Functional MRI using intravascular contrast agents: detrending of the relative cerebrovascular (rCBV) time course

In pharmacological fMRI experiments in animal models, blood pool contrast agents may be used to map cerebral blood volume change as a surrogate for neural activation. When the background signal drift due to contrast agent washout is non-negligible over the duration of the signal changes of interest, time-course detrending is essential for accurate interpretation of the experiment. Detrending approaches based on estimation of the background signal from a baseline period of the time course prior to pharmacological (or functional) challenge were evaluated with the aim of identifying a robust method of estimating the contrast agent washout contribution to the background signal drift. For fMRI studies in the rat, it was found that a constrained fit of a mono-exponential washout model was more accurate than a constant background approximation and unconstrained fits for experiments investigating the functional response to rapid pharmacological challenges such as cocaine and amphetamine. Moreover, the constrained fitting approach allows shorter baseline periods than unconstrained extrapolation, reducing the required duration of the experiment.     

The importance of cochlear processing for the formation of auditory brainstem and frequency following responses

A model for the generation of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and frequency following responses (FFRs) is presented. The model is based on the concept introduced by Goldstein and Kiang [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 30, 107-114 (1958)] that evoked potentials recorded at remote electrodes can theoretically be given by convolution of an elementary unit waveform (unitary response) with the instantaneous discharge rate function for the corresponding unit. In the present study, the nonlinear computational auditory-nerve model recently developed by Heinz et al. [ARLO 2(3), 91-96 (2001)] was used to calculate the instantaneous discharge rate ri(t) for fibers i in the frequency range from 0.1 and 10 kHz. The summed activity across frequency was convolved with a unitary response which is assumed to reflect contributions from different cell populations within the auditory brainstem, recorded at a given pair of electrodes on the scalp. Predicted potential patterns are compared with experimental data for a number of stimulus and level conditions. Clicks, chirps as defined in Dau et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 107, 1530-1540 (2000)], long-duration stimuli comprising the chirp, as well as tones and slowly varying tonal sweeps were considered. The results demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of the basilar-membrane traveling wave and auditory-nerve processing for the formation of ABR and FFR. Specifically, the results support the hypothesis that the FFR to low-frequency tones represents synchronized activity mainly stemming from mid- and high-frequency units at more basal sites, and not from units tuned to frequencies around the signal frequency.     

Asymptotics of Determinants of Bessel Operators

 For aL ^∞ (ℝ₊)∩L ¹ (ℝ₊) the truncated Bessel operator B _τ (a) is the integral operator acting on L ² [0,τ] with the kernel

Activation parameters for the reactive intermediates relevant to carbonylation catalysts based on cobalt carbonyls

Time-resolved spectroscopic techniques have been used to prepare and to interrogate transient species that are models for reactive intermediates in cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation. Flash photolysis of acetylcobalt carbonyl complexes of the type RC(O)Co(CO)3(PR'3) (A; R = CH3, CD3, or C2H5; R' = Ph or nBu) leads to CO photodissociation to give the "unsaturated" intermediate [RC(O)Co(CO)2(PR'3)] (I), which decays by two competitive pathways, alkyl migration to the cobalt to give RCo(CO)3PR'3 (M) and reaction with CO to re-form A. With the perdeuterioacetyl complex (R = CD3, R' = Ph), rate constants both of CO trapping (kco) and of methyl migration (kM) were just slightly smaller than those of the perprotio analogue (kh/kd = 1.04 +/- 0.01 and 1.07 +/- 0.09, respectively). Thus, any stabilization of the "vacant" coordination site of I by agostic interactions with the acetyl methyl group appears to be kinetically insignificant, consistent with the previous conclusion (Inorg. Chem. 2000, 39, 3098-3106) that this site is stabilized by an eta 2-coordinated carbonyl. Changing the phosphine ligand has a greater influence on the kinetics of I. The species generated by the flash photolysis of the trialkyl phosphine complex CH3C(O)Co-(CO)3(P(nBu3)) exhibited a much larger kM than was the case for the PPh3 analogue, although there was little difference in the kco values. Similarly, kM proved to be sensitive to the nature of R as demonstrated by the slower alkyl migration (at 298 K) for the intermediate formed by CO photodissociation from the propionyl complex C2H5C(O)Co(CO)3PPh3 relative to the acetyl analogue. Nonetheless, all these intermediates displayed analogous time-resolved infrared spectra and general kinetics behavior in benzene solution (implying common mechanisms for decay), so it is concluded that all are present as the eta 2-chelated acyl structure under these conditions.     

A Microgel Construction Kit for Bioorthogonal Encapsulation and pH‐Controlled Release of Living Cells

pH‐Cleavable cell‐laden microgels with excellent long‐term viabilities were fabricated by combining bioorthogonal strain‐promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) and droplet‐based microfluidics. Poly(ethylene glycol)dicyclooctyne and dendritic poly(glycerol azide) served as bioinert hydrogel precursors. Azide conjugation was performed using different substituted acid‐labile benzacetal linkers that allowed precise control of the microgel degradation kinetics in the interesting pH range between 4.5 and 7.4. By this means, a pH‐controlled release of the encapsulated cells was achieved upon demand with no effect on cell viability and spreading. As a result, the microgel particles can be used for temporary cell encapsulation, allowing the cells to be studied and manipulated during the encapsulation and then be isolated and harvested by decomposition of the microgel scaffolds.     

Lampen und Erhitzungsvorrichtungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Single machine scheduling with family setups to minimize total earliness and tardiness

This paper considers the problem of scheduling a given number of jobs on a single machine to minimize total earliness and tardiness when family setup times exist. The paper proposes optimal branch-and-bound algorithms for both the group technology assumption and if the group technology assumption is removed. A heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve larger problems with the group technology assumption removed. The proposed algorithms were empirically evaluated on problems of various sizes and parameters. The paper also explores how the choice of procedure affects total earliness and tardiness if an implementation of lean production methods has resulted in a reduction in setup times. An important finding of these empirical investigations is that scheduling jobs by removing the group technology assumption can significantly reduce total earliness and tardiness.     

An Optical Particle Counting System for Testing Industrial Pulse-Cleaned Cartridge Dust Collectors

An optical particle counting system has been developed for testing industrial pulse-cleaned cartridge dust collectors. The system is applied to measure fractional penetration of a full scale dust collector and to study its short term and long term dynamic behavior. Results show collector efficiencies for dust loadings of 23 g/m³ exceeding 99.999% over the particle size range from 0.5 μm to 10 μm, with a minimum fractional penetration occurring at approximately 2 μm.