High resolution imaging using scanning ion conductance microscopy with improved distance feedback control

Microscopy is an essential technique for observation on living cells. There is currently great interest in applying scanning probe microscopy to image-living biological cells in their natural environment at the nanometer scale. Scanning ion conductance microscopy is a new form of scanning probe microscopy, which enables non-contact high-resolution imaging of living biological cells. Based on a scanned nanopipette in physiological buffer, the distance feedback control uses the ion current to control the distance between the pipette tip and the sample surface. However, this feedback control has difficulties over slopes on convoluted cell surfaces, which limits its resolution. In this study, we present an improved form of feedback control that removes the contribution of up to the third-order slope from the ion current signal, hence providing a more accurate signal for controlling the distance. We show that this allows faster and lower noise topographic high-resolution imaging.     

混合式可重构数字多核并行处理器平台

一种高性能、RISC-VLIW融合的多核、可重构数字媒体处理器已经从专利发明顺利形成了一个先进的数据处理器设计平台(Digital Multi-processor Platform)。研发的结果体现若干先进处理器技术的融合。(1)应用:低功耗并行运算处理覆盖数字信号处理(DSP)、数字媒体处理(DMP)和超级并行处理器(SPP)的应用扩展领域;(2)体系结构:精简指令(RISC)和超常指令字(VLIW)处理器融合于同一个可配置的平台;(3)运算能力:处理器群调用异构的通用处理器核,使用两类处理器核实例:通用处理器核(包括ALU等的通用运算)和专用处理器核(包括DDCU的用户自定义运算核);(4)可配置和可重构:硅编译器、SoC集成工具、用户自定义运算单元、多核间的和槽内的流水线、包括运算单元的现场编程;(5)设计自动化平台:专用工具用于设计、分析与验证;与商业电子自动化设计(EDA)流程接口;(6)产品模式:硅知识产权(Silicon IP)、通用处理器芯片系列(IC Series)、定制单片系统(SoC)。命名为Fusion的融合式数字多核处理器平台把数个先进处理器技术集成到一个统一的体系结构和设计环境之中...     

On lattice consensus methods

We investigate the consensus problem for classifications of three types: partitions, dendrograms, and n-trees For partitions or dendrograms, lattice polynomials define natural consensus functions We extend these lattice methods to n-trees, introducing a general class of consensus functions that includes the intersection consensus functions in current use These lattice consensus methods have a number of desirable mathematical properties We prove that they all satisfy the Pareto Axiom For each of the three classification types, we determine which lattice consensus functions satisfy the Betweenness AxiomAuthor partially supported by a research grant from the Faculty Research Committee, Bowling State University     

Seriation in the Presence of Errors: NP-Hardness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">l</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">∞</Emphasis></Subscript> -Fitting Robinson Structures to Dissimilarity Matrices

In this paper, we establish that the following fitting problem is NP-hard: given a finite set X and a dissimilarity measure d on X (d is a symmetric function from X ² to the nonnegative real numbers and vanishing on the diagonal), we wish to find a Robinsonian dissimilarity d _R on X minimizing the l _∞ -error ||d − d _R || _∞ = max_x,y ∈X{|d(x, y) − d _R (x, y)|} between d and d _R . Recall that a dissimilarity d _R on X is called monotone (or Robinsonian) if there exists a total order ≺ on X such that x ≺ z ≺ y implies that d(x, y) ≥ max{d(x, z), d(z, y)}. The Robinsonian dissimilarities appear in seriation and clustering problems, in sparse matrix ordering and DNA sequencing.     

Diplostomiasis in native and introduced fishes from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming

Totals of 101 native Yellowstone cutthroat ( Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri ), 27 introduced lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ), and 40 introduced longnose sucker ( Catostomus catostomus ) from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA, were examined for eye flukes. Metacercariae of the trematode fluke Diplostomum were in vitreous humor and/or lens of 94% of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, 92% of lake trout, and 78% of longnose sucker. Longnose sucker had 7% prevalence of infection in both lens and vitreous humor of metacercariae, while Yellowstone cutthroat trout had 3% and lake trout 8%. Diplostomum spathaceum was in lens tissue of 5% of infected Yellowstone cutthroat trout and 93% of longnose sucker; Diplostomum baeri was in vitreous humor of 92% each of infected Yellowstone cutthroat trout and lake trout. Morphological characteristics indicate that a single species infected the lens of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and longnose sucker, while another species infected lake trout. Impacts of the parasite interchange between native and introduced fishes of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, are unknown but should be monitored each year.     

非物质文化遗产保护与人才培养——以西兰卡普在艺术设计教学中的应用为例

本文立足于非物质文化的推广,将高校教学、学生学习与非物质文化联系起来,简述了高校教学和非物质文化之间的关系.同时,以土家族西兰卡普为例,分析了其在高校艺术设计专业教学中的作用与影响,并提出相关建议.     

Loss of Siglec-14 reduces the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. COPD exacerbation, or episodic worsening of symptoms, often results in hospitalization and increased mortality rates. Airway infections by new bacterial strains, such as nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), are a major cause of COPD exacerbation. NTHi express lipooligosaccharides that contain sialic acids, and may interact with Siglec-14, a sialic acid recognition protein on myeloid cells that serves as an activating signal transduction receptor. A null allele polymorphism in SIGLEC14 may attenuate the inflammatory responses to NTHi by eliminating Siglec-14 expression. We asked if the loss of Siglec-14 attenuates the inflammatory response by myeloid cells against NTHi, and if the SIGLEC14-null polymorphism has any effect on COPD exacerbation. We found that NTHi interacts with Siglec-14 to enhance proinflammatory cytokine production in a tissue culture model. Inhibitors of the Syk tyrosine kinase suppress this response. Loss of Siglec-14, due to SIGLEC14-null allele homozygosity, is associated with a reduced risk of COPD exacerbation in a Japanese patient population. Taken together, Siglec-14 and its downstream signaling pathway facilitate the “infection–inflammation–exacerbation” axis of COPD disease progression, and may represent promising targets for therapeutic intervention.