Optimizing pig marketing decisions under price fluctuations

In the manufacturing of fattening pigs, pig marketing refers to a sequence of culling decisions until the production unit is empty. The profit of a production unit is highly dependent on the price of pork, the cost of feeding and the cost of buying piglets. Price fluctuations in the market consequently influence the profit, and the optimal marketing decisions may change under different price conditions. Most studies have considered pig marketing under constant price conditions. However, because price fluctuations have an influence on profit and optimal marketing decisions it is relevant to consider pig marketing under price fluctuations. In this paper we formulate a hierarchical Markov decision process with two levels which model sequential marketing decisions under price fluctuations in a pig pen. The state of the system is based on information about pork, piglet and feed prices. Moreover, the information is updated using a Bayesian approach and embedded into the hierarchical Markov decision process. The optimal policy is analyzed under different patterns of price fluctuations. We also assess the value of including price information into the model.

     

Boolean logic functions of a synthetic peptide network

Living cells can process rapidly and simultaneously multiple extracellular input signals through the complex networks of evolutionary selected biomolecular interactions and chemical transformations. Recent approaches to molecular computation have increasingly sought to mimic or exploit various aspects of biology. A number of studies have adapted nucleic acids and proteins to the design of molecular logic gates and computational systems, while other works have affected computation in living cells via biochemical pathway engineering. Here we report that de novo designed synthetic peptide networks can also mimic some of the basic logic functions of the more complex biological networks. We show that segments of a small network whose graph structure is composed of five nodes and 15 directed edges can express OR, NOR, and NOTIF logic.     

Titrimetric microdetermination of salicylic, acetylsalicylic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids by amplification reactions

A novel titrimetric method with amplification has been developed for the determination of 0.05–2.0 mg of salicylic, acetylsalicylic, or p-hydroxybenzoic acid. It depends on bromination of these compounds by bromine to tribromophenylhypobromite, which liberates iodine when treated with iodide. The liberated iodine is extracted with chloroform, reduced to iodide, oxidation of the resulting iodide with bromine, and iodometric titration of the iodate produced gives the sixfold amplification method. The coefficient of variation does not exceed 1% for above 0.5 mg of the studied compounds, but increases to 2.8% at the 0.05-mg level.     

Chemical and thermal stability of alkanethiol and sulfur passivated InP(100)

InP(100) surfaces treated with Na2Sx9H20 and CnH(2n+1)SH are examined by contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy to determine the chemical and thermal behavior of these passivated surfaces. The surfaces coated by octadecanethiol (n = 18) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are found to be more stable toward oxidation than the S-passivated surface. The chemical stability of octadecanethiol SAMs in various environments is examined. The thiol monolayer is found to be stable in 0.1 M HCl but degrades in 0.1 M NaOH, boiling chloroform, and water. The behavior of these surfaces at elevated temperatures under a vacuum is also investigated. The octadecanethiol-coated InP(100) is stable up to 473 K, above which the films begin to degrade. Unlike other substrates on which the entire molecule including the sulfur headgroup desorbs together, on InP, the sulfur headgroup remains on the surface even after annealing to 673 K. These observations suggest that the desorption occurs by S-C bond cleavage as well as In-S bond cleavage. The sulfur of S-passivated InP is found to be more thermally stable than that of the octadecanethiol monolayer, perhaps due to their different bonding geometries and hence energies.     

SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF CUTANEOUS PHOTOSENSITIZING AGENTS–XV. ANTHRALIN and ITS OXIDATION PRODUCT 1,8-DIHYDROXYANTHRAQUINONE

The photochemistry (Type I and II) of anthralin and its photo-oxidation product 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,8-DHAQ) has been studied in ethanol, acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide using spin-trapping and direct detection of singlet oxygen (1O2) luminescence techniques. In ethanol, where it exists in its neutral form (AN), anthralin does not undergo either Type I or II reactions upon UV-irradiation. In contrast, irradiation of anthralin in acetonitrile, a solvent in which anthralin is partially converted to its corresponding mono-anion (AN-), generates both superoxide and singlet oxygen. Irradiation of anthralin in dimethylsulfoxide, where the AN- form is present in substantial quantity, generates superoxide and solvent derived radicals but no detectable singlet oxygen. UV-irradiation of 1,8-DHAQ in ethanol and acetonitrile produces both superoxide and singlet oxygen in significant yields. In dimethylsulfoxide, on the other hand, only superoxide and solvent derived radicals are observed. The 1O2 quantum yield for AN- and 1,8-DHAQ in acetonitrile were determined to be 0.14 and 0.88 relative to rose bengal in the same solvent. These findings suggest that the AN photosensitization occurs via Type I and II pathways, is solvent dependent and involves AN- as well as its oxidation product 1,8-DHAQ, which is a more potent generator of both singlet oxygen and superoxide.     

Characterization of a Novel Tellurite Selective Electrode

Tellurium was determined by introducing a solid membrane for the selective determination of tellurite ion. An electrode composed of a compressed disk containing a mixture of HgTeO₃and Hg₂Cl₂was found to give a typical Nernstian response of 29 mV/concentration decade for the concentration range 10⁻⁵to 10⁻¹M). The connection was made by Hg metal instead of aqueous inner filling. The optimum pH was 3.5–10.5. The selectivity of the electrode toward several inorganic and organic anions was estimated. The electrode was applied to the determination of tellurium in binary mixtures with a mean recovery of 98.99% and relative standard deviation range of 0.19–0.51%.     

A study of peroxyoxalate-chemiluminescence of acriflavine

The chemiluminescence arising from the reaction of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO) with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of acriflavine has been studied. The relationship between the chemiluminescence intensity and concentrations of TCPO, H2O2, acriflavine and the base sodium salicylate are reported. The kinetic parameters for the peroxyoxalate-chemiluminescence (PO-CL) of acriflavine were evaluated from the computer fitting of the corresponding chemiluminescence intensity-time plots.     

Spectrophotometric assay of cephalosporins in pharmaceutical products,using chromotrope 2B and chromotrope 2R

A simple, rapid and sensitive Spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of cephadroxil (I), cephalexin (II) and cephradine (III). The method is based on ion-pair complex formation between these derivatives and Chromotrope 2B (C2B) or Chromotrope 2R (C2R), to give a highly coloured radical anion. The coloured products are quantified spectrophotometrically at 542 and 564 nm for C2B and C2R, respectively. The optimization of the experimental conditions is described. The method has been used for the determination of 0.4–15, 0.4–14 and 0.4–18 g/ml of drugs I, II and III, respectively. The accuracy of the method is indicated by the excellent recovery (100.0±1.7%) and the precision is supported by the low relative standard deviations 1.5%. The sensitivity of the method is discussed and the results are compared with the official method. The interference from common degradation products and excipients was also studied. The proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of the different cephalosporins in dosage forms, with good precision and accuracy. The results were compared with those given by the official B.P. 1993 method.     

A heterocyclic peptide nanotube

An open-ended hollow tubular structure is designed based on hydrogen-bond-directed self-assembly of a chimeric cyclic peptide subunit comprised of alternating alpha- and epsilon-amino acids. The design features a novel 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazole epsilon-amino acid and its utility as a peptide backbone substitute. The N-Fmoc-protected epsilon-amino acid was synthesized in high yield and optical purity in three steps from readily available starting materials and was employed in solid-phase peptide synthesis to afford the desired cyclic peptide structure. The cyclic peptide self-assembly has been studied in solution by (1)H NMR and mass spectrometry and the resulting tubular ensemble characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallography.