Detecting functional connectivity in the resting brain: a comparison between ICA and CCA

Independent component analysis (ICA) and cross-correlation analysis (CCA) are general tools for detecting resting-state functional connectivity. In this study, we jointly evaluated these two approaches based on simulated data and in vivo functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired from 10 resting healthy subjects. The influence of the number of independent components (maps) on the results of ICA was investigated. The influence of the selection of the seeds on the results of CCA was also examined. Our results reveal that significant differences between these two approaches exist. The performance of ICA is superior as compared with that of CCA; in addition, the performance of ICA is not significantly affected by structured noise over a relatively large range. The results of ICA could be affected by the number of independent components if this number is too small, however. Converting the spatially independent maps of ICA into z maps for thresholding tends to overestimate the false-positive rate. However, the overestimation is not very severe and may be acceptable in most cases. The results of CCA are dependent on seeds location. Seeds selected based on different criteria will significantly affect connectivity maps.     

Quantitative analysis of asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas during sequential finger movement

Brain asymmetry is a phenomenon well known for handedness and has been studied in motor cortices. However, few quantitative studies on asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas have been conducted. In this study, we systematically investigated asymmetrical cortical activity in motor areas during sequential finger movement by quantitatively analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses. The norm of BOLD signal percentage of change was introduced to quantitatively measure the BOLD signal intensity change difference between the left and right motor areas. The results of the data collected from six subjects show that the norm of BOLD signal percentage of change in the right motor area is higher than that in the left motor area for two-hand movement (P=.0059) and single-hand movement (P=.0279) with right-handedness. These results from fMRI show the asymmetry of motor areas and may suggest that the left hemisphere motor area comes into being as an adaptation system that needs few neuron cells only to finish any movement task for right-handedness. The activation intensity in the left motor area is reduced with normal right finger movement. The activation intensity in the right motor area is obviously higher than that in the left motor area.     

First-principles study of fundamental properties and electronic structure of alloys

We have performed first-principles calculations using full-potential augmented-plane-wave method to investigate the fundamental properties of the Cd_1–xZn_xTe alloys. The composition dependence of the lattice constant and the bulk modulus have been estimated from total energy calculations. By means of the analytical fitting the band structures in the vicinity of the Brillouin center a complete set of effective electron- and hole-masses have also been derived. In order to further understand the effects of the chemical bonding on the above macroscopic properties we then studied the relaxation behaviors and the changes of the electronic states upon alloying for x=0.25 system. The results presented here yield a general understanding of the fundamental properties for the Cd_1–xZn_xTe crystals studies.     

Calcium Ion-Induced Stabilization and Refolding of Agkisacutacin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agkistrodon Acutus</Emphasis> Venom Studied by Fluorescent Spectroscopy

Agkisacutacin isolated from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus is a coagulation factor IX / coagulation factor X-binding protein with marked anticoagulant- and platelet-modulating activities. Ca²⁺ ion-induced stabilization and refolding of Agkisacutacin have been studied by following fluorescent measurements. Ca²⁺ ions not only increase the structural stability of agkisacutacin against GdnHCl denaturation, but also induce its refolding. The GdnHCl-induced unfolding of the apo-agkisacutacin and the purified agkisacutacin is a single-step process with no detectable intermediate state. Ca²⁺ ions play an important role in the stabilization of the structure of agkisacutacin. Ca²⁺-stabilized agkisacutacin exhibits higher resistance to GdnHCl denaturation than the apo-agkisacutacin. It is possible to induce refolding of the unfolded apo-agkisacutacin merely by adding 1 mM Ca²⁺ ions without changing the concentration of the denaturant. The kinetic result of Ca²⁺-induced refolding provides evidences for that agkisacutacin consists of at least two refolding phases and the first phase of Ca²⁺-induced refolding should involve the formation of the compact Ca²⁺-binding site regions, and subsequently, the protein undergoes further conformational rearrangements to form the native structure.     

低能C36团簇在金刚石(100)晶面沉积时的影响因素

"使用Brenner-LJ拟合势描述了金刚石与C36团簇原子间的相互作用,并用分子动力学模拟的方法研究单个C36(D6h)在金刚石(100)晶面的沉积机制．通过仿真实验分析了C36团簇的入射能量、入射点位置、入射姿势、入射角度等因素对其成核初期化学吸附过程以及沉积后其稳定性的影响．研究发现：由于C36入射点位置及入射姿势的不同,其在金刚石(100)晶面沉积时的沉积阈值最小值为20 eV,最大值为60 eV;在入射角不超过60o斜射时,由于水平运动分量的存在,C36可能翻滚及平滑至成键能量较小的区域后再成键     

Evaluation of Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-Coated Column for Enantioseparation with Azithromycin Lactobionate and Clindamycin Phosphate as Chiral Selectors in Capillary Electrophoresis

Chromatographia - In this study, a poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticle (PGMA NP)-coated column system with two antibiotics as selector was constructed for enantioseparation. The PGMA NP...     

A New Seco-Abietanoid from the Bark of Cryptomeria japonica

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - A new seco-abietanoid, 12-hydroxy-6,7-seco-abieta-8,11,13-triene-6,7-dioic acid (1), was isolated from the methanol extract of the bark of Cryptomeria japonica. The...     

A copper-based coordination polymer formed through synergistic bridging of 1,2,4-triazole and acetate anions: synthesis,crystal structure and magnetic properties

Transition Metal Chemistry - A Cu(II) coordination polymer, [Cu2(pztrz)2(μ-CH3COO)(CH3COO)]·3H2O (1), derived from mono-substituted 1,2,4-triazole derivative 3-(pyrazinyl)-1,2,4-triazole...     

Near-infrared emission carrier,Er3+-doped ZnAl-LDH,for delivery and release of ibuprofen in vitro

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - A drug delivery system with near-infrared emissions response to drug delivery and release is essential as marking or targeting drug delivery system. For...