Optical Coherence Tomography Phase Measurement of Transient Changes in Squid Giant Axons During Activity

Noncontact optical measurements reveal that transient changes in squid giant axons are associated with action potential propagation and altered under different environmental (i.e., temperature) and physiological (i.e., ionic concentrations) conditions. Using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system, which produces real-time cross-sectional images of the axon in a nerve chamber, axonal surfaces along a depth profile are monitored. Differential phase analyses show transient changes around the membrane on a millisecond timescale, and the response is coincident with the arrival of the action potential at the optical measurement area. Cooling the axon slows the electrical and optical responses and increases the magnitude of the transient signals. Increasing the NaCl concentration bathing the axon, whose diameter is decreased in the hypertonic solution, results in significantly larger transient signals during action potential propagation. While monophasic and biphasic behaviors are observed, biphasic behavior dominates the results. The initial phase detected was constant for a single location but alternated for different locations; therefore, these transient signals acquired around the membrane appear to have local characteristics.     

Evaluation of blood culture bottles seeded with X-V factors for the detection of Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae

The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine the ability of seeded and not-seeded commercial pediatric blood culture bottles to support the growth of the most frequently responsible microorganisms for bacterial meningitides (Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae). Tests have been carried out with an automated colorimetric pediatric blood culture system, BacTAlert, Organon Teknika. Bottles were inoculated with X-V factors and serial dilutions of the each bacterium in six times (10(1)-10(6) colony forming unit [CFU]/ml). The bottles, which were supplemented with X-V factors, proved to be effective and time to detection (TTD) was shorter than the un-seeded bottles (p0.05). Time difference between seeded and not-seeded bottles was getting greater at high dilutions of both bacteria. We consider that in presence of a few bacteria, the seeding of bottles with X-V factors is very critical obtaining N. meningitidis, and H. influenzae as the causative agents of meningitidis. The recovery rate of the microorganisms, which were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid by using the X-V factor-seeded blood culture bottles, is therefore higher than with the conventional culture methods.     

Association of MDR1 C3435T polymorphism with bipolar disorder in patients treated with valproic acid

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an efflux transporter protein, is an ABC transporter encoded by the multidrug resistance 1 gene (MDR1, ABCB1). The common synonymous C3435T polymorphism in exon 26 is reported to associate with lower P-gp functional expression and drug uptake. Many extended pharmacogenomics, functional, and complex disease association studies focused mainly on this polymorphism. We investigated the association of exon 26 C3435T genetic variants of MDR1 gene with susceptibility to bipolar disorder and serum valproic acid concentration. Totally, 104 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder and 169 controls were admitted to the study. There was statistically significant difference between the genotypes of bipolar patients (CT 91.2%, TT 6.8%, and CC 2%) and controls (CT 52.7%, TT 26%, CC 21.3%) although their allelic distribution was similar. The serum valproic acid concentrations of the patients with CT, TT and CC genotypes were 72.92 ± 20.55, 80.47 ± 14.01 and 68.29 ± 12.17 μg/ml, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the C3435T genotypes.     

A theoretical study of substituent effects on tautomerism of 2-hydroxybenzimidazoles

The geometries, relative stabilities of some 4(7) and 5(6) substituted 2-hydroxybenzimidazole derivatives were calculated with full geometry optimization using AM1 and PM3 in aqueous phase. With the exception of molecules 4, 6 and 7 for all the 4(7) and 5(6) substituted 2-hydroxybenzimidazole derivatives the 3H and keto forms were found to be favored.     

Hook selectivity and catch efficiency in two sport fishing sectors in the Strait of Istanbul,Turkey: Classic handline fishing and Light Rock Fishing (LRF)

In this study, the efficiency of two fishing methods (a) traditional handline commonly used in the Strait of Istanbul and (b) light rock fishing (LRF), which is beginning to spread in recent years, were investigated by monthly sampling between September 2014 and September 2015. One classic handline fishing tackle and one LRF fishing tackle were used in the test fishing exercise. In addition, the effects of the hook sizes (numbers 6, 8 and 10) used in the handline fishery on the size selectivity for horse mackerels were also studied. Catches using both types of fishing gear were mainly composed of Trachurus mediterraneus (89.60%), Scorpeana porcus (5.12%), Sardina pilchardus (1.98%), Atherina boyeri (0.99%), Liza aurata (0.66%), Scorpaena scrofa (0.50%), Pomatomus saltatrix (0.33%), Sprattus sprattus (0.33%) and a few other species. The frequency distributions of horse mackerel caught using handlines and LRF were slightly different and ranged between 6.1–19.0 cm and 9.0–16.0 cm, respectively. Of all the handlines, LRF yielded the highest catch per unit effort (CPUE), 1.295 kg/10 hooks/hour. The log normal model selectivity curve gave the best fit for the T. mediterraneus by using the SELECT method. The modal lengths of horse mackerel caught by handline hook sizes no.10 and no. 8 hook were calculated as 13.4 cm and 17.7 cm, respectively. In addition, the spread values were determined with 3.58 and 4.74, respectively.     

Digitization of the Nissen–Riesen chimpanzee radiological growth series

Longitudinal morphological growth data of apes are incredibly difficult to obtain. Long life histories, combined with practical and ethical issues of obtaining such long‐term data have resulted in few longitudinal data sets in chimpanzees of known chronological ages. One classic, long‐term growth study of chimpanzees was that of Drs Nissen and Riesen initiated at the Yale Laboratories of Primate Biology in 1939. Through that study, whole‐body radiological images were taken on a regular basis from a “normative” group of chimpanzees from birth to adulthood. Here we have digitized the known remaining radiographs from that growth study, many of which are deteriorating, and uploaded the data set to the free, online database MorphoSource. The database comprises 3,568 X‐ray images of 15 of the 16 chimpanzee subjects in the normative group and 1 individual from an experimental group. Herein, we briefly review the historical context of this study and specific details of the data set.     

Can Age at Diagnosis and Sex Improve the Performance of the American Thyroid Association Risk Stratification System for Prediction of Structural Persistent and Recurrent Disease in Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma? A Multicenter Study

ObjectiveAlthough the age at diagnosis has been suggested as a major determinant of disease-specific survival in the recent TNM staging system, it is not included in the recent American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines to estimate the risk of recurrence. Nevertheless, the effect of sex on differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) recurrence is controversial. Therefore, this multicenter study was conducted to assess whether age at diagnosis and sex can improve the performance of the ATA 3-tiered risk stratification system in patients with DTC with at least 5 years of follow-up.MethodsIn this study, the computer-recorded data of the patients diagnosed with DTC between January 1985 and January 2016 were analyzed. Only patients with proven structural persistent/recurrent disease were selected for comparisons.ResultsThis study consisted of 1691 patients (female, 1367) with DTC. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, disease-free survival (DFS) was markedly longer in females only in the ATA low-risk category (P = .045). Nevertheless, a markedly longer DFS was observed in patients aged <45 years in the ATA low- and intermediate-risk categories (P = .004 and P = .009, respectively), whereas in patients aged <55 years, DFS was markedly longer only in the ATA low-risk category (P < .001). In the Cox proportional hazards model, ages of ≥45 and ≥55 years at diagnosis and the ATA risk stratification system were all independent predictors of persistent/recurrent disease.ConclusionApplying the age cutoff of 45 years in the ATA intermediate- and low-risk categories may identify patients at a higher risk of persistence/recurrence and may improve the performance of the ATA risk stratification system, whereas sex may improve the performance of only the ATA low-risk category.     

Application of Molecular Simulations Toward Understanding Cellulase Mechanisms

Computational approaches have provided new biological insights into the chemical mechanism of action of cellulases, which are used in the industrial production of bioethanol. Fine-grained methods, such as molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics, as well as coarse-grained methods, such as elastic network models, were used to investigate how the chemistry and structural dynamics of these enzymes contribute to their function. In this review, we highlight recent computational studies to understand this crucial biofuel enzyme class’s chemistry and structural dynamics, as well as their significance in revealing enzymatic mechanism of action. Computational methods can complement and amplify the findings of experimental methods, which can be used in tandem to create more efficient industrial enzymes.     

Joint order batching and picker routing in single and multiple-cross-aisle warehouses using cluster-based tabu search algorithms

The organization of order picking operations is one of the most critical issues in warehouse management. In this paper, novel tabu search (TS) algorithms integrated with a novel clustering algorithm are proposed to solve the order batching and picker routing problems jointly for multiple-cross-aisle warehouse systems. A clustering algorithm that generates an initial solution for the TS algorithms is developed to provide fast and effective solutions to the order-batching problem. Unlike most common picker routing heuristics, we model the routing problem of pickers as a classical TSP and propose efficient Nearest Neighbor+Or-opt and Savings+2-Opt heuristics to meet the specific features for the problem. Various problem instances including the number of orders, weight of items, and picking coordinates are generated randomly, and detailed numerical experiments are carried out to evaluate the performances of the proposed methods. In conclusion, the TS algorithms come out to be the most efficient methods in terms of solution quality and computational efficiency.     

First record of the Lessepsian fish Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775) in the Sea of Marmara (Izmit Bay,Turkey)

The marbled spinefoot, Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål&Niebuhr, 1775) was recorded for the first time in Izmit Bay, Sea of Marmara. One specimen was caught on 30 September 2019 by a small scale fisherman at depth of 25 m. The fish measured 151 mm in total length and weighted of 43.45 g. S. rivulatus is one of the Lessepsian immigrants who entered the Mediterranean more than half a century ago, and has now also easily adapted to the Sea of Marmara, which has a unique two-layered water system.