Background: Aptamers are single stranded DNA (ssDNA) or RNA molecules. The potential of aptamers for binding to the different targets has made them be widely used as the preferred diagnostic and therapeutic tools. DNA aptamers present several advantages over the RNA oligonucleotides due to their higher stability, easier selection, and production. Selection of DNA aptamers which...

super eciency data envelopment analysis(dea) model can be used in ranking the performanceof ecient decision making units(dmus). in dea, non-extreme ecient unitshave a super eciency score one and the existing super eciency dea models do notprovide a complete ranking about these units. in this paper, we will propose a methodfor ranking the performance of the extreme and non-extreme ecient u...

We investigate the energy efŽciency of signalingmechanisms that transfer information by means of discrete stochastic events, such as the opening or closing of an ion channel. Using a simple model for the generation of graded electrical signals by sodium and potassium channels, we Žnd optimum numbers of channels that maximize energy efŽciency. The optima depend on several factors: the relative m...

Iodine is needed for thyroid hormone production and iodine suffi ciency is particularly important during pregnancy, lactation, and infancy owing to the role of thyroid hormones in brain development. A defi ciency of iodine during these life stages can result in impaired child cognition and has been associated with infant mortality. In countries with inadequate iodised salt coverage and iodine d...

Since the early 1970s, electricity consumption per capita in California has stayed nearly constant, while rising steadily for the US as a whole. At the same time, state energy policies have led the nation in encouraging energy e ciency programs and stringent appliance and building standards. In addition to regulatory policy, California has incentivized utilities to implement a diverse set of pr...

Highly excited heterogeneous complex materials are essential elements of important processes, ranging from inertial confinement fusion to semiconductor device fabrication. Understanding the dynamics of these systems has been challenging because of the difficulty in extracting mechanistic information from either experiment or theory. We describe here the electron force field (eFF) approximation ...

A CO 2 -capturing hybrid-type power generation system with highly e cient use of solar thermal energy was proposed and its characteristics were investigated. In the system, relatively low temperature saturated steam is produced using solar thermal energy and is used as the working uid of a methanering gas-turbine system. The solar thermal utilization e ciency becomes considerably high compared ...

background: strontium, zinc, and potassium salts have been demonstrated to inhibit irritation and infl ammation when applied topically. particularly, strontium chloride (sc) and potassium nitrate (kn) are reported to reduce skin and tooth sensitivity.the aim of the present study was to compare the anti-irritant eff ects of four inorganic salts and assign the ingredient which can suppress skin i...

Albeit based on robust methods, the study by Dick de Zeeuw and colleagues (Nov 6, p 2010) raises several concerns. First, little attention is given to the fact that the primary endpoint— ie, the eff ect of the vitamin D receptor activator (VDRA) on urinary albuminto-creatinine ratio (UACR)—is actually negative. The positive results on secondary endpoints should thus be used only to generate new...

patients who fail weaning have impaired ability to convert neuromuscular activity into tidal ventilation, highlighting the eff ect of diaphragm weakness on weaning and extubation from mechanical ventilation. However, it is noteworthy that the insuffi cient cough strength greatly contributes to failed extubation in clinical practice as well, particularly in patients with acute cervical cord inju...