Rapid calculation of T1 using variable flip angle gradient refocused imaging

We present a method for rapid measurement of T1 relaxation times using gradient refocused images at limited flip angles and short repetition times. This "variable nutation" techniques was investigated using a T1 phantom. There was a high correlation between measurements obtained with the variable nutation and partial saturation techniques. The ability of this method to create calculated T1 images is also demonstrated. We conclude that the variable nutation method may allow measurement of T1 relaxation times with a significant reduction in acquisition time compared to partial saturation techniques.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of glycopeptides with PglB, a bacterial oligosaccharyl transferase from Campylobacter jejuni

The gram-negative bacterium Campylobacter jejuni has a general N-linked glycosylation pathway encoded by the pgl gene cluster. One of the proteins in this cluster, PgIB, is thought to be the oligosaccharyl transferase due to its significant homology to Stt3p, a subunit of the yeast oligosaccharyl transferase complex. PgIB has been shown to be involved in catalyzing the transfer of an undecaprenyl-linked heptasaccharide to the asparagine side chain of proteins at the Asn-X-Ser/Thr motif. Using a synthetic disaccharide glycan donor (GaINAc-alpha1,3-bacillosamine-pyrophosphate-undecaprenyl) and a peptide acceptor substrate (KDFNVSKA), we can observe the oligosaccharyl transferase activity of PgIB in vitro. Furthermore, the preparation of additional undecaprenyl-linked glycan variants reveals the ability of PgIB to transfer a wide variety of saccharides. With the demonstration of PgIB activity in vitro, fundamental questions surrounding the mechanism of N-linked glycosylation can now be addressed.     

Eukaryotic Selenocysteine Incorporation: Mechanistic Insights

Cotranslational insertion of selenocysteine occurs in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. For the most part, what is known about this process in eukaryotes has been derived from extensive analysis of the RNA requirements for selenocysteine incorporation. Studies which have defined the selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS) element, identified its critical sequence and structural motifs, and established constraints on its spatial relationship with the UGA selenocysteine codon, have given mechanistic insights into this critical process.     

A method for organic/inorganic differentiation using an x‐ray forward/backscatter personnel scanner

A method is proposed for performing organic/inorganic materials discrimination using an x‐ray forward/backscatter scanner. The method is demonstrated using a commercially available personnel security‐screening system and requires only image post processing. The method relies upon x‐ray interaction physics, and the exact registration of forward‐ and backscattered images, permitting reliable discrimination between low and high atomic number materials over a range of thicknesses. The materials information is used to colorize images, and examples of the results are given. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-objective Meta-heuristics for the Traveling Salesman Problem with Profits

We introduce and test a new approach for the bi-objective routing problem known as the traveling salesman problem with profits. This problem deals with the optimization of two conflicting objectives: the minimization of the tour length and the maximization of the collected profits. This problem has been studied in the form of a single objective problem, where either the two objectives have been combined or one of the objectives has been treated as a constraint. The purpose of our study is to find solutions to this problem using the notion of Pareto optimality, i.e. by searching for efficient solutions and constructing an efficient frontier. We have developed an ejection chain local search and combined it with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm which is used to generate diversified starting solutions in the objective space. We apply our hybrid meta-heuristic to synthetic data sets and demonstrate its effectiveness by comparing our results with a procedure that employs one of the best single-objective approaches.      

Radiological chronometry of uranium metal samples

Radiological chronometry is an important tool in nuclear forensics that uses several methods to determine the length of time that has elapsed since a material was last purified. One of the chronometers used in determining the age of metallic uranium involves measuring the fractional ingrowth of ²³⁰Th from its parent ²³⁴U with the assumption that the uranium metal contained no impurities, especially thorium, when it was purified. The affects of different etching procedures were evaluated for the removal of surface oxidation with three different types of uranium metal samples to determine whether the etching procedure affects the radiological age. The sample treated with a rigorous etching procedure had exhibited the most reliable radiological age while less rigorous etching yields a radiological age from 15 years to hundreds of years older than the known age. Any excess thorium on the surface of a uranium metal sample presents a bias in age determination and the sample will appear older than the true age. Although this research demonstrates the need for rigorous surface etching, a bias in the radiological age could have arisen if the uranium in the metal was heterogeneously distributed.