered solution, causing a significant reduction in fluorescence intensity. By virtue of the amplified fluorescence signal, this aptasensor toward ATP can achieve a detection limit of 14.2 nM with a wide linear range and exhibit a good assay performance in complex biological samples. This sensing approach is cost-effective and efficient because it avoids the fluorescence labeling process and the use of any enzymes. Hence, this method may offer an alternative tool for determining the concentrations of ATP in biochemical and biomedical research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A nuclease-assisted label-free aptasensor for fluorescence turn-on detection of ATP based on the in situ formation of copper nanoparticles.

PubMed

Song, Quanwei; Wang, Ruihua; Sun, Feifei; Chen, Hongkun; Wang, Zoumengke; Na, Na; Ouyang, Jin

2017-01-15

Owing to their promising advantages in biochemical analysis, aptamer-based sensing systems for the fluorescence detection of important biomolecules are being extensively investigated. Herein, we propose a turn-on fluorescent aptasensor for label-free detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by utilizing the in situ formation of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and the specific digestion capability of exonuclease I (Exo I). In this assay, the addition of ATP can effectively hinder the digestion of aptamer-derived oligonucleotides due to the G-quadruplex structure. Accordingly, the remaining poly thymine at 5'-terminus of substrate DNA can serve as an efficient template for red-emitting fluorescent CuNPs with a Mega-Stokes shifting in buffered solution, which can be used to evaluate the concentration of ATP. This method is cost-effective and facile, because it avoids the use of traditional dye-labeled DNA strands and complex operation steps. Under optimized conditions, this method achieves a selective response for ATP with a detection limit of 93nM, and exhibits a good detection performance in biological samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of food labels by adolescents to make healthier choices on snacks: a cross-sectional study from Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Talagala, Ishanka A; Arambepola, Carukshi

2016-08-08

Unhealthy snacking is commonly seen among adolescents. Therefore, use of food labels is promoted for making healthier choices on packaged snacks. This study was conducted to assess the use of food labels in making choices on packaged snack and its associated factors among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 among 542 Grade 12 students in Sri Lanka. Eight classes were selected as 'clusters' for the study (two classes each from two schools that were selected randomly from each list of 'Girls only' and 'Boys only' schools in Colombo district). A self-administered questionnaire assessed their socio-demography, snacking behaviour, attitudes and nutrition knowledge related to food labels. Adolescents' use of labels was assessed by three practices (label reading frequency, attention paid to label contents and correct interpretation of six hypothetical labels of snacks). Based on total scores obtained for the three practices, 'satisfactory' (score ≥75(th) percentile mark) and 'unsatisfactory' (score <75(th) percentile mark) label users were identified. Using SPSS, associations were assessed at 0.05 significance level using Chi-square-test. Of the participants, 51 % were males; 61 % spent their pocket money at least once/week on packaged snacks; predominantly on biscuits (85 %) and cola-drinks (77 %) and 88 % selected snacks on their own. The majority (74.5 %) was frequent ('always' or 'most often') label readers with female predominance (p < 0.05). Over 74 % paid attention frequently to the brand name (75 %), price (85 %) and nutrition panel (81 %). Over 64 % were able to select the better food label when given a choice between two snacks, although some did it for reasons such as attractive label (63 %). The majority (84 %) had good knowledge (obtaining more than the 75(th) percentile mark) on interpreting labels. Although not statistically significant, 'unsatisfactory' label use was higher among males (73 %), purchasing power (70.4 %) and unhealthy snacking behaviour (73 %). In contrast, among the marketing strategies, identifying known brands (73.2 %) and imported products (75.8 %) as 'good' products were significantly associated with 'unsatisfactory' label use (p < 0.05). Despite having good knowledge and positive attitudes, food label use is unsatisfactory among adolescents. Skills in reading labels should be addressed in the 'School canteen policy' in Sri Lanka.

Dual-colored graphene quantum dots-labeled nanoprobes/graphene oxide: functional carbon materials for respective and simultaneous detection of DNA and thrombin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Zhao Sheng; Shan, Xiao Yue; Chai, Lu Jing; Chen, Jian Rong; Feng, Hui

2014-10-01

Convenient and simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers such as DNA and proteins with biocompatible materials and good analytical performance still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the respective and simultaneous detection of DNA and bovine α-thrombin (thrombin) entirely based on biocompatible carbon materials through a specially designed fluorescence on-off-on process. Colorful fluorescence, high emission efficiency, good photostability and excellent compatibility enables graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as the best choice for fluorophores in bioprobes, and thus two-colored GQDs as labeling fluorophores were chemically bonded with specific oligonucleotide sequence and aptamer to prepare two probes targeting the DNA and thrombin, respectively. Each probe can be assembled on the graphene oxide (GO) platform spontaneously by π-π stacking and electrostatic attraction; as a result, fast electron transfer in the assembly efficiently quenches the fluorescence of probe. The presence of DNA or thrombin can trigger the self-recognition between capturing a nucleotide sequence and its target DNA or between thrombin and its aptamer due to their specific hybridization and duplex DNA structures or the formation of apatamer-substrate complex, which is taken advantage of in order to achieve a separate quantitative analysis of DNA and thrombin. A dual-functional biosensor for simultaneous detection of DNA and thrombin was also constructed by self-assembly of two probes with distinct colors and GO platform, and was further evaluated with the presence of various concentrations of DNA and thrombin. Both biosensors serving as a general detection model for multiple species exhibit outstanding analytical performance, and are expected to be applied in vivo because of the excellent biocompatibility of their used materials.

Ideal regularization for learning kernels from labels.

PubMed

Pan, Binbin; Lai, Jianhuang; Shen, Lixin

2014-08-01

In this paper, we propose a new form of regularization that is able to utilize the label information of a data set for learning kernels. The proposed regularization, referred to as ideal regularization, is a linear function of the kernel matrix to be learned. The ideal regularization allows us to develop efficient algorithms to exploit labels. Three applications of the ideal regularization are considered. Firstly, we use the ideal regularization to incorporate the labels into a standard kernel, making the resulting kernel more appropriate for learning tasks. Next, we employ the ideal regularization to learn a data-dependent kernel matrix from an initial kernel matrix (which contains prior similarity information, geometric structures, and labels of the data). Finally, we incorporate the ideal regularization to some state-of-the-art kernel learning problems. With this regularization, these learning problems can be formulated as simpler ones which permit more efficient solvers. Empirical results show that the ideal regularization exploits the labels effectively and efficiently. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carbon "Quantum" Dots for Fluorescence Labeling of Cells.

PubMed

Liu, Jia-Hui; Cao, Li; LeCroy, Gregory E; Wang, Ping; Meziani, Mohammed J; Dong, Yiyang; Liu, Yuanfang; Luo, Pengju G; Sun, Ya-Ping

2015-09-02

The specifically synthesized and selected carbon dots of relatively high fluorescence quantum yields were evaluated in their fluorescence labeling of cells. For the cancer cell lines, the cellular uptake of the carbon dots was generally efficient, resulting in the labeling of the cells with bright fluorescence emissions for both one- and two-photon excitations from predominantly the cell membrane and cytoplasm. In the exploration on labeling the live stem cells, the cellular uptake of the carbon dots was relatively less efficient, though fluorescence emissions could still be adequately detected in the labeled cells, with the emissions again predominantly from the cell membrane and cytoplasm. This combined with the observed more efficient internalization of the same carbon dots by the fixed stem cells might suggest some significant selectivity of the stem cells toward surface functionalities of the carbon dots. The needs and possible strategies for more systematic and comparative studies on the fluorescence labeling of different cells, including especially live stem cells, by carbon dots as a new class of brightly fluorescent probes are discussed.

Manifold regularized matrix completion for multi-label learning with ADMM.

PubMed

Liu, Bin; Li, Yingming; Xu, Zenglin

2018-05-01

Multi-label learning is a common machine learning problem arising from numerous real-world applications in diverse fields, e.g, natural language processing, bioinformatics, information retrieval and so on. Among various multi-label learning methods, the matrix completion approach has been regarded as a promising approach to transductive multi-label learning. By constructing a joint matrix comprising the feature matrix and the label matrix, the missing labels of test samples are regarded as missing values of the joint matrix. With the low-rank assumption of the constructed joint matrix, the missing labels can be recovered by minimizing its rank. Despite its success, most matrix completion based approaches ignore the smoothness assumption of unlabeled data, i.e., neighboring instances should also share a similar set of labels. Thus they may under exploit the intrinsic structures of data. In addition, the matrix completion problem can be less efficient. To this end, we propose to efficiently solve the multi-label learning problem as an enhanced matrix completion model with manifold regularization, where the graph Laplacian is used to ensure the label smoothness over it. To speed up the convergence of our model, we develop an efficient iterative algorithm, which solves the resulted nuclear norm minimization problem with the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Experiments on both synthetic and real-world data have shown the promising results of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 211.125 - Labeling issuance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Labeling issuance. 211.125 Section 211.125 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Packaging and Labeling Control...

21 CFR 211.125 - Labeling issuance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Labeling issuance. 211.125 Section 211.125 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Packaging and Labeling Control...

21 CFR 211.125 - Labeling issuance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Labeling issuance. 211.125 Section 211.125 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Packaging and Labeling Control...

21 CFR 211.125 - Labeling issuance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Labeling issuance. 211.125 Section 211.125 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Packaging and Labeling Control...

Clustering algorithm evaluation and the development of a replacement for procedure 1. [for crop inventories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lennington, R. K.; Johnson, J. K.

1979-01-01

An efficient procedure which clusters data using a completely unsupervised clustering algorithm and then uses labeled pixels to label the resulting clusters or perform a stratified estimate using the clusters as strata is developed. Three clustering algorithms, CLASSY, AMOEBA, and ISOCLS, are compared for efficiency. Three stratified estimation schemes and three labeling schemes are also considered and compared.

68Ga-labeling and in vivo evaluation of a uPAR binding DOTA- and NODAGA-conjugated peptide for PET imaging of invasive cancers.

PubMed

Persson, Morten; Madsen, Jacob; Østergaard, Søren; Ploug, Michael; Kjaer, Andreas

2012-05-01

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a well-established biomarker for tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. DOTA-AE105 and DOTA-AE105-NH(2) labeled with (64)Cu have previously been demonstrated to be able to noninvasively monitor uPAR expression using positron emission tomography (PET) in human cancer xenograft mice models. Here we introduce (68)Ga-DOTA-AE105-NH(2) and (68)Ga-NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) and evaluate their imaging properties using small-animal PET. Synthesis of DOTA-AE105-NH(2) and NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) was based on solid-phase peptide synthesis protocols using the Fmoc strategy. (68)GaCl(3) was eluted from a (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator. The eluate was either concentrated on a cation-exchange column or fractionated and used directly for labeling. For in vitro characterization of both tracers, partition coefficient, buffer and plasma stability, uPAR binding affinity and cell uptake were determined. To characterize the in vivo properties, dynamic microPET imaging was carried out in nude mice bearing human glioma U87MG tumor xenograft. In vitro experiments revealed uPAR binding affinities in the lower nM range for both conjugated peptides and identical to AE105. Labeling of DOTA-AE105-NH(2) and NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) with (68)Ga was done at 95°C and room temperature, respectively. The highest radiochemical yield and purity were obtained using fractionated elution, whereas a negative effect of acetone on labeling efficiency for NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) was observed. Good stability in phosphate-buffered saline and mouse plasma was observed. High cell uptake was found for both tracers in U87MG tumor cells. Dynamic microPET imaging demonstrated good tumor-to-background ratio for both tracers. Tumor uptake was 2.1% ID/g and 1.3% ID/g 30 min postinjection and 2.0% ID/g and 1.1% ID/g 60 min postinjection for (68)Ga-NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) and (68)Ga-DOTA-AE105-NH(2), respectively. A significantly higher tumor-to-muscle ratio (P<.05) was found for (68)Ga-NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) 60 min postinjection. The use of (68)Ga-DOTA-AE105-NH(2) and (68)Ga-NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) as the first gallium-68 labeled uPAR radiotracers for noninvasive PET imaging is reported, which combine versatility with good imaging properties. These new tracers thus constitute an interesting alternative to the (64)Cu-labeled version ((64)Cu-DOTA-AE105 and 64Cu-DOTA-AE105-NH(2)) for detecting uPAR expression in tumor tissue. In our hands, the fractionated elution approach was superior for labeling of peptides, and (68)Ga-NODAGA-AE105-NH(2) is the favored tracer as it provides the highest tumor-to-background ratio. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DNA Three-Way Junction for Differentiation of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms with Fluorescent Copper Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Sun, Feifei; You, Ying; Liu, Jie; Song, Quanwei; Shen, Xiaotong; Na, Na; Ouyang, Jin

2017-05-23

A label- and enzyme-free fluorescent sensor for the detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at room temperature is proposed, using new copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) as fluorescent reporters. The CuNPs were constructed by using a DNA three-way junction (3WJ) template. In this assay, two complementary adenine/thymine-rich probes can hybridize with the wild-type target simultaneously to construct a 3WJ structure, serving as an efficient scaffold for the generation of CuNPs. However, the CuNPs produce weak fluorescence when the probes bind with a mutant-type target. SNPs can be identified by the difference in fluorescence intensity of the CuNPs. This SNPs detection strategy is straightforward, cost-effective, and avoids the complicated procedures of labeling or enzymatic reactions. The fluorescent sensor is versatile and can be applied to all types of mutation because the probes are programmable. Moreover, the sensor exhibits good detection performance in biological samples. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Aqueous synthesis of high bright and tunable near-infrared AgInSe2-ZnSe quantum dots for bioimaging.

PubMed

Che, Dongchen; Zhu, Xiaoxu; Wang, Hongzhi; Duan, Yourong; Zhang, Qinghong; Li, Yaogang

2016-02-01

Efficient synthetic methods for near-infrared quantum dots with good biophysical properties as bioimaging agents are urgently required. In this work, a simple and fast synthesis of highly luminescent, near-infrared AgInSe2-ZnSe quantum dots (QDs) with tunable emissions in aqueous media is reported. This method avoids high temperature and pressure and organic solvents to directly generate water-dispersible AgInSe2-ZnSe QDs. The photoluminescence emission peak of the AgInSe2-ZnSe QDs ranged from 625 to 940nm, with quantum yields up to 31%. The AgInSe2-ZnSe QDs with high quantum yield, near-infrared and low cytotoxic could be used as good cell labels, showing great potential applications in bio-imaging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 807.31 - Additional listing information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., and for good cause, a copy of all advertisements for a particular device. A request for all... operator shall maintain a historical file containing the labeling and advertisements in use on the date of... all labeling for the device; (2) For each restricted device, a copy of all labeling and advertisements...

An Atom-Economic and Selective Ruthenium-Catalyzed Redox Isomerization of Propargylic Alcohols. An Efficient Strategy for the Synthesis of Leukotrienes

PubMed Central

Trost, Barry M.; Livingston, Robert C.

2008-01-01

Catalytic ruthenium complexes in conjunction with an indium cocatalyst and Bronsted acid isomerize primary and secondary propargylic alcohols in good yields to provide trans enals and enones exclusively. Readily available indenylbis(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium chloride in the presence of indium triflate and camphorsulfonic acid give the best turnover numbers and reactivity with the broadest range of substrates. Deuterium labeling experiments suggest that the process occurs through propargylic hydride migration followed by protic cleavage of the resultant vinylruthenium intermediate. Application of this method to the synthesis of leukotriene B4 demonstrates its utility and extraordinary selectivity. PMID:18702463

Mn-doped Zinc Sulphide nanocrystals for immunofluorescent labeling of epidermal growth factor receptors on cells and clinical tumor tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

J, Aswathy; V, Seethalekshmy N.; R, Hiran K.; R, Bindhu M.; K, Manzoor; Nair, Shantikumar V.; Menon, Deepthy

2014-11-01

The field of molecular detection and targeted imaging has evolved considerably with the introduction of fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Manganese-doped zinc sulphide nanocrystals (ZnS:Mn NCs), which are widely used in electroluminescent displays, have been explored for the first time for direct immunofluorescent (IF) labeling of clinical tumor tissues. ZnS:Mn NCs developed through a facile wet chemistry route were capped using amino acid cysteine, conjugated to streptavidin and thereafter coupled to biotinylated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody utilizing the streptavidin-biotin linkage. The overall conjugation yielded stable EGFR antibody conjugated ZnS:Mn NCs (EGFR ZnS:Mn NCs) with a hydrodynamic diameter of 65 ± 15 nm, and having an intense orange-red fluorescence emission at 598 nm. Specific labeling of EGF receptors on EGFR+ve A431 cells in a co-culture with EGFR-ve NIH3T3 cells was demonstrated using these nanoprobes. The primary antibody conjugated fluorescent NCs could also clearly delineate EGFR over-expressing cells on clinical tumor tissues processed by formalin fixation as well as cryopreservation with a specificity of 86% and accuracy of 88%, in comparison to immunohistochemistry. Tumor tissues labeled with EGFR ZnS:Mn NCs showed good fluorescence emission when imaged after storage even at 15 months. Thus, ZnS nanobioconjugates with dopant-dependent and stable fluorescence emission show promise as an efficient, target-specific fluorophore that would enable long term IF labeling of any antigen of interest on clinical tissues.

Young Children's Competency to Take the Oath: Effects of Task, Maltreatment, and Age.

PubMed

Lyon, Thomas D; Carrick, Nathalie; Quas, Jodi A

2010-04-01

This study examined maltreated and non-maltreated children's (N = 183) emerging understanding of "truth" and "lie," terms about which they are quizzed to qualify as competent to testify. Four- to six-year-old children were asked to accept or reject true and false (T/F) statements, label T/F statements as the "truth" or "a lie," label T/F statements as "good" or "bad," and label "truth" and "lie" as "good" or "bad." The youngest children were at ceiling in accepting/rejecting T/F statements. The labeling tasks revealed improvement with age and children performed similarly across the tasks. Most children were better able to evaluate "truth" than "lie." Maltreated children exhibited somewhat different response patterns, suggesting greater sensitivity to the immorality of lying.

Rapid fluorescence detection of pathogenic bacteria using magnetic enrichment technique combined with magnetophoretic chromatography.

PubMed

Che, Yulan; Xu, Yi; Wang, Renjie; Chen, Li

2017-08-01

A rapid and sensitive analytical method was developed to detect pathogenic bacteria which combined magnetic enrichment, fluorescence labeling with polyethylene glycol (PEG) magnetophoretic chromatography. As pathogenic bacteria usually exist in complex matrixes at low concentration, an efficient enrichment is essential for diagnosis. In order to capture series types of pathogenic bacteria in samples, amino-modified magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -NH 2 ) were prepared for efficient enrichment by the electrostatic interaction with pathogenic bacteria. It was shown that the capture efficiency reached up to 95.4% for Escherichia coli (E. coli). Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the bacteria was achieved by using acridine orange (AO) as a fluorescence probe for the captured E. coli due to its ability of staining series types of bacteria and rapid labeling. In order to remove the free magnetic nanoparticles and redundant fluorescent reagent, the labeled suspension was poured into a PEG separation column and was separated by applying an external magnetic field. The presence of 100 cfu mL -1 E. coli could be detected for semi-quantitative analysis by observing the separation column with the naked eye, and the concentration could be further evaluated by fluorescence detection. All the above processes were finished within 80 min. It was demonstrated that a good linear relationship existed between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of E. coli ranging from 10 2 to 10 6  cfu mL -1 , with a detection limit of 100 cfu mL -1 when E. coli acted as target bacteria. The recovery rate of E. coli was 93.6∼102.0% in tap water and cooked meat samples, and the RSD was lower than 7% (n = 6); the result coincided with the conventional plate count method. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Desired and Undesired Effects of Energy Labels--An Eye-Tracking Study.

PubMed

Waechter, Signe; Sütterlin, Bernadette; Siegrist, Michael

2015-01-01

Saving energy is an important pillar for the mitigation of climate change. Electric devices (e.g., freezer and television) are an important player in the residential sector in the final demand for energy. Consumers' purchase decisions are therefore crucial to successfully reach the energy-efficiency goals. Putting energy labels on products is often considered an adequate way of empowering consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Consequently, this approach should contribute to reducing overall energy consumption. The effectiveness of its measurement depends on consumers' use and interpretation of the information provided. Despite advances in energy efficiency and a mandatory labeling policy, final energy consumption per capita is in many countries still increasing. This paper provides a systematic analysis of consumers' reactions to one of the most widely used eco-labels, the European Union (EU) energy label, by using eye-tracking methodology as an objective measurement. The study's results partially support the EU's mandatory policy, showing that the energy label triggers attention toward energy information in general. However, the energy label's effect on consumers' actual product choices seems to be rather low. The study's results show that the currently used presentation format on the label is insufficient. The findings suggest that it does not facilitate the integration of energy-related information. Furthermore, the current format can attract consumers to focus more on energy-efficiency information, leading them to disregard information about actual energy consumption. As a result, the final energy consumption may increase because excellent ratings on energy efficiency (e.g., A++) do not automatically imply little consumption. Finally, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further research are discussed.

WaterSense Labeled New Homes

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Homes built to meet EPA's specification can earn the WaterSense label. EPA criteria include WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures, efficient hot water delivery systems, water-smart landscape design, and other features.

Site-specific labeling of RNA at internal ribose hydroxyl groups: terbium-assisted deoxyribozymes at work.

PubMed

Büttner, Lea; Javadi-Zarnaghi, Fatemeh; Höbartner, Claudia

2014-06-04

A general and efficient single-step method was established for site-specific post-transcriptional labeling of RNA. Using Tb(3+) as accelerating cofactor for deoxyribozymes, various labeled guanosines were site-specifically attached to 2'-OH groups of internal adenosines in in vitro transcribed RNA. The DNA-catalyzed 2',5'-phosphodiester bond formation proceeded efficiently with fluorescent, spin-labeled, biotinylated, or cross-linker-modified guanosine triphosphates. The sequence context of the labeling site was systematically analyzed by mutating the nucleotides flanking the targeted adenosine. Labeling of adenosines in a purine-rich environment showed the fastest reactions and highest yields. Overall, practically useful yields >70% were obtained for 13 out of 16 possible nucleotide (nt) combinations. Using this approach, we demonstrate preparative labeling under mild conditions for up to ~160-nt-long RNAs, including spliceosomal U6 small nuclear RNA and a cyclic-di-AMP binding riboswitch RNA.

High efficiency labeling of glycoproteins on living cells

PubMed Central

Zeng, Ying; Ramya, T. N. C.; Dirksen, Anouk; Dawson, Philip E.; Paulson, James C.

2010-01-01

We describe a simple method for efficiently labeling cell surface glycans on virtually any living animal cell. The method employs mild Periodate oxidation to generate an aldehyde on sialic acids, followed by Aniline-catalyzed oxime Ligation with a suitable tag (PAL). Aniline catalysis dramatically accelerates oxime ligation, allowing use of low concentrations of aminooxy-biotin at neutral pH to label the majority of cell surface glycoproteins while maintaining high cell viability. PMID:19234450

Cationized Magnetoferritin Enables Rapid Labeling and Concentration of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria in Magnetic Cell Separation Columns

PubMed Central

Spencer, J.; Schwarzacher, W.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT In order to identify pathogens rapidly and reliably, bacterial capture and concentration from large sample volumes into smaller ones are often required. Magnetic labeling and capture of bacteria using a magnetic field hold great promise for achieving this goal, but the current protocols have poor capture efficiency. Here, we present a rapid and highly efficient approach to magnetic labeling and capture of both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria using cationized magnetoferritin (cat-MF). Magnetic labeling was achieved within a 1-min incubation period with cat-MF, and 99.97% of the labeled bacteria were immobilized in commercially available magnetic cell separation (MACS) columns. Longer incubation times led to more efficient capture, with S. aureus being immobilized to a greater extent than E. coli. Finally, low numbers of magnetically labeled E. coli bacteria (<100 CFU per ml) were immobilized with 100% efficiency and concentrated 7-fold within 15 min. Therefore, our study provides a novel protocol for rapid and highly efficient magnetic labeling, capture, and concentration of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global challenge. Rapid identification of pathogens will retard the spread of AMR by enabling targeted treatment with suitable agents and by reducing inappropriate antimicrobial use. Rapid detection methods based on microfluidic devices require that bacteria are concentrated from large volumes into much smaller ones. Concentration of bacteria is also important to detect low numbers of pathogens with confidence. Here, we demonstrate that magnetic separation columns capture small amounts of bacteria with 100% efficiency. Rapid magnetization was achieved by exposing bacteria to cationic magnetic nanoparticles, and magnetized bacteria were concentrated 7-fold inside the column. Thus, bacterial capture and concentration were achieved within 15 min. This approach could be extended to encompass the capture and concentration of specific pathogens, for example, by functionalizing magnetic nanoparticles with antibodies or small molecule probes. PMID:27060124

Cationized Magnetoferritin Enables Rapid Labeling and Concentration of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria in Magnetic Cell Separation Columns.

PubMed

Correia Carreira, S; Spencer, J; Schwarzacher, W; Seddon, A M

2016-06-15

In order to identify pathogens rapidly and reliably, bacterial capture and concentration from large sample volumes into smaller ones are often required. Magnetic labeling and capture of bacteria using a magnetic field hold great promise for achieving this goal, but the current protocols have poor capture efficiency. Here, we present a rapid and highly efficient approach to magnetic labeling and capture of both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria using cationized magnetoferritin (cat-MF). Magnetic labeling was achieved within a 1-min incubation period with cat-MF, and 99.97% of the labeled bacteria were immobilized in commercially available magnetic cell separation (MACS) columns. Longer incubation times led to more efficient capture, with S. aureus being immobilized to a greater extent than E. coli Finally, low numbers of magnetically labeled E. coli bacteria (<100 CFU per ml) were immobilized with 100% efficiency and concentrated 7-fold within 15 min. Therefore, our study provides a novel protocol for rapid and highly efficient magnetic labeling, capture, and concentration of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global challenge. Rapid identification of pathogens will retard the spread of AMR by enabling targeted treatment with suitable agents and by reducing inappropriate antimicrobial use. Rapid detection methods based on microfluidic devices require that bacteria are concentrated from large volumes into much smaller ones. Concentration of bacteria is also important to detect low numbers of pathogens with confidence. Here, we demonstrate that magnetic separation columns capture small amounts of bacteria with 100% efficiency. Rapid magnetization was achieved by exposing bacteria to cationic magnetic nanoparticles, and magnetized bacteria were concentrated 7-fold inside the column. Thus, bacterial capture and concentration were achieved within 15 min. This approach could be extended to encompass the capture and concentration of specific pathogens, for example, by functionalizing magnetic nanoparticles with antibodies or small molecule probes. Copyright © 2016 Correia Carreira et al.

Improved labelling of DTPA- and DOTA-conjugated peptides and antibodies with 111In in HEPES and MES buffer.

PubMed

Brom, Maarten; Joosten, Lieke; Oyen, Wim Jg; Gotthardt, Martin; Boerman, Otto C

2012-01-27

In single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT], high specific activity of 111In-labelled tracers will allow administration of low amounts of tracer to prevent receptor saturation and/or side effects. To increase the specific activity, we studied the effect of the buffer used during the labelling procedure: NaAc, NH4Ac, HEPES and MES buffer. The effect of the ageing of the 111InCl3 stock and cadmium contamination, the decay product of 111In, was also examined in these buffers. Escalating amounts of 111InCl3 were added to 1 μg of the diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid [DTPA]- and 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid [DOTA]-conjugated compounds (exendin-3, octreotide and anti-carbonic anhydrase IX [CAIX] antibody). Five volumes of 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid [MES], 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid [HEPES], NH4Ac or NaAc (0.1 M, pH 5.5) were added. After 20 min at 20°C (DTPA-conjugated compounds), at 95°C (DOTA-exendin-3 and DOTA-octreotide) or at 45°C (DOTA-anti-CAIX antibody), the labelling efficiency was determined by instant thin layer chromatography. The effect of the ageing of the 111InCl3 stock on the labelling efficiency of DTPA-exendin-3 as well as the effect of increasing concentrations of Cd2+ (the decay product of 111In) were also examined. Specific activities obtained for DTPA-octreotide and DOTA-anti-CAIX antibody were five times higher in MES and HEPES buffer. Radiolabelling of DTPA-exendin-3, DOTA-exendin-3 and DTPA-anti-CAIX antibody in MES and HEPES buffer resulted in twofold higher specific activities than that in NaAc and NH4Ac. Labelling of DTPA-exendin-3 decreased with 66% and 73% for NaAc and NH4Ac, respectively, at day 11 after the production date of 111InCl3, while for MES and HEPES, the maximal decrease in the specific activity was 10% and 4% at day 11, respectively. The presence of 1 pM Cd2+ in the labelling mixture of DTPA-exendin-3 in NaAc and NH4Ac markedly reduced the labelling efficiency, whereas Cd2+ concentrations up to 0.1 nM did not affect the labelling efficiency in MES and HEPES buffer. We showed improved labelling of DTPA- and DOTA-conjugated compounds with 111In in HEPES and MES buffer. The enhanced labelling efficiency appears to be due to the reduced competitive chelation of cadmium. The enhanced labelling efficiency will allow more sensitive imaging of the biomarkers with SPECT.

What good is labeling what's good? A field experimental investigation of parental labeled praise and child compliance.

PubMed

Leijten, Patty; Thomaes, Sander; Orobio de Castro, Bram; Dishion, Thomas J; Matthys, Walter

2016-12-01

There is a need to identify the "effective ingredients" of evidence-based behavior therapies. We tested the effects of one of the most common ingredients in parenting interventions for preventing disruptive child behavior, referred to as labeled praise (e.g., "well done picking up your toys"), which is typically recommended in preference to unlabeled praise (e.g., "well done"). We compared the effects of labeled praise, unlabeled praise, and no praise on child compliance in two experiments. Experiment 1 included 161 4 to 8 year-old community sample children and tested immediate effects of praise. Experiment 2 included 132 3 to 9 year-old children with varying levels of disruptive behavior and tested immediate and two-week effects of praise. In Experiment 1, teaching parents to use labeled praise did not increase immediate child compliance, whereas teaching them to use unlabeled praise did. In Experiment 2, teaching parents to use labeled praise for two weeks reduced disruptive child behavior, but this effect was of a similar magnitude to that for unlabeled praise. Parents preferred the use of unlabeled over labeled praise. These findings suggest that parental praise promotes child compliance, but the addition of labeling the specific positive behavior may not be of incremental value. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 431.30 - Applicability of labeling requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Applicability of labeling requirements. 431.30 Section 431.30 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Electric Motors Labeling § 431.30 Applicability of labeling requirements. The...

Household adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances: An analysis of attitudes, labelling and complementary green behaviours in selected OECD countries.

PubMed

Dieu-Hang, To; Grafton, R Quentin; Martínez-Espiñeira, Roberto; Garcia-Valiñas, Maria

2017-07-15

Using a household-based data set of more than 12,000 households from 11 OECD countries, we analyse the factors underlying the decision by households to adopt energy-efficient and water-efficient equipment. We evaluate the roles of both attitudes and labelling schemes on the adoption of energy and water-efficient equipment, and also the interaction and complementarity between energy and water conservation behaviours. Our findings show: one, 'green' social norms and favourable attitudes towards the environment are associated with an increased likelihood of households' adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances; two, households' purchase decisions are positively affected by their awareness, understanding, and trust of labelling schemes; and three, there is evidence of complementarity between energy conservation and water conservation behaviours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 431.31 - Labeling requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Labeling requirements. 431.31 Section 431.31 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL... be marked clearly with the following information: (i) The motor's nominal full load efficiency (as of...

Energy-Efficiency Labels and Standards: A Guidebook forAppliances, Equipment, and Lighting - 2nd Edition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiel, Stephen; McMahon, James E.

2005-04-28

Energy-performance improvements in consumer products are an essential element in any government's portfolio of energy-efficiency and climate change mitigation programs. Governments need to develop balanced programs, both voluntary and regulatory, that remove cost-ineffective, energy-wasting products from the marketplace and stimulate the development of cost-effective, energy-efficient technology. Energy-efficiency labels and standards for appliances, equipment, and lighting products deserve to be among the first policy tools considered by a country's energy policy makers. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and several other organizations identified on the cover of this guidebook recognize the need to support policy makers in their efforts tomore » implement energy-efficiency standards and labeling programs and have developed this guidebook, together with the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP), as a primary reference. This second edition of the guidebook was prepared over the course of the past year, four years after the preparation of the first edition, with a significant contribution from the authors and reviewers mentioned previously. Their diligent participation helps maintain this book as the international guidance tool it has become. The lead authors would like to thank the members of the Communications Office of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for their support in the development, production, and distribution of the guidebook. This guidebook is designed as a manual for government officials and others around the world responsible for developing, implementing, enforcing, monitoring, and maintaining labeling and standards setting programs. It discusses the pros and cons of adopting energy-efficiency labels and standards and describes the data, facilities, and institutional and human resources needed for these programs. It provides guidance on the design, development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of the programs and on the design of the labels and standards themselves. In addition, it directs the reader to references and other resources likely to be useful in conducting the activities described and includes a chapter on energy policies and programs that complement appliance efficiency labels and standards. This guidebook attempts to reflect the essential framework of labeling and standards programs. It is the intent of the authors and sponsor to distribute copies of this book worldwide, at no charge, for the general public benefit. The guidebook is also available on the web at www.clasponline.org and may be downloaded to be used intact or piecemeal for whatever beneficial purposes readers may conceive.« less

In vivo biotinylation and incorporation of a photo-inducible unnatural amino acid to an antibody-binding domain improve site-specific labeling of antibodies.

PubMed

Kanje, Sara; Hober, Sophia

2015-04-01

Antibodies are important molecules in many research fields, where they play a key role in various assays. Antibody labeling is therefore of great importance. Currently, most labeling techniques take advantage of certain amino acid side chains that commonly appear throughout proteins. This makes it hard to control the position and exact degree of labeling of each antibody. Hence, labeling of the antibody may affect the antibody-binding site. This paper presents a novel protein domain based on the IgG-binding domain C2 of streptococcal protein G, containing the unnatural amino acid BPA, that can cross-link other molecules. This novel domain can, with improved efficiency compared to previously reported similar domains, site-specifically cross-link to IgG at the Fc region. An efficient method for simultaneous in vivo incorporation of BPA and specific biotinylation in a flask cultivation of Escherichia coli is described. In comparison to a traditionally labeled antibody sample, the C2-labeled counterpart proved to have a higher proportion of functional antibodies when immobilized on a solid surface and the same limit of detection in an ELISA. This method of labeling is, due to its efficiency and simplicity, of high interest for all antibody-based assays where it is important that labeling does not interfere with the antibody-binding site. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quality of web-based information on social phobia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Fernandez, Sebastien; Cochand, Sophie; Reboh, Isabel; Zullino, Daniele

2008-01-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate the quality of web-based information on social phobia and to investigate particular quality indicators. Two keywords, "Social phobia" and "Social Anxiety Disorder", were entered into five popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability, and content quality. "Health On the Net" (HON) quality label and DISCERN scale scores aiding people without content expertise to assess quality of written health publication were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. This study evaluates the quality of web-based information on social phobia. On the 200 identified links, 58 were included. On the basis of outcome measures, the overall quality of the sites turned out to be poor. DISCERN and HON label were indicators of good quality indicators. Accountability criteria were poor indicators of site quality. Although social phobia education Websites for patients are common, educational material highly varies in quality and content. There is a need for better evidence-based information about social phobia on the Web and a need to reconsider the role of accountability criteria as indicators of site quality. Clinicians should advise patients of the HON label and DISCERN as useful indicators of site quality. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Label-free sensitive luminescence biosensor for immunoglobulin G based on Ag6Au6 ethisterone cluster-estrogen receptor α aggregation and graphene.

PubMed

Chen, Nannan; Guo, Wenjing; Lin, Zhixiang; Wei, Qiaohua; Chen, Guonan

2018-08-01

A specific and label-free "on-off-on" luminescence biosensor based on a novel heterometallic cluster [Ag 6 Au 6 (ethisterone) 12 ]-estrogen receptor α (Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα) aggregation utilizing graphene oxide (GO) as a quencher to lead a small background signal was firstly constructed to detect immunoglobulin G (IgG) with a simple process and high selectivity. The efficient photoluminescent (PL) Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα aggregation is strongly quenched by GO. In the presence of IgG, the PL of this system will be restored, and perceivable by human eyes under UV lamp excitation (365 nm). The quenching mechanism of GO on Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα and enhancement mechanism of IgG on Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα-GO were investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the biosensor for high sensitive IgG detection expressed a wider linear range of 0.0078-10 ng/mL and a lower detection limit of 0.65 pg/mL with good stability and repeatability, which provided a new approach for label-free IgG detection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adaptive Framework for Classification and Novel Class Detection over Evolving Data Streams with Limited Labeled Data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haque, Ahsanul; Khan, Latifur; Baron, Michael

2015-09-01

Most approaches to classifying evolving data streams either divide the stream of data into fixed-size chunks or use gradual forgetting to address the problems of infinite length and concept drift. Finding the fixed size of the chunks or choosing a forgetting rate without prior knowledge about time-scale of change is not a trivial task. As a result, these approaches suffer from a trade-off between performance and sensitivity. To address this problem, we present a framework which uses change detection techniques on the classifier performance to determine chunk boundaries dynamically. Though this framework exhibits good performance, it is heavily dependent onmore » the availability of true labels of data instances. However, labeled data instances are scarce in realistic settings and not readily available. Therefore, we present a second framework which is unsupervised in nature, and exploits change detection on classifier confidence values to determine chunk boundaries dynamically. In this way, it avoids the use of labeled data while still addressing the problems of infinite length and concept drift. Moreover, both of our proposed frameworks address the concept evolution problem by detecting outliers having similar values for the attributes. We provide theoretical proof that our change detection method works better than other state-of-the-art approaches in this particular scenario. Results from experiments on various benchmark and synthetic data sets also show the efficiency of our proposed frameworks.« less

Sequential Immunofluorescent Light Microscopy and Electron Microscopy of Recombination Nodules During Meiotic Prophase I.

PubMed

Anderson, Lorinda K

2017-01-01

Immunolocalization using either fluorescence for light microscopy (LM) or gold particles for electron microscopy (EM) has become a common tool to pinpoint proteins involved in recombination during meiotic prophase. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, LM immunofluorescence is comparatively easier and higher throughput compared to immunogold EM localization. In addition, immunofluorescence has the advantages that a faint signal can often be enhanced by longer exposure times and colocalization using two (or more) probes with different absorbance and emission spectra is straightforward. However, immunofluorescence is not useful if the object of interest does not label with an antibody probe and is below the resolution of the LM. In comparison, immunogold EM localization is higher resolution than immunofluorescent LM localization, and individual nuclear structures, such as recombination nodules, can be identified by EM regardless of whether they are labeled or not. However, immunogold localization has other disadvantages including comparatively low signal-to-noise ratios, more difficult colocalization using gold particles of different sizes, and the inability to evaluate labeling efficiency before examining the sample using EM (a more expensive and time-consuming technique than LM). Here we describe a method that takes advantage of the good points of both immunofluorescent LM and EM to analyze two classes of late recombination nodules (RNs), only one of which labels with antibodies to MLH1 protein, a marker of crossovers. The method can be used readily with other antibodies to analyze early recombination nodules or other prophase I structures.

Enhanced electrochemiluminescence quenching of CdS:Mn nanocrystals by CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin.

PubMed

Shan, Yun; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

2011-07-01

This work reports an aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin based on remarkably efficient energy-transfer induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) quenching from CdS:Mn nanocrystals (NCs) film to CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles (CdTe/SiO(2) NPs). CdTe/SiO(2) NPs were synthesized via the Stöber method and showed black bodies' strong absorption in a wide spectral range without excitonic emission, which made them excellent ECL quenchers. Within the effective distance of energy scavenging, the ECL quenching efficiency was dependent on the number of CdTe QDs doped into the silica NPs. Using ca. 200 CdTe QDs doped silica NPs on average of 40 nm in diameter as ECL quenching labels, attomolar detection of thrombin was successfully realized. The protein detection involves a competition binding event, based on thrombin replacing CdTe/SiO(2) NPs labeled probing DNA which is hybridized with capturing aptamer immobilized on a CdS:Mn NCs film modified glassy carbon electrode surface by specific aptamer-protein affinity interactions. It results in the displacement of ECL quenching labels from CdS:Mn NCs film and concomitant ECL signal recovery. Owing to the high-content CdTe QDs in silica NP, the increment of ECL intensity (ΔI(ECL)) and the concentration of thrombin showed a double logarithmic linear correlation in the range of 5.0 aM∼5.0 fM with a detection limit of 1aM. And, the aptasensor hardly responded to antibody, bovine serum albumin (BSA), haemoglobin (Hb) and lysozyme, showing good detection selectivity for thrombin. This long-distance energy scavenging could have a promising application perspective in the detection of biological recognition events on a molecular level.

Energy Efficiency standards and labels provide a solid foundationfor economic growth, climate change mitigation, and regional trade

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiel, Stephen; Egan, Christine; della Cava, Mirka

2006-09-01

Governments around the world have increasingly beenimplementing energy efficiency standards and labeling programs for thepast 30 years. There has been an especially rapid growth in the numberand extent of these programs over the past 15 years. By the end of 2005,62 countries had adopted 1818 separate standards or labels covering 82products. The impact has been dramatic. This paper describes: (1) thebenefits that can be obtained through this policy, (2) which countriesare implementing standards and labels and for which products, (3) theimpacts such programs have been having in some countries, and (4) recentprogress through regional cooperation and alignment.

Current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding operations for dietary supplements. Final rule.

PubMed

2007-06-25

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule regarding current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for dietary supplements. The final rule establishes the minimum CGMPs necessary for activities related to manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding dietary supplements to ensure the quality of the dietary supplement. The final rule is one of many actions related to dietary supplements that we are taking to promote and protect the public health.

Labeling and Other Effects of Actinomycin D on Human Chromosomes*

PubMed Central

Miles, Charles P.

1970-01-01

3H-actinomycin D, a guanine-binding agent, labels fixed human chromosomes nonrandomly. Actinomycin D added in G2 inhibits secondary constrictions and breaks chromosomes. There is some tendency for label to be concentrated at the ends of chromosomes and near the centromere. Labeling with 3H-thymidine in the late stage of DNA synthesis shows a different pattern and in general lacks the telomeric concentrations. The sites of actinomycin D-induced breaks do not show good correspondence with the sites of actinomycin D label. Images PMID:5267140

High Quality Genomic Copy Number Data from Archival Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Leiomyosarcoma: Optimisation of Universal Linkage System Labelling

PubMed Central

Salawu, Abdulazeez; Ul-Hassan, Aliya; Hammond, David; Fernando, Malee; Reed, Malcolm; Sisley, Karen

2012-01-01

Most soft tissue sarcomas are characterized by genetic instability and frequent genomic copy number aberrations that are not subtype-specific. Oligonucleotide microarray-based Comparative Genomic Hybridisation (array CGH) is an important technique used to map genome-wide copy number aberrations, but the traditional requirement for high-quality DNA typically obtained from fresh tissue has limited its use in sarcomas. Although large archives of Formalin-fixed Paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumour samples are available for research, the degradative effects of formalin on DNA from these tissues has made labelling and analysis by array CGH technically challenging. The Universal Linkage System (ULS) may be used for a one-step chemical labelling of such degraded DNA. We have optimised the ULS labelling protocol to perform aCGH on archived FFPE leiomyosarcoma tissues using the 180k Agilent platform. Preservation age of samples ranged from a few months to seventeen years and the DNA showed a wide range of degradation (when visualised on agarose gels). Consistently high DNA labelling efficiency and low microarray probe-to-probe variation (as measured by the derivative log ratio spread) was seen. Comparison of paired fresh and FFPE samples from identical tumours showed good correlation of CNAs detected. Furthermore, the ability to macro-dissect FFPE samples permitted the detection of CNAs that were masked in fresh tissue. Aberrations were visually confirmed using Fluorescence in situ Hybridisation. These results suggest that archival FFPE tissue, with its relative abundance and attendant clinical data may be used for effective mapping for genomic copy number aberrations in such rare tumours as leiomyosarcoma and potentially unravel clues to tumour origins, progression and ultimately, targeted treatment. PMID:23209738

Conditional High-Order Boltzmann Machines for Supervised Relation Learning.

PubMed

Huang, Yan; Wang, Wei; Wang, Liang; Tan, Tieniu

2017-09-01

Relation learning is a fundamental problem in many vision tasks. Recently, high-order Boltzmann machine and its variants have shown their great potentials in learning various types of data relation in a range of tasks. But most of these models are learned in an unsupervised way, i.e., without using relation class labels, which are not very discriminative for some challenging tasks, e.g., face verification. In this paper, with the goal to perform supervised relation learning, we introduce relation class labels into conventional high-order multiplicative interactions with pairwise input samples, and propose a conditional high-order Boltzmann Machine (CHBM), which can learn to classify the data relation in a binary classification way. To be able to deal with more complex data relation, we develop two improved variants of CHBM: 1) latent CHBM, which jointly performs relation feature learning and classification, by using a set of latent variables to block the pathway from pairwise input samples to output relation labels and 2) gated CHBM, which untangles factors of variation in data relation, by exploiting a set of latent variables to multiplicatively gate the classification of CHBM. To reduce the large number of model parameters generated by the multiplicative interactions, we approximately factorize high-order parameter tensors into multiple matrices. Then, we develop efficient supervised learning algorithms, by first pretraining the models using joint likelihood to provide good parameter initialization, and then finetuning them using conditional likelihood to enhance the discriminant ability. We apply the proposed models to a series of tasks including invariant recognition, face verification, and action similarity labeling. Experimental results demonstrate that by exploiting supervised relation labels, our models can greatly improve the performance.

Rise-Time of FRET-Acceptor Fluorescence Tracks Protein Folding

PubMed Central

Lindhoud, Simon; Westphal, Adrie H.; van Mierlo, Carlo P. M.; Visser, Antonie J. W. G.; Borst, Jan Willem

2014-01-01

Uniform labeling of proteins with fluorescent donor and acceptor dyes with an equimolar ratio is paramount for accurate determination of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiencies. In practice, however, the labeled protein population contains donor-labeled molecules that have no corresponding acceptor. These FRET-inactive donors contaminate the donor fluorescence signal, which leads to underestimation of FRET efficiencies in conventional fluorescence intensity and lifetime-based FRET experiments. Such contamination is avoided if FRET efficiencies are extracted from the rise time of acceptor fluorescence upon donor excitation. The reciprocal value of the rise time of acceptor fluorescence is equal to the decay rate of the FRET-active donor fluorescence. Here, we have determined rise times of sensitized acceptor fluorescence to study the folding of double-labeled apoflavodoxin molecules and show that this approach tracks the characteristics of apoflavodoxinʼs complex folding pathway. PMID:25535076

A diagram retrieval method with multi-label learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Songping; Lu, Xiaoqing; Liu, Lu; Qu, Jingwei; Tang, Zhi

2015-01-01

In recent years, the retrieval of plane geometry figures (PGFs) has attracted increasing attention in the fields of mathematics education and computer science. However, the high cost of matching complex PGF features leads to the low efficiency of most retrieval systems. This paper proposes an indirect classification method based on multi-label learning, which improves retrieval efficiency by reducing the scope of compare operation from the whole database to small candidate groups. Label correlations among PGFs are taken into account for the multi-label classification task. The primitive feature selection for multi-label learning and the feature description of visual geometric elements are conducted individually to match similar PGFs. The experiment results show the competitive performance of the proposed method compared with existing PGF retrieval methods in terms of both time consumption and retrieval quality.

75 FR 18952 - Graco Children's Products Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-13

... other fabric, including other warning labels for the MyRide seat, are flame resistant. The small size of... of all other fabric and label components of the MyRide seat, render the Label's noncompliance... yards of fabric that is used to make the pad and the ``soft goods'' for the MyRide seat. Proportionally...

Cryopreservation of embryonic stem cell-derived multicellular neural aggregates labeled with micron-sized particles of iron oxide for magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Yan, Yuanwei; Sart, Sébastien; Calixto Bejarano, Fabian; Muroski, Megan E; Strouse, Geoffrey F; Grant, Samuel C; Li, Yan

2015-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides an effective approach to track labeled pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) for neurological disorder treatments after cell labeling with a contrast agent, such as an iron oxide derivative. Cryopreservation of pre-labeled neural cells, especially in three-dimensional (3D) structure, can provide a uniform cell population and preserve the stem cell niche for the subsequent applications. In this study, the effects of cryopreservation on PSC-derived multicellular NPC aggregates labeled with micron-sized particles of iron oxide (MPIO) were investigated. These NPC aggregates were labeled prior to cryopreservation because labeling thawed cells can be limited by inefficient intracellular uptake, variations in labeling efficiency, and increased culture time before use, minimizing their translation to clinical settings. The results indicated that intracellular MPIO incorporation was retained after cryopreservation (70-80% labeling efficiency), and MPIO labeling had little adverse effects on cell recovery, proliferation, cytotoxicity and neural lineage commitment post-cryopreservation. MRI analysis showed comparable detectability for the MPIO-labeled cells before and after cryopreservation indicated by T2 and T2* relaxation rates. Cryopreserving MPIO-labeled 3D multicellular NPC aggregates can be applied in in vivo cell tracking studies and lead to more rapid translation from preservation to clinical implementation. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Energy-efficiency labels and standards: A guidebook for appliances, equipment and lighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McMahon, James E.; Wiel, Stephen

2001-02-16

Energy-performance improvements in consumer products are an essential element in any government's portfolio of energy-efficiency and climate change mitigation programs. Governments need to develop balanced programs, both voluntary and regulatory, that remove cost-ineffective, energy-wasting products from the marketplace and stimulate the development of cost-effective, energy-efficient technology. Energy-efficiency labels and standards for appliances, equipment, and lighting products deserve to be among the first policy tools considered by a country's energy policy makers. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Foundation (UNF) recognize the need to support policy makers in their efforts to implement energy-efficiency standards and labelingmore » programs and have developed this guidebook, together with the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP), as a primary reference. This guidebook was prepared over the course of the past year with significant contribution from the authors and reviewers mentioned previously. Their diligent participation has made this the international guidance tool it was intended to be. The lead authors would also like to thank the following individuals for their support in the development, production, and distribution of the guidebook: Marcy Beck, Elisa Derby, Diana Dhunke, Ted Gartner, and Julie Osborn of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as well as Anthony Ma of Bevilacqua-Knight, Inc. This guidebook is designed as a manual for government officials and others around the world responsible for developing, implementing, enforcing, monitoring, and maintaining labeling and standards-setting programs. It discusses the pros and cons of adopting energy-efficiency labels and standards and describes the data, facilities, and institutional and human resources needed for these programs. It provides guidance on the design, development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of the programs and on the design of the labels and standards themselves. In addition, it directs the reader to references and other resources likely to be useful in conducting the activities described and includes a chapter on energy policies and programs that complement appliance efficiency labels and standards. This guidebook attempts to reflect the essential framework of labeling and standards programs. It is the intent of the authors and sponsors to distribute copies of this book worldwide at no charge for the general public benefit. The guidebook is also available on the web at www.CLASPonline.org and can be downloaded to be used intact or piecemeal for whatever beneficial purposes readers may conceive.« less

78 FR 8362 - Energy Labeling Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-06

... FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 305 RIN 3084-AB15] Energy Labeling Rule AGENCY: Federal Trade... furnace or central air conditioner meets applicable Department of Energy regional efficiency standards..., 20580. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background The Commission's Energy Labeling Rule (``Rule'') (16 CFR...

A Sensitive Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on PAMAM Dendrimer-Encapsulated Au for Detection of Norfloxacin in Animal-Derived Foods.

PubMed

Liu, Bing; Li, Min; Zhao, Yaoshuai; Pan, Mingfei; Gu, Ying; Sheng, Wei; Fang, Guozhen; Wang, Shuo

2018-06-15

In this work, a sensitive electrochemical immunosensor has been reported for the determination of norfloxacin in animal-derived foods. The poly (amidoamine) dendrimer encapsulated gold nanoparticles (PAMAM-Au) played dual roles in the proposed sensing platform which not only accelerated the electron transfer process of sensing, but also increased the efficiency of the immobilized antibody. The HRP-labeled antigen, as the signal labels in the immunosensor, was introduced to catalyze the following reaction of the substrate hydroquinone with the aid of H₂O₂ in the competitive reaction. On the basis of the signal amplification of PAMAM-Au, the signal intensity was linearly related to the concentration of norfloxacin in the range of 1 μg·L −1 ⁻10 mg·L −1 . All the results showed that the proposed strategy with low LOD (0.3837 μg·L −1 ) and favorable recovery (91.6⁻106.1%) in the practical sample, and it could provide a suitable protocol for norfloxacin detection in animal-derived foods with high sensitivity, good accuracy, and stability.

Learning classification models with soft-label information.

PubMed

Nguyen, Quang; Valizadegan, Hamed; Hauskrecht, Milos

2014-01-01

Learning of classification models in medicine often relies on data labeled by a human expert. Since labeling of clinical data may be time-consuming, finding ways of alleviating the labeling costs is critical for our ability to automatically learn such models. In this paper we propose a new machine learning approach that is able to learn improved binary classification models more efficiently by refining the binary class information in the training phase with soft labels that reflect how strongly the human expert feels about the original class labels. Two types of methods that can learn improved binary classification models from soft labels are proposed. The first relies on probabilistic/numeric labels, the other on ordinal categorical labels. We study and demonstrate the benefits of these methods for learning an alerting model for heparin induced thrombocytopenia. The experiments are conducted on the data of 377 patient instances labeled by three different human experts. The methods are compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score. Our AUC results show that the new approach is capable of learning classification models more efficiently compared to traditional learning methods. The improvement in AUC is most remarkable when the number of examples we learn from is small. A new classification learning framework that lets us learn from auxiliary soft-label information provided by a human expert is a promising new direction for learning classification models from expert labels, reducing the time and cost needed to label data.

LP-LPA: A link influence-based label propagation algorithm for discovering community structures in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berahmand, Kamal; Bouyer, Asgarali

2018-03-01

Community detection is an essential approach for analyzing the structural and functional properties of complex networks. Although many community detection algorithms have been recently presented, most of them are weak and limited in different ways. Label Propagation Algorithm (LPA) is a well-known and efficient community detection technique which is characterized by the merits of nearly-linear running time and easy implementation. However, LPA has some significant problems such as instability, randomness, and monster community detection. In this paper, an algorithm, namely node’s label influence policy for label propagation algorithm (LP-LPA) was proposed for detecting efficient community structures. LP-LPA measures link strength value for edges and nodes’ label influence value for nodes in a new label propagation strategy with preference on link strength and for initial nodes selection, avoid of random behavior in tiebreak states, and efficient updating order and rule update. These procedures can sort out the randomness issue in an original LPA and stabilize the discovered communities in all runs of the same network. Experiments on synthetic networks and a wide range of real-world social networks indicated that the proposed method achieves significant accuracy and high stability. Indeed, it can obviously solve monster community problem with regard to detecting communities in networks.

The anatomy of a laser label

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Laser labeling of fruits and vegetables is an efficient alternative to adhesive tags. The advantages of this system are numerous. In general the label consists of alphanumerical characters formed by laser generated pinhole depressions that penetrate the produce’s surface creating visible markings. H...

An efficient solid-state synthesis of fluorescent surface carboxylated carbon dots derived from C60 as a label-free probe for iron ions in living cells.

PubMed

Lan, Jing; Liu, Chunfang; Gao, Mingxuan; Huang, Chengzhi

2015-11-01

In order to achieve the simple, easily repeated, and large scale preparation of fluorescent CDs, a new solid-state synthesis (SSS) approach was developed by calcining the mixture of fullerenes (C60) and solid sodium hydroxide. The cage of fullerenes could be opened and the hydroxyl and carboxyl were successfully introduced in the presence of sodium hydroxide under high temperature. The as-prepared surface carboxylated CDs possess many good properties, such as high water solubility, good photostability, salt tolerance, and nontoxicity. Especially, the fluorescence of CDs could be highly quenched by Fe(3+) because of the strong interaction of hydroxyl or carboxyl on the as-obtained CDs with Fe(3+), which realized a sensitive detection of Fe(3+) in the linear range of 0.02-0.6 μmol/L. What is more, we further applied the obtained CDs into the intracellular imaging of Fe(3+). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An ATMND/SGI based label-free and fluorescence ratiometric aptasensor for rapid and highly sensitive detection of cocaine in biofluids.

PubMed

Wang, Jiamian; Song, Jie; Wang, Xiuyun; Wu, Shuo; Zhao, Yanqiu; Luo, Pinchen; Meng, Changgong

2016-12-01

A label-free ratiometric fluorescence aptasensor has been developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of cocaine in complex biofluids. The fluorescent aptasensor is composed of a non-labeled GC-38 cocaine aptamer which serves as a basic sensing unit and two fluorophores, 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ATMND) and SYBR Green I (SGI) which serves as a signal reporter and a build-in reference, respectively. The detection principle is based on a specific cocaine mediated ATMND displacement reaction and the corresponding change in the fluorescence ratio of ATMND to SGI. Due to the high affinity of the non-labeled aptamer, the good precision originated from the ratiometric method, and the good fluorescence quantum yield of the fluorophore, the aptasensor shows good analytical performance with respect to cocaine detection. Under optimal conditions, the aptasensor shows a linear range of 0.10-10μM and a low limit of detection of 56nM, with a fast response of 20s. The low limit of detection is comparable to most of the fluorescent aptasensors with signal amplification strategies and much lower than all of the unamplified cocaine aptasensors. Practical sample analysis in a series of complex biofluids, including urine, saliva and serum, also indicates the good precision, stability, and high sensitivity of the aptasensor, which may have great potential for the point-of-care screening of cocaine in complex biofluids. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Micrometer-sized iron oxide particle labeling of mesenchymal stem cells for magnetic resonance imaging-based monitoring of cartilage tissue engineering.

PubMed

Saldanha, Karl J; Doan, Ryan P; Ainslie, Kristy M; Desai, Tejal A; Majumdar, Sharmila

2011-01-01

To examine mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) labeling with micrometer-sized iron oxide particles (MPIOs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based tracking and its application to monitoring articular cartilage regeneration. Rabbit MSCs were labeled using commercial MPIOs. In vitro MRI was performed with gradient echo (GRE) and spin echo (SE) sequences at 3T and quantitatively characterized using line profile and region of interest analysis. Ex vivo MRI of hydrogel-encapsulated labeled MSCs implanted within a bovine knee was performed with spoiled GRE (SPGR) and T(1ρ) sequences. Fluorescence microscopy, labeling efficiency, and chondrogenesis of MPIO-labeled cells were also examined. MPIO labeling results in efficient contrast uptake and signal loss that can be visualized and quantitatively characterized via MRI. SPGR imaging of implanted cells results in ex vivo detection within native tissue, and T(1ρ) imaging is unaffected by the presence of labeled cells immediately following implantation. MPIO labeling does not affect quantitative glycosaminoglycan production during chondrogenesis, but iron aggregation hinders extracellular matrix visualization. This aggregation may result from excess unincorporated particles following labeling and is an issue that necessitates further investigation. This study demonstrates the promise of MPIO labeling for monitoring cartilage regeneration and highlights its potential in the development of cell-based tissue engineering strategies. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Optimized small molecule antibody labeling efficiency through continuous flow centrifugal diafiltration.

PubMed

Cappione, Amedeo; Mabuchi, Masaharu; Briggs, David; Nadler, Timothy

2015-04-01

Protein immuno-detection encompasses a broad range of analytical methodologies, including western blotting, flow cytometry, and microscope-based applications. These assays which detect, quantify, and/or localize expression for one or more proteins in complex biological samples, are reliant upon fluorescent or enzyme-tagged target-specific antibodies. While small molecule labeling kits are available with a range of detection moieties, the workflow is hampered by a requirement for multiple dialysis-based buffer exchange steps that are both time-consuming and subject to sample loss. In a previous study, we briefly described an alternative method for small-scale protein labeling with small molecule dyes whereby all phases of the conjugation workflow could be performed in a single centrifugal diafiltration device. Here, we expand on this foundational work addressing functionality of the device at each step in the workflow (sample cleanup, labeling, unbound dye removal, and buffer exchange/concentration) and the implications for optimizing labeling efficiency. When compared to other common buffer exchange methodologies, centrifugal diafiltration offered superior performance as measured by four key parameters (process time, desalting capacity, protein recovery, retain functional integrity). Originally designed for resin-based affinity purification, the device also provides a platform for up-front antibody purification or albumin carrier removal. Most significantly, by exploiting the rapid kinetics of NHS-based labeling reactions, the process of continuous diafiltration minimizes reaction time and long exposure to excess dye, guaranteeing maximal target labeling while limiting the risks associated with over-labeling. Overall, the device offers a simplified workflow with reduced processing time and hands-on requirements, without sacrificing labeling efficiency, final yield, or conjugate performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Gastric emptying of a solid-liquid meal in normal subjects: validity of the labeling (99mTc) of chicken liver by a multipuncture technic].

PubMed

Hostein, J; Capony, P; Busquet, G; Bost, R; Fournet, J

1985-04-01

For gastric emptying studies of a solid-liquid meal by the scintigraphic method, a valid isotope labeling method for each phase of the meal must be obtained. The aim of this study was to validate a simple chicken liver labeling method in normal subjects by multipuncture technic with 99mtechnetium. Labeling according to Meyer's method was chosen as a reference. Simultaneously, a study of the quality of liquid phase labeling by 111indium was done. The labeling process quality for each phase of the meal was assessed: a) in vitro, after incubation of the meal with human gastric juice (n = 12); b) in vivo, after meal ingestion and sequential collection of gastric contents by aspiration (n = 4). Furthermore, in 8 healthy volunteers, gastric emptying curves of the solid and liquid phases of the meal were determined scintigraphically and compared. Our results showed: a) for the solid phase: a good specificity of the marker, which was assessed in vitro and in vivo, after liver labeling with multipuncture technique (89 p. 100 and 92 p. 100 after 180 min, respectively); b) for the liquid phase: a good specificity of the marker in vitro and a poor specificity in vivo (82 p. 100 and 27 p. 100 after 180 min, respectively); c) similar half-gastric emptying times and cumulative percentages for the solid and liquid phases with both liver labeling methods. In conclusion, the multipuncture technique for chicken liver labeling may be used for gastric emptying studies in humans.

76 FR 28045 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-13

...] Agency Information Collection Activities; Announcement of Office of Management and Budget Approval; Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for... Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements'' has been...

21 CFR 73.2180 - Guaiazulene.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2180 Guaiazulene. (a) Identity. (1) The color additive... cosmetic use may contain the following diluent: Polyethylene glycol-40 castor oil (PEG-40 castor oil... applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (d) Labeling. The label of the...

21 CFR 73.2180 - Guaiazulene.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2180 Guaiazulene. (a) Identity. (1) The color additive... cosmetic use may contain the following diluent: Polyethylene glycol-40 castor oil (PEG-40 castor oil... applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (d) Labeling. The label of the...

21 CFR 73.2180 - Guaiazulene.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2180 Guaiazulene. (a) Identity. (1) The color additive... cosmetic use may contain the following diluent: Polyethylene glycol-40 castor oil (PEG-40 castor oil... applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (d) Labeling. The label of the...

21 CFR 73.2180 - Guaiazulene.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2180 Guaiazulene. (a) Identity. (1) The color additive... cosmetic use may contain the following diluent: Polyethylene glycol-40 castor oil (PEG-40 castor oil... applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (d) Labeling. The label of the...

An Efficient Site-Specific Method for Irreversible Covalent Labeling of Proteins with a Fluorophore.

PubMed

Liu, Jiaquan; Hanne, Jeungphill; Britton, Brooke M; Shoffner, Matthew; Albers, Aaron E; Bennett, Jared; Zatezalo, Rachel; Barfield, Robyn; Rabuka, David; Lee, Jong-Bong; Fishel, Richard

2015-11-19

Fluorophore labeling of proteins while preserving native functions is essential for bulk Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) interaction and single molecule imaging analysis. Here we describe a versatile, efficient, specific, irreversible, gentle and low-cost method for labeling proteins with fluorophores that appears substantially more robust than a similar but chemically distinct procedure. The method employs the controlled enzymatic conversion of a central Cys to a reactive formylglycine (fGly) aldehyde within a six amino acid Formylglycine Generating Enzyme (FGE) recognition sequence in vitro. The fluorophore is then irreversibly linked to the fGly residue using a Hydrazinyl-Iso-Pictet-Spengler (HIPS) ligation reaction. We demonstrate the robust large-scale fluorophore labeling and purification of E.coli (Ec) mismatch repair (MMR) components. Fluorophore labeling did not alter the native functions of these MMR proteins in vitro or in singulo. Because the FGE recognition sequence is easily portable, FGE-HIPS fluorophore-labeling may be easily extended to other proteins.

Increasing magnetite contents of polymeric magnetic particles dramatically improves labeling of neural stem cell transplant populations.

PubMed

Adams, Christopher F; Rai, Ahmad; Sneddon, Gregor; Yiu, Humphrey H P; Polyak, Boris; Chari, Divya M

2015-01-01

Safe and efficient delivery of therapeutic cells to sites of injury/disease in the central nervous system is a key goal for the translation of clinical cell transplantation therapies. Recently, 'magnetic cell localization strategies' have emerged as a promising and safe approach for targeted delivery of magnetic particle (MP) labeled stem cells to pathology sites. For neuroregenerative applications, this approach is limited by the lack of available neurocompatible MPs, and low cell labeling achieved in neural stem/precursor populations. We demonstrate that high magnetite content, self-sedimenting polymeric MPs [unfunctionalized poly(lactic acid) coated, without a transfecting component] achieve efficient labeling (≥90%) of primary neural stem cells (NSCs)-a 'hard-to-label' transplant population of major clinical relevance. Our protocols showed high safety with respect to key stem cell regenerative parameters. Critically, labeled cells were effectively localized in an in vitro flow system by magnetic force highlighting the translational potential of the methods used. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

16 CFR 301.48a - Guaranties not received in good faith.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Guaranties not received in good faith. 301... received in good faith. A guaranty shall not be deemed to have been received in good faith within the... required label, required invoice and advertisement relating to the fur product or fur so guaranteed; (b) If...

LFQProfiler and RNP(xl): Open-Source Tools for Label-Free Quantification and Protein-RNA Cross-Linking Integrated into Proteome Discoverer.

PubMed

Veit, Johannes; Sachsenberg, Timo; Chernev, Aleksandar; Aicheler, Fabian; Urlaub, Henning; Kohlbacher, Oliver

2016-09-02

Modern mass spectrometry setups used in today's proteomics studies generate vast amounts of raw data, calling for highly efficient data processing and analysis tools. Software for analyzing these data is either monolithic (easy to use, but sometimes too rigid) or workflow-driven (easy to customize, but sometimes complex). Thermo Proteome Discoverer (PD) is a powerful software for workflow-driven data analysis in proteomics which, in our eyes, achieves a good trade-off between flexibility and usability. Here, we present two open-source plugins for PD providing additional functionality: LFQProfiler for label-free quantification of peptides and proteins, and RNP(xl) for UV-induced peptide-RNA cross-linking data analysis. LFQProfiler interacts with existing PD nodes for peptide identification and validation and takes care of the entire quantitative part of the workflow. We show that it performs at least on par with other state-of-the-art software solutions for label-free quantification in a recently published benchmark ( Ramus, C.; J. Proteomics 2016 , 132 , 51 - 62 ). The second workflow, RNP(xl), represents the first software solution to date for identification of peptide-RNA cross-links including automatic localization of the cross-links at amino acid resolution and localization scoring. It comes with a customized integrated cross-link fragment spectrum viewer for convenient manual inspection and validation of the results.

A unique 19F MRI agent for the tracking of non phagocytic cells in vivo.

PubMed

Moonshi, Shehzahdi S; Zhang, Cheng; Peng, Hui; Puttick, Simon; Rose, Stephen; Fisk, Nicholas M; Bhakoo, Kishore; Stringer, Brett W; Qiao, Greg G; Gurr, Paul A; Whittaker, Andrew K

2018-05-03

There is currently intense interest in new methods for understanding the fate of therapeutically-relevant cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The absence of a confounding background signal and consequent unequivocal assignment makes 19F MRI one of the most attractive modalities for the tracking of injected cells in vivo. We describe here the synthesis of novel partly-fluorinated polymeric nanoparticles with small size and high fluorine content as MRI agents. The polymers, constructed from perfluoropolyether methacrylate (PFPEMA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) have favourable cell uptake profiles and excellent MRI performance. To facilitate cell studies the polymer was further conjugated with a fluorescent dye creating a dual-modal imaging agent. The efficacy of labelling of MSCs was assessed using 19F NMR, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The labelling efficiency of 2.6 ± 0.1 × 1012 19F atoms per cell, and viability of >90% demonstrates high uptake and good tolerance by the cells. This loading translates to a minimum 19F MRI detection sensitivity of ∼7.4 × 103 cells per voxel. Importantly, preliminary in vivo data demonstrate that labelled cells can be readily detected within a short acquisition scan period (12 minutes). Hence, these copolymers show outstanding potential for 19F MRI cellular tracking and for quantification of non-phagocytic and therapeutically-relevant cells in vivo.

Cross-label Suppression: a Discriminative and Fast Dictionary Learning with Group Regularization.

PubMed

Wang, Xiudong; Gu, Yuantao

2017-05-10

This paper addresses image classification through learning a compact and discriminative dictionary efficiently. Given a structured dictionary with each atom (columns in the dictionary matrix) related to some label, we propose crosslabel suppression constraint to enlarge the difference among representations for different classes. Meanwhile, we introduce group regularization to enforce representations to preserve label properties of original samples, meaning the representations for the same class are encouraged to be similar. Upon the cross-label suppression, we don't resort to frequently-used `0-norm or `1- norm for coding, and obtain computational efficiency without losing the discriminative power for categorization. Moreover, two simple classification schemes are also developed to take full advantage of the learnt dictionary. Extensive experiments on six data sets including face recognition, object categorization, scene classification, texture recognition and sport action categorization are conducted, and the results show that the proposed approach can outperform lots of recently presented dictionary algorithms on both recognition accuracy and computational efficiency.

Monitoring the contents of six steroidal and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals in chicken, fish and aquaculture pond water samples using pre-column derivatization and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with the aid of experimental design methodology.

PubMed

Wu, Hongliang; Li, Guoliang; Liu, Shucheng; Hu, Na; Geng, Dandan; Chen, Guang; Sun, Zhiwei; Zhao, Xianen; Xia, Lian; You, Jinmao

2016-02-01

This research established a sensitive and efficient pre-column derivatization HPLC method based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the simultaneous determination of six steroidal and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In this study, EDCs were firstly labeled by the derivatization reagent 2-(11H-benzo[a]carbazol-11-yl) ethyl carbonochloridate (BCEC-Cl) and then extracted by DLLME. The response surface methodology was employed to investigate the key parameters of pre-column derivatization and DLLME. Under the optimal conditions, a good linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of analytes was observed with correlation coefficients of >0.9991. Limits of detection for all EDCs derivatives were achieved within the range of 0.02-0.07 μg L(-1). The proposed method has the advantages of simple operation, low consumption of organic solvent, saving time, low output limit and good selectivity. When applied to several food and water samples analysis, it demonstrated good applicability for the determination of EDCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fe(OTf)3-catalysed Friedel–Crafts reaction of benzenoid arenes with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds: easy access to 1,1-diarylalkanes

PubMed Central

Bhattacharya, Aditya; Shukla, Pushpendra Mani

2017-01-01

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of 1,1-diarylalkanes via the Friedel–Crafts-type alkylation reaction of electron-rich arenes with cinnamic acid ester derivatives or chalcones is reported. Iron triflate has been found to be the best catalyst for the Friedel–Crafts-type alkylation reaction with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. This reaction afforded β,β-diaryl carbonyl compounds in good yields (65–93%) and with excellent regioselectivities. Remarkably, this method is also compatible with a variety of indoles to provide 3-indolyl-aryl carbonyl compounds in excellent yields. Great efforts have been made to deduce a plausible reaction mechanism based on isotopic labelling experiments. PMID:29134078

Comparing Pictures and Videos for Teaching Action Labels to Children with Communication Delays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schebell, Shannon; Shepley, Collin; Mataras, Theologia; Wunderlich, Kara

2018-01-01

Children with communication delays often display difficulties labeling stimuli in their environment, particularly related to actions. Research supports direct instruction with video and picture stimuli for increasing children's action labeling repertoires; however, no studies have compared which type of stimuli results in more efficient,…

Optimization and validation of FePro cell labeling method.

PubMed

Janic, Branislava; Rad, Ali M; Jordan, Elaine K; Iskander, A S M; Ali, Md M; Varma, N Ravi S; Frank, Joseph A; Arbab, Ali S

2009-06-11

Current method to magnetically label cells using ferumoxides (Fe)-protamine (Pro) sulfate (FePro) is based on generating FePro complexes in a serum free media that are then incubated overnight with cells for the efficient labeling. However, this labeling technique requires long (>12-16 hours) incubation time and uses relatively high dose of Pro (5-6 microg/ml) that makes large extracellular FePro complexes. These complexes can be difficult to clean with simple cell washes and may create low signal intensity on T2* weighted MRI that is not desirable. The purpose of this study was to revise the current labeling method by using low dose of Pro and adding Fe and Pro directly to the cells before generating any FePro complexes. Human tumor glioma (U251) and human monocytic leukemia cell (THP-1) lines were used as model systems for attached and suspension cell types, respectively and dose dependent (Fe 25 to 100 microg/ml and Pro 0.75 to 3 microg/ml) and time dependent (2 to 48 h) labeling experiments were performed. Labeling efficiency and cell viability of these cells were assessed. Prussian blue staining revealed that more than 95% of cells were labeled. Intracellular iron concentration in U251 cells reached approximately 30-35 pg-iron/cell at 24 h when labeled with 100 microg/ml of Fe and 3 microg/ml of Pro. However, comparable labeling was observed after 4 h across the described FePro concentrations. Similarly, THP-1 cells achieved approximately 10 pg-iron/cell at 48 h when labeled with 100 microg/ml of Fe and 3 microg/ml of Pro. Again, comparable labeling was observed after 4 h for the described FePro concentrations. FePro labeling did not significantly affect cell viability. There was almost no extracellular FePro complexes observed after simple cell washes. To validate and to determine the effectiveness of the revised technique, human T-cells, human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSC), human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSC) and mouse neuronal stem cells (mNSC C17.2) were labeled. Labeling for 4 hours using 100 microg/ml of Fe and 3 microg/ml of Pro resulted in very efficient labeling of these cells, without impairing their viability and functional capability. The new technique with short incubation time using 100 microg/ml of Fe and 3 microg/ml of Pro is effective in labeling cells for cellular MRI.

Status of China's Energy Efficiency Standards and Labels for Appliances and International Collaboration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Nan

2008-03-01

China first adopted minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) in 1989. Today, there are standards for a wide range of domestic, commercial and selected industrial equipment. In 1999, China launched a voluntary endorsement label, which has grown to cover over 40 products including water-saving products (See Figure 1). Further, in 2005, China started a mandatory energy information label (also referred to as the 'Energy Label'). Today, the Energy Label is applied to four products including: air conditioners; household refrigerators; clothes washers; and unitary air conditioners (See Figure 2). MEPS and the voluntary endorsement labeling specifications have been updated and revised inmore » order to reflect technology improvements to those products in the market. These programs have had an important impact in reducing energy consumption of appliances in China. Indeed, China has built up a strong infrastructure to develop and implement product standards. Historically, however, the government's primary focus has been on the technical requirements for efficiency performance. Less attention has been paid to monitoring and enforcement with a minimal commitment of resources and little expansion of administrative capacity in this area. Thus, market compliance with both mandatory standards and labeling programs has been questionable and actual energy savings may have been undermined as a result. The establishment of a regularized monitoring system for tracking compliance with the mandatory standard and energy information label in China is a major area for program improvement. Over the years, the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) has partnered with several Chinese institutions to promote energy-efficient products in China. CLASP, together with its implementing partner Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), has assisted China in developing and updating the above-mentioned standards and labeling programs. Because of the increasing need for the development of a monitoring system to track compliance with standards and labeling, CLASP, with support from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), has expanded its ongoing collaboration with the China National Institute of Standards (CNIS) to include enforcement and monitoring. CNIS has already begun working on the issue of compliance. CNIS has conducted modest sample testing in 2006 for refrigerators, freezers and room air-conditioners, and repeated the same task in 2007 with a similar sample size for three products (refrigerators, freezers, air-conditioners and clothes washers). And, CNIS, with technical support from LBNL, has analyzed the data collected through testing. At the same time, parallel effort has also been paid to look at the potential impact of the label to 2020. In conjunction with CNIS, CLASP technical experts reviewed the standards development timeline of the four products currently subject to the mandatory energy information label. CLASP, with the support of METI/IEEJ, collaborated with CNIS to develop the efficiency grades, providing: technical input to the process; comment and advice on particular technical issues; as well as evaluation of the results. In addition, in order to effectively evaluate the impact of the label on China's market, CLASP further provided assistance to CNIS to collect data on both the efficiency distribution and product volume distribution of refrigerators on the market. This short report summarizes the status of Standards and Labeling program, current enforcement and monitoring mechanism in China, and states the importance of international collaborations.« less

Status of the Local Enforcement of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Program in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Nan; Zheng, Nina; Fino-Chen, Cecilia

2011-09-26

As part of its commitment to promoting and improving the local enforcement of appliance energy efficiency standards and labeling, the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) launched the National and Local Enforcement of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling project on August 14, 2009. The project’s short-term goal is to expand the effort to improve enforcement of standards and labeling requirements to the entire country within three years, with a long-term goal of perfecting overall enforcement. For this project, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Shanghai were selected as pilot locations. This report provides information on the local enforcement project’s recent background, activitiesmore » and results as well as comparison to previous rounds of check-testing in 2006 and 2007. In addition, the report also offers evaluation on the achievement and weaknesses in the local enforcement scheme and recommendations. The results demonstrate both improvement and some backsliding. Enforcement schemes are in place in all target cities and applicable national standards and regulations were followed as the basis for local check testing. Check testing results show in general high labeling compliance across regions with 100% compliance for five products, including full compliance for all three products tested in Jiangsu province and two out of three products tested in Shandong province. Program results also identified key weaknesses in labeling compliance in Sichuan as well as in the efficiency standards compliance levels for small and medium three-phase asynchronous motors and self-ballasted fluorescent lamps. For example, compliance for the same product ranged from as low as 40% to 100% with mixed results for products that had been tested in previous rounds. For refrigerators, in particular, the efficiency standards compliance rate exhibited a wider range of 50% to 100%, and the average rate across all tested models also dropped from 96% in 2007 to 63%, possibly due to the implementation of newly strengthened efficiency standards in 2009. Areas for improvement include: Greater awareness at the local level to ensure that all manufacturers register their products with the label certification project and to minimize their resistance to inspections; improvement of the product sampling methodology to include representative testing of both large and small manufacturers and greater standardization of testing tools and procedures; and continued improvement in local enforcement efforts.« less

Improving labeling efficiency in automatic quality control of MRSI data.

PubMed

Pedrosa de Barros, Nuno; McKinley, Richard; Wiest, Roland; Slotboom, Johannes

2017-12-01

To improve the efficiency of the labeling task in automatic quality control of MR spectroscopy imaging data. 28'432 short and long echo time (TE) spectra (1.5 tesla; point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS); repetition time (TR)= 1,500 ms) from 18 different brain tumor patients were labeled by two experts as either accept or reject, depending on their quality. For each spectrum, 47 signal features were extracted. The data was then used to run several simulations and test an active learning approach using uncertainty sampling. The performance of the classifiers was evaluated as a function of the number of patients in the training set, number of spectra in the training set, and a parameter α used to control the level of classification uncertainty required for a new spectrum to be selected for labeling. The results showed that the proposed strategy allows reductions of up to 72.97% for short TE and 62.09% for long TE in the amount of data that needs to be labeled, without significant impact in classification accuracy. Further reductions are possible with significant but minimal impact in performance. Active learning using uncertainty sampling is an effective way to increase the labeling efficiency for training automatic quality control classifiers. Magn Reson Med 78:2399-2405, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

21 CFR 73.1095 - β-Carotene.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The labeling of the color additive and any... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Drugs § 73.1095 β-Carotene. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive β-carotene shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 73.95(a...

Radiolabeling optimization and characterization of (68)Ga labeled DOTA-polyamido-amine dendrimer conjugate - Animal biodistribution and PET imaging results.

PubMed

Ghai, Aanchal; Singh, Baljinder; Panwar Hazari, Puja; Schultz, Michael K; Parmar, Ambika; Kumar, Pardeep; Sharma, Sarika; Dhawan, Devinder; Kumar Mishra, Anil

2015-11-01

The present study describes the optimization of (68)Ga radiolabeling with PAMAM dendrimer-DOTA conjugate. A conjugate (PAMAM-DOTA) concentration of 11.69µM, provided best radiolabeling efficiency of more than 93.0% at pH 4.0, incubation time of 30.0min and reaction temperature ranging between 90 and 100°C. The decay corrected radiochemical yield was found to be 79.4±0.01%. The radiolabeled preparation ([(68)Ga]-DOTA-PAMAM-D) remained stable (radiolabeling efficiency of 96.0%) at room temperature and in serum for up to 4-h. The plasma protein binding was observed to be 21.0%. After intravenous administration, 50.0% of the tracer cleared from the blood circulation by 30-min and less than 1.0% of the injected activity remained in blood by 1.0h. The animal biodistribution studies demonstrated that the tracer excretes through the kidneys and about 0.33% of the %ID/g accumulated in the tumor at 1h post injection. The animal organ's biodistribution data was supported by animal PET imaging showing good 'non-specific' tracer uptake in tumor and excretion is primarily through kidneys. Additionally, DOTA-PAMAM-D conjugation with αVβ3 receptors targeting peptides and drug loading on the dendrimers may improve the specificity of the (68)Ga labeled product for imaging and treating angiogenesis respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deuterium REDOR: Principles and Applications for Distance Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sack, I.; Goldbourt, A.; Vega, S.; Buntkowsky, G.

1999-05-01

The application of short composite pulse schemes ([figure] and [figure]) to the rotational echo double-resonance (REDOR) spectroscopy ofX-2H (X: spin{1}/{2}, observed) systems with large deuterium quadrupolar interactions has been studied experimentally and theoretically and compared with simple 180° pulse schemes. The basic properties of the composite pulses on the deuterium nuclei have been elucidated, using average Hamiltonian theory, and exact simulations of the experiments have been achieved by stepwise integration of the equation of motion of the density matrix. REDOR experiments were performed on15N-2H in doubly labeled acetanilide and on13C-2H in singly2H-labeled acetanilide. The most efficient REDOR dephasing was observed when [figure] composite pulses were used. It is found that the dephasing due to simple 180° deuterium pulses is about a factor of 2 less efficient than the dephasing due to the composite pulse sequences and thus the range of couplings observable byX-2H REDOR is enlarged toward weaker couplings, i.e., larger distances. From these experiments the2H-15N dipolar coupling between the amino deuteron and the amino nitrogen and the2H-13C dipolar couplings between the amino deuteron and the α and β carbons have been elucidated and the corresponding distances have been determined. The distance data from REDOR are in good agreement with data from X-ray and neutron diffraction, showing the power of the method.

Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Labeled with Plasmonic Gold Nanostars for Cellular Tracking and Photothermal Cancer Cell Ablation.

PubMed

Shammas, Ronnie L; Fales, Andrew M; Crawford, Bridget M; Wisdom, Amy J; Devi, Gayathri R; Brown, David A; Vo-Dinh, Tuan; Hollenbeck, Scott T

2017-04-01

Gold nanostars are unique nanoplatforms that can be imaged in real time and transform light energy into heat to ablate cells. Adipose-derived stem cells migrate toward tumor niches in response to chemokines. The ability of adipose-derived stem cells to migrate and integrate into tumors makes them ideal vehicles for the targeted delivery of cancer nanotherapeutics. To test the labeling efficiency of gold nanostars, undifferentiated adipose-derived stem cells were incubated with gold nanostars and a commercially available nanoparticle (Qtracker), then imaged using two-photon photoluminescence microscopy. The effects of gold nanostars on cell phenotype, proliferation, and viability were assessed with flow cytometry, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide metabolic assay, and trypan blue, respectively. Trilineage differentiation of gold nanostar-labeled adipose-derived stem cells was induced with the appropriate media. Photothermolysis was performed on adipose-derived stem cells cultured alone or in co-culture with SKBR3 cancer cells. Efficient uptake of gold nanostars occurred in adipose-derived stem cells, with persistence of the luminescent signal over 4 days. Labeling efficiency and signal quality were greater than with Qtracker. Gold nanostars did not affect cell phenotype, viability, or proliferation, and exhibited stronger luminescence than Qtracker throughout differentiation. Zones of complete ablation surrounding the gold nanostar-labeled adipose-derived stem cells were observed following photothermolysis in both monoculture and co-culture models. Gold nanostars effectively label adipose-derived stem cells without altering cell phenotype. Once labeled, photoactivation of gold nanostar-labeled adipose-derived stem cells ablates neighboring cancer cells, demonstrating the potential of adipose-derived stem cells as a vehicle for the delivery of site-specific cancer therapy.

Showerheads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense labeled showerheads provide a satisfactory shower that is equal to or better than conventional showerheads on the market. WaterSense labeled showerheads are independently certified to meet EPA water efficiency and performance criteria.

An aggregated perylene-based broad-spectrum, efficient and label-free quencher for multiplexed fluorescent bioassays.

PubMed

Liu, Tao; Hu, Rong; Lv, Yi-Fan; Wu, Yuan; Liang, Hao; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Tan, Weihong; Yu, Ru-Qin

2014-08-15

Fluorescent sensing systems based on the quenching of fluorophores have found wide applications in bioassays. An efficient quencher will endow the sensing system a high sensitivity. The frequently used quenchers are based on organic molecules or nanomaterials, which usually need tedious synthesizing and modifying steps, and exhibit different quenching efficiencies to different fluorophores. In this work, we for the first time report that aggregated perylene derivative can serve as a broad-spectrum and label-free quencher that is able to efficiently quench a variety of fluorophores, such as green, red and far red dyes labeled on DNA. By choosing nucleases as model biomolecules, such a broad-spectrum quencher was then employed to construct a multiplexed bioassay platform through a label-free manner. Due to the high quenching efficiency of the aggregated perylene, the proposed platform could detect nuclease with high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03U/mL for EcoRV, and 0.05U/mL for EcoRI. The perylene quencher does not affect the activity of nuclease, which makes it possible to design post-addition type bioassay platform. Moreover, the proposed platform allows simultaneous and multicolor analysis of nucleases in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its value of potential application in rapid screening of multiple bio-targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

29 CFR 779.240 - Employees “handling * * * or otherwise working on goods.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT AS APPLIED TO RETAILERS OF GOODS OR SERVICES Employment to Which the Act May... who sort, screen, grade, store, pack, label, address, transport, deliver, print, type, or otherwise...

Desired and Undesired Effects of Energy Labels—An Eye-Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Waechter, Signe; Sütterlin, Bernadette; Siegrist, Michael

2015-01-01

Saving energy is an important pillar for the mitigation of climate change. Electric devices (e.g., freezer and television) are an important player in the residential sector in the final demand for energy. Consumers’ purchase decisions are therefore crucial to successfully reach the energy-efficiency goals. Putting energy labels on products is often considered an adequate way of empowering consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Consequently, this approach should contribute to reducing overall energy consumption. The effectiveness of its measurement depends on consumers’ use and interpretation of the information provided. Despite advances in energy efficiency and a mandatory labeling policy, final energy consumption per capita is in many countries still increasing. This paper provides a systematic analysis of consumers’ reactions to one of the most widely used eco-labels, the European Union (EU) energy label, by using eye-tracking methodology as an objective measurement. The study’s results partially support the EU’s mandatory policy, showing that the energy label triggers attention toward energy information in general. However, the energy label’s effect on consumers’ actual product choices seems to be rather low. The study’s results show that the currently used presentation format on the label is insufficient. The findings suggest that it does not facilitate the integration of energy-related information. Furthermore, the current format can attract consumers to focus more on energy-efficiency information, leading them to disregard information about actual energy consumption. As a result, the final energy consumption may increase because excellent ratings on energy efficiency (e.g., A++) do not automatically imply little consumption. Finally, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further research are discussed. PMID:26231028

Taste Bud Labeling in Whole Tongue Epithelial Sheet in Adult Mice.

PubMed

Venkatesan, Nandakumar; Boggs, Kristin; Liu, Hong-Xiang

2016-04-01

Molecular labeling in whole-mount tissues provides an efficient way to obtain general information about the formation, maintenance, degeneration, and regeneration of many organs and tissues. However, labeling of lingual taste buds in whole tongue tissues in adult mice has been problematic because of the strong permeability barrier of the tongue epithelium. In this study, we present a simple method for labeling taste buds in the intact tongue epithelial sheet of an adult mouse. Following intralingual protease injection and incubation, immediate fixation of the tongue on mandible in 4% paraformaldehyde enabled the in situ shape of the tongue epithelium to be well maintained after peeling. The peeled epithelium was accessible to taste bud labeling with a pan-taste cell marker, keratin 8, and a type II taste cell marker, α-gustducin, in all three types of taste papillae, that is, fungiform, foliate, and circumvallate. Overnight incubation of tongue epithelial sheets with primary and secondary antibodies was sufficient for intense labeling of taste buds with both fluorescent and DAB visualizations. Labeled individual taste buds were easy to identify and quantify. This protocol provides an efficient way for phenotypic analyses of taste buds, especially regarding distribution pattern and number.

Preparation of Labeled Aflatoxins with High Specific Activities

PubMed Central

Hsieh, D. P. H.; Mateles, R. I.

1971-01-01

Resting cells of Aspergillus parasiticus ATCC 15517 were used to prepare highly labeled aflatoxins from labeled acetate. High synthetic activity in growing cells was evidenced only during 40 to 70 hr of incubation. Glucose was required for high incorporation efficiency, whereas the concentration of the labeled acetate determined the specific activity of the product. When labeled acetate was continuously added to maintain a concentration near but not exceeding 10 mm, in a culture containing 30 g of glucose per liter, 2% of its labels could be recovered in the purified aflatoxins which have a specific activity more than three times that of the labeled acetate. PMID:4329435

A Joint Gaussian Process Model for Active Visual Recognition with Expertise Estimation in Crowdsourcing

PubMed Central

Long, Chengjiang; Hua, Gang; Kapoor, Ashish

2015-01-01

We present a noise resilient probabilistic model for active learning of a Gaussian process classifier from crowds, i.e., a set of noisy labelers. It explicitly models both the overall label noise and the expertise level of each individual labeler with two levels of flip models. Expectation propagation is adopted for efficient approximate Bayesian inference of our probabilistic model for classification, based on which, a generalized EM algorithm is derived to estimate both the global label noise and the expertise of each individual labeler. The probabilistic nature of our model immediately allows the adoption of the prediction entropy for active selection of data samples to be labeled, and active selection of high quality labelers based on their estimated expertise to label the data. We apply the proposed model for four visual recognition tasks, i.e., object category recognition, multi-modal activity recognition, gender recognition, and fine-grained classification, on four datasets with real crowd-sourced labels from the Amazon Mechanical Turk. The experiments clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed model. In addition, we extend the proposed model with the Predictive Active Set Selection Method to speed up the active learning system, whose efficacy is verified by conducting experiments on the first three datasets. The results show our extended model can not only preserve a higher accuracy, but also achieve a higher efficiency. PMID:26924892

Labelling and illness in primary care: comparing factors influencing general practitioners' and psychiatrists' decisions regarding patient referral to mental illness services.

PubMed

Farmer, A E; Griffiths, H

1992-08-01

GPs and psychiatrists from South Wales were asked to make decisions based on the information included in each of 16 vignettes describing depressed and anxious subjects. This information contained randomly assigned sex, psychiatric label, good and bad psychosocial context and age as well as eight different severity ratings of depression and anxiety symptoms. Our results showed that both GPs and psychiatrists were influenced in their decision making by the severity of the illness, but that GPs alone were also strongly influenced by the presence of male sex and by the presence of a psychiatric label. Good or bad psychosocial context had no influence on the GPs' referral decision, and previous experience in psychiatry or other vocational training had no detectable effect, but this may be because of the sample size.

Bridging Archival Standards: Building Software to Translate Metadata Between PDS3 and PDS4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Cesare, C. M.; Padams, J. H.

2018-04-01

Transitioning datasets from PDS3 to PDS4 requires manual and detail-oriented work. To increase efficiency and reduce human error, we've built the Label Mapping Tool, which compares a PDS3 label to a PDS4 label template and outputs mappings between the two.

Labeling and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Exosomes Isolated from Adipose Stem Cells.

PubMed

Busato, Alice; Bonafede, Roberta; Bontempi, Pietro; Scambi, Ilaria; Schiaffino, Lorenzo; Benati, Donatella; Malatesta, Manuela; Sbarbati, Andrea; Marzola, Pasquina; Mariotti, Raffaella

2017-06-19

Adipose stem cells (ASC) represent a promising therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases. Most biological effects of ASC are probably mediated by extracellular vesicles, such as exosomes, which influence the surrounding cells. Current development of exosome therapies requires efficient and noninvasive methods to localize, monitor, and track the exosomes. Among imaging methods used for this purpose, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has advantages: high spatial resolution, rapid in vivo acquisition, and radiation-free operation. To be detectable with MRI, exosomes must be labeled with MR contrast agents, such as ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIO). Here, we set up an innovative approach for exosome labeling that preserves their morphology and physiological characteristics. We show that by labeling ASC with USPIO before extraction of nanovesicles, the isolated exosomes retain nanoparticles and can be visualized by MRI. The current work aims at validating this novel USPIO-based exosome labeling method by monitoring the efficiency of the labeling with MRI both in ASC and in exosomes. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Poly(methyl methacrylate)-graft-oligoamines as low cytotoxic and efficient nonviral gene vectors.

PubMed

Wang, Yong-Qiang; Sun, Yun-Xia; Hong, Xin-Lin; Zhang, Xian-Zheng; Zhang, Gao-Yong

2010-01-01

A series of poly(methyl methacrylate)-graft-oligoamines (PMMA-g-oligoamines), including PMMA-g-DETA, PMMA-g-TETA and PMMA-g-TEPA, were synthesized through aminolysis of the PMMA with diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine and tetraethylenepentamine. Agarose gel retardation assay indicated that PMMA-g-oligoamines had good binding capability with plasmid DNA, and the binding capability increased with increasing length of oligoamines and content of nitrogen (N%). The results of particle size, zeta potential and morphology observation further showed that the PMMA-g-oligoamines could condense DNA efficiently and the PMMA-g-oligoamine/DNA complexes were uniform nanospheres. The in vitro cell viability indicated that PMMA-g-oligoamines were less toxic than 25 kDa PEI, though the cytotoxicity of PMMA-g-oligoamines increased slightly with increasing length of oligoamines as well as the N% of PMMA-g-oligoamines. The transfection efficiency of PMMA-g-oligoamines/DNA complexes in 293 T and HeLa cells demonstrated that PMMA-g-oligoamines could transfect cells efficiently with increasing the length of oligoamines, especially PMMA-g-TEPA with highest N%, and showed similar transfection capability as 25 kDa PEI. The cellular uptake study showed that the distribution of YOYO-1 labeled DNA in the cytoplasm and nuclei increased gradually with increasing length of oligoamines.

Comparison of Test Procedures and Energy Efficiency Criteria in Selected International Standards & Labeling Programs for Copy Machines, External Power Supplies, LED Displays, Residential Gas Cooktops and Televisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Nina; Zhou, Nan; Fridley, David

2012-03-01

This report presents a technical review of international minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), voluntary and mandatory energy efficiency labels and test procedures for five products being considered for new or revised MEPS in China: copy machines, external power supply, LED displays, residential gas cooktops and flat-screen televisions. For each product, an overview of the scope of existing international standards and labeling programs, energy values and energy performance metrics and description and detailed summary table of criteria and procedures in major test standards are presented.

Magnetic core mesoporous silica nanoparticles doped with dacarbazine and labelled with 99mTc for early and differential detection of metastatic melanoma by single photon emission computed tomography.

PubMed

Portilho, Filipe Leal; Helal-Neto, Edward; Cabezas, Santiago Sánchez; Pinto, Suyene Rocha; Dos Santos, Sofia Nascimento; Pozzo, Lorena; Sancenón, Félix; Martínez-Máñez, Ramón; Santos-Oliveira, Ralph

2018-02-27

Cancer is responsible for more than 12% of all causes of death in the world, with an annual death rate of more than 7 million people. In this scenario melanoma is one of the most aggressive ones with serious limitation in early detection and therapy. In this direction we developed, characterized and tested in vivo a new drug delivery system based on magnetic core-mesoporous silica nanoparticle that has been doped with dacarbazine and labelled with technetium 99 m to be used as nano-imaging agent (nanoradiopharmaceutical) for early and differential diagnosis and melanoma by single photon emission computed tomography. The results demonstrated the ability of the magnetic core-mesoporous silica to be efficiently (>98%) doped with dacarbazine and also efficiently labelled with 99mTc (technetium 99 m) (>99%). The in vivo test, using inducted mice with melanoma, demonstrated the EPR effect of the magnetic core-mesoporous silica nanoparticles doped with dacarbazine and labelled with technetium 99 metastable when injected intratumorally and the possibility to be used as systemic injection too. In both cases, magnetic core-mesoporous silica nanoparticles doped with dacarbazine and labelled with technetium 99 metastable showed to be a reliable and efficient nano-imaging agent for melanoma.

[Evaluation of transfection effectiveness using fluorescein-labelled oligonucleotides and entraster-R siRNA transfection into Plasmodium falciparum].

PubMed

Zhou, Hong-Chang; Gao, Yu-Hui; Shao, Sheng-Wen; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Ting

2013-12-01

The cultured Plasmodium falciparum parasites were synchronized twice by 5% sorbitol treatment twice (8-hour window), and then incubated at 37 degrees C for 16 h. Parasites were transfected with fluorescein-labelled oligonucleotides (group A) or fluorescein-labelled oligonucleotides+Entranster-R siRNA transfection reagent (group B). After 5 h a part of parasites was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The rest of parasites were washed with RPMI 1640 medium, and then incubated with 500 microl new medium containing 2% fresh erythrocytes for another 12 h, and detected by flow cytometry. The fluorescein-labelled oligonucleotides were localized in erythrocytes in group B, but nearly no fluorescence was observed for group A. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that the transfection efficiency of group B [(47.40 +/- 3.39)%] was higher than that of group A [(0.60 +/- 0.27)%]. In the second cell cycle, the transfection efficiency in group B was (26.85 +/- 2.90)%, while that of group A was nearly zero. The results indicated that Entranster-R siRNA transfection reagent may increase the oligonucleotides transfection efficiency.

Formulation and characterization of lutetium-177-labeled stannous (tin) colloid for radiosynovectomy.

PubMed

Arora, Geetanjali; Singh, Manoranjan; Jha, Pragati; Tripathy, Sarthak; Bal, Chandrasekhar; Mukherjee, Anirban; Shamim, Shamim A

2017-07-01

Easy large-scale production, easy availability, cost-effectiveness, long half-life, and favorable radiation characteristics have made lutetium-177 (Lu) a preferred radionuclide for use in therapy. Lutetium-177-labeled stannous (Lu-Sn) colloid particles were formulated for application in radiosynovectomy, followed by in-vitro and in-vivo characterization. Stannous chloride (SnCl2) solution and Lu were heated together, the pH was adjusted, and the particles were recovered by centrifugation. The heating time and amount of SnCl2 were varied to optimize the labeling protocol. The labeling efficiency (LE) and radiochemical purity (RCP) of the product were determined. The size and shape of the particles were determined by means of electron microscopy. In-vitro stability was tested in PBS and synovial fluid, and in-vivo stability was tested in humans. LE and RCP were greater than 95% and ∼99% (Rf=0-0.1), respectively. Aggregated colloidal particles were spherical (mean size: 241±47 nm). The product was stable in vitro for up to 7 days in PBS as well as in synovial fluid. Injection of the product into the infected knee joint of a patient resulted in its homogenous distribution in the intra-articular space, as seen on the scan. No leakage of activity was seen outside the knee joint even 7 days after injection, indicating good tracer binding and in-vivo stability. Lu-Sn colloid was successfully prepared with a high LE (>95%) and high RCP (99%) under optimized reaction conditions. Because of the numerous benefits of Lu and the ease of preparation of tin colloid particles, Lu-Sn colloid particles are significantly superior to its currently available counterparts for use in radiosynovectomy.

Communicating with whom? The effectiveness of appliance energy labels in the U.S. and Thailand

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pont, P. du

The proliferation of household appliances is a global energy problem, and this comparative study of appliance energy labeling in the US and Thailand offers opportunities to learn from the implementation of programs in countries with different income levels and cultural and political climates. In the US, the author conducted participant observation in an appliance store and interviewed 16 policymakers, 14 salespeople, and 100 consumers. In Thailand, he interviewed 11 policymakers, 53 salespeople, and 62 consumers, and carried out a national survey of 971 consumers. This study is the first time that energy labels have been examined primarily as a problemmore » of consumer cognition in context--that is, how consumers read, interpret, and think about energy labels in the retail environment. After just three years of implementation, the Thai appliance labeling program is having a significantly greater impact on the consumer appliance market than is the 20-year-old US program. While Thai salespeople report that more than 60% of consumers ask about or look at the label, the corresponding number for the US is just 20%. Energy efficiency was reported among the top-three purchase priorities by 28% of Thai appliance consumers, compared to just 11% of US consumers. In his in-store tests of label cognition, the US EnergyGuide label fared poorly, and the Thai appliance label was more effective at helping consumers to identify efficient models. Yet both labels suffer from the problem of too much detailed product information, which hinders label comprehension.« less

Highly efficient preparation of selectively isotope cluster-labeled long chain fatty acids via two consecutive C(sp3)-C(sp3) cross-coupling reactions.

PubMed

Lethu, Sébastien; Matsuoka, Shigeru; Murata, Michio

2014-02-07

An efficient synthesis involving two copper-catalyzed alkyl-alkyl coupling reactions has been designed to easily access doubly isotope-labeled fatty acids. Such NMR- and IR-active compounds were obtained in excellent overall yields and will be further used for determining the conformation of an alkyl chain of lipidic biomolecules upon interaction with proteins.

Polyethyleneimine grafted short halloysite nanotubes for gene delivery.

PubMed

Long, Zheru; Zhang, Jun; Shen, Yan; Zhou, Changren; Liu, Mingxian

2017-12-01

Inorganic nanoparticles have attracted much attentions in gene delivery because of their desirable characteristics including low toxicity, well-controlled characteristics, high gene delivery efficiency, and multi-functionalities. Here, natural occurred halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were developed as a novel non-viral gene vector. To increase the efficiency of endocytosis, HNTs were firstly shortened into an appropriate size (~200nm). Then polyethyleneimine (PEI) was grafted onto HNTs to bind green fluorescence protein (GFP) labeled pDNA. The structure and physical-chemical properties of PEI grafted HNTs (PEI-g-HNTs) were characterized by various methods. PEI-g-HNTs show lower cytotoxicity than PEI. PEI-g-HNTs are positively charged and can bind DNA tightly at designed N/P ratio from 5:1 to 40:1. PEI-g-HNTs/pDNA complexes show much higher transfection efficiency towards both 293T and HeLa cells compared with PEI/pDNA complexes at the equivalent N/P ratio. The transfection efficiencies of PEI-g-HNTs/pDNA complex towards HeLa cell can reach to 44.4% at N/P ratio of 20. PEI-g-HNTs/pDNA complexes possess a higher GFP protein expression than PEI/pDNA from simple western immunoblots. So, PEI-g-HNTs are potential gene vectors with good biocompatibility and high transfection efficiency, which have promising applications in cancer gene therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanostructured organosilicon luminophores and their application in highly efficient plastic scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponomarenko, Sergei A.; Surin, Nikolay M.; Borshchev, Oleg V.; Luponosov, Yuriy N.; Akimov, Dmitry Y.; Alexandrov, Ivan S.; Burenkov, Alexander A.; Kovalenko, Alexey G.; Stekhanov, Viktor N.; Kleymyuk, Elena A.; Gritsenko, Oleg T.; Cherkaev, Georgiy V.; Kechek'yan, Alexander S.; Serenko, Olga A.; Muzafarov, Aziz M.

2014-10-01

Organic luminophores are widely used in various optoelectronic devices, which serve for photonics, nuclear and particle physics, quantum electronics, medical diagnostics and many other fields of science and technology. Improving their spectral-luminescent characteristics for particular technical requirements of the devices is a challenging task. Here we show a new concept to universal solution of this problem by creation of nanostructured organosilicon luminophores (NOLs), which are a particular type of dendritic molecular antennas. They combine the best properties of organic luminophores and inorganic quantum dots: high absorption cross-section, excellent photoluminescence quantum yield, fast luminescence decay time and good processability. A NOL consists of two types of covalently bonded via silicon atoms organic luminophores with efficient Förster energy transfer between them. Using NOLs in plastic scintillators, widely utilized for radiation detection and in elementary particles discoveries, led to a breakthrough in their efficiency, which combines both high light output and fast decay time. Moreover, for the first time plastic scintillators, which emit light in the desired wavelength region ranging from 370 to 700 nm, have been created. We anticipate further applications of NOLs as working elements of pulsed dye lasers in photonics, optoelectronics and as fluorescent labels in biology and medical diagnostics.

Multi-family Buildings

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Apartments and condos that have earned the label will have WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads that have been independently certified to be high-performing and water-efficient, saving 20 percent more water than standard models.

A competitive immunoassay for sensitive detection of small molecules chloramphenicol based on luminol functionalized silver nanoprobe.

PubMed

Yu, Xiuxia; He, Yi; Jiang, Jie; Cui, Hua

2014-02-17

Chloramphenicol (CHL) as a broad-spectrum antibiotic has a broad action spectrum against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as anaerobes. The use of CHL is strictly restricted in poultry because of its toxic effect. However, CHL is still illegally used in animal farming because of its accessibility and low cost. Therefore, sensitive methods are highly desired for the determination of CHL in foodstuffs. The immunoassays based on labeling as an important tool have been reported for the detection of CHL residues in food-producing animals. However, most of the labeling procedures require multi-step reactions and purifications and thus they are complicated and time-consuming. Recently, in our previous work, luminol functionalized silver nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized, which exhibits higher CL efficiency than luminol functionalized gold nanoparticles. In this work, the new luminol functionalized silver nanoparticles have been used for the labeling of small molecules CHL for the first time and a competitive chemiluminescent immunoassay has been developed for the detection of CHL. Owing to the amplification of silver nanoparticles, high sensitivity for CHL could be achieved with a low detection limit of 7.6×10(-9) g mL(-1) and a wide linear dynamic range of 1.0×10(-8)-1.0×10(-6) g mL(-1). This method has also been successfully applied to determine CHL in milk and honey samples with a good recoveries (92% and 102%, 99% and 107% respectively), indicating that the method is feasible for the determination of CHL in real milk and honey samples. The labeling procedure is simple, convenient and fast, superior to previously reported labeling procedures. The immunoassay is also simple, fast, sensitive and selective. It is of application potential for the determination of CHL in foodstuffs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 74.2317 - D&C Red No. 17.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2317 D&C Red No. 17. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 17 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2331 - D&C Red No. 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2331 D&C Red No. 31. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 31 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2334 - D&C Red No. 34.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2334 D&C Red No. 34. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 34 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2104 - D&C Blue No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2104 D&C Blue No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Blue No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2304 - FD&C Red No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2304 FD&C Red No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive FD&C Red No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.1340 - FD&C Red No. 40.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... amounts consistent with current good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label of the color additive... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Drugs § 74.1340 FD&C Red No. 40. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive FD&C Red No. 40 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74...

76 FR 19191 - Food Labeling; Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-06

... food and other goods and services are offered together or in close proximity. Proposed definition. FDA... Vol. 76 Wednesday, No. 66 April 6, 2011 Part II Department of Health and Human Services Food and... / Wednesday, April 6, 2011 / Proposed Rules#0;#0; [[Page 19192

21 CFR 111.415 - What requirements apply to filling, assembling, packaging, labeling, and related operations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What requirements apply to filling, assembling, packaging, labeling, and related operations? 111.415 Section 111.415 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD...

21 CFR 111.455 - What requirements apply to holding components, dietary supplements, packaging, and labels?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What requirements apply to holding components, dietary supplements, packaging, and labels? 111.455 Section 111.455 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD...

21 CFR 111.160 - What requirements apply to packaging and labels received?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What requirements apply to packaging and labels received? 111.160 Section 111.160 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN...

21 CFR 74.2304 - FD&C Red No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2304 FD&C Red No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive FD&C Red No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2317 - D&C Red No. 17.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2317 D&C Red No. 17. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 17 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2334 - D&C Red No. 34.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2334 D&C Red No. 34. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 34 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2317 - D&C Red No. 17.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2317 D&C Red No. 17. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 17 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.1340 - FD&C Red No. 40.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... amounts consistent with current good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label of the color additive... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Drugs § 74.1340 FD&C Red No. 40. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive FD&C Red No. 40 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74...

21 CFR 74.2334 - D&C Red No. 34.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2334 D&C Red No. 34. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 34 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2304 - FD&C Red No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2304 FD&C Red No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive FD&C Red No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2331 - D&C Red No. 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2331 D&C Red No. 31. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 31 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2331 - D&C Red No. 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2331 D&C Red No. 31. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 31 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2331 - D&C Red No. 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2331 D&C Red No. 31. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 31 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2317 - D&C Red No. 17.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2317 D&C Red No. 17. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 17 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2334 - D&C Red No. 34.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2334 D&C Red No. 34. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive D&C Red No. 34 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.2304 - FD&C Red No. 4.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 74.2304 FD&C Red No. 4. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive FD&C Red No. 4 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74... externally applied cosmetics in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label...

21 CFR 74.1340 - FD&C Red No. 40.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... amounts consistent with current good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label of the color additive... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Drugs § 74.1340 FD&C Red No. 40. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive FD&C Red No. 40 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74...

21 CFR 74.1340 - FD&C Red No. 40.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... amounts consistent with current good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The label of the color additive... ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION Drugs § 74.1340 FD&C Red No. 40. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive FD&C Red No. 40 shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 74...

A graphene oxide-based fluorescent aptasensor for the turn-on detection of epithelial tumor marker mucin 1.

PubMed

He, Yue; Lin, Yi; Tang, Hongwu; Pang, Daiwen

2012-03-21

Mucin 1 (MUC1) which presents in epithelial malignancies, is a well-known tumor biomarker. In this paper, a highly sensitive and selective fluorescent aptasensor for Mucin 1 (MUC1) detection is constructed, utilizing graphene oxide (GO) as a quencher which can quench the fluorescence of single-stranded dye-labeled MUC1 specific aptamer. In the absence of MUC1, the adsorption of the dye-labeled aptamer on GO brings the dyes in close proximity to the GO surface resulting in high efficiency quenching of dye fluorescence. Therefore, the fluorescence of the designed aptasensor is completely quenched by GO, and the system shows very low background fluorescence. Conversely, and very importantly, upon the adding of MUC1, the quenched fluorescence is recovered significantly, and MUC1 can be detected in a wide range of 0.04-10 μM with a detection limit of 28 nM and good selectivity. Moreover, the results have also been verified for real sample application by testing 2% serum containing buffer solution spiked with a series of concentrations of MUC1. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Looks Aren't Everything: 24-Month-Olds' Willingness to Accept Unexpected Labels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaswal, Vikram K.; Markman, Ellen M.

2007-01-01

A label can efficiently convey nonobvious information about category membership, but this information can sometimes conflict with one's own expectations. Two studies explored whether 24-month-olds (N = 56) would be willing to accept a category label indicating that an animal (Study 1) or artifact (Study 2) that looked like a member of one familiar…

Multi-label classification of chronically ill patients with bag of words and supervised dimensionality reduction algorithms.

PubMed

Bromuri, Stefano; Zufferey, Damien; Hennebert, Jean; Schumacher, Michael

2014-10-01

This research is motivated by the issue of classifying illnesses of chronically ill patients for decision support in clinical settings. Our main objective is to propose multi-label classification of multivariate time series contained in medical records of chronically ill patients, by means of quantization methods, such as bag of words (BoW), and multi-label classification algorithms. Our second objective is to compare supervised dimensionality reduction techniques to state-of-the-art multi-label classification algorithms. The hypothesis is that kernel methods and locality preserving projections make such algorithms good candidates to study multi-label medical time series. We combine BoW and supervised dimensionality reduction algorithms to perform multi-label classification on health records of chronically ill patients. The considered algorithms are compared with state-of-the-art multi-label classifiers in two real world datasets. Portavita dataset contains 525 diabetes type 2 (DT2) patients, with co-morbidities of DT2 such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and microvascular or macrovascular issues. MIMIC II dataset contains 2635 patients affected by thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus, lipoid metabolism disease, fluid electrolyte disease, hypertensive disease, thrombosis, hypotension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), liver disease and kidney disease. The algorithms are evaluated using multi-label evaluation metrics such as hamming loss, one error, coverage, ranking loss, and average precision. Non-linear dimensionality reduction approaches behave well on medical time series quantized using the BoW algorithm, with results comparable to state-of-the-art multi-label classification algorithms. Chaining the projected features has a positive impact on the performance of the algorithm with respect to pure binary relevance approaches. The evaluation highlights the feasibility of representing medical health records using the BoW for multi-label classification tasks. The study also highlights that dimensionality reduction algorithms based on kernel methods, locality preserving projections or both are good candidates to deal with multi-label classification tasks in medical time series with many missing values and high label density. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ionization Suppression and Recovery in Direct Biofluid Analysis Using Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vega, Carolina; Spence, Corina; Zhang, Chengsen; Bills, Brandon J.; Manicke, Nicholas E.

2016-04-01

Paper spray mass spectrometry is a method for the direct analysis of biofluid samples in which extraction of analytes from dried biofluid spots and electrospray ionization occur from the paper on which the dried sample is stored. We examined matrix effects in the analysis of small molecule drugs from urine, plasma, and whole blood. The general method was to spike stable isotope labeled analogs of each analyte into the spray solvent, while the analyte itself was in the dried biofluid. Intensity of the labeled analog is proportional to ionization efficiency, whereas the ratio of the analyte intensity to the labeled analog in the spray solvent is proportional to recovery. Ion suppression and recovery were found to be compound- and matrix-dependent. Highest levels of ion suppression were obtained for poor ionizers (e.g., analytes lacking basic aliphatic amine groups) in urine and approached -90%. Ion suppression was much lower or even absent for good ionizers (analytes with aliphatic amines) in dried blood spots. Recovery was generally highest in urine and lowest in blood. We also examined the effect of two experimental parameters on ion suppression and recovery: the spray solvent and the sample position (how far away from the paper tip the dried sample was spotted). Finally, the change in ion suppression and analyte elution as a function of time was examined by carrying out a paper spray analysis of dried plasma spots for 5 min by continually replenishing the spray solvent.

Individual Responsibility for Promoting Global Health: The Case for a New Kind of Socially Conscious Consumption.

PubMed

Hassoun, Nicole

2016-06-01

The problems of global health are truly terrible. Millions suffer and die from diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. One way of addressing these problems is via a Global Health Impact labeling campaign (http://global-health-impact.org/). If even a small percentage of consumers promote global health by purchasing Global Health Impact products, the incentive to use this label will be substantial. One might wonder, however, whether consumers are morally obligation to purchase any these goods or whether doing so is even morally permissible. This paper suggests that if the proposal is implemented, purchasing Global Health Impact labelled goods is at least morally permissible, if not morally required. Its argument should, moreover, be of much more general interest to those considering different kinds of ethical consumption. © 2016 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Multi-location gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial protein subcellular localization using gene ontology and multi-label classifier ensemble.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Jun; Li, Guo-Zheng

2015-01-01

It has become a very important and full of challenge task to predict bacterial protein subcellular locations using computational methods. Although there exist a lot of prediction methods for bacterial proteins, the majority of these methods can only deal with single-location proteins. But unfortunately many multi-location proteins are located in the bacterial cells. Moreover, multi-location proteins have special biological functions capable of helping the development of new drugs. So it is necessary to develop new computational methods for accurately predicting subcellular locations of multi-location bacterial proteins. In this article, two efficient multi-label predictors, Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc, are developed to predict the subcellular locations of multi-label gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. The two multi-label predictors construct the GO vectors by using the GO terms of homologous proteins of query proteins and then adopt a powerful multi-label ensemble classifier to make the final multi-label prediction. The two multi-label predictors have the following advantages: (1) they improve the prediction performance of multi-label proteins by taking the correlations among different labels into account; (2) they ensemble multiple CC classifiers and further generate better prediction results by ensemble learning; and (3) they construct the GO vectors by using the frequency of occurrences of GO terms in the typical homologous set instead of using 0/1 values. Experimental results show that Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc can efficiently predict the subcellular locations of multi-label gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc can efficiently improve prediction accuracy of subcellular localization of multi-location gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial proteins respectively. The online web servers for Gpos-ECC-mPLoc and Gneg-ECC-mPLoc predictors are freely accessible at http://biomed.zzuli.edu.cn/bioinfo/gpos-ecc-mploc/ and http://biomed.zzuli.edu.cn/bioinfo/gneg-ecc-mploc/ respectively.

Evaluating the efficacy of subcellular fractionation of blast cells using live cell labeling and 2D DIGE.

PubMed

Ho, Yin Ying; Penno, Megan; Perugini, Michelle; Lewis, Ian; Hoffmann, Peter

2012-01-01

Labeling of exposed cell surface proteins of live cells using CyDye DIGE fluor minimal dyes is an efficient strategy for cell surface proteome profiling and quantifying differentially expressed proteins in diseases. Here we describe a strategy to evaluate a two-step detergent-based protein fractionation method using live cell labeling followed by visualization of the fluorescently labeled cell surface proteins and fractionated proteins within a single 2D gel.

Cell-specific Labeling Enzymes for Analysis of Cell–Cell Communication in Continuous Co-culture*

PubMed Central

Tape, Christopher J.; Norrie, Ida C.; Worboys, Jonathan D.; Lim, Lindsay; Lauffenburger, Douglas A.; Jørgensen, Claus

2014-01-01

We report the orthologous screening, engineering, and optimization of amino acid conversion enzymes for cell-specific proteomic labeling. Intracellular endoplasmic-reticulum-anchored Mycobacterium tuberculosis diaminopimelate decarboxylase (DDCM.tub-KDEL) confers cell-specific meso-2,6-diaminopimelate-dependent proliferation to multiple eukaryotic cell types. Optimized lysine racemase (LyrM37-KDEL) supports D-lysine specific proliferation and efficient cell-specific isotopic labeling. When ectopically expressed in discrete cell types, these enzymes confer 90% cell-specific isotopic labeling efficiency after 10 days of co-culture. Moreover, DDCM.tub-KDEL and LyrM37-KDEL facilitate equally high cell-specific labeling fidelity without daily media exchange. Consequently, the reported novel enzyme pairing can be used to study cell-specific signaling in uninterrupted, continuous co-cultures. Demonstrating the importance of increased labeling stability for addressing novel biological questions, we compare the cell-specific phosphoproteome of fibroblasts in direct co-culture with epithelial tumor cells in both interrupted (daily media exchange) and continuous (no media exchange) co-cultures. This analysis identified multiple cell-specific phosphorylation sites specifically regulated in the continuous co-culture. Given their applicability to multiple cell types, continuous co-culture labeling fidelity, and suitability for long-term cell–cell phospho-signaling experiments, we propose DDCM.tub-KDEL and LyrM37-KDEL as excellent enzymes for cell-specific labeling with amino acid precursors. PMID:24820872

Palladium-catalyzed Br/D exchange of arenes: Selective deuterium incorporation with versatile functional group tolerance and high efficiency

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Honghai -Hai; Bonnesen, Peter V.; Hong, Kunlun

2015-07-13

There is a facile method for introducing one or more deuterium atoms onto an aromatic nucleus via Br/D exchange with high functional group tolerance and high incorporation efficiency is disclosed. Deuterium-labeled aryl chlorides and aryl borates which could be used as substrates in cross-coupling reactions to construct more complicated deuterium-labeled compounds can also be synthesized by this method.

Site-specific incorporation of probes into RNA polymerase by unnatural-amino-acid mutagenesis and Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation

PubMed Central

Chakraborty, Anirban; Mazumder, Abhishek; Lin, Miaoxin; Hasemeyer, Adam; Xu, Qumiao; Wang, Dongye; Ebright, Yon W.; Ebright, Richard H.

2015-01-01

Summary A three-step procedure comprising (i) unnatural-amino-acid mutagenesis with 4-azido-phenylalanine, (ii) Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation with a probe-phosphine derivative, and (iii) in vitro reconstitution of RNA polymerase (RNAP) enables the efficient site-specific incorporation of a fluorescent probe, a spin label, a crosslinking agent, a cleaving agent, an affinity tag, or any other biochemical or biophysical probe, at any site of interest in RNAP. Straightforward extensions of the procedure enable the efficient site-specific incorporation of two or more different probes in two or more different subunits of RNAP. We present protocols for synthesis of probe-phosphine derivatives, preparation of RNAP subunits and the transcription initiation factor σ, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis of RNAP subunits and σ, Staudinger ligation with unnatural-amino-acid-containing RNAP subunits and σ, quantitation of labelling efficiency and labelling specificity, and reconstitution of RNAP. PMID:25665560

Design of Standards and Labeling programs in Chile: Techno-Economic Analysis for Refrigerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letschert, Virginie E.; McNeil, Michael A.; Pavon, Mariana

2013-05-01

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a global leader in the study of energy efficiency and its effective implementation through government policy. The Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Department of LBNL’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division provides technical assistance to help federal, stat e and local government agencies in the United States, and throughout the world, develop long-term strategies, policy, and programs to encourage energy efficiency in all sectors and industries. In the past, LBNL has assisted staff of various countries government agencies and their con tractors in providing methodologies to analyze cost-effectiveness of regulations and asses s overall national impacts ofmore » efficiency programs. The paper presents the work done in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy (MoE) in Chile and the Collaborative Labeling Appliance Standards Programs (CLASP) on designing a Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and ext ending the current labeling program for refrigerators.« less

Tensorial dynamic time warping with articulation index representation for efficient audio-template learning.

PubMed

Le, Long N; Jones, Douglas L

2018-03-01

Audio classification techniques often depend on the availability of a large labeled training dataset for successful performance. However, in many application domains of audio classification (e.g., wildlife monitoring), obtaining labeled data is still a costly and laborious process. Motivated by this observation, a technique is proposed to efficiently learn a clean template from a few labeled, but likely corrupted (by noise and interferences), data samples. This learning can be done efficiently via tensorial dynamic time warping on the articulation index-based time-frequency representations of audio data. The learned template can then be used in audio classification following the standard template-based approach. Experimental results show that the proposed approach outperforms both (1) the recurrent neural network approach and (2) the state-of-the-art in the template-based approach on a wildlife detection application with few training samples.

Poly (dopamine) coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocluster for noninvasive labeling, tracking, and targeted delivery of adipose tissue-derived stem cells.

PubMed

Liao, Naishun; Wu, Ming; Pan, Fan; Lin, Jiumao; Li, Zuanfang; Zhang, Da; Wang, Yingchao; Zheng, Youshi; Peng, Jun; Liu, Xiaolong; Liu, Jingfeng

2016-01-05

Tracking and monitoring of cells in vivo after transplantation can provide crucial information for stem cell therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with contrast agents is believed to be an effective and non-invasive technique for cell tracking in living bodies. However, commercial superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) applied to label cells suffer from shortages such as potential toxicity, low labeling efficiency, and low contrast enhancing. Herein, the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were efficiently labeled with SPIONs coated with poly (dopamine) (SPIONs cluster@PDA), without affecting their viability, proliferation, apoptosis, surface marker expression, as well as their self-renew ability and multi-differentiation potential. The labeled cells transplanted into the mice through tail intravenous injection exhibited a negative enhancement of the MRI signal in the damaged liver-induced by carbon tetrachloride, and subsequently these homed ADSCs with SPIONs cluster@PDA labeling exhibited excellent repair effects to the damaged liver. Moreover, the enhanced target-homing to tissue of interest and repair effects of SPIONs cluster@PDA-labeled ADSCs could be achieved by use of external magnetic field in the excisional skin wound mice model. Therefore, we provide a facile, safe, noninvasive and sensitive method for external magnetic field targeted delivery and MRI based tracking of transplanted cells in vivo.

Poly (dopamine) coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocluster for noninvasive labeling, tracking, and targeted delivery of adipose tissue-derived stem cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Naishun; Wu, Ming; Pan, Fan; Lin, Jiumao; Li, Zuanfang; Zhang, Da; Wang, Yingchao; Zheng, Youshi; Peng, Jun; Liu, Xiaolong; Liu, Jingfeng

2016-01-01

Tracking and monitoring of cells in vivo after transplantation can provide crucial information for stem cell therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with contrast agents is believed to be an effective and non-invasive technique for cell tracking in living bodies. However, commercial superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) applied to label cells suffer from shortages such as potential toxicity, low labeling efficiency, and low contrast enhancing. Herein, the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were efficiently labeled with SPIONs coated with poly (dopamine) (SPIONs cluster@PDA), without affecting their viability, proliferation, apoptosis, surface marker expression, as well as their self-renew ability and multi-differentiation potential. The labeled cells transplanted into the mice through tail intravenous injection exhibited a negative enhancement of the MRI signal in the damaged liver-induced by carbon tetrachloride, and subsequently these homed ADSCs with SPIONs cluster@PDA labeling exhibited excellent repair effects to the damaged liver. Moreover, the enhanced target-homing to tissue of interest and repair effects of SPIONs cluster@PDA-labeled ADSCs could be achieved by use of external magnetic field in the excisional skin wound mice model. Therefore, we provide a facile, safe, noninvasive and sensitive method for external magnetic field targeted delivery and MRI based tracking of transplanted cells in vivo.

DNA nanosensor based on biocompatible graphene quantum dots and carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Qian, Zhao Sheng; Shan, Xiao Yue; Chai, Lu Jing; Ma, Juan Juan; Chen, Jian Rong; Feng, Hui

2014-10-15

An ultrasensitive nanosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between biocompatible graphene quantum dots and carbon nanotubes for DNA detection was reported. We take advantage of good biocompatibility and strong fluorescence of graphene quantum dots, base pairing specificity of DNA and unique fluorescence resonance energy transfer between graphene quantum dots and carbon nanotubes to achieve the analysis of low concentrations of DNA. Graphene quantum dots with high quantum yield up to 0.20 were prepared and served as the fluorophore of DNA probe. FRET process between graphene quantum dots-labeled probe and oxidized carbon nanotubes is easily achieved due to their efficient self-assembly through specific π-π interaction. This nanosensor can distinguish complementary and mismatched nucleic acid sequences with high sensitivity and good reproducibility. The detection method based on this nanosensor possesses a broad linear span of up to 133.0 nM and ultralow detection limit of 0.4 nM. The constructed nanosensor is expected to be highly biocompatible because of all its components with excellent biocompatibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated 3D-Printed Unibody Immunoarray for Chemiluminescence Detection of Cancer Biomarker Proteins

PubMed Central

Tang, C. K.; Vaze, A.; Rusling, J. F.

2017-01-01

A low cost three-dimensional (3D) printed clear plastic microfluidic device was fabricated for fast, low cost automated protein detection. The unibody device features three reagent reservoirs, an efficient 3D network for passive mixing, and an optically transparent detection chamber housing a glass capture antibody array for measuring chemiluminescence output with a CCD camera. Sandwich type assays were built onto the glass arrays using a multi-labeled detection antibody-polyHRP (HRP = horseradish peroxidase). Total assay time was ~30 min in a complete automated assay employing a programmable syringe pump so that the protocol required minimal operator intervention. The device was used for multiplexed detection of prostate cancer biomarker proteins prostate specific antigen (PSA) and platelet factor 4 (PF-4). Detection limits of 0.5 pg mL−1 were achieved for these proteins in diluted serum with log dynamic ranges of four orders of magnitude. Good accuracy vs ELISA was validated by analyzing human serum samples. This prototype device holds good promise for further development as a point-of-care cancer diagnostics tool. PMID:28067370

The Basics: Supporting Learners with Intellectual Challenge in Regular Classrooms. A Resource for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunch, Gary

2006-01-01

This book is a resource for teachers who have the opportunity and the responsibility to work with students who have been labeled with intellectual challenges. The fundamental premise is that good teaching is good teaching--for all students. Secondly, this book believes that teachers are good professionals and have both the skills and the spirit to…

Brand Name, Store Image, and Country-of-Origin: The Effects on Consumers' Perception of Quality and Price.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Margaret C. A.

1993-01-01

A review of literature indicated that, with regard to brand labels, consumers' perception of price, but not of quality, was affected. Consumers expected to pay more for goods bought in a higher status store and rated imported goods as being more expensive than domestically produced goods. Products from developing countries received lower quality…

A novel broad specificity fucosidase capable of core α1-6 fucose release from N-glycans labeled with urea-linked fluorescent dyes.

PubMed

Vainauskas, Saulius; Kirk, Charlotte H; Petralia, Laudine; Guthrie, Ellen P; McLeod, Elizabeth; Bielik, Alicia; Luebbers, Alex; Foster, Jeremy M; Hokke, Cornelis H; Rudd, Pauline M; Shi, Xiaofeng; Taron, Christopher H

2018-06-22

Exoglycosidases are often used for detailed characterization of glycan structures. Bovine kidney α-fucosidase is commonly used to determine the presence of core α1-6 fucose on N-glycans, an important modification of glycoproteins. Recently, several studies have reported that removal of core α1-6-linked fucose from N-glycans labeled with the reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide carbamate fluorescent labels 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidylcarbamate (AQC) and RapiFluor-MS is severely impeded. We report here the cloning, expression and biochemical characterization of an α-fucosidase from Omnitrophica bacterium (termed fucosidase O). We show that fucosidase O can efficiently remove α1-6- and α1-3-linked core fucose from N-glycans. Additionally, we demonstrate that fucosidase O is able to efficiently hydrolyze core α1-6-linked fucose from N-glycans labeled with any of the existing NHS-carbamate activated fluorescent dyes.

Enzymatic production of single-molecule FISH and RNA capture probes.

PubMed

Gaspar, Imre; Wippich, Frank; Ephrussi, Anne

2017-10-01

Arrays of singly labeled short oligonucleotides that hybridize to a specific target revolutionized RNA biology, enabling quantitative, single-molecule microscopy analysis and high-efficiency RNA/RNP capture. Here, we describe a simple and efficient method that allows flexible functionalization of inexpensive DNA oligonucleotides by different fluorescent dyes or biotin using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and custom-made functional group conjugated dideoxy-UTP. We show that (i) all steps of the oligonucleotide labeling-including conjugation, enzymatic synthesis, and product purification-can be performed in a standard biology laboratory, (ii) the process yields >90%, often >95% labeled product with minimal carryover of impurities, and (iii) the oligonucleotides can be labeled with different dyes or biotin, allowing single-molecule FISH, RNA affinity purification, and Northern blot analysis to be performed. © 2017 Gaspar et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

Rapid Synthesis of 68Ga-labeled macroaggregated human serum albumin (MAA) for routine application in perfusion imaging using PET/CT.

PubMed

Mueller, D; Kulkarni, Harshad; Baum, Richard P; Odparlik, Andreas

2017-04-01

99m Tc-labeled MAA is commonly used for single photon emission computed tomography SPECT. In contrast, positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) delivers images with significantly higher resolution. The generator produced radionuclide 68 Ga is widely used for PET/CT imaging agents and 68 Ga-labeled MAA represents an attractive alternative to 99m Tc-labeled MAA. We report a simple and rapid NaCl based labeling procedure for the labeling of MAA with 68 Ga using a commercially available MAA labeling kit for 99m Tc. The procedure delivers 68 Ga-labeled MAA with a high specific activity and a high labeling efficiency (>99%). The synthesis does not require a final step of separation or the use of organic solvents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functionalized magnetic-fluorescent hybrid nanoparticles for cell labelling.

PubMed

Lou, Lei; Yu, Ke; Zhang, Zhengli; Li, Bo; Zhu, Jianzhong; Wang, Yiting; Huang, Rong; Zhu, Ziqiang

2011-05-01

A facile method of synthesizing 60 nm magnetic-fluorescent core-shell bifunctional nanocomposites with the ability to label cells is presented. Hydrophobic trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)-capped CdSe@ZnS quantum dots (QDs) were assembled on polyethyleneimine (PEI)-coated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (MNP). Polyethyleneimine was utilized for the realization of multifunction, including attaching 4 nm TOPO capped CdSe@ZnS quantum dots onto magnetite particles, altering the surface properties of quantum dots from hydrophobic to hydrophilic as well as preventing the formation of large aggregates. Results show that these water-soluble hybrid nanocomposites exhibit good colloidal stability and retain good magnetic and fluorescent properties. Because TOPO-capped QDs are assembled instead of their water-soluble equivalents, the nanocomposites are still highly luminescent with no shift in the PL peak position and present long-term fluorescence stability. Moreover, TAT peptide (GRKKRRQRRRPQ) functionalized hybrid nanoparticles were also studied due to their combined magnetic enrichment and optical detection for cell separation and rapid cell labelling. A cell viability assay revealed good biocompatibility of these hybrid nanoparticles. The potential application of the new magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites in biological and medicine is demonstrated. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

19 CFR 18.4 - Sealing conveyances and compartments; labeling packages; warning cards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the breaking of the seals will be necessary to ventilate the hatches, or in other similar... or label to be affixed to heavy or bulky goods being so transported. If, however, he has reason to... authorized to break these seals. Car or vessel Number or name From To Notice: The merchandise in this car...

21 CFR 111.127 - What quality control operations are required for packaging and labeling operations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What quality control operations are required for packaging and labeling operations? 111.127 Section 111.127 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING...

Newly Revised "Intellectual Freedom Manual" Makes It Easier to Find the Help You Need

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magi, Trina

2015-01-01

School librarians regularly face difficult intellectual freedom questions. Is it a good idea to put grade- or reading-level labels on the outside of books or use labels to determine what students should read? Do children have First Amendment rights? The ALA "Intellectual Freedom Manual" provides answers and guidance. The…

21 CFR 212.80 - What are the requirements associated with labeling and packaging PET drug products?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What are the requirements associated with labeling and packaging PET drug products? 212.80 Section 212.80 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR...

The Non-Specific Binding of Fluorescent-Labeled MiRNAs on Cell Surface by Hydrophobic Interaction.

PubMed

Lu, Ting; Lin, Zongwei; Ren, Jianwei; Yao, Peng; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Zhe; Zhang, Qunye

2016-01-01

MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs about 22 nt long that play key roles in almost all biological processes and diseases. The fluorescent labeling and lipofection are two common methods for changing the levels and locating the position of cellular miRNAs. Despite many studies about the mechanism of DNA/RNA lipofection, little is known about the characteristics, mechanisms and specificity of lipofection of fluorescent-labeled miRNAs. Therefore, miRNAs labeled with different fluorescent dyes were transfected into adherent and suspension cells using lipofection reagent. Then, the non-specific binding and its mechanism were investigated by flow cytometer and laser confocal microscopy. The results showed that miRNAs labeled with Cy5 (cyanine fluorescent dye) could firmly bind to the surface of adherent cells (Hela) and suspended cells (K562) even without lipofection reagent. The binding of miRNAs labeled with FAM (carboxyl fluorescein) to K562 cells was obvious, but it was not significant in Hela cells. After lipofectamine reagent was added, most of the fluorescently labeled miRNAs binding to the surface of Hela cells were transfected into intra-cell because of the high transfection efficiency, however, most of them were still binding to the surface of K562 cells. Moreover, the high-salt buffer which could destroy the electrostatic interactions did not affect the above-mentioned non-specific binding, but the organic solvent which could destroy the hydrophobic interactions eliminated it. These results implied that the fluorescent-labeled miRNAs could non-specifically bind to the cell surface by hydrophobic interaction. It would lead to significant errors in the estimation of transfection efficiency only according to the cellular fluorescence intensity. Therefore, other methods to evaluate the transfection efficiency and more appropriate fluorescent dyes should be used according to the cell types for the accuracy of results.

Optimized labeling of bone marrow mesenchymal cells with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and in vivo visualization by magnetic resonance imaging

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising addition to traditional treatments for a number of diseases. However, harnessing the therapeutic potential of stem cells requires an understanding of their fate in vivo. Non-invasive cell tracking can provide knowledge about mechanisms responsible for functional improvement of host tissue. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been used to label and visualize various cell types with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study we performed experiments designed to investigate the biological properties, including proliferation, viability and differentiation capacity of mesenchymal cells (MSCs) labeled with clinically approved SPIONs. Results Rat and mouse MSCs were isolated, cultured, and incubated with dextran-covered SPIONs (ferumoxide) alone or with poly-L-lysine (PLL) or protamine chlorhydrate for 4 or 24 hrs. Labeling efficiency was evaluated by dextran immunocytochemistry and MRI. Cell proliferation and viability were evaluated in vitro with Ki67 immunocytochemistry and live/dead assays. Ferumoxide-labeled MSCs could be induced to differentiate to adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes. We analyzed ferumoxide retention in MSCs with or without mitomycin C pretreatment. Approximately 95% MSCs were labeled when incubated with ferumoxide for 4 or 24 hrs in the presence of PLL or protamine, whereas labeling of MSCs incubated with ferumoxide alone was poor. Proliferative capacity was maintained in MSCs incubated with ferumoxide and PLL for 4 hrs, however, after 24 hrs it was reduced. MSCs incubated with ferumoxide and protamine were efficiently visualized by MRI; they maintained proliferation and viability for up to 7 days and remained competent to differentiate. After 21 days MSCs pretreated with mitomycin C still showed a large number of ferumoxide-labeled cells. Conclusions The efficient and long lasting uptake and retention of SPIONs by MSCs using a protocol employing ferumoxide and protamine may be applicable to patients, since both ferumoxides and protamine are approved for human use. PMID:21542946

78 FR 76836 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Current Good...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-19

... Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements... of FDA's regulations regarding current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for dietary supplements..., or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements--21 CFR Part 111 (OMB Control Number 0910-0606...

3'-End labeling of nucleic acids by a polymerase ribozyme.

PubMed

Samanta, Biswajit; Horning, David P; Joyce, Gerald F

2018-06-13

A polymerase ribozyme can be used to label the 3' end of RNA or DNA molecules by incorporating a variety of functionalized nucleotide analogs. Guided by a complementary template, the ribozyme adds a single nucleotide that may contain a fluorophore, biotin, azide or alkyne moiety, thus enabling the detection and/or capture of selectively labeled materials. Employing a variety of commercially available nucleotide analogs, efficient labeling was demonstrated for model RNAs and DNAs, human microRNAs and natural tRNA.

Application of higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD) to the fragmentation of new DOTA-based labels and N-termini DOTA-labeled peptides.

PubMed

El-Khatib, A H; He, Y; Esteban-Fernández, D; Linscheid, M W

2017-08-01

1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) derivatives are applied in quantitative proteomics owing to their ability to react with different functional groups, to harbor lanthanoides and hence their compatibility with molecular and elemental mass spectrometry. The new DOTA derivatives, namely Ln-MeCAT-Click and Ln-DOTA-Dimedone, allow efficient thiol labeling and targeting sulfenation as an important post-translational modification, respectively. Quantitative applications require the investigation of fragmentation behavior of these reagents. Therefore, the fragmentation behavior of Ln-MeCAT-Click and Ln-DOTA-Dimedone was studied using collision-induced dissociation (CID), infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and higher-energy collision dissociation (HCD) using different energy levels, and the efficiency of reporter ion production was estimated. The efficiency of characteristic fragment formation was in the order IRMPD > HCD (normal energy level) > CID. On the other hand, the application of HCD at high energy levels (HCD@HE; NCE > 250%) resulted in a significant increase in reporter ion production (33-54%). This new strategy was successfully applied to generate label-specific reporter ions for DOTA amino labeling at the N-termini and in a quantitative fashion for the estimation of amino:thiol ratio in peptides. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wedge-shaped slice-selective adiabatic inversion pulse for controlling temporal width of bolus in pulsed arterial spin labeling

PubMed Central

Guo, Jia; Buxton, Richard B.; Wong, Eric C.

2015-01-01

Purpose In pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) methods, arterial blood is labeled via inverting a slab with uniform thickness, resulting in different temporal widths of boluses in vessels with different flow velocities. This limits the temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency gains in PASL-based methods intended for high temporal resolution and SNR efficiency, such as Turbo-ASL and Turbo-QUASAR. Theory and Methods A novel wedge-shaped (WS) adiabatic inversion pulse is developed by adding in-plane gradient pulses to a slice-selective (SS) adiabatic inversion pulse to linearly modulate the inversion thicknesses at different locations while maintaining the adiabatic properties of the original pulse. A hyperbolic secant (HS) based WS inversion pulse was implemented. Its performance was tested in simulations, phantom and human experiments, and compared to an SS HS inversion pulse. Results Compared to the SS inversion pulse, the WS inversion pulse is capable of inducing different inversion thicknesses at different locations. It can be adjusted to generate a uniform temporal width of boluses in arteries at locations with different flow velocities. Conclusion The WS inversion pulse can be used to control the temporal widths of labeled boluses in PASL experiments. This should benefit PASL experiments by maximizing labeling duty cycle, and improving temporal resolution and SNR efficiency. PMID:26451521

Efficient enzymatic synthesis and dual-colour fluorescent labelling of DNA probes using long chain azido-dUTP and BCN dyes

PubMed Central

Ren, Xiaomei; El-Sagheer, Afaf H.; Brown, Tom

2016-01-01

A sterically undemanding azide analogue of dTTP (AHP dUTP) with an alkyl chain and ethynyl attachment to the nucleobase was designed and incorporated into DNA by primer extension, reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An azide-modified 523 bp PCR amplicon with all 335 thymidines replaced by AHP dU was shown to be a perfect copy of the template from which it was amplified. Replacement of thymidine with AHP dU increases duplex stability, accounting in part for the high incorporation efficiency of the azide-modified triphosphate. Single-stranded azide-labelled DNA was conveniently prepared from PCR products by λ-exonuclease digestion and streptavidin magnetic bead isolation. Efficient fluorescent labelling of single and double-stranded DNA was carried out using dyes functionalized with bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yne (BCN) via the strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) reaction. This revealed that the degree of labelling must be carefully controlled to achieve optimum fluorescence and avoid fluorescence quenching. Dual-coloured probes were obtained in a single tube fluorescent labelling reaction; and varying the ratios of the two dyes provides a simple method to prepare DNA probes with unique fluorescent signatures. AHP dUTP is a versatile clickable nucleotide with potentially wide applications in biology and nanotechnology including single molecule studies and synthesis of modified aptamer libraries via SELEX. PMID:26819406

A new and efficient synthetic method for 15N3-labeled cytosine nucleosides: Dimroth rearrangement of cytidine N3-oxides.

PubMed

Sako, Magoichi; Kawada, Hiroyoshi

2004-11-12

The treatment of (15)N(4)-labeled cytidine N(3)-oxide and (15)N(4)-labeled 2'-deoxycytidine N(3)-oxide, prepared from the appropriate unprotected uridines in three reaction steps, with benzyl bromide in the presence of excess lithium methoxide allowed the smooth occurrence of their Dimroth rearrangement even under mild conditions leading to the corresponding (15)N(3)-labeled uridine 4-O-benzyloximes which can easily undergo the reductive N-O bond cleavage to give the desirable (15)N(3)-labeled cytosine nucleosides in high total yields.

A novel label-free photoelectrochemical sensor based on N,S-GQDs and CdS co-sensitized hierarchical Zn2SnO4 cube for detection of cardiac troponin I.

PubMed

Fan, Dawei; Bao, Chunzhu; Khan, Malik Saddam; Wang, Chuanlei; Zhang, Yong; Liu, Qinze; Zhang, Xian; Wei, Qin

2018-05-30

A novel label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor based on graphene quantum dots doped with nitrogen and sulfur (N,S-GQDs) and CdS co-sensitized hierarchical Zn 2 SnO 4 cube was fabricated to detect cardiac troponin I (cTnI). The unique hierarchical Zn 2 SnO 4 cube was synthesized successfully by the solvothermal method, which has a large specific surface to load functional materials. N,S-GQDs nanoparticles were assembled to the surface of cubic Zn 2 SnO 4 coated ITO electrode, which efficiently accelerated the electronic transition and improved photo-to-current conversion efficiency. Then, CdS nanoparticles further were modified by in-situ growth method to form Zn 2 SnO 4 /N,S-GQDs/CdS composite with prominent photocurrent, which was 30 times that of the Zn 2 SnO 4 cube alone. In this work, the specific immune recognition between cTnI antigens and cTnI antibodies (anti-cTnI) reduced the intensity of the photoelectric signal. And the intensity decreased linearly with the logarithm of cTnI concentration range from 0.001 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.3 pg/mL. With high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, good stability and reproducibility, the fabricated PEC sensor showed promising applications in the sensor, clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction and PEC analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol ultra-thin layer chromatography of amino acids.

PubMed

Lu, Tian; Olesik, Susan V

2013-01-01

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ultrathin layer chromatographic (UTLC) plates were fabricated using in situ crosslinking electrospinning technique. The value of these ULTC plates were characterized using the separation of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled amino acids and the separation of amino acids followed visualization using ninhydrin. The in situ crosslinked electrospun PVA plates showed enhanced stability in water and were stable when used for the UTLC study. The selectivity of FITC labeled amino acids on PVA plate was compared with that on commercial Si-Gel plate. The efficiency of the separation varied with analyte concentration, size of capillary analyte applicator, analyte volume, and mat thickness. The concentration of 7mM or less, 50μm i.d. capillary applicator, minimum volume of analyte solution and three-layered mat provides the best efficiency of FITC-labeled amino acids on PVA UTLC plate. The efficiency on PVA plate was greatly improved compared to the efficiency on Si-Gel HPTLC plate. The hydrolysis products of aspartame in diet coke, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, were also successfully analyzed using PVA-UTLC plate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantification of free cysteines in membrane and soluble proteins using a fluorescent dye and thermal unfolding.

PubMed

Branigan, Emma; Pliotas, Christos; Hagelueken, Gregor; Naismith, James H

2013-11-01

Cysteine is an extremely useful site for selective attachment of labels to proteins for many applications, including the study of protein structure in solution by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), fluorescence spectroscopy and medical imaging. The demand for quantitative data for these applications means that it is important to determine the extent of the cysteine labeling. The efficiency of labeling is sensitive to the 3D context of cysteine within the protein. Where the label or modification is not directly measurable by optical or magnetic spectroscopy, for example, in cysteine modification to dehydroalanine, assessing labeling efficiency is difficult. We describe a simple assay for determining the efficiency of modification of cysteine residues, which is based on an approach previously used to determine membrane protein stability. The assay involves a reaction between the thermally unfolded protein and a thiol-specific coumarin fluorophore that is only fluorescent upon conjugation with thiols. Monitoring fluorescence during thermal denaturation of the protein in the presence of the dye identifies the temperature at which the maximum fluorescence occurs; this temperature differs among proteins. Comparison of the fluorescence intensity at the identified temperature between modified, unmodified (positive control) and cysteine-less protein (negative control) allows for the quantification of free cysteine. We have quantified both site-directed spin labeling and dehydroalanine formation. The method relies on a commonly available fluorescence 96-well plate reader, which rapidly screens numerous samples within 1.5 h and uses <100 μg of material. The approach is robust for both soluble and detergent-solubilized membrane proteins.

Application of the Health Belief Model to customers' use of menu labels in restaurants.

PubMed

Jeong, Jin-Yi; Ham, Sunny

2018-04-01

Some countries require the provision of menu labels on restaurant menus to fight the increasing prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases. This study views customers' use of menu labels as a preventive health behavior and applies the Health Belief Model (HBM) with the aim of determining the health belief factors that influence customers' use of menu labels. A self-administered survey was distributed for data collection. Responses were collected from 335 restaurant customers who experienced menu labels in restaurants within three months prior to the survey. The results of a structural equation model showed that all the HBM variables (perceived threats, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers of using menu labels) positively affected the customers' use of menu labels. Perceived threats were influenced by cues to action and cues to action had an indirect influence on menu label use through perceived threats. In conclusion, health beliefs were good predictors of menu label use on restaurant menus. This study validated the application of the HBM to menu labeling in restaurants, and its findings could offer guidelines for the industry and government in developing strategies to expand the use of menu labels among the public. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA-length-dependent quenching of fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticles with gold, graphene oxide and MoS2 nanostructures.

PubMed

Balcioglu, Mustafa; Rana, Muhit; Robertson, Neil; Yigit, Mehmet V

2014-08-13

We controlled the fluorescence emission of a fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticle using three different nanomaterials with ultraefficient quenching capabilities. The control over the fluorescence emission was investigated via spacing introduced by the surface-functionalized single-stranded DNA molecules. DNA molecules were conjugated on different templates, either on the surface of the fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticles or gold and nanographene oxide. The efficiency of the quenching was determined and compared with various fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticle and nanoquencher combinations using DNA molecules with three different lengths. We have found that the template for DNA conjugation plays significant role on quenching the fluorescence emission of the fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticles. We have observed that the size of the DNA controls the quenching efficiency when conjugated only on the fluorescently labeled iron oxide nanoparticles by setting a spacer between the surfaces and resulting change in the hydrodynamic size. The quenching efficiency with 12mer, 23mer and 36mer oligonucleotides decreased to 56%, 54% and 53% with gold nanoparticles, 58%, 38% and 32% with nanographene oxide, 46%, 38% and 35% with MoS2, respectively. On the other hand, the presence, not the size, of the DNA molecules on the other surfaces quenched the fluorescence significantly with different degrees. To understand the effect of the mobility of the DNA molecules on the nanoparticle surface, DNA molecules were attached to the surface with two different approaches. Covalently immobilized oligonucleotides decreased the quenching efficiency of nanographene oxide and gold nanoparticles to ∼22% and ∼21%, respectively, whereas noncovalently adsorbed oligonucleotides decreased it to ∼25% and ∼55%, respectively. As a result, we have found that each nanoquencher has a powerful quenching capability against a fluorescent nanoparticle, which can be tuned with surface functionalized DNA molecules.

Protein 19F-labeling using transglutaminase for the NMR study of intermolecular interactions.

PubMed

Hattori, Yoshikazu; Heidenreich, David; Ono, Yuki; Sugiki, Toshihiko; Yokoyama, Kei-Ichi; Suzuki, Ei-Ichiro; Fujiwara, Toshimichi; Kojima, Chojiro

2017-08-01

The preparation of stable isotope-labeled proteins is important for NMR studies, however, it is often hampered in the case of eukaryotic proteins which are not readily expressed in Escherichia coli. Such proteins are often conveniently investigated following post-expression chemical isotope tagging. Enzymatic 15 N-labeling of glutamine side chains using transglutaminase (TGase) has been applied to several proteins for NMR studies. 19 F-labeling is useful for interaction studies due to its high NMR sensitivity and susceptibility. Here, 19 F-labeling of glutamine side chains using TGase and 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine hydrochloride was established for use in an NMR study. This enzymatic 19 F-labeling readily provided NMR detection of protein-drug and protein-protein interactions with complexes of about 100 kDa since the surface residues provided a good substrate for TGase. The 19 F-labeling method was 3.5-fold more sensitive than 15 N-labeling, and could be combined with other chemical modification techniques such as lysine 13 C-methylation. 13 C-dimethylated- 19 F-labeled FKBP12 provided more accurate information concerning the FK506 binding site.

10 CFR 431.383 - Enforcement process for electric motors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 431.383 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN... not be in compliance with the applicable energy efficiency standard, or upon undertaking to ascertain... its labeled efficiency, or the applicable energy efficiency standard, shall be based on the testing...

Closed flume inlet efficiency.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The goal of the present study was to determine the efficiency of a specific culvert geometry, labeled as : Index 216 Closed Flume Inlet (CFI) in the FDOTs Design Standards, and to determine if geometric changes : affect the efficiency of the curre...

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells labeled with multimodal iron oxide nanoparticles with fluorescent and magnetic properties: application for in vivo cell tracking

PubMed Central

Sibov, Tatiana T; Pavon, Lorena F; Miyaki, Liza A; Mamani, Javier B; Nucci, Leopoldo P; Alvarim, Larissa T; Silveira, Paulo H; Marti, Luciana C; Gamarra, LF

2014-01-01

Here we describe multimodal iron oxide nanoparticles conjugated to Rhodamine-B (MION-Rh), their stability in culture medium, and subsequent validation of an in vitro protocol to label mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord blood (UC-MSC) with MION-Rh. These cells showed robust labeling in vitro without impairment of their functional properties, the viability of which were evaluated by proliferation kinetic and ultrastructural analyzes. Thus, labeled cells were infused into striatum of adult male rats of animal model that mimic late onset of Parkinson’s disease and, after 15 days, it was observed that cells migrated along the medial forebrain bundle to the substantia nigra as hypointense spots in T2 magnetic resonance imaging. These data were supported by short-term magnetic resonance imaging. Studies were performed in vivo, which showed that about 5 × 105 cells could be efficiently detected in the short term following infusion. Our results indicate that these labeled cells can be efficiently tracked in a neurodegenerative disease model. PMID:24531365

Global Potential of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeil, Michael A; McNeil, Michael A.; Letschert, Virginie

2008-06-15

This report estimates the global potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 for energy efficiency improvements associated with equipment (appliances, lighting, and HVAC) in buildings by means of energy efficiency standards and labels (EES&L). A consensus has emerged among the world's scientists and many corporate and political leaders regarding the need to address the threat of climate change through emissions mitigation and adaptation. A further consensus has emerged that a central component of these strategies must be focused around energy, which is the primary generator of greenhouse gas emissions. Two important questions result from this consensus: 'what kinds ofmore » policies encourage the appropriate transformation to energy efficiency' and 'how much impact can these policies have'? This report aims to contribute to the dialogue surrounding these issues by considering the potential impacts of a single policy type, applied on a global scale. The policy addressed in this report is Energy Efficient Standards and Labeling (EES&L) for energy-consuming equipment, which has now been implemented in over 60 countries. Mandatory energy performance standards are important because they contribute positively to a nation's economy and provide relative certainty about the outcome (both timing and magnitudes). Labels also contribute positively to a nation's economy and importantly increase the awareness of the energy-consuming public. Other policies not analyzed here (utility incentives, tax credits) are complimentary to standards and labels and also contribute in significant ways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We believe the analysis reported here to be the first systematic attempt to evaluate the potential of savings from EES&L for all countries and for such a large set of products. The goal of the analysis is to provide an assessment that is sufficiently well-quantified and accurate to allow comparison and integration with other strategies under consideration.« less

Site-Specific Bioorthogonal Labeling for Fluorescence Imaging of Intracellular Proteins in Living Cells.

PubMed

Peng, Tao; Hang, Howard C

2016-11-02

Over the past years, fluorescent proteins (e.g., green fluorescent proteins) have been widely utilized to visualize recombinant protein expression and localization in live cells. Although powerful, fluorescent protein tags are limited by their relatively large sizes and potential perturbation to protein function. Alternatively, site-specific labeling of proteins with small-molecule organic fluorophores using bioorthogonal chemistry may provide a more precise and less perturbing method. This approach involves site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins via genetic code expansion, followed by bioorthogonal chemical labeling with small organic fluorophores in living cells. While this approach has been used to label extracellular proteins for live cell imaging studies, site-specific bioorthogonal labeling and fluorescence imaging of intracellular proteins in live cells is still challenging. Herein, we systematically evaluate site-specific incorporation of diastereomerically pure bioorthogonal UAAs bearing stained alkynes or alkenes into intracellular proteins for inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions with tetrazine-functionalized fluorophores for live cell labeling and imaging in mammalian cells. Our studies show that site-specific incorporation of axial diastereomer of trans-cyclooct-2-ene-lysine robustly affords highly efficient and specific bioorthogonal labeling with monosubstituted tetrazine fluorophores in live mammalian cells, which enabled us to image the intracellular localization and real-time dynamic trafficking of IFITM3, a small membrane-associated protein with only 137 amino acids, for the first time. Our optimized UAA incorporation and bioorthogonal labeling conditions also enabled efficient site-specific fluorescence labeling of other intracellular proteins for live cell imaging studies in mammalian cells.

Evaluation of three methods of platelet labelling.

PubMed

Mortelmans, L; Verbruggen, A; De Roo, M; Vermylen, J

1986-07-01

The study of the kinetics of labelled platelets makes sense only when the platelets preserve their viability after separation and labelling. The separation and labelling procedures described in the manual of two producers of 111In-oxinate (Amersham, Mallinckrodt) have been evaluated by in vitro aggregation tests. The method of Mallinckrodt diminished the aggregation capacities of the thrombocytes. The labelled platelets with normal in vitro aggregation response (Amersham) were tested in vivo in 11 patients who underwent peripheral bypass surgery. The platelet half-life and the platelet accumulation on bypass grafts were checked one week post-operatively. Because of the poor in vivo response of both methods (exponential half-life curve and bad graft visualization), a third method was optimized in our laboratory with good in vitro and in vivo results in 12 patients.

Comparison of technetium-99m sulfur colloid and technetium-99m albumin colloid labeled solid meals for gastric emptying studies.

PubMed

Taillefer, R; Douesnard, J M; Beauchamp, G; Guimond, J

1987-08-01

A Tc-99m albumin colloid (Tc-AC) kit has been introduced as an alternative to Tc-99m sulfur colloid (Tc-SC) for liver-spleen imaging. Since there is no need for boiling, the use of Tc-AC reduces preparation time and manipulation. Tc-SC is one of the most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals for the labeling of solid-phase markers in gastric emptying studies. In vitro studies were performed to evaluate the labeling efficiency and stability in hydrochloric acid and in human gastric juice of intracellularly labeled chicken liver and scrambled eggs labeled with Tc-SC and Tc-AC. Gastric emptying studies also were performed on 20 healthy volunteers with both Tc-SC and Tc-AC labeled scrambled egg sandwiches. There was no significant difference between Tc-SC and Tc-AC in the labeling efficiency of chicken liver (98% +/- 1% for Tc-SC, 96% +/- 2% for Tc-AC) and scrambled eggs (92% +/- 2% for Tc-SC, 91% +/- 3% for Tc-AC). However, both Tc-SC and Tc-AC labeled scrambled eggs showed a lower stability than chicken liver, particularly in human gastric juice. Gastric emptying curves from both meals in 20 normal subjects were also similar, with a mean half-emptying time of 85 +/- 13 minutes and 87 +/- 16 minutes for the meals containing Tc-SC and Tc-AC respectively. Tc-AC is a reliable alternative to Tc-SC as a radiotracer for solid-phase gastric emptying studies.

The effect of magnetic nanoparticles on neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural precursors

PubMed Central

Jiráková, Klára; Šeneklová, Monika; Jirák, Daniel; Turnovcová, Karolína; Vosmanská, Magda; Babič, Michal; Horák, Daniel; Veverka, Pavel; Jendelová, Pavla

2016-01-01

Introduction Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is suitable for noninvasive long-term tracking. We labeled human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural precursors (iPSC-NPs) with two types of iron-based nanoparticles, silica-coated cobalt zinc ferrite nanoparticles (CZF) and poly-l-lysine-coated iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles (PLL-coated γ-Fe2O3) and studied their effect on proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Materials and methods We investigated the effect of these two contrast agents on neural precursor cell proliferation and differentiation capability. We further defined the intracellular localization and labeling efficiency and analyzed labeled cells by MR. Results Cell proliferation was not affected by PLL-coated γ-Fe2O3 but was slowed down in cells labeled with CZF. Labeling efficiency, iron content and relaxation rates measured by MR were lower in cells labeled with CZF when compared to PLL-coated γ-Fe2O3. Cytoplasmic localization of both types of nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical analysis of specific markers expressed during neuronal differentiation did not show any significant differences between unlabeled cells or cells labeled with both magnetic nanoparticles. Conclusion Our results show that cells labeled with PLL-coated γ-Fe2O3 are suitable for MR detection, did not affect the differentiation potential of iPSC-NPs and are suitable for in vivo cell therapies in experimental models of central nervous system disorders. PMID:27920532

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy analysis for accurate determination of proportion of doubly labeled DNA in fluorescent DNA pool for quantitative biochemical assays.

PubMed

Hou, Sen; Sun, Lili; Wieczorek, Stefan A; Kalwarczyk, Tomasz; Kaminski, Tomasz S; Holyst, Robert

2014-01-15

Fluorescent double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules labeled at both ends are commonly produced by annealing of complementary single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules, labeled with fluorescent dyes at the same (3' or 5') end. Because the labeling efficiency of ssDNA is smaller than 100%, the resulting dsDNA have two, one or are without a dye. Existing methods are insufficient to measure the percentage of the doubly-labeled dsDNA component in the fluorescent DNA sample and it is even difficult to distinguish the doubly-labeled DNA component from the singly-labeled component. Accurate measurement of the percentage of such doubly labeled dsDNA component is a critical prerequisite for quantitative biochemical measurements, which has puzzled scientists for decades. We established a fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) system to measure the percentage of doubly labeled dsDNA (PDL) in the total fluorescent dsDNA pool. The method is based on comparative analysis of the given sample and a reference dsDNA sample prepared by adding certain amount of unlabeled ssDNA into the original ssDNA solution. From FCS autocorrelation functions, we obtain the number of fluorescent dsDNA molecules in the focal volume of the confocal microscope and PDL. We also calculate the labeling efficiency of ssDNA. The method requires minimal amount of material. The samples have the concentration of DNA in the nano-molar/L range and the volume of tens of microliters. We verify our method by using restriction enzyme Hind III to cleave the fluorescent dsDNA. The kinetics of the reaction depends strongly on PDL, a critical parameter for quantitative biochemical measurements. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel design for a dual stable isotope continuous labeling chamber: results on labeling efficiency and C and N allocation in Andropogon gerardii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soong, J.; Stewart, C.; Reuss, D.; Pinney, C.; Cotrufo, F. M.

2010-12-01

The use of stable isotope enriched plant material can provide an unobstructed method of studying ecosystem nutrient dynamics between plants, soil, and atmosphere. However, the production of uniformly labeled perennial plant material is challenging due to plant physiological constraints and the mechanics of building and operating an isotope labeling system. In this study we present the design of a novel dual 13C and 15N continuous isotope labeling chamber located at Colorado State University. The chamber is equipped with automatic controls for CO2 concentration, temperature, and humidity, and has successfully been used to grow and label the tallgrass perennial Andropogon gerardii in pots from rhizomes. Three different nitrogen fertilization levels were applied to assess how substrate availability may alter growth and overall performance in the system. The efficiency of the 13C and 15N labeling chamber, its design and overall performance, as well as a full C, N, 13C, and 15N budget of the aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, and soil will be presented. Solid samples were analyzed on an EA-IRMS, while air samples from the chamber were analyzed using a precon-GC-IRMS system. The dual stable isotope labeled A. gerardii produced from this chamber will be used in a decomposition experiment to quantify the relative contribution of aboveground litter derived C to soil respiration, dissolved organic carbon, and various soil organic matter pools. Based on the results of our A. gerardii 13C and 15N labeling experiment we believe that this chamber design can be used to successfully produce dual stable isotope labeled plants for a wide variety of terrestrial nutrient flux experiments.

Poly (dopamine) coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocluster for noninvasive labeling, tracking, and targeted delivery of adipose tissue-derived stem cells

PubMed Central

Liao, Naishun; Wu, Ming; Pan, Fan; Lin, Jiumao; Li, Zuanfang; Zhang, Da; Wang, Yingchao; Zheng, Youshi; Peng, Jun; Liu, Xiaolong; Liu, Jingfeng

2016-01-01

Tracking and monitoring of cells in vivo after transplantation can provide crucial information for stem cell therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with contrast agents is believed to be an effective and non-invasive technique for cell tracking in living bodies. However, commercial superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) applied to label cells suffer from shortages such as potential toxicity, low labeling efficiency, and low contrast enhancing. Herein, the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were efficiently labeled with SPIONs coated with poly (dopamine) (SPIONs cluster@PDA), without affecting their viability, proliferation, apoptosis, surface marker expression, as well as their self-renew ability and multi-differentiation potential. The labeled cells transplanted into the mice through tail intravenous injection exhibited a negative enhancement of the MRI signal in the damaged liver-induced by carbon tetrachloride, and subsequently these homed ADSCs with SPIONs cluster@PDA labeling exhibited excellent repair effects to the damaged liver. Moreover, the enhanced target-homing to tissue of interest and repair effects of SPIONs cluster@PDA-labeled ADSCs could be achieved by use of external magnetic field in the excisional skin wound mice model. Therefore, we provide a facile, safe, noninvasive and sensitive method for external magnetic field targeted delivery and MRI based tracking of transplanted cells in vivo. PMID:26728448

Direct labeling of serum proteins by fluorescent dye for antibody microarray.

PubMed

Klimushina, M V; Gumanova, N G; Metelskaya, V A

2017-05-06

Analysis of serum proteome by antibody microarray is used to identify novel biomarkers and to study signaling pathways including protein phosphorylation and protein-protein interactions. Labeling of serum proteins is important for optimal performance of the antibody microarray. Proper choice of fluorescent label and optimal concentration of protein loaded on the microarray ensure good quality of imaging that can be reliably scanned and processed by the software. We have optimized direct serum protein labeling using fluorescent dye Arrayit Green 540 (Arrayit Corporation, USA) for antibody microarray. Optimized procedure produces high quality images that can be readily scanned and used for statistical analysis of protein composition of the serum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Good Morning Boys and Girls"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigler, Rebecca S.

2005-01-01

It happens every day across the nation: Teachers welcome their students to class by saying, "Good morning, boys and girls." It is one of countless ways teachers highlight gender with their speech and behavior. Unfortunately, teachers' use of gender to label students and organize the classroom can have negative consequences. New research in the…

Effects of heterocyclic-based head group modifications on the structure-activity relationship of tocopherol-based lipids for non-viral gene delivery.

PubMed

Gosangi, Mallikarjun; Mujahid, Thasneem Yoosuf; Gopal, Vijaya; Patri, Srilakshmi V

2016-07-12

Gene therapy, a promising strategy for the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids, is greatly dependent on the development of efficient vectors. In this study, we designed and synthesized several tocopherol-based lipids varying in the head group region. Here, we present the structure-activity relationship of stable aqueous suspensions of lipids that were synthetically prepared and formulated with 1,2-dioleoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (DOPE) as the co-lipid. The physicochemical properties such as the hydrodynamic size, zeta potential, stability and morphology of these formulations were investigated. Interaction with plasmid DNA was clearly demonstrated through gel binding and EtBr displacement assays. Further, the transfection potential was examined in mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2a, hepatocarcinoma HepG2, human embryonic kidney and Chinese hamster ovarian cell lines, all of different origins. Cell-uptake assays with N-methylpiperidinium, N-methylmorpholinium, N-methylimidazolium and N,N-dimethylaminopyridinium head group containing formulations evidently depicted efficient cell uptake as observed by particulate cytoplasmic fluorescence. Trafficking of lipoplexes using an endocytic marker and rhodamine-labeled phospholipid DHPE indicated that the lipoplexes were not sequestered in the lysosomes. Importantly, lipoplexes were non-toxic and mediated good transfection efficiency as analyzed by β-Gal and GFP reporter gene expression assays which established the superior activity of lipids whose structures correlate strongly with the transfection efficiency.

One-pot synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots with good biocompatibility for cell labeling.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhengwei; Yan, Kun; Yang, Qiulian; Liu, Yanhua; Yan, Zhengyu; Chen, Jianqiu

2017-12-01

Here we report an easy and economical hydrothermal carbonization approach to synthesize the fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) that was developed using citric acid and triethanolamine as the precursors. The synthesis conditions were optimized to obtain the N-CDs with superior fluorescence performances. The as-prepared N-CDs are monodispersed sphere nanoparticles with good water solubility, and exhibited strong fluorescence, favourable photostability and excitation wavelength-dependent behavior. Furthermore, the in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular labeling of N-CDs were investigated using the rat glomerular mesangial cells. The results showed the N-CDs have more inconspicuous cytotoxicity and better biosafety in comparison with ZnSe quantum dots, although both targeted the cells successfully. Considering their admirable photostability, low toxicity and good compatibility, the as-obtained N-CDs could have potential applications in biosensors, cellular imaging, and other fields. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of the information model for consumer assessment of key quality indicators by goods labelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshkina, S.; Ostrinskaya, L.

2018-04-01

An information model for “key” quality indicators of goods has been developed. This model is based on the assessment of f standardization existing state and the product labeling quality. According to the authors’ opinion, the proposed “key” indicators are the most significant for purchasing decision making. Customers will be able to use this model through their mobile technical devices. The developed model allows to decompose existing processes in data flows and to reveal the levels of possible architectural solutions. In-depth analysis of the presented information model decomposition levels will allow determining the stages of its improvement and to reveal additional indicators of the goods quality that are of interest to customers in the further research. Examining the architectural solutions for the customer’s information environment functioning when integrating existing databases will allow us to determine the boundaries of the model flexibility and customizability.

Labeling adipose derived stem cell sheet by ultrasmall super-paramagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and magnetic resonance tracking in vivo.

PubMed

Zhou, Shukui; Yin, Ting; Zou, Qingsong; Zhang, Kaile; Gao, Guo; Shapter, Joseph G; Huang, Peng; Fu, Qiang

2017-02-21

Cell sheet therapy has emerged as a potential therapeutic option for reparation and reconstruction of damaged tissues and organs. However, an effective means to assess the fate and distribution of transplanted cell sheets in a serial and noninvasive manner is still lacking. To investigate the feasibility of tracking Adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) sheet in vivo using ultrasmall super-paramagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (USPIO), canine ADSCs were cultured and incubated with USPIO and 0.75 μg/ml Poly-L-Lysine (PLL) for 12 h. Labeling efficiency, cell viability, apoptotic cell rate were assessed to screen the optimum concentrations of USPIO for best labeling ADSCs. The results showed ADSCs were labeled by USPIO at an iron dose of 50 μg/ml for a 12 h incubation time, which can most efficiently mark cells and did not impair the cell survival, self-renewal, and proliferation capacity. USPIO-labeled ADSCs sheets can be easily and clearly detected in vivo and have persisted for at least 12 weeks. Our experiment confirmed USPIO was feasible for in vivo labeling of the ADSCs sheets with the optimal concentration of 50 μg Fe/ml and the tracing time is no less than 12 weeks.

Establishing a commercial building energy data framework for India

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iyer, Maithili; Kumar, Satish; Mathew, Sangeeta

Buildings account for over 40% of the world’s energy consumption and are therefore a key contributor to a country’s energy as well as carbon budget. Understanding how buildings use energy is critical to understanding how related policies may impact energy use. Data enables decision making, and good quality data arms consumers with the tools to compare their energy performance to their peers, allowing them to differentiate their buildings in the real estate market on the basis of their energy footprint. Good quality data are also essential for policy makers to prioritize their energy saving strategies and track implementation. The Unitedmore » States’ Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is an example of a successful data framework that is highly useful for governmental and nongovernmental initiatives related to benchmarking energy forecasting, rating systems and metrics, and more. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India developed the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and launched the Star Labeling program for a few energy-intensive building segments as a significant first step. However, a data driven policy framework for systematically targeting energy efficiency in both new construction and existing buildings has largely been missing. There is no quantifiable mechanism currently in place to track the impact of code adoption through regular reporting/survey of energy consumption in the commercial building stock. In this paper we present findings from our study that explored use cases and approaches for establishing a commercial buildings data framework for India.« less

In-loop flow [11 C]CO2 fixation and radiosynthesis of N,N'-[11 C]dibenzylurea.

PubMed

Downey, Joseph; Bongarzone, Salvatore; Hader, Stefan; Gee, Antony D

2018-03-01

Cyclotron-produced carbon-11 is a highly valuable radionuclide for the production of positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers. It is typically produced as relatively unreactive carbon-11 carbon dioxide ([ 11 C]CO 2 ), which is most commonly converted into a more reactive precursor for synthesis of PET radiotracers. The development of [ 11 C]CO 2 fixation methods has more recently enabled the direct radiolabelling of a diverse array of structures directly from [ 11 C]CO 2 , and the advantages afforded by the use of a loop-based system used in 11 C-methylation and 11 C-carboxylation reactions inspired us to apply the [ 11 C]CO 2 fixation "in-loop." In this work, we developed and investigated a new ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) loop-based [ 11 C]CO 2 fixation method, enabling the fast and efficient, direct-from-cyclotron, in-loop trapping of [ 11 C]CO 2 using mixed DBU/amine solutions. An optimised protocol was integrated into a proof-of-concept in-loop flow radiosynthesis of N,N'-[ 11 C]dibenzylurea. This reaction exhibited an average 78% trapping efficiency and a crude radiochemical purity of 83% (determined by radio-HPLC), giving an overall nonisolated radiochemical yield of 72% (decay-corrected) within just 3 minutes from end of bombardment. This proof-of-concept reaction has demonstrated that efficient [ 11 C]CO 2 fixation can be achieved in a low-volume (150 μL) ETFE loop and that this can be easily integrated into a rapid in-loop flow radiosynthesis of carbon-11-labelled products. This new in-loop methodology will allow fast radiolabelling reactions to be performed using cheap/disposable ETFE tubing setup (ideal for good manufacturing practice production) thereby contributing to the widespread usage of [ 11 C]CO 2 trapping/fixation reactions for the production of PET radiotracers. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Efficient Site-Specific Labeling of Proteins via Cysteines

PubMed Central

Kim, Younggyu; Ho, Sam O.; Gassman, Natalie R.; Korlann, You; Landorf, Elizabeth V.; Collart, Frank R.; Weiss, Shimon

2011-01-01

Methods for chemical modifications of proteins have been crucial for the advancement of proteomics. In particular, site-specific covalent labeling of proteins with fluorophores and other moieties has permitted the development of a multitude of assays for proteome analysis. A common approach for such a modification is solvent-accessible cysteine labeling using thiol-reactive dyes. Cysteine is very attractive for site-specific conjugation due to its relative rarity throughout the proteome and the ease of its introduction into a specific site along the protein's amino acid chain. This is achieved by site-directed mutagenesis, most often without perturbing the protein's function. Bottlenecks in this reaction, however, include the maintenance of reactive thiol groups without oxidation before the reaction, and the effective removal of unreacted molecules prior to fluorescence studies. Here, we describe an efficient, specific, and rapid procedure for cysteine labeling starting from well-reduced proteins in the solid state. The efficacy and specificity of the improved procedure are estimated using a variety of single-cysteine proteins and thiol-reactive dyes. Based on UV/vis absorbance spectra, coupling efficiencies are typically in the range 70–90%, and specificities are better than ~95%. The labeled proteins are evaluated using fluorescence assays, proving that the covalent modification does not alter their function. In addition to maleimide-based conjugation, this improved procedure may be used for other thiol-reactive conjugations such as haloacetyl, alkyl halide, and disulfide interchange derivatives. This facile and rapid procedure is well suited for high throughput proteome analysis. PMID:18275130

Efficient site-specific labeling of proteins via cysteines.

PubMed

Kim, Younggyu; Ho, Sam O; Gassman, Natalie R; Korlann, You; Landorf, Elizabeth V; Collart, Frank R; Weiss, Shimon

2008-03-01

Methods for chemical modifications of proteins have been crucial for the advancement of proteomics. In particular, site-specific covalent labeling of proteins with fluorophores and other moieties has permitted the development of a multitude of assays for proteome analysis. A common approach for such a modification is solvent-accessible cysteine labeling using thiol-reactive dyes. Cysteine is very attractive for site-specific conjugation due to its relative rarity throughout the proteome and the ease of its introduction into a specific site along the protein's amino acid chain. This is achieved by site-directed mutagenesis, most often without perturbing the protein's function. Bottlenecks in this reaction, however, include the maintenance of reactive thiol groups without oxidation before the reaction, and the effective removal of unreacted molecules prior to fluorescence studies. Here, we describe an efficient, specific, and rapid procedure for cysteine labeling starting from well-reduced proteins in the solid state. The efficacy and specificity of the improved procedure are estimated using a variety of single-cysteine proteins and thiol-reactive dyes. Based on UV/vis absorbance spectra, coupling efficiencies are typically in the range 70-90%, and specificities are better than approximately 95%. The labeled proteins are evaluated using fluorescence assays, proving that the covalent modification does not alter their function. In addition to maleimide-based conjugation, this improved procedure may be used for other thiol-reactive conjugations such as haloacetyl, alkyl halide, and disulfide interchange derivatives. This facile and rapid procedure is well suited for high throughput proteome analysis.

Medical Gas Containers and Closures; Current Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-11-18

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is amending its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and labeling regulations regarding medical gases. FDA is requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers not manufactured with permanent gas use outlet connections have gas-specific use outlet connections that cannot be readily removed or replaced except by the manufacturer. FDA is also requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers and high-pressure medical gas cylinders meet certain labeling, naming, and color requirements. These requirements are intended to increase the likelihood that the contents of medical gas containers are accurately identified and reduce the likelihood of the wrong gas being connected to a gas supply system or container. FDA is also revising an existing regulation that conditionally exempts certain medical gases from certain otherwise-applicable labeling requirements in order to add oxygen and nitrogen to the list of gases subject to the exemption, and to remove cyclopropane and ethylene from the list.

Japanese consumer preferences for milk certified with the good agricultural practice(GAP) label.

PubMed

Aizaki, Hideo; Nanseki, Teruaki; Zhou, Hui

2013-01-01

This study examined Japanese consumers' valuation of a good agricultural practice (GAP) label on packaged milk and investigated the effect of detailed GAP information on valuation. A total of 624 Japanese consumers were asked to select their most preferred milk through an online survey. The milk was assumed to have three attributes: the GAP label, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certification, and price. The results showed that consumers' valuation of GAP was significantly positive. Although providing additional GAP information to a respondent who was aware of GAP and what it means had a positive effect on the consumers' valuation of GAP, provision of this information had no effect if the respondent knew about GAP either moderately or slightly, and had a negative effect if the respondent did not know about GAP at all. To increase broad consumer awareness and valuation of GAP, it is important to provide GAP information according to the requirements of consumers. © 2012 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2012 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

In-store marketing of inexpensive foods with good nutritional quality in disadvantaged neighborhoods: increased awareness, understanding, and purchasing.

PubMed

Gamburzew, Axel; Darcel, Nicolas; Gazan, Rozenn; Dubois, Christophe; Maillot, Matthieu; Tomé, Daniel; Raffin, Sandrine; Darmon, Nicole

2016-09-27

Consumers often do not understand nutrition labels or do not perceive their usefulness. In addition, price can be a barrier to healthy food choices, especially for socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. A 6-month intervention combined shelf labeling and marketing strategies (signage, prime placement, taste testing) to draw attention to inexpensive foods with good nutritional quality in two stores located in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Marseille (France). The inexpensive foods with good nutritional quality were identified based on their nutrient profile and their price. Their contribution to customers' spending on food was assessed in the two intervention stores and in two control stores during the intervention, as well as in the year preceding the intervention (n = 6625). Exit survey (n = 259) and in-depth survey (n = 116) were used to assess customers' awareness of and perceived usefulness of the program, knowledge of nutrition, understanding of the labeling system, as well as placement-, taste- and preparation-related attractiveness of promoted products. Matched purchasing data were used to assess the contribution of promoted products to total food spending for each customer who participated in the in-depth survey. The contribution of inexpensive foods with good nutritional quality to customers' total food spending increased between 2013 and 2014 for both the control stores and the intervention stores. This increase was significantly higher in the intervention stores than in the control stores for fruits and vegetables (p = 0.001) and for starches (p = 0.011). The exit survey revealed that 31 % of customers had seen the intervention materials; this percentage increased significantly at the end of the intervention (p < 0.001). The in-depth survey showed that customers who had seen the intervention materials scored significantly higher on quizzes assessing nutrition knowledge (p < 0.001) and understanding of the labeling system (p = 0.024). A social marketing intervention aimed at increasing the visibility and attractiveness of inexpensive foods with good nutritional quality may improve food purchasing behaviors in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Adapter reagents for protein site specific dye labeling.

PubMed

Thompson, Darren A; Evans, Eric G B; Kasza, Tomas; Millhauser, Glenn L; Dawson, Philip E

2014-05-01

Chemoselective protein labeling remains a significant challenge in chemical biology. Although many selective labeling chemistries have been reported, the practicalities of matching the reaction with appropriately functionalized proteins and labeling reagents is often a challenge. For example, we encountered the challenge of site specifically labeling the cellular form of the murine Prion protein with a fluorescent dye. To facilitate this labeling, a protein was expressed with site specific p-acetylphenylalanine. However, the utility of this acetophenone reactive group is hampered by the severe lack of commercially available aminooxy fluorophores. Here we outline a general strategy for the efficient solid phase synthesis of adapter reagents capable of converting maleimido-labels into aminooxy or azide functional groups that can be further tuned for desired length or solubility properties. The utility of the adapter strategy is demonstrated in the context of fluorescent labeling of the murine Prion protein through an adapted aminooxy-Alexa dye. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Adapter Reagents for Protein Site Specific Dye Labeling

PubMed Central

Thompson, Darren A.; Evans, Eric G. B.; Kasza, Tomas; Millhauser, Glenn L.; Dawson, Philip E.

2016-01-01

Chemoselective protein labeling remains a significant challenge in chemical biology. Although many selective labeling chemistries have been reported, the practicalities of matching the reaction with appropriately functionalized proteins and labeling reagents is often a challenge. For example, we encountered the challenge of site specifically labeling the cellular form of the murine Prion protein with a fluorescent dye. To facilitate this labeling, a protein was expressed with site specific p-acetylphenylalanine. However, the utility of this aceto-phenone reactive group is hampered by the severe lack of commercially available aminooxy fluorophores. Here we outline a general strategy for the efficient solid phase synthesis of adapter reagents capable of converting maleimido-labels into aminooxy or azide functional groups that can be further tuned for desired length or solubility properties. The utility of the adapter strategy is demonstrated in the context of fluorescent labeling of the murine Prion protein through an adapted aminooxy-Alexa dye. PMID:24599728

PolSK Label Over VSB-CSRZ Payload Scheme in AOLS Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hongwei; Chen, Minghua; Xie, Shizhong

2007-06-01

A novel orthogonal modulation scheme of polarization-shift-keying label over vestigial sideband payload is proposed and experimentally demonstrated over a 43-Gb/s all-optical-label-switching transmission. With this scheme, a high extinction ratio of the label is reached, while a spectral efficiency of 0.8 b/s/Hz is achieved by weakening the imperfection of the high-speed pulse sequence in polarization modulation. Furthermore, this modulation scheme is relatively irrelevant with payload bit rate. The payload and label penalties after 80-km NZDSF fiber transmission and label erasure are 1.5 and 1 dB, respectively. The influence of filter center frequency offset is also investigated. Besides, a label rewriting method is introduced to simplify label processing in intermedia nodes. All these results show that this scheme can be a candidate technique for the next-generation optical network.

Ultrasensitive luminol electrochemiluminescence for protein detection based on in situ generated hydrogen peroxide as coreactant with glucose oxidase anchored AuNPs@MWCNTs labeling.

PubMed

Cao, Yaling; Yuan, Ruo; Chai, Yaqin; Mao, Li; Niu, Huan; Liu, Huijing; Zhuo, Ying

2012-01-15

In this study, an ultrasensitive luminol electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed using carboxyl group functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as platform and glucose oxidase (GOD) supported on Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated MWCNTs (AuNPs@MWCNTs-GOD) as labels. Firstly, using poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) as linkage reagents, AuNPs@MWCNTs were prepared and introduced for binding of the secondary antibody (Ab(2)) and glucose oxidase (GOD) with high loading amount and good biological activity due to the improved surface area of AuNPs@MWCNTs and excellent biocompatibility of AuNPs. Then the GOD and Ab(2) labeled AuNPs@MWCNTs were linked to the electrode surface via sandwich immunoreactions. These localized GOD and AuNPs amplified luminol ECL signals dramatically, which was achieved by efficient catalysis of the GOD and AuNPs towards the oxidation of glucose to in situ generate improved amount of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) as coreactant and the enhancement of AuNPs to the ECL reaction of luminol-H(2)O(2). The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed immunosensor exhibited sensitive and stable response for the detection of α-1-fetoprotein (AFP), ranging from 0.0001 to 80 ng mL(-1) with a limit of detection down to 0.03 pg mL(-1) (S/N=3). With excellent stability, sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity, the proposed luminol ECL immunosensor showed great potential in clinical applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanostructured organosilicon luminophores and their application in highly efficient plastic scintillators

PubMed Central

Ponomarenko, Sergei A.; Surin, Nikolay M.; Borshchev, Oleg V.; Luponosov, Yuriy N.; Akimov, Dmitry Y.; Alexandrov, Ivan S.; Burenkov, Alexander A.; Kovalenko, Alexey G.; Stekhanov, Viktor N.; Kleymyuk, Elena A.; Gritsenko, Oleg T.; Cherkaev, Georgiy V.; Kechek'yan, Alexander S.; Serenko, Olga A.; Muzafarov, Aziz M.

2014-01-01

Organic luminophores are widely used in various optoelectronic devices, which serve for photonics, nuclear and particle physics, quantum electronics, medical diagnostics and many other fields of science and technology. Improving their spectral-luminescent characteristics for particular technical requirements of the devices is a challenging task. Here we show a new concept to universal solution of this problem by creation of nanostructured organosilicon luminophores (NOLs), which are a particular type of dendritic molecular antennas. They combine the best properties of organic luminophores and inorganic quantum dots: high absorption cross-section, excellent photoluminescence quantum yield, fast luminescence decay time and good processability. A NOL consists of two types of covalently bonded via silicon atoms organic luminophores with efficient Förster energy transfer between them. Using NOLs in plastic scintillators, widely utilized for radiation detection and in elementary particles discoveries, led to a breakthrough in their efficiency, which combines both high light output and fast decay time. Moreover, for the first time plastic scintillators, which emit light in the desired wavelength region ranging from 370 to 700 nm, have been created. We anticipate further applications of NOLs as working elements of pulsed dye lasers in photonics, optoelectronics and as fluorescent labels in biology and medical diagnostics. PMID:25293808

A Low-Storage-Consumption XML Labeling Method for Efficient Structural Information Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Wenxin; Takahashi, Akihiro; Yokota, Haruo

Recently, labeling methods to extract and reconstruct the structural information of XML data, which are important for many applications such as XPath query and keyword search, are becoming more attractive. To achieve efficient structural information extraction, in this paper we propose C-DO-VLEI code, a novel update-friendly bit-vector encoding scheme, based on register-length bit operations combining with the properties of Dewey Order numbers, which cannot be implemented in other relevant existing schemes such as ORDPATH. Meanwhile, the proposed method also achieves lower storage consumption because it does not require either prefix schema or any reserved codes for node insertion. We performed experiments to evaluate and compare the performance and storage consumption of the proposed method with those of the ORDPATH method. Experimental results show that the execution times for extracting depth information and parent node labels using the C-DO-VLEI code are about 25% and 15% less, respectively, and the average label size using the C-DO-VLEI code is about 24% smaller, comparing with ORDPATH.

Intravital imaging by simultaneous label-free autofluorescence-multiharmonic microscopy.

PubMed

You, Sixian; Tu, Haohua; Chaney, Eric J; Sun, Yi; Zhao, Youbo; Bower, Andrew J; Liu, Yuan-Zhi; Marjanovic, Marina; Sinha, Saurabh; Pu, Yang; Boppart, Stephen A

2018-05-29

Intravital microscopy (IVM) emerged and matured as a powerful tool for elucidating pathways in biological processes. Although label-free multiphoton IVM is attractive for its non-perturbative nature, its wide application has been hindered, mostly due to the limited contrast of each imaging modality and the challenge to integrate them. Here we introduce simultaneous label-free autofluorescence-multiharmonic (SLAM) microscopy, a single-excitation source nonlinear imaging platform that uses a custom-designed excitation window at 1110 nm and shaped ultrafast pulses at 10 MHz to enable fast (2-orders-of-magnitude improvement), simultaneous, and efficient acquisition of autofluorescence (FAD and NADH) and second/third harmonic generation from a wide array of cellular and extracellular components (e.g., tumor cells, immune cells, vesicles, and vessels) in living tissue using only 14 mW for extended time-lapse investigations. Our work demonstrates the versatility and efficiency of SLAM microscopy for tracking cellular events in vivo, and is a major enabling advance in label-free IVM.

77 FR 58338 - Trade Regulation Rule on Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel and Certain Piece Goods

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-20

... 423.6(a) and (b). \\2\\ 16 CFR 423.6(c). \\3\\ The Rule provides that the symbol system developed by ASTM..., that it is ``a system of cleaning by means of equipment consisting of a computer-controlled washer and... GINETEX (83), which is responsible for the care labeling system used in European countries. \\17\\ The...

Flexible-rate optical packet generation/detection and label swapping for optical label switching networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhongying; Li, Juhao; Tian, Yu; Ge, Dawei; Zhu, Paikun; Chen, Yuanxiang; Chen, Zhangyuan; He, Yongqi

2017-03-01

In recent years, optical label switching (OLS) gains lots of attentions due to its intrinsic advantages to implement protocol, bit-rate, granularity and data format transparency packet switching. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme to realize flexible-rate optical packet switching for OLS networks. At the transmitter node, flexible-rate packet is generated by parallel modulating different combinations of optical carriers generated from the optical multi-carrier generator (OMCG), among which the low-speed optical label occupies one carrier. At the switching node, label is extracted and re-generated in label processing unit (LPU). The payloads are switched based on routing information and new label is added after switching. At the receiver node, another OMCG serves as local oscillators (LOs) for optical payloads coherent detection. The proposed scheme offers good flexibility for dynamic optical packet switching by adjusting the payload bandwidth and could also effectively reduce the number of lasers, modulators and receivers for packet generation/detection. We present proof-of-concept demonstrations of flexible-rate packet generation/detection and label swapping in 12.5 GHz grid. The influence of crosstalk for cascaded label swapping is also investigated.

Production of stable isotope-labeled acyl-coenzyme A thioesters by yeast stable isotope labeling by essential nutrients in cell culture

PubMed Central

Snyder, Nathaniel W.; Tombline, Gregory; Worth, Andrew J.; Parry, Robert C.; Silvers, Jacob A.; Gillespie, Kevin P.; Basu, Sankha S.; Millen, Jonathan; Goldfarb, David S.; Blair, Ian A.

2015-01-01

Acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) thioesters are key metabolites in numerous anabolic and catabolic pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis and β-oxidation, the Krebs cycle, and cholesterol and isoprenoid biosynthesis. Stable isotope dilution-based methodology is the gold standard for quantitative analyses by mass spectrometry. However, chemical synthesis of families of stable isotope labeled metabolites such as acyl-coenzyme A thioesters is impractical. Previously, we biosynthetically generated a library of stable isotope internal standard analogs of acyl-CoA thioesters by exploiting the essential requirement in mammals and insects for pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) as a metabolic precursor for the CoA backbone. By replacing pantothenic acid in the cell media with commercially available [13C3 15N1]-pantothenic acid, mammalian cells exclusively incorporated [13C3 15N1]-pantothenate into the biosynthesis of acyl-CoA and acyl-CoA thioesters. We have now developed a much more efficient method for generating stable isotope labeled CoA and acyl-CoAs from [13C3 15N1]-pantothenate using Stable Isotope Labeling by Essential nutrients in Cell culture (SILEC) in Pan6 deficient yeast cells. Efficiency and consistency of labeling were also increased, likely due to the stringently defined and reproducible conditions used for yeast culture. The yeast SILEC method greatly enhances the ease of use and accessibility of labeled CoA thioesters and also provides proof-of-concept for generating other labeled metabolites in yeast mutants. PMID:25572876

Classic maximum entropy recovery of the average joint distribution of apparent FRET efficiency and fluorescence photons for single-molecule burst measurements.

PubMed

DeVore, Matthew S; Gull, Stephen F; Johnson, Carey K

2012-04-05

We describe a method for analysis of single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) burst measurements using classic maximum entropy. Classic maximum entropy determines the Bayesian inference for the joint probability describing the total fluorescence photons and the apparent FRET efficiency. The method was tested with simulated data and then with DNA labeled with fluorescent dyes. The most probable joint distribution can be marginalized to obtain both the overall distribution of fluorescence photons and the apparent FRET efficiency distribution. This method proves to be ideal for determining the distance distribution of FRET-labeled biomolecules, and it successfully predicts the shape of the recovered distributions.

Label-Free Biosensor Using a Silver Specific RNA-Cleaving DNAzyme Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube for Silver Ion Determination

PubMed Central

Liu, Yang; Liu, Gang

2018-01-01

Silver, a very common heavy metal, has been employed in electronics, medicine, jewelry, and catalysis due to its excellent chemical and physical characteristics. Silver-containing wastes can cause environmental pollution, so it is vital to monitor the Ag(I) concentration. Here, a label-free biosensor was developed for the Ag(I) detection, which used single-walled carbon nanotubes/field effect transistor (SWNTs/FET) to functionalize with a specific DNAzyme, containing an Agzyme and a complementary strand DNA (CS-DNA) embedded an RNA-base. The CS-DNA was covalently immobilized on the SWNTs’ surface through peptide bonds, and then combined with the Agzyme. When Ag(I) was bound with the Agzyme, the CS-DNA can be cleaved at the RNA site efficiently. The cleaved DNAzyme induced a remarkable change in the electrical conductivity of SWNTs. The performances of DNAzyme/SWNTs/FET were investigated using different spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Under the optimized parameters, DNAzyme/SWNTs/FET presented a high sensitivity and selectivity towards Ag(I), in which the linear response range is 10 pM to 106 pM and the limit of detection is 5 pM(S/N = 3). Additionally, the prepared biosensor was applied to measure the Ag(I) concentration in the water sample with good results. PMID:29677143

Study of lignin biotransformation by Aspergillus fumigatus and white-rot fungi using /sup 14/C-labeled and unlabeled kraft lignins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kadam, K.K.; Drew, S.W.

1986-01-01

The biodegradation of lignin by fungi was studied in shake flasks using /sup 14/C-labeled kraft lignin and in a deep-tank fermentor using unlabeled kraft lignin. Among the fungi screened, A. fumigatus - isolated in our laboratories - was most potent in lignin biotransformation. Dialysis-type fermentation, designed to study possible accumulation of low MW lignin-derived products, showed no such accumulation. Recalcitrant carbohydrates like microcrystalline cellulose supported higher lignolytic activity than easily metabolized carbohydrates like cellobiose. An assay developed to distinguish between CO/sub 2/ evolved from lignin and carbohydrate substrates demonstrated no stoichiometric correlation between the metabolism of the two cosubstrates. Themore » submerged fermentations with unlabeled liqnin are difficult to monitor since chemical assays do not give accurate and true results. Lignolytic efficiencies that allowed monitoring of such fermentations were defined. Degraded lignins were clearly superior to C. versicolor in all aspects of lignin degradation; A fumigatus brought about substantial demethoxylation and dehydroxylation, whereas C. versicolor degraded lignins closely resembled undegraded kraft lignin. There was a good agreement among the different indices of lignin degradation, namely, /sup 14/CO evolution, OCH/sub 3/ loss, OH loss, and monomer and dimer yield after permanganate oxidation.« less

Label-free measurement of the yeast short chain TAG lipase activity by ESI-MS after one-step esterification.

PubMed

Ham, Hye Jin; Seo, Jongcheol; Yoon, Hye-Joo; Shin, Seung Koo

2017-03-01

Triacylglycerol (TAG) lipases hydrolyze ester bonds in TAG and release diacylglycerol (DAG), monoacylglycerol (MAG), and FA. We present a one-step chemical derivatization method for label-free quantification of a mixture of TAG, DAG, and MAG following lipase assay by ESI-MS. Because the ionization efficiencies of TAG, DAG, and MAG are not identical, lipase reaction products, DAG and MAG, are derivatized to TAG species by esterifying their hydroxyl groups using acyl chloride, whose acyl chain contains one less (or one more) -CH 2 group than that of substrate TAG. This resulted in three TAG species that were separated by 14 Da from one another and exhibited similar ion responses representing their molar amounts in the mass spectra. A good linear correlation was observed between peak intensity ratios and molar ratios in calibration curve. This method enables simultaneous quantification of TAG, DAG, and MAG in lipase assay and, in turn, allows stoichiometric determination of the concentrations of FAs released from TAG and DAG separately. By applying this strategy to measure both TAG and DAG lipolytic activities of the yeast Tgl2 lipase, we demonstrated its usefulness in studying enzymatic catalysis, as lipase enzymes often show dissimilar activities toward these lipids. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Detection and Quantification of 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine in Alzheimer’s Transgenic Mouse Urine using Capillary Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Zhang, Cheng; Nestorova, Gergana; Rissman, Robert A.; Feng, June

2013-01-01

8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is one of the major forms of oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and is commonly analyzed as an excellent marker of DNA lesions. The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive method to accurately and rapidly quantify the 8-OHdG by using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF). The method involved the use of specific antibody to detect DNA lesions (8-OHdG) and consecutive fluorescence labeling. Next, the urine sample with 8-OHdG fluorescently labeled along with other constituents was resolved by capillary electrophoretic system and the lesion of interest was detected using fluorescence detector. The limit of detection was 0.18 fmol, which is sufficient sensitivity for detection and quantification of 8-OHdG in untreated urine samples. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was found to be 11.32 % for migration time, and 5.52 % for peak area. To demonstrate the utility of this method, the urinary concentration of 8-OHdG in an Alzheimer’s transgenic mouse model was determined. Collectively, our results indicate that this methodology offers great advantages such as high separation efficiency, good selectivity, low limit of detection (LOD), simplicity and low cost of analysis. PMID:23712533

Comparison of nine different real-time PCR chemistries for qualitative and quantitative applications in GMO detection.

PubMed

Buh Gasparic, Meti; Tengs, Torstein; La Paz, Jose Luis; Holst-Jensen, Arne; Pla, Maria; Esteve, Teresa; Zel, Jana; Gruden, Kristina

2010-03-01

Several techniques have been developed for detection and quantification of genetically modified organisms, but quantitative real-time PCR is by far the most popular approach. Among the most commonly used real-time PCR chemistries are TaqMan probes and SYBR green, but many other detection chemistries have also been developed. Because their performance has never been compared systematically, here we present an extensive evaluation of some promising chemistries: sequence-unspecific DNA labeling dyes (SYBR green), primer-based technologies (AmpliFluor, Plexor, Lux primers), and techniques involving double-labeled probes, comprising hybridization (molecular beacon) and hydrolysis (TaqMan, CPT, LNA, and MGB) probes, based on recently published experimental data. For each of the detection chemistries assays were included targeting selected loci. Real-time PCR chemistries were subsequently compared for their efficiency in PCR amplification and limits of detection and quantification. The overall applicability of the chemistries was evaluated, adding practicability and cost issues to the performance characteristics. None of the chemistries seemed to be significantly better than any other, but certain features favor LNA and MGB technology as good alternatives to TaqMan in quantification assays. SYBR green and molecular beacon assays can perform equally well but may need more optimization prior to use.

Fabricated CeO2 nanopowders as a novel sensing platform for advanced forensic, electrochemical and photocatalytic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohini, B. S.; Nagabhushana, H.; Darshan, G. P.; Basavaraj, R. B.; Sharma, S. C.; Sudarmani, R.

2017-11-01

In Forensic investigation, identification of various types of ridge details are essential in order to fix the criminals associated in various crimes. Even though several methods and labeling agents are available to visualize latent finger prints (LFPs) there is still simple, accurate, cost-effective, and non-destructive tool is required. In the present work, CeO2 nanopowders (NPs) are prepared via simple solution combustion route using Tamarindus indica fruit extract as a fuel. The optimized NPs are utilized for visualization of LFPs on various surfaces by powder dusting method. Results revealed that visualized LFPs exhibit Level 3 features such as pores and ridge contours under normal light with high sensitivity and without background hindrance. The photometric characteristics of the prepared samples exhibit blue color emission and highly useful in warm light emitting diodes. The photocatalytic studies were carried out with different Methylene blue (MB) dye concentration and pH values. The obtained results reveal that the CeO2 NPs exhibits an excellent catalytic properties which can act as a good catalytic reagent. The findings demonstrate that the prepared NPs are quite useful as a labeling agent for visualization of LFPs, efficient catalysts for dye degradation as well as solid-state lighting applications.

Label-Free Biosensor Using a Silver Specific RNA-Cleaving DNAzyme Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube for Silver Ion Determination.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Liu, Yang; Liu, Gang

2018-04-20

Silver, a very common heavy metal, has been employed in electronics, medicine, jewelry, and catalysis due to its excellent chemical and physical characteristics. Silver-containing wastes can cause environmental pollution, so it is vital to monitor the Ag(I) concentration. Here, a label-free biosensor was developed for the Ag(I) detection, which used single-walled carbon nanotubes/field effect transistor (SWNTs/FET) to functionalize with a specific DNAzyme, containing an Agzyme and a complementary strand DNA (CS-DNA) embedded an RNA-base. The CS-DNA was covalently immobilized on the SWNTs’ surface through peptide bonds, and then combined with the Agzyme. When Ag(I) was bound with the Agzyme, the CS-DNA can be cleaved at the RNA site efficiently. The cleaved DNAzyme induced a remarkable change in the electrical conductivity of SWNTs. The performances of DNAzyme/SWNTs/FET were investigated using different spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Under the optimized parameters, DNAzyme/SWNTs/FET presented a high sensitivity and selectivity towards Ag(I), in which the linear response range is 10 pM to 10⁶ pM and the limit of detection is 5 pM(S/N = 3). Additionally, the prepared biosensor was applied to measure the Ag(I) concentration in the water sample with good results.

Endocytotic potential governs magnetic particle loading in dividing neural cells: studying modes of particle inheritance

PubMed Central

Tickle, Jacqueline A; Jenkins, Stuart I; Polyak, Boris; Pickard, Mark R; Chari, Divya M

2016-01-01

Aim: To achieve high and sustained magnetic particle loading in a proliferative and endocytotically active neural transplant population (astrocytes) through tailored magnetite content in polymeric iron oxide particles. Materials & methods: MPs of varying magnetite content were applied to primary-derived rat cortical astrocytes ± static/oscillating magnetic fields to assess labeling efficiency and safety. Results: Higher magnetite content particles display high but safe accumulation in astrocytes, with longer-term label retention versus lower/no magnetite content particles. Magnetic fields enhanced loading extent. Dynamic live cell imaging of dividing labeled astrocytes demonstrated that particle distribution into daughter cells is predominantly ‘asymmetric’. Conclusion: These findings could inform protocols to achieve efficient MP loading into neural transplant cells, with significant implications for post-transplantation tracking/localization. PMID:26785794

21 CFR 814.118 - Denial of approval or withdrawal of approval of an HDE.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... contains an untrue statement of material fact, or omits material information; (5) The device's labeling... in compliance with the good laboratory practice regulations in part 58 of this chapter and no reason... conducting the study and the good laboratory practice regulations do not support the validity of the study...

Nonenzymatic chemiluminescent detection and quantitation of total protein on Western and slot blots allowing subsequent immunodetection and sequencing.

PubMed

Alba, F J; Daban, J R

1997-10-01

We have studied the light emission efficiency of proteins labeled with different fluorescent dyes chemically excited by the bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)-H2O2 reaction. Using this peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence system, the best results were obtained with proteins covalently labeled with 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3(2H)-furanone (MDPF). Blotted proteins on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes can be labeled rapidly with MDPF. Our results demonstrate that energy from the excited intermediate produced in the TCPO-H2O2 reaction can be efficiently transferred to MDPF-labeled proteins in solution and on PVDF membranes. Although this nonenzymatic chemiluminescent system produces a background emission that reduces the sensitivity, the method developed in this work allows detection of 5 ng of protein in blots after 5 min exposure to X-ray film. Chemiluminescence of MDPF-labeled proteins on Western and slot blots may also be detected and quantified using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or a storage phosphor imaging system. This chemiluminescent method allows the staining of the total electrophoretic pattern but does not preclude further N-terminal sequencing and immunodetection of specific bands.

16 CFR Appendix J2 to Part 305 - Pool Heaters-Oil

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS ENERGY AND WATER USE LABELING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âENERGY LABELING... heating capacity Range of thermal efficiencies(percent) Low High All capacities * * * No data submitted...

Feasibility of an appliance energy testing and labeling program for Sri Lanka

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biermayer, Peter; Busch, John; Hakim, Sajid

2000-04-01

A feasibility study evaluated the costs and benefits of establishing a program for testing, labeling and setting minimum efficiency standards for appliances and lighting in Sri Lanka. The feasibility study included: refrigerators, air-conditioners, flourescent lighting (ballasts & CFls), ceiling fans, motors, and televisions.

The Label Matters: μPET Imaging of the Biodistribution of Low Molar Mass 89Zr and 18F-Labeled Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline).

PubMed

Glassner, Mathias; Palmieri, Luca; Monnery, Bryn D; Verbrugghen, Thomas; Deleye, Steven; Stroobants, Sigrid; Staelens, Steven; Wyffels, Leonie; Hoogenboom, Richard

2017-01-09

Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s (PAOx) have received increasing interest for biomedical applications. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to gain an in-depth understanding of the biodistribution profile of PAOx. We report the biodistribution of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) with a molar mass of 5 kDa radiolabeled with PET isotopes 89 Zr and 18 F. 18 F-labeled PEtOx is prepared by the strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) of [ 18 F]fluoroethylazide to bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yne (BCN)-functionalized PEtOx as many common labeling strategies were found to be unsuccessful for PEtOx. 89 Zr-labeled PEtOx is prepared using desferrioxamine end-groups as a chelator. Five kDa PEtOx shows a significantly faster blood clearance compared to PEtOx of higher molar mass while uptake in the liver is lower, indicating a minor contribution of the liver in excretion of the 5 kDa PEtOx. While [ 18 F]-PEtOx displays a rapid and efficient clearance from the kidneys, 5 kDa [ 89 Zr]-Df-PEtOx is not efficiently cleared over the time course of the study, which is most likely caused by trapping of 89 Zr-labeled metabolites in the renal tubules and not the polymer itself, demonstrating the importance of selecting the appropriate label for biodistribution studies.

Stable isotope labeling by essential nutrients in cell culture for preparation of labeled coenzyme A and its thioesters.

PubMed

Basu, Sankha S; Mesaros, Clementina; Gelhaus, Stacy L; Blair, Ian A

2011-02-15

Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry (MS) represents the gold standard for quantification of endogenously formed cellular metabolites. Although coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl-CoA thioester derivatives are central players in numerous metabolic pathways, the lack of a commercially available isotopically labeled CoA limits the development of rigorous MS-based methods. In this study, we adapted stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) methodology to biosynthetically generate stable isotope labeled CoA and thioester analogues for use as internal standards in liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (LC/MRM-MS) assays. This was accomplished by incubating murine hepatocytes (Hepa 1c1c7) in media in which pantothenate (a precursor of CoA) was replaced with [(13)C(3)(15)N(1)]-pantothenate. Efficient incorporation into various CoA species was optimized to >99% [(13)C(3)(15)N(1)]-pantothenate after three passages of the murine cells in culture. Charcoal-dextran-stripped fetal bovine serum (FBS) was found to be more efficient for serum supplementation than dialyzed or undialyzed FBS, due to lower contaminating unlabeled pantothenate content. Stable isotope labeled CoA species were extracted and utilized as internal standards for CoA thioester analysis in cell culture models. This methodology of stable isotope labeling by essential nutrients in cell culture (SILEC) can serve as a paradigm for using vitamins and other essential nutrients to generate stable isotope standards that cannot be readily synthesized.

Direct fluorescent labeling for efficient biological assessment of inhalable particles.

PubMed

Poudel, Bijay Kumar; Park, Jae Hong; Lim, Jiseok; Byeon, Jeong Hoon

2017-10-01

Labeling of aerosol particles with a radioactive, magnetic, or optical tracer has been employed to confirm particle localization in cell compartments, which has provided useful evidence for correlating toxic effects of inhaled particles. However, labeling requires several physicochemical steps to identify functionalities of the inner or outer surfaces of particles, and moreover, these steps can cause changes in size, surface charge, and bioactivity of the particles, resulting in misinterpretations regarding their toxic effects. This study addresses this challenging issue with a goal of introducing an efficient strategy for constantly supplying labeled aerosol particles in a single-pass configuration without any pre- or post-physicochemical batch treatments of aerosol particles. Carbon black (CB, simulating combustion-generated soot) or calcium carbonate (CC, simulating brake-wear fragments) particles were constantly produced via spark ablation or bubble bursting, respectively. These minute particles were incorporated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-poly(ethylene glycol) 2-aminoethyl ether acetic acid solution at the orifice of a collison atomizer to fabricate hybrid droplets. The droplets successively entered a diffusion dryer containing 254-nm UV irradiation; therefore, the droplets were dynamically stiffened by UV to form fluorescent probes on particles during solvent extraction in the dryer. Particle size distributions, morphologies, and surface charges before and after labeling were measured to confirm fluorescence labeling without significant changes in the properties. In vitro assays, including confocal imaging, were conducted to confirm the feasibility of the labeling approach without inducing significant differences in bioactivity compared with untreated CB or CC particles.

Calorie-labelling in catering outlets: acceptability and impacts on food sales.

PubMed

Nikolaou, Charoula K; Lean, Michael E J; Hankey, Catherine R

2014-10-01

Obesity is the biggest challenge facing preventive medicine. Calorie-labelling has been suggested as a way of changing the architecture of an 'obesogenic' environment without limiting consumer choice. This study examined the effect of calorie-labelling on sales of food items at catering outlets on a city-centre university campus. Sales data were collected for two consecutive months in 2013 on three UK university sites (two with calorie-labelling during second month, one control) and analysed with chi-square 'Goodness-of-Fit' tests. A questionnaire seeking consumers' views and use of the calorie-labelling was administered and analysed at group-level with chi-square tests. In intervention vs control sites, total sales of all labelled items fell significantly (-17% vs -2%, p<0.001) for the month with calorie-labelling. Calorie-labelling was associated with substantially reduced sales of high-calorie labelled items, without any compensatory changes in unlabelled alternative items. Among 1166 student- and 646 staff-respondents, 56% reported using the calorie-labels, 97% of them to make lower-calorie choices. More females (63%) than males (40%) reported being influenced by calorie-labels when choosing foods (p=0.01). This study provides evidence, beyond that from single-meal exposures, for the acceptability of meal calorie-labelling and its potential as an effective low-cost anti-obesity measure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficient sortase-mediated N-terminal labeling of TEV protease cleaved recombinant proteins.

PubMed

Sarpong, Kwabena; Bose, Ron

2017-03-15

A major challenge in attaching fluorophores or other handles to proteins is the availability of a site-specific labeling strategy that provides stoichiometric modification without compromising protein integrity. We developed a simple approach that combines TEV protease cleavage, sortase modification and affinity purification to N-terminally label proteins. To achieve stoichiometrically-labeled protein, we included a short affinity tag in the fluorophore-containing peptide for post-labeling purification of the modified protein. This strategy can be easily applied to any recombinant protein with a TEV site and we demonstrate this on Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Membrane Scaffold Protein (MSP) constructs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rationale and evidence for menu-labeling legislation.

PubMed

Roberto, Christina A; Schwartz, Marlene B; Brownell, Kelly D

2009-12-01

Menu-labeling legislation is a proposed public health intervention for poor diet and obesity that requires chain restaurants to provide nutrition information on menus and menu boards. The restaurant industry has strongly opposed menu-labeling legislation. Using scientific evidence, this paper counters industry arguments against menu labeling by demonstrating that consumers want chain restaurant nutrition information to be disclosed; the current methods of providing nutrition information are inadequate; the expense of providing nutrition information is minimal; the government has the legal right to mandate disclosure of information; consumers have the right to know nutrition information; a lack of information reduces the efficiency of a market economy; and menu labeling has the potential to make a positive public health impact.

High MRI performance fluorescent mesoporous silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles for tracking neural progenitor cells in an ischemic mouse model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lu; Wang, Yao; Tang, Yaohui; Jiao, Zheng; Xie, Chengying; Zhang, Haijiao; Gu, Ping; Wei, Xunbin; Yang, Guo-Yuan; Gu, Hongchen; Zhang, Chunfu

2013-05-01

Multifunctional probes with high MRI sensitivity and high efficiency for cell labeling are desirable for MR cell imaging. Herein, we have fabricated fluorescent mesoporous silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (fmSiO4@SPIONs) for neural progenitor cell (C17.2) MR imaging. FmSiO4@SPIONs were discrete and uniform in size, and had a clear core-shell structure. The magnetic core size was about 10 nm and the fluorescent mesoporous silica coating layer was around 20 nm. Compared with fluorescent dense silica-coated SPIONs (fdSiO4@SPIONs) with a similar size, fmSiO4@SPIONs demonstrated higher MR sensitivity and cell labeling efficiency. When implanted into the right hemisphere of stroke mice, contralateral to the ischemic territory, a small amount of labeled cells were able to be tracked migrating to the lesion sites using a clinical MRI scanner (3 T). More impressively, even when administered intravenously, the labeled cells could also be monitored homing to the ischemic area. MRI observations were corroborated by histological studies of the brain tissues. Our study demonstrated that fmSiO4@SPIONs are highly effective for cell imaging and hold great promise for MRI cell tracking in future.Multifunctional probes with high MRI sensitivity and high efficiency for cell labeling are desirable for MR cell imaging. Herein, we have fabricated fluorescent mesoporous silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (fmSiO4@SPIONs) for neural progenitor cell (C17.2) MR imaging. FmSiO4@SPIONs were discrete and uniform in size, and had a clear core-shell structure. The magnetic core size was about 10 nm and the fluorescent mesoporous silica coating layer was around 20 nm. Compared with fluorescent dense silica-coated SPIONs (fdSiO4@SPIONs) with a similar size, fmSiO4@SPIONs demonstrated higher MR sensitivity and cell labeling efficiency. When implanted into the right hemisphere of stroke mice, contralateral to the ischemic territory, a small amount of labeled cells were able to be tracked migrating to the lesion sites using a clinical MRI scanner (3 T). More impressively, even when administered intravenously, the labeled cells could also be monitored homing to the ischemic area. MRI observations were corroborated by histological studies of the brain tissues. Our study demonstrated that fmSiO4@SPIONs are highly effective for cell imaging and hold great promise for MRI cell tracking in future. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Details of cell internalization of fmSiO4@SPIONs compared with SHU555A, immunofluorescence image of the immature phenotype of labeled C17.2. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00119a

Feasibility of Quantifying Arterial Cerebral Blood Volume Using Multiphase Alternate Ascending/Descending Directional Navigation (ALADDIN).

PubMed

Kim, Ki Hwan; Choi, Seung Hong; Park, Sung-Hong

2016-01-01

Arterial cerebral blood volume (aCBV) is associated with many physiologic and pathologic conditions. Recently, multiphase balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) readout was introduced to measure labeled blood signals in the arterial compartment, based on the fact that signal difference between labeled and unlabeled blood decreases with the number of RF pulses that is affected by blood velocity. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of a new 2D inter-slice bSSFP-based arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique termed, alternate ascending/descending directional navigation (ALADDIN), to quantify aCBV using multiphase acquisition in six healthy subjects. A new kinetic model considering bSSFP RF perturbations was proposed to describe the multiphase data and thus to quantify aCBV. Since the inter-slice time delay (TD) and gap affected the distribution of labeled blood spins in the arterial and tissue compartments, we performed the experiments with two TDs (0 and 500 ms) and two gaps (300% and 450% of slice thickness) to evaluate their roles in quantifying aCBV. Comparison studies using our technique and an existing method termed arterial volume using arterial spin tagging (AVAST) were also separately performed in five subjects. At 300% gap or 500-ms TD, significant tissue perfusion signals were demonstrated, while tissue perfusion signals were minimized and arterial signals were maximized at 450% gap and 0-ms TD. ALADDIN has an advantage of visualizing bi-directional flow effects (ascending/descending) in a single experiment. Labeling efficiency (α) of inter-slice blood flow effects could be measured in the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) (20.8±3.7%.) and was used for aCBV quantification. As a result of fitting to the proposed model, aCBV values in gray matter (1.4-2.3 mL/100 mL) were in good agreement with those from literature. Our technique showed high correlation with AVAST, especially when arterial signals were accentuated (i.e., when TD = 0 ms) (r = 0.53). The bi-directional perfusion imaging with multiphase ALADDIN approach can be an alternative to existing techniques for quantification of aCBV.

Signal amplification strategy for biomarkers: Structural origins of epitaxial-growth twinned nanocrystals and D-π-A type polymers.

PubMed

Liu, He; Gu, Yue; Dong, Tao; Yan, Liuqing; Yan, Xiaoyi; Zhang, Tingting; Lu, Nannan; Xu, Zhiqian; Xu, Haixin; Zhang, Zhiquan; Bian, Ting

2018-06-30

The combination of nanoparticles and biomarkers yields functional nanostructured biointerface, which is playing a notable role in biotechnology development. Due to the 5-fold twined structure in the Au-Pt star-shaped decahedra not only allowed it to act as efficient scaffold for immobilization of antibody, but it also exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity toward H 2 O 2 reduction, the nanocrystal as the efficient signal transduction label is first employed to construct an electrochemical immunosensor. Donor-π-Acceptor (D-π-A) linking fashion generates a dipolar push-pull system and assures superior intramolecular charge transfer. It is considered as a suitable π-conjugated backbone for conducting polymer on biointerface application. Under a D-π-A architecture which imidazole as the π-bridge and amino phenyl/phenyl groups as peripheral electron-donating/withdrawing functional groups, 4-(2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl) aniline (TPIDA) is designed and synthesized for good biocompatibility and high conductivity. In this proposal, we attempt to integrate the above-mentioned two features from nanobiotechnology and organic bioelectronics. Then, a novel nonenzymatic sandwich-type immunosensor is performed by Au-Pt core-shell with surface-engineered twinning as a label and π-conjugated D-π-A polymers as the signal amplification platform. Human IgG (HIgG) as the model target protein can be detected with a wide linear range from 0.1 pg mL -1 to 100 ng mL -1 . The detection limit is down to 0.06 pg mL -1 (S/N = 3). Moreover, as a practical application, the prepared biosensor is used to monitor HIgG level in human serum with desirable results obtained. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of fluorescent label, DBD-beta-proline, and the resolution efficiency for chiral amines by reversed-phase chromatography.

PubMed

Min, Jun Zhe; Toyo'oka, Toshimasa; Kato, Masaru; Fukushima, Takeshi

2005-01-01

DBD-d(and l)-beta-proline, new fluorescent chiral derivatization reagents, were synthesized from the reaction of 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7- fl uoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F) with beta-proline. The racemic mixture synthesized was separated by a chiral stationary phase (CSP) column, Chiralpak AD-H, with n-hexane-EtOH-TFA-diethylamine (70:30:0.1:0.1) as the mobile phase. The dl-forms were decided according to the results obtained from a circular dichroism (CD) detector after separation by the CSP column. The fractionated enantiomers reacted with chiral amine to produce a couple of diastereomers. The labeling proceeded in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and pyridine as the activation reagents. The reaction conditions were mild and no racemization occurred during the diastereomer formation. The resulting diastereomers fluoresced at around 570 nm (excitation at around 460 nm). Good linearity of the calibration curves was obtained in the range 1-75 pmol and the detection limits on chromatogram were less than 1 pmol. The separability of the diastereomers was compared with the diastereomers derived from DBD-d(or l)-proline. The resolution values (Rs) obtained from the diastereomers of three chiral amines with DBD-d(or l)-beta-proline were higher than those derived from DBD-d(or l)-proline, e.g. dl-phenylalanine methylester (dl-PAME), 2.23 vs 1.37; (R)(S)-1-phenylethylamine [(R)(S)-PEA], 2.09 vs 1.13; and (R)(S)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamines [(R)(S)-NEA], 5.19 vs 1.23. The results suggest that the position of COOH group on pyrrolidine moiety in the structures is one of the important factors for the efficient separation of a couple of the diastereomers.

21 CFR 73.2400 - Pyrophyllite.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2400 Pyrophyllite. (a) Identity and specifications. The... applied cosmetics, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The...

21 CFR 73.2400 - Pyrophyllite.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2400 Pyrophyllite. (a) Identity and specifications. The... applied cosmetics, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The...

21 CFR 73.2400 - Pyrophyllite.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2400 Pyrophyllite. (a) Identity and specifications. The... applied cosmetics, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The...

Determination of short chain carboxylic acids in vegetable oils and fats using ion exclusion chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Viidanoja, Jyrki

2015-02-27

A new method for quantification of short chain C1-C6 carboxylic acids in vegetable oils and fats by employing Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) has been developed. The method requires minor sample preparation and applies non-conventional Electrospray Ionization (ESI) liquid phase chemistry. Samples are first dissolved in chloroform and then extracted using water that has been spiked with stable isotope labeled internal standards that are used for signal normalization and absolute quantification of selected acids. The analytes are separated using Ion Exclusion Chromatography (IEC) and detected with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) as deprotonated molecules. Prior to ionization the eluent that contains hydrochloric acid is modified post-column to ensure good ionization efficiency of the analytes. The averaged within run precision and between run precision were generally lower than 8%. The accuracy was between 85 and 115% for most of the analytes. The Lower Limit of Quantification (LLOQ) ranged from 0.006 to 7mg/kg. It is shown that this method offers good selectivity in cases where UV detection fails to produce reliable results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A post-labeling strategy based on dye-induced peeling of the aptamer off single-walled carbon nanotubes for electrochemical aptasensing.

PubMed

Fu, Yingchun; Wang, Ting; Bu, Lijuan; Xie, Qingji; Li, Penghao; Chen, Jinhua; Yao, Shouzhuo

2011-03-07

A simple and efficient post-labeling strategy based on dye-induced peeling of the aptamer molecules off single-walled carbon nanotubes was developed for electrochemical aptasensing of thrombin with a detection limit down to 3 pM.

Multiplex and label-free screening of foodborne pathogens using surface plasmon resonance imaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In order to protect outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens, more rapid and efficient methods are needed for pathogen screening from food samples. Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is an emerging optical technique, which allows for label-free screening of multiple targets simultaneously with ...

16 CFR Appendix J1 to Part 305 - Pool Heaters-Gas

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS ENERGY AND WATER USE LABELING FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âENERGY LABELING... heating capacity Range of thermal efficiencies(percent) Natural gas Low High Propane Low High Low High All...

Multiplex surface plasmon resonance imaging platform for label-free detection of foodborne pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Salmonellae are among the leading causes of foodborne outbreaks in the United States, and more rapid and efficient detection methods are needed. Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is an emerging optical technique, which allows for rapid and label-free screening of multiple targets simultaneous...

Surface plasmon resonance imaging for label-free detection of foodborne pathogens and toxins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

More rapid and efficient detection methods for foodborne pathogenic bacteria and toxins are needed to address the long assay time and limitations in multiplex capacity. Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is an emerging optical technique, which allows for rapid and label-free screening of multi...

15 CFR 9.4 - Development of voluntary energy conservation specifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... efficiency characteristics of the class of appliance or equipment. (3) A prototype Label and directions for... conditions of use, and stating that any manufacturer of appliances or equipment in the class concerned desiring voluntarily to use the Label and Energy Conservation Mark with such appliances or equipment must...

Are there good reasons for fluoride labelling of food and drink?

PubMed

Zohoori, F V; Maguire, A

2018-02-23

This opinion piece highlights the importance of controlling systemic fluoride intake from food and drink in early childhood to minimise risk of dental fluorosis whilst maximising caries prevention; the wide range of fluoride contents found in a study of commercially-available food and drinks; and the need for comprehensive fluoride labelling on food and drink products in the UK, particularly those used by infants and young children.

Synthesis and evaluation of a 99mTc-labeled tubulin-binding agent for tumor imaging.

PubMed

Erfani, Mostafa; Shamsaei, Mojtaba; Mohammadbaghery, Faiyaz; Shirmardi, Seyed Pezhman

2014-05-30

Cholchicine and its derivatives are very potent tubulin-binding compounds and can be used as a potential tumor targeting agents. In this study, colchicine was labeled with (99m) Tc via hydrazinonicotinic acid (HYNIC) and was investigated further. HYNIC/cholchicine was synthesized and labeling with (99m)Tc was performed at 95 °C for 15 min and radiochemical analysis included HPLC method. The stability of radiconjugate was checked in the presence of human serum at 37 °C up to 24 h. Biodistribution was studied in breast tumor-bearing mice. Labeling yield of 95.8 ± 0.54% was obtained corresponding to a specific activity of 54 MBq/µmol. Radioconjugate showed good stability in the presence of human serum. Biodistribution studies in tumor-bearing mice showed that (99m) Tc/HYNIC/colchicine conjugate accumulated in tumor with good uptake (3.17 ± 0.14% g/g at 1 h post-injection). The radioconjugate was cleared fast from normal organs and showed clearance through urinary and hepatobiliary systems with accumulation of activity in kidneys and intestine. This radioconjugate may be useful to assess the presence of tumor by imaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assimilation efficiency for sediment-sorbed benzo(a)pyrene by Diporeia spp.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lydy, M.J.; Landrum, P.F.

1993-01-01

Two methods are currently available for determining contaminant assimilation efficiencies (AE) from ingested material in benthic invertebrates. These methods were compared using the Great Lakes amphipod Diporeia spp. and [14C]benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) sorbed to Florissant sediment (< 63 µm). The first approach, the direct measurement method, uses total organic carbon as a tracer and yielded AE values ranging from 45.9~50.4%. The second approach, the dual-labeled method, uses 51Cr as a non-assimilated tracer and did not yield AE values for our data. The inability of the dual-labeled approach to estimate AEs was due, in part, to the selective feeding by Diporeia resulting in a failure of the non-assimilated tracer (51Cr) to track with the assimilated tracer ([14C]BaP). The failure of the dual-labeled approach was not a result of an uneven distribution of the labels among particle size classes, but more likely resulted from differential sorption of the two isotopically labeled materials to particles of differing composition. The [14C]BaP apparently sorbs to organic particles that are selectively ingested, while the 51Cr apparently sorbs to particles which are selectively excluded by Diporeia. The dual-labeled approach would be a viable and easier experimental approach for determining AE values if the characteristics that govern selective feeding can be determined.

Outstanding Questions In First Amendment Law Related To Food Labeling Disclosure Requirements For Health.

PubMed

Pomeranz, Jennifer L

2015-11-01

The federal and state governments are increasingly focusing on food labeling as a method to support good health. Many such laws are opposed by the food industry and may be challenged in court, raising the question of what is legally feasible. This article analyzes outstanding questions in First Amendment law related to commercial disclosure requirements and conducts legal analysis and policy evaluation for three current policies. These include the Food and Drug Administration's draft regulation requiring an added sugar disclosure on the Nutrition Facts panel, California's proposed sugar-sweetened beverage safety warning label bill, and Vermont's law requiring labels of genetically engineered food to disclose this information. I recommend several methods for policy makers to enact food labeling laws within First Amendment parameters, including imposing factual commercial disclosure requirements, disclosing the government entity issuing a warning, collecting evidence, and identifying legitimate governmental interests. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Recognition-driven chemical labeling of endogenous proteins in multi-molecular crowding in live cells.

PubMed

Amaike, Kazuma; Tamura, Tomonori; Hamachi, Itaru

2017-11-14

Endogenous protein labeling is one of the most invaluable methods for studying the bona fide functions of proteins in live cells. However, multi-molecular crowding conditions, such as those that occur in live cells, hamper the highly selective chemical labeling of a protein of interest (POI). We herein describe how the efficient coupling of molecular recognition with a chemical reaction is crucial for selective protein labeling. Recognition-driven protein labeling is carried out by a synthetic labeling reagent containing a protein (recognition) ligand, a reporter tag, and a reactive moiety. The molecular recognition of a POI can be used to greatly enhance the reaction kinetics and protein selectivity, even under live cell conditions. In this review, we also briefly discuss how such selective chemical labeling of an endogenous protein can have a variety of applications at the interface of chemistry and biology.

Mass Isotopomer Analysis of Metabolically Labeled Nucleotide Sugars and N- and O-Glycans for Tracing Nucleotide Sugar Metabolisms*

PubMed Central

Nakajima, Kazuki; Ito, Emi; Ohtsubo, Kazuaki; Shirato, Ken; Takamiya, Rina; Kitazume, Shinobu; Angata, Takashi; Taniguchi, Naoyuki

2013-01-01

Nucleotide sugars are the donor substrates of various glycosyltransferases, and an important building block in N- and O-glycan biosynthesis. Their intercellular concentrations are regulated by cellular metabolic states including diseases such as cancer and diabetes. To investigate the fate of UDP-GlcNAc, we developed a tracing method for UDP-GlcNAc synthesis and use, and GlcNAc utilization using 13C6-glucose and 13C2-glucosamine, respectively, followed by the analysis of mass isotopomers using LC-MS. Metabolic labeling of cultured cells with 13C6-glucose and the analysis of isotopomers of UDP-HexNAc (UDP-GlcNAc plus UDP-GalNAc) and CMP-NeuAc revealed the relative contributions of metabolic pathways leading to UDP-GlcNAc synthesis and use. In pancreatic insulinoma cells, the labeling efficiency of a 13C6-glucose motif in CMP-NeuAc was lower compared with that in hepatoma cells. Using 13C2-glucosamine, the diversity of the labeling efficiency was observed in each sugar residue of N- and O-glycans on the basis of isotopomer analysis. In the insulinoma cells, the low labeling efficiencies were found for sialic acids as well as tri- and tetra-sialo N-glycans, whereas asialo N-glycans were found to be abundant. Essentially no significant difference in secreted hyaluronic acids was found among hepatoma and insulinoma cell lines. This indicates that metabolic flows are responsible for the low sialylation in the insulinoma cells. Our strategy should be useful for systematically tracing each stage of cellular GlcNAc metabolism. PMID:23720760

Multicolor fluorescent biosensor for multiplexed detection of DNA.

PubMed

Hu, Rong; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Wu, Cuichen; Fu, Ting; Tan, Weihong

2014-05-20

Development of efficient methods for highly sensitive and rapid screening of specific oligonucleotide sequences is essential to the early diagnosis of serious diseases. In this work, an aggregated cationic perylene diimide (PDI) derivative was found to efficiently quench the fluorescence emission of a variety of anionic oligonucleotide-labeled fluorophores that emit at wavelengths from the visible to NIR region. This broad-spectrum quencher was then adopted to develop a multicolor biosensor via a label-free approach for multiplexed fluorescent detection of DNA. The aggregated perylene derivative exhibits a very high quenching efficiency on all ssDNA-labeled dyes associated with biosensor detection, having efficiency values of 98.3 ± 0.9%, 97 ± 1.1%, and 98.2 ± 0.6% for FAM, TAMRA, and Cy5, respectively. An exonuclease-assisted autocatalytic target recycling amplification was also integrated into the sensing system. High quenching efficiency combined with autocatalytic target recycling amplification afforded the biosensor with high sensitivity toward target DNA, resulting in a detection limit of 20 pM, which is about 50-fold lower than that of traditional unamplified homogeneous fluorescent assay methods. The quencher did not interfere with the catalytic activity of nuclease, and the biosensor could be manipulated in either preaddition or postaddition manner with similar sensitivity. Moreover, the proposed sensing system allows for simultaneous and multicolor analysis of several oligonucleotides in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its potential application in the rapid screening of multiple biotargets.

"It's Good for Their Self-Esteem": The Substance beneath the Label

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leather, Mark

2013-01-01

This paper provides an informed and critical understanding of the concept of self-esteem. It explores this psychological construct in relation to its use in adventure education and outdoor learning. Enhancing a participant's self-esteem is perceived to be fundamentally a good thing and is culturally linked to the Hahnian notion that implies…

Consumer Behavior Analysis of Fair Trade Coffee: Evidence from Field Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stratton, Jeanine P.; Werner, Matt J.

2013-01-01

Consumers have shown increased interest in purchasing goods with pro- environmental claims or products that promote societal well-being, such as fair wages paid to farmers of the raw materials and workers in the manufacturing process of a good (e.g., social product labels, including Fair Trade). However, few studies have explored actual purchase…

Lyophilized Kit for the Preparation of the PET Perfusion Agent [(68)Ga]-MAA.

PubMed

Amor-Coarasa, Alejandro; Milera, Andrew; Carvajal, Denny; Gulec, Seza; McGoron, Anthony J

2014-01-01

Rapid developments in the field of medical imaging have opened new avenues for the use of positron emitting labeled microparticles. The radioisotope used in our research was (68)Ga, which is easy to obtain from a generator and has good nuclear properties for PET imaging. Methods. Commercially available macroaggregated albumin (MAA) microparticles were suspended in sterile saline, centrifuged to remove the free albumin and stannous chloride, relyophilized, and stored for later labeling with (68)Ga. Labeling was performed at different temperatures and times. (68)Ga purification settings were also tested and optimized. Labeling yield and purity of relyophilized MAA microparticles were compared with those that were not relyophilized. Results. MAA particles kept their original size distribution after relyophilization. Labeling yield was 98% at 75°C when a (68)Ga purification system was used, compared to 80% with unpurified (68)Ga. Radiochemical purity was over 97% up to 4 hours after the labeling. The relyophilized MAA and labeling method eliminate the need for centrifugation purification of the final product and simplify the labeling process. Animal experiments demonstrated the high in vivo stability of the obtained PET agent with more than 95% of the activity remaining in the lungs after 4 hours.

Calorie menu labeling on quick-service restaurant menus: an updated systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Swartz, Jonas J; Braxton, Danielle; Viera, Anthony J

2011-12-08

Nutrition labels are one strategy being used to combat the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates that calorie labels be added to menu boards of chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. This systematic review includes seven studies published since the last review on the topic in 2008. Authors searched for peer-reviewed studies using PUBMED and Google Scholar. Included studies used an experimental or quasi-experimental design comparing a calorie-labeled menu with a no-calorie menu and were conducted in laboratories, college cafeterias, and fast food restaurants. Two of the included studies were judged to be of good quality, and five of were judged to be of fair quality. Observational studies conducted in cities after implementation of calorie labeling were imprecise in their measure of the isolated effects of calorie labels. Experimental studies conducted in laboratory settings were difficult to generalize to real world behavior. Only two of the seven studies reported a statistically significant reduction in calories purchased among consumers using calorie-labeled menus. The current evidence suggests that calorie labeling does not have the intended effect of decreasing calorie purchasing or consumption.

Quantification of genetically modified soya using strong anion exchange chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Chang, Po-Chih; Reddy, P Muralidhar; Ho, Yen-Peng

2014-09-01

Stable-isotope dimethyl labeling was applied to the quantification of genetically modified (GM) soya. The herbicide-resistant gene-related protein 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS) was labeled using a dimethyl labeling reagent, formaldehyde-H2 or -D2. The identification and quantification of CP4 EPSPS was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The CP4 EPSPS protein was separated from high abundance proteins using strong anion exchange chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Then, the tryptic peptides from the samples and reference were labeled with formaldehyde-H2 and formaldehyde-D2, respectively. The two labeled pools were mixed and analyzed using MALDI-MS. The data showed a good correlation between the peak ratio of the H- and D-labeled peptides and the GM soya percentages at 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 %, with R (2) of 0.99. The labeling reagents are readily available. The labeling experiments and the detection procedures are simple. The approach is useful for the quantification of GM soya at a level as low as 0.5 %.

Classic Maximum Entropy Recovery of the Average Joint Distribution of Apparent FRET Efficiency and Fluorescence Photons for Single-molecule Burst Measurements

PubMed Central

DeVore, Matthew S.; Gull, Stephen F.; Johnson, Carey K.

2012-01-01

We describe a method for analysis of single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) burst measurements using classic maximum entropy. Classic maximum entropy determines the Bayesian inference for the joint probability describing the total fluorescence photons and the apparent FRET efficiency. The method was tested with simulated data and then with DNA labeled with fluorescent dyes. The most probable joint distribution can be marginalized to obtain both the overall distribution of fluorescence photons and the apparent FRET efficiency distribution. This method proves to be ideal for determining the distance distribution of FRET-labeled biomolecules, and it successfully predicts the shape of the recovered distributions. PMID:22338694

High-efficient and high-content cytotoxic recording via dynamic and continuous cell-based impedance biosensor technology.

PubMed

Hu, Ning; Fang, Jiaru; Zou, Ling; Wan, Hao; Pan, Yuxiang; Su, Kaiqi; Zhang, Xi; Wang, Ping

2016-10-01

Cell-based bioassays were effective method to assess the compound toxicity by cell viability, and the traditional label-based methods missed much information of cell growth due to endpoint detection, while the higher throughputs were demanded to obtain dynamic information. Cell-based biosensor methods can dynamically and continuously monitor with cell viability, however, the dynamic information was often ignored or seldom utilized in the toxin and drug assessment. Here, we reported a high-efficient and high-content cytotoxic recording method via dynamic and continuous cell-based impedance biosensor technology. The dynamic cell viability, inhibition ratio and growth rate were derived from the dynamic response curves from the cell-based impedance biosensor. The results showed that the biosensors has the dose-dependent manners to diarrhetic shellfish toxin, okadiac acid based on the analysis of the dynamic cell viability and cell growth status. Moreover, the throughputs of dynamic cytotoxicity were compared between cell-based biosensor methods and label-based endpoint methods. This cell-based impedance biosensor can provide a flexible, cost and label-efficient platform of cell viability assessment in the shellfish toxin screening fields.

Ultrasensitive Label-free Electrochemical Immunosensor based on Multifunctionalized Graphene Nanocomposites for the Detection of Alpha Fetoprotein

PubMed Central

Wang, Yaoguang; Zhang, Yong; Wu, Dan; Ma, Hongmin; Pang, Xuehui; Fan, Dawei; Wei, Qin; Du, Bin

2017-01-01

In this work, a novel label-free electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the quantitative detection of alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Multifunctionalized graphene nanocomposites (TB-Au-Fe3O4-rGO) were applied to modify the electrode to achieve the amplification of electrochemical signal. TB-Au-Fe3O4-rGO includes the advantages of graphene, ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs), gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and toluidine blue (TB). As a kind of redox probe, TB can produce the electrochemical signal. Graphene owns large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity and good adsorption property to load a large number of TB. Fe3O4 NPs have good electrocatalytic performance towards the redox of TB. Au NPs have good biocompatibility to capture the antibodies. Due to the good electrochemical performance of TB-Au-Fe3O4-rGO, the effective and sensitive detection of AFP was achieved by the designed electrochemical immunosensor. Under optimal conditions, the designed immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10−5 ng/mL to 10.0 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 2.7 fg/mL for AFP. It also displayed good electrochemical performance including good reproducibility, selectivity and stability, which would provide potential applications in the clinical diagnosis of other tumor markers. PMID:28186128

Video-Rate Confocal Microscopy for Single-Molecule Imaging in Live Cells and Superresolution Fluorescence Imaging

PubMed Central

Lee, Jinwoo; Miyanaga, Yukihiro; Ueda, Masahiro; Hohng, Sungchul

2012-01-01

There is no confocal microscope optimized for single-molecule imaging in live cells and superresolution fluorescence imaging. By combining the swiftness of the line-scanning method and the high sensitivity of wide-field detection, we have developed a, to our knowledge, novel confocal fluorescence microscope with a good optical-sectioning capability (1.0 μm), fast frame rates (<33 fps), and superior fluorescence detection efficiency. Full compatibility of the microscope with conventional cell-imaging techniques allowed us to do single-molecule imaging with a great ease at arbitrary depths of live cells. With the new microscope, we monitored diffusion motion of fluorescently labeled cAMP receptors of Dictyostelium discoideum at both the basal and apical surfaces and obtained superresolution fluorescence images of microtubules of COS-7 cells at depths in the range 0–85 μm from the surface of a coverglass. PMID:23083712

Quality of web-based information on cannabis addiction.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Chatton, Anne; Cochand, Sophie; Zullino, Daniele

2008-01-01

This study evaluated the quality of Web-based information on cannabis use and addiction and investigated particular content quality indicators. Three keywords ("cannabis addiction," "cannabis dependence," and "cannabis abuse") were entered into two popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed to rate sites on the basis of accountability, presentation, interactivity, readability, and content quality. "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label, and DISCERN scale scores were used to verify their efficiency as quality indicators. Of the 94 Websites identified, 57 were included. Most were commercial sites. Based on outcome measures, the overall quality of the sites turned out to be poor. A global score (the sum of accountability, interactivity, content quality and esthetic criteria) appeared as a good content quality indicator. While cannabis education Websites for patients are widespread, their global quality is poor. There is a need for better evidence-based information about cannabis use and addiction on the Web.

Fluorescent labeling of proteins with amine-specific 1,3,2-(2H)-dioxaborine polymethine dye.

PubMed

Gerasov, Andriy; Shandura, Mykola; Kovtun, Yuriy; Losytskyy, Mykhaylo; Negrutska, Valentyna; Dubey, Igor

2012-01-15

A novel water-soluble amine-reactive dioxaborine trimethine dye was synthesized in a good yield and characterized. The potential of the dye as a specific reagent for protein labeling was demonstrated with bovine serum albumin and lysozyme. Its interaction with proteins was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and gel electrophoresis. The covalent binding of this almost nonfluorescent dye to proteins results in a 75- to 78-fold increase of its emission intensity accompanied by a red shift of the fluorescence emission maximum by 27 to 45 nm, with fluorescence wavelengths of labeled biomolecules being more than 600 nm. The dye does not require activation for the labeling reaction and can be used in a variety of bioassay applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NMR of enzymatically synthesized uniformly 13C15N-labeled DNA oligonucleotides.

PubMed Central

Zimmer, D P; Crothers, D M

1995-01-01

A procedure for the enzymatic synthesis of uniformly 13C15N-labeled DNA oligonucleotides in milligram quantities for NMR studies is described. Deoxynucleotides obtained from microorganisms grown on 13C and 15N nutrient sources are enzymatically phosphorylated to dNTPs, and the dNTPs are incorporated into oligonucleotides using a 3'-5' exonuclease-deficient mutant of Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I and an oligonucleotide template primer designed for efficient separation of labeled product DNA from unlabeled template. The labeling strategy has been used to uniformly label one or the other oligonucleotide strand in the DNA duplex dGGCAAAACGG.dCCGTTTTGCC in order to facilitate assignment and structure determination by NMR. Application of 15N and 13C heteronuclear NMR experiments to isotopically labeled DNA is presented. Images Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 PMID:7724521

Probes labelled with energy transfer coupled dyes

DOEpatents

Mathies, R.A.; Glazer, A.; Ju, J.

1997-11-18

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids. 7 figs.

Targeting PCNA Phosphorylation in Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

yl)acetate hydrochloride ( 1 g, 5.81 mmol) in ACN (35 mL) was added 1 -bromo-3- chloropropane (0.69 mL, 6.97 mmol, 1.2 equiv.). And Et3N (3.26 mL, 23.2...and antibody labeling. Scheme 1 shows the improved synthesis of d0 and d4-R6G for antibody labeling. The labeling efficiencies of each of these dyes...AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-10- 1 -0105 TITLE: Targeting PCNA Phosphorylation in Breast

Fluorescent labels and their use in separations

DOEpatents

Mathies, Richard A.; Glazer, Alexander; Ju, Jingyue

1997-01-01

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids.

Probes labelled with energy transfer coupled dyes

DOEpatents

Mathies, Richard A.; Glazer, Alexander; Ju, Jingyue

1997-01-01

Compositions are provided comprising sets of fluorescent labels carrying pairs of donor and acceptor dye molecules, designed for efficient excitation of the donors at a single wavelength and emission from the acceptor in each of the pairs at different wavelengths. The different molecules having different donor-acceptor pairs can be modified to have substantially the same mobility under separation conditions, by varying the distance between the donor and acceptor in a given pair. Particularly, the fluorescent compositions find use as labels in sequencing nucleic acids.

Pre-labeling of diverse protein samples with a fixed amount of Cy5 for sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis.

PubMed

Bjerneld, Erik J; Johansson, Johan D; Laurin, Ylva; Hagner-McWhirter, Åsa; Rönn, Ola; Karlsson, Robert

2015-09-01

A pre-labeling protocol based on Cy5 N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester labeling of proteins has been developed for one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. We show that a fixed amount of sulfonated Cy5 can be used in the labeling reaction to label proteins over a broad concentration range-more than three orders of magnitude. The optimal amount of Cy5 was found to be 50 to 250pmol in 20μl using a Tris-HCl labeling buffer at pH 8.7. Labeling protein samples with a fixed amount of dye in this range balances the requirements of sub-nanogram detection sensitivity and low dye-to-protein (D/P) ratios for SDS-PAGE. Simulations of the labeling reaction reproduced experimental observations of both labeling kinetics and D/P ratios. Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to examine the labeling of proteins in a cell lysate using both sulfonated and non-sulfonated Cy5. For both types of Cy5, we observed efficient labeling across a broad range of molecular weights and isoelectric points. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of 99mTc-UBI 29-41, 99mTc-Ciprofloxacin, 99mTc-Ciprofloxacin dithiocarbamate and 111In-biotin for targeting experimental Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli foreign-body infections: an ex-vivo study.

PubMed

Auletta, Sveva; Baldoni, Daniela; Varani, Michela; Galli, Filippo; Hajar, Iman A; Duatti, Adriano; Ferro-Flores, Guillermina; Trampuz, Andrej; Signore, Alberto

2017-08-28

Diagnosis of implant-associated infection is challenging. Several radiopharmaceuticals have been described but direct comparisons are limited. Here we compared in vitro and in an animal model 99mTc-UBI, 99mTc-Ciprofloxacin, 99mTcN-CiproCS2 and 111In-DTPA-biotin for targeting E. coli (ATCC 25922) and S. aureus (ATCC 43335). Stability controls were performed with the labelled radiopharmaceuticals during 6 h in saline and serum. The in vitro binding to viable or killed bacteria was evaluated at 37 °C and 4 °C. For in vivo studies, Teflon cages were subcutaneously implanted in mice, followed by percutaneous infection. Biodistribution of i.v. injected radiolabelled radiopharmaceuticals were evaluated during 24 h in cages and dissected tissues. Labelling efficiency of all radiopharmaceuticals ranged between 94% and 98%, with high stability both in saline and in human serum. In vitro binding assays displayed a rapid but poor bacterial binding for all tested agents. Similar binding kinetic occurred also with heat-killed and ethanol-killed bacteria. In the tissue cage model, infection was detected at different time points: 99mTc-UBI and 99mTcN-CiproCS2 showed higher infected cage/sterile cage ratio at 24 h for both E. coli and S. aureus; 99mTc-Ciprofloxacin at 24 h for both E. coli and at 4 h for S. aureus; 111In-DTPA-biotin accumulates faster in both E. coli and S. aureus infected cages. 99mTc-UBI, 99mTcN-CiproCS2 showed poor in vitro binding but good in vivo binding to E. coli only. 111In-DTPA-biotin showed poor in vitro binding but good in vivo binding to S. aureus and poor to E. coli. 99mTc-Ciprofloxacin showed poor in vitro binding but good in vivo binding to all tested bacteria. The mechanism of accumulation in infected sites remains to be elucidated.

Visual search for arbitrary objects in real scenes

PubMed Central

Alvarez, George A.; Rosenholtz, Ruth; Kuzmova, Yoana I.; Sherman, Ashley M.

2011-01-01

How efficient is visual search in real scenes? In searches for targets among arrays of randomly placed distractors, efficiency is often indexed by the slope of the reaction time (RT) × Set Size function. However, it may be impossible to define set size for real scenes. As an approximation, we hand-labeled 100 indoor scenes and used the number of labeled regions as a surrogate for set size. In Experiment 1, observers searched for named objects (a chair, bowl, etc.). With set size defined as the number of labeled regions, search was very efficient (~5 ms/item). When we controlled for a possible guessing strategy in Experiment 2, slopes increased somewhat (~15 ms/item), but they were much shallower than search for a random object among other distinctive objects outside of a scene setting (Exp. 3: ~40 ms/item). In Experiments 4–6, observers searched repeatedly through the same scene for different objects. Increased familiarity with scenes had modest effects on RTs, while repetition of target items had large effects (>500 ms). We propose that visual search in scenes is efficient because scene-specific forms of attentional guidance can eliminate most regions from the “functional set size” of items that could possibly be the target. PMID:21671156

Visual search for arbitrary objects in real scenes.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jeremy M; Alvarez, George A; Rosenholtz, Ruth; Kuzmova, Yoana I; Sherman, Ashley M

2011-08-01

How efficient is visual search in real scenes? In searches for targets among arrays of randomly placed distractors, efficiency is often indexed by the slope of the reaction time (RT) × Set Size function. However, it may be impossible to define set size for real scenes. As an approximation, we hand-labeled 100 indoor scenes and used the number of labeled regions as a surrogate for set size. In Experiment 1, observers searched for named objects (a chair, bowl, etc.). With set size defined as the number of labeled regions, search was very efficient (~5 ms/item). When we controlled for a possible guessing strategy in Experiment 2, slopes increased somewhat (~15 ms/item), but they were much shallower than search for a random object among other distinctive objects outside of a scene setting (Exp. 3: ~40 ms/item). In Experiments 4-6, observers searched repeatedly through the same scene for different objects. Increased familiarity with scenes had modest effects on RTs, while repetition of target items had large effects (>500 ms). We propose that visual search in scenes is efficient because scene-specific forms of attentional guidance can eliminate most regions from the "functional set size" of items that could possibly be the target.

How to Select a Good Training-data Subset for Transcription: Submodular Active Selection for Sequences

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

selection and uncertainty sampling signif- icantly. Index Terms: Transcription, labeling, submodularity, submod- ular selection, active learning , sequence...name of batch active learning , where a subset of data that is most informative and represen- tative of the whole is selected for labeling. Often...representative subset. Note that our Fisher ker- nel is over an unsupervised generative model, which enables us to bootstrap our active learning approach

21 CFR 211.188 - Batch production and control records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Records and... percentage of theoretical yield at appropriate phases of processing; (8) Complete labeling control records...

21 CFR 211.188 - Batch production and control records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR FINISHED PHARMACEUTICALS Records and... percentage of theoretical yield at appropriate phases of processing; (8) Complete labeling control records...

16 CFR 305.1 - Scope of the regulations in this part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ) Scope... Policy and Conservation Act, 42 U.S.C. 6291, with respect to: (a) Labeling and/or marking the products..., respecting the water use, energy consumption, or energy efficiency of the products, or the cost of water used...

16 CFR 305.1 - Scope of the regulations in this part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ) Scope... Policy and Conservation Act, 42 U.S.C. 6291, with respect to: (a) Labeling and/or marking the products..., respecting the water use, energy consumption, or energy efficiency of the products, or the cost of water used...

16 CFR 305.1 - Scope of the regulations in this part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... OTHER PRODUCTS REQUIRED UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT (âAPPLIANCE LABELING RULEâ) Scope... Policy and Conservation Act, 42 U.S.C. 6291, with respect to: (a) Labeling and/or marking the products..., respecting the water use, energy consumption, or energy efficiency of the products, or the cost of water used...

Perfusion in Rat Brain at 7 T with Arterial Spin Labeling Using FAIR-TrueFISP and QUIPSS

PubMed Central

Esparza-Coss, Emilio; Wosik, Jarek; Narayana, Ponnada A.

2010-01-01

Measurement of perfusion in longitudinal studies allows for the assessment of tissue integrity and the detection of subtle pathologies. In this work, the feasibility of measuring brain perfusion in rats with high spatial resolution using arterial spin labeling (ASL) is reported. A flow sensitive alternating recovery (FAIR) sequence, coupled with a balanced gradient fast imaging with steady state precession (TrueFISP) readout section was used to minimize ghosting and geometric distortions, while achieving high SNR. The quantitative imaging of perfusion using a single subtraction (QUIPSS) method was implemented to address the effects of variable transit delays between the labeling of spins and their arrival at the imaging slice. Studies in six rats at 7 T showed good perfusion contrast with minimal geometric distortion. The measured blood flow values of 152.5 ± 6.3 ml/100g/min in gray matter and 72.3 ± 14.0 ml/100g/min in white matter are in good agreement with previously reported values based on autoradiography, considered to be the gold standard. PMID:20299174

A Label-Free Electrochemical Impedance Cytosensor Based on Specific Peptide-Fused Phage Selected from Landscape Phage Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Lei; Liu, Pei; Petrenko, Valery A.; Liu, Aihua

2016-02-01

One of the major challenges in the design of biosensors for cancer diagnosis is to introduce a low-cost and selective probe that can recognize cancer cells. In this paper, we combined the phage display technology and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to develop a label-free cytosensor for the detection of cancer cells, without complicated purification of recognition elements. Fabrication steps of the cytosensing interface were monitored by EIS. Due to the high specificity of the displayed octapeptides and avidity effect of their multicopy display on the phage scaffold, good biocompatibility of recombinant phage, the fibrous nanostructure of phage, and the inherent merits of EIS technology, the proposed cytosensor demonstrated a wide linear range (2.0 × 102 - 2.0 × 108 cells mL-1), a low limit of detection (79 cells mL-1, S/N = 3), high specificity, good inter-and intra-assay reproducibility and satisfactory storage stability. This novel cytosensor designing strategy will open a new prospect for rapid and label-free electrochemical platform for tumor diagnosis.

Recurrent neural network based virtual detection line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadikis, Roberts

2018-04-01

The paper proposes an efficient method for detection of moving objects in the video. The objects are detected when they cross a virtual detection line. Only the pixels of the detection line are processed, which makes the method computationally efficient. A Recurrent Neural Network processes these pixels. The machine learning approach allows one to train a model that works in different and changing outdoor conditions. Also, the same network can be trained for various detection tasks, which is demonstrated by the tests on vehicle and people counting. In addition, the paper proposes a method for semi-automatic acquisition of labeled training data. The labeling method is used to create training and testing datasets, which in turn are used to train and evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the detection method. The method shows similar accuracy as the alternative efficient methods but provides greater adaptability and usability for different tasks.

Assimilation and partitioning of prey nitrogen within two anthozoans and their endosymbiotic zooxanthellae

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piniak, G.A.; Lipschultz, F.; McClelland, J.

2003-01-01

The movement of nitrogen from zooplankton prey into the temperate scleractinian coral Oculina arbuscula and the anemone Aiptasia pallida was measured using 15N-labeled brine shrimp. The efficiency with which prey nitrogen was incorporated into cnidarian tissues was species-specific. O. arbuscula with a full complement of zooxanthellae had an assimilation efficiency of nearly 100%, compared to only 46% for corals containing few zooxanthellae. In A. pallida, symbiont density had no effect, and nitrogen assimilation was 23 to 29%. In both species, the host retained the bulk of the ingested label. Complete digestion was rapid (<4 h), as was the partitioning of the label between host amino acids and macromolecules. The label was primarily in the low-molecular weight-amino acid pool in O. arbuscula, where it remained for 30 h. A maximum of ca. 20% of the 15N appeared in the zooxanthellae, where it was rapidly converted into macromolecules. Individual amino acids in A. pallida tissues were highly labeled with 15N within 4 h and showed no subsequent enrichment with time; however, zooxanthellae amino acids became increasingly enriched over 30 h. Differences in 15N enrichment among amino acids were consistent with known synthesis and transformation pathways, but it was not possible to discriminate between host feeding and de novo synthesis.

Reconstruction of calmodulin single-molecule FRET states, dye interactions, and CaMKII peptide binding by MultiNest and classic maximum entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVore, Matthew S.; Gull, Stephen F.; Johnson, Carey K.

2013-08-01

We analyzed single molecule FRET burst measurements using Bayesian nested sampling. The MultiNest algorithm produces accurate FRET efficiency distributions from single-molecule data. FRET efficiency distributions recovered by MultiNest and classic maximum entropy are compared for simulated data and for calmodulin labeled at residues 44 and 117. MultiNest compares favorably with maximum entropy analysis for simulated data, judged by the Bayesian evidence. FRET efficiency distributions recovered for calmodulin labeled with two different FRET dye pairs depended on the dye pair and changed upon Ca2+ binding. We also looked at the FRET efficiency distributions of calmodulin bound to the calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) binding domain. For both dye pairs, the FRET efficiency distribution collapsed to a single peak in the case of calmodulin bound to the CaMKII peptide. These measurements strongly suggest that consideration of dye-protein interactions is crucial in forming an accurate picture of protein conformations from FRET data.

Reconstruction of Calmodulin Single-Molecule FRET States, Dye-Interactions, and CaMKII Peptide Binding by MultiNest and Classic Maximum Entropy

PubMed Central

DeVore, Matthew S.; Gull, Stephen F.; Johnson, Carey K.

2013-01-01

We analyze single molecule FRET burst measurements using Bayesian nested sampling. The MultiNest algorithm produces accurate FRET efficiency distributions from single-molecule data. FRET efficiency distributions recovered by MultiNest and classic maximum entropy are compared for simulated data and for calmodulin labeled at residues 44 and 117. MultiNest compares favorably with maximum entropy analysis for simulated data, judged by the Bayesian evidence. FRET efficiency distributions recovered for calmodulin labeled with two different FRET dye pairs depended on the dye pair and changed upon Ca2+ binding. We also looked at the FRET efficiency distributions of calmodulin bound to the calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) binding domain. For both dye pairs, the FRET efficiency distribution collapsed to a single peak in the case of calmodulin bound to the CaMKII peptide. These measurements strongly suggest that consideration of dye-protein interactions is crucial in forming an accurate picture of protein conformations from FRET data. PMID:24223465

Reconstruction of Calmodulin Single-Molecule FRET States, Dye-Interactions, and CaMKII Peptide Binding by MultiNest and Classic Maximum Entropy.

PubMed

Devore, Matthew S; Gull, Stephen F; Johnson, Carey K

2013-08-30

We analyze single molecule FRET burst measurements using Bayesian nested sampling. The MultiNest algorithm produces accurate FRET efficiency distributions from single-molecule data. FRET efficiency distributions recovered by MultiNest and classic maximum entropy are compared for simulated data and for calmodulin labeled at residues 44 and 117. MultiNest compares favorably with maximum entropy analysis for simulated data, judged by the Bayesian evidence. FRET efficiency distributions recovered for calmodulin labeled with two different FRET dye pairs depended on the dye pair and changed upon Ca 2+ binding. We also looked at the FRET efficiency distributions of calmodulin bound to the calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) binding domain. For both dye pairs, the FRET efficiency distribution collapsed to a single peak in the case of calmodulin bound to the CaMKII peptide. These measurements strongly suggest that consideration of dye-protein interactions is crucial in forming an accurate picture of protein conformations from FRET data.

Precautionary labelling of foods for allergen content: are we ready for a global framework?

PubMed

Allen, Katrina J; Turner, Paul J; Pawankar, Ruby; Taylor, Stephen; Sicherer, Scott; Lack, Gideon; Rosario, Nelson; Ebisawa, Motohiro; Wong, Gary; Mills, E N Clare; Beyer, Kirsten; Fiocchi, Alessandro; Sampson, Hugh A

2014-01-01

Food allergy appears to be on the rise with the current mainstay of treatment centred on allergen avoidance. Mandatory allergen labelling has improved the safety of food for allergic consumers. However an additional form of voluntary labelling (termed precautionary allergen labelling) has evolved on a wide range of packaged goods, in a bid by manufacturers to minimise risk to customers, and the negative impact on business that might result from exposure to trace amounts of food allergen present during cross-contamination during production. This has resulted in near ubiquitous utilisation of a multitude of different precautionary allergen labels with subsequent confusion amongst many consumers as to their significance. The global nature of food production and manufacturing makes harmonisation of allergen labelling regulations across the world a matter of increasing importance. Addressing inconsistencies across countries with regards to labelling legislation, as well as improvement or even banning of precautionary allergy labelling are both likely to be significant steps forward in improved food safety for allergic families. This article outlines the current status of allergen labelling legislation around the world and reviews the value of current existing precautionary allergen labelling for the allergic consumer. We strongly urge for an international framework to be considered to help roadmap a solution to the weaknesses of the current systems, and discuss the role of legislation in facilitating this.

Precautionary labelling of foods for allergen content: are we ready for a global framework?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Food allergy appears to be on the rise with the current mainstay of treatment centred on allergen avoidance. Mandatory allergen labelling has improved the safety of food for allergic consumers. However an additional form of voluntary labelling (termed precautionary allergen labelling) has evolved on a wide range of packaged goods, in a bid by manufacturers to minimise risk to customers, and the negative impact on business that might result from exposure to trace amounts of food allergen present during cross-contamination during production. This has resulted in near ubiquitous utilisation of a multitude of different precautionary allergen labels with subsequent confusion amongst many consumers as to their significance. The global nature of food production and manufacturing makes harmonisation of allergen labelling regulations across the world a matter of increasing importance. Addressing inconsistencies across countries with regards to labelling legislation, as well as improvement or even banning of precautionary allergy labelling are both likely to be significant steps forward in improved food safety for allergic families. This article outlines the current status of allergen labelling legislation around the world and reviews the value of current existing precautionary allergen labelling for the allergic consumer. We strongly urge for an international framework to be considered to help roadmap a solution to the weaknesses of the current systems, and discuss the role of legislation in facilitating this. PMID:24791183

Polydopamine nanotube mediated fluorescent biosensor for Hg(ii) determination through exonuclease III-assisted signal amplification.

PubMed

A, Ravikumar; P, Panneerselvam

2018-05-29

We describe a highly sensitive fluorescence biosensor incorporating polydopamine nanotubes (PDNTs) based on the mechanism of exonuclease III (Exo III) assisted signal amplification for the determination of Hg2+ in aqueous solution. Fluorescent probes of FAM labeled ssDNA (FAM-ssDNA) adsorbed on the PDNTs act as an efficient quencher. In the presence of Hg2+, the FAM-ssDNA can bind to Hg2+ to form double stranded DNA (dsDNA) via the formation of T-Hg2+-T base pairs. Then, the dsDNA was removed from the surface of the PDNTs to restore the fluorescence. The release of the dsDNA was triggered by Exo III digestion. At the same time, the liberated Hg2+ mediates a new cycle of digestion. This assay is ultrasensitive for the selective recognition of Hg2+, and a detection limit as low as 10 pM was achieved. In addition, the fluorescent biosensing system also displays remarkable specificity to Hg2+ in the presence of other possible competing ions. This approach was applied to the determination of Hg2+ in real water samples with good recovery and high efficiency for practical analysis.

The Game of Hex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Paul

2007-01-01

In this article, the author discusses the game of Hex, including its history, strategies and problems. Like all good games, the rules are very simple. Hex is played on a diamond shaped board made up of hexagons. It can be of any size, but an 11x11 board makes for a good game. Two opposite sides of the diamond are labelled "red," the other two…

The Cannon: A data-driven approach to Stellar Label Determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ness, M.; Hogg, David W.; Rix, H.-W.; Ho, Anna. Y. Q.; Zasowski, G.

2015-07-01

New spectroscopic surveys offer the promise of stellar parameters and abundances (“stellar labels”) for hundreds of thousands of stars; this poses a formidable spectral modeling challenge. In many cases, there is a subset of reference objects for which the stellar labels are known with high(er) fidelity. We take advantage of this with The Cannon, a new data-driven approach for determining stellar labels from spectroscopic data. The Cannon learns from the “known” labels of reference stars how the continuum-normalized spectra depend on these labels by fitting a flexible model at each wavelength; then, The Cannon uses this model to derive labels for the remaining survey stars. We illustrate The Cannon by training the model on only 542 stars in 19 clusters as reference objects, with {T}{eff}, {log} g, and [{Fe}/{{H}}] as the labels, and then applying it to the spectra of 55,000 stars from APOGEE DR10. The Cannon is very accurate. Its stellar labels compare well to the stars for which APOGEE pipeline (ASPCAP) labels are provided in DR10, with rms differences that are basically identical to the stated ASPCAP uncertainties. Beyond the reference labels, The Cannon makes no use of stellar models nor any line-list, but needs a set of reference objects that span label-space. The Cannon performs well at lower signal-to-noise, as it delivers comparably good labels even at one-ninth the APOGEE observing time. We discuss the limitations of The Cannon and its future potential, particularly, to bring different spectroscopic surveys onto a consistent scale of stellar labels.

A microfluidics-based technique for automated and rapid labeling of cells for flow cytometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patibandla, Phani K.; Estrada, Rosendo; Kannan, Manasaa; Sethu, Palaniappan

2014-03-01

Flow cytometry is a powerful technique capable of simultaneous multi-parametric analysis of heterogeneous cell populations for research and clinical applications. In recent years, the flow cytometer has been miniaturized and made portable for application in clinical- and resource-limited settings. The sample preparation procedure, i.e. labeling of cells with antibodies conjugated to fluorescent labels, is a time consuming (˜45 min) and labor-intensive procedure. Microfluidics provides enabling technologies to accomplish rapid and automated sample preparation. Using an integrated microfluidic device consisting of a labeling and washing module, we demonstrate a new protocol that can eliminate sample handling and accomplish sample and reagent metering, high-efficiency mixing, labeling and washing in rapid automated fashion. The labeling module consists of a long microfluidic channel with an integrated chaotic mixer. Samples and reagents are precisely metered into this device to accomplish rapid and high-efficiency mixing. The mixed sample and reagents are collected in a holding syringe and held for up to 8 min following which the mixture is introduced into an inertial washing module to obtain ‘analysis-ready’ samples. The washing module consists of a high aspect ratio channel capable of focusing cells to equilibrium positions close to the channel walls. By introducing the cells and labeling reagents in a narrow stream at the center of the channel flanked on both sides by a wash buffer, the elution of cells into the wash buffer away from the free unbound antibodies is accomplished. After initial calibration experiments to determine appropriate ‘holding time’ to allow antibody binding, both modules were used in conjunction to label MOLT-3 cells (T lymphoblast cell line) with three different antibodies simultaneously. Results confirm no significant difference in mean fluorescence intensity values for all three antibodies labels (p < 0.01) between the conventional procedure (45 min) and our microfluidic approach (12 min).

Automatic labeling of MR brain images through extensible learning and atlas forests.

PubMed

Xu, Lijun; Liu, Hong; Song, Enmin; Yan, Meng; Jin, Renchao; Hung, Chih-Cheng

2017-12-01

Multiatlas-based method is extensively used in MR brain images segmentation because of its simplicity and robustness. This method provides excellent accuracy although it is time consuming and limited in terms of obtaining information about new atlases. In this study, an automatic labeling of MR brain images through extensible learning and atlas forest is presented to address these limitations. We propose an extensible learning model which allows the multiatlas-based framework capable of managing the datasets with numerous atlases or dynamic atlas datasets and simultaneously ensure the accuracy of automatic labeling. Two new strategies are used to reduce the time and space complexity and improve the efficiency of the automatic labeling of brain MR images. First, atlases are encoded to atlas forests through random forest technology to reduce the time consumed for cross-registration between atlases and target image, and a scatter spatial vector is designed to eliminate errors caused by inaccurate registration. Second, an atlas selection method based on the extensible learning model is used to select atlases for target image without traversing the entire dataset and then obtain the accurate labeling. The labeling results of the proposed method were evaluated in three public datasets, namely, IBSR, LONI LPBA40, and ADNI. With the proposed method, the dice coefficient metric values on the three datasets were 84.17 ± 4.61%, 83.25 ± 4.29%, and 81.88 ± 4.53% which were 5% higher than those of the conventional method, respectively. The efficiency of the extensible learning model was evaluated by state-of-the-art methods for labeling of MR brain images. Experimental results showed that the proposed method could achieve accurate labeling for MR brain images without traversing the entire datasets. In the proposed multiatlas-based method, extensible learning and atlas forests were applied to control the automatic labeling of brain anatomies on large atlas datasets or dynamic atlas datasets and obtain accurate results. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Fluorophore-labeling of core-crosslinked polymeric micelles for multimodal in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging

PubMed Central

Shi, Yang; Kunjachan, Sijumon; Wu, Zhuojun; Gremse, Felix; Moeckel, Diana; van Zandvoort, Marc; Kiessling, Fabian; Storm, Gert; van Nostrum, Cornelus F.; Hennink, Wim E.; Lammers, Twan

2015-01-01

Aim To enable multimodal in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging of the biodistribution and tumor accumulation of core-crosslinked polymeric micelles (CCPM). Materials & Methods mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac)-based polymeric micelles, core-crosslinked via cystamine and covalently labeled with two fluorophores (Dy-676/488) were synthesized. The CCPM were intravenously injected in CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Results Upon intravenous injection, the CCPM accumulated in CT26 tumors reasonably efficiently, with values reaching ~4 %ID at 24 hours. Ex vivo TPLSM confirmed efficient extravasation of the iCCPM out of tumor blood vessels and deep penetration into the tumor interstitium. Conclusions CCPM were labeled with multiple fluorophores, and they exemplify that combining different in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging techniques is highly useful for analyzing the biodistribution and tumor accumulation of nanomedicines. PMID:25929568

Toward fish and seafood traceability: anchovy species determination in fish products by molecular markers and support through a public domain database.

PubMed

Jérôme, Marc; Martinsohn, Jann Thorsten; Ortega, Delphine; Carreau, Philippe; Verrez-Bagnis, Véronique; Mouchel, Olivier

2008-05-28

Traceability in the fish food sector plays an increasingly important role for consumer protection and confidence building. This is reflected by the introduction of legislation and rules covering traceability on national and international levels. Although traceability through labeling is well established and supported by respective regulations, monitoring and enforcement of these rules are still hampered by the lack of efficient diagnostic tools. We describe protocols using a direct sequencing method based on 212-274-bp diagnostic sequences derived from species-specific mitochondria DNA cytochrome b, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences which can efficiently be applied to unambiguously determine even closely related fish species in processed food products labeled "anchovy". Traceability of anchovy-labeled products is supported by the public online database AnchovyID ( http://anchovyid.jrc.ec.europa.eu), which provided data obtained during our study and tools for analytical purposes.

Real-Time Light Scattering Tracking of Gold Nanoparticles- bioconjugated Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infecting HEp-2 Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Xiao-Yan; Zheng, Lin-Ling; Gao, Peng-Fei; Yang, Xiao-Xi; Li, Chun-Mei; Li, Yuan Fang; Huang, Cheng Zhi

2014-03-01

Real-time tracking of virus invasion is crucial for understanding viral infection mechanism, which, however, needs simple and efficient labeling chemistry with improved signal-to-noise ratio. For that purpose, herein we investigated the invasion dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) through dark-field microscopic imaging (iDFM) technique by using Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) as light scattering labels. RSV, a ubiquitous, non-segmented, pleiomorphic and negative-sense RNA virus, is an important human pathogen in infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. In order to label the enveloped virus of paramyxoviridae family, an efficient streptavidin (SA)-biotin binding chemistry was employed, wherein AuNPs and RSV particles modified with SA and biotin, respectively, allowing the AuNP-modified RSVs to maintain their virulence without affecting the native activities of RSV, making the long dynamic visualization successful for the RSV infections into human epidermis larynx carcinoma cells.

Dual-purpose linker for alpha helix stabilization and imaging agent conjugation to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor ligands.

PubMed

Zhang, Liang; Navaratna, Tejas; Liao, Jianshan; Thurber, Greg M

2015-02-18

Peptides display many characteristics of efficient imaging agents such as rapid targeting, fast background clearance, and low non-specific cellular uptake. However, poor stability, low affinity, and loss of binding after labeling often preclude their use in vivo. Using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) ligands exendin and GLP-1 as a model system, we designed a novel α-helix-stabilizing linker to simultaneously address these limitations. The stabilized and labeled peptides showed an increase in helicity, improved protease resistance, negligible loss or an improvement in binding affinity, and excellent in vivo targeting. The ease of incorporating azidohomoalanine in peptides and efficient reaction with the dialkyne linker enable this technique to potentially be used as a general method for labeling α helices. This strategy should be useful for imaging beta cells in diabetes research and in developing and testing other peptide targeting agents.

A Dual-Purpose Linker for Alpha Helix Stabilization and Imaging Agent Conjugation to Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Ligands

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liang; Navaratna, Tejas; Liao, Jianshan; Thurber, Greg M.

2016-01-01

Peptides display many characteristics of efficient imaging agents such as rapid targeting, fast background clearance, and low non-specific cellular uptake. However, poor stability, low affinity, and loss of binding after labeling often preclude their use in vivo. Using the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) ligands exendin and GLP-1 as a model system, we designed a novel alpha helix stabilizing linker to simultaneously address these limitations. The stabilized and labeled peptides showed an increase in helicity, improved protease resistance, negligible loss or an improvement in binding affinity, and excellent in vivo targeting. The ease of incorporating azidohomoalanine in peptides and efficient reaction with the dialkyne linker enables this technique to potentially be used as a general method for labeling alpha helices. This strategy should be useful for imaging beta cells in diabetes research and in developing and testing other peptide targeting agents. PMID:25594741

Fluorescent vancomycin and terephthalate comodified europium-doped layered double hydroxides nanoparticles: synthesis and application for bacteria labelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jianchao; Fan, Hai; Wang, Nan; Ai, Shiyun

2014-09-01

Vancomycin (Van)- and terephthalate (TA)-comodified europium-doped layered double hydroxides (Van-TA-Eu-LDHs) nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a two-step method, in which, TA acted as a sensitizer to enhance the fluorescent property and Van was modified on the surface of LDH to act as an affinity reagent to bacteria. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and fluorescent spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the prepared Van- and TA-comodified europium-doped layered double hydroxides (Van-TA-Eu-LDHs) nanoparticles with diameter of 50 nm in size showed highly efficient fluorescent property. Furthermore, due to the high affinity of Van to bacteria, the prepared Van-TA-Eu-LDHs nanoparticles showed efficient bacteria labelling by fluorescent property. The prepared nanoparticles may have wide applications in the biological fields, such as biomolecular labelling and cell imaging.

Surface-confined fluorescence enhancement of Au nanoclusters anchoring to a two-dimensional ultrathin nanosheet toward bioimaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Rui; Yan, Dongpeng; Li, Chunyang; Xu, Simin; Liang, Ruizheng; Guo, Lingyan; Wei, Min; Evans, David G.; Duan, Xue

2016-05-01

Gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) as ultrasmall fluorescent nanomaterials possess discrete electronic energy and unique physicochemical properties, but suffer from relatively low quantum yield (QY) which severely affects their application in displays and imaging. To solve this conundrum and obtain highly-efficient fluorescent emission, 2D exfoliated layered double hydroxide (ELDH) nanosheets were employed to localize Au NCs with a density as high as 5.44 × 1013 cm-2, by virtue of the surface confinement effect of ELDH. Both experimental studies and computational simulations testify that the excited electrons of Au NCs are strongly confined by MgAl-ELDH nanosheets, which results in a largely promoted QY as well as prolonged fluorescence lifetime (both ~7 times enhancement). In addition, the as-fabricated Au NC/ELDH hybrid material exhibits excellent imaging properties with good stability and biocompatibility in the intracellular environment. Therefore, this work provides a facile strategy to achieve highly luminescent Au NCs via surface-confined emission enhancement imposed by ultrathin inorganic nanosheets, which can be potentially used in bio-imaging and cell labelling.Gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) as ultrasmall fluorescent nanomaterials possess discrete electronic energy and unique physicochemical properties, but suffer from relatively low quantum yield (QY) which severely affects their application in displays and imaging. To solve this conundrum and obtain highly-efficient fluorescent emission, 2D exfoliated layered double hydroxide (ELDH) nanosheets were employed to localize Au NCs with a density as high as 5.44 × 1013 cm-2, by virtue of the surface confinement effect of ELDH. Both experimental studies and computational simulations testify that the excited electrons of Au NCs are strongly confined by MgAl-ELDH nanosheets, which results in a largely promoted QY as well as prolonged fluorescence lifetime (both ~7 times enhancement). In addition, the as-fabricated Au NC/ELDH hybrid material exhibits excellent imaging properties with good stability and biocompatibility in the intracellular environment. Therefore, this work provides a facile strategy to achieve highly luminescent Au NCs via surface-confined emission enhancement imposed by ultrathin inorganic nanosheets, which can be potentially used in bio-imaging and cell labelling. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01624c

Nanocarriers for optimizing the balance between interfollicular permeation and follicular uptake of topically applied clobetasol to minimize adverse effects.

PubMed

Mathes, C; Melero, A; Conrad, P; Vogt, T; Rigo, L; Selzer, D; Prado, W A; De Rossi, C; Garrigues, T M; Hansen, S; Guterres, S S; Pohlmann, A R; Beck, R C R; Lehr, C-M; Schaefer, U F

2016-02-10

The treatment of various hair disorders has become a central focus of good dermatologic patient care as it affects men and women all over the world. For many inflammatory-based scalp diseases, glucocorticoids are an essential part of treatment, even though they are known to cause systemic as well as local adverse effects when applied topically. Therefore, efficient targeting and avoidance of these side effects are of utmost importance. Optimizing the balance between drug release, interfollicular permeation, and follicular uptake may allow minimizing these adverse events and simultaneously improve drug delivery, given that one succeeds in targeting a sustained release formulation to the hair follicle. To test this hypothesis, three types of polymeric nanocarriers (nanospheres, nanocapsules, lipid-core nanocapsules) for the potent glucocorticoid clobetasol propionate (CP) were prepared. They all exhibited a sustained release of drug, as was desired. The particles were formulated as a dispersion and hydrogel and (partially) labeled with Rhodamin B for quantification purposes. Follicular uptake was investigated using the Differential Stripping method and was found highest for nanocapsules in dispersion after application of massage. Moreover, the active ingredient (CP) as well as the nanocarrier (Rhodamin B labeled polymer) recovered in the hair follicle were measured simultaneously, revealing an equivalent uptake of both. In contrast, only negligible amounts of CP could be detected in the hair follicle when applied as free drug in solution or hydrogel, regardless of any massage. Skin permeation experiments using heat-separated human epidermis mounted in Franz Diffusion cells revealed equivalent reduced transdermal permeability for all nanocarriers in comparison to application of the free drug. Combining these results, nanocapsules formulated as an aqueous dispersion and applied by massage appeare to be a good candidate to maximize follicular targeting and minimize drug penetration into the interfollicular epidermis. We conclude that such nanotechnology-based formulations provide a viable strategy for more efficient drug delivery to the hair follicle. Moreover, they present a way to minimize adverse effects of potent glucocorticoids by releasing the drug in a controlled manner and simultaneously decreasing interfollicular permeation, offering an advantage over conventional formulations for inflammatory-based skin/scalp diseases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-Yield Spin Labeling of Long RNAs for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kerzhner, Mark; Matsuoka, Hideto; Wuebben, Christine; Famulok, Michael; Schiemann, Olav

2018-05-10

Site-directed spin labeling is a powerful tool for investigating the conformation and dynamics of biomacromolecules such as RNA. Here we introduce a spin labeling strategy based on click chemistry in solution that, in combination with enzymatic ligation, allows highly efficient labeling of complex and long RNAs with short reaction times and suppressed RNA degradation. With this approach, a 34-nucleotide aptamer domain of the preQ1 riboswitch and an 81-nucleotide TPP riboswitch aptamer could be labeled with two labels in several positions. We then show that conformations of the preQ1 aptamer and its dynamics can be monitored in the absence and presence of Mg 2+ and a preQ1 ligand by continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at room temperature and pulsed electron-electron double resonance spectroscopy (PELDOR or DEER) in the frozen state.

9 CFR 381.454 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... labeling of the product if: (1) The claim uses one of the terms defined in this section in accordance with... nutrient content claims in § 381.413; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in accordance with § 381.409. (b) “High” claims. (1) The terms “high,” “rich in,” or “excellent source of” may...

9 CFR 317.354 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... labeling of the product if: (1) The claim uses one of the terms defined in this section in accordance with... nutrient content claims in § 317.313; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in accordance with § 317.309. (b) “High” claims. (1) The terms “high,” “rich in,” or “excellent source of” may...

9 CFR 317.354 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... labeling of the product if: (1) The claim uses one of the terms defined in this section in accordance with... nutrient content claims in § 317.313; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in accordance with § 317.309. (b) “High” claims. (1) The terms “high,” “rich in,” or “excellent source of” may...

9 CFR 381.454 - Nutrient content claims for “good source,” “high,” and “more.”

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... labeling of the product if: (1) The claim uses one of the terms defined in this section in accordance with... nutrient content claims in § 381.413; and (3) The product for which the claim is made is labeled in accordance with § 381.409. (b) “High” claims. (1) The terms “high,” “rich in,” or “excellent source of” may...

A Comparison of Methods for Teaching Receptive Labeling to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Replication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grow, Laura L.; Kodak, Tiffany; Carr, James E.

2014-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the conditional-only method (starting with a multiple-stimulus array) is more efficient than the simple-conditional method (progressive incorporation of more stimuli into the array) for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders (Grow, Carr, Kodak, Jostad, & Kisamore, 2011).…

Comparing Food Label Experiments Using Samples from Web Panels versus Mall Intercepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, LinChiat; Lin, Chung-Tung Jordan

2015-01-01

To regulate health messages on food labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traditionally relied on mall intercepts to collect consumer data. In recent years, web surveys have presented a viable alternative for presenting visual stimuli with more control and efficiency in data collection. However, there is a paucity of empirical data…

A novel colloidal gold labeled antigen for the detection of Deoxynivalenol using an immunochromatographic assay method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yu; Liu, Renrong; Zhu, Lixin; Chen, Zhenzhen

2017-11-01

In this paper, an immunochromatographic assay card was developed for the detection of DON in feed and cereals using a novel colloidal gold labeling method. For the colloidal gold immunochromatographic rapid detection (GICD) card, a monoclonal antibody DON-mAb and a goat anti-chicken IgY were drawn on NC membrane as the test line (T line) and the control line (C line) respectively. A gold labeled DON-CBSA conjugate and a gold labeled chicken IgY were sprayed onto the conjugate pad. The GICD card has cut-off levels of 50ng/mL for DON, which is invulnerable to matrix interference, and applicable to a wide range of samples. The GICD detecting results of feed and grain samples were compared with the results of ELISA testing, which showed good consistency.

Lyophilized Kit for the Preparation of the PET Perfusion Agent [68Ga]-MAA

PubMed Central

Amor-Coarasa, Alejandro; Milera, Andrew; Gulec, Seza; McGoron, Anthony J.

2014-01-01

Rapid developments in the field of medical imaging have opened new avenues for the use of positron emitting labeled microparticles. The radioisotope used in our research was 68Ga, which is easy to obtain from a generator and has good nuclear properties for PET imaging. Methods. Commercially available macroaggregated albumin (MAA) microparticles were suspended in sterile saline, centrifuged to remove the free albumin and stannous chloride, relyophilized, and stored for later labeling with 68Ga. Labeling was performed at different temperatures and times. 68Ga purification settings were also tested and optimized. Labeling yield and purity of relyophilized MAA microparticles were compared with those that were not relyophilized. Results. MAA particles kept their original size distribution after relyophilization. Labeling yield was 98% at 75°C when a 68Ga purification system was used, compared to 80% with unpurified 68Ga. Radiochemical purity was over 97% up to 4 hours after the labeling. The relyophilized MAA and labeling method eliminate the need for centrifugation purification of the final product and simplify the labeling process. Animal experiments demonstrated the high in vivo stability of the obtained PET agent with more than 95% of the activity remaining in the lungs after 4 hours. PMID:24800071

Calorie menu labeling on quick-service restaurant menus: an updated systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Nutrition labels are one strategy being used to combat the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandates that calorie labels be added to menu boards of chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. This systematic review includes seven studies published since the last review on the topic in 2008. Authors searched for peer-reviewed studies using PUBMED and Google Scholar. Included studies used an experimental or quasi-experimental design comparing a calorie-labeled menu with a no-calorie menu and were conducted in laboratories, college cafeterias, and fast food restaurants. Two of the included studies were judged to be of good quality, and five of were judged to be of fair quality. Observational studies conducted in cities after implementation of calorie labeling were imprecise in their measure of the isolated effects of calorie labels. Experimental studies conducted in laboratory settings were difficult to generalize to real world behavior. Only two of the seven studies reported a statistically significant reduction in calories purchased among consumers using calorie-labeled menus. The current evidence suggests that calorie labeling does not have the intended effect of decreasing calorie purchasing or consumption. PMID:22152038

Nearest neighbor density ratio estimation for large-scale applications in astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kremer, J.; Gieseke, F.; Steenstrup Pedersen, K.; Igel, C.

2015-09-01

In astronomical applications of machine learning, the distribution of objects used for building a model is often different from the distribution of the objects the model is later applied to. This is known as sample selection bias, which is a major challenge for statistical inference as one can no longer assume that the labeled training data are representative. To address this issue, one can re-weight the labeled training patterns to match the distribution of unlabeled data that are available already in the training phase. There are many examples in practice where this strategy yielded good results, but estimating the weights reliably from a finite sample is challenging. We consider an efficient nearest neighbor density ratio estimator that can exploit large samples to increase the accuracy of the weight estimates. To solve the problem of choosing the right neighborhood size, we propose to use cross-validation on a model selection criterion that is unbiased under covariate shift. The resulting algorithm is our method of choice for density ratio estimation when the feature space dimensionality is small and sample sizes are large. The approach is simple and, because of the model selection, robust. We empirically find that it is on a par with established kernel-based methods on relatively small regression benchmark datasets. However, when applied to large-scale photometric redshift estimation, our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art.

Production of 64Cu and 67Cu radiopharmaceuticals using zinc target irradiated with accelerator neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawabata, Masako; Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Saeki, Hideya; Sato, Nozomi; Motoishi, Shoji; Nagai, Yasuki

2014-09-01

Copper radioisotopes have gained a lot of attention in radiopharmaceuticals owing to their unique decay characteristics. The longest half-life β emitter, 67Cu, is thought to be suitable for targeted radio-immunotherapy. Adequate production of 67Cu to meet the demands of clinical studies has not been fully established. Another attractive copper isotope, 64Cu has possible applications as a diagnostic imaging tracer combined with a therapeutic effect. This work proposes a production method using accelerator neutrons in which two copper radioisotopes can be produced: 1) 68Zn(n,x)67Cu and 2) 64Zn(n,p)64Cu using ~14 MeV neutrons generated by natC(d, n) reaction, both from natural or enriched zinc oxides. The generated 64,67Cu were separated from the target zinc oxide using a chelating and an anion exchange columns and were labelled with two widely studied chelators where the labelling efficiency was found to be acceptably good. The major advantage of this method is that a significant amount of 64,67Cu with a very few impurity radionuclides are produced which also makes the separation procedure simple. Provided an accelerator supplying an Ed = ~ 40 MeV, a wide application of 64,67Cu based drugs in nuclear medicine is feasible in the near future. We will present the characteristics of this production method using accelerator neutrons including the chemical separation processes.

Investigation of cutaneous penetration properties of stearic acid loaded to dendritic core-multi-shell (CMS) nanocarriers.

PubMed

Lohan, S B; Icken, N; Teutloff, C; Saeidpour, S; Bittl, R; Lademann, J; Fleige, E; Haag, R; Haag, S F; Meinke, M C

2016-03-30

Dendritic core-multi shell (CMS) particles are polymer based systems consisting of a dendritic polar polyglycerol polymer core surrounded by a two-layer shell of nonpolar C18 alkyl chains and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol. Belonging to nanotransport systems (NTS) they allow the transport and storage of molecules with different chemical characters. Their amphipihilic character CMS-NTS permits good solubility in aqueous and organic solutions. We showed by multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy that spin-labeled 5-doxyl stearic acid (5DSA) can be loaded into the CMS-NTS. Furthermore, the release of 5DSA from the carrier into the stratum corneum of porcine skin was monitored ex vivo by EPR spectroscopy. Additionally, the penetration of the CMS-NTS into the skin was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy using indocarbocyanine (ICC) covalently bound to the nanocarrier. Thereby, no transport into the viable skin was observed, whereas the CMS-NTS had penetrated into the hair follicles down to a depth of 340 μm ± 82 μm. Thus, it could be shown that the combined application of fluorescence microscopy and multi-frequency EPR spectroscopy can be an efficient tool for investigating the loading of spin labeled drugs to nanocarrier systems, drug release and penetration into the skin as well as the localization of the NTS in the skin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immunomodulation of Hyperthermia for Recurrent Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

immature DCs have efficient antigen uptake capability. Previously we have shown that immature BM DCs can engulf flurochrome labeled hepatocellular ... carcinoma cells (HCC) and after engulfment efficient maturation signals are provided to them and mature DCs induce the expression of cell surface

International Experience in Standards and Labeling Programs for Rice Cookers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Nan; Zheng, Nina

China has had an active program on energy efficiency standards for household appliances since the mid-1990s. Rice cooker is among the first to be subject to such mandatory regulation, since it is one of the most prevalent electric appliances in Chinese households. Since first introduced in 1989, the minimum energy efficiency standard for rice cookers has not been revised. Therefore, the potential for energy saving is considerable. Initial analysis from CNIS indicates that potential carbon savings is likely to reach 7.6 million tons of CO2 by the 10th year of the standard implementation. Since September 2007, CNIS has been workingmore » with various groups to develop the new standard for rice cookers. With The Energy Foundation's support, LBNL has assisted CNIS in the revision of the minimum energy efficiency standard for rice cookers that is expected to be effective in 2009. Specifically, work has been in the following areas: assistance in developing consumer survey on usage pattern of rice cookers, review of international standards, review of international test procedures, comparison of the international standards and test procedures, and assessment of technical options of reducing energy use. This report particularly summarizes the findings of reviewing international standards and technical options of reducing energy consumption. The report consists of an overview of rice cooker standards and labeling programs and testing procedures in Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Thailand, and Japan's case study in developing energy efficiency rice cooker technologies and rice cooker efficiency programs. The results from the analysis can be summarized as the follows: Hong Kong has a Voluntary Energy Efficiency Labeling scheme for electric rice cookers initiated in 2001, with revision implemented in 2007; South Korea has both MEPS and Mandatory Energy Efficiency Label targeting the same category of rice cookers as Hong Kong; Thailand's voluntary endorsement labeling program is similar to Hong Kong in program design but has 5 efficiency grades; Japan's program is distinct in its adoption of the 'Top Runner' approach, in which, the future efficiency standards is set based on the efficiency levels of the most efficient product in the current domestic market. Although the standards are voluntary, penalties can still be evoked if the average efficiency target is not met. Both Hong Kong and South Korea's tests involve pouring water into the inner pot equal to 80% of its rated volume; however, white rice is used as a load for its tests in Hong Kong whereas no rice is used for tests in South Korea. In Japan's case, water level specified by the manufactures is used and milled rice is used as a load only partially in the tests. Moreover, Japan does not conduct heat efficiency test but its energy consumption measurements tests are much more complex, with 4 different tests are conducted to determine the annual average energy consumption. Hong Kong and Thailand both set Minimum Allowable Heat Efficiency for different rated wattages. The energy efficiency requirements are identical except that the minimum heat efficiency in Thailand is 1 percentage point higher for all rated power categories. In South Korea, MEPS and label's energy efficiency grades are determined by the rice cooker's Rated Energy Efficiency for induction, non-induction, pressure, nonpressure rice cookers. Japan's target standard values are set for electromagnetic induction heating products and non-electromagnetic induction heating products by different size of rice cookers. Specific formulas are used by type and size depending on the mass of water evaporation of the rice cookers. Japan has been the leading country in technology development of various types of rice cookers, and developed concrete energy efficiency standards for rice cookers. However, as consumers in Japan emphasize the deliciousness of cooked rice over other factors, many types of models were developed to improve the taste of cooked rice. Nonetheless, the efficiency of electromagnetic induction heating (IH) rice cookers in warm mode has improved approximately 12 percent from 1993 to 2004 due to the 'low temperature warming method' developed by manufacturers. The Energy Conservation Center of Japan (IEEJ) releases energy saving products database on the web regularly, on which the energy saving performance of each product is listed and ranked. Energy saving in rice cookers mostly rest with insulation of the pot. Technology developed to improve the energy efficiency of the rice cookers includes providing vacuum layers on both side of the pot, using copper-plated materials, and double stainless layer lid that can be heated and steam can run in between the two layers to speed the heating process.« less

Development and testing of a new disposable sterile device for labelling white blood cells.

PubMed

Signore, A; Glaudemans, A W J M; Malviya, G; Lazzeri, E; Prandini, N; Viglietti, A L; De Vries, E F J; Dierckx, R A J O

2012-08-01

White blood cell (WBC) labelling requires isolation of cells from patient's blood under sterile conditions using sterile materials, buffers and disposables under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. Till now, this limited the use of white blood cell scintigraphy (WBC-S) only to well equipped laboratories with trained personnel. We invented, developed and tested a disposable, sterile, closed device for blood manipulation, WBC purification and radionuclide labelling without exposing patient's blood and the operator to contamination risks. This device prototype and a final industrialized device (Leukokit®) were tested for WBC labelling and compared to standard procedure. Leukokit® was also tested in an international multi-centre study for easiness of WBC purification and labelling. On the device prototype we tested in parallel, with blood samples from 7 volunteers, the labelling procedure compared to the standard procedure of the International Society of Radiolabeled Blood Elements (ISORBE) consensus protocol with respect to cell recovery, labelling efficiency (LE), cell viability (Trypan Blue test) and sterility (haemoculture). On the final Leukokit® we tested the biocompatibility of all components, and again the LE, erythro-sedimentation rate, cell viability, sterility and apyrogenicity. ACD-A, HES and PBS provided by Leukokit® were also compared to Heparin, Dextran and autologous plasma, respectively. In 4 samples, we tested the chemotactic activity of purified WBC against 1 mg/ml of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and chemotaxis of 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled WBC (925 MBq) was compared to that of unlabelled cells. For the multi-centre study, 70 labellings were performed with the Leukokit® by 9 expert operators and 3 beginners from five centers using blood from both patients and volunteers. Finally, Media-Fill tests were performed by 3 operators on two different days (11 procedures) by replacing blood and kit reagents with bacterial culture media (Tryptic Soy Broth) and testing sterility of aliquots of the medium at the end of procedure. Tests performed with the prototype showed no significant differences with the standard procedure but a faster and safer approach. Tests performed with the final Leukokit® confirmed full biocompatibility, sterility and apyrogenicity of all reagents and plastic ware. Average WBC recovery with Leukokit® was comparable to that of the ISORBE protocol (117x106±24x106 vs. 132x106±29x106 cells, P=not significant). No differences in red blood cells and platelet content were observed. LE was 82% ± 3% for Leukokit® and 65±5% for control (P=0.0003) being PBS vs autologous plasma the main reason of such difference. Cell viability was always >99.9% in both conditions. Chemotactic tests showed no differences between all Leukokit® samples and controls. Haemocultures and Media-Fill tests were always sterile. The procedure was well accepted by expert operators and beginners, with a very fast learning curve (confidence after 2±2 labellings). The invented device offers high level of protection to operators and patients. The derived Leukokit® is safe and easy to use, and gives a high LE of WBC without affecting cell viability and function. Being a registered closed, sterile medical device, it may allow easier and faster WBC labelling that is not limited to only well equipped laboratories. Also simultaneously labelling of multiple patients is possible.

Preparation of ⁶⁸Ga-labelled DOTA-peptides using a manual labelling approach for small-animal PET imaging.

PubMed

Romero, Eduardo; Martínez, Alfonso; Oteo, Marta; García, Angel; Morcillo, Miguel Angel

2016-01-01

(68)Ga-DOTA-peptides are a promising PET radiotracers used in the detection of different tumours types due to their ability for binding specifically receptors overexpressed in these. Furthermore, (68)Ga can be produced by a (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator on site which is a very good alternative to cyclotron-based PET isotopes. Here, we describe a manual labelling approach for the synthesis of (68)Ga-labelled DOTA-peptides based on concentration and purification of the commercial (68)Ga/(68)Ga generator eluate using an anion exchange-cartridge. (68)Ga-DOTA-TATE was used to image a pheochromocytoma xenograft mouse model by a microPET/CT scanner. The method described provides satisfactory results, allowing the subsequent (68)Ga use to label DOTA-peptides. The simplicity of the method along with its implementation reduced cost, makes it useful in preclinical PET studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct fluorescent-dye labeling of α-tubulin in mammalian cells for live cell and superresolution imaging

PubMed Central

Schvartz, Tomer; Aloush, Noa; Goliand, Inna; Segal, Inbar; Nachmias, Dikla; Arbely, Eyal; Elia, Natalie

2017-01-01

Genetic code expansion and bioorthogonal labeling provide for the first time a way for direct, site-specific labeling of proteins with fluorescent-dyes in live cells. Although the small size and superb photophysical parameters of fluorescent-dyes offer unique advantages for high-resolution microscopy, this approach has yet to be embraced as a tool in live cell imaging. Here we evaluated the feasibility of this approach by applying it for α-tubulin labeling. After a series of calibrations, we site-specifically labeled α-tubulin with silicon rhodamine (SiR) in live mammalian cells in an efficient and robust manner. SiR-labeled tubulin successfully incorporated into endogenous microtubules at high density, enabling video recording of microtubule dynamics in interphase and mitotic cells. Applying this labeling approach to structured illumination microscopy resulted in an increase in resolution, highlighting the advantages in using a smaller, brighter tag. Therefore, using our optimized assay, genetic code expansion provides an attractive tool for labeling proteins with a minimal, bright tag in quantitative high-resolution imaging. PMID:28835375

Amino Acid Selective 13C Labeling and 13C Scrambling Profile Analysis of Protein α and Side-Chain Carbons in Escherichia coli Utilized for Protein Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

PubMed

Sugiki, Toshihiko; Furuita, Kyoko; Fujiwara, Toshimichi; Kojima, Chojiro

2018-06-20

Amino acid selective isotope labeling is an important nuclear magnetic resonance technique, especially for larger proteins, providing strong bases for the unambiguous resonance assignments and information concerning the structure, dynamics, and intermolecular interactions. Amino acid selective 15 N labeling suffers from isotope dilution caused by metabolic interconversion of the amino acids, resulting in isotope scrambling within the target protein. Carbonyl 13 C atoms experience less isotope scrambling than the main-chain 15 N atoms do. However, little is known about the side-chain 13 C atoms. Here, the 13 C scrambling profiles of the Cα and side-chain carbons were investigated for 15 N scrambling-prone amino acids, such as Leu, Ile, Tyr, Phe, Thr, Val, and Ala. The level of isotope scrambling was substantially lower in 13 Cα and 13 C side-chain labeling than in 15 N labeling. We utilized this reduced scrambling-prone character of 13 C as a simple and efficient method for amino acid selective 13 C labeling using an Escherichia coli cold-shock expression system and high-cell density fermentation. Using this method, the 13 C labeling efficiency was >80% for Leu and Ile, ∼60% for Tyr and Phe, ∼50% for Thr, ∼40% for Val, and 30-40% for Ala. 1 H- 15 N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence signals of the 15 N scrambling-prone amino acid were also easily filtered using 15 N-{ 13 Cα} spin-echo difference experiments. Our method could be applied to the assignment of the 55 kDa protein.

Living with Low Vision

MedlinePlus

... highest possible level. • Prevent Accidents and Injury: Recommending lighting that will be most effective for a particular ... other equipment contrasts with the wall. Maintain good lighting in walkways, hallways, stairwells, etc. Use labeled tray ...

Cell labeling with magnetic nanoparticles: Opportunity for magnetic cell imaging and cell manipulation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

This tutorial describes a method of controlled cell labeling with citrate-coated ultra small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. This method may provide basically all kinds of cells with sufficient magnetization to allow cell detection by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to enable potential magnetic manipulation. In order to efficiently exploit labeled cells, quantify the magnetic load and deliver or follow-up magnetic cells, we herein describe the main requirements that should be applied during the labeling procedure. Moreover we present some recommendations for cell detection and quantification by MRI and detail magnetic guiding on some real-case studies in vitro and in vivo. PMID:24564857

The role of health-related, motivational and sociodemographic aspects in predicting food label use: a comprehensive study.

PubMed

Hess, Rebecca; Visschers, Vivianne H M; Siegrist, Michael

2012-03-01

Previous studies focused on a limited number of determinants of food label use. We therefore tested a comprehensive model of food label use consisting of sociodemographic, health-related and motivating variables. These three predictor groups were chosen based on the previous literature and completed with new predictors not yet examined in a comprehensive study of frequency of label use. We sent questionnaires to a random sample of households in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The respondents filled in the questionnaire at home and returned it by mail. We analysed the data of 1162 filled-in questionnaires (response rate = 38 %). Of the respondents, 637 were women (55 %), and their mean age was 53·54 (sd 15·68) years. Health-related variables were the most important group of predictors of label use, followed by motivating factors and sociodemographic variables. Placing importance on health, healthy eating and nutritional value of food, perceived vulnerability for diet-related diseases, nutrition knowledge, numeracy and gender were positively associated with frequency of food label use whereas shopping habits and seeing eating as something positive were negative predictors of frequency of label use. People's health consciousness should be raised in order to increase the frequency of food label use. Furthermore, it should be stressed that reading labels and keeping a healthy diet do not contradict 'good eating', and that both of these aspects can be combined with the help of food labels.

The impact of front-of-pack nutrition labels on consumer product evaluation and choice: an experimental study.

PubMed

Hamlin, Robert P; McNeill, Lisa S; Moore, Vanessa

2015-08-01

The present research was an experimental test that aimed to quantify the impact of two dominant front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional label formats on consumer evaluations of food products that carried them. The two FOP label types tested were the traffic light label and the Percentage Daily Intake. A 4×5 partially replicated Latin square design was used that allowed the impact of the FOP labels to be isolated from the effects of the product and the consumers who were performing the evaluations. The experiment was conducted on campus at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The participants were 250 university students selected at random who met qualifying criteria of independent living and regular purchase of the products used in the research. They were not aware of the purpose of the research. The presence of FOP labels led to significant and positive changes in consumer purchase intentions towards the products that carried them. These changes were not affected by the nature of FOP labels used, their size or the product nutritional status (good/bad) that they were reporting. The result is consistent with the participants paying attention to the FOP label and then using it as an adimensional cue indicating product desirability. As such, it represents a complete functional failure of both of these FOP label types in this specific instance. This result supports calls for further research on the performance of these FOP labels before any move to compulsory deployment is made.

Vitamins and Other Nutrients during Pregnancy

MedlinePlus

... called folate. Good sources of folate include: Leafy green vegetables, like spinach and broccoli Lentils and beans ... added to it (check the package label) Leafy green vegetables Beans, nuts, raisins and dried fruit There ...

Methyl Bromide and Chloropicrin Safety Information for Handlers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Labels for these kind of pesticides require that soil fumigant handlers receive safe handling training before participating in field fumigation, according to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).

76 FR 9231 - New Customs Declarations Label Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-17

...The Postal Service is revising the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) 608.2.4 to require all mailpieces containing goods that enter the Customs Territory of the United States (CTUS), from outside the CTUS, to bear a customs declaration label. Additionally, the Postal Service updates the standards for items weighing 16 ounces or more when sent to, from, or between, and in some circumstances, within certain U.S. territories, possessions, and Freely Associated States.

Fluorescently labeled chimeric anti-CEA antibody improves detection and resection of human colon cancer in a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) nude mouse model.

PubMed

Metildi, Cristina A; Kaushal, Sharmeela; Luiken, George A; Talamini, Mark A; Hoffman, Robert M; Bouvet, Michael

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new fluorescently labeled chimeric anti-CEA antibody for improved detection and resection of colon cancer. Frozen tumor and normal human tissue samples were stained with chimeric and mouse antibody-fluorophore conjugates for comparison. Mice with patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) of colon cancer underwent fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) or bright-light surgery (BLS) 24 hr after tail vein injection of fluorophore-conjugated chimeric anti-CEA antibody. Resection completeness was assessed using postoperative images. Mice were followed for 6 months for recurrence. The fluorophore conjugation efficiency (dye/mole ratio) improved from 3-4 to >5.5 with the chimeric CEA antibody compared to mouse anti-CEA antibody. CEA-expressing tumors labeled with chimeric CEA antibody provided a brighter fluorescence signal on frozen human tumor tissues (P = 0.046) and demonstrated consistently lower fluorescence signals in normal human tissues compared to mouse antibody. Chimeric CEA antibody accurately labeled PDOX colon cancer in nude mice, enabling improved detection of tumor margins for more effective FGS. The R0 resection rate increased from 86% to 96% with FGS compared to BLS. Improved conjugating efficiency and labeling with chimeric fluorophore-conjugated antibody resulted in better detection and resection of human colon cancer in an orthotopic mouse model. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing alternative over-the-counter medicine label formats: How do they compare when evaluated by consumers?

PubMed

Tong, Vivien; Raynor, David K; Aslani, Parisa

2018-03-01

In recent years, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has proposed implementing a standardized over-the-counter (OTC) medicine label. However, there were mixed consumer opinions regarding a label proposed in 2012 and limited evidence demonstrating the usability of the revised (2014) format. To develop and examine the usability of alternative OTC medicine label formats for standardization, and explore consumer perspectives on the labels. Four alternative labels were developed for the exemplar medicine diclofenac. One was based on the Medicine Information label proposed by the TGA ('Medicine Information'), one was based on the U.S. Drug Facts label ('Drug Facts'), and two were based on suggestions proposed by consumers in the earlier needs analysis phase of this research (referred to as the 'Medicine Facts' and 'Consumer Desires' label formats). Five cohorts of 10 participants were recruited. Each cohort was assigned to user test one of the alternative labels or an existing label for a proprietary diclofenac product (which acted as a comparator) for diagnostic purposes. Each participant then provided feedback on all 5 labels. Each interview consisted of the administration of a user testing questionnaire, measuring consumers' ability to find and understand key points of information, and a semi-structured interview exploring consumer perspectives. Overall, all 4 alternative label formats supported consumers' ability to find and understand key points. The existing comparator label was the poorer label with respect to participants' ability to find and understand key points. Factors such as perceived usability, color, design, content, and/or content ordering impacted consumer preferences. The 'Consumer Desires' or 'Drug Facts' label formats were most often preferred by consumers for use as the standardized OTC label over the TGA proposed format. All alternative label formats demonstrated satisfactory usability and could be considered for use in OTC label standardization. User testing of OTC labels and consumer feedback received as part of the testing process can assist in the refinement of OTC labeling to ensure that implemented policies are evidence-based. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Correction: III-V-on-silicon solar cells reaching 33% photoconversion efficiency in two-terminal configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cariou, Romain; Benick, Jan; Feldmann, Frank; Höhn, Oliver; Hauser, Hubert; Beutel, Paul; Razek, Nasser; Wimplinger, Markus; Bläsi, Benedikt; Lackner, David; Hermle, Martin; Siefer, Gerald; Glunz, Stefan W.; Bett, Andreas W.; Dimroth, Frank

2018-06-01

In the version of this Article originally published, in the legend in Fig. 5a, the blue, green and red lines were incorrectly labelled as GaAs, Si and GaInP, respectively; instead, the labels should have read, respectively, GaInP, GaAs and Si. This has now been corrected.

Energy Efficiency in India: Challenges and Initiatives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ajay Mathur

May 13, 2010 EETD Distinguished Lecture: Ajay Mathur is Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. As Director General of BEE, Dr. Mathur coordinates the national energy efficiency programme, including the standards and labeling programme for equipment and appliances; the energy conservation building code; the industrial energy efficiency programme, and the DSM programmes in the buildings, lighting, and municipal sectors.

Energy Efficiency in India: Challenges and Initiatives

ScienceCinema

Ajay Mathur

2017-12-09

May 13, 2010 EETD Distinguished Lecture: Ajay Mathur is Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. As Director General of BEE, Dr. Mathur coordinates the national energy efficiency programme, including the standards and labeling programme for equipment and appliances; the energy conservation building code; the industrial energy efficiency programme, and the DSM programmes in the buildings, lighting, and municipal sectors.

FIB/SEM technology and high-throughput 3D reconstruction of dendritic spines and synapses in GFP-labeled adult-generated neurons.

PubMed

Bosch, Carles; Martínez, Albert; Masachs, Nuria; Teixeira, Cátia M; Fernaud, Isabel; Ulloa, Fausto; Pérez-Martínez, Esther; Lois, Carlos; Comella, Joan X; DeFelipe, Javier; Merchán-Pérez, Angel; Soriano, Eduardo

2015-01-01

The fine analysis of synaptic contacts is usually performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its combination with neuronal labeling techniques. However, the complex 3D architecture of neuronal samples calls for their reconstruction from serial sections. Here we show that focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) allows efficient, complete, and automatic 3D reconstruction of identified dendrites, including their spines and synapses, from GFP/DAB-labeled neurons, with a resolution comparable to that of TEM. We applied this technology to analyze the synaptogenesis of labeled adult-generated granule cells (GCs) in mice. 3D reconstruction of dendritic spines in GCs aged 3-4 and 8-9 weeks revealed two different stages of dendritic spine development and unexpected features of synapse formation, including vacant and branched dendritic spines and presynaptic terminals establishing synapses with up to 10 dendritic spines. Given the reliability, efficiency, and high resolution of FIB/SEM technology and the wide use of DAB in conventional EM, we consider FIB/SEM fundamental for the detailed characterization of identified synaptic contacts in neurons in a high-throughput manner.

FIB/SEM technology and high-throughput 3D reconstruction of dendritic spines and synapses in GFP-labeled adult-generated neurons

PubMed Central

Bosch, Carles; Martínez, Albert; Masachs, Nuria; Teixeira, Cátia M.; Fernaud, Isabel; Ulloa, Fausto; Pérez-Martínez, Esther; Lois, Carlos; Comella, Joan X.; DeFelipe, Javier; Merchán-Pérez, Angel; Soriano, Eduardo

2015-01-01

The fine analysis of synaptic contacts is usually performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its combination with neuronal labeling techniques. However, the complex 3D architecture of neuronal samples calls for their reconstruction from serial sections. Here we show that focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) allows efficient, complete, and automatic 3D reconstruction of identified dendrites, including their spines and synapses, from GFP/DAB-labeled neurons, with a resolution comparable to that of TEM. We applied this technology to analyze the synaptogenesis of labeled adult-generated granule cells (GCs) in mice. 3D reconstruction of dendritic spines in GCs aged 3–4 and 8–9 weeks revealed two different stages of dendritic spine development and unexpected features of synapse formation, including vacant and branched dendritic spines and presynaptic terminals establishing synapses with up to 10 dendritic spines. Given the reliability, efficiency, and high resolution of FIB/SEM technology and the wide use of DAB in conventional EM, we consider FIB/SEM fundamental for the detailed characterization of identified synaptic contacts in neurons in a high-throughput manner. PMID:26052271

Radioactive Phosphorylation of Alcohols to Monitor Biocatalytic Diels-Alder Reactions

PubMed Central

Nierth, Alexander; Jäschke, Andres

2011-01-01

Nature has efficiently adopted phosphorylation for numerous biological key processes, spanning from cell signaling to energy storage and transmission. For the bioorganic chemist the number of possible ways to attach a single phosphate for radioactive labeling is surprisingly small. Here we describe a very simple and fast one-pot synthesis to phosphorylate an alcohol with phosphoric acid using trichloroacetonitrile as activating agent. Using this procedure, we efficiently attached the radioactive phosphorus isotope 32P to an anthracene diene, which is a substrate for the Diels-Alderase ribozyme—an RNA sequence that catalyzes the eponymous reaction. We used the 32P-substrate for the measurement of RNA-catalyzed reaction kinetics of several dye-labeled ribozyme variants for which precise optical activity determination (UV/vis, fluorescence) failed due to interference of the attached dyes. The reaction kinetics were analyzed by thin-layer chromatographic separation of the 32P-labeled reaction components and densitometric analysis of the substrate and product radioactivities, thereby allowing iterative optimization of the dye positions for future single-molecule studies. The phosphorylation strategy with trichloroacetonitrile may be applicable for labeling numerous other compounds that contain alcoholic hydroxyl groups. PMID:21731729

Motor efficiency: compare apples to apples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keinz, J.R.

1982-08-01

The efficiency differences between electric motors are now a significant cost consideration for many companies, but evaluating motor efficiency is not as straightforward as it should be. The buyer must look beyond the manufacturer's designated efficiency, which is too generalized, and the results of independent tests, which vary because of the difficulty in establishing standard conditions. Manufacturers may be following established testing procedures, but not labeling in accordance with the standards. Manufacturers should also supply efficiency versus load-curve data. (DCK)

Tritium labeling of antisense oligonucleotides by exchange with tritiated water.

PubMed Central

Graham, M J; Freier, S M; Crooke, R M; Ecker, D J; Maslova, R N; Lesnik, E A

1993-01-01

We describe a simple, efficient, procedure for labeling oligonucleotides to high specific activity (< 1 x 10(8) cpm/mumol) by hydrogen exchange with tritiated water at the C8 positions of purines in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, an effective radical scavenger. Approximately 90% of the starting material is recovered as intact, labeled oligonucleotide. The radiolabeled compounds are stable in biological systems; greater than 90% of the specific activity is retained after 72 hr incubation at 37 degrees C in serum-containing media. Data obtained from in vitro cellular uptake experiments using oligonucleotides labeled by this method are similar to those obtained using 35S or 14C-labeled compounds. Because this protocol is solely dependent upon the existence of purine residues, it should be useful for radiolabeling modified as well as unmodified phosphodiester oligonucleotides. Images PMID:8367289

Detection of Thrombin Based on Fluorescence Energy Transfer between Semiconducting Polymer Dots and BHQ-Labelled Aptamers.

PubMed

Liu, Yizhang; Jiang, Xuekai; Cao, Wenfeng; Sun, Junyong; Gao, Feng

2018-02-14

Carboxyl-functionalized semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) were synthesized as an energy donor by the nanoprecipitation method. A black hole quenching dye (BHQ-labelled thrombin aptamers) was used as the energy acceptor, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the aptamers and Pdots was used for fluorescence quenching of the Pdots. The addition of thrombin restored the fluorescence intensity. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the fluorescence of the system was restored to the maximum when the concentration of thrombin reached 130 nM, with a linear range of 0-50 nM (R² = 0.990) and a detection limit of 0.33 nM. This sensor was less disturbed by impurities, showing good specificity and signal response to thrombin, with good application in actual samples. The detection of human serum showed good linearity in the range of 0-30 nM (R² = 0.997), with a detection limit of 0.56 nM and a recovery rate of 96.2-104.1%, indicating that this fluorescence sensor can be used for the detection of thrombin content in human serum.

Protected Amine Labels: A Versatile Molecular Scaffold for Multiplexed Nominal Mass and Sub-Da Isotopologue Quantitative Proteomic Reagents

PubMed Central

Ficarro, Scott B.; Biagi, Jessica M.; Wang, Jinhua; Scotcher, Jenna; Koleva, Rositsa I.; Card, Joseph D.; Adelmant, Guillaume; He, Huan; Askenazi, Manor; Marshall, Alan G.; Young, Nicolas L.; Gray, Nathanael S.; Marto, Jarrod A.

2014-01-01

We assemble a versatile molecular scaffold from simple building blocks to create binary and multiplexed stable isotope reagents for quantitative mass spectrometry. Termed Protected Amine Labels (PAL), these reagents offer multiple analytical figures of merit including, (i) robust targeting of peptide N-termini and lysyl side chains, (ii) optimal mass spectrometry ionization efficiency through regeneration of primary amines on labeled peptides, (iii) an amino acid-based mass tag that incorporates heavy isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to ensure matched physicochemical and MS/MS fragmentation behavior among labeled peptides, and (iv) a molecularly efficient architecture, in which the majority of hetero-atom centers can be used to synthesize a variety of nominal mass and sub-Da isotopologue stable isotope reagents. We demonstrate the performance of these reagents in well-established strategies whereby up to four channels of peptide isotopomers, each separated by 4 Da are quantified in MS-level scans with accuracies comparable to current commercial reagents. In addition we utilize the PAL scaffold to create isotopologue reagents in which labeled peptide analogs differ in mass based on the binding energy in carbon and nitrogen nuclei, thereby allowing quantification based on MS or MS/MS spectra. We demonstrate accurate quantification for reagents that support 6-plex labeling and propose extension of this scheme to 9-channels based on a similar PAL scaffold. Finally we provide exemplar data that extends the application of isotopologe-based quantification reagents to medium resolution, quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometers. PMID:24496597

Quantification of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide (SPIO)-labeled Cells Using MRI

PubMed Central

Rad, Ali M; Arbab, Ali S; Iskander, ASM; Jiang, Quan; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid

2015-01-01

Purpose To show the feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-labeled cells. Materials and Methods Lymphocytes and 9L rat gliosarcoma cells were labeled with Ferumoxides-Protamine Sulfate complex (FE-PRO). Cells were labeled efficiently (more than 95%) and iron concentration inside each cell was measured by spectrophotometry (4.77-30.21 picograms). Phantom tubes containing different number of labeled or unlabeled cells as well as different concentrations of FE-PRO were made. In addition, labeled and unlabeled cells were injected into fresh and fixed rat brains. Results Cellular viability and proliferation of labeled and unlabeled cells were shown to be similar. T2-weighted images were acquired using 7 T and 3 T MRI systems and R2 maps of the tubes containing cells, free FE-PRO, and brains were made. There was a strong linear correlation between R2 values and labeled cell numbers but the regression lines were different for the lymphocytes and gliosarcoma cells. Similarly, there was strong correlation between R2 values and free iron. However, free iron had higher R2 values than the labeled cells for the same concentration of iron. Conclusion Our data indicated that in vivo quantification of labeled cells can be done by careful consideration of different factors and specific control groups. PMID:17623892

Establishing a Measurement Tool for a Nursing Work Environment in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Li-Chiu; Lee, Huan-Fang; Yen, Miaofen

2017-02-01

The nursing work environment is a critical global health care problem. Many health care providers are concerned about the associations between the nursing work environment and the outcomes of organizations, nurses, and patients. Nursing work environment instruments have been assessed in the West but have not been considered in Asia. However, different cultures will affect the factorial structure of the tool. Using a stratified nationwide random sample, we created a measurement tool for the nursing work environment in Taiwan. The Nursing Work Environment Index-Revised Scale and the Essentials of Magnetism scale were used to examine the factorial structure. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to examine the hypothesis model and generate a new factorial structure. The Taiwan Nursing Work Environment Index (TNWEI) was established to evaluate the nursing work environment in Taiwan. The four factors were labeled "Organizational Support" (7 items), "Nurse Staffing and Resources" (4 items), "Nurse-Physician Collaboration" (4 items), and "Support for Continuing Education" (4 items). The 19 items explained 58.5% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the model (x2/df = 5.99; p < .05, goodness of fit index [GFI] = .90; RMSEA = .07). The TNWEI provides a comprehensive and efficient method for measuring the nurses' work environment in Taiwan.

Engineered AAVs for efficient noninvasive gene delivery to the central and peripheral nervous systems

PubMed Central

Chan, Ken Y; Jang, Min J; Yoo, Bryan B; Greenbaum, Alon; Ravi, Namita; Wu, Wei-Li; Sánchez-Guardado, Luis; Lois, Carlos; Mazmanian, Sarkis K; Deverman, Benjamin E; Gradinaru, Viviana

2017-01-01

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are commonly used for in vivo gene transfer. Nevertheless, AAVs that provide efficient transduction across specific organs or cell populations are needed. Here, we describe AAV-PHP.eB and AAV-PHP.S, capsids that efficiently transduce the central and peripheral nervous systems, respectively. In the adult mouse, intravenous administration of 1×1011 vector genomes (vg) of AAV-PHP.eB transduced 69% of cortical and 55% of striatal neurons, while 1×1012 vg AAV-PHP.S transduced 82% of dorsal root ganglion neurons, as well as cardiac and enteric neurons. The efficiency of these vectors facilitates robust co-transduction and stochastic, multicolor labeling for individual cell morphology studies. To support such efforts, we provide methods for labeling a tunable fraction of cells without compromising color diversity. Furthermore, when used with cell type-specific promoters, these AAVs provide targeted gene expression across the nervous system and enable efficient and versatile gene manipulation throughout the nervous system of transgenic and non-transgenic animals. PMID:28671695

Symbol labelling improves advantageous decision-making on the Iowa Gambling Task in people with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Dymond, Simon; Bailey, Rebecca; Willner, Paul; Parry, Rhonwen

2010-01-01

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities often have difficulties foregoing short-term loss for long-term gain. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) has been extensively adopted as a laboratory measure of this ability. In the present study, we undertook the first investigation with people with intellectual disabilities using a two-choice child version of the IGT, with measures of intellectual and executive functioning. Compared to a group of matched controls, people with intellectual disabilities performed advantageously and showed high levels of subjective awareness about the relative goodness and badness of the decks. A symbol labelling intervention, in which participants were taught to label the good and bad decks at regular intervals significantly improved advantageous decision-making to levels approximating that of controls. Factor analysis of executive functioning scores identified working memory and mental flexibility (response initiation and set shifting), with a near-significant inverse correlation between the extent to which the intervention was required and mental flexibility. These findings show, for the first time, that people with intellectual disabilities are capable of performing advantageously on the IGT and add to the growing clinical literature on decision-making. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Joint learning of labels and distance metric.

PubMed

Liu, Bo; Wang, Meng; Hong, Richang; Zha, Zhengjun; Hua, Xian-Sheng

2010-06-01

Machine learning algorithms frequently suffer from the insufficiency of training data and the usage of inappropriate distance metric. In this paper, we propose a joint learning of labels and distance metric (JLLDM) approach, which is able to simultaneously address the two difficulties. In comparison with the existing semi-supervised learning and distance metric learning methods that focus only on label prediction or distance metric construction, the JLLDM algorithm optimizes the labels of unlabeled samples and a Mahalanobis distance metric in a unified scheme. The advantage of JLLDM is multifold: 1) the problem of training data insufficiency can be tackled; 2) a good distance metric can be constructed with only very few training samples; and 3) no radius parameter is needed since the algorithm automatically determines the scale of the metric. Extensive experiments are conducted to compare the JLLDM approach with different semi-supervised learning and distance metric learning methods, and empirical results demonstrate its effectiveness.

Use of smart photochromic indicator for dynamic monitoring of the shelf life of chilled chicken based products.

PubMed

Brizio, Ana Paula Dutra Resem; Prentice, Carlos

2014-03-01

This study evaluated the applicability of a photochromic time temperature indicator (TTI) to monitor the time-temperature history and shelf life of chilled boneless chicken breast. The results showed that the smart indicator showed good reproducibility during the discoloring process in all the conditions investigated. The response was not only visibly interpretable but also well adaptable to measurement using appropriate equipment. For an activation configuration of 4 s of ultraviolet light (UV) per label, the TTI's rate of discoloration was similar to the quality loss of the meat samples analyzed. Thus, the photochromic label (4 s UV/label) attached to the samples set out to be a dynamic shelf-life label, assuring consumers the final point of quality of chilled boneless chicken breast in an easy and precise form, providing a reliable tool to monitor the supply chain of this product. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Labeling the good: alternative visions and organic branding in Sweden in the late twentieth century.

PubMed

Broberg, Oskar

2010-01-01

The past decade's rapid expansion of a global market for organic food has set powerful economic and political forces in motion. The most important dividing line is whether organic food production should be an alternative to or a niche within a capitalist mode of production. To explore this conflict the article analyzes the formation of a market for eco-labeled milk in Sweden. The analysis draws on three aspects: the strategy of agri-business, the role of eco-labeling, and the importance of inter-organizational dynamics. Based on archival studies, daily press, and interviews, three processes are emphasized: the formative years of the alternative movement in the 1970s, the founding of an independent eco-label (KRAV) in the 1980s, and a discursive shift from alternative visions to organic branding in the early 1990s following the entry of agri-business.

Chemical reactivation of quenched fluorescent protein molecules enables resin-embedded fluorescence microimaging

PubMed Central

Xiong, Hanqing; Zhou, Zhenqiao; Zhu, Mingqiang; Lv, Xiaohua; Li, Anan; Li, Shiwei; Li, Longhui; Yang, Tao; Wang, Siming; Yang, Zhongqin; Xu, Tonghui; Luo, Qingming; Gong, Hui; Zeng, Shaoqun

2014-01-01

Resin embedding is a well-established technique to prepare biological specimens for microscopic imaging. However, it is not compatible with modern green-fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescent-labelling technique because it significantly quenches the fluorescence of GFP and its variants. Previous empirical optimization efforts are good for thin tissue but not successful on macroscopic tissue blocks as the quenching mechanism remains uncertain. Here we show most of the quenched GFP molecules are structurally preserved and not denatured after routine embedding in resin, and can be chemically reactivated to a fluorescent state by alkaline buffer during imaging. We observe up to 98% preservation in yellow-fluorescent protein case, and improve the fluorescence intensity 11.8-fold compared with unprocessed samples. We demonstrate fluorescence microimaging of resin-embedded EGFP/EYFP-labelled tissue block without noticeable loss of labelled structures. This work provides a turning point for the imaging of fluorescent protein-labelled specimens after resin embedding. PMID:24886825

Imaging of immunolabeled membrane receptors in uncoated SEM specimens.

PubMed

Heinzmann, U; Reninger, A; Autrata, R; Höfler, H

1994-01-01

Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) were labeled with 10 nm immunogold and examined on uncoated specimens of A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. A field emission gun and a high-sensitivity YAG ring detector were used to demonstrate the affinity labeling simultaneously in the secondary-electron (SE) and backscattered-electron (BSE) modes with a low accelerating voltage (Vo). At Vo = 2 kV, the SE and BSE signals were too weak to identify all markers, while at Vo = 3-7 kV labeling was observed unambiguously in both the SE and BSE modes with smaller and higher working distances. Increasing the Vo to above 7 kV sometimes provokes instability of the specimens. A Vo of > or = 10 kV produces charging artifacts in the SE image, but permits a BSE image of the gold markers providing additional topographic information. In conclusion, immunogold labeling can be used with good results for uncoated specimens.

An analysis by metabolic labelling of the encephalomyocarditis virus ribosomal frameshifting efficiency and stimulators.

PubMed

Ling, Roger; Firth, Andrew E

2017-08-01

Programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting is a mechanism of gene expression whereby specific signals within messenger RNAs direct a proportion of ribosomes to shift -1 nt and continue translating in the new reading frame. Such frameshifting normally depends on an RNA structure stimulator 3'-adjacent to a 'slippery' heptanucleotide shift site sequence. Recently we identified an unusual frameshifting mechanism in encephalomyocarditis virus, where the stimulator involves a trans-acting virus protein. Thus, in contrast to other examples of -1 frameshifting, the efficiency of frameshifting in encephalomyocarditis virus is best studied in the context of virus infection. Here we use metabolic labelling to analyse the frameshifting efficiency of wild-type and mutant viruses. Confirming previous results, frameshifting depends on a G_GUU_UUU shift site sequence and a 3'-adjacent stem-loop structure, but is not appreciably affected by the 'StopGo' sequence present ~30 nt upstream. At late timepoints, frameshifting was estimated to be 46-76 % efficient.

(89)Zr-Oxine Complex PET Cell Imaging in Monitoring Cell-based Therapies.

PubMed

Sato, Noriko; Wu, Haitao; Asiedu, Kingsley O; Szajek, Lawrence P; Griffiths, Gary L; Choyke, Peter L

2015-05-01

To develop a clinically translatable method of cell labeling with zirconium 89 ((89)Zr) and oxine to track cells with positron emission tomography (PET) in mouse models of cell-based therapy. This study was approved by the institutional animal care committee. (89)Zr-oxine complex was synthesized in an aqueous solution. Cell labeling conditions were optimized by using EL4 mouse lymphoma cells, and labeling efficiency was examined by using dendritic cells (DCs) (n = 4), naïve (n = 3) and activated (n = 3) cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), and natural killer (NK) (n = 4), bone marrow (n = 4), and EL4 (n = 4) cells. The effect of (89)Zr labeling on cell survival, proliferation, and function were evaluated by using DCs (n = 3) and CTLs (n = 3). Labeled DCs (444-555 kBq/[5 × 10(6)] cells, n = 5) and CTLs (185 kBq/[5 × 10(6)] cells, n = 3) transferred to mice were tracked with microPET/CT. In a melanoma immunotherapy model, tumor targeting and cytotoxic function of labeled CTLs were evaluated with imaging (248.5 kBq/[7.7 × 10(6)] cells, n = 4) and by measuring the tumor size (n = 6). Two-way analysis of variance was used to compare labeling conditions, the Wilcoxon test was used to assess cell survival and proliferation, and Holm-Sidak multiple tests were used to assess tumor growth and perform biodistribution analyses. (89)Zr-oxine complex was synthesized at a mean yield of 97.3% ± 2.8 (standard deviation). It readily labeled cells at room temperature or 4°C in phosphate-buffered saline (labeling efficiency range, 13.0%-43.9%) and was stably retained (83.5% ± 1.8 retention on day 5 in DCs). Labeling did not affect the viability of DCs and CTLs when compared with nonlabeled control mice (P > .05), nor did it affect functionality. (89)Zr-oxine complex enabled extended cell tracking for 7 days. Labeled tumor-specific CTLs accumulated in the tumor (4.6% on day 7) and induced tumor regression (P < .05 on day 7). We have developed a (89)Zr-oxine complex cell tracking technique for use with PET that is applicable to a broad range of cell types and could be a valuable tool with which to evaluate various cell-based therapies. (©) RSNA, 2015

Implementation Schedule for Soil Fumigant Safety Measures

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This fact sheet summarizes the soil fumigant pesticide product label changes that are going into effect during each of two phases. New requirements cover worker protection, training, good agricultural practices, buffer zones, sign posting, and more.

3D multiplexed immunoplasmonics microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, Éric; Patskovsky, Sergiy; Rioux, David; Meunier, Michel

2016-07-01

Selective labelling, identification and spatial distribution of cell surface biomarkers can provide important clinical information, such as distinction between healthy and diseased cells, evolution of a disease and selection of the optimal patient-specific treatment. Immunofluorescence is the gold standard for efficient detection of biomarkers expressed by cells. However, antibodies (Abs) conjugated to fluorescent dyes remain limited by their photobleaching, high sensitivity to the environment, low light intensity, and wide absorption and emission spectra. Immunoplasmonics is a novel microscopy method based on the visualization of Abs-functionalized plasmonic nanoparticles (fNPs) targeting cell surface biomarkers. Tunable fNPs should provide higher multiplexing capacity than immunofluorescence since NPs are photostable over time, strongly scatter light at their plasmon peak wavelengths and can be easily functionalized. In this article, we experimentally demonstrate accurate multiplexed detection based on the immunoplasmonics approach. First, we achieve the selective labelling of three targeted cell surface biomarkers (cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and voltage-gated K+ channel subunit KV1.1) on human cancer CD44+ EGFR+ KV1.1+ MDA-MB-231 cells and reference CD44- EGFR- KV1.1+ 661W cells. The labelling efficiency with three stable specific immunoplasmonics labels (functionalized silver nanospheres (CD44-AgNSs), gold (Au) NSs (EGFR-AuNSs) and Au nanorods (KV1.1-AuNRs)) detected by reflected light microscopy (RLM) is similar to the one with immunofluorescence. Second, we introduce an improved method for 3D localization and spectral identification of fNPs based on fast z-scanning by RLM with three spectral filters corresponding to the plasmon peak wavelengths of the immunoplasmonics labels in the cellular environment (500 nm for 80 nm AgNSs, 580 nm for 100 nm AuNSs and 700 nm for 40 nm × 92 nm AuNRs). Third, the developed technology is simple and compatible with standard epi-fluorescence microscopes used in biological and clinical laboratories. Thus, 3D multiplexed immunoplasmonics microscopy is ready for clinical applications as a cost-efficient alternative to immunofluorescence.Selective labelling, identification and spatial distribution of cell surface biomarkers can provide important clinical information, such as distinction between healthy and diseased cells, evolution of a disease and selection of the optimal patient-specific treatment. Immunofluorescence is the gold standard for efficient detection of biomarkers expressed by cells. However, antibodies (Abs) conjugated to fluorescent dyes remain limited by their photobleaching, high sensitivity to the environment, low light intensity, and wide absorption and emission spectra. Immunoplasmonics is a novel microscopy method based on the visualization of Abs-functionalized plasmonic nanoparticles (fNPs) targeting cell surface biomarkers. Tunable fNPs should provide higher multiplexing capacity than immunofluorescence since NPs are photostable over time, strongly scatter light at their plasmon peak wavelengths and can be easily functionalized. In this article, we experimentally demonstrate accurate multiplexed detection based on the immunoplasmonics approach. First, we achieve the selective labelling of three targeted cell surface biomarkers (cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and voltage-gated K+ channel subunit KV1.1) on human cancer CD44+ EGFR+ KV1.1+ MDA-MB-231 cells and reference CD44- EGFR- KV1.1+ 661W cells. The labelling efficiency with three stable specific immunoplasmonics labels (functionalized silver nanospheres (CD44-AgNSs), gold (Au) NSs (EGFR-AuNSs) and Au nanorods (KV1.1-AuNRs)) detected by reflected light microscopy (RLM) is similar to the one with immunofluorescence. Second, we introduce an improved method for 3D localization and spectral identification of fNPs based on fast z-scanning by RLM with three spectral filters corresponding to the plasmon peak wavelengths of the immunoplasmonics labels in the cellular environment (500 nm for 80 nm AgNSs, 580 nm for 100 nm AuNSs and 700 nm for 40 nm × 92 nm AuNRs). Third, the developed technology is simple and compatible with standard epi-fluorescence microscopes used in biological and clinical laboratories. Thus, 3D multiplexed immunoplasmonics microscopy is ready for clinical applications as a cost-efficient alternative to immunofluorescence. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Characterization of functionalized nanoparticles by UV-visible-NIR spectroscopy, standard dark field microscopy and reflected light microscopy. Immunofluorescence of cells. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01257d

A Comparison of the Sodium Content of Supermarket Private-Label and Branded Foods in Australia.

PubMed

Trevena, Helen; Neal, Bruce; Dunford, Elizabeth; Haskelberg, Hila; Wu, Jason H Y

2015-08-21

Supermarket private-label products are perceived to be lower quality than their branded counterparts. Excess dietary sodium in foods contributes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Sodium concentrations in products are an important indicator of quality. We compared the sodium content of 15,680 supermarket private-label and branded products, available in four Australian supermarkets between 2011-2013, overall and for 15 food categories. Mean sodium values were compared for: (1) all products in 2013; (2) products in both 2011 and 2013; and (3) products only in 2013. Comparisons were made using paired and unpaired t tests. In each year the proportion of supermarket private-label products was 31%-32%, with overall mean sodium content 17% (12%-23%) lower than branded products in 2013 (p ≤ 0.001). For products available in both 2011 and 2013 there was a ≤2% (1%-3%) mean sodium reduction overall with no difference in reformulation between supermarket private-label and branded products (p = 0.73). New supermarket private-label products in 2013 were 11% lower in sodium than their branded counterparts (p = 0.02). Supermarket private-label products performed generally better than branded in terms of their sodium content. Lower sodium intake translates into lower blood pressure; some supermarket private-label products may be a good option for Australians needing to limit their sodium intake.

A Comparison of the Sodium Content of Supermarket Private-Label and Branded Foods in Australia

PubMed Central

Trevena, Helen; Neal, Bruce; Dunford, Elizabeth; Haskelberg, Hila; Wu, Jason H. Y.

2015-01-01

Supermarket private-label products are perceived to be lower quality than their branded counterparts. Excess dietary sodium in foods contributes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Sodium concentrations in products are an important indicator of quality. We compared the sodium content of 15,680 supermarket private-label and branded products, available in four Australian supermarkets between 2011–2013, overall and for 15 food categories. Mean sodium values were compared for: (1) all products in 2013; (2) products in both 2011 and 2013; and (3) products only in 2013. Comparisons were made using paired and unpaired t tests. In each year the proportion of supermarket private-label products was 31%–32%, with overall mean sodium content 17% (12%–23%) lower than branded products in 2013 (p ≤ 0.001). For products available in both 2011 and 2013 there was a ≤2% (1%–3%) mean sodium reduction overall with no difference in reformulation between supermarket private-label and branded products (p = 0.73). New supermarket private-label products in 2013 were 11% lower in sodium than their branded counterparts (p = 0.02). Supermarket private-label products performed generally better than branded in terms of their sodium content. Lower sodium intake translates into lower blood pressure; some supermarket private-label products may be a good option for Australians needing to limit their sodium intake. PMID:26308047

Food and the consumer: could labelling be the answer?

PubMed

Kerr, Maeve A; McCann, Mary T; Livingstone, M Barbara E

2015-05-01

Extensive research into the impact of nutrition labelling across Europe has shown that many consumers can effectively use a nutrition label to rank a food for healthiness. The present paper considers observational and laboratory evidence which has examined the impact of nutrition labelling (on food packaging and at point of purchase) on dietary behaviour. In addition, the potential counterproductive effects of foods bearing 'healthy' nutrition labels are examined. The observational evidence provides a useful insight into the key characteristics of nutrition label use. Those most likely to engage with nutrition labels are more likely to have a diet related disease and/or be on a weight loss diet and have a good overall diet quality. Experimental evidence, while limited, suggests that serving size information may be overlooked by consumers. In fact, there may be a tendency among consumers to overeat foods that are perceived to be healthier. The findings from the present paper suggest that if nutrition labelling is to be considered a strategy to facilitate consumers in managing their energy intake, it must coincide with salient, consistent and simple serving size information on the front of food packages and at the point of purchase. There is a clear need for more experimental research using robust methodologies, to examine the impact of nutrition information on dietary intake. In the meantime, there should be greater attention given to portion size within national dietary guidance.

Statistical methods for quantitative mass spectrometry proteomic experiments with labeling.

PubMed

Oberg, Ann L; Mahoney, Douglas W

2012-01-01

Mass Spectrometry utilizing labeling allows multiple specimens to be subjected to mass spectrometry simultaneously. As a result, between-experiment variability is reduced. Here we describe use of fundamental concepts of statistical experimental design in the labeling framework in order to minimize variability and avoid biases. We demonstrate how to export data in the format that is most efficient for statistical analysis. We demonstrate how to assess the need for normalization, perform normalization, and check whether it worked. We describe how to build a model explaining the observed values and test for differential protein abundance along with descriptive statistics and measures of reliability of the findings. Concepts are illustrated through the use of three case studies utilizing the iTRAQ 4-plex labeling protocol.

Fluorine-18 Radiochemistry, Labeling Strategies and Synthetic Routes

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Fluorine-18 is the most frequently used radioisotope in positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals in both clinical and preclinical research. Its physical and nuclear characteristics (97% β+ decay, 109.7 min half-life, 635 keV positron energy), along with high specific activity and ease of large scale production, make it an attractive nuclide for radiochemical labeling and molecular imaging. Versatile chemistry including nucleophilic and electrophilic substitutions allows direct or indirect introduction of 18F into molecules of interest. The significant increase in 18F radiotracers for PET imaging accentuates the need for simple and efficient 18F-labeling procedures. In this review, we will describe the current radiosynthesis routes and strategies for 18F labeling of small molecules and biomolecules. PMID:25473848

Efficient Multi-Atlas Registration using an Intermediate Template Image

PubMed Central

Dewey, Blake E.; Carass, Aaron; Blitz, Ari M.; Prince, Jerry L.

2017-01-01

Multi-atlas label fusion is an accurate but time-consuming method of labeling the human brain. Using an intermediate image as a registration target can allow researchers to reduce time constraints by storing the deformations required of the atlas images. In this paper, we investigate the effect of registration through an intermediate template image on multi-atlas label fusion and propose a novel registration technique to counteract the negative effects of through-template registration. We show that overall computation time can be decreased dramatically with minimal impact on final label accuracy and time can be exchanged for improved results in a predictable manner. We see almost complete recovery of Dice similarity over a simple through-template registration using the corrected method and still maintain a 3–4 times speed increase. Further, we evaluate the effectiveness of this method on brains of patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus, where abnormal brain shape presents labeling difficulties, specifically the ventricular labels. Our correction method creates substantially better ventricular labeling than traditional methods and maintains the speed increase seen in healthy subjects. PMID:28943702

Searching for flavor labels in food products: the influence of color-flavor congruence and association strength.

PubMed

Velasco, Carlos; Wan, Xiaoang; Knoeferle, Klemens; Zhou, Xi; Salgado-Montejo, Alejandro; Spence, Charles

2015-01-01

Prior research provides robust support for the existence of a number of associations between colors and flavors. In the present study, we examined whether congruent (vs. incongruent) combinations of product packaging colors and flavor labels would facilitate visual search for products labeled with specific flavors. The two experiments reported here document a Stroop-like effect between flavor words and packaging colors. The participants were able to search for packaging flavor labels more rapidly when the color of the packaging was congruent with the flavor label (e.g., red/tomato) than when it was incongruent (e.g., yellow/tomato). In addition, when the packaging color was incongruent, those flavor labels that were more strongly associated with a specific color yielded slower reaction times and more errors (Stroop interference) than those that were less strongly tied to a specific color. Importantly, search efficiency was affected both by color/flavor congruence and association strength. Taken together, these results therefore highlight the role of color congruence and color-word association strength when it comes to searching for specific flavor labels.

Efficient multi-atlas registration using an intermediate template image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewey, Blake E.; Carass, Aaron; Blitz, Ari M.; Prince, Jerry L.

2017-03-01

Multi-atlas label fusion is an accurate but time-consuming method of labeling the human brain. Using an intermediate image as a registration target can allow researchers to reduce time constraints by storing the deformations required of the atlas images. In this paper, we investigate the effect of registration through an intermediate template image on multi-atlas label fusion and propose a novel registration technique to counteract the negative effects of through-template registration. We show that overall computation time can be decreased dramatically with minimal impact on final label accuracy and time can be exchanged for improved results in a predictable manner. We see almost complete recovery of Dice similarity over a simple through-template registration using the corrected method and still maintain a 3-4 times speed increase. Further, we evaluate the effectiveness of this method on brains of patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus, where abnormal brain shape presents labeling difficulties, specifically the ventricular labels. Our correction method creates substantially better ventricular labeling than traditional methods and maintains the speed increase seen in healthy subjects.

Label consistent K-SVD: learning a discriminative dictionary for recognition.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhuolin; Lin, Zhe; Davis, Larry S

2013-11-01

A label consistent K-SVD (LC-KSVD) algorithm to learn a discriminative dictionary for sparse coding is presented. In addition to using class labels of training data, we also associate label information with each dictionary item (columns of the dictionary matrix) to enforce discriminability in sparse codes during the dictionary learning process. More specifically, we introduce a new label consistency constraint called "discriminative sparse-code error" and combine it with the reconstruction error and the classification error to form a unified objective function. The optimal solution is efficiently obtained using the K-SVD algorithm. Our algorithm learns a single overcomplete dictionary and an optimal linear classifier jointly. The incremental dictionary learning algorithm is presented for the situation of limited memory resources. It yields dictionaries so that feature points with the same class labels have similar sparse codes. Experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms many recently proposed sparse-coding techniques for face, action, scene, and object category recognition under the same learning conditions.

Studying the Stoichiometry of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Intact Cells using Correlative Microscopy.

PubMed

Peckys, Diana B; de Jonge, Niels

2015-09-11

This protocol describes the labeling of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on COS7 fibroblast cells, and subsequent correlative fluorescence microscopy and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) of whole cells in hydrated state. Fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) were coupled to EGFR via a two-step labeling protocol, providing an efficient and specific protein labeling, while avoiding label-induced clustering of the receptor. Fluorescence microscopy provided overview images of the cellular locations of the EGFR. The scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector was used to detect the QD labels with nanoscale resolution. The resulting correlative images provide data of the cellular EGFR distribution, and the stoichiometry at the single molecular level in the natural context of the hydrated intact cell. ESEM-STEM images revealed the receptor to be present as monomer, as homodimer, and in small clusters. Labeling with two different QDs, i.e., one emitting at 655 nm and at 800 revealed similar characteristic results.

International Review of the Development and Implementation of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Nan; Zheng, Nina; Fridley, David

2012-02-28

Appliance energy efficiency standards and labeling (S&L) programs have been important policy tools for regulating the efficiency of energy-using products for over 40 years and continue to expand in terms of geographic and product coverage. The most common S&L programs include mandatory minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) that seek to push the market for efficient products, and energy information and endorsement labels that seek to pull the market. This study seeks to review and compare some of the earliest and most well-developed S&L programs in three countries and one region: the U.S. MEPS and ENERGY STAR, Australia MEPS and Energymore » Label, European Union MEPS and Ecodesign requirements and Energy Label and Japanese Top Runner programs. For each program, key elements of S&L programs are evaluated and comparative analyses across the programs undertaken to identify best practice examples of individual elements as well as cross-cutting factors for success and lessons learned in international S&L program development and implementation. The international review and comparative analysis identified several overarching themes and highlighted some common factors behind successful program elements. First, standard-setting and programmatic implementation can benefit significantly from a legal framework that stipulates a specific timeline or schedule for standard-setting and revision, product coverage and legal sanctions for non-compliance. Second, the different MEPS programs revealed similarities in targeting efficiency gains that are technically feasible and economically justified as the principle for choosing a standard level, in many cases at a level that no product on the current market could reach. Third, detailed survey data such as the U.S. Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) and rigorous analyses provide a strong foundation for standard-setting while incorporating the participation of different groups of stakeholders further strengthen the process. Fourth, sufficient program resources for program implementation and evaluation are critical to the effectiveness of standards and labeling programs and cost-sharing between national and local governments can help ensure adequate resources and uniform implementation. Lastly, check-testing and punitive measures are important forms of enforcement while the cancellation of registration or product sales-based fines have also proven effective in reducing non-compliance. The international comparative analysis also revealed the differing degree to which the level of government decentralization has influenced S&L programs and while no single country has best practices in all elements of standards and labeling development and implementation, national examples of best practices for specific elements do exist. For example, the U.S. has exemplified the use of rigorous analyses for standard-setting and robust data source with the RECS database while Japan's Top Runner standard-setting principle has motivated manufacturers to exceed targets. In terms of standards implementation and enforcement, Australia has demonstrated success with enforcement given its long history of check-testing and enforcement initiatives while mandatory information-sharing between EU jurisdictions on compliance results is another important enforcement mechanism. These examples show that it is important to evaluate not only the drivers of different paths of standards and labeling development, but also the country-specific context for best practice examples in order to understand how and why certain elements of specific S&L programs have been effective.« less

Off-label use of medicines: The need for good practice guidelines.

PubMed

Dooms, Marc; Killick, James

2017-01-01

'Off-label use' is the term used for the prescription and dispensing of a medicinal product for any indication, patient group, route of administration, dosage or treatment regimen other than that listed in the Summary of Product Characteristics. In this article the authors present a brief overview of current practices of off-label use in Europe and the applicable European law and jurisprudence. They then go on to present a set of guidelines for best practice in off-label use which underlines the need for guidance on prescription to be firmly rooted in the need to ensure patient safety above all other concerns. The article was written from desk research and expert engagement, including a presentation and Q&A in the European Parliament. This article intends to demonstrate that off-label use entails increased risks for patients, especially when it is not underpinned by rigorous clinical studies or the reporting routes for use are not well defined. Europe is seeing a growing trend the promotion of off-label prescription of medicinal products for reasons other than pure medical need, including motives such as cost-containment. This poses a numer of questions for the ethical and legal framework for medicine prescription and dispensing in Europe.

Growth fraction in non-small cell lung cancer estimated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen and comparison with Ki-67 labeling and DNA flow cytometry data.

PubMed Central

Fontanini, G.; Pingitore, R.; Bigini, D.; Vignati, S.; Pepe, S.; Ruggiero, A.; Macchiarini, P.

1992-01-01

Results generated by the immunohistochemical staining with PC10, a new monoclonal antibody recognizing PCNA (a nuclear protein associated with cell proliferation) in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue were compared with those of Ki-67 labeling and DNA flow cytometry in 47 consecutive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PCNA reactivity was observed in all samples and confined to the nuclei of cancer cells. Its frequency ranged from 0 to 80% (37.7 +/- 23.6) and larger sized, early-staged and DNA aneuploid tumors expressed a significant higher number of PCNA-reactive cells. The PCNA and Ki-67 labeling rates were closely correlated (r = 0.383, P = 0.009). By flow cytometry, we observed a good correlation among PCNA labeling and S-phase fraction (r = 0.422, P = .0093) and G1 phase (r = 0.303, P = .051) of the cell cycle. Results indicate that PCNA labeling with PC10 is a simple method for assessing the proliferative activity in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue of NSCLC and correlates well with Ki-67 labeling and S-phase fraction of the cell cycle. Images Figure 2 PMID:1361306

Biosynthetically directed fractional 13C labeling facilitates identification of Phe and Tyr aromatic signals in proteins.

PubMed

Jacob, Jaison; Louis, John M; Nesheiwat, Issa; Torchia, Dennis A

2002-11-01

Analysis of 2D [(13)C,(1)H]-HSQC spectra of biosynthetic fractionally (13)C labeled proteins is a reliable, straightforward means to obtain stereospecific assignments of Val and Leu methyl sites in proteins. Herein we show that the same fractionally labeled protein sample facilitates observation and identification of Phe and Tyr aromatic signals. This is the case, in part, because the fractional (13)C labeling yields aromatic rings in which some of the (13)C-(13)C J-couplings, present in uniformly labeled samples, are absent. Also, the number of homonuclear J-coupling partners differs for the delta-, epsilon- and zeta-carbons. This enabled us to vary their signal intensities in distinctly different ways by appropriately setting the (13)C constant-time period in 2D [(13)C,(1)H]-HSQC spectra. We illustrate the application of this approach to an 18 kDa protein, c-VIAF, a modulator of apoptosis. In addition, we show that cancellation of the aromatic (13)C CSA and (13)C-(1)H dipolar interactions can be fruitfully utilized in the case of the fractionally labeled sample to obtain high resolution (13)C constant-time spectra with good sensitivity.

Automated atlas-based clustering of white matter fiber tracts from DTMRI.

PubMed

Maddah, Mahnaz; Mewes, Andrea U J; Haker, Steven; Grimson, W Eric L; Warfield, Simon K

2005-01-01

A new framework is presented for clustering fiber tracts into anatomically known bundles. This work is motivated by medical applications in which variation analysis of known bundles of fiber tracts in the human brain is desired. To include the anatomical knowledge in the clustering, we invoke an atlas of fiber tracts, labeled by the number of bundles of interest. In this work, we construct such an atlas and use it to cluster all fiber tracts in the white matter. To build the atlas, we start with a set of labeled ROIs specified by an expert and extract the fiber tracts initiating from each ROI. Affine registration is used to project the extracted fiber tracts of each subject to the atlas, whereas their B-spline representation is used to efficiently compare them to the fiber tracts in the atlas and assign cluster labels. Expert visual inspection of the result confirms that the proposed method is very promising and efficient in clustering of the known bundles of fiber tracts.

A non-genetic approach to labelling acute myeloid leukemia and bone marrow cells with quantum dots.

PubMed

Zheng, Yanwen; Tan, Dongming; Chen, Zheng; Hu, Chenxi; Mao, Zhengwei J; Singleton, Timothy P; Zeng, Yan; Shao, Xuejun; Yin, Bin

2014-06-01

The difficulty in manipulation of leukemia cells has long hindered the dissection of leukemia pathogenesis. We have introduced a non-genetic approach of marking blood cells, using quantum dots. We compared quantum dots complexed with different vehicles, including a peptide Tat, cationic polymer Turbofect and liposome. Quantum dots-Tat showed the highest efficiency of marking hematopoietic cells among the three vehicles. Quantum dots-Tat could also label a panel of leukemia cell lines at varied efficiencies. More uniform intracellular distributions of quantum dots in mouse bone marrow and leukemia cells were obtained with quantum dots-Tat, compared with the granule-like formation obtained with quantum dots-liposome. Our results suggest that quantum dots have provided a photostable and non-genetic approach that labels normal and malignant hematopoietic cells, in a cell type-, vehicle-, and quantum dot concentration-dependent manner. We expect for potential applications of quantum dots as an easy and fast marking tool assisting investigations of various types of blood cells in the future.

Palladium-catalyzed double carbonylation using near stoichiometric carbon monoxide: expedient access to substituted 13C2-labeled phenethylamines.

PubMed

Nielsen, Dennis U; Neumann, Karoline; Taaning, Rolf H; Lindhardt, Anders T; Modvig, Amalie; Skrydstrup, Troels

2012-07-20

A novel and general approach for (13)C(2)- and (2)H-labeled phenethylamine derivatives has been developed, based on a highly convergent single-step assembly of the carbon skeleton. The efficient incorporation of two carbon-13 isotopes into phenethylamines was accomplished using a palladium-catalyzed double carbonylation of aryl iodides with near stoichiometric carbon monoxide.

Copper-catalyzed oxidative desulfurization-oxygenation of thiocarbonyl compounds using molecular oxygen: an efficient method for the preparation of oxygen isotopically labeled carbonyl compounds.

PubMed

Shibahara, Fumitoshi; Suenami, Aiko; Yoshida, Atsunori; Murai, Toshiaki

2007-06-21

A novel copper-catalyzed oxidative desulfurization reaction of thiocarbonyl compounds, using molecular oxygen as an oxidant and leading to formation of carbonyl compounds, has been developed, and the utility of the process is demonstrated by its application to the preparation of a carbonyl-18O labeled sialic acid derivative.

Textural-Contextual Labeling and Metadata Generation for Remote Sensing Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiang, Richard K.

1999-01-01

Despite the extensive research and the advent of several new information technologies in the last three decades, machine labeling of ground categories using remotely sensed data has not become a routine process. Considerable amount of human intervention is needed to achieve a level of acceptable labeling accuracy. A number of fundamental reasons may explain why machine labeling has not become automatic. In addition, there may be shortcomings in the methodology for labeling ground categories. The spatial information of a pixel, whether textural or contextual, relates a pixel to its surroundings. This information should be utilized to improve the performance of machine labeling of ground categories. Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper (TM) data taken in July 1982 over an area in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. are used in this study. On-line texture extraction by neural networks may not be the most efficient way to incorporate textural information into the labeling process. Texture features are pre-computed from cooccurrence matrices and then combined with a pixel's spectral and contextual information as the input to a neural network. The improvement in labeling accuracy with spatial information included is significant. The prospect of automatic generation of metadata consisting of ground categories, textural and contextual information is discussed.

Learning classification with auxiliary probabilistic information

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Quang; Valizadegan, Hamed; Hauskrecht, Milos

2012-01-01

Finding ways of incorporating auxiliary information or auxiliary data into the learning process has been the topic of active data mining and machine learning research in recent years. In this work we study and develop a new framework for classification learning problem in which, in addition to class labels, the learner is provided with an auxiliary (probabilistic) information that reflects how strong the expert feels about the class label. This approach can be extremely useful for many practical classification tasks that rely on subjective label assessment and where the cost of acquiring additional auxiliary information is negligible when compared to the cost of the example analysis and labelling. We develop classification algorithms capable of using the auxiliary information to make the learning process more efficient in terms of the sample complexity. We demonstrate the benefit of the approach on a number of synthetic and real world data sets by comparing it to the learning with class labels only. PMID:25309141

Diolistic labeling of neuronal cultures and intact tissue using a hand-held gene gun

PubMed Central

O'Brien, John A; Lummis, Sarah CR

2009-01-01

Diolistic labeling is a highly efficient method for introducing dyes into cells using biolistic techniques. The use of lipophilic carbocyanine dyes, combined with particle-mediated biolistic delivery using a hand-held gene gun, allows non-toxic labeling of multiple cells in both living and fixed tissue. The technique is rapid (labeled cells can be visualized in minutes) and technically undemanding. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for diolistic labeling of cultured human embryonic kidney 293 cells and whole brain using a hand-held gene gun. There are four major steps: (i) coating gold microcarriers with one or more dyes; (ii) transferring the microcarriers into a cartridge to make a bullet; (iii) preparation of cells or intact tissue; and (iv) firing the microcarriers into cells or tissue. The method can be readily adapted to other cell types and tissues. This protocol can be completed in less than 1 h. PMID:17406443

Transformation of cell-derived microparticles into quantum-dot-labeled nanovectors for antitumor siRNA delivery.

PubMed

Chen, Gang; Zhu, Jun-Yi; Zhang, Zhi-Ling; Zhang, Wei; Ren, Jian-Gang; Wu, Min; Hong, Zheng-Yuan; Lv, Cheng; Pang, Dai-Wen; Zhao, Yi-Fang

2015-01-12

Cell-derived microparticles (MPs) have been recently recognized as critical intercellular information conveyors. However, further understanding of their biological behavior and potential application has been hampered by the limitations of current labeling techniques. Herein, a universal donor-cell-assisted membrane biotinylation strategy was proposed for labeling MPs by skillfully utilizing the natural membrane phospholipid exchange of their donor cells. This innovative strategy conveniently led to specific, efficient, reproducible, and biocompatible quantum dot (QD) labeling of MPs, thereby reliably conferring valuable traceability on MPs. By further loading with small interference RNA, QD-labeled MPs that had inherent cell-targeting and biomolecule-conveying ability were successfully employed for combined bioimaging and tumor-targeted therapy. This study provides the first reliable and biofriendly strategy for transforming biogenic MPs into functionalized nanovectors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Matching by linear programming and successive convexification.

PubMed

Jiang, Hao; Drew, Mark S; Li, Ze-Nian

2007-06-01

We present a novel convex programming scheme to solve matching problems, focusing on the challenging problem of matching in a large search range and with cluttered background. Matching is formulated as metric labeling with L1 regularization terms, for which we propose a novel linear programming relaxation method and an efficient successive convexification implementation. The unique feature of the proposed relaxation scheme is that a much smaller set of basis labels is used to represent the original label space. This greatly reduces the size of the searching space. A successive convexification scheme solves the labeling problem in a coarse to fine manner. Importantly, the original cost function is reconvexified at each stage, in the new focus region only, and the focus region is updated so as to refine the searching result. This makes the method well-suited for large label set matching. Experiments demonstrate successful applications of the proposed matching scheme in object detection, motion estimation, and tracking.

29 CFR 779.107 - Goods defined.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...; advertising, motion pictures, newspaper and radio copy; art work and manuscripts for publication; sample books, letterheads, envelopes, shipping tags, labels, checkbooks, blankbooks, book covers, advertising circulars, and... written materials such as newspapers, magazines, brochures, pamphlets, bulletins, and announcements...

New fluorescent labels with tunable hydrophilicity for the rational design of bright optical probes for molecular imaging.

PubMed

Pauli, Jutta; Licha, Kai; Berkemeyer, Janis; Grabolle, Markus; Spieles, Monika; Wegner, Nicole; Welker, Pia; Resch-Genger, Ute

2013-07-17

The rational design of bright optical probes and dye-biomolecule conjugates in the NIR-region requires fluorescent labels that retain their high fluorescence quantum yields when bound to a recognition unit or upon interaction with a target. Because hydrophilicity-controlled dye aggregation in conjunction with homo-FRET presents one of the major fluorescence deactivation pathways in dye-protein conjugates, fluorescent labels are required that enable higher labeling degrees with minimum dye aggregation. Aiming at a better understanding of the factors governing dye-dye interactions, we systematically studied the signal-relevant spectroscopic properties, hydrophilicity, and aggregation behavior of the novel xS-IDCC series of symmetric pentamethines equipped with two, four, and six sulfonic acid groups and selected conjugates of these dyes with IgG and the antibody cetuximab (ctx) directed against the cancer-related epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in comparison to the gold standard Cy5.5. With 6S-IDCC, which displays a molar absorption coefficient of 190 000 M(-1) cm(-1) and a fluorescence quantum yield (Φf) of 0.18 in aqueous media like PBS and nearly no aggregation, we could identify a fluorophore with a similarly good performance as Cy5.5. Bioconjugation of 6S-IDCC and Cy5.5 yielded highly emissive targeted probes with comparable Φf values of 0.29 for a dye-to-protein (D/P) ratio <1 and a reduced number of protein-bound dye aggregates in the case of 6S-IDCC. Binding studies of the ctx conjugates of both dyes performed by fluorescence microscopy and FACS revealed that the binding strength between the targeted probes and the EGF receptor at the cell membrane is independent of D/P ratio. These results underline the importance of an application-specific tuning of dye hydrophilicity for the design of bright fluorescent reporters and efficient optical probes. Moreover, we could demonstrate the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy to predict the size of fluorescence signals resulting for other fluorescence techniques such as FACS.

Petition to request an exemption from 100 percent identity testing of dietary ingredients: Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements. Interim final rule.

PubMed

2007-06-25

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing an interim final rule (IFR) that sets forth a procedure for requesting an exemption from the requirement in the final rule "Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements," published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, that the manufacturer conduct at least one appropriate test or examination to verify the identity of any component that is a dietary ingredient. This IFR allows for submission to, and review by, FDA of an alternative to the required 100 percent identity testing of components that are dietary ingredients, provided certain conditions are met and establishes a requirement for retention of records relating to the FDA's response to an exemption request.

Copper-64 Labeled Liposomes for Imaging Bone Marrow

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang-gyu; Gangangari, Kishore; Kalidindi, Teja Muralidhar; Punzalan, Blesida; Larson, Steven M.; Pillarsetty, Naga Vara Kishore

2016-01-01

Introduction Bone marrow is the soft tissue compartment inside the bones made up of hematopoietic cells, adipocytes, stromal cells, phagocytic cells, stem cells, and sinusoids. While [18F]-FLT has been utilized to image proliferative marrow, to date, there are no reports of particle based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents for imaging bone marrow. We have developed copper-64 labeled liposomal formulation that selectively targets bone marrow and therefore serves as an efficient PET probe for imaging bone marrow. Methods Optimized liposomal formulations were prepared with succinyl PE, DSPC, cholesterol, and mPEG-DSPE (69:39:1:10:0.1) with diameters of 90 and 140 nm, and were doped with DOTA-Bn-DSPE for stable 64Cu incorporation into liposomes. Results PET imaging and biodistribution studies with 64Cu-labeled liposomes indicate that accumulation in bone marrow was as high as 15.18 ± 3.69 %ID/g for 90 nm liposomes and 7.01 ± 0.92 %ID/g for 140 nm liposomes at 24 h post-administration. In vivo biodistribution studies in tumor-bearing mice indicate that the uptake of 90 nm particles is approximately 0.89 ± 0.48 %ID/g in tumor and 14.22 ± 8.07 %ID/g in bone marrow, but respective values for Doxil® like liposomes are 0.83 ± 0.49 %ID/g and 2.23 ± 1.00 %ID/g. Conclusion Our results indicate that our novel PET labeled liposomes target bone marrow with very high efficiency and therefore can function as efficient bone marrow imaging agents. PMID:27694056

Semi-automatic ground truth generation using unsupervised clustering and limited manual labeling: Application to handwritten character recognition

PubMed Central

Vajda, Szilárd; Rangoni, Yves; Cecotti, Hubert

2015-01-01

For training supervised classifiers to recognize different patterns, large data collections with accurate labels are necessary. In this paper, we propose a generic, semi-automatic labeling technique for large handwritten character collections. In order to speed up the creation of a large scale ground truth, the method combines unsupervised clustering and minimal expert knowledge. To exploit the potential discriminant complementarities across features, each character is projected into five different feature spaces. After clustering the images in each feature space, the human expert labels the cluster centers. Each data point inherits the label of its cluster’s center. A majority (or unanimity) vote decides the label of each character image. The amount of human involvement (labeling) is strictly controlled by the number of clusters – produced by the chosen clustering approach. To test the efficiency of the proposed approach, we have compared, and evaluated three state-of-the art clustering methods (k-means, self-organizing maps, and growing neural gas) on the MNIST digit data set, and a Lampung Indonesian character data set, respectively. Considering a k-nn classifier, we show that labeling manually only 1.3% (MNIST), and 3.2% (Lampung) of the training data, provides the same range of performance than a completely labeled data set would. PMID:25870463

Using label-free screening technology to improve efficiency in drug discovery.

PubMed

Halai, Reena; Cooper, Matthew A

2012-02-01

Screening assays have traditionally utilized reporter labels to quantify biological responses relevant to the disease state of interest. However, there are limitations associated with the use of labels that may be overcome with temporal measurements possible with label-free. This review comprises general and system-specific information from literature searches using PubMed, published books and the authors' personal experience. This review highlights the label-free approaches in the context of various applications. The authors also note technical issues relevant to the development of label-free assays and their application to HTS. The limitations associated with the use of transfected cell lines and the use of label-based assays are gradually being realized. As such, greater emphasis is being placed on label-free biophysical techniques using native cell lines. The introduction of 96- and 384-well plate label-free systems is helping to broker a wider acceptance of these approaches in high-throughput screening. However, potential users of the technologies remain skeptical, primarily because the physical basis of the signals generated, and their contextual relevance to cell biology and signal transduction, has not been fully elucidated. Until this is done, these new technology platforms are more likely to complement, rather than replace, traditional screening platforms.

Two-photon in vivo flow cytometry using a fiber probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yu-Chung; Ye, Jing Yong; Thomas, Thommey P.; Cao, Zhengyi; Kotlyar, Alina; Tkaczyk, Eric R.; Baker, James R., Jr.; Norris, Theodore B.

2009-02-01

We have demonstrated the use of a double-clad fiber probe to conduct two-photon excited flow cytometry in vitro and in vivo. We conducted two-channel detection to measure fluorescence at two distinct wavelengths simultaneously. Because the scattering and absorption problems from whole blood were circumvented by the fiber probe, the detected signal strength from the cells were found to be similar in PBS and in whole blood. We achieved the same detection efficiency of the membrane-binding lipophilic dye DiD labeled cells in PBS and in whole blood. High detection efficiency of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing cells in whole blood was demonstrated. DiD-labeled untransfected and GFP-transfected cells were injected into live mice and the circulation dynamics of the externally injected cells were monitored. The detection efficiency of GFP-expressing cells in vivo was consistent with that observed in whole blood.

Learning to Predict Combinatorial Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vembu, Shankar

2009-12-01

The major challenge in designing a discriminative learning algorithm for predicting structured data is to address the computational issues arising from the exponential size of the output space. Existing algorithms make different assumptions to ensure efficient, polynomial time estimation of model parameters. For several combinatorial structures, including cycles, partially ordered sets, permutations and other graph classes, these assumptions do not hold. In this thesis, we address the problem of designing learning algorithms for predicting combinatorial structures by introducing two new assumptions: (i) The first assumption is that a particular counting problem can be solved efficiently. The consequence is a generalisation of the classical ridge regression for structured prediction. (ii) The second assumption is that a particular sampling problem can be solved efficiently. The consequence is a new technique for designing and analysing probabilistic structured prediction models. These results can be applied to solve several complex learning problems including but not limited to multi-label classification, multi-category hierarchical classification, and label ranking.

Solvent-modified ultrafast decay dynamics in conjugated polymer/dye labeled single stranded DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Inhong; Kang, Mijeong; Woo, Han Young; Oh, Jin-Woo; Kyhm, Kwangseuk

2015-07-01

We have investigated that organic solvent (DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide) modifies energy transfer efficiency between conjugated polymers (donors) and fluorescein-labeled single stranded DNAs (acceptors). In a mixture of buffer and organic solvent, fluorescence of the acceptors is significantly enhanced compared to that of pure water solution. This result can be attributed to change of the donor-acceptor environment such as decreased hydrophobicity of polymers, screening effect of organic solvent molecules, resulting in an enhanced energy transfer efficiency. Time-resolved fluorescence decay of the donors and the acceptors was modelled by considering the competition between the energy harvesting Foerster resonance energy transfer and the energy-wasting quenching. This enables to quantity that the Foerster distance (R0 = 43.3 Å) and resonance energy transfer efficiency (EFRET = 58.7 %) of pure buffer solution become R0 = 38.6 Å and EFRET = 48.0 % when 80% DMSO/buffer mixture is added.

g-force induced giant efficiency of nanoparticles internalization into living cells

PubMed Central

Ocampo, Sandra M.; Rodriguez, Vanessa; de la Cueva, Leonor; Salas, Gorka; Carrascosa, Jose. L.; Josefa Rodríguez, María; García-Romero, Noemí; Luis, Jose; Cuñado, F.; Camarero, Julio; Miranda, Rodolfo; Belda-Iniesta, Cristobal; Ayuso-Sacido, Angel

2015-01-01

Nanotechnology plays an increasingly important role in the biomedical arena. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-labelled cells is one of the most promising approaches for a fast and reliable evaluation of grafted cells in both preclinical studies and clinical trials. Current procedures to label living cells with IONPs are based on direct incubation or physical approaches based on magnetic or electrical fields, which always display very low cellular uptake efficiencies. Here we show that centrifugation-mediated internalization (CMI) promotes a high uptake of IONPs in glioblastoma tumour cells, just in a few minutes, and via clathrin-independent endocytosis pathway. CMI results in controllable cellular uptake efficiencies at least three orders of magnitude larger than current procedures. Similar trends are found in human mesenchymal stem cells, thereby demonstrating the general feasibility of the methodology, which is easily transferable to any laboratory with great potential for the development of improved biomedical applications. PMID:26477718

75 FR 17079 - Agency Information Collection: Energy Conservation Program: Compliance and Certification...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-05

... Transformers AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and... Transformers, OMB Control Number 1910-5130. The information collection is used by manufacturers or private labelers to report on and certify compliance with energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers...

ACCESSING OVERSEAS MARKETS ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS AND APPLIANCE LABELING IN ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of the project is to reduce pollution and environmental degradation by increasing the efficiency of energy end-uses in the industrial and household sectors of key Asian and Latin American countries. This will be accomplished by encouraging the adoption and harmo...

Nudging Healthier Choices in a Hospital Cafeteria: Results From a Field Study.

PubMed

Mazza, Mary Carol; Dynan, Linda; Siegel, Robert M; Tucker, Anita L

2017-11-01

More than two thirds of adults and one third of children are overweight or obese in the United States. These trends have led to initiatives to provide information that supports informed choices. Traffic light labeling has been shown to increase consumer awareness and encourage healthy selections. This article contributes to the literature on healthy choices by comparing the additional contribution of a number of interventions used in combination with traffic light labeling. We conducted a 21-month field study in a workplace cafeteria. We analyzed cash register receipts, focusing on sales of beverages and chips. We found that the traffic light system was effective. The addition of caloric information to traffic light labeling had a positive effect on the purchase of healthy chips. However, other interventions appeared to produce more harm than good, essentially wiping out the benefits from traffic light labeling. These findings suggest that although it is possible to improve on traffic light labeling with selective interventions, caution is in order as some interventions may trigger compensatory behavior that results in the purchase of unhealthy items.

Efficient Enzymatic Preparation of (13) N-Labelled Amino Acids: Towards Multipurpose Synthetic Systems.

PubMed

da Silva, Eunice S; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Baz, Zuriñe; Llop, Jordi; López-Gallego, Fernando

2016-09-12

Nitrogen-13 can be efficiently produced in biomedical cyclotrons in different chemical forms, and its stable isotopes are present in the majority of biologically active molecules. Hence, it may constitute a convenient alternative to Fluorine-18 and Carbon-11 for the preparation of positron-emitter-labelled radiotracers; however, its short half-life demands for the development of simple, fast, and efficient synthetic processes. Herein, we report the one-pot, enzymatic and non-carrier-added synthesis of the (13) N-labelled amino acids l-[(13) N]alanine, [(13) N]glycine, and l-[(13) N]serine by using l-alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis, an enzyme that catalyses the reductive amination of α-keto acids by using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) as the redox cofactor and ammonia as the amine source. The integration of both l-alanine dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii in the same reaction vessel to facilitate the in situ regeneration of NADH during the radiochemical synthesis of the amino acids allowed a 50-fold decrease in the concentration of the cofactor without compromising reaction yields. After optimization of the experimental conditions, radiochemical yields were sufficient to carry out in vivo imaging studies in small rodents. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

USSR Report, Consumer Goods and Domestic Trade, No. 68.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-20

assortment (garments and knitwear , leather footwear and others) they account for more than 70 percent. The possibilities of increasing the warehouse...commodity attributes, spe- cial delivery dates and the labeling of the goods. The assortment should also be specified in a similar fashion in the...steps of pres- sure must be taken against the producer. Here it is necessary to use fully the right, which is granted by the Statute on Deliveries of

sym-Trisubstituted 1,3,5-Triazine Derivatives as Promising Organic Corrosion Inhibitors for Steel in Acidic Solution.

PubMed

El-Faham, Ayman; Dahlous, Kholood A; Al Othman, Zeid A; Al-Lohedan, Hamad A; El-Mahdy, Gamal A

2016-03-31

Triazine derivatives, namely, 2,4,6-tris(quinolin-8-yloxy)-1,3,5-triazine (T3Q), N²,N⁴,N⁶-tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine (T3AMPy) and 2,2',2''-[(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tris(azanediyl)] tris(ethan-1-ol) (T3EA) were synthesized and their inhibition of steel corrosion in hydrochloric acid solution was investigated using electrochemical techniques. The corrosion protection of the prepared compounds increased with increasing concentration and reached up to 98% at 250 ppm. The adsorption of T3Q, T3AMPy, and T3EA on the steel surface was in accordance with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The electrochemical results revealed that T3Q, T3AMPy and T3EA act as excellent organic inhibitors and can labeled as mixed type inhibitors. The efficiencies of the tested compounds were affected by the nature of the side chain present in the triazine ring, where T3EA gave the least inhibition while T3Q and T3AMPy gave higher and almost the same inhibition effects. The inhibition efficiencies obtained from the different electrochemical techniques were in good agreement.

Protein C-Terminal Labeling and Biotinylation Using Synthetic Peptide and Split-Intein

PubMed Central

Volkmann, Gerrit; Liu, Xiang-Qin

2009-01-01

Background Site-specific protein labeling or modification can facilitate the characterization of proteins with respect to their structure, folding, and interaction with other proteins. However, current methods of site-specific protein labeling are few and with limitations, therefore new methods are needed to satisfy the increasing need and sophistications of protein labeling. Methodology A method of protein C-terminal labeling was developed using a non-canonical split-intein, through an intein-catalyzed trans-splicing reaction between a protein and a small synthetic peptide carrying the desired labeling groups. As demonstrations of this method, three different proteins were efficiently labeled at their C-termini with two different labels (fluorescein and biotin) either in solution or on a solid surface, and a transferrin receptor protein was labeled on the membrane surface of live mammalian cells. Protein biotinylation and immobilization on a streptavidin-coated surface were also achieved in a cell lysate without prior purification of the target protein. Conclusions We have produced a method of site-specific labeling or modification at the C-termini of recombinant proteins. This method compares favorably with previous protein labeling methods and has several unique advantages. It is expected to have many potential applications in protein engineering and research, which include fluorescent labeling for monitoring protein folding, location, and trafficking in cells, and biotinylation for protein immobilization on streptavidin-coated surfaces including protein microchips. The types of chemical labeling may be limited only by the ability of chemical synthesis to produce the small C-intein peptide containing the desired chemical groups. PMID:20027230

Neurally and ocularly informed graph-based models for searching 3D environments.

PubMed

Jangraw, David C; Wang, Jun; Lance, Brent J; Chang, Shih-Fu; Sajda, Paul

2014-08-01

As we move through an environment, we are constantly making assessments, judgments and decisions about the things we encounter. Some are acted upon immediately, but many more become mental notes or fleeting impressions-our implicit 'labeling' of the world. In this paper, we use physiological correlates of this labeling to construct a hybrid brain-computer interface (hBCI) system for efficient navigation of a 3D environment. First, we record electroencephalographic (EEG), saccadic and pupillary data from subjects as they move through a small part of a 3D virtual city under free-viewing conditions. Using machine learning, we integrate the neural and ocular signals evoked by the objects they encounter to infer which ones are of subjective interest to them. These inferred labels are propagated through a large computer vision graph of objects in the city, using semi-supervised learning to identify other, unseen objects that are visually similar to the labeled ones. Finally, the system plots an efficient route to help the subjects visit the 'similar' objects it identifies. We show that by exploiting the subjects' implicit labeling to find objects of interest instead of exploring naively, the median search precision is increased from 25% to 97%, and the median subject need only travel 40% of the distance to see 84% of the objects of interest. We also find that the neural and ocular signals contribute in a complementary fashion to the classifiers' inference of subjects' implicit labeling. In summary, we show that neural and ocular signals reflecting subjective assessment of objects in a 3D environment can be used to inform a graph-based learning model of that environment, resulting in an hBCI system that improves navigation and information delivery specific to the user's interests.

Your eyes give you away: pupillary responses, EEG dynamics, and applications for BCI (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajda, Paul

2017-05-01

As we move through an environment, we are constantly making assessments, judgments, and decisions about the things we encounter. Some are acted upon immediately, but many more become mental notes or fleeting impressions - our implicit "labeling" of the world. In this talk I will describe our work using physiological correlates of this labeling to construct a hybrid brain-computer interface (hBCI) system for efficient navigation of a 3-D environment. Specifically, we record electroencephalographic (EEG), saccadic, and pupillary data from subjects as they move through a small part of a 3-D virtual city under free-viewing conditions. Using machine learning, we integrate the neural and ocular signals evoked by the objects they encounter to infer which ones are of subjective interest. These inferred labels are propagated through a large computer vision graph of objects in the city, using semi-supervised learning to identify other, unseen objects that are visually similar to those that are labelled. Finally, the system plots an efficient route so that subjects visit similar objects of interest. We show that by exploiting the subjects' implicit labeling, the median search precision is increased from 25% to 97%, and the median subject need only travel 40% of the distance to see 84% of the objects of interest. We also find that the neural and ocular signals contribute in a complementary fashion to the classifiers' inference of subjects' implicit labeling. In summary, we show that neural and ocular signals reflecting subjective assessment of objects in a 3-D environment can be used to inform a graph-based learning model of that environment, resulting in an hBCI system that improves navigation and information delivery specific to the user's interests.

Automatic metro map layout using multicriteria optimization.

PubMed

Stott, Jonathan; Rodgers, Peter; Martínez-Ovando, Juan Carlos; Walker, Stephen G

2011-01-01

This paper describes an automatic mechanism for drawing metro maps. We apply multicriteria optimization to find effective placement of stations with a good line layout and to label the map unambiguously. A number of metrics are defined, which are used in a weighted sum to find a fitness value for a layout of the map. A hill climbing optimizer is used to reduce the fitness value, and find improved map layouts. To avoid local minima, we apply clustering techniques to the map-the hill climber moves both stations and clusters when finding improved layouts. We show the method applied to a number of metro maps, and describe an empirical study that provides some quantitative evidence that automatically-drawn metro maps can help users to find routes more efficiently than either published maps or undistorted maps. Moreover, we have found that, in these cases, study subjects indicate a preference for automatically-drawn maps over the alternatives. © 2011 IEEE Published by the IEEE Computer Society

Gold decorated porous biosilica nanodevices for advanced medicine.

PubMed

Terracciano, Monica; Napolitano, Michela; De Stefano, Luca; De Luca, Anna Chiara; Rea, Ilaria

2018-06-08

Diatomite is a fossil material made of amorphous porous silica. In this work, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified diatomite NPs (PEG-DNPs) are decorated with gold NPs (AuNPs) by one-pot liquid-phase synthesis. Nanocomplexes (PEG-DNPs@AuNPs), with an average size of about 450 nm, are characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis, UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Preliminary studies on the use of the nanocomplex in nanomedicine are also presented. Tests performed incubating PEG-DNPs@AuNPs in physiological conditions reveal a good stability of material. Cellular uptake of labeled PEG-DNPs@AuNPs is investigated by confocal microscopy after incubation with human cervix epithelioid carcinoma (HeLa) cells up to 48 h: an efficient cytoplasmic localization is observed. In vitro cytotoxicity of nanocomplexes with a concentration up to 400 μg ml -1 for 72 h is also evaluated. The results suggest the use of PEG-DNPs@AuNPs as advanced nanodevices adding imaging features to the nanocomplexes, due to AuNPs as contrast agent.

Gold decorated porous biosilica nanodevices for advanced medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terracciano, Monica; Napolitano, Michela; De Stefano, Luca; Chiara De Luca, Anna; Rea, Ilaria

2018-06-01

Diatomite is a fossil material made of amorphous porous silica. In this work, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified diatomite NPs (PEG-DNPs) are decorated with gold NPs (AuNPs) by one-pot liquid-phase synthesis. Nanocomplexes (PEG-DNPs@AuNPs), with an average size of about 450 nm, are characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis, UV–vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Preliminary studies on the use of the nanocomplex in nanomedicine are also presented. Tests performed incubating PEG-DNPs@AuNPs in physiological conditions reveal a good stability of material. Cellular uptake of labeled PEG-DNPs@AuNPs is investigated by confocal microscopy after incubation with human cervix epithelioid carcinoma (HeLa) cells up to 48 h: an efficient cytoplasmic localization is observed. In vitro cytotoxicity of nanocomplexes with a concentration up to 400 μg ml‑1 for 72 h is also evaluated. The results suggest the use of PEG-DNPs@AuNPs as advanced nanodevices adding imaging features to the nanocomplexes, due to AuNPs as contrast agent.

Video-rate confocal microscopy for single-molecule imaging in live cells and superresolution fluorescence imaging.

PubMed

Lee, Jinwoo; Miyanaga, Yukihiro; Ueda, Masahiro; Hohng, Sungchul

2012-10-17

There is no confocal microscope optimized for single-molecule imaging in live cells and superresolution fluorescence imaging. By combining the swiftness of the line-scanning method and the high sensitivity of wide-field detection, we have developed a, to our knowledge, novel confocal fluorescence microscope with a good optical-sectioning capability (1.0 μm), fast frame rates (<33 fps), and superior fluorescence detection efficiency. Full compatibility of the microscope with conventional cell-imaging techniques allowed us to do single-molecule imaging with a great ease at arbitrary depths of live cells. With the new microscope, we monitored diffusion motion of fluorescently labeled cAMP receptors of Dictyostelium discoideum at both the basal and apical surfaces and obtained superresolution fluorescence images of microtubules of COS-7 cells at depths in the range 0-85 μm from the surface of a coverglass. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a portable photosynthesis rate measurement device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junsheng; Xing, Da; Xu, Wenhai

2006-09-01

Photosynthesis is a very important chemical reaction in the plant, and its measurement plays critical role in the agriculture production and science research of plant. Delayed fluorescence (DF) in plants is an intrinsic label of efficiency of charge separation at P680 in photosystem II (PS II). In this paper, a portable photosynthesis rate measurement device by means of DF is proposed. It can achieve DF of plant with high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio basing on ultra-weak luminescence detection technique, and get photosynthesis rate by the corresponding relation between DF and photosynthesis rate. The device has its illumination power and can obtain all-weather measurement with less interference of the environment. Locale live survey can be realized by hermetic darkroom design and battery power supply. The system carries out data acquisition and processing by single-chip microcomputer control. The results show that this instrument has a lot of values such as low cost, high accuracy and good reliability and convenience.

a Cloud-Based Architecture for Smart Video Surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valentín, L.; Serrano, S. A.; Oves García, R.; Andrade, A.; Palacios-Alonso, M. A.; Sucar, L. Enrique

2017-09-01

Turning a city into a smart city has attracted considerable attention. A smart city can be seen as a city that uses digital technology not only to improve the quality of people's life, but also, to have a positive impact in the environment and, at the same time, offer efficient and easy-to-use services. A fundamental aspect to be considered in a smart city is people's safety and welfare, therefore, having a good security system becomes a necessity, because it allows us to detect and identify potential risk situations, and then take appropriate decisions to help people or even prevent criminal acts. In this paper we present an architecture for automated video surveillance based on the cloud computing schema capable of acquiring a video stream from a set of cameras connected to the network, process that information, detect, label and highlight security-relevant events automatically, store the information and provide situational awareness in order to minimize response time to take the appropriate action.

Nanocomposites Based on Thermoplastic Polymers and Functional Nanofiller for Sensor Applications

PubMed Central

Coiai, Serena; Passaglia, Elisa; Pucci, Andrea; Ruggeri, Giacomo

2015-01-01

Thermoplastic polymers like polyolefins, polyesters, polyamide, and styrene polymers are the most representative commodity plastics thanks to their cost-efficient manufacturing processes, excellent thermomechanical properties and their good environmental compatibility, including easy recycling. In the last few decades much effort has been devoted worldwide to extend the applications of such materials by conferring on them new properties through mixing and blending with different additives. In this latter context, nanocomposites have recently offered new exciting possibilities. This review discusses the successful use of nanostructured dispersed substrates in designing new stimuli-responsive nanocomposites; in particular, it provides an updated description of the synthetic routes to prepare nanostructured systems having the typical properties of thermoplastic polymers (continuous matrix), but showing enhanced optical, conductive, and thermal features dependent on the dispersion topology. The controlled nanodispersion of functional labeled clays, noble metal nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes is here evidenced to play a key role in producing hybrid thermoplastic materials that have been used in the design of devices, such as NLO devices, chemiresistors, temperature and deformation sensors.

[¹²³I]ICF01012 melanoma imaging and [¹³¹I]ICF01012 dosimetry allow adapted internal targeted radiotherapy in preclinical melanoma models.

PubMed

Viallard, Claire; Perrot, Yann; Boudhraa, Zied; Jouberton, Elodie; Miot-Noirault, Elisabeth; Bonnet, Mathilde; Besse, Sophie; Mishellany, Florence; Cayre, Anne; Maigne, Lydia; Rbah-Vidal, Latifa; D'Incan, Michel; Cachin, Florent; Chezal, Jean-Michel; Degoul, Françoise

2015-01-01

Melanin-targeting radiotracers are interesting tools for imaging and treatment of pigmented melanoma metastases. However, variation of the pigment concentration may alter the efficiency of such targeting. A clear assessment of both tumor melanin status and dosimetry are therefore prerequisites for internal radiotherapy of disseminated melanoma. The melanin tracer ICF01012 was labelled with iodine-123 for melanoma imaging in pigmented murine B16F0 and human SK-Mel 3 melanomas. In vivo imaging showed that the uptake of [(123)I]ICF01012 to melanomas correlated significantly with melanin content. Schedule treatment of 3 × 25 MBq [(131)I]ICF01012 significantly reduced SK-Mel 3 tumor growth and significantly increased the median survival in treated mice. For this protocol, the calculated delivered dose was 53.2 Gy. Radio-iodinated ICF01012 is a good candidate for both imaging and therapeutic purposes for patients with metastatic pigmented melanomas.

Progress towards Managing Residential Electricity Demand: Impacts of Standards and Labeling for Refrigerators and Air Conditioners in India

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeil, Michael A.; Iyer, Maithili

The development of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling (EES&L) began in earnest in India in 2001 with the Energy Conservation Act and the establishment of the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The first main residential appliance to be targeted was refrigerators, soon to be followed by room air conditioners. Both of these appliances are of critical importance to India's residential electricity demand. About 15percent of Indian households own a refrigerator, and sales total about 4 million per year, but are growing. At the same time, the Indian refrigerator market has seen a strong trend towards larger and more consumptivemore » frost-free units. Room air conditioners in India have traditionally been sold to commercial sector customers, but an increasing number are going to the residential sector. Room air conditioner sales growth in India peaked in the last few years at 20percent per year. In this paper, we perform an engineering-based analysis using data specific to Indian appliances. We evaluate costs and benefits to residential and commercial sector consumers from increased equipment costs and utility bill savings. The analysis finds that, while the BEE scheme presents net benefits to consumers, there remain opportunities for efficiency improvement that would optimize consumer benefits, according to Life Cycle Cost analysis. Due to the large and growing market for refrigerators and air conditioners in India, we forecast large impacts from the standards and labeling program as scheduled. By 2030, this program, if fully implemented would reduce Indian residential electricity consumption by 55 TWh. Overall savings through 2030 totals 385 TWh. Finally, while efficiency levels have been set for several years for refrigerators, labels and MEPS for these products remain voluntary. We therefore consider the negative impact of this delay of implementation to energy and financial savings achievable by 2030.« less

21 CFR 73.2400 - Pyrophyllite.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2400 Pyrophyllite. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive pyrophyllite shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements of § 73... applied cosmetics, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The...

75 FR 50770 - Guidance for Industry on Organ-Specific Warnings: Internal Analgesic, Antipyretic, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-17

... labeling requirements in plain language and provides answers to common questions on how to comply with the... consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the agency...

40 CFR 180.1299 - Prohydrojasmon; exemption from the requirement of a tolerance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... prohydrojasmon (PDJ), propyl-3-oxo-2-pentylcyclo-pentylacetate, when used as a plant growth regulator in or on apple and grape pre-harvest, in accordance with label directions and good agricultural practices. [78 FR...

Ligand-free palladium-mediated site-specific protein labeling inside gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

PubMed

Li, Jie; Lin, Shixian; Wang, Jie; Jia, Shang; Yang, Maiyun; Hao, Ziyang; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Chen, Peng R

2013-05-15

Palladium, a key transition metal in advancing modern organic synthesis, mediates diverse chemical conversions including many carbon-carbon bond formation reactions between organic compounds. However, expanding palladium chemistry for conjugation of biomolecules such as proteins, particularly within their native cellular context, is still in its infancy. Here we report the site-specific protein labeling inside pathogenic Gram-negative bacterial cells via a ligand-free palladium-mediated cross-coupling reaction. Two rationally designed pyrrolysine analogues bearing an aliphatic alkyne or an iodophenyl handle were first encoded in different enteric bacteria, which offered two facial handles for palladium-mediated Sonogashira coupling reaction on proteins within these pathogens. A GFP-based bioorthogonal reaction screening system was then developed, allowing evaluation of both the efficiency and the biocompatibilty of various palladium reagents in promoting protein-small molecule conjugation. The identified simple compound-Pd(NO3)2 exhibited high efficiency and biocompatibility for site-specific labeling of proteins in vitro and inside living E. coli cells. This Pd-mediated protein coupling method was further utilized to label and visualize a Type-III Secretion (T3S) toxin-OspF in Shigella cells. Our strategy may be generally applicable for imaging and tracking various virulence proteins within Gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

Preparation and reactions of an iodinated imidoester reagent with actin and alpha-actinin.

PubMed

Bright, G R; Spooner, B S

1983-06-01

The chemical iodination of an imidoester (methyl-p-hydroxybenzimidate, Wood et al. (1975) Anal. Biochem. 68, 339) and subsequent coupling of iodinated imidoester (IIE) to protein is an indirect method of iodinating proteins that is specific for the epsilon amino group of lysine residues and maintains the positive charge on the amino group at physiological pH. Purification of the IIE from chloramine-T and free iodine by benzene extraction eliminates the need for isoelectric precipitation and produces a more time- and cost-efficient IIE preparation and purification protocol. The separation of free from protein-bound label by chromatography, using centrifugal elution, provides a separation method that is rapid and efficient, without the generation of large volumes of radioactive wastes characteristic of conventional chromatographic and dialysis methods. To optimize the parameters of labeling protein with IIE, a systematic assessment of the effects of pH, reactant concentrations, and reaction time was made using purified cardiac actin and gizzard alpha-actinin. The parameters were defined to achieve an average labeling ratio of one IIE per protein polypeptide. The data demonstrate that both proteins appear to be labeled at the same rate and define several determining factors that limit the rate and extent of IIE incorporation into protein.

A label-free and high-efficient GO-based aptasensor for cancer cells based on cyclic enzymatic signal amplification.

PubMed

Xiao, Kunyi; Liu, Juan; Chen, Hui; Zhang, Song; Kong, Jilie

2017-05-15

A label-free and high-efficient graphene oxide (GO)-based aptasensor was developed for the detection of low quantity cancer cells based on cell-triggered cyclic enzymatic signal amplification (CTCESA). In the absence of target cells, hairpin aptamer probes (HAPs) and dye-labeled linker DNAs stably coexisted in solution, and the fluorescence was quenched by the GO-based FÖrster resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. In the presence of target cells, the specific binding of HAPs with the target cells triggered a conformational alternation, which resulted in linker DNA complementary pairing and cleavage by nicking endonuclease-strand scission cycles. Consequently, more cleaved fragments of linker DNAs with more the terminal labeled dyes could show the enhanced fluorescence because these cleaved DNA fragments hardly combine with GOs and prevent the FRET process. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that this GO-based aptasensor exhibited selective and sensitive response to the presence of target CCRF-CEM cells in the concentration range from 50 to 10 5 cells. The detection limit of this method was 25 cells, which was approximately 20 times lower than the detection limit of normal fluorescence aptasensors without amplification. With high sensitivity and specificity, it provided a simple and cost-effective approach for early cancer diagnosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High MRI performance fluorescent mesoporous silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles for tracking neural progenitor cells in an ischemic mouse model.

PubMed

Zhang, Lu; Wang, Yao; Tang, Yaohui; Jiao, Zheng; Xie, Chengying; Zhang, Haijiao; Gu, Ping; Wei, Xunbin; Yang, Guo-Yuan; Gu, Hongchen; Zhang, Chunfu

2013-05-21

Multifunctional probes with high MRI sensitivity and high efficiency for cell labeling are desirable for MR cell imaging. Herein, we have fabricated fluorescent mesoporous silica-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (fmSiO4@SPIONs) for neural progenitor cell (C17.2) MR imaging. FmSiO4@SPIONs were discrete and uniform in size, and had a clear core-shell structure. The magnetic core size was about 10 nm and the fluorescent mesoporous silica coating layer was around 20 nm. Compared with fluorescent dense silica-coated SPIONs (fdSiO4@SPIONs) with a similar size, fmSiO4@SPIONs demonstrated higher MR sensitivity and cell labeling efficiency. When implanted into the right hemisphere of stroke mice, contralateral to the ischemic territory, a small amount of labeled cells were able to be tracked migrating to the lesion sites using a clinical MRI scanner (3 T). More impressively, even when administered intravenously, the labeled cells could also be monitored homing to the ischemic area. MRI observations were corroborated by histological studies of the brain tissues. Our study demonstrated that fmSiO4@SPIONs are highly effective for cell imaging and hold great promise for MRI cell tracking in future.

Quenched substrates for live-cell labeling of SNAP-tagged fusion proteins with improved fluorescent background.

PubMed

Stöhr, Katharina; Siegberg, Daniel; Ehrhard, Tanja; Lymperopoulos, Konstantinos; Öz, Simin; Schulmeister, Sonja; Pfeifer, Andrea C; Bachmann, Julie; Klingmüller, Ursula; Sourjik, Victor; Herten, Dirk-Peter

2010-10-01

Recent developments in fluorescence microscopy raise the demands for bright and photostable fluorescent tags for specific and background free labeling in living cells. Aside from fluorescent proteins and other tagging methods, labeling of SNAP-tagged proteins has become available thereby increasing the pool of potentially applicable fluorescent dyes for specific labeling of proteins. Here, we report on novel conjugates of benzylguanine (BG) which are quenched in their fluorescence and become highly fluorescent upon labeling of the SNAP-tag, the commercial variant of the human O(6)-alkylguanosyltransferase (hAGT). We identified four conjugates showing a strong increase, i.e., >10-fold, in fluorescence intensity upon labeling of SNAP-tag in vitro. Moreover, we screened a subset of nine BG-dye conjugates in living Escherichia coli and found them all suited for labeling of the SNAP-tag. Here, quenched BG-dye conjugates yield a higher specificity due to reduced contribution from excess conjugate to the fluorescence signal. We further extended the application of these conjugates by labeling a SNAP-tag fusion of the Tar chemoreceptor in live E. coli cells and the eukaryotic transcription factor STAT5b in NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. Aside from the labeling efficiency and specificity in living cells, we discuss possible mechanisms that might be responsible for the changes in fluorescence emission upon labeling of the SNAP-tag, as well as problems we encountered with nonspecific labeling with certain conjugates in eukaryotic cells.

Partnerships

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense partners are ambassadors spreading the water-efficiency message. Partners help educate the public while transforming the marketplace to include WaterSense labeled products, new homes, and certification programs.

Development and utility of the FDA 'GutProbe' DNA microarray for identification, genotyping and metagenomic analysis of commercially available probiotics.

PubMed

Patro, J N; Ramachandran, P; Lewis, J L; Mammel, M K; Barnaba, T; Pfeiler, E A; Elkins, C A

2015-06-01

Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial microbes added to many food products and dietary supplements for their purported health benefits. Proper identification of bacteria is important to assess safety as well as proper product labelling. A custom microarray (FDA GutProbe) was developed to verify accurate labelling in commercial dietary supplements. Strain-specific attribution was achieved with GutProbe array which contains genes from the most commonly found species in probiotic supplements and food ingredients. Applied utility of the array was assessed with direct from product DNA hybridization to determine (i) if identification of multiple strains in one sample can be conducted and (ii) if any lot-to-lot variations exist with eight probiotics found on the US market. GutProbe is a useful tool in identifying a mixture of microbials in probiotics and did reveal some product variations. In addition, the array is able to identify lot-to-lot differences in these products. These strain level attribution may be useful for routine monitoring of batch variation as part of a 'Good Manufacturing Practices' process. The FDA GutProbe is an efficient and reliable platform to identify the presence of microbial ingredients and determining microbe differences in dietary supplements. The GutProbe is a fast, rapid method for direct community profiling or food matrix sampling. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Disulfide-induced self-assembled targets: A novel strategy for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs via unmodified gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shokri, Ehsan; Hosseini, Morteza; Davari, Mehdi D.; Ganjali, Mohammad R.; Peppelenbosch, Maikel P.; Rezaee, Farhad

2017-04-01

A modified non-cross-linking gold-nanoparticles (Au-NPs) aggregation strategy has been developed for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs based on self-assembling target species in the presence of thiolated probes. Two complementary thiol- modified probes, each of which specifically binds at one half of the target introduced SH groups at both ends of dsDNA. Continuous disulfide bond formation at 3‧ and 5‧ terminals of targets leads to the self-assembly of dsDNAs into the sulfur- rich and flexible products with different lengths. These products have a high affinity for the surface of Au-NPs and efficiently protect the surface from salt induced aggregation. To evaluate the assay efficacy, a small part of the citrus tristeza virus (CTV) genome was targeted, leading to a detection limit of about 5 × 10-9 mol.L-1 over a linear ranged from 20 × 10-9 to 10 × 10-7 mol.L-1. This approach also exhibits good reproducibility and recovery levels in the presence of plant total RNA or human plasma total circulating RNA extracts. Self-assembled targets can be then sensitively distinguished from non-assembled or mismatched targets after gel electrophoresis. The disulfide reaction method and integrating self-assembled DNAs/RNAs targets with bare AuNPs as a sensitive indicator provide us a powerful and simple visual detection tool for a wide range of applications.

Active link selection for efficient semi-supervised community detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Liang; Jin, Di; Wang, Xiao; Cao, Xiaochun

2015-03-01

Several semi-supervised community detection algorithms have been proposed recently to improve the performance of traditional topology-based methods. However, most of them focus on how to integrate supervised information with topology information; few of them pay attention to which information is critical for performance improvement. This leads to large amounts of demand for supervised information, which is expensive or difficult to obtain in most fields. For this problem we propose an active link selection framework, that is we actively select the most uncertain and informative links for human labeling for the efficient utilization of the supervised information. We also disconnect the most likely inter-community edges to further improve the efficiency. Our main idea is that, by connecting uncertain nodes to their community hubs and disconnecting the inter-community edges, one can sharpen the block structure of adjacency matrix more efficiently than randomly labeling links as the existing methods did. Experiments on both synthetic and real networks demonstrate that our new approach significantly outperforms the existing methods in terms of the efficiency of using supervised information. It needs ~13% of the supervised information to achieve a performance similar to that of the original semi-supervised approaches.

Active link selection for efficient semi-supervised community detection

PubMed Central

Yang, Liang; Jin, Di; Wang, Xiao; Cao, Xiaochun

2015-01-01

Several semi-supervised community detection algorithms have been proposed recently to improve the performance of traditional topology-based methods. However, most of them focus on how to integrate supervised information with topology information; few of them pay attention to which information is critical for performance improvement. This leads to large amounts of demand for supervised information, which is expensive or difficult to obtain in most fields. For this problem we propose an active link selection framework, that is we actively select the most uncertain and informative links for human labeling for the efficient utilization of the supervised information. We also disconnect the most likely inter-community edges to further improve the efficiency. Our main idea is that, by connecting uncertain nodes to their community hubs and disconnecting the inter-community edges, one can sharpen the block structure of adjacency matrix more efficiently than randomly labeling links as the existing methods did. Experiments on both synthetic and real networks demonstrate that our new approach significantly outperforms the existing methods in terms of the efficiency of using supervised information. It needs ~13% of the supervised information to achieve a performance similar to that of the original semi-supervised approaches. PMID:25761385

2'-modified nucleosides for site-specific labeling of oligonucleotides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krider, Elizabeth S.; Miller, Jeremiah E.; Meade, Thomas J.

2002-01-01

We report the synthesis of 2'-modified nucleosides designed specifically for incorporating labels into oligonucleotides. Conversion of these nucleosides to phosphoramidite and solid support-bound derivatives proceeds in good yield. Large-scale synthesis of 11-mer oligonucleotides possessing the 2'-modified nucleosides is achieved using these derivatives. Thermal denaturation studies indicate that the presence of 2'-modified nucleosides in 11-mer duplexes has minimal destabilizing effects on the duplex structure when the nucleosides are placed at the duplex termini. The powerful combination of phosphoramidite and support-bound derivatives of 2'-modified nucleosides affords the large-scale preparation of an entirely new class of oligonucleotides. The ability to synthesize oligonucleotides containing label attachment sites at 3', intervening, and 5' locations of a duplex is a significant advance in the development of oligonucleotide conjugates.

New Tests to Measure Individual Differences in Matching and Labelling Facial Expressions of Emotion, and Their Association with Ability to Recognise Vocal Emotions and Facial Identity

PubMed Central

Palermo, Romina; O’Connor, Kirsty B.; Davis, Joshua M.; Irons, Jessica; McKone, Elinor

2013-01-01

Although good tests are available for diagnosing clinical impairments in face expression processing, there is a lack of strong tests for assessing “individual differences” – that is, differences in ability between individuals within the typical, nonclinical, range. Here, we develop two new tests, one for expression perception (an odd-man-out matching task in which participants select which one of three faces displays a different expression) and one additionally requiring explicit identification of the emotion (a labelling task in which participants select one of six verbal labels). We demonstrate validity (careful check of individual items, large inversion effects, independence from nonverbal IQ, convergent validity with a previous labelling task), reliability (Cronbach’s alphas of.77 and.76 respectively), and wide individual differences across the typical population. We then demonstrate the usefulness of the tests by addressing theoretical questions regarding the structure of face processing, specifically the extent to which the following processes are common or distinct: (a) perceptual matching and explicit labelling of expression (modest correlation between matching and labelling supported partial independence); (b) judgement of expressions from faces and voices (results argued labelling tasks tap into a multi-modal system, while matching tasks tap distinct perceptual processes); and (c) expression and identity processing (results argued for a common first step of perceptual processing for expression and identity). PMID:23840821

New tests to measure individual differences in matching and labelling facial expressions of emotion, and their association with ability to recognise vocal emotions and facial identity.

PubMed

Palermo, Romina; O'Connor, Kirsty B; Davis, Joshua M; Irons, Jessica; McKone, Elinor

2013-01-01

Although good tests are available for diagnosing clinical impairments in face expression processing, there is a lack of strong tests for assessing "individual differences"--that is, differences in ability between individuals within the typical, nonclinical, range. Here, we develop two new tests, one for expression perception (an odd-man-out matching task in which participants select which one of three faces displays a different expression) and one additionally requiring explicit identification of the emotion (a labelling task in which participants select one of six verbal labels). We demonstrate validity (careful check of individual items, large inversion effects, independence from nonverbal IQ, convergent validity with a previous labelling task), reliability (Cronbach's alphas of.77 and.76 respectively), and wide individual differences across the typical population. We then demonstrate the usefulness of the tests by addressing theoretical questions regarding the structure of face processing, specifically the extent to which the following processes are common or distinct: (a) perceptual matching and explicit labelling of expression (modest correlation between matching and labelling supported partial independence); (b) judgement of expressions from faces and voices (results argued labelling tasks tap into a multi-modal system, while matching tasks tap distinct perceptual processes); and (c) expression and identity processing (results argued for a common first step of perceptual processing for expression and identity).

Chemotaxis of cancer cells in three-dimensional environment monitored label-free by quantitative phase digital holographic microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemper, Björn; Schnekenburger, Jürgen; Ketelhut, Steffi

2017-02-01

We investigated the capabilities of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) for label-free quantification of the response of living single cells to chemical stimuli in 3D assays. Fibro sarcoma cells were observed in a collagen matrix inside 3D chemotaxis chambers with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based DHM setup. From the obtained series of quantitative phase images, the migration trajectories of single cells were retrieved by automated cell tracking and subsequently analyzed for maximum migration distance and motility. Our results demonstrate DHM as a highly reliable and efficient tool for label-free quantification of chemotaxis in 2D and 3D environments.

Efficient assimilation of cyanobacterial nitrogen by water hyacinth.

PubMed

Qin, Hongjie; Zhang, Zhiyong; Liu, Minhui; Wang, Yan; Wen, Xuezheng; Yan, Shaohua; Zhang, Yingying; Liu, Haiqin

2017-10-01

A 15 N labeling technique was used to study nitrogen transfer from cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to water hyacinth. 15 N atom abundance in M. aeruginosa peaked (15.52%) after cultivation in 15 N-labeled medium for 3weeks. Over 87% of algal nitrogen was transferred into water hyacinth after the 4-week co-cultivation period. The nitrogen quickly super-accumulated in the water hyacinth roots, and the labeled nitrogen was re-distributed to different organs (i.e., roots, stalks, and leaves). This study provides a new strategy for further research on cyanobacterial bloom control, nitrogen migration, and nitrogen cycle in eutrophic waters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An easy-to-use semiquantitative food record validated for energy intake by using doubly labelled water technique.

PubMed

Koebnick, C; Wagner, K; Thielecke, F; Dieter, G; Höhne, A; Franke, A; Garcia, A L; Meyer, H; Hoffmann, I; Leitzmann, P; Trippo, U; Zunft, H J F

2005-09-01

Estimating dietary intake is important for both epidemiological and clinical studies, but often lacks accuracy. To investigate the accuracy and validity of energy intake estimated by an easy-to-use semiquantitative food record (EI(SQFR)) compared to total energy expenditure (TEE) estimated by doubly labelled water technique (EE(DLW)). TEE was measured in 29 nonobese subjects using the doubly labelled water method over a period of 14 days. Within this period, subjects reported their food consumption by a newly developed semiquantitative food record for 4 consecutive days. Energy intake was calculated using the German Food Code and Nutrition Data Base BLS II.3. A good correlation was observed between EI(SQFR) and EE(DLW) (r = 0.685, P < 0.001). The mean difference between EI(SQFR) and EE(DLW) was -1.7+/-2.6 MJ/day (-14+/-21%, P = 0.002). An underestimation of EI(SQFR) <10% was observed in nine subjects (31%), of 10-20% in six subjects (21%), and of >20% in nine subjects (31%). In five subjects (17%), an overestimation of EI(SQFR) was observed. The easy-to-use semiquantitative food record provided good estimates of EI in free-living and nonobese adults without prior detailed verbal instructions. The presented food record has limitations regarding accuracy at the individual level.

89Zr-Oxine Complex PET Cell Imaging in Monitoring Cell-based Therapies

PubMed Central

Wu, Haitao; Asiedu, Kingsley O.; Szajek, Lawrence P.; Griffiths, Gary L.; Choyke, Peter L.

2015-01-01

Purpose To develop a clinically translatable method of cell labeling with zirconium 89 (89Zr) and oxine to track cells with positron emission tomography (PET) in mouse models of cell-based therapy. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the institutional animal care committee. 89Zr-oxine complex was synthesized in an aqueous solution. Cell labeling conditions were optimized by using EL4 mouse lymphoma cells, and labeling efficiency was examined by using dendritic cells (DCs) (n = 4), naïve (n = 3) and activated (n = 3) cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), and natural killer (NK) (n = 4), bone marrow (n = 4), and EL4 (n = 4) cells. The effect of 89Zr labeling on cell survival, proliferation, and function were evaluated by using DCs (n = 3) and CTLs (n = 3). Labeled DCs (444–555 kBq/[5 × 106] cells, n = 5) and CTLs (185 kBq/[5 × 106] cells, n = 3) transferred to mice were tracked with microPET/CT. In a melanoma immunotherapy model, tumor targeting and cytotoxic function of labeled CTLs were evaluated with imaging (248.5 kBq/[7.7 × 106] cells, n = 4) and by measuring the tumor size (n = 6). Two-way analysis of variance was used to compare labeling conditions, the Wilcoxon test was used to assess cell survival and proliferation, and Holm-Sidak multiple tests were used to assess tumor growth and perform biodistribution analyses. Results 89Zr-oxine complex was synthesized at a mean yield of 97.3% ± 2.8 (standard deviation). It readily labeled cells at room temperature or 4°C in phosphate-buffered saline (labeling efficiency range, 13.0%–43.9%) and was stably retained (83.5% ± 1.8 retention on day 5 in DCs). Labeling did not affect the viability of DCs and CTLs when compared with nonlabeled control mice (P > .05), nor did it affect functionality. 89Zr-oxine complex enabled extended cell tracking for 7 days. Labeled tumor-specific CTLs accumulated in the tumor (4.6% on day 7) and induced tumor regression (P < .05 on day 7). Conclusion We have developed a 89Zr-oxine complex cell tracking technique for use with PET that is applicable to a broad range of cell types and could be a valuable tool with which to evaluate various cell-based therapies. © RSNA, 2015 Online supplemental material is available for this article. PMID:25706654

Certification Systems

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The WaterSense Product Certification System outlines the process and procedures for the product certification to ensure that all WaterSense labeled products meet EPA's criteria for efficiency and performance.

WaterSense Partners

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

WaterSense partners are ambassadors that promote the value of water efficiency and WaterSense-labeled products, new homes, and programs. Partners help educate communities while transforming the marketplace.

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic replication.

PubMed

Grow, Laura L; Kodak, Tiffany; Carr, James E

2014-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the conditional-only method (starting with a multiple-stimulus array) is more efficient than the simple-conditional method (progressive incorporation of more stimuli into the array) for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders (Grow, Carr, Kodak, Jostad, & Kisamore,). The current study systematically replicated the earlier study by comparing the 2 approaches using progressive prompting with 2 boys with autism. The results showed that the conditional-only method was a more efficient and reliable teaching procedure than the simple-conditional method. The results further call into question the practice of teaching simple discriminations to facilitate acquisition of conditional discriminations. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

21 CFR 73.2575 - Titanium dioxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling requirements. The color additive and any mixtures... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2575 Titanium dioxide. (a) Identity and specifications. The color additive titanium dioxide shall conform in identity and specifications to the requirements...

21 CFR 73.2162 - Bismuth oxychloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The color additive and any mixture... COLOR ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2162 Bismuth oxychloride. (a) Identity and specifications. (1) The color additive bismuth oxychloride shall conform in identity and specifications to the...

21 CFR 73.2030 - Annatto.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... consistent with good manufacturing practice. (c) Labeling. The color additive and any mixture prepared... ADDITIVES EXEMPT FROM CERTIFICATION Cosmetics § 73.2030 Annatto. (a) Identity and specification. The color additive annatto shall conform in identify and specification to the requirements for annatto extract in...

Using the Nutrition Facts Label: A How-To Guide for Older Adults

MedlinePlus

... en español (Spanish) <<< Back to Consumers Why Nutrition Matters For You Good nutrition is important throughout your ... that is "calcium-processed”) certain vegetables (for example, dark leafy greens such as collards and turnip greens) ...

In vitro labelling and detection of mesenchymal stromal cells: a comparison between magnetic resonance imaging of iron-labelled cells and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of fluorine-labelled cells.

PubMed

Rizzo, Stefania; Petrella, Francesco; Zucca, Ileana; Rinaldi, Elena; Barbaglia, Andrea; Padelli, Francesco; Baggi, Fulvio; Spaggiari, Lorenzo; Bellomi, Massimo; Bruzzone, Maria Grazia

2017-01-01

Among the various stem cell populations used for cell therapy, adult mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have emerged as a major new cell technology. These cells must be tracked after transplantation to monitor their migration within the body and quantify their accumulation at the target site. This study assessed whether rat bone marrow MSCs can be labelled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsion formulations without altering cell viability and compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) results from iron-labelled and fluorine-labelled MSCs, respectively. Of MSCs, 2 × 10 6 were labelled with Molday ION Rhodamine-B (MIRB) and 2 × 10 6 were labelled with Cell Sense. Cell viability was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion method. Labelled MSCs were divided into four samples containing increasing cell numbers (0.125 × 10 6 , 0.25 × 10 6 , 0.5 × 10 6 , 1 × 10 6 ) and scanned on a 7T MRI: for MIRB-labelled cells, phantoms and cells negative control, T1, T2 and T2* maps were acquired; for Cell Sense labelled cells, phantoms and unlabelled cells, a 19 F non-localised single-pulse MRS sequence was acquired. In total, 86.8% and 83.6% of MIRB-labelled cells and Cell Sense-labelled cells were viable, respectively. MIRB-labelled cells were visible in all samples with different cell numbers; pellets containing 0.5 × 10 6 and 1 × 10 6 of Cell Sense-labelled cells showed a detectable 19 F signal. Our data support the use of both types of contrast material (SPIO and PFC) for MSCs labelling, although further efforts should be dedicated to improve the efficiency of PFC labelling.

Specific labeling of zinc finger proteins using noncanonical amino acids and copper-free click chemistry.

PubMed

Kim, Younghoon; Kim, Sung Hoon; Ferracane, Dean; Katzenellenbogen, John A; Schroeder, Charles M

2012-09-19

Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play a key role in transcriptional regulation and serve as invaluable tools for gene modification and genetic engineering. Development of efficient strategies for labeling metalloproteins such as ZFPs is essential for understanding and controlling biological processes. In this work, we engineered ZFPs containing cysteine-histidine (Cys2-His2) motifs by metabolic incorporation of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine (AHA), followed by specific protein labeling via click chemistry. We show that cyclooctyne promoted [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition with azides, known as copper-free click chemistry, provides rapid and specific labeling of ZFPs at high yields as determined by mass spectrometry analysis. We observe that the DNA-binding activity of ZFPs labeled by conventional copper-mediated click chemistry was completely abolished, whereas ZFPs labeled by copper-free click chemistry retain their sequence-specific DNA-binding activity under native conditions, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, protein microarrays, and kinetic binding assays based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Our work provides a general framework to label metalloproteins such as ZFPs by metabolic incorporation of unnatural amino acids followed by copper-free click chemistry.

Labeling and tracking exosomes within the brain using gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betzer, Oshra; Perets, Nisim; Barnoy, Eran; Offen, Daniel; Popovtzer, Rachela

2018-02-01

Cell-to-cell communication system involves Exosomes, small, membrane-enveloped nanovesicles. Exosomes are evolving as effective therapeutic tools for different pathologies. These extracellular vesicles can bypass biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier, and can function as powerful nanocarriers for drugs, proteins and gene therapeutics. However, to promote exosomes' therapy development, especially for brain pathologies, a better understanding of their mechanism of action, trafficking, pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution is needed. In this research, we established a new method for non-invasive in-vivo neuroimaging of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes, based on computed tomography (CT) imaging with glucose-coated gold nanoparticle (GNP) labeling. We demonstrated that the exosomes were efficiently and directly labeled with GNPs, via an energy-dependent mechanism. Additionally, we found the optimal parameters for exosome labeling and neuroimaging, wherein 5 nm GNPs enhanced labeling, and intranasal administration produced superior brain accumulation. We applied our technique in a mouse model of focal ischemia. Imaging and tracking of intranasally-administered GNP-labeled exosomes revealed specific accumulation and prolonged presence at the lesion area, up to 24 hrs. We propose that this novel exosome labeling and in-vivo neuroimaging technique can serve as a general platform for brain theranostics.

Specific Labeling of Zinc Finger Proteins using Non-canonical Amino Acids and Copper-free Click Chemistry

PubMed Central

Kim, Younghoon; Kim, Sung Hoon; Ferracane, Dean; Katzenellenbogen, John A.

2012-01-01

Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play a key role in transcriptional regulation and serve as invaluable tools for gene modification and genetic engineering. Development of efficient strategies for labeling metalloproteins such as ZFPs is essential for understanding and controlling biological processes. In this work, we engineered ZFPs containing cysteine-histidine (Cys2-His2) motifs by metabolic incorporation of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine (AHA), followed by specific protein labeling via click chemistry. We show that cyclooctyne promoted [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition with azides, known as copper-free click chemistry, provides rapid and specific labeling of ZFPs at high yields as determined by mass spectrometry analysis. We observe that the DNA-binding activity of ZFPs labeled by conventional copper-mediated click chemistry was completely abolished, whereas ZFPs labeled by copper-free click chemistry retain their sequence-specific DNA-binding activity under native conditions, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, protein microarrays and kinetic binding assays based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Our work provides a general framework to label metalloproteins such as ZFPs by metabolic incorporation of unnatural amino acids followed by copper-free click chemistry. PMID:22871171

Nanoparticles and clinically applicable cell tracking

PubMed Central

Guenoun, Jamal; van Tiel, Sandra T; Krestin, Gabriel P

2015-01-01

In vivo cell tracking has emerged as a much sought after tool for design and monitoring of cell-based treatment strategies. Various techniques are available for pre-clinical animal studies, from which much has been learned and still can be learned. However, there is also a need for clinically translatable techniques. Central to in vivo cell imaging is labelling of cells with agents that can give rise to signals in vivo, that can be detected and measured non-invasively. The current imaging technology of choice for clinical translation is MRI in combination with labelling of cells with magnetic agents. The main challenge encountered during the cell labelling procedure is to efficiently incorporate the label into the cell, such that the labelled cells can be imaged at high sensitivity for prolonged periods of time, without the labelling process affecting the functionality of the cells. In this respect, nanoparticles offer attractive features since their structure and chemical properties can be modified to facilitate cellular incorporation and because they can carry a high payload of the relevant label into cells. While these technologies have already been applied in clinical trials and have increased the understanding of cell-based therapy mechanism, many challenges are still faced. PMID:26248872

Optimized labeling of membrane proteins for applications to super-resolution imaging in confined cellular environments using monomeric streptavidin.

PubMed

Chamma, Ingrid; Rossier, Olivier; Giannone, Grégory; Thoumine, Olivier; Sainlos, Matthieu

2017-04-01

Recent progress in super-resolution imaging (SRI) has created a strong need to improve protein labeling with probes of small size that minimize the target-to-label distance, increase labeling density, and efficiently penetrate thick biological tissues. This protocol describes a method for labeling genetically modified proteins incorporating a small biotin acceptor peptide with a 3-nm fluorescent probe, monomeric streptavidin. We show how to express, purify, and conjugate the probe to organic dyes with different fluorescent properties, and how to label selectively biotinylated membrane proteins for SRI techniques (point accumulation in nanoscale topography (PAINT), stimulated emission depletion (STED), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM)). This method is complementary to the previously described anti-GFP-nanobody/SNAP-tag strategies, with the main advantage being that it requires only a short 15-amino-acid tag, and can thus be used with proteins resistant to fusion with large tags and for multicolor imaging. The protocol requires standard molecular biology/biochemistry equipment, making it easily accessible for laboratories with only basic skills in cell biology and biochemistry. The production/purification/conjugation steps take ∼5 d, and labeling takes a few minutes to an hour.

Evaluation of nanoparticles as endocytic tracers in cellular microbiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuying; Hensel, Michael

2013-09-01

The study of pathogen interactions with eukaryotic host cells requires the introduction of fluorescent probes to visualize processes such as endocytosis, intracellular transport or host cell manipulation by the pathogen. Here, three types of fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs), i.e. Rhodamine-labeled polymethacrylate (PMA) NPs, silica NPs and gold NPs, were employed to label the host cellular endolysosomal system and monitor manipulations by the pathogen Salmonella enterica. Using live cell imaging, we investigated the performance of NPs in cellular uptake, labeling of endocytic vesicles and lysosomes, as well as interaction with the pathogen. We show that fluorescent gold and silica, but not PMA NPs appropriately label host cell structures and efficiently track rearrangements of the host endosomal system by the activities of intracellular Salmonella. Silica NPs slightly aggregated and located in Salmonella-induced compartments as isolated dots, while gold NPs distributed uniformly inside such structures. Both silica and gold NPs exhibited no adverse impact on either host cells or pathogens, and are versatile tools for infection biology.The study of pathogen interactions with eukaryotic host cells requires the introduction of fluorescent probes to visualize processes such as endocytosis, intracellular transport or host cell manipulation by the pathogen. Here, three types of fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs), i.e. Rhodamine-labeled polymethacrylate (PMA) NPs, silica NPs and gold NPs, were employed to label the host cellular endolysosomal system and monitor manipulations by the pathogen Salmonella enterica. Using live cell imaging, we investigated the performance of NPs in cellular uptake, labeling of endocytic vesicles and lysosomes, as well as interaction with the pathogen. We show that fluorescent gold and silica, but not PMA NPs appropriately label host cell structures and efficiently track rearrangements of the host endosomal system by the activities of intracellular Salmonella. Silica NPs slightly aggregated and located in Salmonella-induced compartments as isolated dots, while gold NPs distributed uniformly inside such structures. Both silica and gold NPs exhibited no adverse impact on either host cells or pathogens, and are versatile tools for infection biology. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01550e

Intestinal uptake of betaine in vitro and the distribution of methyl groups from betaine, choline, and methionine in the body of broiler chicks.

PubMed

Kettunen, H; Peuranen, S; Tiihonen, K; Saarinen, M

2001-02-01

The efficiency of betaine absorption into small intestinal slices of broiler chicks was studied in vitro with 14C-labeled betaine. The relative proportion of Na+-coupled betaine uptake, as well as the total uptake capacity was larger in the duodenum than in the jejunum. Dietary betaine increased the Na+-coupled uptake in the duodenum. In in vivo-experiments, methyl-14C-labeled betaine, methionine, or choline was fed to broiler chicks. Betaine appeared in the blood more rapidly, and reached a higher total concentration than choline or methionine. The data suggest that choline and methionine were associated with plasma lipoproteins whereas betaine remained free in the plasma. The label distribution in liver, kidney, and intestinal tissues was studied 24 h after label ingestion. Most of the label from betaine was found in the aquaeous phase in the muscle, while in the liver and jejunum the label from betaine was distributed more evenly between the aquaeous, lipid, and protein phases. Label from choline accumulated in the lipid fraction, particularly so in the liver, whereas label from methionine showed a more variable distribution pattern. The distribution results are interpreted in terms of specific roles of betaine, choline, and methionine in methyl group metabolism.

A general soft label based linear discriminant analysis for semi-supervised dimensionality reduction.

PubMed

Zhao, Mingbo; Zhang, Zhao; Chow, Tommy W S; Li, Bing

2014-07-01

Dealing with high-dimensional data has always been a major problem in research of pattern recognition and machine learning, and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is one of the most popular methods for dimension reduction. However, it only uses labeled samples while neglecting unlabeled samples, which are abundant and can be easily obtained in the real world. In this paper, we propose a new dimension reduction method, called "SL-LDA", by using unlabeled samples to enhance the performance of LDA. The new method first propagates label information from the labeled set to the unlabeled set via a label propagation process, where the predicted labels of unlabeled samples, called "soft labels", can be obtained. It then incorporates the soft labels into the construction of scatter matrixes to find a transformed matrix for dimension reduction. In this way, the proposed method can preserve more discriminative information, which is preferable when solving the classification problem. We further propose an efficient approach for solving SL-LDA under a least squares framework, and a flexible method of SL-LDA (FSL-LDA) to better cope with datasets sampled from a nonlinear manifold. Extensive simulations are carried out on several datasets, and the results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of [18F]afatinib as new TKI-PET tracer for EGFR positive tumors.

PubMed

Slobbe, Paul; Windhorst, Albert D; Stigter-van Walsum, Marijke; Schuit, Robert C; Smit, Egbert F; Niessen, Heiko G; Solca, Flavio; Stehle, Gerd; van Dongen, Guus A M S; Poot, Alex J

2014-10-01

Afatinib is an irreversible ErbB family blocker that was approved for the treatment of EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer in 2013. Positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18 labeled afatinib provides a means to obtain improved understanding of afatinib tumor disposition in vivo. PET imaging with [(18)F]afatinib may also provide a method to select treatment responsive patients. The aim of this study was to label afatinib with fluorine-18 and evaluate its potential as TKI-PET tracer in tumor bearing mice. A radiochemically novel coupling, using peptide coupling reagent BOP, was explored and optimized to synthesize [(18)F]afatinib, followed by a metabolite analysis and biodistribution studies in two clinically relevant lung cancer cell lines, xenografted in nude mice. A reliable [(18)F]afatinib radiosynthesis was developed and the tracer could be produced in yields of 17.0 ± 2.5% calculated from [(18)F]F(-) and >98% purity. The identity of the product was confirmed by co-injection on HPLC with non-labeled afatinib. Metabolite analysis revealed a moderate rate of metabolism, with >80% intact tracer in plasma at 45 min p.i. Biodistribution studies revealed rapid tumor accumulation and good retention for a period of at least 2 hours, while background tissues showed rapid clearance of the tracer. We have developed a method to synthesize [(18)F]afatinib and related fluorine-18 labeled 4-anilinoquinazolines. [(18)F]Afatinib showed good stability in vivo, justifying further evaluation as a TKI-PET tracer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical imaging in regenerative medicine

PubMed Central

Naumova, Anna V; Modo, Michel; Moore, Anna; Murry, Charles E; Frank, Joseph A

2014-01-01

In regenerative medicine, clinical imaging is indispensable for characterizing damaged tissue and for measuring the safety and efficacy of therapy. However, the ability to track the fate and function of transplanted cells with current technologies is limited. Exogenous contrast labels such as nanoparticles give a strong signal in the short term but are unreliable long term. Genetically encoded labels are good both short- and long-term in animals, but in the human setting they raise regulatory issues related to the safety of genomic integration and potential immunogenicity of reporter proteins. Imaging studies in brain, heart and islets share a common set of challenges, including developing novel labeling approaches to improve detection thresholds and early delineation of toxicity and function. Key areas for future research include addressing safety concerns associated with genetic labels and developing methods to follow cell survival, differentiation and integration with host tissue. Imaging may bridge the gap between cell therapies and health outcomes by elucidating mechanisms of action through longitudinal monitoring. PMID:25093889

Xray: N-dimensional, labeled arrays for analyzing physical datasets in Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoyer, S.

2015-12-01

Efficient analysis of geophysical datasets requires tools that both preserve and utilize metadata, and that transparently scale to process large datas. Xray is such a tool, in the form of an open source Python library for analyzing the labeled, multi-dimensional array (tensor) datasets that are ubiquitous in the Earth sciences. Xray's approach pairs Python data structures based on the data model of the netCDF file format with the proven design and user interface of pandas, the popular Python data analysis library for labeled tabular data. On top of the NumPy array, xray adds labeled dimensions (e.g., "time") and coordinate values (e.g., "2015-04-10"), which it uses to enable a host of operations powered by these labels: selection, aggregation, alignment, broadcasting, split-apply-combine, interoperability with pandas and serialization to netCDF/HDF5. Many of these operations are enabled by xray's tight integration with pandas. Finally, to allow for easy parallelism and to enable its labeled data operations to scale to datasets that does not fit into memory, xray integrates with the parallel processing library dask.

Chelator-Free Labeling of Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles for in Vivo PET Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Sixiang; Fliss, Brianne C.; Gu, Zi; Zhu, Yian; Hong, Hao; Valdovinos, Hector F.; Hernandez, Reinier; Goel, Shreya; Luo, Haiming; Chen, Feng; Barnhart, Todd E.; Nickles, Robert J.; Xu, Zhi Ping; Cai, Weibo

2015-11-01

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanomaterial has emerged as a novel delivery agent for biomedical applications due to its unique structure and properties. However, in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with LDH nanoparticles has not been achieved. The aim of this study is to explore chelator-free labeling of LDH nanoparticles with radioisotopes for in vivo PET imaging. Bivalent cation 64Cu2+ and trivalent cation 44Sc3+ were found to readily label LDH nanoparticles with excellent labeling efficiency and stability, whereas tetravalent cation 89Zr4+ could not label LDH since it does not fit into the LDH crystal structure. PET imaging shows that prominent tumor uptake was achieved in 4T1 breast cancer with 64Cu-LDH-BSA via passive targeting alone (7.7 ± 0.1%ID/g at 16 h post-injection; n = 3). These results support that LDH is a versatile platform that can be labeled with various bivalent and trivalent radiometals without comprising the native properties, highly desirable for PET image-guided drug delivery.

Rapid in vitro labeling procedures for two-dimensional gel fingerprinting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Y.F.; Fowlks, E.R.

1982-01-15

Improvements of existing in vitro procedures for labeling RNA radioactively, and modifications of the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system for making RNA fingerprints are described. These improvements are (a) inactivation of phosphatase with nitric acid at pH 2.0 eliminated the phenol-cholorform extraction step during 5'-end labeling with polynucleotide kinase and (..gamma..-/sup 32/P)ATP; (b) ZnSO/sub 4/ inactivation of R Nase T/sub 1/ results in a highly efficient procedure for 3'-end labeling with T4 ligase and (5'-/sup 32/P)pCp; and (c) a rapid 4-min procedure for variable quantity range of /sup 125/I and RNA results in a qualitative and quantitative sample for high-molecularmore » weight RNA fingerprinting. Thus, these in vitro procedures become rapid and reproducible when combined with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis which eliminates simultaneously labeled impurities. Each labeling procedure is compared, using tobacco mosaic virus, Brome mosaic virus, and polio RNA. A series of Ap-rich oligonucleotides was discovered in the inner genome of Brome mosaic Virus RNA-3.« less

Adaptation of the TdT assay for semi-quantitative flow cytometric detection of DNA strand breaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bromidge, T.J.; Howe, D.J.; Johnson, S.A.

The enzyme Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) is a DNA polymerase which can be used to label DNA strand breaks by the incorporation of a labelled nucleotide followed by a fluorescent detection step. The amount of label incorporated can then be assessed by flow cytometry. The mechanism of action of TdT, however, will allow the addition of varying numbers of nucleotides to the free 3{prime} termini produced by DNA strand breaks. The substitution of Digoxigenin (DIG){trademark} labelled dideoxynucleotides for labelled deoxy-nucleotides in the TdT assay will limit the addition of label to a DNA break to a single nucleotide, thus ensuringmore » a direct relationship between an increase in DNA strand breaks and an increase in fluorescence. We have used this adaptation of the TdT assay to evaluate DNA damage incurred in lymphocytes, from patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), on exposure to UV irradiation and apoptosis-inducing drugs, fludarabine and 2-Chloro-2{prime}-deoxyadenosine (2-CdA). This technique may give a good indication of the susceptibility of CLL patients to apoptosis inducing drugs, and hence an indication of the likely response to these therapies. 7 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Evaluation of concordance between labelling and content of 52 hair dye products: overview of the market of oxidative hair dye.

PubMed

Antelmi, Annarita; Bruze, Magnus; Zimerson, Erik; Engfeldt, Malin; Young, Ewa; Persson, Lena; Foti, Caterina; Sörensen, Östen; Svedman, Cecilia

2017-04-01

Hair dyes contain strong allergens and are widely available. Correct labelling is a necessity in order to provide information about the contents. To compare the labelling and content of hair dyes. In total, 52 hair dyes, from 11 different countries, were bought over the counter. High-pressure liquid chromatography was used for the analysis of p-phenylenediamine (PPD), toluene-2,5-diamine (2,5-TDA), and three oxidation products of PPD. There was good agreement between labelling and content, although seven of the 52 products (13.5%) studied were incorrectly labelled. There were differences in the geographical use of PPD and 2,5-TDA; 2,5-TDA was more common in European products, while PPD was more common in products purchased outside Europe and was present in higher concentrations. All dyes purchased in Europe contained PPD and 2,5-TDA at levels within the limits defined by European legislation, however, levels were higher in some products purchased outside Europe. Only a small group of hair dyes sold in Europe were mislabelled. Further improvement in labelling, by providing the concentration of chemicals, may facilitate products to be purchased both locally and within the global market, when travelling or on the internet.

Rapid optical imaging of EGF receptor expression with a single-chain antibody SNAP-tag fusion protein.

PubMed

Kampmeier, Florian; Niesen, Judith; Koers, Alexander; Ribbert, Markus; Brecht, Andreas; Fischer, Rainer; Kiessling, Fabian; Barth, Stefan; Thepen, Theo

2010-10-01

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in several types of cancer and its inhibition can effectively inhibit tumour progression. The purpose of this study was to design an EGFR-specific imaging probe that combines efficient tumour targeting with rapid systemic clearance to facilitate non-invasive assessment of EGFR expression. Genetic fusion of a single-chain antibody fragment with the SNAP-tag produced a 48-kDa antibody derivative that can be covalently and site-specifically labelled with substrates containing 0 (6)-benzylguanine. The EGFR-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv) fusion protein 425(scFv)SNAP was labelled with the near infrared (NIR) dye BG-747, and its accumulation, specificity and kinetics were monitored using NIR fluorescence imaging in a subcutaneous pancreatic carcinoma xenograft model. The 425(scFv)SNAP fusion protein accumulates rapidly and specifically at the tumour site. Its small size allows efficient renal clearance and a high tumour to background ratio (TBR) of 33.2 +/- 6.3 (n = 4) 10 h after injection. Binding of the labelled antibody was efficiently competed with a 20-fold excess of unlabelled probe, resulting in an average TBR of 6 +/- 1.35 (n = 4), which is similar to that obtained with a non-tumour-specific probe (5.44 +/- 1.92, n = 4). When compared with a full-length antibody against EGFR (cetuximab), 425(scFv)SNAP-747 showed significantly higher TBRs and complete clearance 72 h post-injection. The 425(scFv)SNAP fusion protein combines rapid and specific targeting of EGFR-positive tumours with a versatile and robust labelling technique that facilitates the attachment of fluorophores for use in optical imaging. The same approach could be used to couple a chelating agent for use in nuclear imaging.

Characterization of labelling and de-labelling reagents for detection and recovery of tyrosine residue in peptide.

PubMed

Toyo'oka, Toshimasa; Mantani, Tomomi; Kato, Masaru

2003-01-01

This paper characterized the labelling and de-labelling reagents for reversible labelling of tyrosine (Tyr)-containing peptide, which involves detection and recovery. The phenolic hydroxyl group (-OH) in Tyr structure reacted with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F), and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) under mild conditions at room temperature at pH 9.3. The labels in the resulting derivatives were removed with the treatment of nucleophiles, such as thiols (cysteine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and dithiothreitol) and amines (dimethylamine, methylamine, diethylamine, ethylamine and pyrrolidine). The de-labelling reactions of NBD-labelled N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (N-AcTyr) with the nucleophiles produced N-AcTyr, accompanied by NBD-nucleophile. Although DBD-F and DNFB also successfully labeled the -OH group in N-AcTyr, the efficiency of Cbond;O bond cleavage and recovery of N-AcTyr by the nucleophiles was relatively low compared with NBD-label. Among the de-labelling reagents, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and dimethylamine were recommended for the elimination of NBD moiety, with respect to the reaction rate, the side reaction, and the yield of recovery. The proposed procedure, which includes the labelling with NBD-F and the removal of NBD moiety by the nucleophiles, was successfully applied to the reversible labelling of N-terminal amine-blocked peptides, i.e. N-AcTyr-Val-Gly, Z-Glu-Tyr, Z-Phe-Tyr, N-Formyl-Met-Leu-Tyr, and N-AcArg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Tyr-Arg. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fluorescent Labeling of Proteins.

PubMed

Modesti, Mauro

2018-01-01

Many single-molecule experimental techniques exploit fluorescence as a tool to investigate conformational dynamics, molecular interactions, or track the movement of proteins in order to gain insight into their biological functions. A prerequisite to these experimental approaches is to graft one or more fluorophores on the protein of interest with the desired photophysical properties. Here, we describe procedures for efficient methods used to covalently attach fluorophores to proteins. Alternative direct and indirect labeling strategies are also described.

Preparation of gold nanocluster bioconjugates for electron microscopy.

PubMed

Heinecke, Christine L; Ackerson, Christopher J

2013-01-01

In this chapter, we describe types of gold nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates and their use in electron microscopy. Included are two detailed protocols for labeling an IgG antibody with gold monolayer protected clusters. The first approach is a direct bonding approach that utilizes the ligand place exchange reaction. The second approach describes NHS-EDC coupling of Au(144)(pMBA)(60) with IgG. Also included are various characterization techniques for determining labeling efficiency.

Certified Professionals in Action

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Irrigation professionals certified by WaterSense labeled certifying organizations are trained in water-efficient practices. Learn more about how professionals are helping customers save water with better irrigation practices.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Indian Draft Standard Levels for RoomAir Conditioners

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeil, Michael A.; Iyer, Maithili

The Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) finalized its first set of efficiency standards and labels for room air conditioners in July of 2006. These regulations followed soon after the publication of levels for frost-free refrigerators in the same year. As in the case of refrigerators, the air conditioner program introduces Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) and comparative labels simultaneously, with levels for one to five stars. Also like the refrigerator program, BEE defined several successive program phases of increasing stringency. In support of BEE's refrigerator program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) produced an analysis of national impacts of standardsmore » in collaboration with the Collaborative Labeling and Standards Program (CLASP). That analysis drew on LBNL's experience with standards programs in the United States, as well as many other countries. Subsequently, as part of the process for setting optimal levels for air conditioner regulations, CLASP commissioned LBNL to provide support to BEE in the form of a techno-economic evaluation of air conditioner efficiency technologies. This report describes the methodology and results of this techno-economic evaluation. The analysis consists of three components: (1) Cost effectiveness to consumers of efficiency technologies relative to current baseline. (2) Impacts on the current market from efficiency regulations. (3) National energy and financial impacts. The analysis relied on detailed and up-to-date technical data made available by BEE and industry representatives. Technical parameters were used in conjunction with knowledge about air conditioner use patterns in the residential and commercial sectors, and prevailing marginal electricity prices, in order to give an estimate of per-unit financial impacts. In addition, the overall impact of the program was evaluated by combining unit savings with market forecasts in order to yield national impacts. LBNL presented preliminary results of these analyses in May 2006, at a meeting of BEEs Technical Committee for Air Conditioners. This meeting was attended by a wide array of stakeholder, including industry representatives, engineers and consumer advocates. Comments made by stakeholders at this meeting are incorporated into the final analysis presented in this report. The current analysis begins with the Rating Plan drafted by BEE in 2006, along with an evaluation of the market baseline according to test data submitted by manufacturers. MEPS, label rating levels, and baseline efficiencies are presented in Section 2. First, we compare Indian MEPS with current standards in other countries, and assess their relative stringency. Baseline efficiencies are then used to estimate the fraction of models likely to remain on the market at each phase of the program, and the impact on market-weighted efficiency levels. Section 3 deals with cost-effectiveness of higher efficiency design options. The cost-benefit analysis is grounded in technical parameters provided by industry representatives in India. This data allows for an assessment of financial costs and benefits to consumers as a result of the standards and labeling program. A Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation is used to evaluate the impacts of the program at the unit level, thus providing some insight into the appropriateness of the levels chosen, and additional opportunities for further ratcheting. In addition to LCC, we also calculate payback periods, cost of conserved energy (CCE), and return on investment (ROI). Finally, Section 4 covers national impacts. This is an extension of unit level estimates in the two previous sections. Extrapolation to the national level depends on a forecast of air conditioner purchases (shipments), which we describe here. Following the cost-benefit analysis, we construct several efficiency scenarios including the BEE plan, but also considering further potential for efficiency improvement. These are combined with shipments through a stock accounting model in order to forecast air conditioner energy consumption in each scenario, and associated electricity savings and carbon emission mitigation. Finally, financial costs and savings are scaled to the national level to evaluate net fiscal benefits.« less

Assessment of commercially available energy-efficient room air conditioners including models with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shah, N. K.; Park, W. Y.; Gerke, B.

Improving the energy efficiency of room air conditioners (RACs) while transitioning to low global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerants will be a critical step toward reducing the energy, peak load, and emissions impacts of RACs while keeping costs low. Previous research quantified the benefits of leapfrogging to high efficiency in tandem with the transition to low-GWP refrigerants for RACs (Shah et al., 2015) and identified opportunities for initial action to coordinate energy efficiency with refrigerant transition in economies constituting about 65% of the global RAC market (Shah et al., 2017). This report describes further research performed to identify the best-performing (i.e., most efficientmore » and low-GWP-refrigerant using) RACs on the market, to support an understanding of the best available technology (BAT). Understanding BAT can help support market-transformation programs for high-efficiency and low-GWP equipment such as minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), labeling, procurement, and incentive programs. We studied RACs available in six economies—China, Europe, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States—that together account for about 70% of global RAC demand, as well as other emerging economies. The following are our key findings: • Highly efficient RACs using low-GWP refrigerants, e.g., HFC-32 (R-32) and HC-290 (R-290), are commercially available today at prices comparable to similar RACs using high-GWP HCFC-22 (R-22) or HFC-410A (R-410A). • High efficiency is typically a feature of high-end products. However, highly efficient, cost-competitive (less than 1,000 or 1,500 U.S. dollars in retail price, depending on size) RACs are available. • Where R-22 is being phased out, high GWP R-410A still dominates RAC sales in most mature markets except Japan, where R-32 dominates. • In all of the economies studied except Japan, only a few models are energy efficient and use low-GWP refrigerants. For example, in Europe, India, and Indonesia, the highest-efficiency RAC models employ the low-GWP refrigerants R-32 or R-290. • RACs are available in most regions and worldwide that surpass the highest efficiency levels recognized by labeling programs. • Fixed-speed RACs using high-GWP and ozone-depleting R-22 refrigerant still dominate the market in many emerging economies. There is significant scope to improve RAC efficiency and transition to low-GWP refrigerants using commercially available technology and to design market-transformation programs for high-efficiency, low-GWP equipment including standards, labeling, procurement, and incentive programs.« less

Nanosphere-based one-step strategy for efficient and nondestructive detection of circulating tumor cells.

PubMed

Wu, Ling-Ling; Wen, Cong-Ying; Hu, Jiao; Tang, Man; Qi, Chu-Bo; Li, Na; Liu, Cui; Chen, Lan; Pang, Dai-Wen; Zhang, Zhi-Ling

2017-08-15

Detecting viable circulating tumor cells (CTCs) without disruption to their functions for in vitro culture and functional study could unravel the biology of metastasis and promote the development of personalized anti-tumor therapies. However, existing CTC detection approaches commonly include CTC isolation and subsequent destructive identification, which damages CTC viability and functions and generates substantial CTC loss. To address the challenge of efficiently detecting viable CTCs for functional study, we develop a nanosphere-based cell-friendly one-step strategy. Immunonanospheres with prominent magnetic/fluorescence properties and extraordinary stability in complex matrices enable simultaneous efficient magnetic capture and specific fluorescence labeling of tumor cells directly in whole blood. The collected cells with fluorescent tags can be reliably identified, free of the tedious and destructive manipulations from conventional CTC identification. Hence, as few as 5 tumor cells in ca. 1mL of whole blood can be efficiently detected via only 20min incubation, and this strategy also shows good reproducibility with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 8.7%. Moreover, due to the time-saving and gentle processing and the minimum disruption of immunonanospheres to cells, 93.8±0.1% of detected tumor cells retain cell viability and proliferation ability with negligible changes of cell functions, capacitating functional study on cell migration, invasion and glucose uptake. Additionally, this strategy exhibits successful CTC detection in 10/10 peripheral blood samples of cancer patients. Therefore, this nanosphere-based cell-friendly one-step strategy enables viable CTC detection and further functional analyses, which will help to unravel tumor metastasis and guide treatment selection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.