Induction of photolyase activity in wood frog (Rana sylvatica) embryos

Rising ultraviolet-B (UVB, 280-320 nm) radiation has been proposed as a factor which may explain nonnormal amphibian population declines. Accordingly research has been directed toward estimating the photolyase activity of several amphibian species in order to predict a species' resilience to UV damage. Unfortunately, in spite of published research which demonstrated that the activity of one of the principal photorepair enzymes, photolyase, can be induced, these estimates did not address the potential for in vivo induction by environmental factors present in situ. We show here that wood frog (Rana sylvatica) embryos exposed to periods of ambient solar radiation (1) displayed significantly different photolyase activities from embryos exposed to equivalent periods of dark; and (2) were positively correlated with the UVB fluence received in vivo. Such results suggest that previous conclusions regarding the relationship between photorepair and population decline must be reevaluated. Estimating amphibian photorepair is a complicated process, and caution must be exercised when interpreting such data.     

Unweighted linear congruences with distinct coordinates and the Varshamov–Tenengolts codes

In this paper, we first give explicit formulas for the number of solutions of unweighted linear congruences with distinct coordinates. Our main tools are properties of Ramanujan sums and of the discrete Fourier transform of arithmetic functions. Then, as an application, we derive an explicit formula for the number of codewords in the Varshamov–Tenengolts code \(VT_b(n)\) with Hamming weight k, that is, with exactly k 1’s. The Varshamov–Tenengolts codes are an important class of codes that are capable of correcting asymmetric errors on a Z-channel. As another application, we derive Ginzburg’s formula for the number of codewords in \(VT_b(n)\), that is, \(|VT_b(n)|\). We even go further and discuss connections to several other combinatorial problems, some of which have appeared in seemingly unrelated contexts. This provides a general framework and gives new insight into all these problems which might lead to further work.     

Synthesized AI LMI-based Criterion for Mechanical Systems

This paper proposes a novel artificial intelligence sythethized controller in the mechanical system which has high speed computation because of the LMI type criterion. The proposed membership functions are adopted and stabilization criterion of the closed-loop T-S fuzzy systems are obtained through a new parametrized LMI (linear matrix) inequality which is rearranged by machine learning membership functions.     

Behaviour of tetraalkylammonium ions in high‐field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry

High‐field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) is an ion‐filtering technique recently adapted for use with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to remove interferences during analysis of complex matrices. This is the first systematic study of a series of singly charged tetraalkylammonium ions by FAIMS‐MS. The compensation voltage (CV) is the DC offset of the waveform which permits the ion to emerge from FAIMS and it was determined for each member of the series under various conditions. The electrospray ionization conditions explored included spray voltage, vaporizer temperature, and sheath and auxiliary gas pressure. The FAIMS conditions explored included carrier gas flow rate, electrode temperature and composition of the carrier gas. Optimum desolvation was achieved using sufficient carrier gas (flow rate ≥2 L/min) to ensure stable response. Low‐mass ions (m/z 100–200) are more susceptible to changes in electrode temperature and gas composition than high mass ions (m/z 200–700). As a result of this study, ions are reliably analyzed using standard FAIMS conditions (dispersion voltage ?5000 V, carrier gas flow rate 3 L/min, 50% helium/50%nitrogen, inner electrode temperature 70°C and outer electrode temperature 90°C). Variation of FAIMS conditions may be of great use for the separation of very low mass tetraalkylammonium (TAA) ions from other TAA ions. The FAIMS conditions do not appear to have a major effect on higher mass ions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous analysis of prostanoids using liquid chromatography/high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography/high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-FAIMS-MS/MS) semi-quantitative method was developed for the simultaneous determination of prostaglandin (PG) E2, PGD2, PGF(2alpha), 6-keto-PGF(1alpha), and thromboxane (TX) B2. Diluted samples containing these prostanoids and their tetra-deuterium-substituted internal standards were analyzed by LC followed by either selected reaction monitoring (LC-SRM) or FAIMS and selected reaction monitoring (LC-FRM). FAIMS reduced background noise, separated the isobaric ions PGE2 and PGD2, and separated dynamically interchanging TXB2 anomers. This is the first report of the separation of interconverting anomers by FAIMS. Generally, the LC-FRM chromatograms were more selective than the LC-SRM chromatograms. Its potential was demonstrated by analysis of prostanoids in guinea pig lumbar spinal cord homogenate.     

Issues in single-mode fiber standardization

A review is given of the main organizations responsible for optical fiber standards activities, followed by a general discussion of specifiable characteristics of single-mode fibers and test methods for measuring them. The parameters and methods are then discussed in detail, with areas of disagreement among standards groups pointed out and directions of future work indicated.     

The modal logic of the countable random frame

 We study the modal logic M L ^r of the countable random frame, which is contained in and `approximates' the modal logic of almost sure frame validity, i.e. the logic of those modal principles which are valid with asymptotic probability 1 in a randomly chosen finite frame. We give a sound and complete axiomatization of M L ^r and show that it is not finitely axiomatizable. Then we describe the finite frames of that logic and show that it has the finite frame property and its satisfiability problem is in EXPTIME. All these results easily extend to temporal and other multi-modal logics. Finally, we show that there are modal formulas which are almost surely valid in the finite, yet fail in the countable random frame, and hence do not follow from the extension axioms. Therefore the analog of Fagin's transfer theorem for almost sure validity in first-order logic fails for modal logic. Received: 1 May 2000 / Revised version: 29 July 2001 / Published online: 2 September 2002 Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 03B45, 03B70, 03C99 Key words or phrases: Modal logic – Random frames – Almost sure frame validity – Countable random frame – Axiomatization – Completeness     

A generalization of Schönemann’s theorem via a graph theoretic method

Recently, Grynkiewicz et al. (2013), using tools from additive combinatorics and group theory, proved necessary and sufficient conditions under which the linear congruence $a_1{x}_1+?+a_k{x}_k\equiv b(modn)$, where $a_1,\dots ,a_k,b,n$ ($n\ge 1$) are arbitrary integers, has a solution $〈x_1,\dots ,x_k〉\in {\mathbb{Z}}_n^k$ with all $x_i$ distinct. So, it would be an interesting problem to give an explicit formula for the number of such solutions. Quite surprisingly, this problem was first considered, in a special case, by Schönemann almost two centuries ago(!) but his result seems to have been forgotten. Schönemann (1839), proved an explicit formula for the number of such solutions when $b=0$, $n=p$ a prime, and ${\sum }_{i=1}^k{a}_i\equiv 0(modp)$ but ${\sum }_{i\in I}{a}_i?\equiv 0(modp)$ for all $0?\ne I??\{1,\dots ,k\}$. In this paper, we generalize Schönemann’s theorem using a result on the number of solutions of linear congruences due to D. N. Lehmer and also a result on graph enumeration. This seems to be a rather uncommon method in the area; besides, our proof technique or its modifications may be useful for dealing with other cases of this problem (or even the general case) or other relevant problems.