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10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.11.062 | Auditory cortical delta-entrainment interacts with oscillatory power in multiple fronto-parietal networks | The timing of slow auditory cortical activity aligns to the rhythmic fluctuations in speech. This entrainment is considered to be a marker of the prosodic and syllabic encoding of speech, and has been shown to correlate with intelligibility. Yet, whether and how auditory cortical entrainment is influenced by the activity in other speech–relevant areas remains unknown. Using source-localized MEG data, we quantified the dependency of auditory entrainment on the state of oscillatory activity in fronto-parietal regions. We found that delta band entrainment interacted with the oscillatory activity in three distinct networks. First, entrainment in the left anterior superior temporal gyrus (STG) was modulated by beta power in orbitofrontal areas, possibly reflecting predictive top-down modulations of auditory encoding. Second, entrainment in the left Heschl's Gyrus and anterior STG was dependent on alpha power in central areas, in line with the importance of motor structures for phonological analysis. And third, entrainment in the right posterior STG modulated theta power in parietal areas, consistent with the engagement of semantic memory. These results illustrate the topographical network interactions of auditory delta entrainment and reveal distinct cross-frequency mechanisms by which entrainment can interact with different cognitive processes underlying speech perception. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
281171 | Deciphering neural codes of valence-based emotional memories | Pioneering studies from the last decades have shown that we can use animal models to study the neural correlates of learning and emotional memories. These studies have identified a network of brain regions that co-orchestrate the dynamic processes that occur during acquisition, retrieval and update of memories with valence. In primates, these areas and their connectivity have evolved to allow a complex interaction between cognitive abilities and emotions. Although we know that emotional memories differ from neutral memories, the actual neural codes that underlie them are largely unknown. Understanding emotional memories at a detailed level in a primate model is a crucial step in our goal to understand ourselves, and would allow specific therapeutic interventions for a spectrum of psychiatric disorders.
Our primary objectives are: a. to develop a comprehensive battery of behavioral paradigms that targets emotional learning and memory in non-human primates; b. to understand the neural mechanisms that underlie long-term evolvement of these memories; c. to develop a computational and experimental framework to understand coding in these high-dimensionality networks. We combine large-scale inter- and intra-regional simultaneous electrophysiological recordings in the primate amygdala and prefrontal-cortices, with a set of focused paradigms that use behavioral generalization as a tool to probe the underlying neural building blocks. Generalization is a highly-evolved cognitive ability of primates and a desired feature of any learning algorithm. Importantly, it is a tool to modify the brain and unveil the structure of its internal representations i.e. the neural code. Together, it will form a unified framework to understand neural codes of learning and memory formation in valence-based situations. Our research will help establishing an emerging field of computational affective neuroscience, and our vision holds that Emotion is finally within the reach of neurophysiology. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1039/C4CP00109E | Zeolite Screening For The Separation Of Gas Mixtures Containing So2 Co2 And Co | We used a combination of experiments and molecular simulations to investigate at the molecular level the effects of zeolite structure on the adsorption and diffusion of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as separation processes of their mixtures. Our study involved different zeolite topologies and revealed numerous structure–property trends depending on the temperature and pressure conditions. Sulfur dioxide, which has the strongest interactions with zeolites due to its size and polarity, showed the largest adsorption across investigated temperatures and pressures. Our results indicate that structures with channel-type pore topology and low pore volume are the most promising for selective adsorption of sulfur dioxide over carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide under room conditions, while structures with higher pore volume exhibit better storage capacity at higher pressure. Our results emphasize the need for considering both adsorption and diffusion processes in the selection of the optimal structure for a given separation process. Our findings help to identify the best materials for effective separation processes under realistic operating conditions. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W1982507535 | Landslide and debris flow susceptibility zonation using TRIGRS for the 2011 Seoul landslide event | Abstract. This paper presents the results from the application of a regional, physically based stability model: Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-based Regional Slope-stability analysis (TRIGRS) for a region on Woomyeon Mountain, Seoul, South Korea. This model couples an infinite-slope stability analysis with a one-dimensional analytical solution to predict the transient pore pressure response to the infiltration of rainfall. TRIGRS also adopts the geographic information system (GIS) framework for determining the whole behaviour of a slope. In this paper, we suggest an index for evaluating the results produced by the model. Particular attention is devoted to the prediction of routes of debris flow, using a runoff module. In this context, the paper compares observed landslide and debris flow events with those predicted by the TRIGRS model. The TRIGRS model, originally developed to predict shallow landslides, has been extended in this study for application to debris flows. The results predicted by the TRIGRS model are presented as safety factor (FS) maps corresponding to transient rainfall events, and in terms of debris flow paths using methods proposed by several researchers in hydrology. In order to quantify the effectiveness of the model, we proposed an index called LRclass (landslide ratio for each predicted FS class). The LRclass index is mainly applied in regions where the landslide scar area is not well defined (or is unknown), in order to avoid overestimation of the model results. The use of the TRIGRS routing module was proposed to predict the paths of debris flow, especially in areas where the rheological properties and erosion rates of the materials are difficult to obtain. Although an improvement in accuracy is needed, this module is very useful for preliminary spatio-temporal assessment over wide areas. In summary, the TRIGRS model is a powerful tool of use to decision makers for susceptibility mapping, particularly when linked with various advanced applications using GIS spatial functions. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
2715480 | Senior biomechanical 3d modelling researcher | Aim of this project is to develop surgeon-friendly 3D biomechanical simulation functionality as integral part of 3D models-based pre-operational planning software for evaluation of implant positioning to the movement axis of the neighbouring joints and the load distribution in the bone / implant contact zones in a risk-free environment. Therefore, Ortho Baltic is looking for a researcher with competence in clinical and computational biomechanics to join the research team in the development of cutting-edge 3D model-based pre-surgery planning software with 3D user interface via Web browser.
Recruited innovation associate would work as part of Ortho Baltic R&D team developing state-of-the-art 3D model-based pre-surgery planning tools by integrating human musculoskeletal simulation and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) functionalities. Innovation associate would be Senior biomechanical researcher, who will work in multidisciplinary team of our R&D unit and in cooperation with Ortho Baltic academic partners, keeping direct contact with leading surgeons to mitigate fundamental research into fieldable technology and deployable products. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
647783 | Metabolomics based biomarkers of dietary intake- new tools for nutrition research | In todays advanced technological world, we can track the exact movement of individuals, analyse their genetic makeup and predict predisposition to certain diseases. However, we are unable to accurately assess an individual’s dietary intake. This is without a doubt one of the main stumbling blocks in assessing the link between diet and disease/health. The present proposal (A-DIET) will address this issue with the overarching objective to develop novel strategies for assessment of dietary intake.
Using approaches to (1) identify biomarkers of specific foods (2) classify people into dietary patterns (nutritypes) and (3) develop a tool for integration of dietary and biomarker data, A-DIET has the potential to dramatically enhance our ability to accurately assess dietary intake. The ultimate output from A-DIET will be a dietary assessment tool which can be used to obtain an accurate assessment of dietary intake by combining dietary and biomarker data which in turn will allow investigations into relationships between diet, health and disease. New biomarkers of specific foods will be identified and validated using intervention studies and metabolomic analyses. Methods will be developed to classify individuals into dietary patterns based on biomarker/metabolomic profiles thus demonstrating the novel concept of nutritypes. Strategies for integration of dietary and biomarker data will be developed and translated into a tool that will be made available to the wider scientific community.
Advances made in A-DIET will enable nutrition epidemiologist’s to properly examine the relationship between diet and disease and develop clear public health messages with regard to diet and health. Additionally results from A-DIET will allow researchers to accurately assess people’s diet and implement health promotion strategies and enable dieticians in a clinical environment to assess compliance to therapeutic diets such as adherence to a high fibre diet or a gluten free diet. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.3390/ncrna4020012 | Long non-coding RNAs in neuronal aging | The expansion of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in organismal genomes has been associated with the emergence of sophisticated regulatory networks that may have contributed to more complex neuronal processes, such as higher-order cognition. In line with the important roles of lncRNAs in the normal functioning of the human brain, dysregulation of lncRNA expression has been implicated in aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. In this paper, we discuss the function and expression of known neuronal-associated lncRNAs, their impact on epigenetic changes, the contribution of transposable elements to lncRNA expression, and the implication of lncRNAs in maintaining the 3D nuclear architecture in neurons. Moreover, we discuss how the complex molecular processes that are orchestrated by lncRNAs in the aged brain may contribute to neuronal pathogenesis by promoting protein aggregation and neurodegeneration. Finally, this review explores the possibility that age-related disturbances of lncRNA expression change the genomic and epigenetic regulatory landscape of neurons, which may affect neuronal processes such as neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1016/j.tim.2015.07.010 | Bacterial amyloid formation: Structural insights into curli biogensis | Curli are functional amyloid fibers assembled by many Gram-negative bacteria as part of an extracellular matrix that encapsulates the bacteria within a biofilm. A multicomponent secretion system ensures the safe transport of the aggregation-prone curli subunits across the periplasm and outer membrane, and coordinates subunit self-assembly into surface-attached fibers. To avoid the build-up of potentially toxic intracellular protein aggregates, the timing and location of the interactions of the different curli proteins are of paramount importance. Here we review the structural and molecular biology of curli biogenesis, with a focus on the recent breakthroughs in our understanding of subunit chaperoning and secretion. The mechanistic insight into the curli assembly pathway will provide tools for new biotechnological applications and inform the design of targeted inhibitors of amyloid polymerization and biofilm formation. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
W4320912133 | Mapeamento dos bancos de dados em dispositivos médicos: revisão narrativa e o cenário brasileiro para avaliação com dados de mundo real (RWD) | Objetivo: Pretendeu-se mapear os bancos de dados governamentais em dispositivos médicos, na perspectiva pública com o intuito de contribuir como fonte para gerar dados de mundo real (RWD) e potencial para subsidiar estudos de Avaliação de Tecnologias em Saúde (ATS). Métodos: Realizada revisão narrativa na base de dados do Embase. Os critérios para inclusão de elegibilidade foram: i) dimensão ampla de RDW nos processos de gestão de tecnologias; e ii) aplicação de RDW em processos regulatórios, cobertura e ATS. Também foram consultados os sistemas do Ministério da Saúde e da Anvisa. Resultados: A busca retornou 1.185 resultados; após leitura dos resumos, foram selecionados 29 artigos, sendo 5 incluídos. Na consulta ao catálogo do Datasus, foram localizados 262 sistemas informatizados; após análise da descrição sumária e principais objetivos, foram selecionados 12 sistemas que geram dados sobre dispositivos médicos. A falta de interoperabilidade dos sistemas é recorrente e a ausência de uma nomenclatura padronizada é um desafio a mais. Conclusão: Há crescente discussão do uso de RWD para subsidiar ATS em todo o ciclo de vida tecnológico, desde regulação até monitoramento do uso, como também para subsidiar análises de custo-efetividade e benefícios clínicos. Assim como nos demais países, o Brasil sistematizou inicialmente os dados administrativos para atender às demandas comerciais e financeiras. Os sistemas não geram dados dos resultados clínicos. São disponibilizados dados das tecnologias dispensadas e dos valores repassados e não são coletadas as informações dos benefícios do uso dessas tecnologias. Com a evolução dos métodos de ATS, a utilização de RWD tornou-se relevante. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
W2007643601 | Introduction to the special issue on osteopathic education | The call for papers for our special issue on osteopathic education was put out in September 2012. We have been delighted by the volume, range and quality of submissions. As a consequence of this, we have elected to publish the papers in two issues. The current issue forms the first part of our education special issues. This brief introduction will be followed by a full editorial in the next issue in the New Year where the context and implications of the submissions will be considered as a whole. Submissions received reflect educational issues and practice across the world of osteopathic education. There are distinct differences between the process and nature of education in the USA and elsewhere in the world and this is reflected in the content of the submissions. Some readers may not be familiar with educational processes in different parts of the world and this will be discussed in more detail in the forthcoming editorial. We anticipate that the collection of papers will enable readers to appreciate the strengths of the different approaches to education in different settings. In addition, it is clear that some issues are transnational, and educators and clinicians alike will benefit from the academic discourse on topics concerning clinical skills, assessment of competence, curricula content, learning methods and minimum criteria for entry into an osteopathic programme of learning. Each of the two issues contains commentaries, original research and reviews. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1039/c2dt31400b | Multiple-decker phthalocyaninato dinuclear lanthanoid(iii) single-molecule magnets with dual-magnetic relaxation processes | The SMM behaviour of dinuclear Ln(iii)-Pc multiple-decker complexes (Ln = Tb3+ and Dy3+) with energy barriers and slow-relaxation behaviour were explained by using X-ray crystallography and static and dynamic susceptibility measurements. In particular, interactions among the 4f electrons of several dinuclear Ln(iii)-Pc type SMMs have never been discussed on the basis of the crystal structure. For dinuclear Tb(iii)-Pc complexes, a dual magnetic relaxation process was observed. The relaxation processes are due to the anisotropic centres. Our results clearly show that the two Tb3+ ion sites are equivalent and are consistent with the crystal structure. On the other hand, the mononuclear Tb(iii)-Pc complex exhibited only a single magnetic relaxation process. This is clear evidence that the magnetic relaxation mechanism depends heavily on the dipole-dipole (f-f) interactions between the Tb3+ ions in the dinuclear systems. Furthermore, the SMM behaviour of dinuclear Dy(iii)-Pc type SMMs with smaller energy barriers compared with that of Tb(iii)-Pc and slow-relaxation behaviour was explained. Dinuclear Dy(iii)-Pc SMMs exhibited single-component magnetic relaxation behaviour. The results indicate that the magnetic relaxation properties of dinuclear Ln(iii)-Pc multiple-decker complexes are affected by the local molecular symmetry and are extremely sensitive to tiny distortions in the coordination geometry. In other words, the spatial arrangement of the Ln3+ ions (f-f interactions) in the crystal is important. Our work shows that the SMM properties can be fine-tuned by introducing weak intermolecular magnetic interactions in a controlled SMM spatial arrangement. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1002/2015GL063142 | Adsorptive Uptake Of Water By Semisolid Secondary Organic Aerosols | Aerosol climate effects are intimately tied to interactions with water. Here we combine hygroscopicity measurements with direct observations about the phase of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles to show that water uptake by slightly oxygenated SOA is an adsorption-dominated process under subsaturated conditions, where low solubility inhibits water uptake until the humidity is high enough for dissolution to occur. This reconciles reported discrepancies in previous hygroscopicity closure studies. We demonstrate that the difference in SOA hygroscopic behavior in subsaturated and supersaturated conditions can lead to an effect up to about 30% in the direct aerosol forcinghighlighting the need to implement correct descriptions of these processes in atmospheric models. Obtaining closure across the water saturation point is therefore a critical issue for accurate climate modeling. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1016/j.ara.2015.08.001 | Hunters and herders: Exploring the Neolithic transition in the rock art of Shuwaymis, Saudi Arabia | In Arabia the transition to a Neolithic economy is thought to be characterised by a shift to mobile pastoralism, rather than the traditional icons of the Neolithic such as sedentism and crop cultivation. However, in the absence of detailed archaeological research, the Early Holocene prehistory of central, northern and northwestern Saudi Arabia remains largely unknown. Here we use the engraved rock art recorded on 254 panels in Shuwaymis, Ha'il Province, and in particular depictions of hunting and herding scenes, to identify evidence on the character of the Neolithic transition in the region. Due to high levels of erosion it was not possible to carry out spatial analysis of the sites. However, the content and stratigraphic relationship of hunting and herding panels, re-engraving events, and cultural markers related to human figures were analysed. The results show that the engravings can be divided into an exclusive hunting period, where equids are frequently being hunted. Domestic cattle are often placed over and integrated into existing hunting scenes by re-engraving parts of the scene and turning hunting figures into herding figures. Cultural markers associated with human depictions such as headdresses and possible penis sheaths continue across both periods. The evidence in the rock art indicates that herding was adopted by local hunters. Moreover, the rock art shows that herders identified with the depicted hunters and that ibex hunting remained part of the image repertoire, and potentially of the subsistence economy, throughout the Holocene. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1038/nm.3424 | Host-cell sensors for Plasmodium activate innate immunity against liver-stage infection | Before they infect red blood cells and cause malaria, Plasmodium parasites undergo an obligate and clinically silent expansion phase in the liver that is supposedly undetected by the host. Here, we demonstrate the engagement of a type I interferon (IFN) response during Plasmodium replication in the liver. We identified Plasmodium RNA as a previously unrecognized pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) capable of activating a type I IFN response via the cytosolic pattern recognition receptor Mda5. This response, initiated by liver-resident cells through the adaptor molecule for cytosolic RNA sensors, Mavs, and the transcription factors Irf3 and Irf7, is propagated by hepatocytes in an interferon-α/β receptor-dependent manner. This signaling pathway is critical for immune cell-mediated host resistance to liver-stage Plasmodium infection, which we find can be primed with other PAMPs, including hepatitis C virus RNA. Together, our results show that the liver has sensor mechanisms for Plasmodium that mediate a functional antiparasite response driven by type I IFN. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1088/2040-8978/18/4/044023 | Cyclic concentrator, carpet cloaks and fisheye lens via transformation plasmonics | We first review basic equations of plasmonics in anisotropic media. We recall the origin of Maxwell's gradient index fisheye lens. We then apply tools of transformation optics to the design of a cyclic concentrator and a variety of plasmonic carpet-cloaks. We further give a brief account of the discovery of spoof plasmon polaritons (SfPPs) by Pendry et al (2004 Science 305 847-8) 150 years after Maxwell invented the fisheye lens. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate a concept of a fisheye lens for SfPPs at microwave frequencies. We stress that perfect metal surfaces perforated with dielectrics offer a playground for moulding surface waves in many areas of physics. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1063/1.4866971 | Shape And Area Fluctuation Effects On Nucleation Theory | In standard nucleation theory, the nucleation process is characterized by computing ΔΩ(V), the reversible work required to form a cluster of volume V of the stable phase inside the metastable mother phase. However, other quantities besides the volume could play a role in the free energy of cluster formation, and this will in turn affect the nucleation barrier and the shape of the nucleus. Here we exploit our recently introduced mesoscopic theory of nucleation to compute the free energy cost of a nearly spherical cluster of volume V and a fluctuating surface area A, whereby the maximum of ΔΩ(V) is replaced by a saddle point in ΔΩ(V, A). Compared to the simpler theory based on volume only, the barrier height of ΔΩ(V, A) at the transition state is systematically larger by a few kBT. More importantly, we show that, depending on the physical situation, the most probable shape of the nucleus may be highly non-spherical, even when the surface tension and stiffness of the model are isotropic. Interestingly, these. . . | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-77404-6_9 | Time Space Trade Offs For Computing Euclidean Minimum Spanning Trees | In the limited-workspace model, we assume that the input of size n lies in a random access read-only memory. The output has to be reported sequentially, and it cannot be accessed or modified. In addition, there is a read-write workspace of O(s) words, where \(s \in \{1, \dots , n\}\) is a given parameter. In a time-space trade-off, we are interested in how the running time of an algorithm improves as s varies from 1 to n. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1002/adfm.201600186 | The Formation and Morphology of Nanoparticle Supracrystals | Supracrystals are highly symmetrical ordered superstructures built up from nanoparticles (NPs) via self-assembly. While the NP assembly has been intensively investigated, the formation mechanism is still not understood. To shed some light onto the formation mechanism, one of the most common supracrystal morphologies, the trigonal structures, as a model system is being used to investigate the formation process in solution. To explain the formation of the trigonal structures and determining the size of the supracrystal seeds formed in solution, the concept of substrate-affected growth is introduced. Furthermore, the influence of the NP concentration on the seed size is shown and our investigations from Ag toward Au are extended. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1088/1475-7516/2014/08/056 | Renormalized Halo Bias | This paper provides a systematic study of renormalization in models of halo biasing. Building on work of McDonald, we show that Eulerian biasing is only consistent with renormalization if non-local terms and higher-derivative contributions are included in the biasing model. We explicitly determine the complete list of required bias parameters for Gaussian initial conditions, up to quartic order in the dark matter density contrast and at leading order in derivatives. At quadratic order, this means including the gravitational tidal tensor, while at cubic order the velocity potential appears as an independent degree of freedom. Our study naturally leads to an effective theory of biasing in which the halo density is written as a double expansion in fluctuations and spatial derivatives. We show that the bias expansion can be organized in terms of Galileon operators which aren't renormalized at leading order in derivatives. Finally, we discuss how the renormalized bias parameters impact the statistics of halos. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.3847/0004-6256/152/1/13 | Serendipitous Discovery Of A Projected Pair Of Qsos Separated By 4 5 Arcsec On The Sky | European Research Council under European Union/ERC [EGGS-278202]; ERC; Danish Council for Independent Research [DFF 4002-00275]; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; U. S. Department of Energy Office of Science; Center for High Performance Computing at the University of Utah | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
W2000385028 | Algorithms for Point Processes Analysis | A time point process can be defined either by the statistical properties of the time intervals between successive points or by those of the number of points in arbitrary time intervals. There are mathematical expressions to link up these two points of view, but they are in many cases too complicated to be used in practice. In this article, we present an algorithmic procedure to obtain the number of points of a stationary point process recorded in some time intervals by processing the values of the distances between successive points. We present some results concerning the statistical analysis of these numbers of points and when analytical calculations are possible the experimental results obtained with our algorithms are in excellent agreement with those predicted by the theory. Some properties of point processes in which theoretical calculations are almost impossible are also presented. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2290605964 | Mutation analysis of TNP1 gene in infertile men with varicocele. | Varicocele is associated with the failure of ipsilateral testicular growth and development, and the symptoms of pain and reduced fertility. The highly condensed structure of the sperm nuclear chromatin is provided by proper expression of Transition Nuclear Protein (TNP) genes, so any dysregulational expression of these genes results in abnormal spermatogenesis and infertility.The aim of present study was to assess the association between TNP1 mutations and varicocele in Iranian infertile men.Analysis of association between TNP1 gene mutation and varicocele phenotype was performed using PCR and Single-Stranded Conformational Polymorphism technique and DNA sequencing in 82 varicocele infertile men and 80 control subjects.Sequence analysis was identified one variant in this gene that found in 15 infertile men and was absent in control group. This variant was a single nucleotide polymorphism that were identified in the intron region of this gene at position g.IVS1+75T>C.The effect of this nucleotide substitution in intronic region of the TNP1 gene and their role on expression remains to be determined. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2303029354 | Solvent Effect and Two-Photon Optical Properties of Triphenylamine-Based Donor–Acceptor Fluorophores | In this work we present a systematic investigation on the optical properties of two triphenylamine (TPA)-based donor–acceptor fluorophores: TPA-PA (phenylaldehyde) and TPA-BMO ((Z)-4-benzylidene-2-methyloxazol-5(4H)-one). The two compounds are dissolved in nine different organic solvents as dilute solutions in order to analyze the effect of solvent on their linear and nonlinear optical properties. For each compound under one-photon excitation, its fluorescence emission spectrum red-shifts more than 160 nm as the solvent polarity increases from hexane to MeCN, while the fluorescence quantum efficiency and lifetime reach maximum magnitudes in solvents with medium polarity. The quantum efficiency reaches as high as 0.72 in dioxane for TPA-PA and 0.69 in Et2O for TPA-BMO, respectively. These TPA-PA and TPA-BMO solutions are also strongly emissive upon appropriate two photon excitation, with fluorescence emission spectra identical to those under corresponding one-photon excitation. The maximum two-photon absor... | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W2031195038 | A Fast Numerical Method for the Calculation of the Equilibrium Isotopic Composition of a Transmutation System in an Advanced Fuel Cycle | A fast numerical method for the calculation in a zero-dimensional approach of the equilibrium isotopic composition of an iteratively used transmutation system in an advanced fuel cycle, based on the Banach fixed point theorem, is described in this paper. The method divides the fuel cycle in successive stages: fuel fabrication, storage, irradiation inside the transmutation system, cooling, reprocessing, and incorporation of the external material into the new fresh fuel. The change of the fuel isotopic composition, represented by an isotope vector, is described in a matrix formulation. The resulting matrix equations are solved using direct methods with arbitrary precision arithmetic. The method has been successfully applied to a double-strata fuel cycle with light water reactors and accelerator-driven subcritical systems. After comparison to the results of the EVOLCODE 2.0 burn-up code, the observed differences are about a few percents in the mass estimations of the main actinides. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Mathematics",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
3738788 | Towards an atacama large aperture submillimeter telescope | Observations of the sky at sub-millimeter and millimeter ((sub)mm) wavelengths have yielded transformational results in the study of the origin of chemical complexity, the birth of stars and planetary systems, the evolution of galaxies across cosmic times and the large-scale architecture of the Universe. The current generation of 10-meter class single-dish (sub)mm telescopes has opened a new window for astronomical discoveries, by revealing physical processes and components that are invisible at shorter wavelengths. These facilities, with interferometers used for detailed follow-ups, have enabled astrophysicists to go far beyond the biased ""optical/infrared"" view of the Universe, often prompting major revisions of theoretical models.
However, it is now clear that these previous facilities will not be able to meet the challenges of 21st century Astrophysics. Indeed, the astronomical community worldwide has agreed that a transformational leap in discovery potential can only be enabled by a next generation, large aperture (50-meter diameter), single dish telescope operating at (sub)mm wavelengths.
We hereby propose a design study for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST). Our vision of AtLAST includes: a 50-m class dish, with high throughput and a field of view of two degrees, located at a high, dry site in the Atacama desert where the transparent atmosphere enables observations at frequencies up to the terahertz regime. We envision AtLAST as an international partnership operating a facility telescope, and we will explore ways to make the observatory fully powered by renewable energy. Such infrastructure will be unique in the landscape of current research facilities. Our project aims to obtain a comprehensive feasibility study and telescope design that take into account the technical, operational, and environmental challenges of such infrastructure, and that can achieve the transformational science goals defined by the community.
| [
"Universe Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.syapm.2014.12.004 | Emendation of the family Chlamydiaceae: Proposal of a single genus, Chlamydia, to include all currently recognized species | The family Chlamydiaceae (order Chlamydiales, phylum Chlamydiae) comprises important, obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens of humans and animals. Subdivision of the family into the two genera Chlamydia and Chlamydophila has been discussed controversially during the past decade. Here, we have revisited the current classification in the light of recent genomic data and in the context of the unique biological properties of these microorganisms. We conclude that neither generally used 16S rRNA sequence identity cut-off values nor parameters based on genomic similarity consistently separate the two genera. Notably, no easily recognizable phenotype such as host preference or tissue tropism is available that would support a subdivision. In addition, the genus Chlamydophila is currently not well accepted and not used by a majority of research groups in the field. Therefore, we propose the classification of all 11 currently recognized Chlamydiaceae species in a single genus, the genus Chlamydia. Finally, we provide emended descriptions of the family Chlamydiaceae, the genus Chlamydia, as well as the species Chlamydia abortus, Chlamydia caviae and Chlamydia felis. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1038/nbt.1646 | An allosteric inhibitor of substrate recognition by the SCF Cdc4 ubiquitin ligase | The specificity of SCF ubiquitin ligase-mediated protein degradation is determined by F-box proteins. We identified a biplanar dicarboxylic acid compound, called SCF-I2, as an inhibitor of substrate recognition by the yeast F-box protein Cdc4 using a fluorescence polarization screen to monitor the displacement of a fluorescein-labeled phosphodegron peptide. SCF-I2 inhibits the binding and ubiquitination of full-length phosphorylated substrates by SCF Cdc4. A co-crystal structure reveals that SCF-I2 inserts itself between the Β-strands of blades 5 and 6 of the WD40 propeller domain of Cdc4 at a site that is 25 away from the substrate binding site. Long-range transmission of SCF-I2 interactions distorts the substrate binding pocket and impedes recognition of key determinants in the Cdc4 phosphodegron. Mutation of the SCF-I2 binding site abrogates its inhibitory effect and explains specificity in the allosteric inhibition mechanism. Mammalian WD40 domain proteins may exhibit similar allosteric responsiveness and hence represent an extensive class of druggable target. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.coph.2016.06.003 | Vesicle-MaNiA: Extracellular vesicles in liquid biopsy and cancer | Normal and tumor cells shed vesicles to the environment. Within the large family of extracellular vesicles, exosomes and microvesicles have attracted much attention in the recent years. Their interest ranges from mediators of cancer progression, inflammation, immune regulation and metastatic niche regulation, to non-invasive biomarkers of disease. In this respect, the procedures to purify and analyze extracellular vesicles have quickly evolved and represent a source of variability for data integration in the field. In this review, we provide an updated view of the potential of exosomes and microvesicles as biomarkers and the available technologies for their isolation. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1021/es3051636 | Molecular composition of boreal forest aerosol from Hyytiälä, Finland, using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry | Organic compounds are important constituents of fine particulate matter (PM) in the troposphere. In this study, we applied direct infusion nanoelectrospray (nanoESI) ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (UHR-MS) and liquid chromatography LC/ESI-UHR-MS for the analysis of the organic fraction of PM1 aerosol samples collected over a two week period at a boreal forest site (Hyytiälä), southern Finland. Elemental formulas (460-730 in total) were identified with nanoESI-UHR-MS in the negative ionization mode and attributed to organic compounds with a molecular weight below 400. Kendrick Mass Defect and Van Krevelen approaches were used to identify compound classes and mass distributions of the detected species. The molecular composition of the aerosols strongly varied between samples with different air mass histories. An increased number of nitrogen, sulfur, and highly oxygenated organic compounds was observed during the days associated with continental air masses. However, the samples with Atlantic air mass history were marked by a presence of homologous series of unsaturated and saturated C12-C20 fatty acids suggesting their marine origin. To our knowledge, we show for the first time that the highly detailed chemical composition obtained from UHR-MS analyses can be clearly linked to meteorological parameters and trace gases concentrations that are relevant to atmospheric oxidation processes. The additional LC/ESI-UHR-MS analysis revealed 29 species, which were mainly attributed to oxidation products of biogenic volatile compounds BVOCs (i. e. , α,β-pinene, Δ3-carene, limonene, and isoprene) supporting the results from the direct infusion analysis. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W2145819099 | The geology of the Amstel river in Amsterdam (Netherlands): Man versus nature | Abstract The Amstel river is located in the peat-covered coastal plain of the Netherlands and gives Amsterdam its name (Amstel dam). It is a small secondary branch of the repeatedly bifurcating Rhine delta system. Historically, the Amstel debouched into the peat-fringed former Oer-IJ estuary, which was connected to the North Sea, but after the closure of this inlet the estuary was transformed into an inland sea (IJ) due to erosion of the adjacent peat. The Amstel river was active between 3000 BP and 1122 AD after which time the supply water from the Rhine was stopped due to the construction of a dam far upstream near Wijk bij Duurstede. On the basis of borehole data from various sources, four cross-sections were constructed in the Amstel branch to study the unknown lithology and lithostratigraphy of the Amstel sediments in the Amsterdam area. The deposits show the Amstel was a low-energy river which carried mainly clay. The cross-sections reveal that the Amstel in its downstream part was flanked by two lithologically identical layers of overbank clay, intercalated by a peat layer. The lowermost overbank clay was deposited from 3000 BP to about 1000 AD. The intercalated peat layer is estimated to have developed between the 11th and 12th centuries AD, indicating a decreased sediment supply in the Amstel, and rise of water level in the downstream river caused by Zuiderzee influences such as storms and tide. The uppermost overbank clay was deposited during major storm surges such as those documented in 1164 and 1170 AD, and was derived from the brackish Zuiderzee; it has been traced upstream along the Amstel for over 10 km. Near the mouth of the Amstel channel in the Oer-IJ estuary its bottom has been scoured by estuarine processes to a lower level. On the basis of archaeological and geological data it is argued that the Amstel channel of medieval Amsterdam had a water depth of about 6 m before the construction of a dam in the 13th century. Soil scientists, historical geographers and historians have argued that the Amstel once consisted of two separate rivers: a northern Oer-IJ connected channel draining from the Amsterdam Stopera to the north, and a southern peat draining channel draining from the Amsterdam-Watergraafsmeer to the south. The relatively straight stretch of the present-day Amstel now positioned within the urban area has been hypothesised to be man-made between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. In this paper, on the basis of geological arguments such as channel depths, overbank clays, peat composition and other characteristics, it is concluded that the Amstel had a natural channel in the Amsterdam area. | [
"Earth System Science",
"The Study of the Human Past"
]
|
EP 91303290 A | SOHC type internal combustion engine. | A SOHC type internal combustion engine includes a pair of intake valves VI1 and VI2 and a pair of exhaust valves VE1,VE2. The intake valve driving means 171 comprises a plurality of rocker arms 241, 251, 261 disposed adjacent one another, including a pair of driving rocker arms 241 251 operatively connected separately to the intake valves and a connection switchover mechanism 50 capable of switching-over the connection and disconnection of the adjacent rocker arms in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. The exhaust valve driving means 181 comprises a pair of exhaust valve-side rocker arms 291, 301 operatively connected separately to the exhaust valves and disposed on opposite sides of the intake valve driving means in positions opposed to the cam shaft 16, respectively. In the intake valve driving means, the opening and closing mode of the intake valves can be changed in accordance with the operational condition of the engine by operation of the connection switchover mechanism, thereby providing an improvement in output from the engine. The intake valve driving means is constructed compactly by disposition of the plurality of rocker arms constituting the intake valve driving means adjacent one another in the positions opposed to the cam shaft, thereby enabling an effective and compact construction of the connection switchover mechanism provided in the intake valve driving means. <IMAGE> | [
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1021/nn2000349 | Electrical detection of individual magnetic nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanotubes | We report on low-temperature electrical transport measurements of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) filled in their inner core with one-dimensional cobalt nanoparticles. The electrical transport properties of the hybrid devices are strongly sensitive to the magnetization reversal of isolated magnetic nanoparticles, resulting in strong hysteretic variations of the magnetoconductance. The magnetic anisotropy of a one-dimensional encapsulated cobalt nanoparticle is investigated, establishing an unusually strong dominating contribution of magnetic surface anisotropy. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1016/j.celrep.2016.08.093 | Direct Sensing of Nutrients via a LAT1-like Transporter in Drosophila Insulin-Producing Cells | Dietary leucine has been suspected to play an important role in insulin release, a hormone that controls satiety and metabolism. The mechanism by which insulin-producing cells (IPCs) sense leucine and regulate insulin secretion is still poorly understood. In Drosophila, insulin-like peptides (DILP2 and DILP5) are produced by brain IPCs and are released in the hemolymph after leucine ingestion. Using Ca2+-imaging and ex vivo cultured larval brains, we demonstrate that IPCs can directly sense extracellular leucine levels via minidiscs (MND), a leucine transporter. MND knockdown in IPCs abolished leucine-dependent changes, including loss of DILP2 and DILP5 in IPC bodies, consistent with the idea that MND is necessary for leucine-dependent DILP release. This, in turn, leads to a strong increase in hemolymph sugar levels and reduced growth. GDH knockdown in IPCs also reduced leucine-dependent DILP release, suggesting that nutrient sensing is coupled to the glutamate dehydrogenase pathway. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1002/chem.201702113 | Tuning the Porphyrin Building Block in Self-Assembled Cages for Branched-Selective Hydroformylation of Propene | Unprecedented regioselectivity to the branched aldehyde product in the hydroformylation of propene was attained on embedding a rhodium complex in supramolecular assembly L2, formed by coordination-driven self-assembly of tris(meta-pyridyl)phosphine and zinc(II) porpholactone. The design of cage L2 is based on the ligand-template approach, in which the ligand acts as a template for cage formation. Previously, first-generation cage L1, in which zinc(II) porphyrin units were utilized instead of porpholactones, was reported. Binding studies demonstrate that the association constant for the formation of second-generation cage L2 is nearly an order of magnitude higher than that of L1. This strengthened binding allows cage L2 to remain intact in polar and industrially relevant solvents. As a consequence, the unprecedented regioselectivity for branched aldehyde products can be maintained in polar and coordinating solvents by using the second-generation assembly. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.4244/EIJV9I12A242 | Stent Deformation Physical Stress And Drug Elution Obtained With Provisional Stenting Conventional Culotte And Tryton Based Culotte To Treat Bifurcations A Virtual Simulation Study | Aims This study sought to investigate the possible influence of different bifurcation stenting techniques on stent deformation, physical stress, and drug elution using a virtual tool that includes structural, fluid dynamics and drug-eluting numerical models. Methods and results A virtual bench test based on explicit dynamics modelling was used to simulate procedures on bifurcated coronary vessels performed according to three different stenting techniques: provisional side branch stenting, culotte, and Tryton-based culotte. Geometrical configurations obtained after virtual stenting simulations were used to perform fluid dynamics and drug elution analyses. The results showed that substantially different patterns of mechanical deformation, shear stress and theoretical drug elution were obtained using the different techniques. Compared with conventional culotte, the dedicated Tryton seems to facilitate the intervention in terms of improved access to the main branch and to lower its biomechanical influence on the coronary bifurcation in terms of mechanical and haemodynamic parameters. However, since the Tryton stent is a bare metal stent, the drug elution obtained is lower. Conclusions Numerical models might successfully complement the information on stenting procedures obtained with traditional approaches such as in vitro bench testing or clinical trials. Devices dedicated to bifurcations may facilitate procedure completion and may result in specific patterns of mechanical stress, regional blood flow and drug elution. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2022718027 | Cervical/thoracotomic/thoracoscopic approaches for H-type congenital tracheo-esophageal fistula: A systematic review | Aim of this systematic review is to investigate the thoracic and cervical surgical approaches of H-type tracheo-esophageal fistula (TEF) according to the position of the fistula.The PubMed database was searched for original studies on H-type TEF treatment published between 1977 and 2012. Manuscripts finally included were divided into open and thoracoscopic surgery groups.Seventeen studies were selected for open surgery group, and most of them agree on the importance of pre-operative diagnosis of the fistula by preliminary tracheoscopy. Right cervicotomy was used in 70 cases (76.9%), left cervicotomy in 12 (13.2%), and thoracotomy only in 9 (9.9%). Five studies were included in thoracoscopic group (6 patients). Indications for the surgical approach (cervical vs thoracic) according to the position of the TEF were clearly described in 10 manuscripts, and all stated differences in surgical technique details. Complications and mortality rates were not statistically correlated to the different surgical approaches.The evidence base in regard to the treatment of H-type fistula in children is poor and the skills and preferences of the surgeons guide the choice of the procedure. Surgical division of the fistula is curative, and the key to a successful repair is the pre-operatively identification of the level of the fistula with tracheoscopy. Right cervicotomy seems to be the approach of choice in the majority of case, with the thoracic approach appropriate only for fistulae opening below T2. Further well-designed prospective studies which take into account of selection and performance bias are strongly required. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1109/IJCNN.2014.6889976 | A Distributed Virtual Sensor Scheme For Smart Buildings Based On Adaptive Approximation | This paper presents the design of a methodology for diagnosing sensor faults in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and compensating their effects on the distributed control architecture. The proposed methodology is developed in a distributed framework, considering a multi-zone HVAC system as a set of interconnected, nonlinear subsystems. For each of the interconnected subsystems, we design a local virtual sensor agent that can detect and isolate faults in its monitored sensors and provide sensor fault estimations for correcting the faulty measurements. Adaptive estimation schemes are implemented in each local virtual sensor agent, using adaptive approximation models for learning the unknown fault function. Simulation results are used for illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology applied to a two-zone HVAC system. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1039/c4cs00241e | How valence bond theory can help you understand your (bio)chemical reaction | This Tutorial Review describes modern VB theory, using a didactic example of an SN2 reaction to illustrate its immediate applications. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.29007/3ngx | Towards Strong Higher-Order Automation for Fast Interactive Verification | We believe that first-order automatic provers are the best tools available to perform most of the tedious logical work inside proof assistants. From this point of view, it seems desirable to enrich superposition and SMT (satisfiability modulo theories) with higher-order reasoning in a careful manner, to preserve their good properties. Representative benchmarks from the interactive community can guide the design of proof rules and strategies. With higher-order superposition and higher-order SMT in place, highly automatic provers could be built on modern superposition provers and SMT solvers, following a stratified architecture reminiscent of that of modern SMT solvers. We hope that these provers will bring a new level of automation to the users of proof assistants. These challenges and work plan are at the core of the Matryoshka project, funded for five years by the European Research Council. We encourage researchers motivated by the same goals to get in touch with us, subscribe to our mailing list, and join forces. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W3036724938 | Thermodynamic optimisation of the biofuel production based on mutualism | Abstract Recently, we have introduced a new bioeconomic indicator in order to avoid the difficulties in evaluating the process and technologies for sustainability. In this paper, we wish to improve this new indicator for the analysis of sustainability. Indeed, the indicator has been based on the exergy analysis of dissipation and irreversibility, and it was proven in some social and technical application. In this work, a more general definition has been introduced in order to use it in any evaluation of sustainability. In particular, it has been applied to improve the biofuel production obtained by microorganisms, starting from the biophysical behaviour of the microorganisms themselves. Indeed, in industrialised countries, the management of CO 2 emissions represents one of the present compelling issues. In this context, the improvement of the energy efficiency, and its rational use, can be considered a fundamental economic strategy for the sustainable development of the industrialised countries. Our indicator takes into account all these requests for the development and sustainability, resulting a very interesting thermoeconomic quantity to be used by decision makers. Moreover, it is used to prove that mutualism can represent a new approach for the optimisation of biofuels production. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/ADMI.201300025 | Cyano Functionalized Triarylamines On Au 111 Competing Intermolecular Versus Molecule Substrate Interactions | The self-assembly of cyano-substituted triarylamine derivatives on Au(111) is studied with scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations. Two different phases, each stabilized by at least two different cyano bonding motifs are observed. In the fi rst phase, each molecule is involved in dipolar coupling and hydrogen bonding, while in the second phase, dipolar coupling, hydrogen bonding and metal-ligand interactions are present. Interestingly, the metal–ligand bond is already observed for deposition of the molecules with the sample kept at room temperature leaving the herringbone reconstruction unaffected. It is proposed that for establishing this bond, the Au atoms are slightly displaced out of the surface to bind to the cyano ligands. Despite the intact herringbone reconstruction, the Au substrate is found to considerably interact with the cyano ligands affecting the conformation and adsorption geometry, as well as leading to correlation effects on the molecular orientation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
819174 | Mechanical Aspects of Hydra Morphogenesis | Morphogenesis is one of the most remarkable examples of biological pattern formation. Despite substantial progress in the field, we still do not understand the organizational principles responsible for the robust convergence of the morphogenesis process, across scales, to form viable organisms under variable conditions. We focus here on the less-studied mechanical aspects of this problem, and aim to uncover how mechanical forces and feedback contribute to the formation and stabilization of the body plan. Regenerating Hydra offer a powerful platform to explore this direction, thanks to their simple body plan, extraordinary regeneration capabilities, and the accessibility and flexibility of their tissues. We propose to follow the regeneration of excised tissue segments, which inherit an aligned supra-cellular cytoskeletal organization from the parent Hydra, as well as cell aggregates, which lack any prior organization. We will employ advanced microscopy techniques and develop elaborate image analysis tools to track cytoskeletal organization and collective cell migration and correlate them with global tissue morphology, from the onset of regeneration all the way to the formation of complete animals. Furthermore, to directly probe the influence of mechanics on Hydra morphogenesis, we propose to apply various mechanical perturbations, and intervene with the axis formation process using external forces and mechanical constraints. Overall, the proposed work seeks to develop an effective phenomenological description of morphogenesis during Hydra regeneration, at the level of cells and tissues, and reveal the mechanical basis of this process. More generally, our research will shed light on the role of mechanics in animal morphogenesis, and inspire new approaches for using external forces to direct tissue engineering and advance regenerative medicine. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.3389/fimmu.2018.02477 | Rainbow Trout Erythrocytes ex vivo Transfection With a DNA Vaccine Encoding VHSV Glycoprotein G Induces an Antiviral Immune Response | Fish red blood cells (RBCs), are integral in several biologic processes relevant to immunity, such as pathogen recognition, pathogen binding and clearance, and production of effector molecules and cytokines. So far, one of the best strategies to control and prevent viral diseases in aquaculture is DNA immunization. DNA vaccines (based on the rhabdoviral glycoprotein G [gpG] gene) have been shown to be effective against fish rhabdoviruses. However, more knowledge about the immune response triggered by DNA immunization is necessary to develop novel and more effective strategies. In this study, we investigated the role of fish RBCs in immune responses induced by DNA vaccines. We show for the first time that rainbow trout RBCs express gpG of viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) (GVHSV) when transfected with the DNA vaccine ex vivo and modulate the expression of immune genes and proteins. Functional network analysis of transcriptome profiling of RBCs expressing GVHSV revealed changes in gene expression related to G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-downstream signaling, complement activation, and RAR related orphan receptor α (RORA). Proteomic profile functional network analysis of GVHSV-transfected RBCs revealed proteins involved in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species, interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) antiviral mechanisms, antigen presentation of exogenous peptides, and the proteasome. Conditioned medium of GVHSV-transfected RBCs conferred antiviral protection and induced ifn1 and mx gene expression in RTG-2 cells infected with VHSV. In summary, rainbow trout nucleated RBCs could be actively participating in the regulation of the fish immune response to GVHSV DNA vaccine, and thus may represent a possible carrier cells for the development of new vaccine approaches. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevB.99.165306 | Entangling spins in double quantum dots and Majorana bound states | We study the coupling between a singlet-triplet qubit realized in a double quantum dot to a topological qubit realized by spatially well-separated Majorana bound states. We demonstrate that the singlet-triplet qubit can be leveraged for readout of the topological qubit and for supplementing the gate operations that cannot be performed by braiding of Majorana bound states. Furthermore, we extend our setup to a network of singlet-triplet and topological hybrid qubits that paves the way to scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
834974 | Impact of tissue injury induced by diagnostic biopsies and surgery on cancer metastasis | Background: Blood-borne metastasis of malignant cells from the primary lesion to distant organs is the major cause of cancer-related death. Most cancer patients face tissue injury at initial diagnosis when tumor tissue is obtained by biopsies to secure the diagnosis of cancer and at primary surgery required to remove the primary tumor.
Objectives: We will evaluate whether tissue injury contributes to a significant blood-borne dissemination of viable tumor cells, which is one of the most under-investigated areas in cancer research. We will focus on the two most frequent malignancies in women (breast cancer) and men (prostate cancer) that occur in the in European Union with incidence rates of 139.5 and 139.0 cases per 100,000, respectively. The current project will study the extent of the release of tumor cells into the blood circulation after needle tissue biopsies and primary surgery, the characteristics of the released tumor cells and the contribution of this release to cancer progression. Moreover, we will assess therapeutic strategies to block extravasation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to distant sites. As experimental approach, we will apply novel technologies for capturing CTCs and for determining their molecular characteristics in cancer patients as well as experimental models that are able to determine the functional properties of CTCs.
Impact: The results will have an important impact on medical practice. If biopsies would contribute to tumor progression, it might be a strong driving force for the development of better imaging modalities or “liquid biopsy” assays of peripheral blood that can diagnose cancer through the detection of CTCs or tumor cell products such as circulating nucleic acids (DNA, microRNA), exosomes or tumor-educated platelets. Moreover, short-term pharmacologic inhibition of extravasation might be able to prevent the extravasation of injury-released CTCs and reduce the risk of metastasis. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1109/TSP.2015.2423262 | Interference Aware Rzf Precoding For Multicell Downlink Systems | Recently, a structure of an optimal linear precoder for multi cell downlink systems has been described, and many other references have used simplified versions of this precoder to obtain promising performance gains. These gains have been hypothesized to stem from the additional degrees of freedom that allow for interference mitigation through interference relegation to orthogonal subspaces. However, no conclusive or rigorous understanding has yet been developed. In this paper, we build on an intuitive interference induction trade-off and the aforementioned preceding structure to propose an interference aware RZF (iaRZF) preceding scheme for multi cell downlink systems, and we analyze its rate performance. Special emphasis is placed on the induced interference mitigation mechanism of iaRZF. For example, we will verify the intuitive expectation that the precoder structure can either completely remove induced inter-cell or intra-cell interference. We state new results from large-scale random matrix theory that make it possible to give more intuitive and insightful explanations of the precoder behavior, also for cases involving imperfect channel state information (CSI). We remark especially that the interference-aware precoder makes use of all available information about interfering channels to improve performance. Even very poor CSI allows for significant sum-rate gains. Our obtained insights are then used to propose heuristic precoder parameters for arbitrary systems, whose effectiveness are shown in more involved system scenarios. Furthermore, calculation and implementation of these parameters does not require explicit inter base station cooperation. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W2122670282 | Mass spectra of new heterocycles: X. Fragmentation of the molecular ions of 1-alkyl(cycloalkyl, aryl)-3-alkoxy(aryl)-2-methylsulfanyl-1H-pyrroles | The mass spectra of previously unknown 1-alkyl(cycloalkyl, aryl)-3-alkoxy(aryl)-2-methylsulfanyl-1H-pyrroles were studied. Fragmentation of all 3-alkoxy-substituted pyrroles under electron impact (70 eV) follow both ether and sulfide decomposition paths; In particular, 1-R-substituted 3-methoxy-2-methylsulfanyl-1H-pyrroles (R = Me, Et, i-Pr, s-Bu, cyclo-C5H9, cyclo-C6H11, Ph) lose methyl radical group from both methoxy and methylsulfanyl groups. The mass spectra of 1-sec-butyl- and 1-cycloalkylpyrroles also contained a strong peak (10–49%) from odd-electron [M — C
n
H2n
]+· ion formed via cleavage of the N-R bond with synchronous hydrogen transfer. Cleavage of the O-Alk bond in the fragmentation of 3-alkoxy-1-isopropyl-2-methylsulfanyl-1H-pyrroles (Alk = Et, i-Pr, t-Bu) was accompanied by rearrangement process leading to the corresponding alkene and odd-electron 1-isopropyl-2-methylsulfanyl-1H-pyrrol-3-ol ion. The main fragmentation path of 1-alkyl-2-methylsulfanyl-3-phenyl-1H-pyrroles (Alk = Me, i-Pr) under electron impact involves dissociation of the S-Me bond with formation of rearrangement 1H-[1]benzothieno[2,3-b]pyrrol-8-ium ion. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1021/nn302122h | Precision intracellular delivery based on optofluidic polymersome rupture | We present an optical approach for intracellular delivery of molecules contained within oxidation-sensitive polymersomes. The photosensitizer ethyl eosin is associated with the polymersome membrane to oxidatively increase the hydrophilicity of the hydrophobic block under optical excitation. This optofluidic interaction induces rapid polymersome rupture and payload release via the reorganization of the aggregate structure into smaller diameter vesicles and micelles. When the particles are endocytosed by phagocytes, such as RAW macrophages and dendritic cells, the polymersomes' payload escapes the endosome and is released in the cell cytosol within a few seconds of illumination. The released payload is rapidly distributed throughout the cytosol within milliseconds. The presented optofluidic method enables fast delivery and distribution throughout the cytosol of individual cells, comparable to photochemical internalization, but a factor of 100 faster than similar carrier mediated delivery methods (e. g. , liposomes, polymersomes, or nanoparticles). Due to the ability to simultaneously induce payload delivery and endosomal escape, this approach can find applications in detailed characterizations of intra- and intercellular processes. As an example in quantitative cell biology, a peptide antigen was delivered in dendritic cells and MHC I presentation kinetics were measured at the single cell and single complex level. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1002/mp.13725 | Fully automated identification of skin morphology in raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy using artificial intelligence | Purpose: Identification of morphological characteristics of skin lesions is of vital importance in diagnosing diseases with dermatological manifestations. This task is often performed manually or in an automated way based on intensity level. Recently, ultra-broadband raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (UWB-RSOM) was developed to offer unique cross-sectional optical imaging of the skin. A machine learning (ML) approach is proposed here to enable, for the first time, automated identification of skin layers in UWB-RSOM data. Materials and methods: The proposed method, termed SkinSeg, was applied to coronal UWB-RSOM images obtained from 12 human participants. SkinSeg is a multi-step methodology that integrates data processing and transformation, feature extraction, feature selection, and classification. Various image features and learning models were tested for their suitability at discriminating skin layers including traditional machine learning along with more advanced deep learning algorithms. An support vector machines-based postprocessing approach was finally applied to further improve the classification outputs. Results: Random forest proved to be the most effective technique, achieving mean classification accuracy of 86. 89% evaluated based on a repeated leave-one-out strategy. Insights about the features extracted and their effect on classification accuracy are provided. The highest accuracy was achieved using a small group of four features and remained at the same level or was even slightly decreased when more features were included. Convolutional neural networks provided also promising results at a level of approximately 85%. The application of the proposed postprocessing technique was proved to be effective in terms of both testing accuracy and three-dimensional visualization of classification maps. Conclusions: SkinSeg demonstrated unique potential in identifying skin layers. The proposed method may facilitate clinical evaluation, monitoring, and diagnosis of diseases linked to skin inflammation, diabetes, and skin cancer. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.05.002 | Does the regulation of local excitation-inhibition balance aid in recovery of functional connectivity? A computational account | Computational modeling of the spontaneous dynamics over the whole brain provides critical insight into the spatiotemporal organization of brain dynamics at multiple resolutions and their alteration to changes in brain structure (e. g. in diseased states, aging, across individuals). Recent experimental evidence further suggests that the adverse effect of lesions is visible on spontaneous dynamics characterized by changes in resting state functional connectivity and its graph theoretical properties (e. g. modularity). These changes originate from altered neural dynamics in individual brain areas that are otherwise poised towards a homeostatic equilibrium to maintain a stable excitatory and inhibitory activity. In this work, we employ a homeostatic inhibitory mechanism, balancing excitation and inhibition in the local brain areas of the entire cortex under neurological impairments like lesions to understand global functional recovery (across brain networks and individuals). Previous computational and empirical studies have demonstrated that the resting state functional connectivity varies primarily due to the location and specific topological characteristics of the lesion. We show that local homeostatic balance provides a functional recovery by re-establishing excitation-inhibition balance in all areas that are affected by lesion. We systematically compare the extent of recovery in the primary hub areas (e. g. default mode network (DMN), medial temporal lobe, medial prefrontal cortex) as well as other sensory areas like primary motor area, supplementary motor area, fronto-parietal and temporo-parietal networks. Our findings suggest that stability and richness similar to the normal brain dynamics at rest are achievable by re-establishment of balance. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
DE 9100614 W | ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER FOR MEASURING THE TRAVEL TIMES OF ULTRASONIC PULSES IN A GAS | The ultrasonic transducer comprises a piezoelectric radial oscillator (16), preferably of a piezoceramic, fitted with electrodes (18, 20) on both sides. To one side are applied a first and second matching layer (26, 32) the thickness (dA?, dB?) of which is smaller than a quarter of a natural wavelength ($g(l)) of the transducer. Thus no resonance matching is performed here. On the other side of the radial oscillator (16) is secured a damper (36). a needle-pulse voltage (U(t)) is applied to the electrodes (18, 20) by capacitor discharge. The composite action of the radial oscillator (16) and the two matching layers (26, 32) then results in thickness oscillation owing to radial-thickness coupling. The aforementioned natural wavelength ($g(l)) of the transducer is then the one which is produced as a result of natural resonance during thickness oscillation. The first three half-waves (1, 2, 3) of the ultrasonic pulse (I(t)) released on excitation at the most are evaluated. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/DEVLRN.2014.6983009 | Learning Abstract Perceptual Notions The Example Of Space | Humans are extremely swift learners. We are able to grasp highly abstract notions, whether they come from art perception or pure mathematics. Current machine learning techniques demonstrate astonishing results in extracting patterns in information. Yet the abstract notions we possess are more than just statistical patterns in the incoming information. Sensorimotor theory suggests that they represent functions, laws, describing how the information can be transformed, or, in other words, they represent the statistics of sensorimotor changes rather than sensory inputs themselves. The aim of our work is to suggest a way for machine learning and sensorimotor theory to benefit from each other so as to pave the way toward new horizons in learning. We show in this study that a highly abstract notion, that of space, can be seen as a collection of laws of transformations of sensory information and that these laws could in theory be learned by a naive agent. As an illustration we do a one-dimensional simulation in which an agent extracts spatial knowledge in the form of internalized ("sensible") rigid displacements. The agent uses them to encode its own displacements in a way which is isometrically related to external space. Though the algorithm allowing acquisition of rigid displacements is designed \emph{ad hoc}, we believe it can stimulate the development of unsupervised learning techniques leading to similar results. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.jcat.2010.03.018 | Comparative atomic-scale analysis of promotional effects by late 3d-transition metals in MoS<inf>2</inf> hydrotreating catalysts | The promotion of the activity of MoS2-based hydrotreating catalysts by various first-row transition metals exhibits a typical variation referred to as a volcano plot. Co and Ni are seen to substantially promote the catalytic activity of MoS2, whereas the neighboring first-row metals promote reactivity to a much lesser extent, or not at all. In order to provide a better atomistic understanding of the catalytic synergies, we perform here a comparative scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) analysis of the atomic-scale structure and morphology of MoS2 nanoclusters doped with the first-row transition metals: Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu. We reveal that addition of all four dopant metals results in the formation of mixed-metal "Co-Mo-S"- type structures shaped as single-layer hexagonally truncated triangular MoS 2-like nanoclusters. The modification of the preferred nanocluster equilibrium morphology is explained as a direct consequence of a favored substitution of dopant metal atoms into the S-edges of MoS2. The degree of truncation and the edge dispersion are, however, found to depend greatly on the type of dopant atom since the relative length of the dopant-stabilized edges decreases with the number of valence shell electrons of the dopant transition metal. A comparison of the observed atomic structure and morphology with the hydrotreating activity measured for industrial-style prepared Me-Mo-S catalysts (Me = Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) supported on carbon reveals that two parameters are relevant to describe the promotional behavior: (i) a geometric parameter, which relates to the relative number of promoted and unpromoted sites in the Me-Mo-S nanoclusters, and (ii) a more conventional parameter relating to bonding and adsorption strength, i. e. , describing the intrinsic activity of the particular Me-doped S-edge. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/WICSA-ECSA.212.51 | Enabling Performance Antipatterns To Arise From An Adl Based Software Architecture | While the performance analysis of a software architecture is a quite well-assessed task nowadays, the issue of interpreting the performance results for providing feedback to software architects is still very critical. This is mostly due to the gap between results representation (i. e. mean values, variances, and/or probability distributions) and expected feedback (i. e. architectural alternatives). Performance antipatterns represent effective instruments to tackle this issue, because they document common mistakes leading to performance problems as well as their solutions. In this paper we present a model-driven approach that enables performance antipatterns to arise in the context of an ADL-based software architecture. Such approach automatically detects them in AEmilia, i. e. an ADL allowing the performance evaluation of software systems. The approach has been applied to a case study, and experimental results demonstrate its effectiveness. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1093/eurheartj/ehy714 | Deficiency of the T cell regulator Casitas B-cell lymphoma-B aggravates atherosclerosis by inducing CD8 + T cell-mediated macrophage death | Aims The E3-ligase CBL-B (Casitas B-cell lymphoma-B) is an important negative regulator of T cell activation that is also expressed in macrophages. T cells and macrophages mediate atherosclerosis, but their regulation in this disease remains largely unknown; thus, we studied the function of CBL-B in atherogenesis. Methods and results The expression of CBL-B in human atherosclerotic plaques was lower in advanced lesions compared with initial lesions and correlated inversely with necrotic core area. Twenty weeks old Cblb-/-Apoe-/-mice showed a significant increase in plaque area in the aortic arch, where initial plaques were present. In the aortic root, a site containing advanced plaques, lesion area rose by 40%, accompanied by a dramatic change in plaque phenotype. Plaques contained fewer macrophages due to increased apoptosis, larger necrotic cores, and more CD8 + T cells. Cblb-/-Apoe-/-macrophages exhibited enhanced migration and increased cytokine production and lipid uptake. Casitas B-cell lymphoma-B deficiency increased CD8 + T cell numbers, which were protected against apoptosis and regulatory T cell-mediated suppression. IFNγ 3 and granzyme B production was enhanced in Cblb-/-Apoe-/-CD8 + T cells, which provoked macrophage killing. Depletion of CD8 + T cells in Cblb-/-Apoe-/-bone marrow chimeras rescued the phenotype, indicating that CBL-B controls atherosclerosis mainly through its function in CD8 + T cells. Conclusion Casitas B-cell lymphoma-B expression in human plaques decreases during the progression of atherosclerosis. As an important regulator of immune responses in experimental atherosclerosis, CBL-B hampers macrophage recruitment and activation during initial atherosclerosis and limits CD8 + T cell activation and CD8 + T cell-mediated macrophage death in advanced atherosclerosis, thereby preventing the progression towards high-risk plaques. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b12373 | Do Binary Supracrystals Enhance the Crystal Stability? | We study the oxygen thermal stability of two binary systems. The larger particles are magnetic amorphous Co (7. 2 nm) or Fe3O4 (7. 5 nm) nanocrystals, whereas the smaller ones (3. 7 nm) are Au nanocrystals. The nanocrystal ordering as well as the choice of the magnetic nanoparticles very much influence the stability of the binary system. A perfect crystalline structure is obtained with the Fe3O4/Au binary supracrystals. For the Co/Au binary system, oxidation of Co results in the chemical transformation from Co to CoO, where the size of the amorphous Co nanoparticles increases from 7. 2 to 9. 8 nm in diameter. During the volume expansion of the Co nanoparticles, Au nanoparticles within the binary assemblies coalesce and are at the origin of the instability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. On the other hand, for the Fe3O4/Au binary system, the oxidation of Fe3O4 to γ-Fe2O3 does not lead to a size change of the nanoparticles, which maintains the stability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. A similar behavior is observed for an AlB2-type Co-Ag binary system: The crystalline structure is maintained, whereas in disordered assemblies, coalescence of Ag nanocrystals is observed. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.3389/fmicb.2017.00198 | Primate lentiviruses modulate NF-HIV, SIV, NF-κB, Nef, Vpu, Tat, LTRB activity by multiple mechanisms to fine-tune viral and cellular gene expression | The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) plays a complex role during the replication of primate lentiviruses. On the one hand, NF-κB is essential for induction of efficient proviral gene expression. On the other hand, this transcription factor contributes to the innate immune response and induces expression of numerous cellular antiviral genes. Recent data suggest that primate lentiviruses cope with this challenge by boosting NF-κB activity early during the replication cycle to initiate Tat-driven viral transcription and suppressing it at later stages to minimize antiviral gene expression. Human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV, respectively) initially exploit their accessory Nef protein to increase the responsiveness of infected CD4+ T cells to stimulation. Increased NF-κB activity initiates Tat expression and productive replication. These events happen quickly after infection since Nef is rapidly expressed at high levels. Later during infection, Nef proteins of HIV-2 and most SIVs exert a very different effect: by down-modulating the CD3 receptor, an essential factor for T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, they prevent stimulation of CD4+ T cells via antigen-presenting cells and hence suppress further induction of NF-κB and an effective antiviral immune response. Efficient LTR-driven viral transcription is maintained because it is largely independent of NF-κB in the presence of Tat. In contrast, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and its simian precursors have lost the CD3 down-modulation function of Nef and use the late viral protein U (Vpu) to inhibit NF-κB activity by suppressing its nuclear translocation. In this review, we discuss how HIV-1 and other primate lentiviruses might balance viral and antiviral gene expression through a tight temporal regulation of NF-κB activity throughout their replication cycle. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
263308 | The here and the hereafter in Islamic traditions | The aim of this project is to write a history of the Muslim paradise and hell. Researchers (PI, RF and two doctoral researchers) will assess the extent to which Islamic traditions favour or reject a view of human existence as directed toward the otherworld. They will do so by examining a variety of intellectual traditions from the inception of Islam in the 7th century CE until today. The focus of investigation will not just be on the ‘high tradition’ of Islamic theology and jurisprudence, but also on mystical, philosophical, artistic and ‘popular’ traditions, thereby avoiding a monolithic, essentialising account of Islam’s attitude toward the hereafter.
As has been argued, the relationship between this world (dunya) and the otherworld (akhira) is as important to Islam as the mind/body dualism is to the intellectual history of the West. However, no sustained effort of analysis has been made in modern Islamic Studies to reflect on the dunya/akhira relationship, and on the boundary that separates the two. This project will be the first comprehensive and systematic attempt in this direction. Five axes of research will underlie this endeavor: (1) the eschatological imaginaire, (2) material culture and the arts, (3) theology and law, (4) mysticism and philosophy, and (5) modern and contemporary visions of the hereafter.
The project (proposed duration: 48 months), which is to begin on 1 March 2011, will be based at the Utrecht University and led by Dr Christian Lange (PhD Harvard, 2006, 70%), currently Lecturer in Islamic Studies at New College/School of Divinity. The research team will include one research assistant (100%, 45 months) and two doctoral researchers (100%, 36 months). Financial support is solicited to facilitate the survey of manuscripts and manuscript research in various collections in North America, Europe and Asia, and to help organise two scholarly symposia in Islamic eschatology and one comparative conference. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
10.1002/smll.201500891 | Out-of-Plane Plasmonic Antennas for Raman Analysis in Living Cells | Out-of-plane plasmonic nanoantennas protruding from the substrate are exploited to perform very sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering analysis of living cells. Cells cultured on three-dimensional surfaces exhibit tight adhesion with nanoantenna tips where the plasmonic hot-spot resides. This fact provides observable cell adhesion sites combined with high plasmonic enhancement, resulting in an ideal system for Raman investigation of cell membranes. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1002/mrm.27863 | Biophysically motivated efficient estimation of the spatially isotropic R2* component from a single gradient-recalled echo measurement | Purpose: To propose and validate an efficient method, based on a biophysically motivated signal model, for removing the orientation-dependent part of R*2 using a single gradient-recalled echo (GRE) measurement. Methods: The proposed method utilized a temporal second-order approximation of the hollow-cylinder-fiber model, in which the parameter describing the linear signal decay corresponded to the orientation-independent part of R*2. The estimated parameters were compared to the classical, mono-exponential decay model for R*2 in a sample of an ex vivo human optic chiasm (OC). The OC was measured at 16 distinct orientations relative to the external magnetic field using GRE at 7T. To show that the proposed signal model can remove the orientation dependence of R*2, it was compared to the established phenomenological method for separating R*2 into orientation-dependent and -independent parts. Results: Using the phenomenological method on the classical signal model, the well-known separation of R*2 into orientation-dependent and -independent parts was verified. For the proposed model, no significant orientation dependence in the linear signal decay parameter was observed. Conclusions: Since the proposed second-order model features orientation-dependent and -independent components at distinct temporal orders, it can be used to remove the orientation dependence of R*2 using only a single GRE measurement. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W1618366177 | Ammonia impairs glutamatergic communication in astroglial cells: protective role of resveratrol | Ammonia is a key toxin in the precipitation of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with liver failure. In response to ammonia, various toxic events are triggered in astroglial cells, and alterations in brain glutamate communication are common. Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound that has been extensively studied in pathological events because it presents several beneficial effects, including some in the central nervous system (CNS). We previously described that resveratrol is able to significantly modulate glial functioning and has a protective effect during ammonia challenge in vitro. In this study, we addressed the mechanisms by which resveratrol can protect C6 astroglial cells from glutamatergic alterations induced by ammonia. Resveratrol was able to prevent all the effects triggered by ammonia: (i) decrease in glutamate uptake activity and expression of the EAAC1 glutamate transporter, the main glutamate transporter present in C6 cells; (ii) increase of glutamate release, which was also dependent on the activation of the Na(+)-K(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter NKCC1; (iii) reduction in GS activity and intracellular GSH content; and (iv) impairment of Na(+)K(+)-ATPase activity. Interestingly, resveratrol, per se, also positively modulated the astroglial functions evaluated. Moreover, we demonstrated that heme oxygenase 1 (HO1), an enzyme that is part of the cellular defense system, mediated some of the effects of resveratrol. In conclusion, the mechanisms of the putative protective role of resveratrol against ammonia toxicity involve the modulation of pathways and molecules related to glutamate communication in astroglial cells. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.02.010 | A domestication related mutation in the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor gene (TSHR) modulates photoperiodic response and reproduction in chickens | The thyroid stimulating hormone receptor gene (TSHR) has been suggested to be a "domestication locus" in the chicken. A strong selective sweep over TSHR in domestic breeds together with significant effects of a mutation in the gene on several domestication related traits, indicate that the gene has been important for chicken domestication. TSHR plays a key role in the signal transduction of seasonal reproduction, which is characteristically less strict in domestic animals. We used birds from an advanced intercross line between ancestral Red Junglefowl (RJF) and domesticated White Leghorn (WL) to investigate effects of the mutation on reproductive traits as well as on TSHB, TSHR, DIO2 and DIO3 gene expression during altered day length (photoperiod). We bred chickens homozygous for either the mutation (d/d) or wild type allele (w/w), allowing assessment of the effect of genotype at this locus while also controlling for background variation in the rest of the genome. TSHR gene expression in brain was significantly lower in both d/d females and males and d/d females showed a faster onset of egg laying at sexual maturity than w/w. Furthermore, d/d males showed a reduced testicular size response to decreased day length, and lower levels of TSHB and DIO3 expression. Additionally, purebred White Leghorn females kept under natural short day length in Sweden during December had active ovaries and lower levels of TSHR and DIO3 expression compared to Red Junglefowl females kept under similar conditions. Our study indicates that the TSHR mutation affects photoperiodic response in chicken by reducing dependence of seasonal reproduction, a typical domestication feature, and may therefore have been important for chicken domestication. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.3390/met9111188 | Tuneable Magneto-Resistance by Severe Plastic Deformation | Bulk metallic samples were synthesized from different binary powder mixtures consisting of elemental Cu, Co, and Fe using severe plastic deformation. Small particles of the ferromagnetic phase originate in the conductive Cu phase, either by incomplete dissolution or by segregation phenomena during the deformation process. These small particles are known to give rise to granular giant magneto-resistance. Taking advantage of the simple production process, it is possible to perform a systematic study on the influence of processing parameters and material compositions on the magneto-resistance. Furthermore, it is feasible to tune the magneto-resistive behavior as a function of the specimens’ chemical composition. It was found that specimens of low ferromagnetic content show an almost isotropic drop in resistance in a magnetic field. With increasing ferromagnetic content, percolating ferromagnetic phases cause an anisotropy of the magneto-resistance. By changing the parameters of the high pressure torsion process, i. e. , sample size, deformation temperature, and strain rate, it is possible to tailor the magnitude of giant magneto-resistance. A decrease in room temperature resistivity of ~3. 5% was found for a bulk specimen containing an approximately equiatomic fraction of Co and Cu. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
Q4426379 | Sviluppo del reparto stampa Color-Druk Bogusław Wcisło attraverso l'acquisizione di servizi di consulenza specialistica | L'obiettivo del progetto è quello di sostenere servizi di consulenza promozionale di natura specialistica forniti alla società da Innowator Elektrotechniki Sp. z o.o., la cui offerta è stata selezionata dal richiedente secondo i principi di competitività. Fornitore di servizi indicato dal richiedente: — Si tratta di un'istituzione dell'ambiente imprenditoriale (IOB), soddisfa la definizione di IOB per un periodo superiore a 6 mesi, — l'IOB ha la sua sede legale nella Repubblica di Polonia — il contraente fornisce servizi di alta qualità — i servizi sono stati inclusi nella banca dati polacca per lo sviluppo delle imprese (BUR), — Ha il potenziale di fornire servizi che sono oggetto del progetto (dipendenti impegnati del contraente, hanno conoscenze ed esperienza rilevanti per l'ambito dei servizi). Il subappaltatore — ROEX sp. z o.o. La descrizione del subappaltatore è coinvolta anche nella realizzazione dei servizi. C.4. Il progetto comprenderà servizi quali: 1. Supporto nello svolgimento dell'analisi/valutazione tecnica e funzionale dei sistemi informatici, in termini di idoneità nelle attività di sviluppo dell'impresa (1.7.2.) 2. Supporto nello sviluppo e nell'implementazione di un sistema informatico di gestione delle relazioni con i clienti (1.5.6.) Un elemento del progetto sarà anche l'implementazione dei risultati dei suddetti servizi pro-sviluppo in azienda. I compiti svolti nell'ambito del progetto sono: 1. Fornire supporto nello svolgimento dell'analisi/valutazione tecnica e funzionale dei sistemi informatici, in termini di idoneità nelle attività di sviluppo dell'impresa (1.7.2.) 2. Fornire supporto nello sviluppo e nell'implementazione di un sistema informatico di gestione delle relazioni con i clienti (1.5.6.) 3. Implementazione del risultato del servizio di supporto nello svolgimento dell'analisi/valutazione tecnica e funzionale dei sistemi informatici, in termini di idoneità nelle attività di sviluppo dell'azienda (1.7.2.) 4. Implementazione del risultato del servizio di supporto nello sviluppo e nell'implementazione del sistema di gestione IT | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
EP 9907327 W | DEVICE FOR DETECTING PARTICLES ON A WINDSHIELD | The invention relates to a device (1) for detecting particles (2) on a windshield (3) of an automobile (10) comprising a radiation source (4) emitting optical beams (5) onto the windshield (3), a beam receiver (6) receiving part of the beams (5) sent to the windshield (3) and a control unit (8) controlling the radiation source (4) and evaluating the beams (7) received by said beam receiver (6). According to the invention, in order to reliably detect particles in the field of view of a driver of the automobile (10) in such a device (1) without arranging said device (1) in the field of view of the driver, the radiation source (4) is directed in such a manner that the optical beams (5) of the radiation source (4) hit the windshield (3) in the area of the field of view of the driver of the automobile (10) and the beam receiver (6) is directed to the area of the windshield (3) that is hit by the beams (5) of the radiation source (4). | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-00395-5_74 | Self Organized Flocking With Conflicting Goal Directions | In flocking, a large number of individuals move cohesively in a common direction. Many examples can be found in nature: from simple organisms such as crickets and locusts to more complex ones such as birds, fish and quadrupeds. In this paper, we study the flocking behavior of a swarm of robots where information about two distinct goal directions is present in the swarm. In general, we can identify three different macroscopic objectives that we might want to attain: (a) a swarm that moves to the average direction among the two (for example to avoid the obstacle) without splitting; (b) a swarm that selects the most important of the two directions (for example the direction to avoid danger) and follows it without splitting; (c) a swarm that splits in a controlled fashion in the two directions (for example, in the parallel task execution case). This paper proposes a solution for the first objective: a method for moving the swarm along the average between the two conflicting goal directions. We show that this objective can be attained by simply using a similar methodology as the one proposed in earlier work. We execute systematic experiments using a realistic robotics simulator. In the experiments, a small proportion of robots is informed about one goal direction, another small proportion about the other goal direction, and the rest of the swarm is non-informed. We study the effect of what we believe are the critical parameters: the overall proportion of informed robots, the difference between the size of the two groups of informed robots and the difference between the two goal direction. We show that, using the proposed method, the system is always able to follow the average direction between the two. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.3324/haematol.2015.141143 | Optimal interleukin-7 receptor-mediated signaling, cell cycle progression and viability of t-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells rely on casein kinase 2 activity | Interleukin-7 and interleukin-7 receptor are essential for normal T-cell development and homeostasis, whereas excessive interleukin-7/interleukin-7 receptor-mediated signaling promotes leukemogenesis. The protein kinase, casein kinase 2, is overexpressed and hyperactivated in cancer, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Herein, we show that while interleukin-7 had a minor but significant positive effect on casein kinase 2 activity in leukemia T-cells, casein kinase 2 activity was mandatory for optimal interleukin-7/ interleukin-7 receptor-mediated signaling. Casein kinase 2 pharmacological inhibition impaired signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/v-Akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 pathway activation triggered by interleukin-7 or by mutational activation of interleukin-7 receptor. By contrast, forced expression of casein kinase 2 augmented interleukin-7 signaling in human embryonic kidney 293T cells reconstituted with the interleukin-7 receptor machinery. Casein kinase 2 inactivation prevented interleukin-7-induced B-cell lymphoma 2 upregulation, maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis and viability of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines and primary leukemia cells collected from patients at diagnosis. Casein kinase 2 inhibition further abrogated interleukin-7-mediated cell growth and upregulation of the transferrin receptor, and blocked cyclin A and E upregulation and cell cycle progression. Notably, casein kinase 2 was also required for the viability of mutant interleukin-7 receptor expressing leukemia T-cells. Overall, our study identifies casein kinase 2 as a major player in the effects of interleukin-7 and interleukin-7 receptor in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This further highlights the potential relevance of targeting casein kinase 2 in this malignancy. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W2019522723 | Segmentation of malignant gliomas through remote collaboration and statistical fusion | Malignant gliomas represent an aggressive class of central nervous system neoplasms. Correlation of interventional outcomes with tumor morphometry data necessitates 3D segmentation of tumors (typically based on magnetic resonance imaging). Expert delineation is the long-held gold standard for tumor segmentation, but is exceptionally resource intensive and subject to intrarater and inter-rater variability. Automated tumor segmentation algorithms have been demonstrated for a variety of imaging modalities and tumor phenotypes, but translation of these methods across clinical study designs is problematic given variation in image acquisition, tumor characteristics, segmentation objectives, and validation criteria. Herein, the authors demonstrate an alternative approach for high-throughput tumor segmentation using Internet-based, collaborative labeling.In a study of 85 human raters and 98 tumor patients, raters were recruited from a general university campus population (i.e., no specific medical knowledge), given minimal training, and provided web-based tools to label MRI images based on 2D cross sections. The labeling goal was characterized as to extract the enhanced tumor cores on T1-weighted MRI and the bright abnormality on T2-weighted MRI. An experienced rater manually constructed the ground truth volumes of a randomly sampled subcohort of 48 tumor subjects (for both T1w and T2w). Raters' taskwise individual observations, as well as the volume wise truth estimates via statistical fusion method, were evaluated over the subjects having the ground truth.Individual raters were able to reliably characterize (with >0.8 dice similarity coefficient, DSC) the gadolinium-enhancing cores and extent of the edematous areas only slightly more than half of the time. Yet, human raters were efficient in terms of providing these highly variable segmentations (less than 20 s per slice). When statistical fusion was used to combine the results of seven raters per slice for all slices in the datasets, the 3D agreement of the fused results with expertly delineated segmentations was on par with the inter-rater reliability observed between experienced raters using traditional 3D tools (approximately 0.85 DSC). The cumulative time spent per tumor patient with the collaborative approach was equivalent to that with an experienced rater, but the collaborative approach could be achieved with less training time, fewer resources, and efficient parallelization.Hence, collaborative labeling is a promising technique with potentially wide applicability to cost-effective manual labeling of medical images. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.1016/j.cell.2019.04.041 | Multifunctional Natural Killer Cell Engagers Targeting NKp46 Trigger Protective Tumor Immunity | Trifunctional antibodies that engage natural killer cells by binding NKp46 and CD16, in addition to an antigen on cancer cells, show higher potency than current clinically available therapeutic antibodies. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
224713 | Synthetic peptidic nanovesicles for targeting paediatric brain tumours | Brain tumours are the most common solid tumours in children, accounting for about 25% of all primary paediatric tumours. The situation is particularly critical for the deadliest brain tumour: glioma, being the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. The main bottleneck for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) pathologies, including brain tumours (at early stages), as well as brain metastases, lies in the difficulty to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). In this proposal, I aim to overcome such limitation with the use of super-selective targeted and fully biodegradable polypeptide-based polymersomes, carrying relevant drug combinations for the treatment of paediatric glioma. I propose a step-wise and bottom-up approach to synthesise biodegradable polymersomes from amphiphilic block-polypeptides obtained via the scalable and reproducible methodology of Ring Opening Polymerisation (ROP) of N-Carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). The polypeptide amphiphiles are expected to self-assemble in aqueous solutions yielding nanometric vesicles. These synthetic vesicles will be functionalised with selected BBB receptor ligands in order to approach the super-selectivity concept aiming for active targeting and transcytosis to the brain acting as the so-called “Trojan Horses”. Finally, the super-selective nanovesicles will be loaded with synergistic and clinically relevant combination therapy using anticancer agents and immuno-modulators in order to approach paediatric glioma treatment. I will join for the first time, the use of fully biodegradable polymersomes based on polypeptides, super-selective binding strategies for BBB crossing and the use of chemotherapy+ immunotherapy. Overall, I will develop an innovative therapy, capable of reaching the brain in a non-invasive way, being able to diffuse and target the brain tumour, overcome chemo-resistance and activate the immune system to fight these tumours, being the future end-users, children with incurable cancers. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1101/351965 | No Evidence That Predictions And Attention Modulate The First Feedforward Sweep Of Cortical Information Processing | Predictive coding models propose that predictions (stimulus likelihood) reduce sensory signals across the cortical hierarchy, including in primary visual cortex (V1), and that attention (stimulus relevance) can modulate these effects. Indeed, both prediction and attention have been shown to modulate activity in V1. However, prior work either confounded prediction and attention, rendering their specific effects unclear, or used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which has low temporal resolution, leaving it unclear if these effects reflect a modulation of the first feedforward sweep of visual information processing and/or later, feedback-related activity. In two experiments, we exploited the high temporal resolution of electroencephalography (EEG) and orthogonally manipulated spatial predictions and attention to investigate if these top-down factors can modulate initial afferent activity (before 80ms). In each trial of the task, participants were cued to direct their attention towards one of two locations, while the likelihood of a stimulus appearing at these locations was manipulated block-wise. In both experiments, we found no evidence for early modulations of visual processing by either prediction or attention, as indexed by the amplitude of the C1 ERP component. This was confirmed by multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA), which furthermore showed no top-down modulations of spatial representations before 100ms. Prediction and attention did affect later stages of information processing. These findings indicate that neither prediction nor attention, separately or in interaction, may influence the earliest cortical stage of visual information processing in humans. This knowledge has important implications for theories of predictive processing and attention. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1145/3366423.3380044 | Asymptotic Behavior Of Sequence Models | In this paper we study the limiting dynamics of a sequential process that generalizes Polya’s urn. This process has been studied also in the context of language generation, discrete choice, repeat consumption, and models for the web graph. The process we study generates future items by copying from past items. It is parameterized by a sequence of weights describing how much to prefer copying from recent versus more distant locations. We show that, if the weight sequence follows a power law with exponent α ∈ [0, 1), then the sequences generated by the model tend toward a limiting behavior in which the eventual frequency of each token in the alphabet attains a limit. Moreover, in the case α > 2, we show that the sequence converges to a token being chosen infinitely often, and each other token being chosen only constantly many times. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1524/zkri.2012.1509 | Static disorder and local structure in zinc(II) isonicotinate, a quartzlike metal-organic framework | Using a combination of Rietveld and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) refinement of neutron total scattering data, we find that the 10 K structure of zinc(II) isonicotinate shows strong evidence of static disorder. This disorder takes the form of transverse displacements of the isonicotinate ligand and results in elongated atomic displacement parameters and dampening of the experimental G(r). We analyse the RMC configurations using an approach derived from geometric algebra. Complications regarding the inclusion of hydrogenous guest molecules within the pore structure are discussed. This study highlights the way in which structural flexibility can give rise to multiple lowenergy ground states in metal-organic framework materials. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1137/130920642 | Multicore Performance Of Block Algebraic Iterative Reconstruction Methods | Algebraic iterative methods are routinely used for solving the ill-posed sparse linear systems arising in tomographic image reconstruction. Here we consider the algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and the simultaneous iterative reconstruction techniques (SIRT), both of which rely on semiconvergence. Block versions of these methods, based on a partitioning of the linear system, are able to combine the fast semiconvergence of ART with the better multicore properties of SIRT. These block methods separate into two classes: those that, in each iteration, access the blocks in a sequential manner, and those that compute a result for each block in parallel and then combine these results before the next iteration. The goal of this work is to demonstrate which block methods are best suited for implementation on modern multicore computers. To compare the performance of the different block methods, we use a fixed relaxation parameter in each method, namely, the one that leads to the fastest semiconvergence. Comp. . . | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1068/a44334 | Income Inequality, Decentralisation, and Regional Development in Western Europe | This paper deals with the relationship between decentralisation, regional economic development, and income inequality within regions. Using multiplicative interaction models and regionally aggregated microeconomic data for more than 100 000 individuals in the European Union (EU), it addresses two main questions. First, whether fiscal and political decentralisation in Western Europe has an effect on within-regional interpersonal inequality. Second, whether this potential relationship is mediated by the level of economic development of the region. The results of the analysis show that greater fiscal decentralisation is associated with lower interpersonal income inequality, but, as regional income rises, further decentralisation is connected to a lower decrease in inequality. This finding is robust to the measurement and definition of income inequality, as well as to the weighting of the spatial units by their population size. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.103603 | Nonlinear mode coupling and synchronization of a vacuum-trapped nanoparticle | We study the dynamics of a laser-trapped nanoparticle in high vacuum. Using parametric coupling to an external excitation source, the linewidth of the nanoparticle's oscillation can be reduced by three orders of magnitude. We show that the oscillation of the nanoparticle and the excitation source are synchronized, exhibiting a well-defined phase relationship. Furthermore, the external source can be used to controllably drive the nanoparticle into the nonlinear regime, thereby generating strong coupling between the different translational modes of the nanoparticle. Our work contributes to the understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of levitated nanoparticles in high vacuum and paves the way for studies of pattern formation, chaos, and stochastic resonance. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
BE 200300174 A | Discriminating white ball from colored ball in pool table, comprises measuring light reflected from points on white ball in order to obtain reference value for this ball | Reference value for the white ball (cue ball) is obtained by shining light (9, 9) against at least two parts of the white ball, measuring the reflected light (10, 10) and storing the data, repeating these two steps a number of times and processing the stored data. Light is shone against at least two parts of a ball and the reflected light is measured and compared with reference values corresponding to different colors in order to determine whether the ball is white or colored. An independent claim is also included for the detection system, comprising a passage (2) for the ball, at least two light sources for shining light against the ball (1) as it travels through the passage, at least two receivers (F1-F6) cooperating with the light sources in order to measure the reflected light and convert it into data and a microprocessor (3) connected to the receivers and used to convert the data into reference values. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1038/srep32065 | Probing the causal role of prestimulus interregional synchrony for perceptual integration via tACS | The phase of prestimulus oscillations at 7-10 Hz has been shown to modulate perception of briefly presented visual stimuli. Specifically, a recent combined EEG-fMRI study suggested that a prestimulus oscillation at around 7 Hz represents open and closed windows for perceptual integration by modulating connectivity between lower order occipital and higher order parietal brain regions. We here utilized brief event-related transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to specifically modulate this prestimulus 7 Hz oscillation, and the synchrony between parietal and occipital brain regions. To this end we tested for a causal role of this particular prestimulus oscillation for perceptual integration. The EEG was acquired at the same time allowing us to investigate frequency specific after effects phase-locked to stimulation offset. On a behavioural level our results suggest that tACS did modulate perceptual integration, however, in an unexpected manner. On an electrophysiological level our results suggest that brief tACS does induce oscillatory entrainment, as visible in frequency specific activity phase-locked to stimulation offset. Together, our results do not strongly support a causal role of prestimulus 7 Hz oscillations for perceptual integration. However, our results suggest that brief tACS is capable of modulating oscillatory activity in a temporally sensitive manner. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
US 2017/0047050 W | THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE ELECTRICAL INSULATION MATERIAL | A thermally conductive, electrical insulating paper having a thermal conductivity greater than 0.4 W/m-K is described. The thermally conductive, electrical insulating paper is a nonwoven paper that comprises aramid fibers, an aramid pulp, a binder material; and a synergistic blend of thermally conductive fillers, wherein the synergistic blend comprises a primary thermally conductive filler; and a secondary thermally conductive filler. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevB.95.045107 | Disorder effects in InAs/GaSb topological insulator candidates | We report the theoretical investigation of the disorder effects on the bulk states of inverted InAs/GaSb quantum wells. As disorder sources we consider the interface roughness and donors/acceptors supplied by intentional doping. We use a k·p approach combined with a numerical diagonalization of the disordered Hamiltonian to get a full insight of the disordered eigenenergies and eigenfunctions of the electronic system. While interface roughness slightly perturbs the carrier motion, we show that dopants strongly bind and localize the bulk states of the structure. Moreover, both types of scatterers strengthen the intrinsic hybridization between holes and electrons in the structure. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W2052902770 | Purdue Ontology for Pharmaceutical Engineering: Part II. Applications | The multiple steps in pharmaceutical product development generate a large amount of diverse information in various formats, which hinders efficient decision-making. A major component of the solution is a common information model for the domain. Ontologies were found to meet this need as described in Part I of this two-part paper. In Part II, we describe two applications of Purdue Ontology for Pharmaceutical Engineering. The first application deals with the prediction of degradation reactions through incorporation of molecular structure and environmental information captured in the ontologies. The second application is one that analyzes experiments to identify differences in experimental implementation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W1890793868 | Development of Infrared Techniques for Practical Defect Identification in Bonded Joints | Identification of kissing defects in adhesive bonds has been reported to be an area of concern across a range of industries. To date the majority of work on this matter has focused on the development of advanced ultrasonic techniques. The current thesis focuses on the use of thermography, specifically pulsed and pulse phase thermography (PT and PPT), for the identification of kissing defects. Initially the thesis focuses on the application of PT and PPT for the identification of a range of defect types in a variety of materials to establish the effect of material properties on identification of defects. A numerical model has been developed to simulate the thermal evolution created during a PT or PPT experiment. After validation through a series of case studies, this model has then been used as a predictive tool to relate defect detectability to the thermal property contrast between defect and bulk materials. Where insufficient thermal property contrast exists defects have a limited effect on heat propagation through a component and therefore are not detected using PT or PPT. A means of producing realistic kissing defects in bonded joints is established. The addition of a small load to bonds containing kissing defects was found to open the defects sufficiently to enable their detection. Initial experiments use the application of a tensile load, via a test machine, to successfully investigate simulated kissing defects in single lap joints. A technique using vacuum loading on one adherend of an adhesive bond while PPT is carried out from the other adherend was successfully trialled. Vacuum loading enables the technique to be taken out of the laboratory. A low cost infrared detector, Flir Tau320, compared to the research based photon detector, Flir SC5000, was demonstrated to be suitable for application in PT, thus enabling a significantly lower cost tool to be developed. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
223147 | A new paradigm for centromere biology:evolution and mechanism of cenh3-independent chromosome segregation in holocentric insects | Faithful chromosome segregation in all eukaryotes relies on centromeres, the chromosomal sites that recruit kinetochore proteins and mediate spindle attachment during cell division. Fundamental to centromere function is a histone H3 variant, CenH3, that initiates kinetochore assembly on centromeric DNA. CenH3 is conserved throughout most eukaryotes; its deletion is lethal in all organisms tested. These findings established the paradigm that CenH3 is an absolute requirement for centromere function. My recent findings undermined this paradigm of CenH3 essentiality. I showed that CenH3 was lost independently in four lineages of insects. These losses are concomitant with dramatic changes in their centromeric architecture, in which each lineage independently transitioned from monocentromeres (where microtubules attach to a single chromosomal region) to holocentromeres (where microtubules attach along the entire length of the chromosome). Here, I aim to characterize this unique CenH3-deficient chromosome segregation pathway. Using proteomic and genomic approaches in lepidopteran cell lines, I will determine the mechanism of CenH3-independent kinetochore assembly that led to the establishment of their holocentric architecture. Using comparative genomic approaches, I will determine whether this kinetochore assembly pathway has recurrently evolved over the course of 400 million years of evolution and its impact on the chromosome segregation machinery.
My discovery of CenH3 loss in holocentric insects establishes a new class of centromeres. My research will reveal how CenH3 that is essential in most other eukaryotes, could have become dispensable in holocentric insects. Since the evolution of this CenH3-independent chromosome segregation pathway is associated with the independent rises of holocentric architectures, my research will also provide the first insights into the transition from a monocentromere to a holocentromere. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevB.93.184507 | Unusual superconducting isotope effect in the presence of a quantum criticality | The isotope effect in superconductivity (SC) is used to make a concrete connection to a quantum critical point (QCP) that is tunable by isotopic mass substitution. We find a distinct contribution to the isotope exponent in SC and derive an explicit relation to the critical exponent of a QCP. The relation between the two exponents is general and can be used as an experimental signature for the connection between SC and a QCP. We demonstrate it in a scenario where the SC pairing is due to modes related to a structural instability. Within this model the isotope exponent is derived in terms of microscopic parameters. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W2016357814 | Nonlinear meta-models for conceptual seakeeping design of fishing vessels | Abstract The scope of this paper is to develop the nonlinear meta-models for seakeeping behaviour, considering the fishing vessels. These models are intended to be inserted either in a multiattribute design selection process or in a comprehensive multiobjective optimization procedure. For this purpose, seakeeping data of fishing vessels in regular head waves are used to develop meta-models of transfer functions of heave, pitch and vertical acceleration by nonlinear analysis. A home-made software considers two databases; the first is composed by the ship dimensions and coefficients of fishing vessels, and the second is their ship motion data obtained by employing a strip-theory calculation. The meta-models are proposed to predict the vertical motion characteristics for given ranges of speed and wave length during the concept design stage. The independent variables are hull size ( Δ ), main dimensions ( L , B , T ), and some hydrostatic parameters ( C WP , C VP , LCB , LCF , etc.). The results estimated by the software show good correspondences with the ones achieved by direct computations. The study provides additional insight on the influence of hull form parameters on seakeeping performance of small vessels having form properties and parametric range corresponding to the investigated vessels. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201423731 | Large Scale Simulations Of Solar Type Iii Radio Bursts Flux Density Drift Rate Duration And Bandwidth | Non-thermal electrons accelerated in the solar corona can produce intense coherent radio emission, known as solar type III radio bursts. This intense radio emission is often observed from hundreds of MHz in the corona down to the tens of kHz range in interplanetary space. It involves a chain of physical processes from the generation of Langmuir waves to non-linear processes of wave-wave interaction. We develop a self-consistent model to calculate radio emission from a non-thermal electron population over a large frequency range, including the effects of electron transport, Langmuir wave-electron interaction, the evolution of Langmuir waves due to non-linear wave-wave interactions, Langmuir wave conversion into electromagnetic emission, and finally escape of the electromagnetic waves. For the first time we simulate escaping radio emission over a broad frequency range from 500 MHz down to a few MHz and infer key properties of the radio emission observed: the onset (starting) frequency, identification as fundamental or harmonic emission, peak flux density, instantaneous frequency bandwidth, and timescales for rise and decay. By comparing these large-scale simulations with the observations, we can identify the processes governing the major type III solar radio burst characteristics. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1109/SAMPTA.2015.7148838 | Generalized Poisson Summation Formula For Tempered Distributions | The Poisson summation formula (PSF), which relates the sampling of an analog signal with the periodization of its Fourier transform, plays a key role in the classical sampling theory. In its current forms, the formula is only applicable to a limited class of signals in L 1 . However, this assumption on the signals is too strict for many applications in signal processing that require sampling of non-decaying signals. In this paper we generalize the PSF for functions living in weighted Sobolev spaces that do not impose any decay on the functions. The only requirement is that the signal to be sampled and its weak derivatives up to order 1/2+ e for arbitrarily small e > 0, grow slower than a polynomial in the L 2 sense. The generalized PSF will be interpreted in the language of distributions. | [
"Mathematics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/LED.2017.2761911 | 900 V Reverse Blocking Gan On Si Moshemts With A Hybrid Tri Anode Schottky Drain | In this letter, we present high-performance GaN-on-Si metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors with record reverse-blocking (RB) capability. By replacing the conventional ohmic drain with a hybrid tri-anode Schottky drain, a high reverse breakdown voltage ( ${V}_{\text {B}}^{\text {R}}$ ) of −900 V was achieved (at $1~\mu \text{A}$ /mm with grounded substrate), along with a small reverse leakage current ( ${I}_{\text {R}}$ ) of ~20 nA/mm at −750 V. The devices also presented a small turn- on voltage ( ${V}_{{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}}$ ) of 0. 58 ± 0. 02 V, a small increase in forward voltage ( $\Delta {V}_{\text {F}}$ ) of ~0. 8 V, a high ON/OFF ratio over 1010, and a high forward breakdown voltage ( ${V}_{{{\text {B}}}}^{{{\text {F}}}}$ ) of 800 V at 20 nA/mm with grounded substrate. These results demonstrate a new milestone for RB GaN transistors, and open enormous opportunities for integrated GaN power devices. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.automatica.2020.109129 | Self-triggered output-feedback control of LTI systems subject to disturbances and noise | Self-triggered control (STC) and periodic event-triggered control (PETC) are aperiodic sampling techniques aiming at reducing control data communication when compared to periodic sampling. In both techniques, the effects of measurement noise in continuous-time systems with output feedback are unaddressed. In this work we prove that additive noise does not hinder stability of output-feedback PETC of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. Then we build an STC strategy that estimates PETC's worst-case triggering times. To accomplish this, we use set-based methods, more specifically ellipsoidal sets, which describe uncertainties on state, disturbances and noise. Ellipsoidal reachability is then used to predict worst-case triggering condition violations, ultimately determining the next communication time. The ellipsoidal state estimate is recursively updated using guaranteed state estimation (GSE) methods. The proposed STC is designed to be computationally tractable at the expense of some added conservatism. It is expected to be a practical STC implementation for a broad range of applications. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1038/nature13194 | Stereospecific targeting of MTH1 by (S)-crizotinib as an anticancer strategy | Activated RAS GTPase signalling is a critical driver of oncogenic transformation and malignant disease. Cellular models of RAS-dependent cancers have been used to identify experimental small molecules, such as SCH51344, but their molecular mechanism of action remains generally unknown. Here, using a chemical proteomic approach, we identify the target of SCH51344 as the human mutT homologue MTH1 (also known as NUDT1), a nucleotide pool sanitizing enzyme. Loss-of-function of MTH1 impaired growth of KRAS tumour cells, whereas MTH1 overexpression mitigated sensitivity towards SCH51344. Searching for more drug-like inhibitors, we identified the kinase inhibitor crizotinib as a nanomolar suppressor of MTH1 activity. Surprisingly, the clinically used (R)-enantiomer of the drug was inactive, whereas the (S)-enantiomer selectively inhibited MTH1 catalytic activity. Enzymatic assays, chemical proteomic profiling, kinome-wide activity surveys and MTH1 co-crystal structures of both enantiomers provide a rationale for this remarkable stereospecificity. Disruption of nucleotide pool homeostasis via MTH1 inhibition by (S)-crizotinib induced an increase in DNA single-strand breaks, activated DNA repair in human colon carcinoma cells, and effectively suppressed tumour growth in animal models. Our results propose (S)-crizotinib as an attractive chemical entity for further pre-clinical evaluation, and small-molecule inhibitors of MTH1 in general as a promising novel class of anticancer agents. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1002/2016JA023332 | Gps And Glonass Observations Of Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances During The 2015 St Patrick S Day Storm | Using a comprehensive database of ~5300 ground-based GNSS stations we have investigated large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs) during 17-18 March 2015 (St. Patrick's Day storm). For the first time, the high resolution two-dimensional maps of the total electron content (TEC) perturbation were made using not only GPS but also GLONASS measurements. Several LSTIDs originated from the auroral regions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres were observed simultaneously over Europe, North America and South America. This storm is considered as a two-step main phase storm. During the first main phase LSTIDs propagated over the whole daytime European region and over high latitudes of North America. During the second main phase we report: 1) intense LSTIDs propagated equatorward in North America and Europe; 2) convergence of several LSTIDs originated from the opposite hemispheres in the interference zone over geomagnetic equator in South America; 3) “super” LSTIDs with the wavefront length of more than 10000 km observed simultaneously in North America and Europe. LSTIDs observed in three sectors had wavelength of ~1200-2500 km and wave periods of ~50-80 min. During the recovery phase on the background of the negative ionospheric storm developed over North America we detect signatures of the stream-like structures alongated within the latitudinal range of 29°N-42°N across the USA. These structures persisted through the nighttime to the early morning from 04 UT till 13 UT on 18 March 2015 and they were associated with the subauroral polarization streams (SAPS)-induced nighttime ionospheric flows. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00164 | Scalable Synthesis of Esp and Rhodium(II) Carboxylates from Acetylacetone and RhCl<inf>3</inf>· xH<inf>2</inf>O | Rhodium(II) carboxylates are privileged catalysts for the most challenging carbene-, nitrene-, and oxo-transfer reactions. In this work, we address the strategic challenges of current organic and inorganic synthesis methods to access these rhodium(II) complexes through an oxidative rearrangement strategy and a reductive ligation reaction. These studies illustrate the multiple benefits of oxidative rearrangement in the process-scale synthesis of congested carboxylates over nitrile anion alkylation reactions, and the impressive effect of inorganic additives in the reductive ligation of rhodium(III) salts. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.3389/fimmu.2012.00239 | Protection from inflammatory organ damage in a murine model of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis using treatment with IL-18 binding protein | Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening condition due to the association of an infectious agent with lymphocyte cytotoxicity defects, either of congenital genetic origin in children or presumably acquired in adults. In HLH patients, an excess of lymphocyte or macrophage cytokines, such as IFN-γ and TNFα is present in serum. In animal models of the disease, IFN-γ and TNF-α have been shown to play a central pathogenic role. In humans, unusually high concentrations of IL-18, an inducer of IFN-γ, and TNF-α have been reported, and are associated with an imbalance between IL-18 and its natural inhibitor IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) resulting in an excess of free IL-18. Here we studied whether IL-18BP could reduce disease severity in an animal model of HLH. Mouse cytomegalovirus infection in perforin-1 knock-out mice induced a lethal condition similar to human HLH characterized by cytopenia with marked inflammatory lesions in the liver and spleen as well as the presence of hemophagocytosis in bone marrow. IL-18BP treatment decreased hemophagocytosis and reversed liver as well as spleen damage. IL-18BP treatment also reduced both IFN-γ andTNF-α production by CD8+ T and NK cells, as well as Fas ligand expression on NK cell surface. These data suggest that IL-18BP is beneficial in an animal model of HLH and in combination with anti-infectious therapy may be a promising strategy to treat HLH patients. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/812/1/14 | 3C 273 With Nustar Unveiling The Active Galactic Nucleus | We present results from a 244 ks NuSTAR observation of 3C 273 obtained during a cross-calibration campaign with the Chandra, INTEGRAL, Suzaku, Swift, and XMM-Newton observatories. We show that the spectrum, when fit with a power-law model using data from all observatories except INTEGRAL over the 1–78 keV band, leaves significant residuals in the NuSTAR data between 30 and 78 keV. The NuSTAR 3–78 keV spectrum is well described by an exponentially cutoff power law (Γ = 1. 646 ± 0. 006, E_(cutoff) = 202_(-34)^(+51) keV) with a weak reflection component from cold, dense material. There is also evidence for a weak (EW = 23 ± 11 eV) neutral iron line. We interpret these features as arising from coronal emission plus reflection off an accretion disk or distant material. Beyond 80 keV INTEGRAL data show clear excess flux relative to an extrapolation of the active galactic nucleus model fit to NuSTAR. This high-energy power law is consistent with the presence of a beamed jet, which begins to dominate over emission from the inner accretion flow at 30–40 keV. Modeling the jet locally (in the NuSTAR + INTEGRAL band) as a power law, we find that the coronal component is fit by Γ_(AGN) = 1. 638 ± 0. 045, E_(cutoff) = 47 ± 15 keV, and jet photon index by Γ_(jet) = 1. 05 ± 0. 4. We also consider Fermi/LAT observations of 3C 273, and here the broadband spectrum of the jet can be described by a log-parabolic model, peaking at ~2 MeV. Finally, we investigate the spectral variability in the NuSTAR band and find an inverse correlation between flux and Γ. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1101/gad.225888.113 | Nucleosome-binding activities within JARID2 and EZH1 regulate the function of PRC2 on chromatin | Polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2) comprises specific members of the Polycomb group of epigenetic modulators. PRC2 catalyzes methylation of histone H3 at Lys 27 (H3K27me3) through its Enhancer of zeste (Ezh) constituent, of which there are two mammalian homologs: Ezh1 and Ezh2. Several ancillary factors, including Jarid2, modulate PRC2 function, with Jarid2 facilitating its recruitment to target genes. Jarid2, like Ezh2, is present in poorly differentiated and actively dividing cells, while Ezh1 associates with PRC2 in all cells, including resting cells. We found that Jarid2 exhibits nucleosome-binding activity that contributes to PRC2 stimulation. Moreover, such nucleosome-binding activity is exhibited by PRC2 comprising Ezh1 (PRC2-Ezh1), in contrast to PRC2-Ezh2. The presence of Ezh1 helps to maintain PRC2 occupancy on its target genes in myoblasts where Jarid2 is not expressed. Our findings allow us to propose a model in which PRC2-Ezh2 is important for the de novo establishment of H3K27me3 in dividing cells, whereas PRC2-Ezh1 is required for its maintenance in resting cells. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
643007 | Advanced methodologies for next generation large scale cmb polarization analysis | The cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation was emitted when the Universe was 380,000 years old and is observed today at 2.7 K. It is a wonderful probe to study the evolution of the Universe. Tiny anisotropies in its temperature and polarization are induced by quantum scalar (density) and tensor fluctuations (gravitational waves, GW) generated during inflation, a period of accelerated expansion arising 10-35 s after the big bang. Primordial GW imprinted a unique parity-odd pattern on CMB polarization, called B-modes. Such modes, undetected as of today, are a direct probe of the poorly known physics of inflation, and main target of several forthcoming observational projects. These will be search for B-modes at large (> 10°) and intermediate (~1°) angular scales. Among such efforts, Japan is proposing a satellite project (LiteBIRD, to be launched end 20's) with contributions from EU agencies, NASA and CSA. Large angular scales are difficult to measure due to Galactic emissions and instrumental systematics, requiring careful, detailed modelling and advanced data analysis techniques. EU scientists rely on the legacy of the ESA Planck mission (2009), but improvements of analysis methods and modelling of the instruments are now required. The main goal of CMB-INFLATE is to build a community of scientists dedicated to the development of innovative analysis of large angular scale CMB polarisation data to identify the inflation mechanism. CMB-INFLATE will focus on: (1) modelling hardware developed in three continents, including polarization modulators, optical systems, and detectors; (2) the development and implementation of innovative techniques to mitigate systematics from the sky and the instrument. Such advancements will be provided by a wide-scale international consortium involving instrumentalists, data analysis experts and theoreticians. The CMB-INFLATE outcome is expected to strengthen European leadership in the field of primordial GW and connected science. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
TW 105122079 A | Silicone composition for release paper or release film, and release paper and release film | A compound that is devoid of epoxy groups and has a quantity of alkenyl groups corresponding to 5-1000 times the alkenyl group content of a base polymer, and/or an organopolysiloxane that is devoid of alkenyl groups, has an average degree of polymerization of 2-50, and contains, per molecule, 30 mol% or more of siloxane units having epoxycyclohexyl groups bonded to silicon atoms via carbon atoms, are/is blended with a silicone composition for a release film as adhesion-enhancing components. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
169762 | Efficient urban light vehicles | EU-LIVE will provide a comprehensive European solution for the next generation of electrified, cost- and energy-efficient light urban vehicles to cope with the challenges of future personal urban mobility, based on both user needs and acceptance.
EU-LIVE will establish the ""EU-LIVE modular platform"", a systematic approach for efficiently designing, developing and building a wide range of L-category vehicles from more close-to-the-market to radically new ones. This comprises a set of modular electrified powertrain components and subsystems for PHEVs and BEVs, modular bodies (within the same L-vehicle class), and an integrated modular co-simulation platform to guarantee re-usability, flexibility and sharing of components as well as subsystems for L-category vehicles.
EU-LIVE will provide innovative solutions regarding cost-efficient, energy-efficient, low-emission and low-noise powertrains (in-wheel motors, novel highly efficient transmission for PHEV, 48V batteries + electric board net …) and future-proof, flexible and scalable vehicle architectures. To leverage expertise beyond the consortium, an open innovation contest for a radically new light vehicle based on the EU-LIVE modular platform will be carried out. Eventually, both real and virtual full-vehicle demonstrators (L5e PHEV 3-wheeler beyond EURO 5, L3e BEV 2-wheeler, L6 BEV 4-wheeler) will be shown.
By its modular approach and the efficient transfer of expertise from high-volume automotive to low-to-medium-volume light vehicle industry, EU-LIVE will enable economies of scale, therefore overcoming a major barrier to affordable light urban vehicles. Through its excellent partner consortium - including 2 OEMs and several key suppliers - EU-LIVE is able to credibly provide a clear route to market for a range of different L-category vehicles which feature series producibility, attractive cost-of-ownership, full comfort, safety and connectivity, for both European and non-European markets.
| [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
174236 | Improved risk evaluation and implementation of resilience concepts to critical infrastructure | Large scale crises are affecting critical infrastructures with a growing frequency. This is a result of both basic exposure and dependencies between infrastructures. Because of prohibitive costs, the paradigm of protection against extreme events is expanding and now also encompasses the paradigm of resilience. In addition to strengthening and securing systems; system design objectives are now being set, and response planning is being carried out, to facilitate a fast recovery of infrastructure following a large scale incident.
With an interconnected European society, countries and infrastructures are increasingly reliant upon their neighbours, both under normal operating conditions and in the event of an incident. Despite this, there is no common European methodology for measuring resilience or for implementing resilience concepts, and different countries and sectors employ their own techniques. There is also no shared, well-developed system-of-systems approach, which would be able to test the effects of dependencies and interdependencies between individual critical infrastructures and sectors. This increases the risk as a result of reliance on critical infrastructures, as well as affects the ability for sharing resources for incident planning due to no common terminology or means of expressing risk.
The overall objective of IMPROVER is to improve European critical infrastructure resilience to crises and disasters through the implementation of combinations of societal, organisational and technological resilience concepts to real life examples of pan-European significance, including cross-border examples. This implementation will be enabled through the development of a methodology based on risk evaluation techniques and informed by a review of the positive impact of different resilience concepts on critical infrastructures. The methodology will be cross sectoral and will provide much needed input to standardisation of security of infrastructure. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
892597 | Smart environments for person-centered sustainable work and well-being | sustAGE aims to develop a person-centered solution for promoting the concept of ""sustainable work"" for EU industries.
The project provides a paradigm shift in human machine interaction, building upon seven strategic technology trends, IoT, Machine learning, micro-moments, temporal reasoning, recommender systems, data analytics and gamification to deliver a composite system integrated with the daily activities at work and outside, to support employers and ageing employees to jointly increase well-being, wellness at work and productivity. The manifold contribution focuses on the support of the employment and later retirement of older adults from work and the optimization of the workforce management. The sustAGE platform guides workers on work-related tasks, recommends personalized cognitive and physical training activities with emphasis on game and social aspects, delivers warnings regarding occupational risks and cares for their proper positioning in work tasks that will maximize team performance.
By combining a broad range of the innovation chain activities namely, technology R&D, demonstration, prototyping, pilots, and extensive validation, the project aims to explore how health and safety at work, continuous training and proper workforce management can prolongue older workers' competitiveness at work. The deployment of the proposed technologies in two critical industrial sectors and their extensive evaluation will lead to a ground-breaking contribution that will improve the performance and quality of life at work and beyond for many ageing adult workers. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
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