Neural networks were evolved through genetic algorithms to focus minimax search in the game of Othello. At each level of the search tree, the focus networks decide which moves are promising enough to be explored further. The networks effectively hide problem states from minimax based on the knowledge they have evolved about the limitations of minimax and the evaluation function. Focus networks ...

Here, we report that polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated copper(II) sulfide nanoparticles (PEG-CuS NPs) with their peak absorption tuned to 1064 nm could be used both as a contrast agent for photoacoustic tomographic imaging of mouse tumor vasculature and as a mediator for confined photothermolysis of tumor cells in an orthotopic syngeneic 4T1 breast tumor model. PEG-CuS NPs showed stronger photoa...

By the mid 20th century, the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) was exterminated from most of the conterminous United States (cUS) and Mexico. However, because wolves disperse over long distances, extant populations in Canada and Alaska might have retained a substantial proportion of the genetic diversity once found in the cUS. We analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences of 34 pre-extermination wolves and f...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated porous 3-dimensional (3D) CuS microspheres have been successfully synthesized via a simple refluxing method assisted by PVP. The composites are composed of flower-shaped CuS secondary microspheres, which in turn are assembled with primary nanosheets of 15-30 nm in thickness and fully integrated with CNT. The composites possess a large specific surface area o...

Cucurbitacins (Cus) are a class of highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids that confer a bitter taste to cucurbits such as cucumber, melon, watermelon, squash, and pumpkin. To date, a large number of Cus and Cu-derived compounds have been isolated from the Cucurbitaceae family and from other species of the plant (Alghasham, 2013; Shang et al., 2014). Cus have a range of biological and pharmac...

Chronic stress enhances risk for psychiatric disorders, and in animal models is known to evoke depression-like behavior accompanied by perturbed neurohormonal, metabolic, neuroarchitectural and transcriptional changes. Serotonergic neurotransmission, including serotonin2A (5-HT2A) receptors, have been implicated in mediating specific aspects of stress-induced responses. Here we investigated the...

BACKGROUND Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes. Chromosomal and genomic instability due to telomere dysfunction has been known to play an important role in the carcinogenesis of some organs. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between smoking and the telomere length of human bronchial epithelial cells in individuals with and wi...

The liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) approach was used to synthesize the C60 fullerene nanowhisker (FNW)–CuS nanoparticle composites utilizing a CuS solution, C60-saturated toluene, and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission (TEM) were characterize product of FNW–CuS composites. These also utili...

BACKGROUND Au/CuS core/shell nanoparticles (NPs) were designed as a new type of transducer agent for photothermal therapy (PTT), with attractive features of easy preparation, low cost and small size for targeting. This paper studied for the first time the intrinsic antimicrobial activity of Au/CuS NPs to B. anthracis spores and cells in addition to its PTT effect. RESULTS It was found that Au...

Uniform hollow spheres of Cu2O and CuS were successfully synthesized by chemical transformation of in situ formed sacrificial templates containing Cu(I) in aqueous solutions. The shell thickness of these hollow spheres can be adjusted through the choice of the bromide source used for the formation of intermediate templates. Specifically, thick-shell hollow spheres (about 130-180 nm in shell thi...