Characterization of kappa 1 and kappa 2 opioid binding sites in frog (Rana esculenta) brain membrane preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benyhe, S.; Varga, E.; Hepp, J.; Magyar, A.; Borsodi, A.; Wollemann, M.

1990-01-01

The distribution and properties of frog brain kappa-opioid receptor subtypes differ not only from those of the guinea pig brain, but also from that of the rat brain. In guinea pig cerebellum the kappa 1 is the dominant receptor subtype, frog brain contains mainly the kappa 2 subtype, and the distribution of the rat brain subtypes is intermediate between the two others. In competition experiments it has been established that ethylketocyclazocine and N-cyclopropylmethyl-norazidomorphine, which are nonselective kappa-ligands, have relatively high affinities to frog brain membranes. The kappa 2 ligands (Met5)enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 and etorphine also show high affinities to the frog brain. Kappa 1 binding sites measured in the presence of 5 microM/D-Ala2-Leu5/enkephalin represent 25-30% of [3H]ethylketocyclazocine binding in frog brain membranes. The kappa 2 subtype in frog brain resembles more to the mu subtype than the delta subtype of opioid receptors, but it differs from the mu subtype in displaying low affinity toward beta-endorphin and /D-Ala2-(Me)Phe4-Gly5-ol/enkephalin (DAGO). From our data it is evident that the opioid receptor subtypes are already present in the amphibian brain but the differences among them are less pronounced than in mammalian brain

Estimating the Probabilities of Low-Weight Differential and Linear Approximations on PRESENT-like Ciphers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdelraheem, Mohamed Ahmed

2012-01-01

We use large but sparse correlation and transition-difference-probability submatrices to find the best linear and differential approximations respectively on PRESENT-like ciphers. This outperforms the branch and bound algorithm when the number of low-weight differential and linear characteristics...

{kappa}-deformed realization of D=4 conformal algebra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klimek, M. [Technical Univ. of Czestochowa, Inst. of Mathematics and Computer Science, Czestochowa (Poland); Lukierski, J. [Universite de Geneve, Department de Physique Theorique, Geneve (Switzerland)

1995-07-01

We describe the generators of {kappa}-conformal transformations, leaving invariant the {kappa}-deformed d`Alembert equation. In such a way one obtains the conformal extension of-shell spin spin zero realization of {kappa}-deformed Poincare algebra. Finally the algebraic structure of {kappa}-deformed conformal algebra is discussed. (author). 23 refs.

Angle Kappa and its importance in refractive surgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Moshirfar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Angle kappa is the difference between the pupillary and visual axis. This measurement is of paramount consideration in refractive surgery, as proper centration is required for optimal results. Angle kappa may contribute to MFIOL decentration and its resultant photic phenomena. Adjusting placement of MFIOLs for angle kappa is not supported by the literature but is likely to help reduce glare and haloes. Centering LASIK in angle kappa patients over the corneal light reflex is safe, efficacious, and recommended. Centering in-between the corneal reflex and the entrance pupil is also safe and efficacious. The literature regarding PRK in patients with an angle kappa is sparse but centering on the corneal reflex is assumed to be similar to centering LASIK on the corneal reflex. Thus, centration of MFIOLs, LASIK, and PRK should be focused on the corneal reflex for patients with a large angle kappa. More research is needed to guide surgeons′ approach to angle kappa.

Wigner weight functions and Weyl symbols of non-negative definite linear operators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, A.J.E.M.

1989-01-01

In this paper we present several necessary and, for radially symmetric functions, necessary and sufficient conditions for a function of two variables to be a Wigner weight function (Weyl symbol of a non-negative definite linear operator of L2(R)). These necessary conditions are in terms of spread

Phenotyping polyclonal kappa and lambda light chain molecular mass distributions in patient serum using mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnidge, David R; Dasari, Surendra; Ramirez-Alvarado, Marina; Fontan, Adrian; Willrich, Maria A V; Tschumper, Renee C; Jelinek, Diane F; Snyder, Melissa R; Dispenzieri, Angela; Katzmann, Jerry A; Murray, David L

2014-11-07

We previously described a microLC-ESI-Q-TOF MS method for identifying monoclonal immunoglobulins in serum and then tracking them over time using their accurate molecular mass. Here we demonstrate how the same methodology can be used to identify and characterize polyclonal immunoglobulins in serum. We establish that two molecular mass distributions observed by microLC-ESI-Q-TOF MS are from polyclonal kappa and lambda light chains using a combination of theoretical molecular masses from gene sequence data and the analysis of commercially available purified polyclonal IgG kappa and IgG lambda from normal human serum. A linear regression comparison of kappa/lambda ratios for 74 serum samples (25 hypergammaglobulinemia, 24 hypogammaglobulinemia, 25 normal) determined by microflowLC-ESI-Q-TOF MS and immunonephelometry had a slope of 1.37 and a correlation coefficient of 0.639. In addition to providing kappa/lambda ratios, the same microLC-ESI-Q-TOF MS analysis can determine the molecular mass for oligoclonal light chains observed above the polyclonal background in patient samples. In 2 patients with immune disorders and hypergammaglobulinemia, we observed a skewed polyclonal molecular mass distribution which translated into biased kappa/lambda ratios. Mass spectrometry provides a rapid and simple way to combine the polyclonal kappa/lambda light chain abundance ratios with the identification of dominant monoclonal as well as oligoclonal light chain immunoglobulins. We anticipate that this approach to evaluating immunoglobulin light chains will lead to improved understanding of immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and antibody responses.

Weighted inequalities for fractional integral operators and linear commutators in the Morrey-type spaces

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Hua Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In this paper, we first introduce some new Morrey-type spaces containing generalized Morrey space and weighted Morrey space with two weights as special cases. Then we give the weighted strong type and weak type estimates for fractional integral operators I α $I_{\\alpha}$ in these new Morrey-type spaces. Furthermore, the weighted strong type estimate and endpoint estimate of linear commutators [ b , I α ] $[b,I_{\\alpha}]$ formed by b and I α $I_{\\alpha}$ are established. Also we study related problems about two-weight, weak type inequalities for I α $I_{\\alpha}$ and [ b , I α ] $[b,I_{\\alpha}]$ in the Morrey-type spaces and give partial results.

NF-kappaB in Lung Tumorigenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Zhenjian; Tchou-Wong, Kam-Meng; Rom, William N.

2011-01-01

The development of lung cancer in humans can be divided into three steps initiation, promotion and progression. This process is driven by alterations in related signal transduction pathways. These pathways signal the aberrant activation of NF-kappaB, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes important for lung tumorigenesis. Our current knowledge about the role of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in the development of lung cancer has been bolstered by animal models demonstrating the connection between K-ras and tobacco induced lung transformation with NF-kappaB. Activation of downstream genes leads to cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, invasion, and metastasis

NF-kappaB in Lung Tumorigenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Zhenjian [Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 462 First Avenue, NBV 7N24, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Tchou-Wong, Kam-Meng; Rom, William N., E-mail: william.rom@nyumc.org [Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 462 First Avenue, NBV 7N24, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States)

2011-12-14

The development of lung cancer in humans can be divided into three steps initiation, promotion and progression. This process is driven by alterations in related signal transduction pathways. These pathways signal the aberrant activation of NF-kappaB, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes important for lung tumorigenesis. Our current knowledge about the role of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in the development of lung cancer has been bolstered by animal models demonstrating the connection between K-ras and tobacco induced lung transformation with NF-kappaB. Activation of downstream genes leads to cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, invasion, and metastasis.

Measurement of the Parameter Kappa, and Reevaluation of Kappa for Small to Moderate Earthquakes at Seismic Stations in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biasi, Glenn; Anderson, John G

2007-01-01

The parameter kappa was defined by Anderson and Hough (1984) to describe the high-frequency spectral roll-off of the strong motion seismic spectrum. In the work of Su et al., (1996) the numerical value of kappa estimated for sites near Yucca Mountain was small (∼20 ms). The estimate obtained from these events has been applied through a rigorous methodology to develop design earthquake spectra with magnitude over 5.0. Smaller values of kappa lead to higher estimated ground motions in the methodology used by the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) for Yucca Mountain. An increase of 10 ms in kappa could result in a substantial decrease in the high frequency level of the predicted ground motions. Any parameter that plays such a critical role deserves close examination. Here, we study kappa and its associated uncertainties. The data set used by Su et al (1996) consisted of 12 M 2.8 to 4.5 earthquakes recorded at temporary stations deployed after the June 1992 Little Skull Mountain earthquake. The kappa elements of that study were revisited by Anderson and Su (MOL.20071203.0134) and substantially confirmed. One weakness of those studies is the limited data used. Few of these stations were on tuff or on Yucca Mountain itself. A decade of Southern Great Basin Digital Seismic Network (SGBDSN) recording has now yielded a larger body of on-scale, well calibrated digital ground motion records suitable for investigating kappa. We use the SGBDSN data to check some of the original assumptions, improve the statistical confidence of the conclusions, and determine values of kappa for stations on or near Yucca Mountain. The outstanding issues in kappa analysis, as they apply to Yucca Mountain, include: (1) The number itself. The kappa estimate near 20 msec from Su et al. (1996) and Anderson and Su (MOL.20071203.0134) is markedly smaller than is considered typical in California (Silva, 1995). The low kappa value has engineering consequences because when it is applied in

Measurement of the Parameter Kappa, and Reevaluation of Kappa for Small to Moderate Earthquakes at Seismic Stations in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biasi, Glenn; Anderson, John G

2007-12-05

The parameter kappa was defined by Anderson and Hough (1984) to describe the high-frequency spectral roll-off of the strong motion seismic spectrum. In the work of Su et al., (1996) the numerical value of kappa estimated for sites near Yucca Mountain was small (~20 ms). The estimate obtained from these events has been applied through a rigorous methodology to develop design earthquake spectra with magnitude over 5.0. Smaller values of kappa lead to higher estimated ground motions in the methodology used by the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) for Yucca Mountain. An increase of 10 ms in kappa could result in a substantial decrease in the high frequency level of the predicted ground motions. Any parameter that plays such a critical role deserves close examination. Here, we study kappa and its associated uncertainties. The data set used by Su et al (1996) consisted of 12 M 2.8 to 4.5 earthquakes recorded at temporary stations deployed after the June 1992 Little Skull Mountain earthquake. The kappa elements of that study were revisited by Anderson and Su (MOL.20071203.0134) and substantially confirmed. One weakness of those studies is the limited data used. Few of these stations were on tuff or on Yucca Mountain itself. A decade of Southern Great Basin Digital Seismic Network (SGBDSN) recording has now yielded a larger body of on-scale, well calibrated digital ground motion records suitable for investigating kappa. We use the SGBDSN data to check some of the original assumptions, improve the statistical confidence of the conclusions, and determine values of kappa for stations on or near Yucca Mountain. The outstanding issues in kappa analysis, as they apply to Yucca Mountain, include: 1. The number itself. The kappa estimate near 20 msec from Su et al. (1996) and Anderson and Su (MOL.20071203.0134) is markedly smaller than is considered typical in California (Silva, 1995). The low kappa value has engineering consequences because when it is applied in ground

Predicting birth weight with conditionally linear transformation models.

Science.gov (United States)

Möst, Lisa; Schmid, Matthias; Faschingbauer, Florian; Hothorn, Torsten

2016-12-01

Low and high birth weight (BW) are important risk factors for neonatal morbidity and mortality. Gynecologists must therefore accurately predict BW before delivery. Most prediction formulas for BW are based on prenatal ultrasound measurements carried out within one week prior to birth. Although successfully used in clinical practice, these formulas focus on point predictions of BW but do not systematically quantify uncertainty of the predictions, i.e. they result in estimates of the conditional mean of BW but do not deliver prediction intervals. To overcome this problem, we introduce conditionally linear transformation models (CLTMs) to predict BW. Instead of focusing only on the conditional mean, CLTMs model the whole conditional distribution function of BW given prenatal ultrasound parameters. Consequently, the CLTM approach delivers both point predictions of BW and fetus-specific prediction intervals. Prediction intervals constitute an easy-to-interpret measure of prediction accuracy and allow identification of fetuses subject to high prediction uncertainty. Using a data set of 8712 deliveries at the Perinatal Centre at the University Clinic Erlangen (Germany), we analyzed variants of CLTMs and compared them to standard linear regression estimation techniques used in the past and to quantile regression approaches. The best-performing CLTM variant was competitive with quantile regression and linear regression approaches in terms of conditional coverage and average length of the prediction intervals. We propose that CLTMs be used because they are able to account for possible heteroscedasticity, kurtosis, and skewness of the distribution of BWs. © The Author(s) 2014.

Measurement of Angle Kappa Using Ultrasound Biomicroscopy and Corneal Topography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, Joon Hyung; Moon, Nam Ju; Lee, Jeong Kyu

2017-06-01

To introduce a new convenient and accurate method to measure the angle kappa using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and corneal topography. Data from 42 eyes (13 males and 29 females) were analyzed in this study. The angle kappa was measured using Orbscan II and calculated with UBM and corneal topography. The angle kappa of the dominant eye was compared with measurements by Orbscan II. The mean patient age was 36.4 ± 13.8 years. The average angle kappa measured by Orbscan II was 3.98° ± 1.12°, while the average angle kappa calculated with UBM and corneal topography was 3.19° ± 1.15°. The difference in angle kappa measured by the two methods was statistically significant (p topography to calculate the angle kappa. This method is convenient to use and allows for measurement of the angle kappa without an expensive device. © 2017 The Korean Ophthalmological Society

Linear, Transfinite and Weighted Method for Interpolation from Grid Lines Applied to OCT Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindberg, Anne-Sofie Wessel; Jørgensen, Thomas Martini; Dahl, Vedrana Andersen

2018-01-01

of a square grid, but are unknown inside each square. To view these values as an image, intensities need to be interpolated at regularly spaced pixel positions. In this paper we evaluate three methods for interpolation from grid lines: linear, transfinite and weighted. The linear method does not preserve...... and the stability of the linear method further away. An important parameter influencing the performance of the interpolation methods is the upsampling rate. We perform an extensive evaluation of the three interpolation methods across a range of upsampling rates. Our statistical analysis shows significant difference...... in the performance of the three methods. We find that the transfinite interpolation works well for small upsampling rates and the proposed weighted interpolation method performs very well for all upsampling rates typically used in practice. On the basis of these findings we propose an approach for combining two OCT...

Kappa-Electrons Downstream of the Solar Wind Termination Shock

Science.gov (United States)

Fahr, H. J.

2017-12-01

A theoretical description of the solar wind electron distribution function downstream of the termination shock under the influence of the shock-induced injection of overshooting KeV-energetic electrons will be presented. A kinetic phasespace transport equation in the bulk frame of the heliosheath plasma flow is developed for the solar wind electrons, taking into account shock-induced electron injection, convective changes, magnetic cooling processes and whistler wave-induced energy diffusion. Assuming that the local electron distribution under the prevailing Non-LTE conditions can be represented by a local kappa function with a local kappa parameter that varies with the streamline coordinates, we determine the parameters of the resulting, initial kappa distribution for the downstream electrons. From this initial function spectral electron fluxes can be derived and can be compared with those measured by the VOYAGER-1 spacecraft in the range between 40 to 70 KeV. It can then be shown that with kappa values around kappa = 6 one can in fact fit these data very satisfactorily. In addition it is shown that for isentropic electron flows kappa-distributed electrons have to undergo simultaneous changes of both parameters, i.e. kappa and theta, of the electron kappa function. It is also shown then that under the influence of energy sinks and sources the electron flux becomes non-isentropic with electron entropies changing along the streamline.

Weighted H∞ Filtering for a Class of Switched Linear Systems with Additive Time-Varying Delays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-li Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the problem of weighted H∞ filtering for a class of switched linear systems with two additive time-varying delays, which represent a general class of switched time-delay systems with strong practical background. Combining average dwell time (ADT technique with piecewise Lyapunov functionals, sufficient conditions are established to guarantee the exponential stability and weighted H∞ performance for the filtering error systems. The parameters of the designed switched filters are obtained by solving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. A modification of Jensen integral inequality is exploited to derive results with less theoretical conservatism and computational complexity. Finally, two examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Nonequilibrium approach regarding metals from a linearised kappa distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Domenech-Garret, J. L.

2017-10-01

The widely used kappa distribution functions develop high-energy tails through an adjustable kappa parameter. The aim of this work is to show that such a parameter can itself be regarded as a function, which entangles information about the sources of disequilibrium. We first derive and analyse an expanded Fermi-Dirac kappa distribution. Later, we use this expanded form to obtain an explicit analytical expression for the kappa parameter of a heated metal on which an external electric field is applied. We show that such a kappa index causes departures from equilibrium depending on the physical magnitudes. Finally, we study the role of temperature and electric field on such a parameter, which characterises the electron population of a metal out of equilibrium.

Agreement Between Actual and Perceived Body Weight in Adolescents and Their Weight Control Behaviors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Mi Shin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background : To investigate the agreements between actual and perceived body weight status among adolescents and to identify the associations of disagreements with their weight control behaviors. Methods : This study used the secondary data of a sample survey (n=13,871 of the Seoul Student Health Examination among middle and high schools in 2010. Agreements between actual (underweight, normal, overweight, and obese, according to 2007 Korean National Growth Charts and perceived body weight status (underweight, normal, overweight, and obese were examined using Chi-square and Cohen’s kappa agreement, and then multinomial logistic regression including gender, grade, and attempt of weight control or method of weight control was done. Results : Agreements between actual and perceived body weight status were only 45.2%, and disagreements were up to 54.8%, including mild over- (20.4%, severe over- (1.8%, mild under- (29.5%, and severe under-estimation (3.1%. The kappa coefficient of agreement was only 0.19. The odds ratios on severe over-estimated perception were 1.59 (95% CI, 1.22-2.07 in female subjects, 1.78 (95% CI, 1.36-2.34 in diet control behaviors, and 1.53 (95% CI, 1.18-2.00 in exercise. The odds ratios on severe under-estimated perception were only 0.40 (95% CI, 0.32–0.50 in female subjects but 5.77 (95% CI, 3.68-9.06 in taking medication. Conclusion : There were associations of body weight control behaviors with disagreements of actual and perceived weight status. Therefore, further study is needed to identify the weight disagreement-related factors and to promote the desired weight control behaviors for adolescents.

Insights into iron and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) involvement in chronic inflammatory processes in peritoneal endometriosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Defrère, Sylvie; González-Ramos, Reinaldo; Lousse, Jean-Christophe; Colette, Sébastien; Donnez, Olivier; Donnez, Jacques; Van Langendonckt, Anne

2011-08-01

Endometriosis is a chronic pelvic inflammatory process. Local inflammation is known to play a role in pain and infertility associated with the disease, and may be extensively involved in molecular and cellular processes leading to endometriosis development. In this review, we focus on two inflammatory mediators clearly implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, iron and NF-kappaB, and their potential association. Iron is essential for all living organisms, but excess iron results in toxicity and is linked to pathological disorders. In endometriosis patients, iron overload has been demonstrated in the different compartments of the peritoneal cavity (peritoneal fluid, endometriotic lesions, peritoneum and macrophages). This iron overload affects numerous mechanisms involved in endometriosis development. Moreover, iron can generate free radical species able to react with a wide range of cellular constituents, inducing cellular damage. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species also impairs cellular function by altering gene expression via regulation of redox-sensitive transcription factors such as NF-kappaB, which is clearly implicated in endometriosis. Indeed, NF-kappaB is activated in endometriotic lesions and peritoneal macrophages of endometriosis patients, which stimulates synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, generating a positive feedback loop in the NF-kappaB pathway. NF-kappaB-mediated gene transcription promotes a variety of processes, including endometriotic lesion establishment, maintenance and development. In conclusion, iron and NF-kappaB appear to be linked and both are clearly involved in endometriosis development, making these pathways an attractive target for future treatment and prevention of this disease.

A Cross-Domain Collaborative Filtering Algorithm Based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xu; Lin, Jun-Yu; Jiang, Feng; Du, Jun-Wei; Han, Ji-Zhong

2018-01-01

Cross-domain collaborative filtering (CDCF) solves the sparsity problem by transferring rating knowledge from auxiliary domains. Obviously, different auxiliary domains have different importance to the target domain. However, previous works cannot evaluate effectively the significance of different auxiliary domains. To overcome this drawback, we propose a cross-domain collaborative filtering algorithm based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression (FCLWLR). We first construct features in different domains and use these features to represent different auxiliary domains. Thus the weight computation across different domains can be converted as the weight computation across different features. Then we combine the features in the target domain and in the auxiliary domains together and convert the cross-domain recommendation problem into a regression problem. Finally, we employ a Locally Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR) model to solve the regression problem. As LWLR is a nonparametric regression method, it can effectively avoid underfitting or overfitting problem occurring in parametric regression methods. We conduct extensive experiments to show that the proposed FCLWLR algorithm is effective in addressing the data sparsity problem by transferring the useful knowledge from the auxiliary domains, as compared to many state-of-the-art single-domain or cross-domain CF methods.

Nonplanar ion acoustic waves with kappa-distributed electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahu, Biswajit

2011-01-01

Using the standard reductive perturbation technique, nonlinear cylindrical and spherical Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equations are derived for the propagation of ion acoustic solitary waves in an unmagnetized collisionless plasma with kappa distributed electrons and warm ions. The influence of kappa-distributed electrons and the effects caused by the transverse perturbation on cylindrical and spherical ion acoustic waves (IAWs) are investigated. It is observed that increase in the kappa distributed electrons (i.e., decreasing κ) decreases the amplitude of the solitary electrostatic potential structures. The numerical results are presented to understand the formation of ion acoustic solitary waves with kappa-distributed electrons in nonplanar geometry. The present investigation may have relevance in the study of propagation of IAWs in space and laboratory plasmas.

NF-kappaB mediates FGF signal regulation of msx-1 expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Bushdid, P B; Chen, C L; Brantley, D M; Yull, F; Raghow, R; Kerr, L D; Barnett, J V

2001-09-01

The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) family of transcription factors is involved in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in a stage- and cell-dependent manner. Recent evidence has shown that NF-kappaB activity is necessary for both chicken and mouse limb development. We report here that the NF-kappaB family member c-rel and the homeodomain gene msx-1 have partially overlapping expression patterns in the developing chick limb. In addition, inhibition of NF-kappaB activity resulted in a decrease in msx-1 mRNA expression. Sequence analysis of the msx-1 promoter revealed three potential kappaB-binding sites similar to the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) kappaB-binding site. These sites bound to c-Rel, as shown by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Furthermore, inhibition of NF-kappaB activity significantly reduced transactivation of the msx-1 promoter in response to FGF-2/-4, known stimulators of msx-1 expression. These results suggest that NF-kappaB mediates the FGF-2/-4 signal regulation of msx-1 gene expression. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Numerical solution of High-kappa model of superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karamikhova, R. [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States)

1996-12-31

We present formulation and finite element approximations of High-kappa model of superconductivity which is valid in the high {kappa}, high magnetic field setting and accounts for applied magnetic field and current. Major part of this work deals with steady-state and dynamic computational experiments which illustrate our theoretical results numerically. In our experiments we use Galerkin discretization in space along with Backward-Euler and Crank-Nicolson schemes in time. We show that for moderate values of {kappa}, steady states of the model system, computed using the High-kappa model, are virtually identical with results computed using the full Ginzburg-Landau (G-L) equations. We illustrate numerically optimal rates of convergence in space and time for the L{sup 2} and H{sup 1} norms of the error in the High-kappa solution. Finally, our numerical approximations demonstrate some well-known experimentally observed properties of high-temperature superconductors, such as appearance of vortices, effects of increasing the applied magnetic field and the sample size, and the effect of applied constant current.

ESTUDIO PRELIMINAR SOBRE LA INFLUENCIA DE LA CARRAGENINA KAPPA, KAPPA I.II Y GOMA TARA EN LA VISCOSIDAD Y TIXOTROPÍA DE LAS SALMUERAS DE INYECCIÓN PARA JAMONES COCIDOS PICADOS DE CERDO PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF KAPPA, KAPPA I.II CARRAGEENAN AND TARA GUM IN THE VISCOSITY AND THIXOTROPY OF INJECTION BRINES FOR COOKED CHOPPED HAMS OF PORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Alexander Molina Cote

2010-12-01

Full Text Available El presente estudio determinó el efecto que sobre la viscosidad y la tixotropía de una salmuera de masajeo para jamones picados cocidos de cerdo, tiene la adición de carragenina kappa, carragenina kappa I.II y goma tara, cuando son usadas a un nivel del 1% en la salmuera. Para tal efecto se incorporaron seis mezclas distintas de hidrocoloides provenientes de la carragenina kappa, kappa I.II y goma tara (individualmente, en mezclas binarias y mezclas terciarias, en una salmuera de inyección y masajeo para jamones; a las cuales se les determinó su comportamiento viscoso y tixotrópico a 4 ºC. Los datos obtenidos de índice de tixotropía (máximos, se analizaron mediante un modelo cuadrático derivado de un arreglo de mezclas. Los resultados mostraron que todas las salmueras se comportaron tixotrópicamente, presentando mayor área de histéresis, las mezclas que contenían goma tara. El modelo usado para el índice de tixotropía arrojó, con un nivel de significancia de 0,05, que la relación óptima, es la que contiene la mezcla de carragenina kappa I.II-goma tara (79% y 21%. Adicionalmente, las salmueras que contenían carragenina kappa, carragenina kappa I.II y carragenina kappa-carragenina kappa I.II presentaron menor viscosidad que las mezclas que contenían goma tara.The aim of this study was to determine the thixotropy´s effect of a massage brine in cooked chopped pork hams with addition of kappa, kappa I.II carrageenan, tara gum and their mixtures, when were used at 1% injection level of brine to meat. Six mixtures were evaluated. A protocol for thixotropy measurement adjusted to the conditions of brines used taking in account salinity, pH, temperature and shear stress. Data obtained from thixotropy index (maximum were analyzed with quadratic model derived from blends array. Results showed thixotropic measurement to brines presented a very small area, showing structural changes, but with very fast recovery. It was observed

Standard formation enthalpies of Nasub(2+x)Vsub(6)Osub(16-y) bronze of kappa type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khodos, M.Ya.; Slobodin, B.V.; Surat, L.L.; Fotiev, A.A.

1980-01-01

Standard formation enthalpies of sodium oxide vanadium bronze of kappa Nasub(2+x)Vsub(6)Osub(16-y) type of different composition have been determined by the method of solution calorimetry. It has been ascertained that within the limits of homogeneity a standard formation enthalpy decreases insignificantly with the increase of bronze oxygen defectiveness and is a linear function of sodium content

A Cross-Domain Collaborative Filtering Algorithm Based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cross-domain collaborative filtering (CDCF solves the sparsity problem by transferring rating knowledge from auxiliary domains. Obviously, different auxiliary domains have different importance to the target domain. However, previous works cannot evaluate effectively the significance of different auxiliary domains. To overcome this drawback, we propose a cross-domain collaborative filtering algorithm based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression (FCLWLR. We first construct features in different domains and use these features to represent different auxiliary domains. Thus the weight computation across different domains can be converted as the weight computation across different features. Then we combine the features in the target domain and in the auxiliary domains together and convert the cross-domain recommendation problem into a regression problem. Finally, we employ a Locally Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR model to solve the regression problem. As LWLR is a nonparametric regression method, it can effectively avoid underfitting or overfitting problem occurring in parametric regression methods. We conduct extensive experiments to show that the proposed FCLWLR algorithm is effective in addressing the data sparsity problem by transferring the useful knowledge from the auxiliary domains, as compared to many state-of-the-art single-domain or cross-domain CF methods.

Interactions among oscillatory pathways in NF-kappa B signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

White Michael RH

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sustained stimulation with tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha induces substantial oscillations—observed at both the single cell and population levels—in the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B system. Although the mechanism has not yet been elucidated fully, a core system has been identified consisting of a negative feedback loop involving NF-kappa B (RelA:p50 hetero-dimer and its inhibitor I-kappa B-alpha. Many authors have suggested that this core oscillator should couple to other oscillatory pathways. Results First we analyse single-cell data from experiments in which the NF-kappa B system is forced by short trains of strong pulses of TNF-alpha. Power spectra of the ratio of nuclear-to-cytoplasmic concentration of NF-kappa B suggest that the cells' responses are entrained by the pulsing frequency. Using a recent model of the NF-kappa B system due to Caroline Horton, we carried out extensive numerical simulations to analyze the response frequencies induced by trains of pulses of TNF-alpha stimulation having a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes. These studies suggest that for sufficiently weak stimulation, various nonlinear resonances should be observable. To explore further the possibility of probing alternative feedback mechanisms, we also coupled the model to sinusoidal signals with a wide range of strengths and frequencies. Our results show that, at least in simulation, frequencies other than those of the forcing and the main NF-kappa B oscillator can be excited via sub- and superharmonic resonance, producing quasiperiodic and even chaotic dynamics. Conclusions Our numerical results suggest that the entrainment phenomena observed in pulse-stimulated experiments is a consequence of the high intensity of the stimulation. Computational studies based on current models suggest that resonant interactions between periodic pulsatile forcing and the system's natural frequencies may become evident for sufficiently

Ion-cyclotron instability in plasmas described by product-bi-kappa distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, M. S. dos; Ziebell, L. F.; Gaelzer, R.

2015-01-01

The dispersion relation for parallel propagating waves in the ion-cyclotron branch is investigated numerically by considering that the velocity distribution of the ion population is a function of type product-bi-kappa. We investigate the effects of the non-thermal features and of the anisotropy associated with this type of distribution on the ion-cyclotron instability, as well as the influence of different forms of the electron distribution, by considering Maxwellian distributions, bi-kappa distributions, and product-bi-kappa distributions. The cases of ions described by either Maxwellian or bi-kappa distributions are also considered, for comparison. The results of the numerical analysis show that the increase in the non-thermal character associated with the anisotropic kappa distributions for ions contributes to enhance the instability as compared to that obtained in the Maxwellian case, in magnitude and in wave number range, with more significant enhancement for the case of ion product-bi-kappa distributions than for the case of ion bi-kappa distributions. It is also shown that the ion-cyclotron instability is decreased if the electrons are described by product-bi-kappa distributions, while electrons described by bi-kappa distributions lead to growth rates which are very similar to those obtained considering a Maxwellian distribution for the electron population

Newborn length predicts early infant linear growth retardation and disproportionately high weight gain in a low-income population.

Science.gov (United States)

Berngard, Samuel Clark; Berngard, Jennifer Bishop; Krebs, Nancy F; Garcés, Ana; Miller, Leland V; Westcott, Jamie; Wright, Linda L; Kindem, Mark; Hambidge, K Michael

2013-12-01

Stunting is prevalent by the age of 6 months in the indigenous population of the Western Highlands of Guatemala. The objective of this study was to determine the time course and predictors of linear growth failure and weight-for-age in early infancy. One hundred and forty eight term newborns had measurements of length and weight in their homes, repeated at 3 and 6 months. Maternal measurements were also obtained. Mean ± SD length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) declined from newborn -1.0 ± 1.01 to -2.20 ± 1.05 and -2.26 ± 1.01 at 3 and 6 months respectively. Stunting rates for newborn, 3 and 6 months were 47%, 53% and 56% respectively. A multiple regression model (R(2) = 0.64) demonstrated that the major predictor of LAZ at 3 months was newborn LAZ with the other predictors being newborn weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), gender and maternal education∗maternal age interaction. Because WAZ remained essentially constant and LAZ declined during the same period, weight-for-length Z-score (WLZ) increased from -0.44 to +1.28 from birth to 3 months. The more severe the linear growth failure, the greater WAZ was in proportion to the LAZ. The primary conclusion is that impaired fetal linear growth is the major predictor of early infant linear growth failure indicating that prevention needs to start with maternal interventions. © 2013.

voom: Precision weights unlock linear model analysis tools for RNA-seq read counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Charity W; Chen, Yunshun; Shi, Wei; Smyth, Gordon K

2014-02-03

New normal linear modeling strategies are presented for analyzing read counts from RNA-seq experiments. The voom method estimates the mean-variance relationship of the log-counts, generates a precision weight for each observation and enters these into the limma empirical Bayes analysis pipeline. This opens access for RNA-seq analysts to a large body of methodology developed for microarrays. Simulation studies show that voom performs as well or better than count-based RNA-seq methods even when the data are generated according to the assumptions of the earlier methods. Two case studies illustrate the use of linear modeling and gene set testing methods.

On the Performance of Linear Decreasing Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimization for Global Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Arasomwan, Martins Akugbe; Adewumi, Aderemi Oluyinka

2013-01-01

Linear decreasing inertia weight (LDIW) strategy was introduced to improve on the performance of the original particle swarm optimization (PSO). However, linear decreasing inertia weight PSO (LDIW-PSO) algorithm is known to have the shortcoming of premature convergence in solving complex (multipeak) optimization problems due to lack of enough momentum for particles to do exploitation as the algorithm approaches its terminal point. Researchers have tried to address this shortcoming by modifying LDIW-PSO or proposing new PSO variants. Some of these variants have been claimed to outperform LDIW-PSO. The major goal of this paper is to experimentally establish the fact that LDIW-PSO is very much efficient if its parameters are properly set. First, an experiment was conducted to acquire a percentage value of the search space limits to compute the particle velocity limits in LDIW-PSO based on commonly used benchmark global optimization problems. Second, using the experimentally obtained values, five well-known benchmark optimization problems were used to show the outstanding performance of LDIW-PSO over some of its competitors which have in the past claimed superiority over it. Two other recent PSO variants with different inertia weight strategies were also compared with LDIW-PSO with the latter outperforming both in the simulation experiments conducted. PMID:24324383

On the Relationship Between Confidence Sets and Exchangeable Weights in Multiple Linear Regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Pek, Jolynn; Chalmers, R Philip; Monette, Georges

2016-01-01

When statistical models are employed to provide a parsimonious description of empirical relationships, the extent to which strong conclusions can be drawn rests on quantifying the uncertainty in parameter estimates. In multiple linear regression (MLR), regression weights carry two kinds of uncertainty represented by confidence sets (CSs) and exchangeable weights (EWs). Confidence sets quantify uncertainty in estimation whereas the set of EWs quantify uncertainty in the substantive interpretation of regression weights. As CSs and EWs share certain commonalities, we clarify the relationship between these two kinds of uncertainty about regression weights. We introduce a general framework describing how CSs and the set of EWs for regression weights are estimated from the likelihood-based and Wald-type approach, and establish the analytical relationship between CSs and sets of EWs. With empirical examples on posttraumatic growth of caregivers (Cadell et al., 2014; Schneider, Steele, Cadell & Hemsworth, 2011) and on graduate grade point average (Kuncel, Hezlett & Ones, 2001), we illustrate the usefulness of CSs and EWs for drawing strong scientific conclusions. We discuss the importance of considering both CSs and EWs as part of the scientific process, and provide an Online Appendix with R code for estimating Wald-type CSs and EWs for k regression weights.

Colorectal cancer: can nutrients modulate NF-kappaB and apoptosis?

Science.gov (United States)

Ravasco, Paula; Aranha, Márcia M; Borralho, Pedro M; Moreira da Silva, Isabel B; Correia, Luís; Fernandes, Afonso; Rodrigues, Cecília M P; Camilo, Maria

2010-02-01

NF-kappaB may promote carcinogenesis by altering cell cycle, inflammatory responses and apoptosis-related gene expression, though cell mechanisms relating diet and colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unveiled in humans. This study in patients with CRC aimed to explore potential interactions between the dietary pattern, nutrient intake, expression of NF-kappaB, apoptosis and tumour histological aggressiveness. Usual diet was assessed by diet history; nutrient composition was determined by DIETPLAN software. Histologically classified patient tissue samples (adenoma, adenocarcinoma and normal surrounding mucosa) were obtained via biopsies during colonoscopy (n=16) or surgery (n=8). NF-kappaB expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and apoptosis by TUNEL assay. NF-kappaB expression and apoptosis were higher in tumours (p<0.01), greater along with histological aggressiveness (p<0.01). Highest intake terciles of animal protein, refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, n-6 fatty acids and alcohol were associated with higher NF-kappaB, apoptosis and histological aggressiveness (p<0.01); the opposite tissue characteristics were associated with highest intake terciles of n-3 fatty acids, fibre, vitamin E, flavonoids, isoflavones, beta-carotene and selenium (p<0.002). Additionally, higher n-6:n-3 fatty acids ratio (median 26:1) was associated with higher NF-kappaB (p<0.006) and apoptosis (p<0.01), and more aggressive histology (p<0.01). Conversely, lower n-6:n-3 fatty acids ratio (median 6:1) was associated with lower NF-kappaB (p<0.002) and apoptosis (p<0.002), and less aggressive histology (p<0.002). NF-kappaB expression and apoptosis increased from adenoma to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. This degenerative transition, recognized as key in carcinogenesis, appear to have been influenced by a diet promoting a pro-inflammatory milieu that can trigger NF-kappaB. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

A note on multi-criteria inventory classification using weighted linear optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezaei Jafar

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, Ramanathan (R., Ramanathan, ABC inventory classification with multiple-criteria using weighted linear optimization, Computer and Operations Research, 33(3 (2006 695-700 introduced a simple DEA-like model to classify inventory items on the basis of multiple criteria. However, the classification results produced by Ramanathan are not consistent with the domination concept encouraged some researchers to extend his model. In this paper, we produce the correct results and compare them to the original results and those of the extended models. We also improve this model to rank items with an optimal score of 1 using a cross-efficiency technique. The classification results are considerably different from the original results. Despite the fact that the correct results are obtained in this paper, there is no significant difference between the original model and its extensions, while the original model is more simple and suitable for the situations in which decision-maker cannot assign specific weights to individual criteria.

Involvement of nuclear factor {kappa}B in platelet CD40 signaling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hachem, Ahmed [Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Belanger, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1T 1C8 (Canada); Yacoub, Daniel [Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Belanger, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1T 1C8 (Canada); Centre Hospitalier Universite de Montreal, 264 boul. Rene-Levesque est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2X 1P1 (Canada); Zaid, Younes [Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Belanger, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1T 1C8 (Canada); Mourad, Walid [Universite de Montreal, Department of Medicine, 2900 boul. Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3T 1J4 (Canada); Centre Hospitalier Universite de Montreal, 264 boul. Rene-Levesque est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2X 1P1 (Canada); Merhi, Yahye, E-mail: yahye.merhi@icm-mhi.org [Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Montreal Heart Institute, 5000 Belanger, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1T 1C8 (Canada); Universite de Montreal, Department of Medicine, 2900 boul. Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3T 1J4 (Canada)

2012-08-17

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer sCD40L induces TRAF2 association to CD40 and NF-{kappa}B activation in platelets. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer I{kappa}B{alpha} phosphorylation downstream of CD40L/CD40 signaling is independent of p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer I{kappa}B{alpha} is required for sCD40L-induced platelet activation and potentiation of aggregation. -- Abstract: CD40 ligand (CD40L) is a thrombo-inflammatory molecule that predicts cardiovascular events. Platelets constitute the major source of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), which has been shown to potentiate platelet activation and aggregation, in a CD40-dependent manner, via p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Rac1 signaling. In many cells, the CD40L/CD40 dyad also induces activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-{kappa}B). Given that platelets contain NF-{kappa}B, we hypothesized that it may be involved in platelet CD40 signaling and function. In human platelets, sCD40L induces association of CD40 with its adaptor protein the tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 2 and triggers phosphorylation of I{kappa}B{alpha}, which are abolished by CD40L blockade. Inhibition of I{kappa}B{alpha} phosphorylation reverses sCD40L-induced I{kappa}B{alpha} phosphorylation without affecting p38 MAPK phosphorylation. On the other hand, inhibition of p38 MAPK phosphorylation has no effect on I{kappa}B{alpha} phosphorylation, indicating a divergence in the signaling pathway originating from CD40 upon its ligation. In functional studies, inhibition of I{kappa}B{alpha} phosphorylation reverses sCD40L-induced platelet activation and potentiation of platelet aggregation in response to a sub-threshold concentration of collagen. This study demonstrates that the sCD40L/CD40 axis triggers NF-{kappa}B activation in platelets. This signaling pathway plays a critical role in platelet activation and aggregation upon sCD40L stimulation and may represent an important target against thrombo

Kappa and other nonequilibrium distributions from the Fokker-Planck equation and the relationship to Tsallis entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Shizgal, Bernie D.

2018-05-01

This paper considers two nonequilibrium model systems described by linear Fokker-Planck equations for the time-dependent velocity distribution functions that yield steady state Kappa distributions for specific system parameters. The first system describes the time evolution of a charged test particle in a constant temperature heat bath of a second charged particle. The time dependence of the distribution function of the test particle is given by a Fokker-Planck equation with drift and diffusion coefficients for Coulomb collisions as well as a diffusion coefficient for wave-particle interactions. A second system involves the Fokker-Planck equation for electrons dilutely dispersed in a constant temperature heat bath of atoms or ions and subject to an external time-independent uniform electric field. The momentum transfer cross section for collisions between the two components is assumed to be a power law in reduced speed. The time-dependent Fokker-Planck equations for both model systems are solved with a numerical finite difference method and the approach to equilibrium is rationalized with the Kullback-Leibler relative entropy. For particular choices of the system parameters for both models, the steady distribution is found to be a Kappa distribution. Kappa distributions were introduced as an empirical fitting function that well describe the nonequilibrium features of the distribution functions of electrons and ions in space science as measured by satellite instruments. The calculation of the Kappa distribution from the Fokker-Planck equations provides a direct physically based dynamical approach in contrast to the nonextensive entropy formalism by Tsallis [J. Stat. Phys. 53, 479 (1988), 10.1007/BF01016429].

Kappa. -electron capture probability in sup 167 Tm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sree Krishna Murty, G.; Chandrasekhar Rao, M.V.S.; Radha Krishna, K.; Bhuloka Reddy, S.; Satyanarayana, G.; Ramana Rao, P.V.; Sastry, D.L. (Andhra Univ., Visakhapatnam (India). Labs. for Nuclear Research); Chintalapudi, S.N. (Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Calcutta (India))

1990-07-01

The {Kappa}-electron capture probability in the decay of {sup 167}Tm for the first-forbidden transition 1/2{sup +}{yields}3/2{sup -} was measured using the sum-coincidence method and employing a hyper-pure Ge system. The P{sub {Kappa}} value is found to be 0.835{plus minus}0.029, in agreement with the theoretical value of 0.829. (author).

Functional inhibition of NF-kappa B signal transduction in alpha v alpha beta 3 integrin expressing endothelial cells by using RGD-PEG-modified adenovirus with a mutant I kappa B gene

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ogawara, K; Kuldo, JM; Oosterhuis, K; Kroesen, BJ; Rots, MG; Trautwein, C; Kimura, T; Haisma, HJ; Molema, G

2006-01-01

In order to selectively block nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B)-dependent signal transduction in angiogenic endothelial cells, we constructed an alpha v beta 3 integrin specific adenovirus encoding dominant negative I kappa B (dnI kappa B) as a therapeutic gene. By virtue of RGD modification of

Kappa statistic for clustered matched-pair data.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhao; Zhou, Ming

2014-07-10

Kappa statistic is widely used to assess the agreement between two procedures in the independent matched-pair data. For matched-pair data collected in clusters, on the basis of the delta method and sampling techniques, we propose a nonparametric variance estimator for the kappa statistic without within-cluster correlation structure or distributional assumptions. The results of an extensive Monte Carlo simulation study demonstrate that the proposed kappa statistic provides consistent estimation and the proposed variance estimator behaves reasonably well for at least a moderately large number of clusters (e.g., K ≥50). Compared with the variance estimator ignoring dependence within a cluster, the proposed variance estimator performs better in maintaining the nominal coverage probability when the intra-cluster correlation is fair (ρ ≥0.3), with more pronounced improvement when ρ is further increased. To illustrate the practical application of the proposed estimator, we analyze two real data examples of clustered matched-pair data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

User's Guide to the Weighted-Multiple-Linear Regression Program (WREG version 1.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Eng, Ken; Chen, Yin-Yu; Kiang, Julie.E.

2009-01-01

Streamflow is not measured at every location in a stream network. Yet hydrologists, State and local agencies, and the general public still seek to know streamflow characteristics, such as mean annual flow or flood flows with different exceedance probabilities, at ungaged basins. The goals of this guide are to introduce and familiarize the user with the weighted multiple-linear regression (WREG) program, and to also provide the theoretical background for program features. The program is intended to be used to develop a regional estimation equation for streamflow characteristics that can be applied at an ungaged basin, or to improve the corresponding estimate at continuous-record streamflow gages with short records. The regional estimation equation results from a multiple-linear regression that relates the observable basin characteristics, such as drainage area, to streamflow characteristics.

TLR4 activates NF-{kappa}B in human ovarian granulosa tumor cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woods, Dori C., E-mail: dwoods2@partners.org [Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); White, Yvonne A.R. [Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); Dau, Caroline [University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94143 (United States); Johnson, A.L. [Center for Reproductive Biology and Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2011-06-17

Highlights: {yields} TLR4 is expressed in human ovarian granulosa tumor cells. {yields} Acting through TLR4, LPS and HSP60 induce a NF{kappa}B signaling cascade in human ovarian granulosa tumor cells. {yields} NF{kappa}B activation or inhibition did not alter chemosensitivity to TRAIL or cisplatin. -- Abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the surface epithelium of normal ovaries (OSE) and in epithelial ovarian tumors. Most notably, OSE-derived cancers express TLR4, which activates the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-{kappa}B) signaling cascade as a mediator of inflammatory response. Currently, there is considerable interest in elucidating the role of TLR-mediated signaling in cancers. Nevertheless, the expression of TLRs in granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) of the ovary, and the extent to which GCT expression of TLRs may influence cell-signaling pathways and/or modulate the efficacy of chemotherapeutics, has yet to be determined. In the present study, human GCT lines (COV434 and KGN) were utilized to evaluate expression of functional TLR4. TLR4 is expressed in GCT cell lines and ligation of TLR4 with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to I{kappa}B degradation and activation of NF-{kappa}B. NF-{kappa}B activation was confirmed by nuclear localization of NF-{kappa}B p65 following treatment with LPS and the naturally occurring ligand, HSP60. Notably, immunoneutralization of TLR4 blocked nuclear localization, and inhibition of NF-{kappa}B signaling attenuated LPS-induced TNF{alpha} plus increased doubling time in both cell lines. Contradictory to reports using human OSE cell lines, inhibition of NF-{kappa}B signaling failed to sensitize GCT lines to TRAIL or cisplatin. In summary, findings herein are the first to demonstrate a functional TLR-signaling pathway specifically in GCTs, and indicate that in contrast to OSE-derived cancers, inhibition of NF-{kappa}B does not sensitize GCTs to TRAIL or cisplatin.

Study Of Calcium And Potassium Different Nature Strength Gel Kappa-Carrageenan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Петро Васильович Гурський

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The influence of certain organic and mineral salts of potassium and calcium for strength gel kappa-carrageenan. The influence of the mass concentration of individual calcium for strength gels with different content kappa-carrageenan. Grounded mass concentration of some calcium salts for use in the composition of the jelly for sweet and savory dishes based on kappa-carrageenan

Circumvention of nuclear factor kappaB-induced chemoresistance by cytoplasmic-targeted anthracyclines.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilyeu, Jennifer D; Panta, Ganesh R; Cavin, Lakita G; Barrett, Christina M; Turner, Eddie J; Sweatman, Trevor W; Israel, Mervyn; Lothstein, Leonard; Arsura, Marcello

2004-04-01

Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) has been implicated in inducible chemoresistance against anthracyclines. In an effort to improve the cytotoxicity of anthracyclines while reducing their cardiotoxic effects, we have developed a novel class of extranuclear-localizing 14-O-acylanthracyclines that bind to the phorbol ester/diacylglycerol-binding C1b domain of conventional and novel protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, thereby promoting an apoptotic response. Because PKCs have been shown to be involved in NF-kappaB activation, in this report, we determined the mechanism of NF-kappaB activation by N-benzyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD 198) and N-benzyladriamycin-14-pivalate (AD 445), two novel 14-O-acylanthracylines. We show that the induction of NF-kappaB activity in response to drug treatment relies on the activation of PKC-delta and NF-kappaB-activating kinase (NAK), independent of ataxia telengectasia mutated and p53 activities. In turn, NAK activates the IKK complex through phosphorylation of the IKK-2 subunit. We find that neither NF-kappaB activation nor ectopic expression of Bcl-X(L) confers protection from AD 198-induced cell killing. Overall, our data indicate that activation of novel PKC isoforms by cytoplasmic-targeted 14-O-acylanthracyclines promotes an apoptotic response independent of DNA damage, which is unimpeded by inducible activation of NF-kappaB.

A Secondary Antibody-Detecting Molecular Weight Marker with Mouse and Rabbit IgG Fc Linear Epitopes for Western Blot Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wen-Wei; Chen, I-Ju; Cheng, Ta-Chun; Tung, Yi-Ching; Chu, Pei-Yu; Chuang, Chih-Hung; Hsieh, Yuan-Chin; Huang, Chien-Chiao; Wang, Yeng-Tseng; Kao, Chien-Han; Roffler, Steve R; Cheng, Tian-Lu

2016-01-01

Molecular weight markers that can tolerate denaturing conditions and be auto-detected by secondary antibodies offer great efficacy and convenience for Western Blotting. Here, we describe M&R LE protein markers which contain linear epitopes derived from the heavy chain constant regions of mouse and rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG Fc LE). These markers can be directly recognized and stained by a wide range of anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies. We selected three mouse (M1, M2 and M3) linear IgG1 and three rabbit (R1, R2 and R3) linear IgG heavy chain epitope candidates based on their respective crystal structures. Western blot analysis indicated that M2 and R2 linear epitopes are effectively recognized by anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies, respectively. We fused the M2 and R2 epitopes (M&R LE) and incorporated the polypeptide in a range of 15-120 kDa auto-detecting markers (M&R LE protein marker). The M&R LE protein marker can be auto-detected by anti-mouse and anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibodies in standard immunoblots. Linear regression analysis of the M&R LE protein marker plotted as gel mobility versus the log of the marker molecular weights revealed good linearity with a correlation coefficient R2 value of 0.9965, indicating that the M&R LE protein marker displays high accuracy for determining protein molecular weights. This accurate, regular and auto-detected M&R LE protein marker may provide a simple, efficient and economical tool for protein analysis.

Quantifying feedforward control: a linear scaling model for fingertip forces and object weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Ying; Bilaloglu, Seda; Aluru, Viswanath; Raghavan, Preeti

2015-07-01

The ability to predict the optimal fingertip forces according to object properties before the object is lifted is known as feedforward control, and it is thought to occur due to the formation of internal representations of the object's properties. The control of fingertip forces to objects of different weights has been studied extensively by using a custom-made grip device instrumented with force sensors. Feedforward control is measured by the rate of change of the vertical (load) force before the object is lifted. However, the precise relationship between the rate of change of load force and object weight and how it varies across healthy individuals in a population is not clearly understood. Using sets of 10 different weights, we have shown that there is a log-linear relationship between the fingertip load force rates and weight among neurologically intact individuals. We found that after one practice lift, as the weight increased, the peak load force rate (PLFR) increased by a fixed percentage, and this proportionality was common among the healthy subjects. However, at any given weight, the level of PLFR varied across individuals and was related to the efficiency of the muscles involved in lifting the object, in this case the wrist and finger extensor muscles. These results quantify feedforward control during grasp and lift among healthy individuals and provide new benchmarks to interpret data from neurologically impaired populations as well as a means to assess the effect of interventions on restoration of feedforward control and its relationship to muscular control. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Method validation using weighted linear regression models for quantification of UV filters in water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Claudia Pereira; Emídio, Elissandro Soares; de Marchi, Mary Rosa Rodrigues

2015-01-01

This paper describes the validation of a method consisting of solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of the ultraviolet (UV) filters benzophenone-3, ethylhexyl salicylate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene. The method validation criteria included evaluation of selectivity, analytical curve, trueness, precision, limits of detection and limits of quantification. The non-weighted linear regression model has traditionally been used for calibration, but it is not necessarily the optimal model in all cases. Because the assumption of homoscedasticity was not met for the analytical data in this work, a weighted least squares linear regression was used for the calibration method. The evaluated analytical parameters were satisfactory for the analytes and showed recoveries at four fortification levels between 62% and 107%, with relative standard deviations less than 14%. The detection limits ranged from 7.6 to 24.1 ng L(-1). The proposed method was used to determine the amount of UV filters in water samples from water treatment plants in Araraquara and Jau in São Paulo, Brazil. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Associations of infant feeding and timing of linear growth and relative weight gain during early life with childhood body composition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beer, M.; Vrijkotte, T.G.M.; Fall, C.H.D.; Eijsden, M.; Osmond, C.; Gemke, R.J.B.J.

2015-01-01

Background:Growth and feeding during infancy have been associated with later life body mass index. However, the associations of infant feeding, linear growth and weight gain relative to linear growth with separate components of body composition remain unclear.Methods:Of 5551 children with collected

Associations of infant feeding and timing of linear growth and relative weight gain during early life with childhood body composition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beer, M.; Vrijkotte, T. G. M.; Fall, C. H. D.; van Eijsden, M.; Osmond, C.; Gemke, R. J. B. J.

2015-01-01

Growth and feeding during infancy have been associated with later life body mass index. However, the associations of infant feeding, linear growth and weight gain relative to linear growth with separate components of body composition remain unclear. Of 5551 children with collected growth and

Evaluation of linear regression techniques for atmospheric applications: the importance of appropriate weighting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Wu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Linear regression techniques are widely used in atmospheric science, but they are often improperly applied due to lack of consideration or inappropriate handling of measurement uncertainty. In this work, numerical experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of five linear regression techniques, significantly extending previous works by Chu and Saylor. The five techniques are ordinary least squares (OLS, Deming regression (DR, orthogonal distance regression (ODR, weighted ODR (WODR, and York regression (YR. We first introduce a new data generation scheme that employs the Mersenne twister (MT pseudorandom number generator. The numerical simulations are also improved by (a refining the parameterization of nonlinear measurement uncertainties, (b inclusion of a linear measurement uncertainty, and (c inclusion of WODR for comparison. Results show that DR, WODR and YR produce an accurate slope, but the intercept by WODR and YR is overestimated and the degree of bias is more pronounced with a low R2 XY dataset. The importance of a properly weighting parameter λ in DR is investigated by sensitivity tests, and it is found that an improper λ in DR can lead to a bias in both the slope and intercept estimation. Because the λ calculation depends on the actual form of the measurement error, it is essential to determine the exact form of measurement error in the XY data during the measurement stage. If a priori error in one of the variables is unknown, or the measurement error described cannot be trusted, DR, WODR and YR can provide the least biases in slope and intercept among all tested regression techniques. For these reasons, DR, WODR and YR are recommended for atmospheric studies when both X and Y data have measurement errors. An Igor Pro-based program (Scatter Plot was developed to facilitate the implementation of error-in-variables regressions.

Evaluation of linear regression techniques for atmospheric applications: the importance of appropriate weighting

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Cheng; Zhen Yu, Jian

2018-03-01

Linear regression techniques are widely used in atmospheric science, but they are often improperly applied due to lack of consideration or inappropriate handling of measurement uncertainty. In this work, numerical experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of five linear regression techniques, significantly extending previous works by Chu and Saylor. The five techniques are ordinary least squares (OLS), Deming regression (DR), orthogonal distance regression (ODR), weighted ODR (WODR), and York regression (YR). We first introduce a new data generation scheme that employs the Mersenne twister (MT) pseudorandom number generator. The numerical simulations are also improved by (a) refining the parameterization of nonlinear measurement uncertainties, (b) inclusion of a linear measurement uncertainty, and (c) inclusion of WODR for comparison. Results show that DR, WODR and YR produce an accurate slope, but the intercept by WODR and YR is overestimated and the degree of bias is more pronounced with a low R2 XY dataset. The importance of a properly weighting parameter λ in DR is investigated by sensitivity tests, and it is found that an improper λ in DR can lead to a bias in both the slope and intercept estimation. Because the λ calculation depends on the actual form of the measurement error, it is essential to determine the exact form of measurement error in the XY data during the measurement stage. If a priori error in one of the variables is unknown, or the measurement error described cannot be trusted, DR, WODR and YR can provide the least biases in slope and intercept among all tested regression techniques. For these reasons, DR, WODR and YR are recommended for atmospheric studies when both X and Y data have measurement errors. An Igor Pro-based program (Scatter Plot) was developed to facilitate the implementation of error-in-variables regressions.

NF-kappaB signaling: a tale of two pathways in skeletal myogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakkar, Nadine; Guttridge, Denis C

2010-04-01

NF-kappaB is a ubiquitiously expressed transcription factor that plays vital roles in innate immunity and other processes involving cellular survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Activation of NF-kappaB is controlled by an IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex that can direct either canonical (classical) NF-kappaB signaling by degrading the IkappaB inhibitor and releasing p65/p50 dimers to the nucleus, or causes p100 processing and nuclear translocation of RelB/p52 via a noncanonical (alternative) pathway. Under physiological conditions, NF-kappaB activity is transiently regulated, whereas constitutive activation of this transcription factor typically in the classical pathway is associated with a multitude of disease conditions, including those related to skeletal muscle. How NF-kappaB functions in muscle diseases is currently under intense investigation. Insight into this role of NF-kappaB may be gained by understanding at a more basic level how this transcription factor contributes to skeletal muscle cell differentiation. Recent data from knockout mice support that the classical NF-kappaB pathway functions as an inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis and muscle regeneration acting through multiple mechanisms. In contrast, alternative NF-kappaB signaling does not appear to be required for myofiber conversion, but instead functions in myotube homeostasis by regulating mitochondrial biogenesis. Additional knowledge of these signaling pathways in skeletal myogenesis should aid in the development of specific inhibitors that may be useful in treatments of muscle disorders.

Clinical validation of nuclear factor kappa B expression in invasive breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Anil Kumar; Pielka, Ewa; Lipinski, Artur; Jelen, Michal; Kielan, Wojciech; Agrawal, Siddarth

2018-01-01

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Polish women. The expression of transcription nuclear factor kappa B, a key inducer of inflammatory response promoting carcinogenesis and cancer progression in breast cancer, is not well-established. We assessed the nuclear factor kappa B expression in a total of 119 invasive breast carcinomas and 25 healthy control samples and correlated this expression pattern with several clinical and pathologic parameters including histologic type and grade, tumor size, lymph node status, estrogen receptor status, and progesterone receptor status. The data used for the analysis were derived from medical records. An immunohistochemical analysis of nuclear factor kappa B, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor was carried out and evaluation of stainings was performed. The expression of nuclear factor kappa B was significantly higher than that in the corresponding healthy control samples. No statistical difference was demonstrated in nuclear factor kappa B expression in relation to age, menopausal status, lymph node status, tumor size and location, grade and histologic type of tumor, and hormonal status (estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor). Nuclear factor kappa B is significantly overexpressed in invasive breast cancer tissues. Although nuclear factor kappa B status does not correlate with clinicopathological findings, it might provide important additional information on prognosis and become a promising object for targeted therapy.

Proton density-weighted MR imaging of the knee: fat suppression versus without fat suppression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, So-Yeon; Kim, Sun Ki [Catholic University of Korea, Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Won-Hee [Catholic University of Korea, Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Catholic University of Korea, Diagnostic Radiology, Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung-Man [Catholic University of Korea, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-02-15

To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of proton density-weighted imaging with and without fat suppression for detecting meniscal tears. The study involved 48 patients who underwent arthroscopy less than 3 months after proton density-weighted imaging with and without fat suppression. Sagittal images were independently reviewed by two radiologists for the presence of meniscal tears. Medial and lateral menisci were separately analyzed in terms of anterior horn, body, and posterior horn. Interobserver agreement was assessed using {kappa} coefficients. The McNemar test was used to determine any differences between the two methods in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Arthroscopy findings were used as the diagnostic reference standard. Arthroscopy revealed 71 tears involving 85 meniscal segments: 34 medial meniscal segments and 51 lateral meniscal segments. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each radiologist were 95% (81/85), 92% (186/203), and 93% (267/288), and 93% (79/85), 93% (189/203), and 93% (268/288) when using fat-suppressed proton density-weighted imaging, and 91% (77/85), 93% (189/203), and 92% (266/288), and 91% (77/85), 93% (188/203), and 92% (265/288) when using proton density-weighted imaging without fat suppression, respectively. Interobserver agreement for meniscal tears was very high with proton-weighted imaging with ({kappa} = 0.87) or without ({kappa} = 0.86) fat suppression. There were no significant differences for detection of medial meniscal tears when using proton density-weighted imaging with or without fat suppression for both readers (p > 0.05). Fat-suppressed proton density-weighted imaging can replace proton density-weighted imaging without fat suppression for the detection of meniscal tears. (orig.)

Improvement of Pulping Uniformity by Measurement of Single Fiber Kappa Number

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richard R. Gustafson; James B. Callis

2001-11-20

A method to measure the kappa of single fibers by staining with a fluorescent dye, Acridine Orange (AO), has been developed. This method is now applied to develop and automated flow-through instrument that permits routine kappa analysis on thousands of images of AO stained fibers to give the fiber kappa number distribution of a pulp sample in a few minutes. The design and operation of the instrument are similar to that of a flow cytometer but with the addition of extensive fiber imaging capability. Fluorescence measurements in the flow-through instrument are found to be consistent with those made with fluorescence microscope provided the signal processing in the flow-thou instrument is handled propertly. The kappa distributions of pulps that were analyzed by means of a density gradient column are compared to those measured with the flow-through instrument with good results. The kappa distributions of various laboratory pulps and commercial pulps have been measured. It has been found that all pulps are non-uniform but that ommercial pulps generally have broader kappa distributions thatn their laboratory counterparts. The effects of different pulping methods and chip pretreatments on pulp uniformity are discussed in the report. Finally, the application of flow-through fluorescence technology to other single fiber measurements are presented.

Purinergic signaling is required for fluid shear stress-induced NF-{kappa}B translocation in osteoblasts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Genetos, Damian C., E-mail: dgenetos@ucdavis.edu [Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA (United States); Karin, Norman J. [Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States); Geist, Derik J. [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN (United States); Donahue, Henry J. [Division of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA (United States); Duncan, Randall L. [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN (United States)

2011-04-01

Fluid shear stress regulates gene expression in osteoblasts, in part by activation of the transcription factor NF-{kappa}B. We examined whether this process was under the control of purinoceptor activation. MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts under static conditions expressed the NF-{kappa}B inhibitory protein I{kappa}B{alpha} and exhibited cytosolic localization of NF-{kappa}B. Under fluid shear stress, I{kappa}B{alpha} levels decreased, and concomitant nuclear localization of NF-{kappa}B was observed. Cells exposed to fluid shear stress in ATP-depleted medium exhibited no significant reduction in I{kappa}B{alpha}, and NF-{kappa}B remained within the cytosol. Similar results were found using oxidized ATP or Brilliant Blue G, P2X{sub 7} receptor antagonists, indicating that the P2X{sub 7} receptor is responsible for fluid shear-stress-induced I{kappa}B{alpha} degradation and nuclear accumulation of NF-{kappa}B. Pharmacologic blockage of the P2Y6 receptor also prevented shear-induced I{kappa}B{alpha} degradation. These phenomena involved neither ERK1/2 signaling nor autocrine activation by P2X{sub 7}-generated lysophosphatidic acid. Our results suggest that fluid shear stress regulates NF-{kappa}B activity through the P2Y{sub 6} and P2X{sub 7} receptor.

Characterization of immunoglobulin A kappa autoantibodies to human lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme-3

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weijers, R. N.; Oude Elferink, R. P.; Mulder, J.; Kruijswijk, H.

1987-01-01

We have purified with a cumulative recovery of 48% from the serum of a patient the immunoglobulin A kappa subunit of the lactate dehydrogenase-immunoglobulin A kappa (LD-IgA kappa) complex. It appears that the pI range of the complex is 5.4-5.8. The Ig part of the complex showed a monoclonal

Ion and electron Kappa distribution functions in the plasma sheet.

Science.gov (United States)

Moya, P. S.; Stepanova, M. V.; Espinoza, C.; Antonova, E. E.; Valdivia, J. A.

2017-12-01

We present a study of ion and electron flux spectra in the Earth's plasma sheet using kappa distribution functions. Satellite data from the THEMIS mission were collected for thousands of crossings through the plasma sheet, between 7 and 35 Re and during the years 2008-2009. The events were separated according to the geomagnetic activity at the time. Our results show the distribution of the kappa index and characteristic energies across the plasma sheet and its evolution with distance to Earth for quiet times and for the substorm expansion and recovery phases. For the ions, it is observed that the kappa values tend to decrease outwards and that this effect is more significant in the dusk sector, where the smallest values are found for distances beyond 15 Re. The main effect of the substorms appears as an enhancement of this behavior. The electrons show a much more homogeneous distribution in quiet times, with a mild tendency for larger kappa values at larger distances. During substorms, the kappa values tend to equalize and appear very homogenous during expansion. However, they exhibit a significant increase in the dusk sector during the recovery substorm phase. Finally, we observe that the characteristic energy of the particles during substorms increases and concentrate at distances less than 15 Re.

Modulation of the NF-kappaB pathway by Bordetella pertussis filamentous hemagglutinin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tzvia Abramson

Full Text Available Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA is a cell-associated and secreted adhesin produced by Bordetella pertussis with pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory activity in host cells. Given the importance of the NF-kappaB transcription factor family in these host cell responses, we examined the effect of FHA on NF-kappaB activation in macrophages and bronchial epithelial cells, both of which are relevant cell types during natural infection.Exposure to FHA of primary human monocytes and transformed U-937 macrophages, but not BEAS-2B epithelial cells, resulted in early activation of the NF-kappaB pathway, as manifested by the degradation of cytosolic IkappaB alpha, by NF-kappaB DNA binding, and by the subsequent secretion of NF-kappaB-regulated inflammatory cytokines. However, exposure of macrophages and human monocytes to FHA for two hours or more resulted in the accumulation of cytosolic IkappaB alpha, and the failure of TNF-alpha to activate NF-kappaB. Proteasome activity was attenuated following exposure of cells to FHA for 2 hours, as was the nuclear translocation of RelA in BEAS-2B cells.These results reveal a complex temporal dynamic, and suggest that despite short term effects to the contrary, longer exposures of host cells to this secreted adhesin may block NF-kappaB activation, and perhaps lead to a compromised immune response to this bacterial pathogen.

Kappa statistic to measure agreement beyond chance in free-response assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpentier, Marc; Combescure, Christophe; Merlini, Laura; Perneger, Thomas V

2017-04-19

The usual kappa statistic requires that all observations be enumerated. However, in free-response assessments, only positive (or abnormal) findings are notified, but negative (or normal) findings are not. This situation occurs frequently in imaging or other diagnostic studies. We propose here a kappa statistic that is suitable for free-response assessments. We derived the equivalent of Cohen's kappa statistic for two raters under the assumption that the number of possible findings for any given patient is very large, as well as a formula for sampling variance that is applicable to independent observations (for clustered observations, a bootstrap procedure is proposed). The proposed statistic was applied to a real-life dataset, and compared with the common practice of collapsing observations within a finite number of regions of interest. The free-response kappa is computed from the total numbers of discordant (b and c) and concordant positive (d) observations made in all patients, as 2d/(b + c + 2d). In 84 full-body magnetic resonance imaging procedures in children that were evaluated by 2 independent raters, the free-response kappa statistic was 0.820. Aggregation of results within regions of interest resulted in overestimation of agreement beyond chance. The free-response kappa provides an estimate of agreement beyond chance in situations where only positive findings are reported by raters.

Stevioside ameliorates high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance and adipose tissue inflammation by downregulating the NF-{kappa}B pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhiquan; Xue, Liqiong; Guo, Cuicui; Han, Bing; Pan, Chunming; Zhao, Shuangxia; Song, Huaidong [State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025 (China); Ma, Qinyun, E-mail: qinyunma@126.com [State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025 (China)

2012-01-27

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stevioside ameliorates high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stevioside alleviates the adipose tissue inflammation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stevioside reduces macrophages infiltration into the adipose tissue. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stevioside suppresses the activation of NF-{kappa}B in the adipose tissue. -- Abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that adipose tissue is the main source of pro-inflammatory molecules that predispose individuals to insulin resistance. Stevioside (SVS) is a widely used sweetener with multiple beneficial effects for diabetic patients. In this study, we investigated the effect of SVS on insulin resistance and the pro-inflammatory state of adipose tissue in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Oral administration of SVS for 1 month had no effect on body weight, but it significantly improved fasting glucose, basal insulin levels, glucose tolerance and whole body insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, these changes were accompanied with decreased expression levels of several inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue, including TNF-{alpha}, IL6, IL10, IL1{beta}, KC, MIP-1{alpha}, CD11b and CD14. Moreover, macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue was remarkably reduced by SVS. Finally, SVS significantly suppressed the nuclear factor-kappa b (NF-{kappa}B) signaling pathway in adipose tissue. Collectively, these results suggested that SVS may ameliorate insulin resistance in HFD-fed mice by attenuating adipose tissue inflammation and inhibiting the NF-{kappa}B pathway.

Is NF-kappaB a good target for cancer therapy? Hopes and pitfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Baud, Véronique; Karin, Michael

2009-01-01

Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factors have a key role in many physiological processes such as innate and adaptive immune responses, cell proliferation, cell death, and inflammation. It has become clear that aberrant regulation of NF-kappaB and the signalling pathways that control its activity are involved in cancer development and progression, as well as in resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This article discusses recent evidence from cancer genetics and cancer genome studies that support the involvement of NF-kappaB in human cancer, particularly in multiple myeloma. The therapeutic potential and benefit of targeting NF-kappaB in cancer, and the possible complications and pitfalls of such an approach, are explored.

PENGARUH KONSUMSI KAPPA-KARAGENAN TERHADAP GLUKOSA DARAH TIKUS WISTAR (Ratus norvegicus DIABETES [The Effect of Kappa-Carrageenan Consumption on Blood Glucose Level of Diabetic Wistar Rat (Ratus norwegicus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hardoko

2006-04-01

Full Text Available The effect of kappa-carrageenan consumption on blood glucose level were studied on diabetic male wistar rat (Ratus norvegicus.The rats were made diabetic by aloxan injection, and then were given that a ration contains 5, 10, 15, 20% (w/w kappa-carrageenan, standard ration (negative control, and parental glibenklamid (positive control. The results showed that the standard ration could not reduce blood glucose from hyperglycemic to normal level, while the ration contained kappacarrageenan could. The higher kappa-carrageenan seaweed level in the ration has higher capacity to decrease blood glucose level. The ration containing 20% and 15% kappa-carrageenan could reduce blood glucose in 18 and 21 days, respectively.The effect of this ration was similar to that of glibenklamid which reduced blood glucose to normal level in 18 days. The ration containing 5 and 10% kappa-carrageenan could reduce blood glucose level; Blood glucose leve return to normal on the 21st day.

Nomogram for sample size calculation on a straightforward basis for the kappa statistic.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Hyunsook; Choi, Yunhee; Hahn, Seokyung; Park, Sue Kyung; Park, Byung-Joo

2014-09-01

Kappa is a widely used measure of agreement. However, it may not be straightforward in some situation such as sample size calculation due to the kappa paradox: high agreement but low kappa. Hence, it seems reasonable in sample size calculation that the level of agreement under a certain marginal prevalence is considered in terms of a simple proportion of agreement rather than a kappa value. Therefore, sample size formulae and nomograms using a simple proportion of agreement rather than a kappa under certain marginal prevalences are proposed. A sample size formula was derived using the kappa statistic under the common correlation model and goodness-of-fit statistic. The nomogram for the sample size formula was developed using SAS 9.3. The sample size formulae using a simple proportion of agreement instead of a kappa statistic and nomograms to eliminate the inconvenience of using a mathematical formula were produced. A nomogram for sample size calculation with a simple proportion of agreement should be useful in the planning stages when the focus of interest is on testing the hypothesis of interobserver agreement involving two raters and nominal outcome measures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the interpretation of weight vectors of linear models in multivariate neuroimaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Haufe, Stefan; Meinecke, Frank; Görgen, Kai; Dähne, Sven; Haynes, John-Dylan; Blankertz, Benjamin; Bießmann, Felix

2014-02-15

The increase in spatiotemporal resolution of neuroimaging devices is accompanied by a trend towards more powerful multivariate analysis methods. Often it is desired to interpret the outcome of these methods with respect to the cognitive processes under study. Here we discuss which methods allow for such interpretations, and provide guidelines for choosing an appropriate analysis for a given experimental goal: For a surgeon who needs to decide where to remove brain tissue it is most important to determine the origin of cognitive functions and associated neural processes. In contrast, when communicating with paralyzed or comatose patients via brain-computer interfaces, it is most important to accurately extract the neural processes specific to a certain mental state. These equally important but complementary objectives require different analysis methods. Determining the origin of neural processes in time or space from the parameters of a data-driven model requires what we call a forward model of the data; such a model explains how the measured data was generated from the neural sources. Examples are general linear models (GLMs). Methods for the extraction of neural information from data can be considered as backward models, as they attempt to reverse the data generating process. Examples are multivariate classifiers. Here we demonstrate that the parameters of forward models are neurophysiologically interpretable in the sense that significant nonzero weights are only observed at channels the activity of which is related to the brain process under study. In contrast, the interpretation of backward model parameters can lead to wrong conclusions regarding the spatial or temporal origin of the neural signals of interest, since significant nonzero weights may also be observed at channels the activity of which is statistically independent of the brain process under study. As a remedy for the linear case, we propose a procedure for transforming backward models into forward

Mitochondria mediate tumor necrosis factor-alpha/NF-kappaB signaling in skeletal muscle myotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y. P.; Atkins, C. M.; Sweatt, J. D.; Reid, M. B.; Hamilton, S. L. (Principal Investigator)

1999-01-01

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is implicated in muscle atrophy and weakness associated with a variety of chronic diseases. Recently, we reported that TNF-alpha directly induces muscle protein degradation in differentiated skeletal muscle myotubes, where it rapidly activates nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). We also have found that protein loss induced by TNF-alpha is NF-kappaB dependent. In the present study, we analyzed the signaling pathway by which TNF-alpha activates NF-kappaB in myotubes differentiated from C2C12 and rat primary myoblasts. We found that activation of NF-kappaB by TNF-alpha was blocked by rotenone or amytal, inhibitors of complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. On the other hand, antimycin A, an inhibitor of complex III, enhanced TNF-alpha activation of NK-kappaB. These results suggest a key role of mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mediating NF-kappaB activation in muscle. In addition, we found that TNF-alpha stimulated protein kinase C (PKC) activity. However, other signal transduction mediators including ceramide, Ca2+, phospholipase A2 (PLA2), and nitric oxide (NO) do not appear to be involved in the activation of NF-kappaB.

Kappa opioid receptors stimulate phosphoinositide turnover in rat brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Periyasamy, S.; Hoss, W. (Univ. of Toledo, OH (USA))

1990-01-01

The effects of various subtype-selective opioid agonists and antagonists on the phosphoinositide (PI) turnover response were investigated in the rat brain. The {kappa}-agonists U-50,488H and ketocyclazocine produced a concentration-dependent increase in the accumulation of IP's in hippocampal slices. The other {kappa}-agonists Dynorphin-A (1-13) amide, and its protected analog D(Ala){sup 2}-dynorphin-A (1-13) amide also produced a significant increase in the formation of ({sup 3}H)-IP's, whereas the {mu}-selective agonists (D-Ala{sup 2}-N-Me-Phe{sup 4}-Gly{sup 5}-ol)-enkephalin and morphine and the {delta}-selective agonist (D-Pen{sup 2,5})-enkephalin were ineffective. The increase in IP's formation elicited by U-50,488H was partially antagonized by naloxone and more completely antagonized by the {kappa}-selective antagonists nor-binaltorphimine and MR 2266. The formation of IP's induced by U-50,488H varies with the regions of the brain used, being highest in hippocampus and amygdala, and lowest in striatum and pons-medullar. The results indicate that brain {kappa}- but neither {mu}- nor {delta}- receptors are coupled to the PI turnover response.

Distribution of kappa opioid receptors in the brain of young and old male rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maggi, R.; Limonta, P.; Dondi, D.; Martini, L.; Piva, F.

1989-01-01

The experiments to be described have been designed in order to: (a) provide new information on the concentrations of opioid kappa receptors in different regions of the brain of the male rats; and (b) to analyze whether the density of brain kappa receptors might be modified by the process of aging. The concentration of kappa receptors was investigated in the hypothalamus, amygdala, mesencephalon, corpus striatum, hippocampus, thalamus, frontal poles, anterior and posterior cortex collected from male rats of 2 and 19 months of age. 3 H-bremazocine (BRZ) was used as the ligand of kappa receptors, after protection of mu and delta receptors respectively with dihydromorphine and d-ala-d-leu-enkephalin. The results obtained show that: (1) in young male rats, the number of kappa opioid receptors is different in the various brain areas examined. (2) Aging exerts little influence on the number of kappa receptors in the majority of the brain structures considered. However in the amygdala and in the thalamus the number of kappa receptors was increased in old animals

Chinese parents' perceptions of their children's weights and their relationship to parenting behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, X; Hui, S S C

2011-05-01

The purpose of this study is to examine Chinese parents' perceptions of their children's weights and explore the parenting behaviours associated with these perceptions. A total of 2143 adolescents and 1869 parents were recruited from secondary schools in Ganzhou and Shantou in China. The adolescents' actual weights and heights were measured by trained testers. The self-reported parents' weights and heights, parental perception of the adolescents' weights, adolescents' perception of their own weights, parenting behaviours and demographic information were collected through the questionnaires distributed to the respondents. The results based on Kappa statistics show only a slight agreement between parental perception of their children's weights and the adolescents' actual weights (Kappa = 0.221). The results from the logistic regression show that the parents' gender [odds ratio (OR) = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64-1.00], adolescents' gender (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.29-2.01) and perception of their own weights (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.24-0.38) are associated with the parents' perception of their children's weights. Statistically significant difference in several parenting behaviours was found between the parents with correct and incorrect perceptions of their children's weight. Misconceptions about their children's weights are prevalent among Chinese parents. The association between parents' perception of their children's weight and parenting behaviours suggests that the accurate classification of children's weights could help prevent childhood obesity. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Regulation of NF-{kappa}B activity in astrocytes: effects of flavonoids at dietary-relevant concentrations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spilsbury, Alison [Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB (United Kingdom); Vauzour, David; Spencer, Jeremy P.E. [Molecular Nutrition Group, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AP (United Kingdom); Rattray, Marcus, E-mail: m.a.n.rattray@reading.ac.uk [Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB (United Kingdom)

2012-02-17

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We tested the hypothesis that low concentrations of flavonoids inhibit NF-{kappa}B in astrocytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Primary cultured astrocytes possess a functional {kappa}B-system, measured using luciferase assays. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Seven flavonoids (100 nM-1 {mu}M) failed to reduce NF-{kappa}B activity in astrocytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Four flavonoids (100 nM-1 {mu}M) failed to reduce TNFa-stimulated NF-{kappa}B activity in astrocytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer (-)-Epicatechin did not regulate nuclear translocation of the NF-{kappa}B subunit, p65. -- Abstract: Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Sustained activation of nuclear transcription factor {kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Flavonoids have been shown to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and we investigated whether flavonoids, at submicromolar concentrations relevant to their bioavailability from the diet, were able to modulate NF-{kappa}B signalling in astrocytes. Using luciferase reporter assays, we found that tumour necrosis factor (TNF{alpha}, 150 ng/ml) increased NF-{kappa}B-mediated transcription in primary cultures of mouse cortical astrocytes, which was abolished on co-transfection of a dominant-negative I{kappa}B{alpha} construct. In addition, TNF{alpha} increased nuclear localisation of p65 as shown by immunocytochemistry. To investigate potential flavonoid modulation of NF-{kappa}B activity, astrocytes were treated with flavonoids from different classes; flavan-3-ols ((-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin), flavones (luteolin and chrysin), a flavonol (kaempferol) or the flavanones (naringenin and hesperetin) at dietary-relevant concentrations (0.1-1 {mu}M) for 18 h. None of the flavonoids modulated constitutive or

Radiation transmission of heavyweight and normal-weight concretes containing colemanite for 6 MV and 18 MV X-rays using linear accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demir, F.; Budak, G.; Sahin, R.; Karabulut, A.; Oltulu, M.; Serifoglu, K.; Un, A.

2010-01-01

Accurate measurements have been made to determine radiation transmission of concretes produced with barite, colemanite and normal aggregate by using beam transmission method for 6 and 18 MV X-rays with a linear accelerator (LINAC). Linear attenuation coefficients of thirteen heavy- and four normal-weight concretes were calculated. It was determined that linear attenuation coefficient (μ, cm -1 ) decreased with colemanite concentration and increased with barite concentration in both types of the concretes.

The linear programming bound for binary linear codes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, A.E.

1993-01-01

Combining Delsarte's (1973) linear programming bound with the information that certain weights cannot occur, new upper bounds for dmin (n,k), the maximum possible minimum distance of a binary linear code with given word length n and dimension k, are derived.

Pulsed NMR studies of crosslinking and entanglements in high molecular weight linear polydimethylsiloxanes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Folland, R.; Charlesby, A.

1977-01-01

Pulsed NMR studies of proton spin relaxation are used to investigate both radiation-induced cross linking and entanglements in three high molecular weight linear polydimethylsiloxanes (Msub(w) = 26,000, 63,000 and 110,000). Particular emphasis is placed on the spin-spin relaxation since this is determined by the slower relative translational motions of the polymer chains and hence profoundly affected by the presence of intermolecular couplings such as crosslinks or entanglements. The spin-lattice relaxation times, T 1 , are determined by the fast anisotropic chain rotations and are rather insensitive to such intermolecular couplings. The spin-spin relaxation in these materials is represented by a double exponential decay involving two time constants, Tsub(2S) and Tsub(2L). The shorter component, Tsub(2S), is attributed to network material, which may be either of a dynamic form arising from temporary entanglements or of a permanent nature due to crosslinks. The concentration of entanglements depends on the initial molecular weight of the sample whereas the concentration of crosslinks is a function of the radiation dose. The longer component, Tsub(2L), is attributed to the non-network molecules. On the time scale of the NMR measurements the entanglements are shown to act in the same way as crosslinks. The variation of the relative proportions of network and non-network material with dose is shown to be accounted for by using standard gelation theory when allowance is made for the initial effective crosslink density due to entanglements. The analysis provides a value for the average molecular weight per entanglement point of 27,000 +- 1000 which is consistent with the critical molecular weight for entanglements of 29,000. The dependences of Tsub(2S) and Tsub(2L) on dose and molecular weight are also discussed in terms of the molecular motion. (author)

Immunoglobulin gene expression and regulation of rearrangement in kappa transgenic mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritchie, K.A.

1986-01-01

Transgenic mice were produced by microinjection of the functionally rearranged immunoglobulin kappa gene from the myeloma MOPC-21 into the male pronucleus of fertilized mouse eggs, and implantation of the microinjected embryos into foster mothers. Mice that integrated the injected gene were detected by hybridizing tail DNA dots with radioactively labelled pBR322 plasmid DNA, which detects pBR322 sequences left as a tag on the microinjected DNA. Mice that integrated the injected gene (six males) were mated and the DNA, RNA and serum kappa chains of their offspring were analyzed. A rabbit anti-mouse kappa chain antiserum was also produced for use in detection of mouse kappa chains on protein blots. Hybridomas were produced from the spleen cells of these kappa transgenic mice to immortalize representative B cells and to investigate expression of the transgenic kappa gene, its effect on allelic exclusion, and its effect on the control of light chain gene rearrangement and expression. The results show that the microinjected DNA is integrated as concatamers in unique single or, rarely, two separate sites in the genome. The concatamers are composed of several copies (16 to 64) of injected DNA arranged in a head to tail fashion. The transgene is expressed into protein normally and in a tissue specific fashion. For the first time in these transgenic mice, all tissues contain a functionally rearranged and potentially expressible immunoglobulin gene. The transgene is expressed only in B cells and not in hepatocytes, for example. This indicates that rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes is necessary but not sufficient for the tissue specific expression of these genes by B cells

Improvement of resolution in full-view linear-array photoacoustic computed tomography using a novel adaptive weighting method

Science.gov (United States)

Omidi, Parsa; Diop, Mamadou; Carson, Jeffrey; Nasiriavanaki, Mohammadreza

2017-03-01

Linear-array-based photoacoustic computed tomography is a popular methodology for deep and high resolution imaging. However, issues such as phase aberration, side-lobe effects, and propagation limitations deteriorate the resolution. The effect of phase aberration due to acoustic attenuation and constant assumption of the speed of sound (SoS) can be reduced by applying an adaptive weighting method such as the coherence factor (CF). Utilizing an adaptive beamforming algorithm such as the minimum variance (MV) can improve the resolution at the focal point by eliminating the side-lobes. Moreover, invisibility of directional objects emitting parallel to the detection plane, such as vessels and other absorbing structures stretched in the direction perpendicular to the detection plane can degrade resolution. In this study, we propose a full-view array level weighting algorithm in which different weighs are assigned to different positions of the linear array based on an orientation algorithm which uses the histogram of oriented gradient (HOG). Simulation results obtained from a synthetic phantom show the superior performance of the proposed method over the existing reconstruction methods.

A new structural class of proteasome inhibitors that prevent NF-kappa B activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lum, R T; Kerwar, S S; Meyer, S M; Nelson, M G; Schow, S R; Shiffman, D; Wick, M M; Joly, A

1998-05-01

The multicatalytic proteinase or proteasome is a highly conserved cellular structure that is responsible for the ATP-dependent proteolysis of many proteins involved in important regulatory cellular processes. We have identified a novel class of inhibitors of the chymotrypsin-like proteolytic activity of the 20S proteasome that exhibit IC50 values ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 microgram/mL (0.1 to 1 microM). In cell proliferation assays, these compounds inhibit growth with an IC50 ranging from 5 to 10 micrograms/mL (10-20 microM). A representative member of this class of inhibitors was tested in other biological assays. CVT-634 (5-methoxy-1-indanone-3-acetyl-leu-D-leu-1-indanylamide) prevented lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-, and phorbol ester-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) in vitro by preventing signal-induced degradation of I kappa B-alpha. In these studies, the I kappa B-alpha that accumulated was hyperphosphorylated, indicating that CVT-634 did not inhibit I kappa B-alpha kinase, the enzyme responsible for signal-induced phosphorylation of I kappa B-alpha. In vivo studies indicated that CVT-634 prevented LPS-induced TNF synthesis in a murine macrophage cell line. In addition, in mice pretreated with CVT-634 at 25 and 50 mg/kg and subsequently treated with LPS, serum TNF levels were significantly lower (225 +/- 59 and 83 +/- 41 pg/mL, respectively) than in those mice that were treated only with LPS (865 +/- 282 pg/mL). These studies suggest that specific inhibition of the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome is sufficient to prevent signal-induced NF-kappa B activation and that the proteasome is a novel target for the identification of agents that may be useful in the treatment of diseases whose etiology is dependent upon the activation of NF-kappa B.

Nuclear factor-kappaB activation correlates with better prognosis and Akt activation in human gastric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byung Lan; Lee, Hye Seung; Jung, Jieun; Cho, Sung Jin; Chung, Hee-Yong; Kim, Woo Ho; Jin, Young-Woo; Kim, Chong Soon; Nam, Seon Young

2005-04-01

Because the biological significance of constitutive nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in human gastric cancer is unclear, we undertook this study to clarify the regulatory mechanism of NF-kappaB activation and its clinical significance. Immunohistochemistry for NF-kappaB/RelA was done on 290 human gastric carcinoma specimens placed on tissue array slides. The correlations between NF-kappaB activation and clinicopathologic features, prognosis, Akt activation, tumor suppressor gene expression, or Bcl-2 expression were analyzed. We also did luciferase reporter assay, Western blot analysis, and reverse transcription-PCR using the SNU-216 human gastric cancer cell line transduced with retroviral vectors containing constitutively active Akt or the NF-kappaB repressor mutant of IkappaBalpha. Nuclear expression of RelA was found in 18% of the gastric carcinomas and was higher in early-stage pathologic tumor-node-metastasis (P = 0.019). A negative correlation was observed between NF-kappaB activation and lymphatic invasion (P = 0.034) and a positive correlation between NF-kappaB activation and overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients (P = 0.0228). In addition, NF-kappaB activation was positively correlated with pAkt (P = 0.047), p16 (P = 0.004), adenomatous polyposis coli (P Smad4 (P = 0.002), and kangai 1 (P Akt. NF-kappaB activation was frequently observed in early-stage gastric carcinoma and was significantly correlated with better prognosis and Akt activation. These findings suggest that NF-kappaB activation is a valuable prognostic variable in gastric carcinoma.

Memory extinction entails the inhibition of the transcription factor NF-kappaB.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emiliano Merlo

Full Text Available In contextual memories, an association between a positive or negative reinforcement and the contextual cues where the reinforcement occurs is formed. The re-exposure to the context without reinforcement can lead to memory extinction or reconsolidation, depending on the number of events or duration of a single event of context re-exposure. Extinction involves the temporary waning of the previously acquired conditioned response. The molecular processes underlying extinction and the mechanisms which determine if memory will reconsolidate or extinguish after retrieval are not well characterized, particularly the role of transcription factors and gene expression. Here we studied the participation of a transcription factor, NF-kappaB, in memory extinction. In the crab context-signal memory, the activation of NF-kappaB plays a critical role in consolidation and reconsolidation, memory processes that are well characterized in this model. The administration of a NF-kappaB inhibitor, sulfasalazine prior to extinction session impeded spontaneous recovery. Moreover, reinstatement experiments showed that the original memory was not affected and that NF-kappaB inhibition by sulfasalazine impaired spontaneous recovery strengthening the ongoing memory extinction process. Interestingly, in animals with fully consolidated memory, a brief re-exposure to the training context induced neuronal NF-kappaB activation and reconsolidation, while prolonged re-exposure induced NF-kappaB inhibition and memory extinction. These data constitutes a novel insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the switch between memory reconsolidation and extinction. Moreover, we propose the inhibition of NF-kappaB as the engaged mechanism underlying extinction, supporting a novel approach for the pharmacological enhancement of this memory process. The accurate description of the molecular mechanisms that support memory extinction is potentially useful for developing new strategies

Respiratory syncytial virus M2-1 protein induces the activation of nuclear factor kappa B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reimers, Kerstin [Klinik fuer Plastische, Hand-und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Podbielskistrasse 380, D-30659 Hannover (Germany); Buchholz, Katja [Institut fuer Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universitaet Magdeburg, Leipzigerstrasse 44, D-39120 Magdeburg (Germany); Werchau, Hermann [Institut fuer Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universitaet Magdeburg, Leipzigerstrasse 44, D-39120 Magdeburg (Germany)

2005-01-20

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) induces the production of a number of cytokines and chemokines by activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-{kappa}B). The activation of NF-{kappa}B has been shown to depend on viral replication in the infected cells. In this study, we demonstrate that expression of RSV M2-1 protein, a transcriptional processivity and anti-termination factor, is sufficient to activate NF-{kappa}B in A549 cells. Electromobility shift assays show increased NF-{kappa}B complexes in the nuclei of M2-1-expressing cells. M2-1 protein is found in nuclei of M2-1-expressing cells and in RSV-infected cells. Co-immunoprecipitations of nuclear extracts of M2-1-expressing cells and of RSV-infected cells revealed an association of M2-1 with Rel A protein. Furthermore, the activation of NF-{kappa}B depends on the C-terminus of the RSV M2-1 protein, as shown by NF-{kappa}B-induced gene expression of a reporter gene construct.

Receptor tyrosine phosphatase R-PTP-kappa mediates homophilic binding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sap, J; Jiang, Y P; Friedlander, D

1994-01-01

Receptor tyrosine phosphatases (R-PTPases) feature PTPase domains in the context of a receptor-like transmembrane topology. The R-PTPase R-PTP-kappa displays an extracellular domain composed of fibronectin type III motifs, a single immunoglobulin domain, as well as a recently defined MAM domain (Y...... not require PTPase activity or posttranslational proteolytic cleavage of the R-PTP-kappa protein and is calcium independent. The results suggest that R-PTPases may provide a link between cell-cell contact and cellular signaling events involving tyrosine phosphorylation....

Identification of a novel A20-binding inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B activation termed ABIN-2.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Huffel, S; Delaei, F; Heyninck, K; De Valck, D; Beyaert, R

2001-08-10

The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a central role in the regulation of genes implicated in immune responses, inflammatory processes, and apoptotic cell death. The zinc finger protein A20 is a cellular inhibitor of NF-kappaB activation by various stimuli and plays a critical role in terminating NF-kappaB responses. The underlying mechanism for NF-kappaB inhibition by A20 is still unknown. A20 has been shown to interact with several proteins including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factors 2 and 6, as well as the inhibitory protein of kappaB kinase (IKK) gamma protein. Here we report the cloning and characterization of ABIN-2, a previously unknown protein that binds to the COOH-terminal zinc finger domain of A20. NF-kappaB activation induced by TNF and interleukin-1 is inhibited by overexpression of ABIN-2. The latter also inhibits NF-kappaB activation induced by overexpression of receptor-interacting protein or TNF receptor-associated factor 2. In contrast, NF-kappaB activation by overexpression of IKKbeta or direct activators of the IKK complex, such as Tax, cannot be inhibited by ABIN-2. These results indicate that ABIN-2 interferes with NF-kappaB activation upstream of the IKK complex and that it might contribute to the NF-kappaB-inhibitory function of A20.

The Relationships between Weight Functions, Geometric Functions,and Compliance Functions in Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Rong [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2007-01-01

Linear elastic fracture mechanics is widely used in industry because it established simple and explicit relationships between the permissible loading conditions and the critical crack size that is allowed in a structure. Stress intensity factors are the above-mentioned functional expressions that relate load with crack size through geometric functions or weight functions. Compliance functions are to determine the crack/flaw size in a structure when optical inspection is inconvenient. As a result, geometric functions, weight functions and compliance functions have been intensively studied to determine the stress intensity factor expressions for different geometries. However, the relations between these functions have received less attention. This work is therefore to investigate the intrinsic relationships between these functions. Theoretical derivation was carried out and the results were verified on single-edge cracked plate under tension and bending. It is found out that the geometric function is essentially the non-dimensional weight function at the loading point. The compliance function is composed of two parts: a varying part due to crack extension and a constant part from the intact structure if no crack exists. The derivative of the compliance function at any location is the product of the geometric function and the weight function at the evaluation point. Inversely, the compliance function can be acquired by the integration of the product of the geometric function and the weight function with respect to the crack size. The integral constant is just the unchanging compliance from the intact structure. Consequently, a special application of the relations is to obtain the compliance functions along a crack once the geometric function and weight functions are known. Any of the three special functions can be derived once the other two functions are known. These relations may greatly simplify the numerical process in obtaining either geometric functions, weight

Linear combination of forecasts with numerical adjustment via MINIMAX non-linear programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jairo Marlon Corrêa

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a linear combination of forecasts obtained from three forecasting methods (namely, ARIMA, Exponential Smoothing and Artificial Neural Networks whose adaptive weights are determined via a multi-objective non-linear programming problem, which seeks to minimize, simultaneously, the statistics: MAE, MAPE and MSE. The results achieved by the proposed combination are compared with the traditional approach of linear combinations of forecasts, where the optimum adaptive weights are determined only by minimizing the MSE; with the combination method by arithmetic mean; and with individual methods

Validity of self-reported weight and height: a cross-sectional study among Malaysian adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kee, C C; Lim, K H; Sumarni, M G; Teh, C H; Chan, Y Y; Nuur Hafizah, M I; Cheah, Y K; Tee, E O; Ahmad Faudzi, Y; Amal Nasir, M

2017-06-02

Self-reported weight and height are commonly used in lieu of direct measurements of weight and height in large epidemiological surveys due to inevitable constraints such as budget and human resource. However, the validity of self-reported weight and height, particularly among adolescents, needs to be verified as misreporting could lead to misclassification of body mass index and therefore overestimation or underestimation of the burden of BMI-related diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the validity of self-reported weight and height among Malaysian secondary school children. Both self-reported and directly measured weight and height of a subgroup of 663 apparently healthy schoolchildren from the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB) survey 2013/2014 were analysed. Respondents were required to report their current body weight and height via a self-administrative questionnaire before they were measured by investigators. The validity of self-reported against directly measured weight and height was examined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the Bland-Altman plot and weighted Kappa statistics. There was very good intraclass correlation between self-reported and directly measured weight [r = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93, 0.97] and height (r = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.96). In addition the Bland-Altman plots indicated that the mean difference between self-reported and direct measurement was relatively small. The mean difference (self-reported minus direct measurements) was, for boys: weight, -2.1 kg; height, -1.6 cm; BMI, -0.44 kg/m 2 and girls: weight, -1.2 kg; height, -0.9 cm; BMI, -0.3 kg/m 2 . However, 95% limits of agreement were wide which indicated substantial discrepancies between self-reported and direct measurements method at the individual level. Nonetheless, the weighted Kappa statistics demonstrated a substantial agreement between BMI status categorised based on self-reported weight and height

Application of the kappa statistic in MRI diagnosis of lumbar disk herniation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dasheng; Zhang Fang; Gao Shuming; Gu Jinxiang; Li Lu; Qu Hui

2008-01-01

Objective: To assess the concordance of MRI diagnosis for patients suspected of lumbar disk herniation by using Kappa statistic. Methods: One hundred patients (48 males and 52 females) with lumbosacral radiculm pain, aged from 17 to 86 (average 61). All patients underwent fast spin-echo T 1 and T 2 weighted imaging on a 3.0 T MR scanner and spine surface coil. Two radiologists (doctor A and doctor B) evaluated the lumbar disks from L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 in 50 out of the 100 patients independently. The presence of a bulging disk or a herniation was reported. Images were interpreted twice: once before and once after disclosure of clinical information. And disks of 52 patients out of the 100 samples were interpreted by the two radiologists independently without clinical information as well. The Kappa statistics was employed to assess the concordance of each radiologist's diagnoses as well as the observer variation of the two radiologists. Results: Diagnoses before and after disclosure to clinical information were concordant in 114 disks for doctor A and in 109 for doctor B, respectively. Diagnoses before and after disclosure to clinical information were not concordant in 36 disks for doctor A and in 41 disks for doctor B, respectively. The Kappa values were 0.60±0.06 and 0.57±0.06 for doctor A and doctor B, respectively. The concordance was moderate. After disclosure to clinical information, the numbers of reported bulging disks increased significantly, by 10 and 31 for doctor A and doctor B, respectively. Without clinical information, the diagnoses of the two radiologists were concordant in 77 disks, while not concordant in 79 disks. The interobserver agreement was poor (Kappa=0.24±0.06). The difference on diagenoses made between with and without clinical information mainly happened on the differential diagnosis of normal disks and bulging disks. The different diagnoses made between with and without clinical information were on 20 disks and on 30 disks for doctor

Iterative Selection of Unknown Weights in Direct Weight Optimization Identification

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Xiao Xuan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To the direct weight optimization identification of the nonlinear system, we add some linear terms about input sequences in the former linear affine function so as to approximate the nonlinear property. To choose the two classes of unknown weights in the more linear terms, this paper derives the detailed process on how to choose these unknown weights from theoretical analysis and engineering practice, respectively, and makes sure of their key roles between the unknown weights. From the theoretical analysis, the added unknown weights’ auxiliary role can be known in the whole process of approximating the nonlinear system. From the practical analysis, we learn how to transform one complex optimization problem to its corresponding common quadratic program problem. Then, the common quadratic program problem can be solved by the basic interior point method. Finally, the efficiency and possibility of the proposed strategies can be confirmed by the simulation results.

Macromolecular complexes of lysozyme with kappa carrageenan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Antonov, Y.A.; Zhuravleva, I.L.; Cardinaels, R.; Moldenaers, P.

2018-01-01

We present a structural study of the complexation and binding of lysozyme (Lys) with kappa carrageenan (kCG) by means of turbidity measurements, phase analysis, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, differential scanning microcalorimetry (DSMC), confocal laser scanning (CLSM) microscopy,

A new gene in A. rubens: A sea star Ig kappa gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Nadine; Osteras, Magne; Otten, Patricia; Leclerc, Michel

2014-12-01

The sea star Asterias rubens reacts specifically to the antigen:HRP (horse-radish peroxydase) and produces an antibody anti-HRP. We previously identified a candidate Ig kappa gene corresponding to this manuscript. We show now the gene referred to as: "sea star Ig kappa gene in its specificity".

Gnotobiotic IL-10; NF-kappaB mice develop rapid and severe colitis following Campylobacter jejuni infection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth Lippert

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Limited information is available on the molecular mechanisms associated with Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni induced food-borne diarrheal illnesses. In this study, we investigated the function of TLR/NF-kappaB signaling in C. jejuni induced pathogenesis using gnotobiotic IL-10(-/-; NF-kappaB(EGFP mice. In vitro analysis showed that C. jejuni induced IkappaB phosphorylation, followed by enhanced NF-kappaB transcriptional activity and increased IL-6, MIP-2alpha and NOD2 mRNA accumulation in infected-mouse colonic epithelial cells CMT93. Importantly, these events were blocked by molecular delivery of an IkappaB inhibitor (Ad5IkappaBAA. NF-kappaB signalling was also important for C.jejuni-induced cytokine gene expression in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Importantly, C. jejuni associated IL-10(-/-; NF-kappaB(EGFP mice developed mild (day 5 and severe (day 14 ulcerating colonic inflammation and bloody diarrhea as assessed by colonoscopy and histological analysis. Macroscopic analysis showed elevated EGFP expression indicating NF-kappaB activation throughout the colon of C. jejuni associated IL-10(-/-; NF-kappaB(EGFP mice, while fluorescence microscopy revealed EGFP positive cells to be exclusively located in lamina propria mononuclear cells. Pharmacological NF-kappaB inhibition using Bay 11-7085 did not ameliorate C. jejuni induced colonic inflammation. Our findings indicate that C. jejuni induces rapid and severe intestinal inflammation in a susceptible host that correlates with enhanced NF-kappaB activity from lamina propria immune cells.

Biopolymer electrolytes based on blend of kappa-carrageenan and cellulose derivatives for potential application in dye sensitized solar cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudhziah, S.; Ahmad, A.; Ahmad, I.; Mohamed, N.S.

2015-01-01

In this work, carboxymethyl kappa-carrageenan was used as the principle host for developing new biopolymer electrolytes based on the blend of carboxymethyl kappa-carrageenan/carboxymethyl cellulose. The blending of carboxymethyl cellulose into carboxymethyl kappa-carragenan was found to be a promising strategy to improve the material properties such as conductive properties. The electrolyte samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, ionic transference number measurement and linear sweep voltammetry in order to investigate their structural, thermal and electrochemical properties. Impedance study showed that the ionic conductivity increased with the increment of ammonium iodide concentration. The highest room temperature ionic conductivity achieved was 2.41 × 10 −3 S cm −1 at 30 wt% of the salt. The increment of conductivity was due to the increase of formation of transient cross-linking between the carboxymethyl kappa-carrageenan/carboxymethyl cellulose chains and the doping salt as indicated the T g trend. The conductivity was also attributed by the increase in the number of charge carriers in the biopolymer electrolytes system. The interactions between polymers and salt were confirmed by FTIR study. The transference number measurements showed that the conductivity was predominantly ionic. Temperature dependent conductivity study showed that conductivity increased with the reciprocal of temperature. The conductivity-temperature plots suggested that the conductivity obeyed the Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher relation and the activation energy for the best conducting sample was 0.010 eV. This system was used for the fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells, FTO/TiO 2 -dye/CMKC/CMCE-NH 4 I + I 2 /Pt. The fabricated cell showed response under light intensity of 100 mW cm −2 with efficiency of 0.13% indicating that the blend biopolymer

Expression of a truncated receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase kappa in the brain of an adult transgenic mouse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, P; Canoll, P D; Sap, J

1999-01-01

processes such as axonal growth and target recognition, as has been demonstrated for certain Drosophila RPTPs. The brain distribution of RPTP-kappa-expressing cells has not been determined, however. In a gene-trap mouse model with a beta-gal+neo (beta-geo) insertion in the endogenous RPTP-kappa gene......-6596]. Nevertheless, since the transgene's expression is driven by the endogenous RPTP-kappa promoter, distribution of the truncated RPTP-kappa/beta-geo fusion protein should reflect the regional and cellular expression of wild-type RPTP-kappa, and thus may identify sites where RPTP-kappa is important. Towards...... that goal, we have used this mouse model to map the distribution of the truncated RPTP-kappa/beta-geo fusion protein in the adult mouse brain using beta-galactosidase as a marker enzyme. Visualization of the beta-galactosidase activity revealed a non-random pattern of expression, and identified cells...

Prolificacy and Its Relationship with Age, Body Weight, Parity, Previous Litter Size and Body Linear Type Traits in Meat-type Goats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avijit Haldar

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Data on age and body weight at breeding, parity, previous litter size, days open and some descriptive body linear traits from 389 meat-type, prolific Black Bengal goats in Tripura State of India, were collected for 3 and 1/2 years (2007 to 2010 and analyzed using logistic regression model. The objectives of the study were i to evaluate the effect of age and body weight at breeding, parity, previous litter size and days open on litter size of does; and ii to investigate if body linear type traits influenced litter size in meat-type, prolific goats. The incidence of 68.39% multiple births with a prolificacy rate of 175.07% was recorded. Higher age (>2.69 year, higher parity order (>2.31, more body weight at breeding (>20.5 kg and larger previous litter size (>1.65 showed an increase likelihood of multiple litter size when compared to single litter size. There was a strong, positive relationship between litter size and various body linear type traits like neck length (>22.78 cm, body length (>54.86 cm, withers height (>48.85 cm, croup height (>50.67 cm, distance between tuber coxae bones (>11.38 cm and distance between tuber ischii bones (>4.56 cm for discriminating the goats bearing multiple fetuses from those bearing a single fetus.

Socially weighted linear composites in environmental decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hebert, J.A.; Lindell, M.K.; Maynard, W.S.; Nealey, S.M.; Burnham, J.B.

1975-11-01

A method for combining social values and technical information, for environmental decision making for the selection of a site for a nuclear power plant is described. Eight factors are identified by which six different thermal power plant site and design options could be evaluated. A method is described by which the factors could be weighted by social values and the weighted factor scores could be summed for each option. These weighted sums can then be compared with each other in order to determine the best choice from both a social and a technical point of view

Human placenta: relative content of antibodies of different classes and subclasses (IgG1-IgG4) containing lambda- and kappa-light chains and chimeric lambda-kappa-immunoglobulins.

Science.gov (United States)

Lekchnov, Evgenii A; Sedykh, Sergey E; Dmitrenok, Pavel S; Buneva, Valentina N; Nevinsky, Georgy A

2015-06-01

The specific organ placenta is much more than a filter: it is an organ that protects, feeds and regulates the growth of the embryo. Affinity chromatography, ELISA, SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry were used. Using 10 intact human placentas deprived of blood, a quantitative analysis of average relative content [% of total immunoglobulins (Igs)] was carried out for the first time: (92.7), IgA (2.4), IgM (2.5), kappa-antibodies (51.4), lambda-antibodies (48.6), IgG1 (47.0), IgG2 (39.5), IgG3 (8.8) and IgG4 (4.3). It was shown for the first time that placenta contains sIgA (2.5%). In the classic paradigm, Igs represent products of clonal B-cell populations, each producing antibodies recognizing a single antigen. There is a common belief that IgGs in mammalian biological fluids are monovalent molecules having stable structures and two identical antigen-binding sites. However, similarly to human milk Igs, placenta antibodies undergo extensive half-molecule exchange and the IgG pool consists of 43.5 ± 15.0% kappa-kappa-IgGs and 41.6 ± 17.0% lambda-lambda-IgGs, while 15.0 ± 4.0% of the IgGs contained both kappa- and lambda-light chains. Kappa-kappa-IgGs and lambda-lambda-IgGs contained, respectively (%): IgG1 (47.7 and 34.4), IgG2 (36.3 and 44.5), IgG3 (7.4 and 11.8) and IgG4 (7.5 and 9.1), while chimeric kappa-lambda-IgGs consisted of (%): 43.5 IgG1, 41.0 IgG2, 5.6 IgG3 and 7.9 IgG4. Our data are indicative of the possibility of half-molecule exchange between placenta IgGs of various subclasses, raised against different antigens, which explains a very well-known polyspecificity and cross-reactivity of different human IgGs. © The Japanese Society for Immunology. 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

DMPD: New insights into NF-kappaB regulation and function. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 18775672 New insights into NF-kappaB regulation and function. Sun SC, Ley SC. Trend...ction. PubmedID 18775672 Title New insights into NF-kappaB regulation and function....s Immunol. 2008 Oct;29(10):469-78. Epub 2008 Sep 3. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show New insights into NF-kappaB regulation and fun

DMPD: Ubiquitin: tool and target for intracellular NF-kappaB inhibitors. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 16982211 Ubiquitin: tool and target for intracellular NF-kappaB inhibitors. Wullaer...vg) (.html) (.csml) Show Ubiquitin: tool and target for intracellular NF-kappaB inhibitors. PubmedID 1698221...1 Title Ubiquitin: tool and target for intracellular NF-kappaB inhibitors. Author

Uncertainty of pesticide residue concentration determined from ordinary and weighted linear regression curve.

Science.gov (United States)

Yolci Omeroglu, Perihan; Ambrus, Árpad; Boyacioglu, Dilek

2018-03-28

Determination of pesticide residues is based on calibration curves constructed for each batch of analysis. Calibration standard solutions are prepared from a known amount of reference material at different concentration levels covering the concentration range of the analyte in the analysed samples. In the scope of this study, the applicability of both ordinary linear and weighted linear regression (OLR and WLR) for pesticide residue analysis was investigated. We used 782 multipoint calibration curves obtained for 72 different analytical batches with high-pressure liquid chromatography equipped with an ultraviolet detector, and gas chromatography with electron capture, nitrogen phosphorus or mass spectrophotometer detectors. Quality criteria of the linear curves including regression coefficient, standard deviation of relative residuals and deviation of back calculated concentrations were calculated both for WLR and OLR methods. Moreover, the relative uncertainty of the predicted analyte concentration was estimated for both methods. It was concluded that calibration curve based on WLR complies with all the quality criteria set by international guidelines compared to those calculated with OLR. It means that all the data fit well with WLR for pesticide residue analysis. It was estimated that, regardless of the actual concentration range of the calibration, relative uncertainty at the lowest calibrated level ranged between 0.3% and 113.7% for OLR and between 0.2% and 22.1% for WLR. At or above 1/3 of the calibrated range, uncertainty of calibration curve ranged between 0.1% and 16.3% for OLR and 0% and 12.2% for WLR, and therefore, the two methods gave comparable results.

Expression of a truncated receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase kappa in the brain of an adult transgenic mouse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, P; Canoll, P D; Sap, J

1999-01-01

that goal, we have used this mouse model to map the distribution of the truncated RPTP-kappa/beta-geo fusion protein in the adult mouse brain using beta-galactosidase as a marker enzyme. Visualization of the beta-galactosidase activity revealed a non-random pattern of expression, and identified cells......-6596]. Nevertheless, since the transgene's expression is driven by the endogenous RPTP-kappa promoter, distribution of the truncated RPTP-kappa/beta-geo fusion protein should reflect the regional and cellular expression of wild-type RPTP-kappa, and thus may identify sites where RPTP-kappa is important. Towards...

Spectroscopy of the fractional vortex eigenfrequency in a long Josephson 0-{kappa} junction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buckenmaier, K.; Gaber, T.; Schittenhelm, I.; Kleiner, R.; Koelle, D.; Goldobin, E. [Physikalisches Inst., Experimentalphysik II, Univ. Tuebingen (Germany); Siegel, M. [Univ. Karlsruhe (Germany). Inst. fuer Mikro- und Nanoelektronische Systeme

2007-07-01

In long Josephson junctions with a {kappa}-phase discontinuity, created by two current injectors, a fractional Josephson vortex (FJV) is spontaneously formed at the interface between the 0- and {kappa}-part. A FJV carries an arbitrary fraction {phi}/{phi}{sub 0}={kappa}/2{pi} of the magnetic flux quantum {phi}{sub 0}{approx}2.07 x 10{sup -15} Wb. In contrast to fluxons, FJVs are pinned at the discontinuity point, but in underdamped systems they are able to oscillate around their equilibrium point with characteristic eigenfrequencies. To experimentally determine the eigenfrequency we stimulated a FJV by irradiating our sample with microwaves. At resonance the junction switches to the resistive state. A measurement of the switching probability thus allows to determine the FJV eigenfrequency as a function of bias current and {kappa}. We compare our results with the prediction of the perturbed sine-Gordon equation. (orig.)

Colloidal gas-liquid condensation of polystyrene latex particles with intermediate kappa a values (5 to 160, a > kappa(-1)).

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Masamichi; Kitano, Ryota

2010-02-16

Polystyrene latex particles showed gas-liquid condensation under the conditions of large particle radius (a > kappa(-1)) and intermediate kappa a, where kappa is the Debye-Hückel parameter and a is the particle radius. The particles were dissolved in deionized water containing ethanol from 0 to 77 vol %, settled to the bottom of the glass plate within 1 h, and then laterally moved toward the center of a cell over a 20 h period in reaching a state of equilibrium condensation. All of the suspensions that were 1 and 3 microm in diameter and 0.01-0.20 vol % in concentration realized similar gas-liquid condensation with clear gas-liquid boundaries. In 50 vol % ethanol solvent, additional ethanol was added to enhance the sedimentation force so as to restrict the particles in a monoparticle layer thickness. The coexistence of gas-liquid-solid (crystalline solid) was microscopically recognized from the periphery to the center of the condensates. A phase diagram of the gas-liquid condensation was created as a function of KCl concentration at a particle diameter of 3 microm, 0.10 vol % concentration, and 50:50 water/ethanol solvent at room temperature. The miscibility gap was observed in the concentration range from 1 to 250 microM. There was an upper limit of salt concentration where the phase separation disappeared, showing nearly critical behavior of macroscopic density fluctuation from 250 microM to 1 mM. These results add new experimental evidence to the existence of colloidal gas-liquid condensation and specify conditions of like-charge attraction between particles.

A note on the kappa statistic for clustered dichotomous data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ming; Yang, Zhao

2014-06-30

The kappa statistic is widely used to assess the agreement between two raters. Motivated by a simulation-based cluster bootstrap method to calculate the variance of the kappa statistic for clustered physician-patients dichotomous data, we investigate its special correlation structure and develop a new simple and efficient data generation algorithm. For the clustered physician-patients dichotomous data, based on the delta method and its special covariance structure, we propose a semi-parametric variance estimator for the kappa statistic. An extensive Monte Carlo simulation study is performed to evaluate the performance of the new proposal and five existing methods with respect to the empirical coverage probability, root-mean-square error, and average width of the 95% confidence interval for the kappa statistic. The variance estimator ignoring the dependence within a cluster is generally inappropriate, and the variance estimators from the new proposal, bootstrap-based methods, and the sampling-based delta method perform reasonably well for at least a moderately large number of clusters (e.g., the number of clusters K ⩾50). The new proposal and sampling-based delta method provide convenient tools for efficient computations and non-simulation-based alternatives to the existing bootstrap-based methods. Moreover, the new proposal has acceptable performance even when the number of clusters is as small as K = 25. To illustrate the practical application of all the methods, one psychiatric research data and two simulated clustered physician-patients dichotomous data are analyzed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Molecular cloning and expression of bovine kappa-casein in Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Y.C.; Richardson, T.

1988-01-01

A cDNA library was constructed using poly(A) + RNA from bovine mammary gland. This cDNA library of 6000 clones was screened employing colony hybridization using 32 P-labelled oligonucleotide probes and restriction endonuclease mapping. The cDNA from the selected plasmid, pKR76, was sequenced using the dideoxy-chain termination method. The cDNA insert of pKR76 carries the full-length sequence, which codes for mature kappa-casein protein. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA sequence fits the published amino acid sequence with three exceptions; the reported pyroglutamic acid at position 1, tyrosine at position 35, and aspartic acid at position 81 are, respectively, a glutamine, a histidine, and an asparagine in the clone containing pKR76. The MspI-, NlaIV-cleaved fragment (630 base pair) from the kappa-casein cDNA insert has been subcloned into expression vectors pUC18 and pKK233-2, which contain a lac promoter and a trc promoter, respectively. Escherichia coli cells carrying the recombinant expression plasmids were shown to produce kappa-casein protein having the expected mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and being recognized by specific antibodies raised against natural bovine kappa-casein

The value of diffusion-weighted imaging in combination with T2-weighted imaging for rectal cancer detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao Shengxiang; Zeng Mengsu; Chen Caizhong; Li Renchen; Zhang Shujie; Xu Jianming; Hou Yingyong

2008-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in combination with T 2 -weighted imaging (T 2 WI) for the detection of rectal cancer as compared with T 2 WI alone. Materials and methods: Forty-five patients with rectal cancer and 20 without rectal cancer underwent DWI with parallel imaging and T 2 WI on a 1.5 T scanner. Images were independently reviewed by two readers blinded to the results to determine the detectability of rectal cancer. The detectability of T 2 W imaging without and with DW imaging was assessed by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis. The interobserver agreement between the two readers was calculated with kappa statistics. Results: The ROC analysis showed that each of two readers achieved more accurate results with T 2 W imaging combined with DW imaging than with T 2 W imaging alone significantly. The A z values for the two readers for each T 2 WI and T 2 WI combined with DWI were 0.918 versus 0.991 (p = 0.0494), 0.934 versus 0.997 (p = 0.0475), respectively. The values of kappa were 0.934 for T 2 WI and 0.948 for T 2 WI combined with DWI between the two readers. Conclusion: The addition of DW imaging to conventional T 2 W imaging provides better detection of rectal cancer

N=4 superconformal mechanics as a non linear realization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anabalon, Andres; Gomis, Joaquim; Kamimura, Kiyoshi; Zanelli, Jorge

2006-01-01

An action for a superconformal particle is constructed using the non linear realization method for the group PSU(1,1/2), without introducing superfields. The connection between PSU(1,1/2) and black hole physics is discussed. The lagrangian contains six arbitrary constants and describes a non-BPS superconformal particle. The BPS case is obtained if a precise relation between the constants in the lagrangian is verified, which implies that the action becomes kappa-symmetric

Significant differences in physicochemical properties of human immunoglobulin kappa and lambda CDR3 regions

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Catherine L Townsend

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Antibody variable regions are composed of a heavy and a light chain and in humans there are two light chain isotypes: kappa and lambda. Despite their importance in receptor editing, the light chain is often overlooked in the antibody literature, with the focus being on the heavy chain CDR-H3 region. In this paper, we set out to investigate the physicochemical and structural differences between human kappa and lambda light chain CDR regions. We constructed a dataset containing over 29,000 - light chain variable region sequences from IgM-transcribing, newly formed B cells isolated from human bone marrow and peripheral blood. We also used a published human naïve dataset to investigate the CDR-H3 properties of heavy chains paired with kappa and lambda light chains, and probed the Protein Data Bank (PDB to investigate the structural differences between kappa and lambda antibody CDR regions. We found that kappa and lambda light chains have very different CDR physicochemical and structural properties, whereas the heavy chains with which they are paired do not differ significantly. We also observed that the mean CDR3 N nucleotide addition in the kappa, lambda and heavy chain gene rearrangements are correlated within donors, but can differ between donors. This indicates that TdT may work with differing efficiencies between different people, but the same efficiency in the different classes of immunoglobulin chain within one person. We have observed large differences in the physicochemical and structural properties of kappa and lambda light chain CDR regions. This may reflect different roles in the humoral immune response.

Significant Differences in Physicochemical Properties of Human Immunoglobulin Kappa and Lambda CDR3 Regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Catherine L; Laffy, Julie M J; Wu, Yu-Chang Bryan; Silva O'Hare, Joselli; Martin, Victoria; Kipling, David; Fraternali, Franca; Dunn-Walters, Deborah K

2016-01-01

Antibody variable regions are composed of a heavy and a light chain, and in humans, there are two light chain isotypes: kappa and lambda. Despite their importance in receptor editing, the light chain is often overlooked in the antibody literature, with the focus being on the heavy chain complementarity-determining region (CDR)-H3 region. In this paper, we set out to investigate the physicochemical and structural differences between human kappa and lambda light chain CDR regions. We constructed a dataset containing over 29,000 light chain variable region sequences from IgM-transcribing, newly formed B cells isolated from human bone marrow and peripheral blood. We also used a published human naïve dataset to investigate the CDR-H3 properties of heavy chains paired with kappa and lambda light chains and probed the Protein Data Bank to investigate the structural differences between kappa and lambda antibody CDR regions. We found that kappa and lambda light chains have very different CDR physicochemical and structural properties, whereas the heavy chains with which they are paired do not differ significantly. We also observed that the mean CDR3 N nucleotide addition in the kappa, lambda, and heavy chain gene rearrangements are correlated within donors but can differ between donors. This indicates that terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase may work with differing efficiencies between different people but the same efficiency in the different classes of immunoglobulin chain within one person. We have observed large differences in the physicochemical and structural properties of kappa and lambda light chain CDR regions. This may reflect different roles in the humoral immune response.

Method for rapidly determining a pulp kappa number using spectrophotometry

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, Xin-Sheng; Zhu, Jun Yong

2002-01-01

A system and method for rapidly determining the pulp kappa number through direct measurement of the potassium permanganate concentration in a pulp-permanganate solution using spectrophotometry. Specifically, the present invention uses strong acidification to carry out the pulp-permanganate oxidation reaction in the pulp-permanganate solution to prevent the precipitation of manganese dioxide (MnO.sub.2). Consequently, spectral interference from the precipitated MnO.sub.2 is eliminated and the oxidation reaction becomes dominant. The spectral intensity of the oxidation reaction is then analyzed to determine the pulp kappa number.

Felodipine attenuates vascular inflammation in a fructose-induced rat model of metabolic syndrome via the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Hong-wei; Xing, Shan-shan; Bi, Xiu-ping; Li, Li; Gong, Hui-ping; Zhong, Ming; Zhang, Yun; Zhang, Wei

2008-09-01

Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased incidence of atherosclerosis. Clinical studies have shown that calcium channel blockers (CCB) inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. We investigated the inhibitory effect of felodipine on adhesion molecular expression and macrophage infiltration in the aorta of high fructose-fed rats (FFR). Male Wistar rats were given 10% fructose in drinking water. After 32 weeks of high fructose feeding, they were treated with felodipine (5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 6 weeks. The control rats were given a normal diet and water. The aortic expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and the infiltration of macrophages were measured by real-time RT-PCR and/or immunohistochemistry. NF-kappaB activity was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). After 32 weeks of high fructose feeding, FFR displayed increased body weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), serum insulin, and triglycerides when compared with the control rats. The aortic expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly increased in FFR than in the control rats and accompanied by the increased activity of NF-kappaB. FFR also showed significantly increased CD68- positive macrophages in the aortic wall. After treatment with felodipine, SBP, serum insulin, and the homeostasis model assessment decreased significantly. In addition to reducing ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, felodipine decreased macrophages in the aortic wall. EMSA revealed that felodipine inhibited NF-kappaB activation in FFR. Felodipine inhibited vessel wall inflammation. The inhibition of NF-kappaB may be involved in the modulation of vascular inflammatory response by CCB in metabolic syndrome.

[{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic: a novel radioligand for {kappa}-opioid receptor positron emission tomography imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poisnel, Geraldine; Oueslati, Farhana; Dhilly, Martine; Delamare, Jerome [Groupe de Developpements Methodologiques en Tomographie par Emission de Positons, DSV/DRM UMR CEA 2E, Universite de Caen-Basse Normandie, Centre Cyceron, 14074 Caen Cedex (France); Perrio, Cecile [Groupe de Developpements Methodologiques en Tomographie par Emission de Positons, DSV/DRM UMR CEA 2E, Universite de Caen-Basse Normandie, Centre Cyceron, 14074 Caen Cedex (France)], E-mail: perrio@cyceron.fr; Debruyne, Daniele [Groupe de Developpements Methodologiques en Tomographie par Emission de Positons, DSV/DRM UMR CEA 2E, Universite de Caen-Basse Normandie, Centre Cyceron, 14074 Caen Cedex (France)], E-mail: debruyne@cyceron.fr; Barre, Louisa [Groupe de Developpements Methodologiques en Tomographie par Emission de Positons, DSV/DRM UMR CEA 2E, Universite de Caen-Basse Normandie, Centre Cyceron, 14074 Caen Cedex (France)

2008-07-15

Introduction: Radiopharmaceuticals that can bind selectively the {kappa}-opioid receptor may present opportunities for staging clinical brain disorders and evaluating the efficiency of new therapies related to stroke, neurodegenerative diseases or opiate addiction. The N-methylated derivative of JDTic (named MeJDTic), which has been recently described as a potent and selective antagonist of {kappa}-opioid receptor in vitro, was labeled with carbon-11 and evaluated for in vivo imaging the {kappa}-opioid receptor in mice. Methods: [{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic was prepared by methylation of JDTic with [{sup 11}C]-methyl triflate. The binding of [{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic to {kappa}-opioid receptor was investigated ex vivo by biodistribution and competition studies using nonfasted male CD1 mice. Results: [{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic exhibited a high and rapid distribution in peripheral organs. The uptake was maximal in lung where the {kappa} receptor is largely expressed. [{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic rapidly crossed the blood-brain barrier and accumulated in the brain regions of interest (hypothalamus). The parent ligand remained the major radioactive compound in brain during the experiment. Chase studies with U50,488 (a {kappa} referring agonist), morphine (a {mu} agonist) and naltrindole (a {delta} antagonist) demonstrated that this uptake was the result of specific binding to the {kappa}-opioid receptor. Conclusion: These findings suggested that [{sup 11}C]-MeJDTic appeared to be a promising selective 'lead' radioligand for {kappa}-opioid receptor PET imaging.

Persistent activation of NF-kappaB related to IkappaB's degradation profiles during early chemical hepatocarcinogenesis

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García-Román Rebeca

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To define the NF-kappaB activation in early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis and its IkappaB's degradation profiles in comparison to sole liver regeneration. Methods Western-blot and EMSA analyses were performed for the NF-kappaB activation. The transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB was determined by RT-PCR of the IkappaB-α mRNA. The IkappaB's degradation proteins were determined by Western-blot assay. Results We demonstrated the persistent activation of NF-kappaB during early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis, which reached maximal level 30 min after partial hepatectomy. The DNA binding and transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB, were sustained during early steps of hepatocarcinogenesis in comparison to only partial hepatectomy, which displayed a transitory NF-kappaB activation. In early stages of hepatocarconogenesis, the IkappaB-α degradation turned out to be acute and transitory, but the low levels of IkappaB-β persisted even 15 days after partial hepatectomy. Interestingly, IkappaB-β degradation is not induced after sole partial hepatectomy. Conclusion We propose that during liver regeneration, the transitory stimulation of the transcription factor response, assures blockade of NF-kappaB until recovery of the total mass of the liver and the persistent NF-kappaB activation in early hepatocarcinogenesis may be due to IkappaB-β and IkappaB-α degradation, mainly IkappaB-β degradation, which contributes to gene transcription related to proliferation required for neoplasic progression.

Regulation of development and function of different T cell subtypes by Rel/NF-{kappa}B family members

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vallabhapurapu, S.

2004-09-01

This study reveals the requirement of distinct members of the Rel/NF-{kappa}B family in both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells for the development of thymic NKT cells. Activation of NF-{kappa}B via the classical I{kappa}B{alpha}-regulated pathway is required within the NKT precursors for their efficient maturation from NK1.1{sup -} precursors to mature NK1.1{sup +} NKT cells. The Rel/NF-{kappa}B family member RelB, on the other hand, is required in thymic stromal cells for the generation of very early NK1.1{sup -} precursors. NF-{kappa}B-inducing kinase (NIK) has also been shown to be required in thymic stromal cells for NKT cell development and this study demonstrates that NIK specifically regulates both constitutive and signal-induced DNA binding of RelB, but not RelA. Moreover, NIK-induced DNA binding of RelB depends on the processing of inhibitory p100 to p52, revealing an alternate pathway of NF-{kappa}B induction. Thus, Rel/NF-{kappa}B complexes activated by the classical I{kappa}B{alpha}-regulated pathway in NKT precursors and an alternate NIK/p100/RelB pathway in thymic stromal cells regulate different stages of NKT cell development. (orig.)

Visual analysis of serial T2-weighted MRI in multiple sclerosis: intra- and interobserver reproducibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molyneux, P.D.; Miller, D.H.; Filippi, M.; Yousry, T.A.; Radue, E.W.; Ader, H.J.; Barkhof, F.

1999-01-01

We evaluated the effect of consensus formation and training on the agreement between observers in scoring the number of new and enlarging multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on serial T2-weighted MRI studies. The baseline and month 9 MRI studies of 16 patients with a range of MRI activity were used (dual-echo conventional spin-echo sequence, TR 2000, TE 34 and 90 ms, 5 mm contiguous slices, in-plane resolution 1 mm). First, the serial studies were visually analysed for the presence of new and enlarging lesions, on two occasions, by five experienced observers, without adopting any consensus strategy and in isolation. Next, the observers met to identify the common sources of inconsistencies in reporting between observers and formulate consensus rules. Finally, a further independent reading session was performed on the same MRI dataset, this time applying the consensus rules. Agreement between observers was assessed using kappa scores. Without the consensus rules, interobserver kappa scores for the first and second reading sessions for new lesions were only 0.51 and 0.39 respectively; agreement for enlarging lesions was even worse. The mean intraobserver kappa score for new lesions was higher at 0.72, reflecting the fact that the observers were consistently applying their individual assessment strategies. Application of the consensus rules did not lead to a significant improvement in inter observer kappas; the kappa scores adopting the guidelines were 0.46 and 0.21 for new and enlarging lesions respectively. Consensus guidelines thus did not improve the reproducibility of visual analysis of serial T2-weighted MRI, and the level of agreement between observers remained only moderate. Suboptimal repositioning is likely to be a major source of residual variability and this suggests a future role for image registration strategies; until then, a single observer, or pair of observers working in consensus, should be used in MS studies. (orig.)

Validity of self-reported weight and height: a cross-sectional study among Malaysian adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. C. Kee

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Self-reported weight and height are commonly used in lieu of direct measurements of weight and height in large epidemiological surveys due to inevitable constraints such as budget and human resource. However, the validity of self-reported weight and height, particularly among adolescents, needs to be verified as misreporting could lead to misclassification of body mass index and therefore overestimation or underestimation of the burden of BMI-related diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the validity of self-reported weight and height among Malaysian secondary school children. Methods Both self-reported and directly measured weight and height of a subgroup of 663 apparently healthy schoolchildren from the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB survey 2013/2014 were analysed. Respondents were required to report their current body weight and height via a self-administrative questionnaire before they were measured by investigators. The validity of self-reported against directly measured weight and height was examined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC, the Bland-Altman plot and weighted Kappa statistics. Results There was very good intraclass correlation between self-reported and directly measured weight [r = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI: 0.93, 0.97] and height (r = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.96. In addition the Bland-Altman plots indicated that the mean difference between self-reported and direct measurement was relatively small. The mean difference (self-reported minus direct measurements was, for boys: weight, −2.1 kg; height, −1.6 cm; BMI, −0.44 kg/m2 and girls: weight, −1.2 kg; height, −0.9 cm; BMI, −0.3 kg/m2. However, 95% limits of agreement were wide which indicated substantial discrepancies between self-reported and direct measurements method at the individual level. Nonetheless, the weighted Kappa statistics demonstrated a substantial agreement between BMI

Rainfall induced landslide susceptibility mapping using weight-of-evidence, linear and quadratic discriminant and logistic model tree method

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, H.; Zhu, A. X.

2017-12-01

Climate change is a common phenomenon and it is very serious all over the world. The intensification of rainfall extremes with climate change is of key importance to society and then it may induce a large impact through landslides. This paper presents GIS-based new ensemble data mining techniques that weight-of-evidence, logistic model tree, linear and quadratic discriminant for landslide spatial modelling. This research was applied in Anfu County, which is a landslide-prone area in Jiangxi Province, China. According to a literature review and research the study area, we select the landslide influencing factor and their maps were digitized in a GIS environment. These landslide influencing factors are the altitude, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope degree, slope aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI), Stream Power Index (SPI), Topographic Wetness Index (SPI), distance to faults, distance to rivers, distance to roads, soil, lithology, normalized difference vegetation index and land use. According to historical information of individual landslide events, interpretation of the aerial photographs, and field surveys supported by the government of Jiangxi Meteorological Bureau of China, 367 landslides were identified in the study area. The landslide locations were divided into two subsets, namely, training and validating (70/30), based on a random selection scheme. In this research, Pearson's correlation was used for the evaluation of the relationship between the landslides and influencing factors. In the next step, three data mining techniques combined with the weight-of-evidence, logistic model tree, linear and quadratic discriminant, were used for the landslide spatial modelling and its zonation. Finally, the landslide susceptibility maps produced by the mentioned models were evaluated by the ROC curve. The results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of all of the models was > 0.80. At the same time, the highest AUC value was for the linear and quadratic

On the exactness of the cavity method for weighted b-matchings on arbitrary graphs and its relation to linear programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayati, Mohsen; Borgs, Christian; Chayes, Jennifer; Zecchina, Riccardo

2008-01-01

We consider the general problem of finding the minimum weight b-matching on arbitrary graphs. We prove that, whenever the linear programing relaxation of the problem has no fractional solutions, then the cavity or belief propagation equations converge to the correct solution both for synchronous and asynchronous updating. (letter)

DMPD: NF-kappaB activation by reactive oxygen species: fifteen years later. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 16723122 NF-kappaB activation by reactive oxygen species: fifteen years later. Gloi...svg) (.html) (.csml) Show NF-kappaB activation by reactive oxygen species: fifteen years later. PubmedID 167...23122 Title NF-kappaB activation by reactive oxygen species: fifteen years later.

Cationization of kappa- and iota-carrageenan--Characterization and properties of amphoteric polysaccharides.

Science.gov (United States)

Barahona, Tamara; Prado, Héctor J; Bonelli, Pablo R; Cukierman, Ana L; Fissore, Eliana L; Gerschenson, Lia N; Matulewicz, María C

2015-08-01

Commercial kappa- and iota carrageenans were cationized with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. For kappa-carrageenan three derivatives with different degrees of substitution were obtained. Native and amphoteric kappa-carrageenans were characterized by NMR and infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy; methanolysis products were studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Young moduli and the strain at break of films, differential scanning calorimetry, rheological and flocculation behavior were also evaluated; the native and the amphoteric derivatives showed different and interesting properties. Cationization of iota-carrageenan was more difficult, indicating as it was previously observed for agarose, that substitution starts preferentially on the 2-position of 3,6-anhydrogalactose residues; in iota-carrageenan this latter unit is sulfated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of thoracic abnormalities on 64-row multi-detector row CT: Comparison between axial images versus coronal reformations

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Nishino, Mizuki [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States)]. E-mail: mnishino@bidmc.harvard.edu; Kubo, Takeshi [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Kataoka, Milliam L. [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Gautam, Shiva [Department of General Clinical Research Center and Biometrics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Raptopoulos, Vassilios [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Hatabu, Hiroto [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

2006-07-15

Purpose: To evaluate the capability of coronal reformations of chest on 64-row MDCT in demonstrating thoracic abnormalities in comparison with axial images. Materials and methods: Thirty-eight consecutive patients who underwent pulmonary CTA on 64-row MDCT were retrospectively studied with institutional review board (IRB) approval. Contiguous 2 mm axial and coronal images were reviewed independently with a 1-week interval, by consensus reading of two board-certified radiologists. Overall image quality was graded using a five-point scale. Abnormalities in mediastinum, hilum, pulmonary vessels, aorta, heart, esophagus, pleura, chest wall, and lung parenchyma were scored: 1 = definitely absent, 2 = probably absent, 3 = equivocal, 4 probably present, 5 = definitely present. Scores on axial and coronal images were compared using weighted {kappa} analysis. Results: Overall image quality was not different with statistical relevance between axial and coronal images (mean/median scores; 3.7/4; 3.6/4, respectively, P = 0.286, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Significant agreement was observed between axial and coronal scores (mean weighted {kappa}, 0.661; range, 0.362-1). Agreement was almost perfect for pneumothorax, lung and pleural mass, effusion and consolidation (weighted {kappa} = 0.833-1); substantial for pulmonary embolism, trachea, mediastinal lymphadenopathy and non-skeletal chest wall lesion, heart, esophagus, and emphysema (weighted {kappa}, 0.618-0.799); moderate for atelectasis, mediastinum, hilar nodes, aorta, other lung lesions, skeletal chest wall lesions, linear scarring, nodules >1 cm, pulmonary artery abnormalities and pleural thickening (weighted {kappa}, 0.405-0.592); and fair for nodules <1 cm (weighted {kappa} = 0.362). Conclusion: Coronal reformations on 64-row MDCT had substantial agreement with axial images for evaluation of the majority of thoracic abnormalities.

NMR study on the network structure of a mixed gel of kappa and iota carrageenans.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Bingjie; Du, Lei; Matsukawa, Shingo

2016-10-05

The temperature dependencies of the (1)H T2 and diffusion coefficient (D) of a mixed solution of kappa-carrageenan and iota-carrageenan were measured by NMR. Rheological and NMR measurements suggested an exponential formation of rigid aggregates of kappa-carrageenan and a gradual formation of fine aggregates of iota-carrageenan during two step increases of G'. The results also suggested that longer carrageenan chains are preferentially involved in aggregation, thus resulting in a decrease in the average Mw of solute carrageenans. The results of diffusion measurements for poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) suggested that kappa-carrageenan formed thick aggregates that decreased hindrance to PEO diffusion by decreasing the solute kappa-carrageenan concentration in the voids of the aggregated chains, and that iota-carrageenan formed fine aggregates that decreased the solute iota-carrageenan concentration less. DPEO in a mixed solution of kappa-carrageenan and iota-carrageenan suggested two possibilities for the microscopic network structure: an interpenetrating network structure, or micro-phase separation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Induction of oncogene addiction shift to NF-{kappa}B by camptothecin in solid tumor cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Togano, Tomiteru; Sasaki, Masataka; Watanabe, Mariko; Nakashima, Makoto [Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan); Tsuruo, Takashi [Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-10-6 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Umezawa, Kazuo [Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0061 (Japan); Higashihara, Masaaki [Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan); Watanabe, Toshiki [Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, Department of Medical Genome Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Horie, Ryouichi, E-mail: rhorie@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp [Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan)

2009-12-04

The biological basis of the resistance of solid tumor cells to chemotherapy is not well understood. While addressing this problem, we found that gastric cancer cell line St-4/CPT, lung cancer cell line A549/CPT, and colon cancer cell line HT-29/CPT, all of which are resistant to camptothecin (CPT), showed strong and constitutive nuclear factor (NF)-{kappa}B activity driven by I{kappa}B kinase compared with their parental cell lines St-4, A549, and HT-29. A new NF-{kappa}B inhibitor, dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ), reduced viability and induced apoptosis in St-4/CPT, A549/CPT, and HT-29/CPT cell lines, while their parental cell lines were resistant to DHMEQ. The results in this study present an example of the shift in signals that support the survival of solid tumor cells to NF-{kappa}B during the acquisition of resistance to CPT. The results also indicate that solid tumor cells that become resistant to chemotherapy may be more easily treated by NF-{kappa}B inhibitors.

A method for determining optimum phasing of a multiphase propulsion system for a single-stage vehicle with linearized inert weight

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, J. A.

1974-01-01

A general analytical treatment is presented of a single-stage vehicle with multiple propulsion phases. A closed-form solution for the cost and for the performance and a derivation of the optimal phasing of the propulsion are included. Linearized variations in the inert weight elements are included, and the function to be minimized can be selected. The derivation of optimal phasing results in a set of nonlinear algebraic equations for optimal fuel volumes, for which a solution method is outlined. Three specific example cases are analyzed: minimum gross lift-off weight, minimum inert weight, and a minimized general function for a two-phase vehicle. The results for the two-phase vehicle are applied to the dual-fuel rocket. Comparisons with single-fuel vehicles indicate that dual-fuel vehicles can have lower inert weight either by development of a dual-fuel engine or by parallel burning of separate engines from lift-off.

NIK and IKKbeta interdependence in NF-kappaB signalling--flux analysis of regulation through metabolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hong-Bum; Evans, Iona; Smallwood, Rod; Holcombe, Mike; Qwarnstrom, Eva E

2010-02-01

Activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB is central to control of immune and inflammatory responses. Cytokine induced activation through the classical or canonical pathway relies on degradation of the inhibitor, IkappaBalpha and regulation by the IKKbeta kinase. In addition, the NF-kappaB is activated through the NF-kappaB-inducing kinase, NIK. Analysis of the IKK/NIK inter-relationship and its impact on NF-kappaB control, were analysed by mathematical modelling, using matrix formalism and stoichiometrically balanced reactions. The analysis considered a range of bio-reactions and core metabolites and their role in relation to kinase activation and in control of specific steps of the NF-kappaB pathway. The model predicts a growth-rate and time-dependent transfer of the primary kinase activity from IKKbeta to NIK. In addition, it suggests that NIK/IKKbeta interdependence is controlled by intermediates of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) within the glycolysis pathway, and thus, identifies a link between specific metabolic events and kinase activation in inflammatory signal transduction. Subsequent in vitro experiments, carried out to validate the impact of IKK/NIK interdependence, confirmed signal amplification at the level of the NF-kappaB/IkappaBalpha complex control in the presence of both kinases. Further, they demonstrate that the induced potentiation is due to synergistic enhancement of relA-dependent activation. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

on skin keratinocytes by nuclear factor-kappa B

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. NJ TONUKARI

2012-06-21

Jun 21, 2012 ... Effects of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) on ... AGE levels, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) localization and cell viability were measured in vivo. ..... and related alteration in NF-κB activity, we treated normal cells by ...

Supersensitive Kappa Opioid Receptors Promotes Ethanol Withdrawal-Related Behaviors and Reduce Dopamine Signaling in the Nucleus Accumbens.

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Jamie H; Karkhanis, Anushree N; Chen, Rong; Gioia, Dominic; Lopez, Marcelo F; Becker, Howard C; McCool, Brian A; Jones, Sara R

2016-05-01

Chronic ethanol exposure reduces dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens, which may contribute to the negative affective symptoms associated with ethanol withdrawal. Kappa opioid receptors have been implicated in withdrawal-induced excessive drinking and anxiety-like behaviors and are known to inhibit dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. The effects of chronic ethanol exposure on kappa opioid receptor-mediated changes in dopamine transmission at the level of the dopamine terminal and withdrawal-related behaviors were examined. Five weeks of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure in male C57BL/6 mice were used to examine the role of kappa opioid receptors in chronic ethanol-induced increases in ethanol intake and marble burying, a measure of anxiety/compulsive-like behavior. Drinking and marble burying were evaluated before and after chronic intermittent ethanol exposure, with and without kappa opioid receptor blockade by nor-binaltorphimine (10mg/kg i.p.). Functional alterations in kappa opioid receptors were assessed using fast scan cyclic voltammetry in brain slices containing the nucleus accumbens. Chronic intermittent ethanol-exposed mice showed increased ethanol drinking and marble burying compared with controls, which was attenuated with kappa opioid receptor blockade. Chronic intermittent ethanol-induced increases in behavior were replicated with kappa opioid receptor activation in naïve mice. Fast scan cyclic voltammetry revealed that chronic intermittent ethanol reduced accumbal dopamine release and increased uptake rates, promoting a hypodopaminergic state of this region. Kappa opioid receptor activation with U50,488H concentration-dependently decreased dopamine release in both groups; however, this effect was greater in chronic intermittent ethanol-treated mice, indicating kappa opioid receptor supersensitivity in this group. These data suggest that the chronic intermittent ethanol-induced increase in ethanol intake and anxiety

Commutators of Littlewood-Paley gκ∗$g_{\\kappa}^{*} $-functions on non-homogeneous metric measure spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Guanghui

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is to prove that the boundedness of the commutator Mκ,b∗$\\mathcal{M}_{\\kappa,b}^{*} $ generated by the Littlewood-Paley operator Mκ∗$\\mathcal{M}_{\\kappa}^{*} $ and RBMO (μ function on non-homogeneous metric measure spaces satisfying the upper doubling and the geometrically doubling conditions. Under the assumption that the kernel of Mκ∗$\\mathcal{M}_{\\kappa}^{*} $ satisfies a certain Hörmander-type condition, the authors prove that Mκ,b∗$\\mathcal{M}_{\\kappa,b}^{*} $ is bounded on Lebesgue spaces Lp(μ for 1 < p < ∞, bounded from the space L log L(μ to the weak Lebesgue space L1,∞(μ, and is bounded from the atomic Hardy spaces H1(μ to the weak Lebesgue spaces L1,∞(μ.

Application of hyperplane arrangements to weight enumeration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jurrius, R.P.M.J.; Pellikaan, G.R.

2014-01-01

Many research in coding theory is focussed on linear error-correcting codes. Since these codes are subspaces, linear algebra plays a prominent role in studying them. An important polynomial invariant of linear error-correcting codes is the (extended) weight enumerator. The weight enumerator gives

Omentin inhibits TNF-{alpha}-induced expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells via ERK/NF-{kappa}B pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhong, Xia, E-mail: zhongxia1977@126.com [Department of Emergency, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021 (China); Li, Xiaonan; Liu, Fuli; Tan, Hui [Department of Emergency, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021 (China); Shang, Deya, E-mail: wenhuashenghuo1@163.com [Department of Emergency, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021 (China)

2012-08-24

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Omentin inhibited TNF-{alpha}-induced adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Omentin reduces expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 induced by TNF-{alpha} in HUVECs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Omentin inhibits TNF-{alpha}-induced ERK and NF-{kappa}B activation in HUVECs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Omentin supreeses TNF-{alpha}-induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 via ERK/NF-{kappa}B pathway. -- Abstract: In the present study, we investigated whether omentin affected the expression of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our data showed that omentin decreased TNF-{alpha}-induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in HUVECs. In addition, omentin inhibited TNF-{alpha}-induced adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs. Further, we found that omentin inhibited TNF-{alpha}-activated signal pathway of nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) by preventing NF-{kappa}B inhibitory protein (I{kappa}B{alpha}) degradation and NF-{kappa}B/DNA binding activity. Omentin pretreatment significantly inhibited TNF-{alpha}-induced ERK activity and ERK phosphorylation in HUVECs. Pretreatment with PD98059 suppressed TNF-{alpha}-induced NF-{kappa}B activity. Omentin, NF-kB inhibitor (BAY11-7082) and ERK inhibitor (PD98059) reduced the up-regulation of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 induced by TNF-{alpha}. These results suggest that omentin may inhibit TNF-{alpha}-induced expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells via blocking ERK/NF-{kappa}B pathway.

Observer variability in the assessment of type and dysplasia of colorectal adenomas, analyzed using kappa statistics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, P; Krogsgaard, M R; Christiansen, J

1995-01-01

. The kappa values for Observer A vs. B and Observer C vs. B were 0.3480 and 0.3770, respectively (both type and dysplasia). Values for type were better than for dysplasia, but agreement was only fair to moderate. CONCLUSION: The interobserver agreement was moderate to almost perfect, but the intraobserver...... agreement was only fair to moderate. A simpler classification system or a centralization of assessments would probably increase kappa values....... of adenomas were assessed twice by three experienced pathologists, with an interval of two months. Results were analyzed using kappa statistics. RESULTS: For agreement between first and second assessment (both type and grade of dysplasia), kappa values for the three specialists were 0.5345, 0.9022, and 0...

Alfven waves in dusty plasmas with plasma particles described by anisotropic kappa distributions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galvao, R. A.; Ziebell, L. F. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, CEP: 91501-970, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil); Gaelzer, R. [Instituto de Fisica e Matematica, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Caixa Postal 354-Campus UFPel, CEP: 96010-900 Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil); Juli, M. C. de [Centro de Radio-Astronomia e Astrofisica Mackenzie-CRAAM, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Rua da Consolacao 896, CEP: 01302-907 Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2012-12-15

We utilize a kinetic description to study the dispersion relation of Alfven waves propagating parallelly to the ambient magnetic field in a dusty plasma, taking into account the fluctuation of the charge of the dust particles, which is due to inelastic collisions with electrons and ions. We consider a plasma in which the velocity distribution functions of the plasma particles are modelled as anisotropic kappa distributions, study the dispersion relation for several combinations of the parameters {kappa}{sub Parallel-To} and {kappa}{sub Up-Tack }, and emphasize the effect of the anisotropy of the distributions on the mode coupling which occurs in a dusty plasma, between waves in the branch of circularly polarized waves and waves in the whistler branch.

Behavioral meaningful opioidergic stimulation activates kappa receptor gene expression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Teodorov

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The periaqueductal gray (PAG has been reported to be a location for opioid regulation of pain and a potential site for behavioral selection in females. Opioid-mediated behavioral and physiological responses differ according to the activity of opioid receptor subtypes. The present study investigated the effects of the peripheral injection of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U69593 into the dorsal subcutaneous region of animals on maternal behavior and on Oprk1 gene activity in the PAG of female rats. Female Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g at the beginning of the study were randomly divided into 2 groups for maternal behavior and gene expression experiments. On day 5, pups were removed at 7:00 am and placed in another home cage that was distant from their mother. Thirty minutes after removing the pups, the dams were treated with U69593 (0.15 mg/kg, sc or 0.9% saline (up to 1 mL/kg and after 30 min were evaluated in the maternal behavior test. Latencies in seconds for pup retrieval, grouping, crouching, and full maternal behavior were scored. The results showed that U69593 administration inhibited maternal behavior (P < 0.05 because a lower percentage of kappa group dams showed retrieval of first pup, retrieving all pups, grouping, crouching and displaying full maternal behavior compared to the saline group. Opioid gene expression was evaluated using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR. A single injection of U69593 increased Oprk1 PAG expression in both virgin (P < 0.05 and lactating female rats (P < 0.01, with no significant effect on Oprm1 or Oprd1 gene activity. Thus, the expression of kappa-opioid receptors in the PAG may be modulated by single opioid receptor stimulation and behavioral meaningful opioidergic transmission in the adult female might occur simultaneously to specific changes in gene expression of kappa-opioid receptor subtype. This is yet another alert for the complex role of the opioid system in

Laryngeal precursor lesions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehlum, Camilla Slot; Larsen, Stine Rosenkilde; Kiss, Katalin

2018-01-01

; estimates of interrater and intrarater agreements were calculated with kappa statistics. Results: The crude intrarater agreements using the WHOC 2005 were 0.93 for rater 1 and 0.62 for rater 2. The corresponding unweighted kappa values were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86-0.95) for rater 1 and 0.......43 (95% CI, 0.35-0.54) for rater 2, whereas the standard linear weighted kappa values were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90-0.97) for rater 1 and 0.60 (95% CI, 0.53-0.69) for rater 2. The crude interrater agreement for the WHOC 2005 was 0.57, with a corresponding unweighted kappa value 0.38 (95% CI, 0...

Adaptive evolution of relish, a Drosophila NF-kappaB/IkappaB protein.

OpenAIRE

Begun, D J; Whitley, P

2000-01-01

NF-kappaB and IkappaB proteins have central roles in regulation of inflammation and innate immunity in mammals. Homologues of these proteins also play an important role in regulation of the Drosophila immune response. Here we present a molecular population genetic analysis of Relish, a Drosophila NF-kappaB/IkappaB protein, in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster. We find strong evidence for adaptive protein evolution in D. simulans, but not in D. melanogaster. The adaptive evolution appear...

Associations between maternal weekly air pollutant exposures and low birth weight: a distributed lag non-linear model

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Han; Jiang, Baofa; Zhu, Ping; Geng, Xingyi; Liu, Zhong; Cui, Liangliang; Yang, Liping

2018-02-01

When discussing the association between birth weight and air pollution, previous studies mainly focus on the maternal trimester-specific exposures during pregnancy, whereas the possible associations between birth weight and weekly-specific exposures have been largely neglected. We conducted a nested 1:4 matched case-control study in Jinan, China to examine the weekly-specific associations during pregnancy between maternal fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter gender-, gestational age-, and parity-specific standard score (BWGAP z-score) was calculated as the outcome of interest. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were applied to estimate weekly-specific relationship between maternal air pollutant exposures and birth weight. For an increase of per inter-quartile range in maternal PM2.5 exposure concentration during pregnancy, the BWGAP z-score decreased significantly during the 27th-33th gestational weeks with the strongest association in the 30th gestational weeks (standard deviation units decrease in BWGAP z-score: -0.049, 95% CI: -0.080 -0.017, in three-pollutant model). No significant association between maternal weekly NO2 or SO2 BWGAP z-score was observed. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that maternal PM2.5 exposure during the 27th-33th gestational weeks may reduce the birth weight in the context of very high pollution level of PM2.5.

Universal equation for estimating ideal body weight and body weight at any BMI.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Courtney M; Thomas, Diana M; Blackburn, George L; Heymsfield, Steven B

2016-05-01

Ideal body weight (IBW) equations and body mass index (BMI) ranges have both been used to delineate healthy or normal weight ranges, although these 2 different approaches are at odds with each other. In particular, past IBW equations are misaligned with BMI values, and unlike BMI, the equations have failed to recognize that there is a range of ideal or target body weights. For the first time, to our knowledge, we merged the concepts of a linear IBW equation and of defining target body weights in terms of BMI. With the use of calculus and approximations, we derived an easy-to-use linear equation that clinicians can use to calculate both IBW and body weight at any target BMI value. We measured the empirical accuracy of the equation with the use of NHANES data and performed a comparative analysis with past IBW equations. Our linear equation allowed us to calculate body weights for any BMI and height with a mean empirical accuracy of 0.5-0.7% on the basis of NHANES data. Moreover, we showed that our body weight equation directly aligns with BMI values for both men and women, which avoids the overestimation and underestimation problems at the upper and lower ends of the height spectrum that have plagued past IBW equations. Our linear equation increases the sophistication of IBW equations by replacing them with a single universal equation that calculates both IBW and body weight at any target BMI and height. Therefore, our equation is compatible with BMI and can be applied with the use of mental math or a calculator without the need for an app, which makes it a useful tool for both health practitioners and the general public. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

A novel large thrust-weight ratio V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor with a flexible joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaoniu; Yao, Zhiyuan; Yang, Mojian

2017-06-01

A novel large thrust-weight ratio V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor with a flexible joint is proposed in this paper. The motor is comprised of a V-shaped transducer, a slider, a clamp, and a base. The V-shaped transducer consists of two piezoelectric beams connected through a flexible joint to form an appropriate coupling angle. The V-shaped motor is operated in the coupled longitudinal-bending mode. Longitudinal and bending movements are transferred by the flexible joint between the two beams. Compared with the coupled longitudinal-bending mode of the single piezoelectric beam or the symmetrical and asymmetrical modes of the previous V-shaped transducer, the coupled longitudinal-bending mode of the V-shaped transducer with a flexible joint provides higher vibration efficiency and more convenient mode conformance adjustment. A finite element model of the V-shaped transducer is created to numerically study the influence of geometrical parameters and to determine the final geometrical parameters. In this paper, three prototypes were then fabricated and experimentally investigated. The modal test results match well with the finite element analysis. The motor mechanical output characteristics of three different coupling angles θ indicate that V-90 (θ = 90°) is the optimal angle. The mechanical output experiments conducted using the V-90 prototype (Size: 59.4 mm × 30.7 mm × 4 mm) demonstrate that the maximum unloaded speed is 1.2 m/s under a voltage of 350 Vpp, and the maximum output force is 15 N under a voltage of 300 Vpp. The proposed novel V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor has a compact size and a simple structure with a large thrust-weight ratio (0.75 N/g) and high speed.

Pim-2 activates API-5 to inhibit the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through NF-kappaB pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Ke; Zhang, Wei; Shi, Yujun; Gong, Jianping

2010-06-01

Pim-2 is proved to be relevant to the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanism is unclear. We studied the relationship among Pim-2, NF-kappaB and API-5. In our experiment, expression level of the three factors and phosphorylation level of API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity, were detected in HCC tissues and the nontumorous controls. Then Pim-2 gene was transfected into nontumorous liver cells L02, and Pim-2 SiRNA was transfected into hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2. Parthenolide was added as NF-kappaB inhibitor. The same detections as above were repeated in the cells, along with the apoptosis analysis. We found the levels of Pim-2, NF-kappaB and API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity, were significantly higher in HCC tissues. Pim-2 level was increased in L02 cells after the transfection of Pim-2 gene, but decreased in HepG2 cells after the transfection of Pim-2 SiRNA. The levels of NF-kappaB and API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity and API-5 phosphorylation level, were in accordance with Pim-2 level, but could be reversed by Parthenolide. Cell apoptosis rates were negatively correlated with API-5 phosphorylation level. Therefore, we infer that Pim-2 could activate API-5 to inhibit the apoptosis of liver cells, and NF-kappaB is the key regulator.

Closed-form solutions for linear regulator-design of mechanical systems including optimal weighting matrix selection

Science.gov (United States)

Hanks, Brantley R.; Skelton, Robert E.

1991-01-01

This paper addresses the restriction of Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) solutions to the algebraic Riccati Equation to design spaces which can be implemented as passive structural members and/or dampers. A general closed-form solution to the optimal free-decay control problem is presented which is tailored for structural-mechanical systems. The solution includes, as subsets, special cases such as the Rayleigh Dissipation Function and total energy. Weighting matrix selection is a constrained choice among several parameters to obtain desired physical relationships. The closed-form solution is also applicable to active control design for systems where perfect, collocated actuator-sensor pairs exist. Some examples of simple spring mass systems are shown to illustrate key points.

The maximally achievable accuracy of linear optimal regulators and linear optimal filters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kwakernaak, H.; Sivan, Raphael

1972-01-01

A linear system with a quadratic cost function, which is a weighted sum of the integral square regulation error and the integral square input, is considered. What happens to the integral square regulation error as the relative weight of the integral square input reduces to zero is investigated. In

Weighted A-statistical convergence for sequences of positive linear operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohiuddine, S A; Alotaibi, Abdullah; Hazarika, Bipan

2014-01-01

We introduce the notion of weighted A-statistical convergence of a sequence, where A represents the nonnegative regular matrix. We also prove the Korovkin approximation theorem by using the notion of weighted A-statistical convergence. Further, we give a rate of weighted A-statistical convergence and apply the classical Bernstein polynomial to construct an illustrative example in support of our result.

Ion acoustic solitons in a plasma with two-temperature kappa-distributed electrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baluku, T. K.; Hellberg, M. A. [School of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000 (South Africa)

2012-01-15

Existence domains and characteristics of ion acoustic solitons are studied in a two-temperature electron plasma with both electron components being kappa-distributed, as found in Saturn's magnetosphere. As is the case for double-Boltzmann electrons, solitons of both polarities can exist over restricted ranges of fractional hot electron density ratio for this plasma model. Low {kappa} values, which indicate increased suprathermal particles in the tail of the distribution, yield a smaller domain in the parameter space of hot density fraction and normalized soliton velocity (f, M), over which both soliton polarities are supported for a given plasma composition (the coexistence region). For some density ratios that support coexistence, solitons occur even at the lowest (critical) Mach number (i.e., at the acoustic speed), as found recently for a number of other plasma models. Like Maxwellians, low-{kappa} distributions also support positive potential double layers over a narrow range of low fractional cool electron density (<10%).

NIRS Characterization of Paper Pulps to Predict Kappa Number

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Moral

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Rice is one of the most abundant food crops in the world and its straw stands as an important source of fibres both from an economic and an environmental point of view. Pulp characterization is of special relevance in works involving alternative raw materials, since pulp properties are closely linked to the quality of the final product. One of the analytical techniques that can be used in pulp characterization is near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS. The use of NIRS has economic and technical advantages over conventional techniques. This paper aims to discuss the convenience of using NIRS to predict Kappa number in rice straw pulps produced under different conditions. We found that the resulting Kappa number can be acceptably estimated by NIRS, as the errors obtained with that method are similar to those found for other techniques.

Hydrogen inhalation reduced epithelial apoptosis in ventilator-induced lung injury via a mechanism involving nuclear factor-kappa B activation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Chien-Sheng [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei-Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Kawamura, Tomohiro; Peng, Ximei [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Tochigi, Naobumi [Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA (United States); Shigemura, Norihisa [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Billiar, Timothy R. [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Nakao, Atsunori, E-mail: anakao@imap.pitt.edu [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Toyoda, Yoshiya [Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2011-05-06

Highlights: {yields} Hydrogen is a regulatory molecule with antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic protective effects. {yields} There is very limited information on the pathways regulated in vivo by the hydrogen. {yields} Antiapoptotic abilities of hydrogen were explained by upregulation of the antiapoptotic gene. {yields} NF{kappa}B activation during hydrogen treatment was correlated with elevated antiapoptotic protein. {yields} NF{kappa}B activation associated with increase Bcl-2 may contribute to cytoprotection of hydrogen. -- Abstract: We recently demonstrated the inhalation of hydrogen gas, a novel medical therapeutic gas, ameliorates ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI); however, the molecular mechanisms by which hydrogen ameliorates VILI remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether inhaled hydrogen gas modulates the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF{kappa}B) signaling pathway. VILI was generated in male C57BL6 mice by performing a tracheostomy and placing the mice on a mechanical ventilator (tidal volume of 30 ml/kg or 10 ml/kg without positive end-expiratory pressure). The ventilator delivered either 2% nitrogen or 2% hydrogen in balanced air. NF{kappa}B activation, as indicated by NF{kappa}B DNA binding, was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hydrogen gas inhalation increased NF{kappa}B DNA binding after 1 h of ventilation and decreased NF{kappa}B DNA binding after 2 h of ventilation, as compared with controls. The early activation of NF{kappa}B during hydrogen treatment was correlated with elevated levels of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and decreased levels of Bax. Hydrogen inhalation increased oxygen tension, decreased lung edema, and decreased the expression of proinflammatory mediators. Chemical inhibition of early NF{kappa}B activation using SN50 reversed these protective effects. NF{kappa}B activation and an associated increase in the expression of Bcl-2 may contribute, in part, to the

Insulin receptor substrate-3, interacting with Bcl-3, enhances p50 NF-{kappa}B activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kabuta, Tomohiro [Departments of Animal Sciences and Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657 (Japan); Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502 (Japan); Hakuno, Fumihiko; Cho, Yoshitake; Yamanaka, Daisuke; Chida, Kazuhiro [Departments of Animal Sciences and Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657 (Japan); Asano, Tomoichiro [Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551 (Japan); Wada, Keiji [Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502 (Japan); Takahashi, Shin-Ichiro, E-mail: atkshin@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Departments of Animal Sciences and Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657 (Japan)

2010-04-09

The insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are major substrates of both insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I receptor tyrosine kinases. Previously, we reported that IRS-3 is localized to both cytosol and nucleus, and possesses transcriptional activity. In the present study, we identified Bcl-3 as a novel binding protein to IRS-3. Bcl-3 is a nuclear protein, which forms a complex with the homodimer of p50 NF-{kappa}B, leading to enhancement of transcription through p50 NF-{kappa}B. We found that Bcl-3 interacts with the pleckstrin homology domain and the phosphotyrosine binding domain of IRS-3, and that IRS-3 interacts with the ankyrin repeat domain of Bcl-3. In addition, IRS-3 augmented the binding activity of p50 to the NF-{kappa}B DNA binding site, as well as the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-{alpha}-induced transcriptional activity of NF-{kappa}B. Lastly, IRS-3 enhanced NF-{kappa}B-dependent anti-apoptotic gene induction and consequently inhibited TNF-{alpha}-induced cell death. This series of results proposes a novel function for IRS-3 as a transcriptional regulator in TNF-{alpha} signaling, distinct from its function as a substrate of insulin/IGF receptor kinases.

Weighted A-Statistical Convergence for Sequences of Positive Linear Operators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Mohiuddine

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We introduce the notion of weighted A-statistical convergence of a sequence, where A represents the nonnegative regular matrix. We also prove the Korovkin approximation theorem by using the notion of weighted A-statistical convergence. Further, we give a rate of weighted A-statistical convergence and apply the classical Bernstein polynomial to construct an illustrative example in support of our result.

DMPD: Signaling to NF-kappaB by Toll-like receptors. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available l Med. 2007 Nov;13(11):460-9. Epub 2007 Oct 29. (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show Signaling to NF-kappaB by Toll-like receptors. Pub...medID 18029230 Title Signaling to NF-kappaB by Toll-like receptors. Authors Kawai T

125I-DPDYN, monoiodo [D-Pro10]- dynorphin (1-11), is an effective and useful tool for the study of kappa opioid receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gairin, J.E.; Jomary, C.; Cros, J.; Meunier, J.C.

1986-01-01

Iodination of the kappa-selective peptide DPDYN, [D-Pro10]-dynorphin (1-11), has been performed. The non radioactive monoiodo derivative of DPDYN retains kappa-selectivity (kappa/mu = 48 and kappa/delta = 140), despite a general but moderate decrease in affinity. Radioiodination of DPDYN leads to the monoiodinated peptide (S.A 700-800 Ci/mmol) which interacts specifically and reversibly with the kappa-sites in guinea-pig cerebellum membranes with high affinity (KD = 0.12-0.18 nM). In guinea-pig brain (mu-delta-kappa) and rabbit cerebellum (kappa much less than mu), 125 I-DPDYN discriminates between kappa- and other (mu, delta) binding sites. We have used this new labelled probe for the direct, precise and rapid (exposure time less than 100 hours) visualization of kappa-sites in guinea-pig and rabbit cerebellar slices using autoradiography

Preterm infant linear growth and adiposity gain: trade-offs for later weight status and intelligence quotient.

Science.gov (United States)

Belfort, Mandy B; Gillman, Matthew W; Buka, Stephen L; Casey, Patrick H; McCormick, Marie C

2013-12-01

To examine trade-offs between cognitive outcome and overweight/obesity in preterm-born infants at school age and young adulthood in relation to weight gain and linear growth during infancy. We studied 945 participants in the Infant Health and Development Program, an 8-center study of preterm (≤37 weeks gestational age), low birth weight (≤2500 g) infants from birth to age 18 years. Adjusting for maternal and child factors in logistic regression, we estimated the odds of overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥85th percentile at age 8 or ≥25 kg/m(2) at age 18) and in separate models, low IQ (growth from term to 4 months was associated with lower odds of IQ growth soon after term was associated with better cognition, but also with a greater risk of overweight/obesity at age 8 years and 18 years. BMI gain over the entire 18 months after term was associated with later risk of overweight/obesity, with less evidence of a benefit for IQ. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mean-Variance-CvaR Model of Multiportfolio Optimization via Linear Weighted Sum Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Younes Elahi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a new approach to optimizing portfolios to mean-variance-CVaR (MVC model. Although of several researches have studied the optimal MVC model of portfolio, the linear weighted sum method (LWSM was not implemented in the area. The aim of this paper is to investigate the optimal portfolio model based on MVC via LWSM. With this method, the solution of the MVC model of portfolio as the multiobjective problem is presented. In data analysis section, this approach in investing on two assets is investigated. An MVC model of the multiportfolio was implemented in MATLAB and tested on the presented problem. It is shown that, by using three objective functions, it helps the investors to manage their portfolio better and thereby minimize the risk and maximize the return of the portfolio. The main goal of this study is to modify the current models and simplify it by using LWSM to obtain better results.

Mapping the transcription termination region of the mouse immunoglobulin kappa gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, M.; Garrard, W.T.

1986-01-01

To define the transcription termination region of the mouse immunoglobulin kappa gene, they have subcloned single copy DNA sequences corresponding to both the template and the non-template strands of this locus. In vitro nuclear transcription with isolated MPC-11 nuclei was performed and the resulting 32 P-labeled RNA was hybridized to slot-blotted, single-stranded M13 probes covering regions within and flanking the kappa gene. The hybridization pattern for the template-strand reveals that transcription terminates within the region between 1.1 to 2.3 kb downstream from the poly(A) site. Ten different short sequences (8-13 bp) reside within 460 bp of this region that exhibit homology with sequences found in the termination regions of mouse β-globin and chicken ovalbumin genes. Transcription of the non-template strand occurs on either side of this termination region. They note that no transcription is detectable on the non-template strand downstream of the enhancer, indicating that if RNA polymerase II enters at this site, it does not initiate transcription during transit to the promoter region. They conclude that transcription of the kappa gene passes the poly(A) addition site and terminates within 2.3 Kb downstream

DMPD: Nuclear factor-kappaB: activation and regulation during toll-like receptorsignaling. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 17349209 Nuclear factor-kappaB: activation and regulation during toll-like receptorsignaling. Carmody...uclear factor-kappaB: activation and regulation during toll-like receptorsignaling. Authors Carmody

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase up-regulates NF-{kappa}B transcriptional activation through RelA phosphorylation during stretch-induced myogenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Guoping [Department of Orthodontics, College of Stomatology, Ninth People' s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai 200011 (China); Liu, Dongxu [Department of Orthodontics, College of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province 250012 (China); Liu, Jing [Department of Orthodontics, The Affiliated Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province 266075 (China); Gao, Hui [Department of Orthodontics, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, Tianjin 300041 (China); Yuan, Xiao, E-mail: yuanxiaoqd@163.com [Department of Orthodontics, The Affiliated Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province 266075 (China); Shen, Gang, E-mail: ganshen2007@163.com [Department of Orthodontics, College of Stomatology, Ninth People' s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai 200011 (China)

2010-01-01

p38 MAPK and nuclear factor-B (NF-B) signaling pathways play an indispensable role in the control of skeletal myogenesis. The specific contribution of these signaling pathways to the response of myoblast to the mechanical stimulation and the molecular mechanisms underlying this response remain unresolved. Using an established in vitro model, we now show that p38 MAP kinase activity regulates the transcriptional activation of NF-{kappa}B in response to mechanical stimulation of myoblasts. Furthermore, SB203580 blocked stretch-induced NF-{kappa}B activation during myogenesis, not through down-regulation of degradation of I{kappa}B-{alpha}, and consequent translocation of the p65 subunit of NF-{kappa}B to the nucleus. It is likely that stretch-induced NF-{kappa}B activation by phosphorylation of p65 NF-{kappa}B. Moreover, depletion of p38{alpha} using siRNA significantly reduces stretch-induced phosphorylation of RelA and NF-{kappa}B activity. These results provides the first evidence of a cross-talk between p38 MAPK and NF-{kappa}B signaling pathways during stretch-induced myogenesis, with phosphorylation of RelA being one of the effectors of this promyogenic mechanism. The {alpha} isoform of p38MAP kinase regulates the transcriptional activation of NF-{kappa}B following stimulation with cyclic stretch.

ESTIMATION OF YELLOWFIN TUNA PRODUCTION LANDED IN BENOA PORT WITH WEIGHT-WEIGHT, LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS AND CONDITION FACTOR APPROACHES

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Irwan Jatmiko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares is one of the important catch for the fishing industry in Indonesia. Length-weight relationship study is one of important tools to support fisheries management. However it could not be done to yellowfin tuna landed in Benoa port since they are in the form of gilled-gutted condition. The objectives of this study are to determine the relationship between gilled-gutted weight (GW and whole weight (WW, to calculate length weight relationship between fork length (FL and estimated whole weight (WW and to assess the relative condition factor (Kn of yellowfin tuna in Eastern Indian Ocean. Data were collected from three landing sites i.e. Malang, East Java; Benoa, Bali and Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara from January 2013 to February 2014. Linear regression analysis applied to test the significance baseline between weight-weight relationships and log transformed length weight relationship. Relative condition factor (Kn used to identify fish condition among length groups and months. The results showed a significant positive linear relationships between whole weight (WW and gilled-gutted weight (GW of T. albacares (p<0.001. There was a significant positive linier relationships between log transformed fork length and log transformed whole weight of T. albacares (p<0.001. Relative condition factor (Kn showed declining pattern along with length increase and varied among months. The findings from this study provide data for management of yellowfin tuna stock and population.

Modeling Fire Occurrence at the City Scale: A Comparison between Geographically Weighted Regression and Global Linear Regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Chao; Kwan, Mei-Po; Zhu, Jiping

2017-04-08

An increasing number of fires are occurring with the rapid development of cities, resulting in increased risk for human beings and the environment. This study compares geographically weighted regression-based models, including geographically weighted regression (GWR) and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), which integrates spatial and temporal effects and global linear regression models (LM) for modeling fire risk at the city scale. The results show that the road density and the spatial distribution of enterprises have the strongest influences on fire risk, which implies that we should focus on areas where roads and enterprises are densely clustered. In addition, locations with a large number of enterprises have fewer fire ignition records, probably because of strict management and prevention measures. A changing number of significant variables across space indicate that heterogeneity mainly exists in the northern and eastern rural and suburban areas of Hefei city, where human-related facilities or road construction are only clustered in the city sub-centers. GTWR can capture small changes in the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the variables while GWR and LM cannot. An approach that integrates space and time enables us to better understand the dynamic changes in fire risk. Thus governments can use the results to manage fire safety at the city scale.

Association between body weight and dimensional shell traits of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results of regression models revealed that live weight of A. achatina was best predicted with multiple linear regression models, while with live weight of A. marginata was best predicted with simple linear regression model and multiple linear regression models. A test of accuracy of the linear regression models showed ...

Corneal NF-kappaB activity is necessary for the retention of transparency in the cornea of UV-B-exposed transgenic reporter mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, George; Carlsen, Harald; Blomhoff, Rune

2006-04-01

To determine the dynamics of Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in murine corneal pathology and the role of NF-kappaB in maintaining corneal clarity after ultraviolet B radiation insult, transgenic mice containing NF-kappaB-luciferase reporter were exposed to LPS (bacterial lipopolysaccharide), TNF-alpha (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha) or 4 kJ m(-2) UV-B radiation. NF-kappaB decoy oligonucleotides were also administered in some of the UV-B experiments. Following various exposure times, the mice were sacrificed and whole eyes or corneal tissues were obtained. Whole eyes were examined for scattering using a point-source optical imaging technique. Tissue homogenates were examined for luciferase activity using a luminometer. TNF-alpha and LPS-injected NF-kappaB-luciferase transgenic mice demonstrated 3-10-fold increases in cornea NF-kappaB with peak activities at 4 and 6 hr post-injection, respectively. Mice exposed to 4 kJ m(-2) UV-B exhibited a 3-fold increase in NF-kappaB activity 4 hr post-exposure. The administration of NF-kappaB-decoy oligonucleotides to mice had the effect of reducing UV-B-induced NF-kappaB activity in the cornea and significantly increasing the amount of light scattering in UV-B exposed corneas 7 days post-UV-B exposure when compared to sham injected mice. These results indicate that NF-kappaB is activated in cornea in pathologies that involves increased plasma levels of LPS and TNF-alpha, as well as direct UV-B exposure, and suggest that NF-kappaB activation play an essential part in the corneal healing process.

NF-kappaB signaling mediates vascular smooth muscle endothelin type B receptor expression in resistance arteries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zheng, Jian-Pu; Zhang, Yaping; Edvinsson, Lars

2010-01-01

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) endothelin type B (ET(B)) receptor upregulation results in strong vasoconstriction and reduction of local blood flow. We hypothesizes that the underlying molecular mechanisms involve transcriptional factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway. ET(B) recepto...

Bmi-1 promotes the aggressiveness of glioma via activating the NF-kappaB/MMP-9 signaling pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Lili; Wu, Jueheng; Yang, Yi; Liu, Liping; Song, Libing; Li, Jun; Li, Mengfeng

2012-01-01

The prognosis of human glioma is poor, and the highly invasive nature of the disease represents a major impediment to current therapeutic modalities. The oncoprotein B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 protein (Bmi-1) has been linked to the development and progression of glioma; however, the biological role of Bmi-1 in the invasion of glioma remains unclear. A172 and LN229 glioma cells were engineered to overexpress Bmi-1 via stable transfection or to be silenced for Bmi-1 expression using RNA interfering method. Migration and invasiveness of the engineered cells were assessed using wound healing assay, Transwell migration assay, Transwell matrix penetration assay and 3-D spheroid invasion assay. MMP-9 expression and activity were measured using real-time PCR, ELISA and the gelatin zymography methods. Expression of NF-kappaB target genes was quantified using real-time PCR. NF-kappaB transcriptional activity was assessed using an NF-kappaB luciferase reporter system. Expression of Bmi-1 and MMP-9 in clinical specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemical assay. Ectopic overexpression of Bmi-1 dramatically increased, whereas knockdown of endogenous Bmi-1 reduced, the invasiveness and migration of glioma cells. NF-kappaB transcriptional activity and MMP-9 expression and activity were significantly increased in Bmi-1-overexpressing but reduced in Bmi-1-silenced cells. The reporter luciferase activity driven by MMP-9 promoter in Bmi-1-overexpressing cells was dependent on the presence of a functional NF-kappaB binding site, and blockade of NF-kappaB signaling inhibited the upregulation of MMP-9 in Bmi-1 overexpressing cells. Furthermore, expression of Bmi-1 correlated with NF-kappaB nuclear translocation as well as MMP-9 expression in clinical glioma samples. Bmi-1 may play an important role in the development of aggressive phenotype of glioma via activating the NF-kappaB/MMP-9 pathway and therefore might represent a novel therapeutic

Bmi-1 promotes the aggressiveness of glioma via activating the NF-kappaB/MMP-9 signaling pathway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Lili

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The prognosis of human glioma is poor, and the highly invasive nature of the disease represents a major impediment to current therapeutic modalities. The oncoprotein B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 protein (Bmi-1 has been linked to the development and progression of glioma; however, the biological role of Bmi-1 in the invasion of glioma remains unclear. Methods A172 and LN229 glioma cells were engineered to overexpress Bmi-1 via stable transfection or to be silenced for Bmi-1 expression using RNA interfering method. Migration and invasiveness of the engineered cells were assessed using wound healing assay, Transwell migration assay, Transwell matrix penetration assay and 3-D spheroid invasion assay. MMP-9 expression and activity were measured using real-time PCR, ELISA and the gelatin zymography methods. Expression of NF-kappaB target genes was quantified using real-time PCR. NF-kappaB transcriptional activity was assessed using an NF-kappaB luciferase reporter system. Expression of Bmi-1 and MMP-9 in clinical specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemical assay. Results Ectopic overexpression of Bmi-1 dramatically increased, whereas knockdown of endogenous Bmi-1 reduced, the invasiveness and migration of glioma cells. NF-kappaB transcriptional activity and MMP-9 expression and activity were significantly increased in Bmi-1-overexpressing but reduced in Bmi-1-silenced cells. The reporter luciferase activity driven by MMP-9 promoter in Bmi-1-overexpressing cells was dependent on the presence of a functional NF-kappaB binding site, and blockade of NF-kappaB signaling inhibited the upregulation of MMP-9 in Bmi-1 overexpressing cells. Furthermore, expression of Bmi-1 correlated with NF-kappaB nuclear translocation as well as MMP-9 expression in clinical glioma samples. Conclusions Bmi-1 may play an important role in the development of aggressive phenotype of glioma via activating the NF-kappa

Novel selective kappa-opioid ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Peeters, O M; Jamroz, D; Blaton, N M; De Ranter, C J

1999-03-15

The single-crystal X-ray structures of (-)-dimethyl[(2S)-1-(5,6,7,8- tetrahydro-5-oxonaphthalene-2-acetyl)piperidin-2-ylmethyl ]ammonium chloride, C20H29N2O2+.Cl-(BRL-53001A), and (-)-ethylmethyl[(2S)-1-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5-oxonaphthalene- 2- acetyl)piperidin-2-ylmethyl]-ammonium chloride dihydrate, C21H31N2O2+.Cl-.2H2O (BRL-53188A), have been determined. The two molecules have different conformations in the 1-tetralon-6-ylacetyl residue but the same conformation in the 1-acetyl-2-(dialkylaminomethyl)piperidine moiety. The conformations found are in agreement with the required chemical features for kappa affinity and antinociceptive potency.

Successive 1-Month Weight Increments in Infancy Can Be Used to Screen for Faltering Linear Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Onyango, Adelheid W; Borghi, Elaine; de Onis, Mercedes; Frongillo, Edward A; Victora, Cesar G; Dewey, Kathryn G; Lartey, Anna; Bhandari, Nita; Baerug, Anne; Garza, Cutberto

2015-12-01

Linear growth faltering in the first 2 y contributes greatly to a high stunting burden, and prevention is hampered by the limited capacity in primary health care for timely screening and intervention. This study aimed to determine an approach to predicting long-term stunting from consecutive 1-mo weight increments in the first year of life. By using the reference sample of the WHO velocity standards, the analysis explored patterns of consecutive monthly weight increments among healthy infants. Four candidate screening thresholds of successive increments that could predict stunting were considered, and one was selected for further testing. The selected threshold was applied in a cohort of Bangladeshi infants to assess its predictive value for stunting at ages 12 and 24 mo. Between birth and age 12 mo, 72.6% of infants in the WHO sample tracked within 1 SD of their weight and length. The selected screening criterion ("event") was 2 consecutive monthly increments below the 15th percentile. Bangladeshi infants were born relatively small and, on average, tracked downward from approximately age 6 to strategy is effective, the estimated preventable proportion in the group who experienced the event would be 34% at 12 mo and 24% at 24 mo. This analysis offers an approach for frontline workers to identify children at risk of stunting, allowing for timely initiation of preventive measures. It opens avenues for further investigation into evidence-informed application of the WHO growth velocity standards. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Least median of squares and iteratively re-weighted least squares as robust linear regression methods for fluorimetric determination of α-lipoic acid in capsules in ideal and non-ideal cases of linearity.

Science.gov (United States)

Korany, Mohamed A; Gazy, Azza A; Khamis, Essam F; Ragab, Marwa A A; Kamal, Miranda F

2018-03-26

This study outlines two robust regression approaches, namely least median of squares (LMS) and iteratively re-weighted least squares (IRLS) to investigate their application in instrument analysis of nutraceuticals (that is, fluorescence quenching of merbromin reagent upon lipoic acid addition). These robust regression methods were used to calculate calibration data from the fluorescence quenching reaction (∆F and F-ratio) under ideal or non-ideal linearity conditions. For each condition, data were treated using three regression fittings: Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), LMS and IRLS. Assessment of linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ), accuracy and precision were carefully studied for each condition. LMS and IRLS regression line fittings showed significant improvement in correlation coefficients and all regression parameters for both methods and both conditions. In the ideal linearity condition, the intercept and slope changed insignificantly, but a dramatic change was observed for the non-ideal condition and linearity intercept. Under both linearity conditions, LOD and LOQ values after the robust regression line fitting of data were lower than those obtained before data treatment. The results obtained after statistical treatment indicated that the linearity ranges for drug determination could be expanded to lower limits of quantitation by enhancing the regression equation parameters after data treatment. Analysis results for lipoic acid in capsules, using both fluorimetric methods, treated by parametric OLS and after treatment by robust LMS and IRLS were compared for both linearity conditions. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analysis of infant cry through weighted linear prediction cepstral coefficients and Probabilistic Neural Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Hariharan, M; Chee, Lim Sin; Yaacob, Sazali

2012-06-01

Acoustic analysis of infant cry signals has been proven to be an excellent tool in the area of automatic detection of pathological status of an infant. This paper investigates the application of parameter weighting for linear prediction cepstral coefficients (LPCCs) to provide the robust representation of infant cry signals. Three classes of infant cry signals were considered such as normal cry signals, cry signals from deaf babies and babies with asphyxia. A Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) is suggested to classify the infant cry signals into normal and pathological cries. PNN is trained with different spread factor or smoothing parameter to obtain better classification accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the suggested features and classification algorithms give very promising classification accuracy of above 98% and it expounds that the suggested method can be used to help medical professionals for diagnosing pathological status of an infant from cry signals.

Application of iota and kappa carrageenans to traditional several food using modified cassava flour

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Baarri, A. N.; Legowo, A. M.; Rizqiati, H.; Widayat; Septianingrum, A.; Sabrina, H. N.; Arganis, L. M.; Saraswati, R. O.; Mochtar, Rr C. P. R.

2018-01-01

Carrageenan has been known well as hydrocolloids that forming viscous dispersions and gels when dispersed in water. The carrageenan has not been widely applied to traditional foods. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the effect of kappa and iota carrageenans in traditional food models using modified cassava flour, sugar, and coconut milk. The textural properties, i.e. hardness, cohesiveness, springiness and adhesiveness have been measured using texture analyzer. The study indicated that traditional food models added kappa carrageenan at 2% generated remarkably higher in the hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness than those added iota carrageenan. On the other hand, the reserve result were found in the adhesiveness parameter. As conclusion, kappa carrageenan scan be potentially used for producing traditional foods based on the hard-texture-oriented foods whereas iota carrageenan can be used for the traditional foods with better adhesiveness.

Cirhin up-regulates a canonical NF-{kappa}B element through strong interaction with Cirip/HIVEP1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Bin; Mitchell, Grant A. [Genetique Medicale, Centre de Recherche CHU Sainte-Justine, Departement de Pediatrie, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Richter, Andrea, E-mail: andrea.richter@umontreal.ca [Genetique Medicale, Centre de Recherche CHU Sainte-Justine, Departement de Pediatrie, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada)

2009-11-01

North American Indian childhood cirrhosis (NAIC/CIRH1A) is a severe autosomal recessive intrahepatic cholestasis. All NAIC patients have a homozygous mutation in CIRH1A that changes conserved Arg565 to Trp (R565W) in Cirhin, a nucleolar protein of unknown function. Subcellular localization is unaffected by the mutation. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified Cirip (Cirhin interaction protein) and found that interaction between Cirip and R565W-Cirhin was weakened. Co-immunoprecipitation of the two proteins from nuclear extracts of HeLa cells strongly supports the yeast two hybrid results. Cirip has essentially the same sequence as the C-terminal of HIVEP1, a regulator of a canonical NF-{kappa}B sequence. Since Cirip has the zinc fingers required for this interaction, we developed an in vitro assay based on this element in mammalian cells to demonstrate functional Cirhin-Cirip interaction. The strong positive effect of Cirip on the NF-{kappa}B sequence was further increased by both Cirhin and R565W-Cirhin. Importantly, the effect of R565W-Cirhin was weaker than that of the wild type protein. We observed increased levels of Cirhin-Cirip complex in nuclear extracts in the presence of this NF-{kappa}B sequence. Our hypothesis is that Cirhin is a transcriptional regulatory factor of this NF-{kappa}B sequence and could be a participant in the regulation of other genes with NF-{kappa}B responsive elements. Since the activities of genes regulated through NF-{kappa}B responsive elements are especially important during development, this interaction may be a key to explain the perinatal appearance of NAIC.

Non-linear realization of α0 -extended supersymmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishino, Hitoshi

2000-01-01

As generalizations of the original Volkov-Akulov action in four-dimensions, actions are found for all space-time dimensions D invariant under N non-linear realized global supersymmetries. We also give other such actions invariant under the global non-linear supersymmetry. As an interesting consequence, we find a non-linear supersymmetric Born-Infeld action for a non-Abelian gauge group for arbitrary D and N , which coincides with the linearly supersymmetric Born-Infeld action in D=10 at the lowest order. For the gauge group U(N) for M(atrix)-theory, this model has N 2 -extended non-linear supersymmetries, so that its large N limit corresponds to the infinitely many (α 0 ) supersymmetries. We also perform a duality transformation from F μν into its Hodge dual N μ 1 ctdot μD-2 . We next point out that any Chern-Simons action for any (super)groups has the non-linear supersymmetry as a hidden symmetry. Subsequently, we present a superspace formulation for the component results. We further find that as long as superspace supergravity is consistent, this generalized Volkov-Akulov action can further accommodate such curved superspace backgrounds with local supersymmetry, as a super p -brane action with fermionic kappa-symmetry. We further elaborate these results to what we call 'simplified' (Supersymmetry) 2 -models, with both linear and non-linear representations of supersymmetries in superspace at the same time. Our result gives a proof that there is no restriction on D or N for global non-linear supersymmetry. We also see that the non-linear realization of supersymmetry in 'curved' space-time can be interpreted as 'non-perturbative' effect starting with the 'flat' space-time

SAS macro programs for geographically weighted generalized linear modeling with spatial point data: applications to health research.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Vivian Yi-Ju; Yang, Tse-Chuan

2012-08-01

An increasing interest in exploring spatial non-stationarity has generated several specialized analytic software programs; however, few of these programs can be integrated natively into a well-developed statistical environment such as SAS. We not only developed a set of SAS macro programs to fill this gap, but also expanded the geographically weighted generalized linear modeling (GWGLM) by integrating the strengths of SAS into the GWGLM framework. Three features distinguish our work. First, the macro programs of this study provide more kernel weighting functions than the existing programs. Second, with our codes the users are able to better specify the bandwidth selection process compared to the capabilities of existing programs. Third, the development of the macro programs is fully embedded in the SAS environment, providing great potential for future exploration of complicated spatially varying coefficient models in other disciplines. We provided three empirical examples to illustrate the use of the SAS macro programs and demonstrated the advantages explained above. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New treatment of periodontal diseases by using NF-kappaB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides via prevention of bone resorption and promotion of wound healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Hideo; Nakagami, Hironori; Morita, Shosuke; Tsukamoto, Ikuyo; Osako, Mariana Kiomy; Nakagami, Futoshi; Shimosato, Takashi; Minobe, Noriko; Morishita, Ryuichi

2009-09-01

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is involved in osteoclast differentiation and activation. Thus, the blockade of the NF-kappaB pathway might be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating bone metabolic diseases. Periodontitis is subgingival inflammation caused by bacterial infection; this disease also is thought to be a chronic focal point responsible for systemic diseases. In this study, NF-kappaB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were topically applied for experimental periodontitis in a debris-accumulation model and wound healing in a bone-defect model of beagle dogs to investigate the effect of decoy ODN on bone metabolism. Application of NF-kappaB decoy ODN significantly reduced interleukin-6 activity in crevicular fluid and improved alveolar bone loss in the analysis of dental radiographs and DEXA. Direct measurement of exposed root that lost alveolar bone support revealed that NF-kappaB decoy treatment dramatically protected bone from loss. In a bone-defect model, NF-kappaB decoy ODN promoted the healing process as compared with control scrambled decoy in micro-CT analysis. Overall, inhibition of NF-kappaB by decoy strategy prevented the progression of bone loss in periodontitis and promoted the wound healing in bone defects through the inhibition of osteoclastic bone resorption. Targeting of NF-kappaB might be a potential therapy in various bone metabolic diseases.

Linear mixed-effects models to describe length-weight relationships for yellow croaker (Larimichthys Polyactis) along the north coast of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qiuyun; Jiao, Yan; Ren, Yiping

2017-01-01

In this study, length-weight relationships and relative condition factors were analyzed for Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) along the north coast of China. Data covered six regions from north to south: Yellow River Estuary, Coastal Waters of Northern Shandong, Jiaozhou Bay, Coastal Waters of Qingdao, Haizhou Bay, and South Yellow Sea. In total 3,275 individuals were collected during six years (2008, 2011-2015). One generalized linear model, two simply linear models and nine linear mixed effect models that applied the effects from regions and/or years to coefficient a and/or the exponent b were studied and compared. Among these twelve models, the linear mixed effect model with random effects from both regions and years fit the data best, with lowest Akaike information criterion value and mean absolute error. In this model, the estimated a was 0.0192, with 95% confidence interval 0.0178~0.0308, and the estimated exponent b was 2.917 with 95% confidence interval 2.731~2.945. Estimates for a and b with the random effects in intercept and coefficient from Region and Year, ranged from 0.013 to 0.023 and from 2.835 to 3.017, respectively. Both regions and years had effects on parameters a and b, while the effects from years were shown to be much larger than those from regions. Except for Coastal Waters of Northern Shandong, a decreased from north to south. Condition factors relative to reference years of 1960, 1986, 2005, 2007, 2008~2009 and 2010 revealed that the body shape of Yellow Croaker became thinner in recent years. Furthermore relative condition factors varied among months, years, regions and length. The values of a and relative condition factors decreased, when the environmental pollution became worse, therefore, length-weight relationships could be an indicator for the environment quality. Results from this study provided basic description of current condition of Yellow Croaker along the north coast of China.

Nuclear IL-33 is a transcriptional regulator of NF-{kappa}B p65 and induces endothelial cell activation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Yeon-Sook; Park, Jeong Ae; Kim, Jihye; Rho, Seung-Sik; Park, Hyojin [Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young-Myeong [Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Young-Guen, E-mail: ygkwon@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-05-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer IL-33 as nuclear factor regulated expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nuclear IL-33 increased the transcription of NF-{kappa}B p65 by binding to the p65 promoter. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nuclear IL-33 controls NF-{kappa}B-dependent inflammatory responses. -- Abstract: Interleukin (IL)-33, an IL-1 family member, acts as an extracellular cytokine by binding its cognate receptor, ST2. IL-33 is also a chromatin-binding transcriptional regulator highly expressed in the nuclei of endothelial cells. However, the function of IL-33 as a nuclear factor is poorly defined. Here, we show that IL-33 is a novel transcriptional regulator of the p65 subunit of the NF-{kappa}B complex and is involved in endothelial cell activation. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blot analyses indicated that IL-33 mediates the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in endothelial cells basally and in response to tumor necrosis factor-{alpha}-treatment. IL-33-induced ICAM-1/VCAM-1 expression was dependent on the regulatory effect of IL-33 on the nuclear factor (NF)-{kappa}B pathway; NF-{kappa}B p65 expression was enhanced by IL-33 overexpression and, conversely, reduced by IL-33 knockdown. Moreover, NF-{kappa}B p65 promoter activity and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that IL-33 binds to the p65 promoter region in the nucleus. Our data provide the first evidence that IL-33 in the nucleus of endothelial cells participates in inflammatory reactions as a transcriptional regulator of NF-{kappa}B p65.

Homophilic interactions mediated by receptor tyrosine phosphatases mu and kappa. A critical role for the novel extracellular MAM domain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zondag, G C; Koningstein, G M; Jiang, Y P

1995-01-01

and is found in diverse transmembrane proteins, is not known. We previously reported that both RPTP mu and RPTP kappa can mediate homophilic cell interactions when expressed in insect cells. Here we show that despite their striking structural similarity, RPTP mu and RPTP kappa fail to interact...... in a heterophilic manner. To examine the role of the MAM domain in homophilic binding, we expressed a mutant RPTP mu lacking the MAM domain in insect Sf9 cells. Truncated RPTP mu is properly expressed at the cell surface but fails to promote cell-cell adhesion. Homophilic cell adhesion is fully restored...... in a chimeric RPTP mu molecule containing the MAM domain of RPTP kappa. However, this chimeric RPTP mu does not interact with either RPTP mu or RPTP kappa. These results indicate that the MAM domain of RPTP mu and RPTP kappa is essential for homophilic cell-cell interaction and helps determine the specificity...

Commensal-induced regulatory T cells mediate protection against pathogen-stimulated NF-kappaB activation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caitlin O'Mahony

Full Text Available Host defence against infection requires a range of innate and adaptive immune responses that may lead to tissue damage. Such immune-mediated pathologies can be controlled with appropriate T regulatory (Treg activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of gut microbiota composition on Treg cellular activity and NF-kappaB activation associated with infection. Mice consumed the commensal microbe Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 followed by infection with Salmonella typhimurium or injection with LPS. In vivo NF-kappaB activation was quantified using biophotonic imaging. CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell phenotypes and cytokine levels were assessed using flow cytometry while CD4+ T cells were isolated using magnetic beads for adoptive transfer to naïve animals. In vivo imaging revealed profound inhibition of infection and LPS induced NF-kappaB activity that preceded a reduction in S. typhimurium numbers and murine sickness behaviour scores in B. infantis-fed mice. In addition, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, T cell proliferation, and dendritic cell co-stimulatory molecule expression were significantly reduced. In contrast, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell numbers were significantly increased in the mucosa and spleen of mice fed B. infantis. Adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25+ T cells transferred the NF-kappaB inhibitory activity. Consumption of a single commensal micro-organism drives the generation and function of Treg cells which control excessive NF-kappaB activation in vivo. These cellular interactions provide the basis for a more complete understanding of the commensal-host-pathogen trilogue that contribute to host homeostatic mechanisms underpinning protection against aberrant activation of the innate immune system in response to a translocating pathogen or systemic LPS.

Effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on lung nuclear factor-kappa B activity, cytokine release, and pulmonary function in dogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaisheng Yang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: To study the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB on nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-кB and cytokine expression and pulmonary function in dogs. Materials and Methods: Twelve male mongrel dogs were divided into a methylprednisolone group (group M and a control group (group C. All animals underwent aortic and right atrial catheterization under general anesthesia. Changes in pulmonary function and hemodynamics were monitored and the injured site was histologically evaluated. Results: The activity of NF-кB and myeloperoxidase (MPO, levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, interleukin (IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, and the wet/dry (W/D weight ratio were significantly higher after CPB than before CPB in both groups (P

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3} impairs NF-{kappa}B activation in human naive B cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geldmeyer-Hilt, Kerstin, E-mail: kerstin.hilt@charite.de [Allergie-Centrum-Charite, CCM, Klinik fuer Dermatologie und Allergologie, Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Heine, Guido, E-mail: guido.heine@charite.de [Allergie-Centrum-Charite, CCM, Klinik fuer Dermatologie und Allergologie, Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Hartmann, Bjoern, E-mail: bjoern.hartmann@charite.de [Allergie-Centrum-Charite, CCM, Klinik fuer Dermatologie und Allergologie, Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Baumgrass, Ria, E-mail: baumgrass@drfz.de [Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Radbruch, Andreas, E-mail: radbruch@drfz.de [Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Worm, Margitta, E-mail: margitta.worm@charite.de [Allergie-Centrum-Charite, CCM, Klinik fuer Dermatologie und Allergologie, Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

2011-04-22

Highlights: {yields} In naive B cells, VDR activation by calcitriol results in reduced NF-{kappa}B p105 and p50 protein expression. {yields} Ligating the VDR with calcitriol causes reduced nuclear translocation of NF-{kappa}B p65. {yields} Reduced nuclear amount of p65 after calcitriol incubation results in reduced binding of p65 on the p105 promoter. {yields} Thus, vitamin D receptor signaling may reduce or prevent activation of B cells and unwanted immune responses, e.g. in IgE dependent diseases such as allergic asthma. -- Abstract: 1{alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin D{sub 3} (calcitriol), the bioactive metabolite of vitamin D, modulates the activation and inhibits IgE production of anti-CD40 and IL-4 stimulated human peripheral B cells. Engagement of CD40 results in NF-{kappa}B p50 activation, which is essential for the class switch to IgE. Herein, we investigated by which mechanism calcitriol modulates NF-{kappa}B mediated activation of human naive B cells. Naive B cells were predominantly targeted by calcitriol in comparison with memory B cells as shown by pronounced induction of the VDR target gene cyp24a1. Vitamin D receptor activation resulted in a strongly reduced p105/p50 protein and mRNA expression in human naive B cells. This effect is mediated by impaired nuclear translocation of p65 and consequently reduced binding of p65 to its binding site in the p105 promoter. Our data indicate that the vitamin D receptor reduces NF-{kappa}B activation by interference with NF-{kappa}B p65 and p105. Thus, the vitamin D receptor inhibits costimulatory signal transduction in naive B cells, namely by reducing CD40 signaling.

The impact of kappa number composition on eucalyptus kraft pulp bleachability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Costa

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Consumption of chemicals during ECF bleaching of kraft pulp correlates reasonably well with kappa number, which measures with KMnO4 the total amount of oxidizable material in the pulp. However, the method does not distinguish between the oxidizable material in residual lignin and other structures susceptible to oxidation, such as hexenuronic acids (HexAs, extractives and carbonyl groups in the pulp. In this study an attempt is made to separate the main contributors to the kappa number in oxygen - delignified eucalyptus Kraft pulps and evaluate how these fractions behave during ECF bleaching using chlorine dioxide as the sole oxidant (DEDD sequence. Residual lignin and HexAs proved to be the main fractions contributing to the kappa number and chlorine dioxide consumption in ECF bleaching. Pulp bleachability with chlorine dioxide increases with increasing HexAs content of the pulp but chlorine dioxide per se does not react with HexAs. Reduction of pulp with sodium borohydride under conditions for removing carbonyl groups has no impact on bleachability. No correlation was found between the pulp of the extractive content and pulp bleachability. The removal of HexAs prior to ECF bleaching significantly decreases the formation of chlorinated organics in the pulp (OX and filtrates (AOX as well as of oxalic acids in the filtrates.

The role of free kappa and lambda light chains in the pathogenesis and treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Esparvarinha, Mojgan; Nickho, Hamid; Mohammadi, Hamed; Aghebati-Maleki, Leili; Abdolalizadeh, Jalal; Majidi, Jafar

2017-07-01

Kappa (κ) or lambda (λ) free light chains (FLCs) are produced from B cells during immunoglobulin synthesis. FLCs have been shown to participate in several key processes of immune responses. They are necessary to adjust PMN functions and assist PMN pre-stimulation. Moreover, they cause mast cell degranulation which releases pro-inflammatory mediators and stimulates local inflammatory responses in some conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Having low molecular weights which may straightly be toxic to proximal tubule cells (PTCs), FLCs can also have an important role in renal diseases. In this review we have highlighted the involvement of light chains in the pathogenesis of some inflammatory diseases and discussed their potential to be the targets of therapeutic purposes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the kappa-opioid receptor-selective tracer [{sup 11}C]GR103545 in awake rhesus macaques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoultz, Bent W. [University of Oslo, Department of Chemistry, Oslo (Norway); Hjornevik, Trine; Willoch, Frode [University of Oslo, Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience and Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Oslo (Norway); Akershus University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Loerenskog (Norway); Marton, Janos [ABX Advanced Biochemical Compounds GmbH, Radeberg (Germany); Noda, Akihiro; Murakami, Yoshihiro; Miyoshi, Sosuke; Nishimura, Shintaro [Medical and Pharmacological Research Center Foundation, Basic Research Department, Hakui City, Ishikawa (Japan); Aarstad, Erik [University College of London, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Drzezga, Alexander [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich (Germany); Matsunari, Ichiro [Medical and Pharmacological Research Center Foundation, Clinical Research Department, Hakui City, Ishikawa (Japan); Henriksen, Gjermund [University of Oslo, Department of Chemistry, Oslo (Norway); Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich (Germany)

2010-06-15

The recent development in radiosynthesis of the {sup 11}C-carbamate function increases the potential of [{sup 11}C]GR103545, which for the last decade has been regarded as promising for imaging the kappa-opioid receptor ({kappa}-OR) with PET. In the present study, [{sup 11}C]GR103545 was evaluated in awake rhesus macaques. Separate investigations were performed to clarify the OR subtype selectivity of this compound. Regional brain uptake kinetics of [{sup 11}C]GR103545 was studied 0-120 min after injection. The binding affinity and opioid subtype selectivity of [{sup 11}C]GR103545 was determined in cells transfected with cloned human opioid receptors. In vitro binding assays demonstrated a high affinity of GR103545 for {kappa}-OR (K{sub i} = 0.02 {+-}0.01 nM) with excellent selectivity over {mu}-OR (6 x 10{sup 2}-fold) and {delta}-OR (2 x 10{sup 4}-fold). PET imaging revealed a volume of distribution (V{sub T}) pattern consistent with the known distribution of {kappa}-OR, with striatum = temporal cortex > cingulate cortex > frontal cortex > parietal cortex > thalamus > cerebellum. [{sup 11}C]GR103545 is selective for {kappa}-OR and holds promise for use to selectively depict and quantify this receptor in humans by means of PET. (orig.)

Binding of kappa- and sigma-opiates in rat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolozin, B.L.; Nishimura, S.; Pasternak, G.W.

1982-01-01

Detailed displacements of [ 3 H]dihydromorphine by ketocyclazocine and SKF 10,047, [ 3 H]ethylketocyclazocine by SKF 10,047, and [ 3 H]SKF 10,047 by ketocyclazocine are all multiphasic, suggesting multiple binding sites. After treating brain tissue in vitro with naloxazone, all displacements lose the initial inhibition of 3 H-ligand binding by low concentrations of unlabeled drugs. Together with Scatchard analysis of saturation experiments, these studies suggest a common site which binds mu-, kappa, and sigma-opiates and enkephalins equally well and with highest affinity (KD less than 1 nM). The ability of unlabeled drugs to displace the low affinity binding of [ 3 H]dihydromorphine (KD . 3 nM), [ 3 H]ethylketocyclazocine (KD . 4 nM), [ 3 H]SKF 10,047 (KD . 6 nM), and D-Ala2-D-Leu5-[ 3 H]enkephalin (KD . 5 nM) remaining after treating tissue with naloxazone demonstrates unique pharmacological profiles for each. These results suggest the existence of distinct binding sites for kappa- and sigma-opiates which differ from those sites which selectively bind morphine (mu) and enkephalin

Ultraviolet inactivation and photoreactivation of the cholera phage 'Kappa'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samad, S.A.; Bhattacharyya, S.C.; Chatterjee, S.N.

1987-01-01

The lysogenic cholera phage, 'Kappa' is some ten to twenty folds more resistant to UV (254 nm) than are most of the T. phages of E. coli, or the cholera phage PL 163/10, or the host V. cholerae strain H218 Sm r , the 37% (D 37 ) and 10% (D 10 ) survival doses being 255.8 J/m 2 and 633.6 J/m 2 respectively. The UV-irradiated 'Kappa' phages could be photoreactivated in the host V. cholerae strain H218 Sm r to a maximum extent of 40%. The removal of the number of lethal hits per phage by the survival-enhancement treatment (photoreactivation) with time followed an exponential relation, the constant probability of removal of lethal hit per unit time being 2.8x10 -2 min -1 . The UV-irradiated phages could also be Weigle reactivated in the host strain of H218 Sm r by a small degree, the maximum reactivation factor (ratio of survivals in UV-irradiated and non-irradiated hosts) being 1.50. (orig.)

Tungsten phosphanylarylthiolato complexes [W{PhP(2-SC6H4)2-kappa3S,S',P} 2] and [W{P(2-SC6H4)3-kappa4S,S',S",P}2]: synthesis, structures and redox chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, Alexandra; Lönnecke, Peter; Silaghi-Dumitrescu, Luminita; Hey-Hawkins, Evamarie

2008-09-14

PhP(2-SHC6H4)2 (PS2H2) reacts with WCl6 with reduction of tungsten to give the air-sensitive tungsten(IV) complex [W{PhP(2-SC6H4)2-kappa(3)S,S',P}2] (1). 1 is oxidised in air to [WO{PhPO(2-SC6H4)2-kappa(3)S,S',O}{PhP(2-SC6H4)2-kappa(3)S,S',P}] (2). The attempted synthesis of 2 by reaction of 1 with iodosobenzene as oxidising agent was unsuccessful. [W{P(2-SC6H4)3-kappa(4)S,S',S",P}2] (3) was formed in the reaction of P(2-SHC6H4)3 (PS3H3) with WCl6. The W(VI) complex 3 contains two PS3(3-) ligands, each coordinated in a tetradentate fashion resulting in a tungsten coordination number of eight. The reaction of 3 with AgBF4 yields the dinuclear tungsten complex [W2{P(2-SC6H4)3-kappa(4)S,S',S",P}3]BF4 (4). Complexes 1-4 were characterised by spectral methods and X-ray structure determination.

An improved Fuzzy Kappa statistic that accounts for spatial autocorrelation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hagen - Zanker, A.H.

2009-01-01

The Fuzzy Kappa statistic expresses the agreement between two categorical raster maps. The statistic goes beyond cell-by-cell comparison and gives partial credit to cells based on the categories found in the neighborhood. When matching categories are found at shorter distances the agreement is

Ensemble Weight Enumerators for Protograph LDPC Codes

Science.gov (United States)

Divsalar, Dariush

2006-01-01

Recently LDPC codes with projected graph, or protograph structures have been proposed. In this paper, finite length ensemble weight enumerators for LDPC codes with protograph structures are obtained. Asymptotic results are derived as the block size goes to infinity. In particular we are interested in obtaining ensemble average weight enumerators for protograph LDPC codes which have minimum distance that grows linearly with block size. As with irregular ensembles, linear minimum distance property is sensitive to the proportion of degree-2 variable nodes. In this paper the derived results on ensemble weight enumerators show that linear minimum distance condition on degree distribution of unstructured irregular LDPC codes is a sufficient but not a necessary condition for protograph LDPC codes.

Proteasome and NF-kappaB inhibiting phaeophytins from the green alga Cladophora fascicularis.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xinping; Li, Min; Xu, Bo; Zhu, Xiaobin; Deng, Zhiwei; Lin, Wenhan

2007-03-21

Chemical examination of the green alga Cladophora fascicularis resulted in the isolation and characterization of a new porphyrin derivative, porphyrinolactone (1), along with five known phaeophytins 2-6 and fourteen sterols and cycloartanes. The structure of 1 was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and by comparison of its NMR data with those of known phaeophytins. Compounds 1-6 displayed moderate inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, while 2 and 4 displayed potential inhibitory activity toward proteasome chymotripsin-like activation. The primary structure-activity relationship was also discussed.

Effects of age and sedentary lifestyle on skeletal muscle NF-kappaB signaling in men.

Science.gov (United States)

Buford, Thomas W; Cooke, Matthew B; Manini, Todd M; Leeuwenburgh, Christiaan; Willoughby, Darryn S

2010-05-01

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) is a critical signaling molecule of disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. However, few studies have carefully investigated whether similar pathways are modulated with physical activity and age. The present study examined lean mass, maximal force production, and skeletal muscle NF-kappaB signaling in 41 men categorized as sedentary (OS, N = 13, 63.85 +/- 6.59 year), physically active (OA, N = 14, 60.71 +/- 5.54 year), or young and sedentary (YS, N = 14, 21.35 +/- 3.84 year). Muscle tissue from the vastus lateralis was assayed for messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of the beta subunit of IkB kinase (IKKbeta), cytosolic protein content of phosphorylated inhibitor of kappa B alpha (pIKBalpha), and nuclear content of NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p65. When compared with YS, OS demonstrated age-related muscle atrophy and reduced isokinetic knee extension torque. Physical activity in older individuals preserved maximal isokinetic knee extension torque. OS muscle contained 50% more pIKBalpha than OA and 61% more pIKBalpha than YS. Furthermore, nuclear p65 was significantly elevated in OS compared with YS. OS muscle did not differ from either of the other two groups for nuclear p50 or for mRNA expression of IKKbeta. These results indicate that skeletal muscle content of nuclear-bound p65 is elevated by age in humans. The elevation in nuclear-bound p65 appears to be at least partially due to significant increases in pIKBalpha. A sedentary lifestyle appears to play some role in increased IKBalpha; however, further research is needed to identify downstream effects of this increase.

Lentiviral-mediated targeted NF-kappaB blockade in dorsal spinal cord glia attenuates sciatic nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Meunier, Alice; Latrémolière, Alban; Dominguez, Elisa; Mauborgne, Annie; Philippe, Stéphanie; Hamon, Michel; Mallet, Jacques; Benoliel, Jean-Jacques; Pohl, Michel

2007-04-01

Neuropathic pain developing after peripheral nerve injury is associated with altered neuronal and glial cell functions in the spinal cord. Activated glia produces algogenic mediators, exacerbating pain. Among the different intracellular pathways possibly involved in the modified glial function, the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) system is of particular interest, as numerous genes encoding inflammation- and pain-related molecules are controlled by this transcription factor. NF-kappaB is a pleiotropic factor also involved in central nervous system homeostasy. To study its role in chronic pain, it is thus essential to inhibit the NF-kappaB pathway selectively in activated spinal glial cells. Here, we show that when restricted to spinal cord and targeted to glial cells, lentiviral vector-mediated delivery of NF-kappaB super- repressor IkappaBalpha resulted in an inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway activated in the rat spinal cord after sciatic nerve injury (chronic constriction injury, CCI). Concomitantly, IkappaBalpha overproduction prevented the enhanced expression of interleukin-6 and of inducible nitric oxide synthase associated with chronic constriction injury and resulted in prolonged antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects. These data show that targeted blockade of NF-kappaB activity in spinal glia efficiently alleviates pain behavior in CCI rats, demonstrating the active participation of the glial NF-kappaB pathway in the development of neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury.

Analgesia produced by exposure to 2450-MHz radiofrequency radiation (RFR) is mediated by brain mu- and kappa-opioid receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salomon, G.; Park, E.J.; Quock, R.M. (Univ. of Illinois, Rockford (United States))

1992-02-26

This study was conducted to identify the opioid receptor subtype(s) responsible for RFR-induced analgesia. Male Swiss Webster mice, 20-25 g, were exposed to 20 mW/cm{sup 2} RFR in a 2,450-MHz waveguide system for 10 min, then tested 15 min later in the abdominal constriction paradigm which detects {mu}- and {kappa}-opioid activity. Immediately following RFR exposure, different groups of mice were pretreated intracerebroventricularly with different opioid receptor blockers with selectivity for {mu}- or {kappa}-opioid receptors. Results show that RFR-induced analgesia was attenuated by higher but not lower doses of the non-selective antagonist naloxone, but the selective {mu}-opioid antagonist {beta}-funaltrexamine and by the selective {kappa}-opioid antagonist norbinaltorphimine. RFR-induced analgesia was also reduced by subcutaneous pretreatment with 5.0 mg/kg of the {mu}-/{kappa}-opioid antagonist({minus})-5,9-diethyl-{alpha}-5,9-dialkyl-2{prime}-hydroxy-6,7-benzomorphan(MR-2266). These findings suggest that RFR-induced analgesia may be mediated by both {mu}- and {kappa}-opioid mechanisms.

Age estimation in forensic anthropology: quantification of observer error in phase versus component-based methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirley, Natalie R; Ramirez Montes, Paula Andrea

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess observer error in phase versus component-based scoring systems used to develop age estimation methods in forensic anthropology. A method preferred by forensic anthropologists in the AAFS was selected for this evaluation (the Suchey-Brooks method for the pubic symphysis). The Suchey-Brooks descriptions were used to develop a corresponding component-based scoring system for comparison. Several commonly used reliability statistics (kappa, weighted kappa, and the intraclass correlation coefficient) were calculated to assess observer agreement between two observers and to evaluate the efficacy of each of these statistics for this study. The linear weighted kappa was determined to be the most suitable measure of observer agreement. The results show that a component-based system offers the possibility for more objective scoring than a phase system as long as the coding possibilities for each trait do not exceed three states of expression, each with as little overlap as possible. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Ganoderma lucidum suppresses growth of breast cancer cells through the inhibition of Akt/NF-kappaB signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jiahua; Slivova, Veronika; Harvey, Kevin; Valachovicova, Tatiana; Sliva, Daniel

2004-01-01

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi, Lingzhi) is a popular Asian mushroom that has been used for more than 2 millennia for the general promotion of health and was therefore called the "Mushroom of Immortality." Ganoderma lucidum was also used in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent or treat a variety of diseases, including cancer. We previously demonstrated that Ganoderma lucidum suppresses the invasive behavior of breast cancer cells by inhibiting the transcription factor NF-kappaB. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory effects of Ganoderma lucidum on the growth of highly invasive and metastatic breast cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that Ganoderma lucidum inhibits proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells by downregulating Akt/NF-kappaB signaling. Ganoderma lucidum suppresses phosphorylation of Akt on Ser473 and downregulates the expression of Akt, which results in the inhibition of NF-kappaB activity in MDA-MB-231 cells. The biological effect of Ganoderma lucidum was demonstrated by cell cycle arrest at G0/G1, which was the result of the downregulation of expression of NF-kappaB-regulated cyclin D1, followed by the inhibition of cdk4. Our results suggest that Ganoderma lucidum inhibits the growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by modulating Akt/NF-kappaB signaling and could have potential therapeutic use for the treatment of breast cancer.

Inter-rater and intra-rater agreement on the Nordic Orofacial Test--Screening examination in children, adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Edvinsson, Siv Elisabet; Lundqvist, Lars-Olov

2014-02-01

To evaluate inter-rater and intra-rater agreement on the Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S) examination applied to children, adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Using the NOT-S examination, two speech and language pathologists independently assessed video recordings of 48 subjects with CP aged 5-22 years and representing all CP sub-diagnoses and levels of gross motor function and manual ability. Thirty-one subjects were reassessed. Fifteen out of 17 items in the NOT-S examination domains (1) Face at rest, (2) Nose breathing, (3) Facial expression, (4) Masticatory muscle and jaw function, (5) Oral motor function and (6) Speech were rated using a 'yes' (dysfunction observed)/'no' format, generating an overall score of 0-6. Inter-rater agreement: Twelve out of 15 items and five out of six domains showed acceptable unweighted kappa values (κ = 0.46-1.00). The lowest kappa value was found for domain 4 (κ = -0.04), although it had high inter-rater agreement (92%). The linear weighted kappa value for the overall NOT-S examination score was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.49-0.82). Intra-rater agreement: All items and domains showed acceptable unweighted kappa values (items 0.58-1.00 and 0.59-1.00, domains 0.81-1.00 and 0.62-0.89) for both raters. The linear weighted kappa value for the overall NOT-S examination score was 0.81 (95% CI = 0.63-0.99) for rater A and 0.54 (95% CI = 0.25-0.82) for rater B. The NOT-S examination has acceptable inter-rater and intra-rater agreement when used in young individuals with CP.

NF-kappaB specifically activates BMP-2 gene expression in growth plate chondrocytes in vivo and in a chondrocyte cell line in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jian Q; Xing, Lianping; Zhang, Jiang-Hong; Zhao, Ming; Horn, Diane; Chan, Jeannie; Boyce, Brendan F; Harris, Stephen E; Mundy, Gregory R; Chen, Di

2003-08-01

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) regulates growth plate chondrogenesis during development and postnatal bone growth, but the control mechanisms of BMP-2 expression in growth plate chondrocytes are unknown. Here we have used both in vitro and in vivo approaches to demonstrate that transcription factor, NF-kappaB, regulates BMP-2 gene expression in chondrocytes. Two putative NF-kappaB response elements were found in the -2712/+165 region of the BMP-2 gene. Cotransfection of mutant I-kappaBalpha expression plasmids with BMP-2 promoter-luciferase reporters into TMC-23 chondrocyte cell line suppressed BMP-2 transcription. Mutations in NF-kappaB response elements in the BMP-2 gene lead to decreases in BMP-2 promoter activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay using nuclear extracts from TMC-23 chondrocytic cells revealed that the NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p65 bound to the NF-kappaB response elements of the BMP-2 gene. Thus, NF-kappaB may positively regulate BMP-2 gene transcription. Consistent with these findings, expression of BMP-2 mRNA was significantly reduced in growth plate chondrocytes in NF-kappaB p50/p52 dKO mice, which associated with decreased numbers of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd)-positive cells in the proliferating zone of growth plate in these mice. Therefore, in postnatal growth plate chondrocytes, expression of BMP-2 is regulated by NF-kappaB, which may play an important role in chondrogenesis.

Estimating the kinetic parameters of activated sludge storage using weighted non-linear least-squares and accelerating genetic algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Fang; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yu, Han-Qing

2009-06-01

In this study, weighted non-linear least-squares analysis and accelerating genetic algorithm are integrated to estimate the kinetic parameters of substrate consumption and storage product formation of activated sludge. A storage product formation equation is developed and used to construct the objective function for the determination of its production kinetics. The weighted least-squares analysis is employed to calculate the differences in the storage product concentration between the model predictions and the experimental data as the sum of squared weighted errors. The kinetic parameters for the substrate consumption and the storage product formation are estimated to be the maximum heterotrophic growth rate of 0.121/h, the yield coefficient of 0.44 mg CODX/mg CODS (COD, chemical oxygen demand) and the substrate half saturation constant of 16.9 mg/L, respectively, by minimizing the objective function using a real-coding-based accelerating genetic algorithm. Also, the fraction of substrate electrons diverted to the storage product formation is estimated to be 0.43 mg CODSTO/mg CODS. The validity of our approach is confirmed by the results of independent tests and the kinetic parameter values reported in literature, suggesting that this approach could be useful to evaluate the product formation kinetics of mixed cultures like activated sludge. More importantly, as this integrated approach could estimate the kinetic parameters rapidly and accurately, it could be applied to other biological processes.

EFFECT OF COMMERCIALLY MANUFACTURED KAPPA SEMI-REFINED CARRAGEENAN (SRC WITH DIFFERENT PHOSPHATE SALTS ON YIELD, TEXTURAL AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF BEEF MEAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marimuthu Murugesan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The phosphate salts such as SDP, TSP, SHMP, DSP, TPPP, TKPP and STPP were blended with semi-refined kappa carrageenan (SRC individually and their aqueous solution was injected into the fresh beef meat. The highest weight gain (24% in fresh meat was obtained from injection of blend made with SRC and STPP as compared to other blends and control sample after forzen storage. Similarly, it also showed low cooking loss (24% with good testural and sensory proerties as compared to other blends. It can be concluded from the presnt study that blend of SRC and STPP can be used in beef meat for yield and quality improvement.

Effects of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist MR-2266-BS on the acquisition of ethanol preference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandi, C.; Borrell, J.; Guaza, C. (Cajal Institute, Madrid (Spain))

1990-01-01

Using a paradigm by which rats forced to drink a weak ethanol solution develop ethanol preference in consecutive retention testing days, the effects of the administration of the kappa opioid antagonist MR-2266-BS, prior to or after the forced ethanol session, were studied. Pre-conditioning subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of 1 mg/kg of MR-2266-BS induced a decrease in subsequent ethanol consumption without significantly modifying the acquisition of ethanol preference. Post-conditioning administration of MR-2266-BS induced both a dose-dependent reduction in ethanol consumption and in preference throughout the three following days. The results of the present study provide further support of the involvement of kappa-type opioids on drinking behavior, and suggest that kappa receptors may be involved in the consumption and development of preference to ethanol.

Associations of linear growth and relative weight gain during early life with adult health and human capital in countries of low and middle income: findings from five birth cohort studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Adair, Linda S; Fall, Caroline H D; Osmond, Clive; Stein, Aryeh D; Martorell, Reynaldo; Ramirez-Zea, Manuel; Sachdev, Harshpal Singh; Dahly, Darren L; Bas, Isabelita; Norris, Shane A; Micklesfield, Lisa; Hallal, Pedro; Victora, Cesar G

2013-08-10

Fast weight gain and linear growth in children in low-income and middle-income countries are associated with enhanced survival and improved cognitive development, but might increase risk of obesity and related adult cardiometabolic diseases. We investigated how linear growth and relative weight gain during infancy and childhood are related to health and human capital outcomes in young adults. We used data from five prospective birth cohort studies from Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa. We investigated body-mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, plasma glucose concentration, height, years of attained schooling, and related categorical indicators of adverse outcomes in young adults. With linear and logistic regression models, we assessed how these outcomes relate to birthweight and to statistically independent measures representing linear growth and weight gain independent of linear growth (relative weight gain) in three age periods: 0-2 years, 2 years to mid-childhood, and mid-childhood to adulthood. We obtained data for 8362 participants who had at least one adult outcome of interest. A higher birthweight was consistently associated with an adult body-mass index of greater than 25 kg/m(2) (odds ratio 1·28, 95% CI 1·21-1·35) and a reduced likelihood of short adult stature (0·49, 0·44-0·54) and of not completing secondary school (0·82, 0·78-0·87). Faster linear growth was strongly associated with a reduced risk of short adult stature (age 2 years: 0·23, 0·20-0·52; mid-childhood: 0·39, 0·36-0·43) and of not completing secondary school (age 2 years: 0·74, 0·67-0·78; mid-childhood: 0·87, 0·83-0·92), but did raise the likelihood of overweight (age 2 years: 1·24, 1·17-1·31; mid-childhood: 1·12, 1·06-1·18) and elevated blood pressure (age 2 years: 1·12, 1·06-1·19; mid-childhood: 1·07, 1·01-1·13). Faster relative weight gain was associated with an increased risk of adult overweight (age 2 years: 1·51

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of electron temperature gradient mode in non-Maxwellian plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakir, U.; Qamar, A. [Institute of Physics and Electronics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar (Pakistan); Haque, Q. [Theoretical Plasma Physics Division, PINSTECH, Islamabad (Pakistan); National Centre for Physics, Islamabad (Pakistan)

2013-05-15

The effect of non-Maxwellian distributed ions on electron temperature gradient mode is investigated. The linear dispersion relation of η{sub e}−mode is obtained which shows that the behavior of this mode changes in the presence of superthermal ions. The growth rate of η{sub e}−mode driven linear instability is found and is observed to modify due to nonthermal ions. However, it is found that this leaves the electron energy transport coefficient unchanged. In the nonlinear regime, a dipolar vortex solution is derived which indicates that the dynamic behavior of the vortices changes with the inclusion of kappa distributed ions. The importance of present study with respect to space and laboratory plasmas is also pointed out.

The relationship between prevalence and duration of weight loss strategies and weight loss among overweight managed care organization members enrolled in a weight loss trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffery Robert W

2006-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many adults in the United States report engaging in weight loss behaviors. The current study examined weight loss strategies among managed care organization members, to determine the prevalence and impact of weight loss behaviors in this population. We hypothesized that greater engagement in weight loss strategies would be associated with greater weight loss success. Methods Data were taken from Weigh-to-Be (WTB, a two-year weight loss trial (N = 1801, 72% female, mean age = 50.7 years, mean weight = 95.9 kg, mean BMI = 34.2 kg/m2. Every six months, participants completed a questionnaire assessing frequency and duration of weight loss strategies (calorie reduction, fat reduction, increased fruit/vegetable intake, increased exercise, elimination of sweets, consumption of less food. General linear models and structural equation methods were used to examine associations between weight loss strategy use and weight change over time. Results Weight loss strategy prevalence rates ranged from 68% to 76% over two years. For all dietary strategies, any use of the strategy between baseline and 24 months was associated with weight loss at 24 months; those who did not engage in the strategy showed weight gains during that period. Results of general linear models and structural equation models indicated that increased use of weight loss strategies was significantly associated with greater 24-month weight loss. Conclusion The prevalence of weight loss strategies in this obese adult managed care population was quite high, and use of these strategies was associated in dose-response fashion with better weight loss. Future interventions may benefit from emphasis on persistence of similar strategies to achieve more successful outcomes.

The NF-kappa B inhibitor, celastrol, could enhance the anti-cancer effect of gambogic acid on oral squamous cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Di; Chen, Wantao; Xu, Qin; Yan, Ming; Zhang, Ping; Zhou, Xiaojian; Zhang, Zhiyuan; Duan, Wenhu; Zhong, Laiping; Ye, Dongxia

2009-01-01

Gambogic acid (GA) is a major active ingredient of gamboge, a widely used traditional Chinese medicine that has been reported to be a potent cytotoxic agent against some malignant tumors. Many studies have shown that the NF-kappa B signaling pathway plays an important role in anti-apoptosis and the drug resistance of tumor cells during chemotherapy. In this study, the effects and mechanisms of GA and the NF-kappa B inhibitor celastrol on oral cancer cells were investigated. Three human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, Tca8113, TSCC and NT, were treated with GA alone, celastrol alone or GA plus celastrol. Cytotoxicity was assessed by MTT assay. The rate of apoptosis was examined with annexin V/PI staining as well as transmission electronic microscopy in Tca8113 cells. The level of constitutive NF-kappa B activity in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines was determined by immunofluorescence assays and nuclear extracts and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) in vitro. To further investigate the role of NF-kappa B activity in GA and celastrol treatment in oral squamous cell carcinoma, we used the dominant negative mutant SR-IκBα to inhibit NF-kappa B activity and to observe its influence on the effect of GA. The results showed that GA could inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of the oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and that the NF-kappa B pathway was simultaneously activated by GA treatment. The minimal cytotoxic dose of celastrol was able to effectively suppress the GA-induced NF-kappa B pathway activation. Following the combined treatment with GA and the minimal cytotoxic dose of celastrol or the dominant negative mutant SR-IκBα, proliferation was significantly inhibited, and the apoptotic rate of Tca8113 cells was significantly increased. The combination of GA and celastrol has a synergistic antitumor effect. The effect can be primarily attributed to apoptosis induced by a decrease in NF-kappa B pathway activation. The

SIRT1 overexpression decreases cisplatin-induced acetylation of NF-{kappa}B p65 subunit and cytotoxicity in renal proximal tubule cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Yu Jin; Lee, Jung Eun; Lee, Ae Sin [Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Kyung Pyo; Lee, Sik; Park, Sung Kwang [Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Yong [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Han, Myung Kwan [Department of Microbiology, Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Duk Hoon [Division of Forensic Medicine, National Forensic Service, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Won, E-mail: kwon@jbnu.ac.kr [Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

2012-03-09

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cisplatin increases acetylation of NF-{kappa}B p65 subunit in HK2 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 overexpression decreases cisplatin-induced p65 acetylation and -cytotoxicity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Resveratrol decreased cisplatin-induced cell viability through deacetylation of p65. -- Abstract: As the increased acetylation of p65 is linked to nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) activation, the regulation of p65 acetylation can be a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory injury. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity is an important issue in chemotherapy of cancer patients. SIRT1, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD{sup +})-dependent protein deacetylase, has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes such as inflammatory injury and the control of multidrug resistance in cancer. However, there is no report on the effect of SIRT1 overexpression on cisplatin-induced acetylation of p65 subunit of NF-{kappa}B and cell injury. To investigate the effect of SIRT1 in on cisplatin-induced acetylation of p65 subunit of NF-{kappa}B and cell injury, HK2 cells were exposed with SIRT1 overexpression, LacZ adenovirus or dominant negative adenovirus after treatment with cisplatin. While protein expression of SIRT1 was decreased by cisplatin treatment compared with control buffer treatment, acetylation of NF-{kappa}B p65 subunit was significantly increased after treatment with cisplatin. Overexpression of SIRT1 ameliorated the increased acetylation of p65 of NF-{kappa}B during cisplatin treatment and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. Further, treatment of cisplatin-treated HK2 cells with resveratrol, a SIRT1 activator, also decreased acetylation of NF-{kappa}B p65 subunit and cisplatin-induced increase of the cell viability in HK2 cells. Our findings suggests that the regulation of acetylation of p65 of NF-{kappa}B through SIRT1 can be a possible target to attenuate cisplatin-induced renal cell damage.

Ordovician and Silurian Phi Kappa and Trail Creek formations, Pioneer Mountains, central Idaho; stratigraphic and structural revisions, and new data on graptolite faunas

Science.gov (United States)

Dover, James H.; Berry, William B.N.; Ross, Reuben James

1980-01-01

Recent geologic mapping in the northern Pioneer Mountains combined with the identification of graptolites from 116 new collections indicate that the Ordovician and Silurian Phi Kappa and Trail Creek Formations occur in a series of thrust-bounded slices within a broad zone of imbricate thrust faulting. Though confirming a deformational style first reported in a 1963 study by Michael Churkin, our data suggest that the complexity and regional extent of the thrust zone were not previously recognized. Most previously published sections of the Phi Kappa and Trail Creek Formations were measured across unrecognized thrust faults and therefore include not only structural repetitions of graptolitic Ordovician and Silurian rocks but also other tectonically juxtaposed lithostratigraphic units of diverse ages as well. Because of this discovery, the need to reconsider the stratigraphic validity of these formations and their lithology, nomenclature, structural distribution, facies relations, and graptolite faunas has arisen. The Phi Kappa Formation in most thrust slices has internal stratigraphic continuity despite the intensity of deformation to which it was subjected. As revised herein, the Phi Kappa Formation is restricted to a structurally repeated succession of predominantly black, carbonaceous, graptolitic argillite and shale. Some limy, light-gray-weathering shale occurs in the middle part of the section, and fine-grained locally pebbly quartzite is present at the base. The basal quartzite is here named the Basin Gulch Quartzite Member of the Phi Kappa. The Phi Kappa redefined on a lithologic basis represents the span of Ordovician time from W. B. N. Berry's graptolite zones 2-4 through 15 and also includes approximately 17 m of lithologically identical shale of Early and Middle Silurian age at the top. The lower contact of the formation as revised is tectonic. The Phi Kappa is gradationally overlain by the Trail Creek Formation as restricted herein. Most of the coarser

Behavioral meaningful opioidergic stimulation activates kappa receptor gene expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teodorov, E.; Ferrari, M.F.R.; Fior-Chadi, D.R.; Camarini, R.; Felício, L.F.

2012-01-01

The periaqueductal gray (PAG) has been reported to be a location for opioid regulation of pain and a potential site for behavioral selection in females. Opioid-mediated behavioral and physiological responses differ according to the activity of opioid receptor subtypes. The present study investigated the effects of the peripheral injection of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U69593 into the dorsal subcutaneous region of animals on maternal behavior and on Oprk1 gene activity in the PAG of female rats. Female Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g at the beginning of the study were randomly divided into 2 groups for maternal behavior and gene expression experiments. On day 5, pups were removed at 7:00 am and placed in another home cage that was distant from their mother. Thirty minutes after removing the pups, the dams were treated with U69593 (0.15 mg/kg, sc) or 0.9% saline (up to 1 mL/kg) and after 30 min were evaluated in the maternal behavior test. Latencies in seconds for pup retrieval, grouping, crouching, and full maternal behavior were scored. The results showed that U69593 administration inhibited maternal behavior (P < 0.05) because a lower percentage of U69593 group dams showed retrieval of first pup, retrieving all pups, grouping, crouching and displaying full maternal behavior compared to the saline group. Opioid gene expression was evaluated using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A single injection of U69593 increased Oprk1 PAG expression in both virgin (P < 0.05) and lactating female rats (P < 0.01), with no significant effect on Oprm1 or Oprd1 gene activity. Thus, the expression of kappa-opioid receptors in the PAG may be modulated by single opioid receptor stimulation and behavioral meaningful opioidergic transmission in the adult female might occur simultaneously to specific changes in gene expression of kappa-opioid receptor subtype. This is yet another alert for the complex role of the opioid system in female

Behavioral meaningful opioidergic stimulation activates kappa receptor gene expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teodorov, E. [Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Ferrari, M.F.R. [Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Fior-Chadi, D.R. [Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Camarini, R. [Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Felício, L.F. [Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2012-06-01

The periaqueductal gray (PAG) has been reported to be a location for opioid regulation of pain and a potential site for behavioral selection in females. Opioid-mediated behavioral and physiological responses differ according to the activity of opioid receptor subtypes. The present study investigated the effects of the peripheral injection of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U69593 into the dorsal subcutaneous region of animals on maternal behavior and on Oprk1 gene activity in the PAG of female rats. Female Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g at the beginning of the study were randomly divided into 2 groups for maternal behavior and gene expression experiments. On day 5, pups were removed at 7:00 am and placed in another home cage that was distant from their mother. Thirty minutes after removing the pups, the dams were treated with U69593 (0.15 mg/kg, sc) or 0.9% saline (up to 1 mL/kg) and after 30 min were evaluated in the maternal behavior test. Latencies in seconds for pup retrieval, grouping, crouching, and full maternal behavior were scored. The results showed that U69593 administration inhibited maternal behavior (P < 0.05) because a lower percentage of U69593 group dams showed retrieval of first pup, retrieving all pups, grouping, crouching and displaying full maternal behavior compared to the saline group. Opioid gene expression was evaluated using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A single injection of U69593 increased Oprk1 PAG expression in both virgin (P < 0.05) and lactating female rats (P < 0.01), with no significant effect on Oprm1 or Oprd1 gene activity. Thus, the expression of kappa-opioid receptors in the PAG may be modulated by single opioid receptor stimulation and behavioral meaningful opioidergic transmission in the adult female might occur simultaneously to specific changes in gene expression of kappa-opioid receptor subtype. This is yet another alert for the complex role of the opioid system in female

Localized Gastric Amyloidosis with Kappa and Lambda Light Chain Co-Expression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Hwan Ahn

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Esophagogastroduodenoscopy for cancer screening was performed in a 55-year-old woman as part of a health screening program, and revealed a depressed lesion approximately 20 mm in diameter in the lesser curvature of the mid-gastric body. Several biopsy specimens were collected as the lesion resembled early gastric cancer; however, histopathologic evaluation revealed chronic active gastritis with an ulcer and amorphous eosinophilic material deposition. Congo red staining identified amyloid proteins, and apple-green birefringence was shown using polarized light microscopy. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of kappa and lambda chain-positive plasma cells. There was no evidence of underlying plasma cell dyscrasia or amyloid deposition in other segments of the gastrointestinal tract. Echocardiography and computed tomography of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis did not show any significant findings. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with localized gastric amyloidosis with kappa and lambda light chain coexpression.

Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha and Nuclear Factor-kappa B Gene Variants in Sepsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Acar, Leyla; Atalan, Nazan; Karagedik, E Hande; Ergen, Arzu

2018-01-20

The humoral system is activated and various cytokines are released due to infections in tissues and traumatic damage. Nuclear factor-kappa B dimers are encoded by nuclear factor-kappa B genes and regulate transcription of several crucial proteins of inflammation such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha. To investigate the possible effect of polymorphisms on tumour necrosis factor-alpha serum levels with clinical and prognostic parameters of sepsis by determining the nuclear factor-kappa B-1-94 ins/del ATTG and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (-308 G/A) gene polymorphisms and tumour necrosis factor-alpha serum levels. Case-control study. Seventy-two patients with sepsis and 104 healthy controls were included in the study. In order to determine the polymorphisms of nuclear factor-kappa B-1-94 ins/del ATTG and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (-308 G/A), polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed and serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We observed no significant differences in tumour necrosis factor-alpha serum levels between the study groups. In the patient group, an increase in the tumour necrosis factor-alpha serum levels in patients carrying the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (-308 G/A) A allele compared to those without the A allele was found to be statistically significant. Additionally, an increase in the tumour necrosis factor-alpha serum levels in patients carrying tumour necrosis factor-alpha (-308 G/A) AA genotype compared with patients carrying the AG or GG genotypes was statistically significant. No significant differences were found in these 2 polymorphisms between the patient and control groups (p>0.05). Our results showed the AA genotype and the A allele of the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (-308 G/A) polymorphism may be used as a predictor of elevated tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels in patients with sepsis.

Differential regulation of. mu. , delta, kappa opioid receptors by Mn/sup + +/

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szuecs, M.; Oetting, G.M.; Coscia, C.J.

1986-03-05

Differential effects of Mn/sup + +/ on three opioid receptor subtypes of rat brain membranes were evaluated. Concentration dependency studies performed with 0.05-20 mM Mn/sup + +/ revealed that only the delta receptors are stimulated at any concentration. The binding of 1 nM /sup 3/H-DAGO was not stimulated by low concentrations (< 1mM) of Mn/sup + +/, and was significantly inhibited at higher concentrations (40% at 20 mM). 1 nM /sup 3/H-EKC (+100nM DAGO and 100nM DADLE) binding was inhibited by Mn/sup + +/ in the entire concentration range. While regulation of ..mu.. receptor binding did not change during postnatal development, delta and kappa binding displayed a pronounced developmental time-dependency. Kappa sites were hardly affected by Mn/sup + +/ at day 5, and adult levels of inhibition were reached only after the third week postnatal. In contrast, 1 nM /sup 3/H-DADLE (+10nM DAGO) binding was most sensitive to Mn/sup + +/ on day 5 after birth (100% stimulation with 5-20 mM). The ED/sub 50/ of Mn/sup + +/ stimulation was unchanged during maturation. These immature delta sites displayed a similar extent of Mn/sup + +/ reversal of Gpp(NH)p inhibition as seen in microsomes, which represent a good model of N/sub i/-uncoupled receptors. These data suggest that ..mu.., delta and kappa receptors are differently coupled to N/sub i/. Moreover, a second divalent cation binding site, in addition to that on N/sub i/ might exist for delta receptors.

Approximation by modified Szasz–Mirakjan operators on weighted ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

English translation in Math. Notes 20(5–6) (1976) 996–998. [3] Gadzhiev A D, Positive linear operators in weighted spaces of functions of several vari- ables, Izv. Akad. Nauk. SSR Ser. Fiz-Tekhn. Math. Nauk 4 (1980) 32–37. [4] Gadzhiev A D, Weighted approximation of continuous functions by linear operators on the whole ...

Koefesien Kappa sebagai Indeks Kesepakatan Hasil Diognosis Mikroskopis Malaria di Kabupaten Belu Nusa Tenggara Timur

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Fridolina Mau

2015-07-01

Full Text Available AbstractBlood slide examination is used as standard malaria diagnosis in Indonesia. Quality assurance for malaria microscopic examination is an important issue in the monitoring and supervision of the administration of antimalarials drugs. This step was done to determine the accuracy of thediagnosis, thus could be used for further evaluation in improving the skills of microscopic health centre personnel. This study aims to determine the accuracy of malaria microscopic examination at Primary health centre and District Health Office personnels in Belu District, Nusa Tenggara Timur.The study was an observational research with cross sectional approach. The competency of primary health center and district healt office microscopist in examining malaria blood smears were evaluated using standard blood smears compared with smears from Passive Case Detection (PCD activities. Performance in preparing blood smear were evaluatied by observation and filling the checklist. The study was conducted in April - Juni 2012 in Belu District, NTT. Quality assurance was assessed based on the results of cross-checking and assessments of Kappa coefficient between primary health centre and district Health office microscopic personnel and those between district health centers and Department of parasitology, faculty of Medicine, (Gadjah Mada University certified microscopicpersonnel. Result shows that the strength of agreement between the Primary Health Centre and the District Health Office microscopic personnel centers was "good" (kappa 0.61 to 0.80, while those between District Health Office and Department of Parasitology UGM showed poor agreement (0,20– 0,40Keywords : microscopic examination of malaria, Belu District, cross check, KappaAbstrakPemeriksaan sediaan darah masih merupakan baku emas penegakan diagnosis malaria di Indonesia. Pemantapan kualitas mikroskopis malaria merupakan hal penting dalam pemantauan dan pengawasan pemberian obat anti malaria yang tepat

Comparison of height-diameter models based on geographically weighted regressions and linear mixed modelling applied to large scale forest inventory data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quirós Segovia, M.; Condés Ruiz, S.; Drápela, K.

2016-07-01

Aim of the study: The main objective of this study was to test Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) for developing height-diameter curves for forests on a large scale and to compare it with Linear Mixed Models (LMM). Area of study: Monospecific stands of Pinus halepensis Mill. located in the region of Murcia (Southeast Spain). Materials and Methods: The dataset consisted of 230 sample plots (2582 trees) from the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory (SNFI) randomly split into training data (152 plots) and validation data (78 plots). Two different methodologies were used for modelling local (Petterson) and generalized height-diameter relationships (Cañadas I): GWR, with different bandwidths, and linear mixed models. Finally, the quality of the estimated models was compared throughout statistical analysis. Main results: In general, both LMM and GWR provide better prediction capability when applied to a generalized height-diameter function than when applied to a local one, with R2 values increasing from around 0.6 to 0.7 in the model validation. Bias and RMSE were also lower for the generalized function. However, error analysis showed that there were no large differences between these two methodologies, evidencing that GWR provides results which are as good as the more frequently used LMM methodology, at least when no additional measurements are available for calibrating. Research highlights: GWR is a type of spatial analysis for exploring spatially heterogeneous processes. GWR can model spatial variation in tree height-diameter relationship and its regression quality is comparable to LMM. The advantage of GWR over LMM is the possibility to determine the spatial location of every parameter without additional measurements. Abbreviations: GWR (Geographically Weighted Regression); LMM (Linear Mixed Model); SNFI (Spanish National Forest Inventory). (Author)

Self- Perception of Body Weight Status in Older Dutch Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteagudo, C; Dijkstra, S C; Visser, M

2015-06-01

The prevalence of obesity is highest in older persons and a correct self-perception of body weight status is necessary for optimal weight control. The aim of this study was to determine self-perception of, and satisfaction with, body weight status, and to compare current versus ideal body image in a large, nationally representative sample of older people. Furthermore, determinants of misperception were explored. A cross-sectional study. The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), conducted in a population-based sample in the Netherlands. 1295 men and women aged 60-96 years. Body weight status was assessed using measured weight and height. Self-perceived body weight status, satisfaction with body weight and current and ideal body image were also assessed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association of age, educational level and objectively measured BMI with underestimation of body weight status. The prevalence of obesity was 19.9% in men and 29.3% in women. The agreement between objective and self-perceived body weight status was low (Kappa 99% of obese participants desired to be thinner (ideal body image < current image). Only 4.4% of obese men and 12.3% of obese women perceived their body weight status correctly. Higher age (women), lower educational level (men) and higher BMI (all) were associated with greater underestimation of body weight status. Many older persons misperceive their body weight status. Future actions to improve body weight perception in older persons are necessary to increase the impact of public health campaigns focussing on a healthy body weight in old age.

Variable-Weighted Linear Combination Model for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: Case Study in the Shennongjia Forestry District, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Chen

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A landslide susceptibility map plays an essential role in urban and rural planning. The main purpose of this study is to establish a variable-weighted linear combination model (VWLC and assess its potential for landslide susceptibility mapping. Firstly, different objective methods are employed for data processing rather than the frequently-used subjective judgments: K-means clustering is used for classification; binarization is introduced to determine buffer length thresholds for locational elements (road, river, and fault; landslide area density is adopted as the contribution index; and a correlation analysis is conducted for suitable factor selection. Secondly, considering the dimension changes of the preference matrix varying with the different locations of the mapping cells, the variable weights of each optimal factor are determined based on the improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP. On this basis, the VWLC model is established and applied to regional landslide susceptibility mapping for the Shennongjia Forestry District, China, where shallow landslides frequently occur. The obtained map is then compared with a map using the traditional WLC, and the results of the comparison show that VWLC is more reasonable, with a higher accuracy, and can be used anywhere that has the same or similar geological and topographical conditions.

$\\kappa$-Minkowski star product in any dimension from symplectic realization

OpenAIRE

Pachol, Anna; Vitale, Patrizia

2015-01-01

We derive an explicit expression for the star product reproducing the $\\kappa$-Minkowski Lie algebra in any dimension $n$. The result is obtained by suitably reducing the Wick-Voros star product defined on $\\mathbb{C}^{d}_\\theta$ with $n=d+1$. It is thus shown that the new star product can be obtained from a Jordanian twist.

Korteweg-deVries-Burgers (KdVB) equation in a five component cometary plasma with kappa described electrons and ions

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, Manesh; Willington, Neethu T.; Jayakumar, Neethu; Sebastian, Sijo; Sreekala, G.; Venugopal, Chandu

2016-12-01

We investigate the existence of ion-acoustic shock waves in a five component cometary plasma consisting of positively and negatively charged oxygen ions, kappa described hydrogen ions, hot solar electrons, and slightly colder cometary electrons. The KdVB equation has been derived for the system, and its solution plotted for different kappa values, oxygen ion densities, as well as the temperature ratios for the ions. It is found that the amplitude of the shock wave decreases with increasing kappa values. The strength of the shock profile decreases with increasing temperatures of the positively charged oxygen ions and densities of negatively charged oxygen ions.

Low Frequency Electrostatic Waves in Weakly Inhomogeneous Magnetoplasma Modeled by Lorentzian (kappa) Distributions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Basu, Bamandas

2008-01-01

... (to the ambient magnetic field) flow velocities associated with the current. In order to illustrate the distinguishing features of the kappa distributions, stability properties of the low frequency...

Kappa-receptor selective binding of opioid ligands with a heterocyclic bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Benyhe, S; Márki, A; Nachtsheim, Corina; Holzgrabe, Ulrike; Borsodi, Anna

2003-01-01

Previous pharmacological results have suggested that members of the heterocyclic bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one-like compounds are potent kappa-opioid receptor specific agonists. One lead molecule of this series. called compound 1 (dimethyl 7-methyl-2,4-di-2-pyridyl-3.7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one-1,5-dicarboxylate) exhibited high affinity for [3H]ethylketocyclazocine and [3H]U-69.593 binding sites in guinea pig cerebellar membranes which known to be a good source for kappa1 receptors. It was shown by molecular modelling that heterocyclic bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-ones fit very well with the structure of ketazocine, a prototypic kappa-selective benzomorphan compound; when compared to the arylacetamide structure of U-69.593, a specific kappa1-receptor agonist, a similar geometry was found with a slightly different distribution of the charges. It is postulated, that the essential structural skeleton involved in the opioid activity is an aryl-propyl-amine element distributed along the N7-C6-C5-C4-aryl bonds.

Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Linear Block Copolymers: Rapid Access by Reversible-Deactivation Radical Polymerization and Self- Assembly into Large Domain Nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mapas, Jose Kenneth D.; Thomay, Tim; Cartwright, Alexander N.; Ilavsky, Jan; Rzayev, Javid

2016-05-05

Block copolymer (BCP) derived periodic nanostructures with domain sizes larger than 150 nm present a versatile platform for the fabrication of photonic materials. So far, the access to such materials has been limited to highly synthetically involved protocols. Herein, we report a simple, “user-friendly” method for the preparation of ultrahigh molecular weight linear poly(solketal methacrylate-b-styrene) block copolymers by a combination of Cu-wire-mediated ATRP and RAFT polymerizations. The synthesized copolymers with molecular weights up to 1.6 million g/mol and moderate dispersities readily assemble into highly ordered cylindrical or lamella microstructures with domain sizes as large as 292 nm, as determined by ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy analyses. Solvent cast films of the synthesized block copolymers exhibit stop bands in the visible spectrum correlated to their domain spacings. The described method opens new avenues for facilitated fabrication and the advancement of fundamental understanding of BCP-derived photonic nanomaterials for a variety of applications.

Experimental study on the effects of recombinant adenoviral-mediated mI{kappa}B{alpha} gene combined with irradiation on the treatment of hepatocarcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kejun, Zhang; Dechun, Li; Dongming, Zhu [The First Affiliated Hospital to Suzhou Univ., Suzhou (China); Caixia, Song

2007-10-15

Objective: To explore the effect of recombinant adenovirus vector mediated mutant I{kappa}B{alpha} (mI{kappa}B{alpha}) combined with radiation on the hepatocarcinoma. Methods: Limited dilution method was used to test the virus titer in 293 cells. The HCC9204 cells were infected with MOI 10,20,30 and 50 for 48 h, respectively. The expression of p65 and mI{kappa}B{alpha} protein was analyzed by Western blot. Transfected HCC9204 cells and controls were treated with 4 Gy {gamma} rays. The inhibition rate of HCC9204 cells was examined by MTT. Rat models of HCC9204 was constructed. AdmI{kappa}B{alpha} plasmids were injected into tumor tissue and the tumors were administered with 6 Gy {gamma} irradiation 48 hours later. Tumor growth at different time points was recorded during 28 days. Results: The titer of AdmI{kappa}B{alpha} is 1.252 x 10{sup 9} pfu/ml. The expression of mI{kappa}B{alpha} protein was increased with titer of AdmI{kappa}B{alpha}, and p65 protein began to decrease when MOI was 10, and reached the lowest when MOI was 50, they were all dose-dependent. The proliferation of HCC9204 cell lines were suppressed, as was more significant combined with radiation, and the effect was in a viral dose-dependent manner. From days 7 to 28 after AdmI{kappa}B{alpha} gene and radiotherapy, the tumor growth was significantly slower than after irradiation or gene therapy alone. Conclusions: Recombinant adenoviral-mediated mI{kappa}B{alpha} gene, combined with irradiation, can increase the cell-killing effect. It is better than that of either one alone. (authors)

NF-kappaB is involved in SHetA2 circumvention of TNF-alpha resistance, but not induction of intrinsic apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chengedza, Shylet; Benbrook, Doris Mangiaracina

2010-03-01

Treatment of cancer with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is hindered by resistance and toxicity. The flexible heteroarotinoid, SHetA2, sensitizes resistant ovarian cancer cells to TNF-alpha-induced extrinsic apoptosis, and also induces intrinsic apoptosis as a single agent. This study tested the hypothesis that nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is involved in SHetA2-regulated intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis. SHetA2 inhibited basal and TNF-alpha-induced or hydrogen peroxide-induced NF-kappaB activity through counter-regulation of upstream kinase (IkappaB kinase) activity, inhibitor protein (IkappaB-alpha) phosphorylation, and p-65 NF-kappaB subunit nuclear translocation, but independently of reactive oxygen species generation. Ectopic over-expression of p-65, or treatment with TNF-alpha receptor 1 (TNFR1) small interfering RNA or a caspase-8 inhibitor, each attenuated synergistic apoptosis by SHetA2 and TNF-alpha, but did not affect intrinsic apoptosis caused by SHetA2. In conclusion, NF-kappaB repression is involved in SHetA2 circumvention of resistance to TNF-alpha-induced extrinsic apoptosis, but not in SHetA2 induction of intrinsic apoptosis.

Estimating Body Weight of Cattle Using Linear Body Measurements ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The relationships between body weight (BW) and heart girth, body length and height at withers of 116 Indigenous, 72 Friesian, 95 Brahman, 88 Red Dane and 123 Crossbred cattle from 42 smallholder herds in Nharira-Lancashire, Zimbabwe, were investigated. The principal objective was to develop simple models that ...

Selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays and impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Huidong; Liu, Guowen; Wang, Jian; Aubry, Anne-Françoise; Arnold, Mark E

2014-09-16

A simple procedure for selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays is reported. The correct weighting factor is determined by the relationship between the standard deviation of instrument responses (σ) and the concentrations (x). The weighting factor of 1, 1/x, or 1/x(2) should be selected if, over the entire concentration range, σ is a constant, σ(2) is proportional to x, or σ is proportional to x, respectively. For the first time, we demonstrated with detailed scientific reasoning, solid historical data, and convincing justification that 1/x(2) should always be used as the weighting factor for all bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays. The impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance were thoroughly investigated. It was found that the most stable curve could be obtained when the correct weighting factor was used, whereas other curves using incorrect weighting factors were unstable. It was also found that there was a very insignificant impact on the concentrations reported with calibration curves using incorrect weighting factors as the concentrations were always reported with the passing curves which actually overlapped with or were very close to the curves using the correct weighting factor. However, the use of incorrect weighting factors did impact the assay performance significantly. Finally, the difference between the weighting factors of 1/x(2) and 1/y(2) was discussed. All of the findings can be generalized and applied into other quantitative analysis techniques using calibration curves with weighted least-squares regression algorithm.

LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP AND CONDITION FACTOR OF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Data Collection and Analysis. The measurements of length (cm), weight (g) and the condition factor of individual fish sampled were recorded. The relationship between length and weight of the fish was examined by simple linear regression using WINKS software. The variations in the length-weight represented by 'b' were.

Enantioselective kappa opioid binding sites on the macrophage cell line, P388d sub 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carr, D.J.J.; Blalock, J.E. (Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham (USA)); DeCosta, B.R.; Jacobson, A.E.; Rice, K.C. (NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD (USA))

1991-01-01

A kappa opioid binding site has been characterized on the macrophage cell line, P388d{sub 1}, using the kappa selective affinity ligand, ({sup 3H}(1S,2S)-(-)-trans-2-isothiocyanato-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-phrrolidinyl) cyclohexyl) benzeneacetamide ((-)BD166). The kappa site has a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 38,000 under nonreducing conditions and 42,000 under reducing conditions. Moreover, it exhibits enantioselectivity in that 1S,2S-(-)-trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl) benzeneacetamide ((-)-U-50,488) blocks ({sup 3}H)95{alpha},7{alpha},8{beta})-(-)-N-methyl-N-(7-(1- pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro-(4,5)-dec-8-yl)benzeneacetamide (U-69,593) binding to P388d{sub 1} cells with an IC{sub 50} = 7.0 nM whereas 1R,2R-(+)-trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl) benzeneacetamide ((+)U-50,488) blocks ({sup 3}H)U-69,593 binding to P388d{sub 1} cells with an IC{sub 50} = 700 nM.

Birth weight classification in gestational diabetes: is there an ideal chart?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Livia Silveira Mastella

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM is associated to increased rates of large for gestational age newborns and macrosomia. Several charts are used to classify birth weight. Is there an ideal chart to classify newborns of GDM mothers? Methods: We evaluated adequacy of birth weight of 332 neonates born to GDM mothers at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. Newborns were classified according to gestational age as small (SGA, adequate or large (LGA based on four charts: Alexander, Pedreira, INTERGROWTH 21st Project and SINASC-2012. The latter was built using data from a large national registry of 2012, the Born Alive National Surveillance System (Sistema de Informações de Nascidos Vivos – SINASC, which included 2.905,789 birth certificates. Frequencies of SGA and LGA and Kappa agreement were calculated. Results: In non-gender adjusted curves, SGA rates (95% confidence interval varied from 8% (5-11 to 9% (6-13; LGA rates, from 11% (8-15 to 17% (13-21. For males, SGA rates varied from 3% (1-6% to 6% (3-11%, and LGA rates, from 18% (13-24% to 31% (24-38%; for female, SGA rates were from 3% (1-7% to 10% (6-16% and LGA rates, from 11% (6-16% to 19% (13-26%. Kappa results were: ALEXANDER vs. SINASC-2012: 0.80 (0.73-0.88; INTERGROWTH 21st vs. SINASC-2012 (adjusted by sex: 0.62 (0.53-0.71; INTERGROWTH 21st vs. PEDREIRA: 0.71 (0.62-0.79; SINASC-2012 (by sex vs. PEDREIRA: 0.86 (0.79-0.93. Conclusions: Misclassification has to be taken into account when evaluating newborns of GDM mothers, as LGA rates can almost double depending on the chart used to classify birth weight.

Increased synovial tissue NF-kappa B1 expression at sites adjacent to the cartilage-pannus junction in rheumatoid arthritis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benito, M.J.; Murphy, E.P.; Berg, W.B. van den; Fitzgerald, O.; Bresnihan, B.

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of the Rel/NF-kappa B subunits, NF-kappa B1 (p50) and RelA (p65), in paired synovial tissue samples selected from sites adjacent to and remote from the cartilage-pannus junction (CPJ) in patients with inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: Synovial tissue was selected

Factors associated with metabolically healthy status in obesity, overweight, and normal weight at baseline of ELSA-Brasil

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Maria de Fátima Haueisen Sander; Beleigoli, Alline Maria Rezende; Ribeiro, Antônio Luiz P.; Vidigal, Pedro Guatimosim; Bensenor, Isabela M.; Lotufo, Paulo A.; Duncan, Bruce B.; Schmidt, Maria Inês; Barreto, Sandhi Maria

2016-01-01

Abstract The primary aim of this study was to evaluate metabolically healthy status (MHS) among participants in obesity, overweight, and normal weight groups and characteristics associated with this phenotype using baseline data of Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). The secondary aim was to investigate agreement among 4 different MHS criteria. This cross-sectional study included 14,545 participants aged 35 to 74 years with a small majority (54.1%) being women. Of all participants, 22.7% (n = 3298) were obese, 40.8% (n = 5934) were overweight, and 37.5% (n = 5313) were of normal weight. Socio-demographic, behavioral, and anthropometric factors related to MHS were ascertained. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of associations. We used 4 different criteria separately and in combination to define MHS: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP-ATPIII), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and comorbidities, and the agreement between them were evaluated by Cohen-kappa coefficient. MHS was present among 12.0% (n = 396) of obese, 25.5% (n = 1514) of overweight, and 48.6% (n = 2582) of normal weight participants according to the combination of the 4 criteria. The agreement between all the 4 MHS criteria was strong (kappa 0.73 P < 0.001). In final logistic models, MHS was associated with lower age, female sex, lower body mass index (BMI), and weight change from age 20 within all BMI categories. This study showed that, despite differences in prevalence among the 4 criteria, MHS was associated with common characteristics at every BMI category. PMID:27399079

Selective kappa-opioid agonists: synthesis and structure-activity relationships of piperidines incorporating on oxo-containing acyl group.

Science.gov (United States)

Giardina, G; Clarke, G D; Dondio, G; Petrone, G; Sbacchi, M; Vecchietti, V

1994-10-14

This study describes the synthesis and the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of the (S)-(-)-enantiomers of a novel class of 2-(aminomethyl)piperidine derivatives, using kappa-opioid binding affinity and antinociceptive potency as the indices of biological activity. Compounds incorporating the 1-tetralon-6-ylacetyl residue (30 and 34-45) demonstrated an in vivo antinociceptive activity greater than predicted on the basis of their kappa-binding affinities. In particular, (2S)-2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-1-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5-oxo-2- naphthyl)acetyl]piperidine (34) was found to have a potency similar to spiradoline in animal models of antinociception after subcutaneous administration, with ED50s of 0.47 and 0.73 mumol/kg in the mouse and in the rat abdominal constriction tests, respectively. Further in vivo studies in mice and/or rats revealed that compound 34, compared to other selective kappa-agonists, has a reduced propensity to cause a number of kappa-related side effects, including locomotor impairment/sedation and diuresis, at antinociceptive doses. For example, it has an ED50 of 26.5 mumol/kg sc in the rat rotarod model, exhibiting a ratio of locomotor impairment/sedation vs analgesia of 36. Possible reasons for this differential activity and its clinical consequence are discussed.

End-weight prediction in broiler growth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cangar, O.; Aerts, J.-M.; Vranken, E.; Berckmans, D.

2006-01-01

1. Two different methods, categorised as input-output and single output models, were evaluated for slaughter weight prediction of broiler chickens. The input-output models included linear and non-linear recursive modelling with a time-varying model structure, whereas the output models consisted only

Estimations of Kappa parameter using quasi-thermal noise spectroscopy: Applications on Wind spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Martinović, M.

2017-12-01

Quasi-thermal noise (QTN) spectroscopy is an accurate technique for in situ measurements of electron density and temperature in space plasmas. The QTN spectrum has a characteristic noise peak just above the plasma frequency produced by electron quasi-thermal fluctuations, which allows a very accurate measurement of the electron density. The size and shape of the peak are determined by suprathermal electrons. Since this nonthermal electron population is well described by a generalized Lorentzian - Kappa velocity distribution, it is possible to determinate the distribution properties in the solar wind from a measured spectrum. In this work, we discuss some basic properties of the QTN spectrum dependence of the Kappa distribution parameters - total electron density, temperature and the Kappa index, giving an overview on how instrument characteristics and environment conditions affect quality of the measurements. Further on, we aim to apply the method to Wind Thermal Noise Receiver (TNR) measurements. However, the spectra observed by this instrument usually contain contributions from nonthermal phenomena, like ion acoustic waves below, or galactic noise above the plasma frequency. This is why, besides comparison of the theory with observations, work with Wind data requires development of a sophisticated algorithm that distinguish parts of the spectra that are dominated by the QTN, and therefore can be used in our study. Postulates of this algorithm, as well as major results of its implementation, are also presented.

Nutritional status and weight gain in pregnant women.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Ana Paula Sayuri; Fujimori, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This study described the nutritional status of 228 pregnant women and the influence of this on birth weight. This is a retrospective study, developed in a health center in the municipality of São Paulo, with data obtained from medical records. Linear regression analysis was carried out. An association was verified between the initial and final nutritional status (ppregnancy underweight was higher compared those who started overweight/obese (p=0.005). Weight gain was insufficient for 43.4% of the pregnant women with adequate initial weight and for 36.4% of all the pregnant women studied. However, 37.1% of those who began the pregnancy overweight/obese finished with excessive weight gain, a condition that ultimately affected almost a quarter of the pregnant women. Anemia and low birth weight were uncommon, however, in the linear regression analysis, birth weight was associated with weight gain (pimportance of nutritional care before and during pregnancy to promote maternal-infant health.

Closed-form solutions for linear regulator design of mechanical systems including optimal weighting matrix selection

Science.gov (United States)

Hanks, Brantley R.; Skelton, Robert E.

1991-01-01

Vibration in modern structural and mechanical systems can be reduced in amplitude by increasing stiffness, redistributing stiffness and mass, and/or adding damping if design techniques are available to do so. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) theory in modern multivariable control design, attacks the general dissipative elastic system design problem in a global formulation. The optimal design, however, allows electronic connections and phase relations which are not physically practical or possible in passive structural-mechanical devices. The restriction of LQR solutions (to the Algebraic Riccati Equation) to design spaces which can be implemented as passive structural members and/or dampers is addressed. A general closed-form solution to the optimal free-decay control problem is presented which is tailored for structural-mechanical system. The solution includes, as subsets, special cases such as the Rayleigh Dissipation Function and total energy. Weighting matrix selection is a constrained choice among several parameters to obtain desired physical relationships. The closed-form solution is also applicable to active control design for systems where perfect, collocated actuator-sensor pairs exist.

The Problems with the Kappa Statistic as a Metric of Interobserver Agreement on Lesion Detection Using a Third-reader Approach When Locations Are Not Prespecified.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Joanna H; Greer, Matthew D; Turkbey, Baris

2018-03-16

To point out the problems with Cohen kappa statistic and to explore alternative metrics to determine interobserver agreement on lesion detection when locations are not prespecified. Use of kappa and two alternative methods, namely index of specific agreement (ISA) and modified kappa, for measuring interobserver agreement on the location of detected lesions are presented. These indices of agreement are illustrated by application to a retrospective multireader study in which nine readers detected and scored prostate cancer lesions in 163 consecutive patients (n = 110 cases, n = 53 controls) using the guideline of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging. The proposed modified kappa, which properly corrects for the amount of agreement by chance, is shown to be approximately equivalent to the ISA. In the prostate cancer data, average kappa, modified kappa, and ISA equaled 30%, 55%, and 57%, respectively, for all lesions and 20%, 87%, and 87%, respectively, for index lesions. The application of kappa could result in a substantial downward bias in reader agreement on lesion detection when locations are not prespecified. ISA is recommended for assessment of reader agreement on lesion detection. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Three-dimensional isotropic T2-weighted cervical MRI at 3 T: Comparison with two-dimensional T2-weighted sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, J.W.; Yoon, Y.C.; Choi, S.-H.

2012-01-01

Aim: To compare three-dimensional (3D) isotropic T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences and reformation with two-dimensional (2D) T2-weighted sequences regarding image quality of the cervical spine at 3 T. Materials and methods: A phantom study was performed using a water-filled cylinder. The signal-to-noise and image homogeneity were evaluated. Fourteen (n = 14) volunteers were examined at 3 T using 3D isotropic T2-weighted sagittal and conventional 2D T2-weighted sagittal, axial, and oblique sagittal MRI. Multiplanar reformation (MPR) of the 3D T2-weighted sagittal dataset was performed simultaneously with image evaluation. In addition to artefact assessment, the visibility of anatomical structures in the 3D and 2D sequences was qualitatively assessed by two radiologists independently. Cohen’s kappa and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for the statistical analysis. Result: The 3D isotropic T2-weighted sequence resulted in the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and lowest non-uniformity (NU) among the sequences in the phantom study. Quantitative evaluation revealed lower NU values of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and muscles in 2D T2-weighted sagittal sequences compared to the 3D volume isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition (VISTA) sequence. The other NU values revealed no statistically significant difference between the 2D turbo spin-echo (TSE) and 3D VISTA sequences (0.059 < p < 0.959). 3D VISTA images showed significantly fewer CSF flow artefacts (p < 0.001) and better delineated intradural nerve rootlets (p = 0.001) and neural foramina (p = 0.016) compared to 2D sequences. Conclusion: A 3D T2 weighted sequence is superior to conventional 2D sequences for the delineation of intradural nerve rootlets and neural foramina and is less affected by CSF flow artefacts.

High Signal Intensity in the Dentate Nucleus and Globus Pallidus on Unenhanced T1-Weighted MR Images: Comparison between Gadobutrol and Linear Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, F G; Watterson, C T; Weiss, S; Austin, M; Mirocha, J; Prasad, R; Wang, J

2018-02-01

In view of the recent observations that gadolinium deposits in brain tissue after intravenous injection, our aim of this study was to compare signal changes in the globus pallidus and dentate nucleus on unenhanced T1-weighted MR images in patients receiving serial doses of gadobutrol, a macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agent, with those seen in patients receiving linear gadolinium-based contrast agents. This was a retrospective analysis of on-site patients with brain tumors. Fifty-nine patients received only gadobutrol, and 60 patients received only linear gadolinium-based contrast agents. Linear gadolinium-based contrast agents included gadoversetamide, gadobenate dimeglumine, and gadodiamide. T1 signal intensity in the globus pallidus, dentate nucleus, and pons was measured on the precontrast portions of patients' first and seventh brain MRIs. Ratios of signal intensity comparing the globus pallidus with the pons (globus pallidus/pons) and dentate nucleus with the pons (dentate nucleus/pons) were calculated. Changes in the above signal intensity ratios were compared within the gadobutrol and linear agent groups, as well as between groups. The dentate nucleus/pons signal ratio increased in the linear gadolinium-based contrast agent group ( t = 4.215, P linear gadolinium-based contrast agent group ( t = 2.931, P linear gadolinium-based contrast agents. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Birth weight recovery among very low birth weight infants surviving ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A multiple linear regression showed a negative association between ZSW at discharge and number of days nil per os without parenteral nutrition (PN). Antenatal steroids were associated with poor GV. There were no factors associated with regaining birth weight after 21 days on multiple logistic regression. Conclusion.

Quantitative analysis of multiple kappa-opioid receptors by selective and nonselective ligand binding in guinea pig spinal cord: Resolution of high and low affinity states of the kappa 2 receptors by a computerized model-fitting technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiberi, M.; Magnan, J.

1990-01-01

The binding characteristics of selective and nonselective opioids have been studied in whole guinea pig spinal cord, using a computer fitting method to analyze the data obtained from saturation and competition studies. The delineation of specific binding sites labeled by the mu-selective opioid [3H]D-Ala2,MePhe4,Gly-ol5-enkephalin (Kd = 2.58 nM, R = 4.52 pmol/g of tissue) and by the delta-selective opioid [3H]D-Pen2, D-Pen5-enkephalin (Kd = 2.02 nM, R = 1.47 pmol/g of tissue) suggests the presence of mu and delta-receptors in the spinal cord tissue. The presence of kappa receptors was probed by the kappa-selective opioid [3H]U69593 (Kd = 3.31 nM, R = 2.00 pmol/g of tissue). The pharmacological characterization of the sites labeled by [3H]U69593 confirms the assumption that this ligand discriminates kappa receptors in guinea pig spinal cord. The benzomorphan [3H]ethylketazocine labels a population of receptors with one homogeneous affinity state (Kd = 0.65 nM, R = 7.39 pmol/g of tissue). The total binding capacity of this ligand was not different from the sum of the binding capacities of mu, delta-, and kappa-selective ligands. Under mu- and delta-suppressed conditions, [3H]ethylketazocine still binds to receptors with one homogeneous affinity state (Kd = 0.45 nM, R = 1.69 pmol/g of tissue). Competition studies performed against the binding of [3H]ethylketazocine under these experimental conditions reveal that the pharmacological profile of the radiolabeled receptors is similar to the profile of the kappa receptors labeled with [3H]U69593. Saturation studies using the nonselective opioid [3H]bremazocine demonstrate that this ligand binds to spinal cord membranes with heterogeneous affinities (Kd1 = 0.28 nM, R1 = 7.91 pmol/g of tissue; Kd2 = 3.24 nM, R2 = 11.2 pmol/g of tissue)

Quantitative analysis of multiple kappa-opioid receptors by selective and nonselective ligand binding in guinea pig spinal cord: Resolution of high and low affinity states of the kappa 2 receptors by a computerized model-fitting technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiberi, M.; Magnan, J. (Universite de Montreal, Quebec (Canada))

1990-05-01

The binding characteristics of selective and nonselective opioids have been studied in whole guinea pig spinal cord, using a computer fitting method to analyze the data obtained from saturation and competition studies. The delineation of specific binding sites labeled by the mu-selective opioid (3H)D-Ala2,MePhe4,Gly-ol5-enkephalin (Kd = 2.58 nM, R = 4.52 pmol/g of tissue) and by the delta-selective opioid (3H)D-Pen2, D-Pen5-enkephalin (Kd = 2.02 nM, R = 1.47 pmol/g of tissue) suggests the presence of mu and delta-receptors in the spinal cord tissue. The presence of kappa receptors was probed by the kappa-selective opioid (3H)U69593 (Kd = 3.31 nM, R = 2.00 pmol/g of tissue). The pharmacological characterization of the sites labeled by (3H)U69593 confirms the assumption that this ligand discriminates kappa receptors in guinea pig spinal cord. The benzomorphan (3H)ethylketazocine labels a population of receptors with one homogeneous affinity state (Kd = 0.65 nM, R = 7.39 pmol/g of tissue). The total binding capacity of this ligand was not different from the sum of the binding capacities of mu, delta-, and kappa-selective ligands. Under mu- and delta-suppressed conditions, (3H)ethylketazocine still binds to receptors with one homogeneous affinity state (Kd = 0.45 nM, R = 1.69 pmol/g of tissue). Competition studies performed against the binding of (3H)ethylketazocine under these experimental conditions reveal that the pharmacological profile of the radiolabeled receptors is similar to the profile of the kappa receptors labeled with (3H)U69593. Saturation studies using the nonselective opioid (3H)bremazocine demonstrate that this ligand binds to spinal cord membranes with heterogeneous affinities (Kd1 = 0.28 nM, R1 = 7.91 pmol/g of tissue; Kd2 = 3.24 nM, R2 = 11.2 pmol/g of tissue).

Protective protein/cathepsin A down-regulates osteoclastogenesis by associating with and degrading NF-kappaB p50/p65.

Science.gov (United States)

Masuhara, Masaaki; Sato, Takuya; Hada, Naoto; Hakeda, Yoshiyuki

2009-01-01

Disruption of the cooperative function balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts causes various bone disorders, some of which are attributed to abnormal osteoclast recruitment. Osteoclast differentiation is dependent on the receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB ligand (RANKL) as well as the macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The osteoclast formation induced by cytokines requires activation of NF-kappaB, AP-1 and nuclear factor of activated T cells c1. However, osteoclasts are not the only cell types that express these transcription factors, suggesting that some unknown molecules specific for osteoclasts may associate with the transcription factors. Here, we explored the possibility of molecules binding directly to NF-kappaB and cloned protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA) by yeast two-hybrid screening using a cDNA library of osteoclast precursors. Forced expression of PPCA with p50/p65 in HEK293 cells decreased both the level of p50/p65 proteins and the transcriptional activity. Abundant PPCA was detected in the lysosomes of the transfected HEK293 cells, but a small amount of this enzyme was also present in the cytosolic fraction. In addition, over-expression of PPCA caused the disappearance of p50/p65 in both the lysosomal and cytosolic fractions. PPCA was expressed throughout osteoclastogenesis, and the expression was slightly up-regulated by RANKL signaling. Knockdown of PPCA in osteoclast precursors with PPCA siRNA stimulated binding of nuclear proteins to oligonucleotides containing an NF-kappaB binding motif and increased osteoclastogenesis. Our present results indicate a novel role for PPCA in osteoclastogenesis via down-regulation of NF-kappaB activity and suggest a new function for PPCA as an NF-kappaB-degrading enzyme in addition to its known multifunctional properties.

Regression Equations for Birth Weight Estimation using ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, Birth Weight has been estimated from anthropometric measurements of hand and foot. Linear regression equations were formed from each of the measured variables. These simple equations can be used to estimate Birth Weight of new born babies, in order to identify those with low birth weight and referred to ...

Applying Monte Carlo Concept and Linear Programming in Modern Portfolio Theory to Obtain Best Weighting Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tumpal Sihombing

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The world is entering the era of recession when the trend is bearish and market is not so favorable. The capital markets in every major country were experiencing great amount of loss and people suffered in their investment. The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI has shown a great downturn for the past one year but the trend bearish year of the JCI. Therefore, rational investors should consider restructuring their portfolio to set bigger proportion in bonds and cash instead of stocks. Investors can apply modern portfolio theory by Harry Markowitz to find the optimum asset allocation for their portfolio. Higher return is always associated with higher risk. This study shows investors how to find out the lowest risk of a portfolio investment by providing them with several structures of portfolio weighting. By this way, investor can compare and make the decision based on risk-return consideration and opportunity cost as well. Keywords: Modern portfolio theory, Monte Carlo, linear programming

Bacterial effector binding to ribosomal protein s3 subverts NF-kappaB function.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaofei Gao

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Enteric bacterial pathogens cause food borne disease, which constitutes an enormous economic and health burden. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC causes a severe bloody diarrhea following transmission to humans through various means, including contaminated beef and vegetable products, water, or through contact with animals. EHEC also causes a potentially fatal kidney disease (hemolytic uremic syndrome for which there is no effective treatment or prophylaxis. EHEC and other enteric pathogens (e.g., enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia utilize a type III secretion system (T3SS to inject virulence proteins (effectors into host cells. While it is known that T3SS effectors subvert host cell function to promote diarrheal disease and bacterial transmission, in many cases, the mechanisms by which these effectors bind to host proteins and disrupt the normal function of intestinal epithelial cells have not been completely characterized. In this study, we present evidence that the E. coli O157:H7 nleH1 and nleH2 genes encode T3SS effectors that bind to the human ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3, a subunit of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB transcriptional complexes. NleH1 and NleH2 co-localized with RPS3 in the cytoplasm, but not in cell nuclei. The N-terminal region of both NleH1 and NleH2 was required for binding to the N-terminus of RPS3. NleH1 and NleH2 are autophosphorylated Ser/Thr protein kinases, but their binding to RPS3 is independent of kinase activity. NleH1, but not NleH2, reduced the nuclear abundance of RPS3 without altering the p50 or p65 NF-kappaB subunits or affecting the phosphorylation state or abundance of the inhibitory NF-kappaB chaperone IkappaBalpha NleH1 repressed the transcription of a RPS3/NF-kappaB-dependent reporter plasmid, but did not inhibit the transcription of RPS3-independent reporters. In contrast, NleH2 stimulated RPS3-dependent transcription, as well

Multiplex protein pattern unmixing using a non-linear variable-weighted support vector machine as optimized by a particle swarm optimization algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qin; Zou, Hong-Yan; Zhang, Yan; Tang, Li-Juan; Shen, Guo-Li; Jiang, Jian-Hui; Yu, Ru-Qin

2016-01-15

Most of the proteins locate more than one organelle in a cell. Unmixing the localization patterns of proteins is critical for understanding the protein functions and other vital cellular processes. Herein, non-linear machine learning technique is proposed for the first time upon protein pattern unmixing. Variable-weighted support vector machine (VW-SVM) is a demonstrated robust modeling technique with flexible and rational variable selection. As optimized by a global stochastic optimization technique, particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, it makes VW-SVM to be an adaptive parameter-free method for automated unmixing of protein subcellular patterns. Results obtained by pattern unmixing of a set of fluorescence microscope images of cells indicate VW-SVM as optimized by PSO is able to extract useful pattern features by optimally rescaling each variable for non-linear SVM modeling, consequently leading to improved performances in multiplex protein pattern unmixing compared with conventional SVM and other exiting pattern unmixing methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 enhances NF-kappaB activation in Escherichia coli-stimulated urinary bladder cells through TLR4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karlsson Mattias

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Epithelial cells of the urinary tract recognize pathogenic bacteria through pattern recognition receptors on their surface, such as toll-like receptors (TLRs, and mount an immune response through the activation of the NF-kappaB pathway. Some uropathogenic bacteria can subvert these cellular responses, creating problems with how the host eliminates pathogens. Lactobacillus is a genus of lactic acid bacteria that are part of the microbiota and consist of many probiotic strains, some specifically for urogenital infections. Immunomodulation has emerged as an important mode of action of probiotic and commensal lactobacilli and given the importance of epithelial cells, we evaluated the effect of the urogenital probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 on epithelial immune activation. Results Immune activation through the NF-kappaB pathway was initiated by stimulation of T24 urothelial cells with heat-killed Escherichia coli and this was further potentiated when cells were co-cultured with live L. rhamnosus GR-1. Heat-killed lactobacilli were poor activators of NF-kappaB. Concomitant stimulation of bladder cells with E. coli and L. rhamnosus GR-1 increased the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF, whereas IL-6 and CXCL8 levels were reduced. Another probiotic, L. rhamnosus GG, was also able to potentiate NF-kappaB in these cells although at a significantly reduced level compared to the GR-1 strain. The transcript numbers and protein levels of the lipopolysaccharide receptor TLR4 were significantly increased after co-stimulation with E. coli and lactobacilli compared to controls. Furthermore, inhibition of TLR4 activation by polymixin B completely blocked the lactobacilli potentiation of NF-kappaB. Conclusions The immunological outcome of E. coli challenge of bladder cells was influenced by probiotic L. rhamnosus GR-1, by enhancing the activation of NF-kappaB and TNF release. Thus the urogenital probiotic L. rhamnosus GR-1

On Weighted Support Vector Regression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Han, Xixuan; Clemmensen, Line Katrine Harder

2014-01-01

We propose a new type of weighted support vector regression (SVR), motivated by modeling local dependencies in time and space in prediction of house prices. The classic weights of the weighted SVR are added to the slack variables in the objective function (OF‐weights). This procedure directly...... shrinks the coefficient of each observation in the estimated functions; thus, it is widely used for minimizing influence of outliers. We propose to additionally add weights to the slack variables in the constraints (CF‐weights) and call the combination of weights the doubly weighted SVR. We illustrate...... the differences and similarities of the two types of weights by demonstrating the connection between the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and the SVR. We show that an SVR problem can be transformed to a LASSO problem plus a linear constraint and a box constraint. We demonstrate...

The formation of kappa-distribution accelerated electron populations in solar flares

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bian, Nicolas H.; Stackhouse, Duncan J.; Kontar, Eduard P. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Emslie, A. Gordon, E-mail: n.bian@physics.gla.ac.uk, E-mail: d.stackhouse.1@research.gla.ac.uk, E-mail: eduard@astro.gla.ac.uk, E-mail: emslieg@wku.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101 (United States)

2014-12-01

Driven by recent RHESSI observations of confined loop-top hard X-ray sources in solar flares, we consider stochastic acceleration of electrons in the presence of Coulomb collisions. If electron escape from the acceleration region can be neglected, the electron distribution function is determined by a balance between diffusive acceleration and collisions. Such a scenario admits a stationary solution for the electron distribution function that takes the form of a kappa distribution. We show that the evolution toward this kappa distribution involves a 'wave front' propagating forward in velocity space, so that electrons of higher energy are accelerated later; the acceleration timescales with energy according to τ{sub acc} ∼ E {sup 3/2}. At sufficiently high energies escape from the finite-length acceleration region will eventually dominate. For such energies, the electron velocity distribution function is obtained by solving a time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation in the 'leaky-box' approximation. Solutions are obtained in the limit of a small escape rate from an acceleration region that can effectively be considered a thick target.

Diarctigenin, a lignan constituent from Arctium lappa, down-regulated zymosan-induced transcription of inflammatory genes through suppression of DNA binding ability of nuclear factor-kappaB in macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Byung Hak; Hong, Seong Su; Kwon, Soon Woo; Lee, Hwa Young; Sung, Hyeran; Lee, In-Jeong; Hwang, Bang Yeon; Song, Sukgil; Lee, Chong-Kil; Chung, Daehyun; Ahn, Byeongwoo; Nam, Sang-Yoon; Han, Sang-Bae; Kim, Youngsoo

2008-11-01

Diarctigenin was previously isolated as an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophages from the seeds of Arctium lappa used as an alternative medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. However, little is known about the molecular basis of these effects. Here, we demonstrated that diarctigenin inhibited the production of NO, prostaglandin E(2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 with IC(50) values of 6 to 12 miciroM in zymosan- or lipopolysaccharide-(LPS) activated macrophages. Diarctigenin attenuated zymosan-induced mRNA synthesis of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and also inhibited promoter activities of iNOS and cytokine genes in the cells. Because nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB plays a pivotal role in inflammatory gene transcription, we next investigated the effect of diarctigenin on NF-kappaB activation. Diarctigenin inhibited the transcriptional activity and DNA binding ability of NF-kappaB in zymosan-activated macrophages but did not affect the degradation and phosphorylation of inhibitory kappaB (IkappaB) proteins. Moreover, diarctigenin suppressed expression vector NF-kappaB p65-elicited NF-kappaB activation and also iNOS promoter activity, indicating that the compound could directly target an NF-kappa-activating signal cascade downstream of IkappaB degradation and inhibit NF-kappaB-regulated iNOS expression. Diarctigenin also inhibited the in vitro DNA binding ability of NF-kappaB but did not affect the nuclear import of NF-kappaB p65 in the cells. Taken together, diarctigenin down-regulated zymosan- or LPS-induced inflammatory gene transcription in macrophages, which was due to direct inhibition of the DNA binding ability of NF-kappaB. Finally, this study provides a pharmacological potential of diarctigenin in the NF-kappaB-associated inflammatory disorders.

Preconditioned Iterative Methods for Solving Weighted Linear Least Squares Problems

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bru, R.; Marín, J.; Mas, J.; Tůma, Miroslav

2014-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 4 (2014), A2002-A2022 ISSN 1064-8275 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : preconditioned iterative methods * incomplete decompositions * approximate inverses * linear least squares Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.854, year: 2014

20-Hydroxycholecalciferol, product of vitamin D3 hydroxylation by P450scc, decreases NF-kappaB activity by increasing IkappaB alpha levels in human keratinocytes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zorica Janjetovic

Full Text Available The side chain of vitamin D3 is hydroxylated in a sequential manner by cytochrome P450scc (CYP11A1 to form 20-hydroxycholecalciferol, which can induce growth arrest and differentiation of both primary and immortalized epidermal keratinocytes. Since nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, we examined the capability of 20-hydroxycholecalciferol to modulate the activity of NF-kappaB, using 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol as a positive control. 20-hydroxycholecalciferol inhibits the activation of NFkappaB DNA binding activity as well as NF-kappaB-driven reporter gene activity in keratinocytes. Also, 20-hydroxycholecalciferol induced significant increases in the mRNA and protein levels of the NF-kappaB inhibitor protein, IkappaB alpha, in a time dependent manner, while no changes in total NF-kappaB-p65 mRNA or protein levels were observed. Another measure of NF-kappaB activity, p65 translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus was also inhibited in extracts of 20-hydroxycholecalciferol treated keratinocytes. Increased IkappaB alpha was concomitantly observed in cytosolic extracts of 20-hydroxycholecalciferol treated keratinocytes, as determined by immunoblotting and immunofluorescent staining. In keratinocytes lacking vitamin D receptor (VDR, 20-hydroxycholecalciferol did not affect IkappaB alpha mRNA levels, indicating that it requires VDR for its action on NF-kappaB activity. Comparison of the effects of calcitrol, hormonally active form of vitamin D3, with 20-hydrocholecalciferol show that both agents have a similar potency in inhibiting NF-kappaB. Since NF-kappaB is a major transcription factor for the induction of inflammatory mediators, our findings indicate that 20-hydroxycholecalciferol may be an effective therapeutic agent for inflammatory and hyperproliferative skin diseases.

A kinetic analysis of kappa-opioid agonist binding using the selective radioligand (/sup 3/H)U69593

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, J.A.; Hunter, J.C.; Hill, R.G.; Hughes, J.

1989-07-01

The interaction of the nonselective opioid ligand (3H)bremazocine and of the kappa-opioid (3H)U69593 with the kappa-receptor was investigated in guinea-pig cortical membranes. Each radioligand bound to a single population of high-affinity sites, although (3H)U69593 apparently recognised only 70% of those sites labelled by (3H)bremazocine. Naloxone and the kappa-selective ligands U69593 and PD117302 exhibited full inhibition of the binding of both radioligands. Kinetic analysis demonstrated biphasic rates of association and dissociation for both (3H)bremazocine and (3H)U69593. Detailed analysis of the binding of (3H)U69593 revealed that the fast rate of association was dependent on radioligand concentration, in contrast to the slow rate, which was independent of ligand concentration. Guanylyl-5'-imidodiphosphate (GppNHp) inhibited binding of (3H)U69593; saturation analysis demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of GppNHp resulted in a decrease in affinity without any significant change in binding capacity. GppNHp attenuated the formation of the slow component of (3H)U69593 binding, while accelerating the fast component. The data are consistent with the formation of a high-affinity complex between the kappa-receptor and a guanine nucleotide binding protein. Guanine nucleotides promote the dissociation of this ternary complex and the stabilisation of a lower-affinity state of the receptor.

A Gordeyev integral for electrostatic waves in a magnetized plasma with a kappa velocity distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mace, R.L.

2003-01-01

A Gordeyev-type integral for the investigation of electrostatic waves in magnetized plasma having a kappa or generalized Lorentzian velocity distribution is derived. The integral readily reduces, in the unmagnetized and parallel propagation limits, to simple expressions involving the Z κ function. For propagation perpendicular to the magnetic field, it is shown that the Gordeyev integral can be written in closed form as a sum of two generalized hypergeometric functions, which permits easy analysis of the dispersion relation for electrostatic waves. Employing the same analytical techniques used for the kappa distribution, it is further shown that the well-known Gordeyev integral for a Maxwellian distribution can be written very concisely as a generalized hypergeometric function in the limit of perpendicular propagation. This expression, in addition to its mathematical conciseness, has other advantages over the traditional sum over modified Bessel functions form. Examples of the utility of these generalized hypergeometric series, especially how they simplify analyses of electrostatic waves propagating perpendicular to the magnetic field, are given. The new expression for the Gordeyev integral for perpendicular propagation is solved numerically to obtain the dispersion relations for the electrostatic Bernstein modes in a plasma with a kappa distribution

Misperception of weight status and associated factors among undergraduate students.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogre, Victor; Aleyira, Samuel; Nyaba, Rauf

2015-01-01

We compared participants' self-perception of their weight with the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition for BMI categories among undergraduate university students undertaking health related academic programmes in Ghana. Also, we investigated factors associated to the underestimation of weight status in this sample. This cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 368 undergraduate students. Anthropometric measurements of weight and height were measured with appropriate tools and computed into Body Mass Index (BMI) categorised based on WHO classifications. Waist and hip circumferences were also measured appropriately. Participants' self-perception of weight status was assessed by the question: How do you perceive your weight? (a) Underweight, (b) normal weight, (c) overweight, and (d) obese. The BMI-measured weight status was compared to the self-perceived weight status by cross-tabulation, Kappa statistics of agreement and χ(2) for trend analysis. Factors associated with misperception of weight status was measured using univariate and multivariable analysis. Thirteen percent (n=48) of the participants were overweight/obesity (BMI) and 31.5% had central obesity. Overall, 20.6% of the participants misperceived their weight status in which 78.9% of them underestimated it. Among overweight/obese participants, 41.7% self-perceived themselves accurately. Whereas 10.6% of normal weight participants underestimated their weight status, over half (58.3%) of overweight/obese participants did so. Factors that were associated with underestimation of weight status were having overweight/obesity (BMI) and central obesity. Underestimation of weight status was frequent. Health professionals and related government agencies should develop intervention programmes to empower young people to have accurate weight status perception. Copyright © 2015 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kappa Opioid Receptors Mediate where Fear Is Expressed Following Extinction Training

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Sindy; Richardson, Rick; McNally, Gavan P.

2011-01-01

Six experiments used a within-subjects renewal design to examine the involvement of kappa opioid receptors (KORs) in regulating the expression and recovery of extinguished fear. Rats were trained to fear a tone conditioned stimulus (CS) via pairings with foot shock in a distinctive context (A). This was followed by extinction training of the CS in…

Some observations on weighted GMRES

KAUST Repository

Güttel, Stefan

2014-01-10

We investigate the convergence of the weighted GMRES method for solving linear systems. Two different weighting variants are compared with unweighted GMRES for three model problems, giving a phenomenological explanation of cases where weighting improves convergence, and a case where weighting has no effect on the convergence. We also present a new alternative implementation of the weighted Arnoldi algorithm which under known circumstances will be favourable in terms of computational complexity. These implementations of weighted GMRES are compared for a large number of examples. We find that weighted GMRES may outperform unweighted GMRES for some problems, but more often this method is not competitive with other Krylov subspace methods like GMRES with deflated restarting or BICGSTAB, in particular when a preconditioner is used. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Some observations on weighted GMRES

KAUST Repository

Gü ttel, Stefan; Pestana, Jennifer

2014-01-01

We investigate the convergence of the weighted GMRES method for solving linear systems. Two different weighting variants are compared with unweighted GMRES for three model problems, giving a phenomenological explanation of cases where weighting improves convergence, and a case where weighting has no effect on the convergence. We also present a new alternative implementation of the weighted Arnoldi algorithm which under known circumstances will be favourable in terms of computational complexity. These implementations of weighted GMRES are compared for a large number of examples. We find that weighted GMRES may outperform unweighted GMRES for some problems, but more often this method is not competitive with other Krylov subspace methods like GMRES with deflated restarting or BICGSTAB, in particular when a preconditioner is used. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

The Use of Radiation-Induced Degradation in Controlling Molecular Weights of Polysaccharides : The Effect of Humidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, M.

2006-01-01

Better understanding of chemistry of radiation-induced degradation is becoming of increasing importance on account of the utilization of polymeric materials in a variety of radiation environments as well as beneficial uses of degraded polymers. It is very well known that polysaccharides in dry form or in solution degrade when exposed to ionizing radiation. In this study degrading effect of radiation has been considered from the point of view of controlling the molecular weights of kappa- and iota-carrageenans and sodium alginate irradiated under varying environmental conditions. The humidity equilibrated polymer samples kept over saturated aqueous salt solutions of NaCl, NaNO 3 and MgCl 2 were irradiated in a Gammacell 220 at room temperature. The degradation was investigated in detail by a careful Gel Permeation Chromatographic analysis of their respective molecular weights before and after irradiation Alexander-Charlesby-Ross equation was used in determining their radiation-chemical yields. Degradation yield is the highest for dry irradiated kappa- (G(S) = 0.73) and iota-carrageenans (G(S) = 2.43) and with small amount of water taken up from surrounding humidity degradation becomes less pronounced and G(S) values show a decrease down to G(S) = 0.16 and 0.87 at 75 % relative humidity, respectively. At very high water contents degradation effect again becomes more effective. Sodium alginate has fount to be less sensitive to the effect of humidity. When there is small amount of water in the polysaccharide structure, it is unlikely to expect an indirect effect of radiation. The water located in between the polymer chains however can give enough mobility to kappa and iota karrageenans chains, plastifying effect, which may enhance the radical-radical combinations thus lowering the rate of degradation hence reducing G(S) values

Mixed linear-nonlinear fault slip inversion: Bayesian inference of model, weighting, and smoothing parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, J.; Johnson, K. M.

2009-12-01

Studies utilizing inversions of geodetic data for the spatial distribution of coseismic slip on faults typically present the result as a single fault plane and slip distribution. Commonly the geometry of the fault plane is assumed to be known a priori and the data are inverted for slip. However, sometimes there is not strong a priori information on the geometry of the fault that produced the earthquake and the data is not always strong enough to completely resolve the fault geometry. We develop a method to solve for the full posterior probability distribution of fault slip and fault geometry parameters in a Bayesian framework using Monte Carlo methods. The slip inversion problem is particularly challenging because it often involves multiple data sets with unknown relative weights (e.g. InSAR, GPS), model parameters that are related linearly (slip) and nonlinearly (fault geometry) through the theoretical model to surface observations, prior information on model parameters, and a regularization prior to stabilize the inversion. We present the theoretical framework and solution method for a Bayesian inversion that can handle all of these aspects of the problem. The method handles the mixed linear/nonlinear nature of the problem through combination of both analytical least-squares solutions and Monte Carlo methods. We first illustrate and validate the inversion scheme using synthetic data sets. We then apply the method to inversion of geodetic data from the 2003 M6.6 San Simeon, California earthquake. We show that the uncertainty in strike and dip of the fault plane is over 20 degrees. We characterize the uncertainty in the slip estimate with a volume around the mean fault solution in which the slip most likely occurred. Slip likely occurred somewhere in a volume that extends 5-10 km in either direction normal to the fault plane. We implement slip inversions with both traditional, kinematic smoothing constraints on slip and a simple physical condition of uniform stress

Linearized Programming of Memristors for Artificial Neuro-Sensor Signal Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Changju; Kim, Hyongsuk

2016-08-19

A linearized programming method of memristor-based neural weights is proposed. Memristor is known as an ideal element to implement a neural synapse due to its embedded functions of analog memory and analog multiplication. Its resistance variation with a voltage input is generally a nonlinear function of time. Linearization of memristance variation about time is very important for the easiness of memristor programming. In this paper, a method utilizing an anti-serial architecture for linear programming is proposed. The anti-serial architecture is composed of two memristors with opposite polarities. It linearizes the variation of memristance due to complimentary actions of two memristors. For programming a memristor, additional memristor with opposite polarity is employed. The linearization effect of weight programming of an anti-serial architecture is investigated and memristor bridge synapse which is built with two sets of anti-serial memristor architecture is taken as an application example of the proposed method. Simulations are performed with memristors of both linear drift model and nonlinear model.

X-ray inactivation and reactivation characteristics of the phage 'kappa'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, S.C.; Samad, S.A.; Mandal, J.C.; Chatterjee, S.N.

1991-01-01

Vibrio cholerae temperate phage 'kappa' was inactivated by X-ray (60 kV) in a dose dependent manner, the inactivation dose leading to 37% survival (D 37 ) in PBS, pH 7.4 being 0.36 kGy. The phages were significantly protected against X-ray irradiation when histidine or cysteine or both were present in PBS or when phages were irradiated in nutrient broth. The maximum protection was offered when histidine (10.0 nM) and cysteine (10.0 nM) were both present in PBS (dose enhancement factor being 4.17). The X-irradiated 'kappa' phages also underwent a small but significant Weigle reactivation and also Weigle mutagenesis in the UV-irradiated V. cholerae host H218Sm r . The Weigle factor (WF) or the frequency of clear plaque mutants increased with increasing UV dose, attained a maximum at the UV dose of 2.4 Jm -2 and thereafter decreased gradually with further increase of UV dose. The X-ray dose (D)-survival (S) curves could be empirically described by the equation S=exp-(aD+bD 2 ) where 'a' and 'b' are constants depending on the irradiation conditions and good agreement between the theoretical curves and experimental data was obtained. (author). 1 5 refs., 2 fig., 1 tab

A converse to linear independence criteria, valid almost everywhere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischler, Stéphane; Hussain, Mumtaz; Kristensen, Simon

We prove a weighted analogue of the Khintchine-Groshev Theorem, where the distance to the nearest integer is replaced by the absolute value. This is subsequently applied to proving the optimality of several linear independence criteria over the field of rational numbers.......We prove a weighted analogue of the Khintchine-Groshev Theorem, where the distance to the nearest integer is replaced by the absolute value. This is subsequently applied to proving the optimality of several linear independence criteria over the field of rational numbers....

Linear algebraic methods applied to intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Crooks, S M; Xing, L

2001-10-01

Methods of linear algebra are applied to the choice of beam weights for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). It is shown that the physical interpretation of the beam weights, target homogeneity and ratios of deposited energy can be given in terms of matrix equations and quadratic forms. The methodology of fitting using linear algebra as applied to IMRT is examined. Results are compared with IMRT plans that had been prepared using a commercially available IMRT treatment planning system and previously delivered to cancer patients.

NF-kappaB and p53 are the dominant apoptosis-inducing transcription factors elicited by the HIV-1 envelope.

Science.gov (United States)

Perfettini, Jean-Luc; Roumier, Thomas; Castedo, Maria; Larochette, Nathanael; Boya, Patricia; Raynal, Brigitte; Lazar, Vladimir; Ciccosanti, Fabiola; Nardacci, Roberta; Penninger, Josef; Piacentini, Mauro; Kroemer, Guido

2004-03-01

The coculture of cells expressing the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) with cells expressing CD4 results into cell fusion, deregulated mitosis, and subsequent cell death. Here, we show that NF-kappaB, p53, and AP1 are activated in Env-elicited apoptosis. The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) super repressor had an antimitotic and antiapoptotic effect and prevented the Env-elicited phosphorylation of p53 on serine 15 and 46, as well as the activation of AP1. Transfection with dominant-negative p53 abolished apoptosis and AP1 activation. Signs of NF-kappaB and p53 activation were also detected in lymph node biopsies from HIV-1-infected individuals. Microarrays revealed that most (85%) of the transcriptional effects of HIV-1 Env were blocked by the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-alpha. Macroarrays led to the identification of several Env-elicited, p53-dependent proapoptotic transcripts, in particular Puma, a proapoptotic "BH3-only" protein from the Bcl-2 family known to activate Bax/Bak. Down modulation of Puma by antisense oligonucleotides, as well as RNA interference of Bax and Bak, prevented Env-induced apoptosis. HIV-1-infected primary lymphoblasts up-regulated Puma in vitro. Moreover, circulating CD4+ lymphocytes from untreated, HIV-1-infected donors contained enhanced amounts of Puma protein, and these elevated Puma levels dropped upon antiretroviral therapy. Altogether, these data indicate that NF-kappaB and p53 cooperate as the dominant proapoptotic transcription factors participating in HIV-1 infection.

Association between Weight and Smoking Not Mediated by Weight Loss Attempts or Bullying.

Science.gov (United States)

Minaker, Leia M; Leatherdale, Scott T

2016-01-01

Youth smoking and obesity may both be mediated by weight control behaviors and experiences of bullying. This study examines associations between smoking and obesity among youth, and explores whether associations are mediated by weight loss attempts or bullying experiences. Data from 24,173 grade 9 to 12 students in the COMPASS study (2012-13) were used to examine the prevalence of self-reported smoking, weight status, attempting to lose weight, and being a victim of bullying. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to examine correlates of smoking. Among youth, 11% reported currently smoking, 20% were overweight or obese, 42% reported attempting to lose weight, and 18% reported being bullied. Girls who reported attempting to lose weight had higher odds of smoking (OR = 1.42, p = .0039), and students who reported being bullied had higher odds of smoking (OR = 1.85, p weight status. For girls, weight loss attempts were associated with smoking. For both sexes, being bullied was associated with smoking, independent of weight status. Programs attempting to reduce smoking among youth should consider the effects of weight control behaviors and bullying irrespective of weight status.

Monte Carlo simulation of star/linear and star/star blends with chemically identical monomers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theodorakis, P E [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina (Greece); Avgeropoulos, A [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina (Greece); Freire, J J [Departamento de Ciencias y Tecnicas FisicoquImicas, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Facultad de Ciencias, Senda del Rey 9, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Kosmas, M [Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina (Greece); Vlahos, C [Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina (Greece)

2007-11-21

The effects of chain size and architectural asymmetry on the miscibility of blends with chemically identical monomers, differing only in their molecular weight and architecture, are studied via Monte Carlo simulation by using the bond fluctuation model. Namely, we consider blends composed of linear/linear, star/linear and star/star chains. We found that linear/linear blends are more miscible than the corresponding star/star mixtures. In star/linear blends, the increase in the volume fraction of the star chains increases the miscibility. For both star/linear and star/star blends, the miscibility decreases with the increase in star functionality. When we increase the molecular weight of linear chains of star/linear mixtures the miscibility decreases. Our findings are compared with recent analytical and experimental results.

Monte Carlo simulation of star/linear and star/star blends with chemically identical monomers

Science.gov (United States)

Theodorakis, P. E.; Avgeropoulos, A.; Freire, J. J.; Kosmas, M.; Vlahos, C.

2007-11-01

The effects of chain size and architectural asymmetry on the miscibility of blends with chemically identical monomers, differing only in their molecular weight and architecture, are studied via Monte Carlo simulation by using the bond fluctuation model. Namely, we consider blends composed of linear/linear, star/linear and star/star chains. We found that linear/linear blends are more miscible than the corresponding star/star mixtures. In star/linear blends, the increase in the volume fraction of the star chains increases the miscibility. For both star/linear and star/star blends, the miscibility decreases with the increase in star functionality. When we increase the molecular weight of linear chains of star/linear mixtures the miscibility decreases. Our findings are compared with recent analytical and experimental results.

Monte Carlo simulation of star/linear and star/star blends with chemically identical monomers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theodorakis, P E; Avgeropoulos, A; Freire, J J; Kosmas, M; Vlahos, C

2007-01-01

The effects of chain size and architectural asymmetry on the miscibility of blends with chemically identical monomers, differing only in their molecular weight and architecture, are studied via Monte Carlo simulation by using the bond fluctuation model. Namely, we consider blends composed of linear/linear, star/linear and star/star chains. We found that linear/linear blends are more miscible than the corresponding star/star mixtures. In star/linear blends, the increase in the volume fraction of the star chains increases the miscibility. For both star/linear and star/star blends, the miscibility decreases with the increase in star functionality. When we increase the molecular weight of linear chains of star/linear mixtures the miscibility decreases. Our findings are compared with recent analytical and experimental results

A Smac-mimetic sensitizes prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via modulating both IAPs and NF-kappaB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Yao; Liu, Meilan; Tang, Wenhua; Li, Yongming; Lian, Jiqin; Lawrence, Theodore S; Xu, Liang

2009-01-01

Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising agent for human cancer therapy, prostate cancer still remains resistant to TRAIL. Both X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) and nuclear factor-kappaB function as key negative regulators of TRAIL signaling. In this study, we evaluated the effect of SH122, a small molecule mimetic of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac), on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. The potential of Smac-mimetics to bind XIAP or cIAP-1 was examined by pull-down assay. Cytotoxicity of TRAIL and/or Smac-mimetics was determined by a standard cell growth assay. Silencing of XIAP or cIAP-1 was achieved by transient transfection of short hairpin RNA. Apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-PI staining followed by flow cytometry and by Western Blot analysis of caspases, PARP and Bid. NF-kappaB activation was determined by subcellular fractionation, real time RT-PCR and reporter assay. SH122, but not its inactive analog, binds to XIAP and cIAP-1. SH122 significantly sensitized prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated cell death. Moreover, SH122 enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis via both the death receptor and the mitochondrial pathway. Knockdown of both XIAP and cIAP-1 sensitized cellular response to TRAIL. XIAP-knockdown attenuated sensitivity of SH122 to TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity, confirming that XIAP is an important target for IAP-inhibitor-mediated TRAIL sensitization. SH122 also suppressed TRAIL-induced NF-kappaB activation by preventing cytosolic IkappaB-alpha degradation and RelA nuclear translocation, as well as by suppressing NF-kappaB target gene expression. These results demonstrate that SH122 sensitizes human prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by mimicking Smac and blocking both IAPs and NF-kappaB. Modulating IAPs may represent a promising approach to overcoming TRAIL-resistance in human prostate cancer with constitutively active NF-kappaB signaling

Conformity of pre-gestational weight measurement and agreement of anthropometric data reported by pregnant women and those recorded in prenatal cards, City of Rio de Janeiro, 2007-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Niquini, Roberta Pereira; Bittencourt, Sonia Azevedo; Leal, Maria do Carmo

2013-09-01

To assess the conformity of the weight measurement process in the pre-gestational care offered in the city of Rio de Janeiro by primary units and hospitals of the National Health System, as well as to verify the agreement between the anthropometric data reported by pregnant women and those recorded in prenatal cards. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007 - 2008 with two cluster samples: one to obtain a sample of pregnant women to be interviewed and another one for the weight measurement procedures to be observed. The conformity of the weight measurement process was evaluated according to the Ministry of Health standards, and the agreement between the two sources of anthropometric data was evaluated using mean differences, Bland-Altman method, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted Kappa. Out of the twelve criteria for weight measurement evaluation (n = 159 observations), three weren't in conformity (conformity), two of them only need to be assessed when the scale is mechanical. For the interviewed pregnant women (n = 2,148), who had the two sources of anthropometric data, there was a tendency of self-reported height overestimation and pre-gestational and current weight and Body Mass Index underestimation. Accordance between the two sources of anthropometric information, according to ICC and weighted Kappa, were high (> 0.80). Studies may use weight and height information reported by pregnant women, in the absence of prenatal cards records, when it is an important economy to their execution, although the improvement of these two sources of information by means of better anthropometric process is necessary.

Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Semi Refined Kappa Carrageenan-based Composite Edible Film and Its Application on Minimally Processed Chicken Breast Fillet

Science.gov (United States)

Praseptiangga, D.; Maimuni, B. H.; Manuhara, G. J.; Muhammad, D. R. A.

2018-03-01

Kappa-carrageenan (KC) is one of the most interesting biopolymers that is composed of a linear chain of sulfated galactans and extracted from red seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii. It shows good potential for development as a source of biodegradable or edible films. However, KC films do not have good water vapor barrier properties, as they are intrinsically hydrophilic. Palmitic acid (PA) as hydrophobic material was incorporated into semi-refined kappa-carrageenan (SRKC) edible films in order to improve water vapor barrier properties. In this study, composite films based on SRKC incorporating PA were prepared and their applications on minimally processed chicken breast fillet were evaluated. Composite SRKC-based films with varying concentrations of PA (5%, 10%, and 15% w/w) were obtained by a solvent casting method. Their mechanical and barrier properties were investigated. Results showed that the incorporation of PA in films caused an increase in thickness, but decrease in water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) as the concentration of PA increased (from 5% to 15% w/w). Composite SRKC-based edible film incorporating 15% w/w of PA presented better water vapor barrier properties as compared to other films with 5% and 10% w/w PA incorporation. Thus, formulation containing 15% w/w PA was used as a wrapping material for film application on minimally processed chicken breast fillet. The application results showed that the incorporation of PA in film caused an effect (p 0.05) change the color of minimally processed chicken breast fillet.

Development of non-linear TWB parts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, J.; Yoon, C.S.; Lim, J.D. [Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corp. (Korea). Advanced Technology Center; Park, H.C. [Hyundai Hysco (Korea). Technical Research Lab.

2005-07-01

New manufacturing methods have applied for automotive parts to reduce total weight of car, resulting in improvement of fuel efficiency. TWB technique is applied to auto body parts, especially door inner, side inner and outer panel, and center floor panel to accomplish this goal. We applied non-linear (circular welded) TWB to shock absorber housing (to reduce total weight of shock absorber housing assembly). Welding line and shape of blank were determined by FEM analysis. High formability steel sheet and 440MPa grade high strength steel sheet were laser welded and press formed to final shock absorber housing (S/ABS HSG) panel and assembled with other sub parts. As a result, more than 10% of total weight of shock absorber housing assembly could be reduced compared with the mass of same part manufactured by conventional method. Also circular welding technique made it possible to design optimum welding line of TWB part. This paper is about result of FEM analysis and development procedure of non-linear TWB part (shock absorber housing assembly). (orig.)

Development of inhomogeneous {kappa}-{epsilon}-{upsilon}{sup 2} turbulence model for 3D flow analysis of SMART-P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chun, K. H.; Whang, Y. D.; Yoon, H. Y.; Kim, H. C

2003-07-01

The objective of the present report is to select and develop a turbulence model that will be implemented in TASS-3D code for 3-D heat and fluid analysis on the integral reactor, SMART-P primary coolant system. The turbulence model was selected with the consideration on the economy, accuracy, theorization and applicability for the complex three dimensional flow, natural convection and the high Reynolds number turbulent flow of SMART-P.On the models investigated in this present study, the standard {kappa}-{epsilon} model of high Reynolds model, the {kappa}-{epsilon}-{upsilon}{sup 2} model and ERRSM of low Reynolds model were selected out of them finally. The {kappa}-{epsilon}-{upsilon}{sup 2} model was selected as the applicable turbulence model for three dimensional flow analysis of SMART-P. The problem of original {kappa}-{epsilon}-{upsilon}{sup 2} model is the amplification of the pressure strain rate in the log region. The amplification is caused by Elliptic Relaxation Equation(ERE). The present model approaches inhomogeneous for the source term of the ERE to reduce the pressure-strain amplification. The source term was decomposed into homogeneous part and inhomogeneous part and derived as a form of variable coefficients of the ERE. The pressure strain and dissipation terms were fully coupled with the source term of the ERE. The pressure diffusion was modified to treat the boundary conditions indirectly and the pressure strain of the inhomogeneous correction ERE was noticeably decreased in both log layer and outer layer. The results of the inhomogeneous correction {kappa}-{epsilon}-{upsilon}{sup 2} model showed a good agreement with DNS results for channel flows and estimated improved results on the turbulent components in comparison with other models.

Characterization of kappa opioid binding using dynorphin A1-13 and U69,593 in the rat brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devlin, T.; Shoemaker, W.J. (Univ. of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington (USA))

1990-05-01

Previous studies of kappa opioid binding sites have suggested heterogeneous binding to this class of opioid receptors. To further investigate kappa receptor heterogeneity, we analyzed the binding properties of various kappa-selective ligands in rat brain homogenates. Displacement assays were carried out using (3H)bremazocine in the presence of various displacing ligands under mu and delta receptor-blocked conditions. Homologous displacement of (3H)bremazocine produced shallow displacement which best fit a two-site model of drug-receptor interaction. Dynorphin A1-13 and U69,593 exhibited similar biphasic displacement of (3H)bremazocine. Maximal displacement by these ligands, however, represented only approximately 55% of total (3H)bremazocine binding, which suggests the existence of a third component of (3H)bremazocine binding. Biphasic displacement by dynorphin A1-13 was detected in tissue throughout the brain and the spinal cord, whereas the dynorphin-resistant component of (3H)bremazocine binding was uniquely absent in the spinal cord. U50,488H, tifluadom and ethylketocyclazocine appeared to displace from additional, dynorphin-insensitive sites, as their maximal displacement exceeded that seen with either dynorphin A1-13 or U69,593. These results strongly suggest the existence of at least three components of non-mu, non-delta (3H)bremazocine binding in the rat brain: two with differential affinity for dynorphin A1-13 and U69-593 (kappa-1 and kappa-2 sites), and a third (termed here R1) that was further resolved into two binding sites by bremazocine. Preliminary analysis of the R1 component using naloxone revealed one high-affinity site, which may be opiate in nature, and a second site whose binding properties closely resemble those of the sigma receptor described by others.

Spironolactone induces apoptosis and inhibits NF-kappaB independent of the mineralocorticoid receptor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sønder, Søren Ulrik Salling; Woetmann, Anders; Odum, Niels

2006-01-01

mononuclear cells (MNC). To elucidate the mechanism behind SPIR's apoptotic effect, we investigated the relation between apoptosis and cytokine suppression for SPIR along with the apoptosis-inducing and antiinflammatory drug sulfasalazine (SFZ). Using human MNC, we found that SPIR and SFZ, at concentrations...... 10 and 1000 muM, respectively, significantly increased both apoptosis and cell death. Production of inflammatory cytokines was significantly reduced by 3 to 30 muM SPIR and by 300 to 1000 muM SFZ. We also found that 0.4 muM SPIR and 300 muM SFZ significantly reduced the activity of NF......-kappaB, a transcription factor involved in both apoptosis and immunoinflammation. ALDO, the MR antagonist, eplerenone, and the SPIR metabolite, 7alpha-thiomethyl-spironolactone, slightly reduced NF-kappaB activity, but they did not interfere with SPIR's effect, showing that MR binding is not involved in SPIR...

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition disrupts nuclear factor-kappaB activity in pancreatic cancer, but fails to sensitize to gemcitabine chemotherapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamaghani Shadi

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Aberrant activation NF-kappaB has been proposed as a mechanism of drug resistance in pancreatic cancer. Recently, inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects on pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing NF-kappaB. Consequently, we investigated whether inhibition of GSK-3 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine. Methods GSK-3 inhibition was achieved using the pharmacological agent AR-A014418 or siRNA against GSK-3 alpha and beta isoforms. Cytotoxicity was measured using a Sulphorhodamine B assay and clonogenic survival following exposure of six different pancreatic cancer cell lines to a range of doses of either gemcitabine, AR-A014418 or both for 24, 48 and 72 h. We measured protein expression levels by immunoblotting. Basal and TNF-alpha induced activity of NF-kappaB was assessed using a luciferase reporter assay in the presence or absence of GSK-3 inhibition. Results GSK-3 inhibition reduced both basal and TNF-alpha induced NF-kappaB luciferase activity. Knockdown of GSK-3 beta reduced nuclear factor kappa B luciferase activity to a greater extent than GSK-3 alpha, and the greatest effect was seen with dual knockdown of both GSK-3 isoforms. GSK-3 inhibition also resulted in reduction of the NF-kappaB target proteins XIAP, Bcl-XL, and cyclin D1, associated with growth inhibition and decreased clonogenic survival. In all cell lines, treatment with either AR-A014418, or gemcitabine led to growth inhibition in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, with the exception of PANC-1 where drug synergy occurred with some dose schedules, the inhibitory effect of combined drug treatment was additive, sub-additive, or even antagonistic. Conclusion GSK-3 inhibition has anticancer effects against pancreatic cancer cells with a range of genetic backgrounds associated with disruption of NF-kappaB, but does not significantly sensitize these cells to the standard

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition disrupts nuclear factor-kappaB activity in pancreatic cancer, but fails to sensitize to gemcitabine chemotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamaghani, Shadi; Patel, Satish; Hedley, David W

2009-01-01

Aberrant activation NF-kappaB has been proposed as a mechanism of drug resistance in pancreatic cancer. Recently, inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects on pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing NF-kappaB. Consequently, we investigated whether inhibition of GSK-3 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine. GSK-3 inhibition was achieved using the pharmacological agent AR-A014418 or siRNA against GSK-3 alpha and beta isoforms. Cytotoxicity was measured using a Sulphorhodamine B assay and clonogenic survival following exposure of six different pancreatic cancer cell lines to a range of doses of either gemcitabine, AR-A014418 or both for 24, 48 and 72 h. We measured protein expression levels by immunoblotting. Basal and TNF-alpha induced activity of NF-kappaB was assessed using a luciferase reporter assay in the presence or absence of GSK-3 inhibition. GSK-3 inhibition reduced both basal and TNF-alpha induced NF-kappaB luciferase activity. Knockdown of GSK-3 beta reduced nuclear factor kappa B luciferase activity to a greater extent than GSK-3 alpha, and the greatest effect was seen with dual knockdown of both GSK-3 isoforms. GSK-3 inhibition also resulted in reduction of the NF-kappaB target proteins XIAP, Bcl-X L , and cyclin D1, associated with growth inhibition and decreased clonogenic survival. In all cell lines, treatment with either AR-A014418, or gemcitabine led to growth inhibition in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, with the exception of PANC-1 where drug synergy occurred with some dose schedules, the inhibitory effect of combined drug treatment was additive, sub-additive, or even antagonistic. GSK-3 inhibition has anticancer effects against pancreatic cancer cells with a range of genetic backgrounds associated with disruption of NF-kappaB, but does not significantly sensitize these cells to the standard chemotherapy agent gemcitabine. This lack of synergy might be

A novel form of the RelA nuclear factor kappaB subunit is induced by and forms a complex with the proto-oncogene c-Myc.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Neil R; Webster, Gill A; Gillespie, Peter J; Wilson, Brian J; Crouch, Dorothy H; Perkins, Neil D

2002-01-01

Members of both Myc and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) families of transcription factors are found overexpressed or inappropriately activated in many forms of human cancer. Furthermore, NF-kappaB can induce c-Myc gene expression, suggesting that the activities of these factors are functionally linked. We have discovered that both c-Myc and v-Myc can induce a previously undescribed, truncated form of the RelA(p65) NF-kappaB subunit, RelA(p37). RelA(p37) encodes the N-terminal DNA binding and dimerization domain of RelA(p65) and would be expected to function as a trans-dominant negative inhibitor of NF-kappaB. Surprisingly, we found that RelA(p37) no longer binds to kappaB elements. This result is explained, however, by the observation that RelA(p37), but not RelA(p65), forms a high-molecular-mass complex with c-Myc. These results demonstrate a previously unknown functional and physical interaction between RelA and c-Myc with many significant implications for our understanding of the role that both proteins play in the molecular events underlying tumourigenesis. PMID:12027803

Weighted Sum-Rate Maximization Using Weighted MMSE for MIMO-BC Beamforming Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Søren; De Carvalho, Elisabeth; Agarwal, Rajiv

2009-01-01

This paper studies linear transmit filter design for weighted sum-rate (WSR) maximization in the multiple input multiple output broadcast channel (MIMO-BC). The problem of finding the optimal transmit filter is non-convex and intractable to solve using low complexity methods. Motivated by recent ...

Estimating Loess Plateau Average Annual Precipitation with Multiple Linear Regression Kriging and Geographically Weighted Regression Kriging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiutong Jin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Estimating the spatial distribution of precipitation is an important and challenging task in hydrology, climatology, ecology, and environmental science. In order to generate a highly accurate distribution map of average annual precipitation for the Loess Plateau in China, multiple linear regression Kriging (MLRK and geographically weighted regression Kriging (GWRK methods were employed using precipitation data from the period 1980–2010 from 435 meteorological stations. The predictors in regression Kriging were selected by stepwise regression analysis from many auxiliary environmental factors, such as elevation (DEM, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, solar radiation, slope, and aspect. All predictor distribution maps had a 500 m spatial resolution. Validation precipitation data from 130 hydrometeorological stations were used to assess the prediction accuracies of the MLRK and GWRK approaches. Results showed that both prediction maps with a 500 m spatial resolution interpolated by MLRK and GWRK had a high accuracy and captured detailed spatial distribution data; however, MLRK produced a lower prediction error and a higher variance explanation than GWRK, although the differences were small, in contrast to conclusions from similar studies.

Stochastic Linear Quadratic Optimal Control Problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, S.; Yong, J.

2001-01-01

This paper is concerned with the stochastic linear quadratic optimal control problem (LQ problem, for short) for which the coefficients are allowed to be random and the cost functional is allowed to have a negative weight on the square of the control variable. Some intrinsic relations among the LQ problem, the stochastic maximum principle, and the (linear) forward-backward stochastic differential equations are established. Some results involving Riccati equation are discussed as well

Fungible weights in logistic regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Jeff A; Waller, Niels G

2016-06-01

In this article we develop methods for assessing parameter sensitivity in logistic regression models. To set the stage for this work, we first review Waller's (2008) equations for computing fungible weights in linear regression. Next, we describe 2 methods for computing fungible weights in logistic regression. To demonstrate the utility of these methods, we compute fungible logistic regression weights using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (2010) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, and we illustrate how these alternate weights can be used to evaluate parameter sensitivity. To make our work accessible to the research community, we provide R code (R Core Team, 2015) that will generate both kinds of fungible logistic regression weights. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Inhibitory effects of curcumin and capsaicin on phorbol ester-induced activation of eukaryotic transcription factors, NF-kappaB and AP-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Surh, Y J; Han, S S; Keum, Y S; Seo, H J; Lee, S S

2000-01-01

Recently, considerable attention has been focused on identifying dietary and medicinal phytochemicals that can inhibit, retard or reverse the multi-stage carcinogenesis. Spices and herbs contain phenolic substances with potent antioxidative and chemopreventive properties. Curcumin, a yellow colouring agent from turmeric and capsaicin, a pungent principle of red pepper exhibit profound anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities. Two well-defined eukaryotic transcription factors, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) have been implicated in pathogenesis of many human diseases including cancer. These transcription factors are known to be activated by a wide array of external stimuli, such as tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), tumor necrosis factor, reactive oxygen species, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, and ultraviolet. In the present study, we found that topical application of TPA onto dorsal skin of female ICR mice resulted in marked activation of epidermal NF-kappaB and AP-1. Curcumin and capsaicin, when topically applied prior to TPA, significantly attenuated TPA-induced activation of each transcription factor in mouse skin. Likewise, both compounds inhibited NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation in cultured human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells stimulated with TPA. Based on these findings, it is likely that curcumin and capsaicin exert anti-tumor promotional effects through suppression of the tumor promoter-induced activation of transcription factors, NF-kappaB and AP-1.

Peso medido, peso percebido e fatores associados em adolescentes Measured weight, self-perceived weight, and associated factors in adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cora L. Araújo

2010-05-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar a autopercepção corporal e o estado nutricional objetivamente medido por meio de peso, altura e pregas cutâneas em adolescentes e avaliar os fatores associados à discordância entre essas duas medidas. MÉTODOS: A amostra incluiu os membros da coorte de nascimentos de 1993 na Cidade de Pelotas, Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, que foram visitados em seus domicílios em 2004 e 2005. O desfecho em estudo resultou da comparação entre o estado nutricional e a percepção que os adolescentes tinham de seu peso corporal, sendo dividido em três categorias: subestimação, concordância e superestimação. As variáveis explanatórias foram sexo, cor da pele, índice de bens, sedentarismo, dieta inadequada, discriminação, regime para emagrecimento e sentimento de bem-estar e opinião do adolescente sobre como os pais percebiam o corpo desse adolescente. Para as análises estatísticas, empregou-se regressão logística multinomial. RESULTADOS: Foram entrevistados 4 452 indivíduos (87,5% da coorte original. A média de idade foi de 11 anos. De acordo com o estado nutricional, 7,1% foram classificados como magros, 69,8% como eutróficos, 11,6% com sobrepeso e 11,6% com obesidade. Com relação ao peso percebido, 19% dos jovens se achavam magros ou muito magros, 56% se sentiam normais quanto ao peso e 25% se consideravam gordos ou muito gordos. A concordância global entre a autopercepção corporal do adolescente e seu estado nutricional foi de 65% (kappa = 0,36. A subestimação foi de 24,9% entre meninos vs. 20,3% entre meninas. A superestimação foi de 15,8 % entre meninas vs. 8,5% entre meninos. CONCLUSÃO: Houve tendência de as meninas superestimarem o seu peso corporal e de os meninos subestimarem o mesmo. Detectou-se também forte associação entre a opinião que os adolescentes acreditam que os pais têm de si e a autopercepção de estado nutricional dos adolescentes.OBJECTIVE: To compare weight self

Determination of the linear coefficient of thermal expansion in polymer films at the nanoscale: influence of the composition of EVA copolymers and the molecular weight of PMMA.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Benito, J; Castillo, E; Cruz-Caldito, J F

2015-07-28

Nanothermal-expansion of poly(ethylene-co-vinylacetate), EVA, and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, in the form of films was measured to finally obtain linear coefficients of thermal expansion, CTEs. The simple deflection of a cantilever in an atomic force microscope, AFM, was used to monitor thermal expansions at the nanoscale. The influences of: (a) the structure of EVA in terms of its composition (vinylacetate content) and (b) the size of PMMA chains in terms of the molecular weight were studied. To carry out this, several polymer samples were used, EVA copolymers with different weight percents of the vinylacetate comonomer (12, 18, 25 and 40%) and PMMA polymers with different weight average molecular weights (33.9, 64.8, 75.600 and 360.0 kg mol(-1)). The dependencies of the vinyl acetate weight fraction of EVA and the molecular weight of PMMA on their corresponding CTEs were analyzed to finally explain them using new, intuitive and very simple models based on the rule of mixtures. In the case of EVA copolymers a simple equation considering the weighted contributions of each comonomer was enough to estimate the final CTE above the glass transition temperature. On the other hand, when the molecular weight dependence is considered the free volume concept was used as novelty. The expansion of PMMA, at least at the nanoscale, was well and easily described by the sum of the weighted contributions of the occupied and free volumes, respectively.

Weight misperception and disordered weight control behaviors among U.S. high school students with overweight and obesity: Associations and trends, 1999-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazzard, Vivienne M; Hahn, Samantha L; Sonneville, Kendrin R

2017-08-01

To examine prevalence of weight misperception (incongruence between one's perceived weight status and one's actual weight status) and disordered weight control behaviors (DWCBs; unhealthy behaviors aiming to control or modify weight), associations between weight misperception and DWCBs, and temporal trends in prevalence and associations among adolescents with overweight and obesity from 1999 to 2013. Self-reported data from eight biennial cycles (1999-2013) of the cross-sectional national Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used in analyses restricted to respondents with overweight/obesity. Data on weight status perception, use of fasting, purging, and diet pills to control weight, sex, race/ethnicity, and grade in school were used in multivariate logistic regression models. Among U.S. high school students with overweight and obesity, no linear temporal trends were detected for prevalence of weight misperception, fasting, or purging between 1999 and 2013, while a significant linear decrease was observed for prevalence of diet pill use between 1999 and 2013 (b=-0.81, pfasting to control weight among males. No significant changes over time in associations of weight misperception with fasting or purging were observed, though the association between weight misperception and diet pill use weakened somewhat across 1999-2013. In the context of increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, weight misperception appears to be a robust protective factor for DWCBs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Genetic parameters for quail body weights using a random ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A model including fixed and random linear regressions is described for analyzing body weights at different ages. In this study, (co)variance components, heritabilities for quail weekly weights and genetic correlations among these weights were estimated using a random regression model by DFREML under DXMRR option.

Linear and nonlinear characteristics of heart rate time series in obesity and during weight-reduction surgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, I; Morgan, J; Baxter, J; Lewis, M J

2009-01-01

Obesity is associated with abnormal cardiac regulation by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), this being reversed by weight loss. Bariatric (weight-reduction) surgery can induce substantial long-term weight reductions. This study compares the acute influence on ANS control of two different types of bariatric surgery involving laparascopic and open procedures. To distinguish between the cardiac influences of surgery and obesity, we perform the same analysis for laparascopic surgery in non-obese patients. Eight morbidly obese and five non-obese patients underwent surgery. Obese patients received either laparoscopic procedures (group A: n = 5, BMI = 44.3 ± 2.7 kg m 2 ) or open procedures (group B: n = 3, BMI = 55.2 ± 4.5 kg m 2 ) and non-obese patients received a laparoscopic procedure (group C: n = 5, BMI = 30.8 ± 5.8 kg m −2 ). Holter ECG was recorded and heart rate variability (HRV) was quantified together with measures of complexity (sample entropy) and structure (Hurst coefficient, scaling coefficient) of the heart rate data. Multifractal characteristics of heart rate data, not previously reported for obese patients, are also quantified and interpreted. Mixed model ANOVA was used to assess the magnitudes of each quantified variable, with surgical group and perioperative time as main factors. HRV measures were influenced only during anaesthesia (LFn increase: p = 0.009; HFn decrease: p = 0.033) and did not discriminate between patient groups. Multifractality was the only characteristic of heart rate data that discriminated between patient groups, being significantly (p < 0.001) greater in non-obese (group C) compared with obese patients (groups A and B, who had similar multifractal properties). Multifractality was also enhanced during anaesthesia (p = 0.028) but did not differ for other stages. We conclude that obesity per se rather than response to surgery is the cause of reduced multifractality. Reduced multifractality in obesity might reflect a diminished

Bypass of a psoralen DNA interstrand cross-link by DNA polymerases beta, iota, and kappa in vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Leigh A.; Makarova, Alena V.; Samson, Laura; Thiesen, Katherine E.; Dhar, Alok; Bessho, Tadayoshi

2012-01-01

Repair of DNA inter-strand cross-links in mammalian cells involves several biochemically distinctive processes, including the release of one of the cross-linked strands and translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). In this report, we investigated in vitro TLS activity of psoralen DNA inter-strand cross-link by three DNA repair polymerases, DNA polymerase beta, kappa and iota. DNA polymerase beta is capable of bypassing a psoralen cross-link with a low efficiency. Cell extracts prepared from DNA polymerase beta knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast showed a reduced bypass activity of the psoralen cross-link and purified DNA polymerase beta restored the bypass activity. In addition, DNA polymerase iota mis-incorporated thymine across the psoralen cross-link and DNA polymerase kappa extended these mis-paired primer ends, suggesting that DNA polymerase iota may serve as an inserter and DNA polymerase kappa may play a role as an extender in the repair of psoralen DNA inter-strand cross-links. The results demonstrated here indicate that multiple DNA polymerases could participate in TLS steps in mammalian DNA inter-strand cross-link repair. PMID:23106263

Multi-step carboxymethylation of kappa-Carrageenan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aranilla, Charito Tranquilan; Nagasawa, Naotsugu; Bayquen, Aristea V.

2008-01-01

Many polysaccharide derivatives have been prepared by carboxymethylation reactions in order to increase the range of potential applications of these natural polymers in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Carboxymethylation of kappa-carrageenan was attempted for the first time to synthesize derivatives with various degree of substitution. A multistep carboxymethylation was performed under heterogeneous reaction conditions, in isopropyl alcohol/water slurry medium, with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution for activation, and monochloroacetic acid for etherification. The derivatives obtained had average degree of substitutions from 1.20 to 1.92 as determined by potentiometric back-titration. Chemical and structural characterization were accomplished by Gel Permeation Chromatography, Elemental analysis, FT-IR Spectroscopy, 1 H N and 13 C NMR Spectroscopy. The relative reactivity of the hydroxyl groups in κ-carrageenan dimer unit proceeded in the order O-C2 G4S > O-C6 G4S >O-C2 AG at a ratio of 1:0.6:O.4. (author)

Improved Linear Cryptanalysis of Reduced-Round SIMON-32 and SIMON-48

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdelraheem, Mohamed Ahmed; Alizadeh, Javad; Alkhzaimi, Hoda A.

2015-01-01

In this paper we analyse two variants of SIMON family of light-weight block ciphers against variants of linear cryptanalysis and present the best linear cryptanalytic results on these variants of reducedround SIMON to date. We propose a time-memory trade-off method that finds differential/ linear...

Evaluation of Body Weight and Other Linear Parameters of Marshall ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SH

records of Marshall Broiler chickens to be more alike is low. Repeatability and variance ... the feed efficiency as well as performance ... Body weight is regarded as a function of frame work or size of the ... an animal‟s life time. ... Teaching and Research Farm, Ladoke. Akintola ... measured with a weighing balance calibrated ...

Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

KAUST Repository

Goel, Vivek; Pietrasik, Joanna; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Krishnamoorti, Ramanan

2010-01-01

The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

KAUST Repository

Goel, Vivek

2010-12-01

The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Análise de polimorfismos do gene da kapa-caseína em fêmeas da raça Nelore e efeito sobre o peso à desmama de suas progênies Polimorphism analysis of kappa -casein gene on Nelore females and effect on weaning weight of the calves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.J.C. Faria

1999-08-01

Full Text Available Informações sobre peso à desmama de um rebanho Nelore, após ajuste para idade padrão de 205 dias, sexo da cria, idade da mãe, touro e mês de desmama, foram utilizadas para separar as reprodutrizes em dois grupos, cujos produtos diferiam em peso. As médias ajustadas pelo método dos quadrados mínimos e erros-padrão para os grupos pesado (P e leve (L foram 163,21±2,18kg e 134,44±2,18kg, respectivamente, com 41 animais em cada grupo. Colheram-se amostras de sangue das reprodutrizes para o estudo de polimorfismos do gene da kapa-caseína, pela técnica de polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. A análise de um segmento do éxon IV do gene da kapa-caseína identificou os genótipos 71AA, 10AB e 1BB, com as freqüências de 0,92 e 0,08 para os alelos A e B, respectivamente. Os pesos à desmama dos produtos dos genótipos AA e AB foram, respectivamente, 147,73±2,38kg e 156,76±6,35kg. Os grupos P e L não diferiram entre si quanto às freqüências alélicas apresentadas para esse gene. O genótipo das reprodutrizes não afetou o peso à desmama de suas crias, existindo, portanto, outros efeitos genéticos e não genéticos de maior magnitude.Data from a Nelore herd were used after adjustment of the weaning weight for 205 days of age, sex, age of dam, sire and month of weaning resulting two groups of cows that differed in weaning weight of their calves. The least square means (LSM and standard error (SE were 163.21±2.18kg and 134.44±2.18kg, for heavy (H and light (L groups, with 41 animals each one. These animals were genotyped for DNA polymorphisms of kappa-casein gene, using PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The segment analysis of kappa-casein IV exon identified the genotypes 71AA, 10AB and 1BB, with frequencies of 0.92 and 0.08 for A and B alleles, respectively. The LSM±SE for weaning weight were 147.73±2.38kg and 156.76± 6.35kg for calves of AA and AB

Oligo-carrageenan kappa increases NADPH, ascorbate and glutathione syntheses and TRR/TRX activities enhancing photosynthesis, basal metabolism, and growth in Eucalyptus trees.

Science.gov (United States)

González, Alberto; Moenne, Fabiola; Gómez, Melissa; Sáez, Claudio A; Contreras, Rodrigo A; Moenne, Alejandra

2014-01-01

In order to analyze the effect of OC kappa in redox status, photosynthesis, basal metabolism and growth in Eucalyptus globulus, trees were treated with water (control), with OC kappa at 1 mg mL(-1), or treated with inhibitors of NAD(P)H, ascorbate (ASC), and glutathione (GSH) syntheses and thioredoxin reductase (TRR) activity, CHS-828, lycorine, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), and auranofin, respectively, and with OC kappa, and cultivated for 4 months. Treatment with OC kappa induced an increase in NADPH, ASC, and GSH syntheses, TRR and thioredoxin (TRX) activities, photosynthesis, growth and activities of basal metabolism enzymes such as rubisco, glutamine synthetase (GlnS), adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase (APR), involved in C, N, and S assimilation, respectively, Krebs cycle and purine/pyrimidine synthesis enzymes. Treatment with inhibitors and OC kappa showed that increases in ASC, GSH, and TRR/TRX enhanced NADPH synthesis, increases in NADPH and TRR/TRX enhanced ASC and GSH syntheses, and only the increase in NADPH enhanced TRR/TRX activities. In addition, the increase in NADPH, ASC, GSH, and TRR/TRX enhanced photosynthesis and growth. Moreover, the increase in NADPH, ASC and TRR/TRX enhanced activities of rubisco, Krebs cycle, and purine/pyrimidine synthesis enzymes, the increase in GSH, NADPH, and TRR/TRX enhanced APR activity, and the increase in NADPH and TRR/TRX enhanced GlnS activity. Thus, OC kappa increases NADPH, ASC, and GSH syntheses leading to a more reducing redox status, the increase in NADPH, ASC, GSH syntheses, and TRR/TRX activities are cross-talking events leading to activation of photosynthesis, basal metabolism, and growth in Eucalyptus trees.

Oligo-carrageenan kappa increases NADPH, ascorbate and glutathione syntheses and TRR/TRX activities enhancing photosynthesis, basal metabolism, and growth in Eucalyptus trees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto eGonzález

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In order to analyze the effect of OC kappa in redox status, photosynthesis, basal metabolism and growth in Eucalyptus globulus, trees were treated with water (control, with OC kappa at 1 mg mL-1, or treated with inhibitors of NAD(PH, ascorbate (ASC and glutathione (GSH syntheses and thioredoxin reductase (TRR activity, CHS-828, lycorine, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO and auranofin, respectively, and with OC kappa, and cultivated for 4 months. Treatment with OC kappa induced an increase in NADPH, ASC, and GSH syntheses, TRR and thioredoxin (TRX activities, photosynthesis, growth and activities of basal metabolism enzymes such as rubisco, glutamine synthetase (GlnS, adenosine 5´-phosphosulfate reductase (APR, involved in C, N and S assimilation, respectively, Krebs cycle and purine/pyrimidine synthesis enzymes. Treatment with inhibitors and OC kappa showed that increases in ASC, GSH and TRR/TRX enhanced NADPH synthesis, increases in NADPH and TRR/TRX enhanced ASC and GSH syntheses, and only the increase in NADPH enhanced TRR/TRX activities. In addition, the increase in NADPH, ASC, GSH and TRR/TRX enhanced photosynthesis and growth. Moreover, the increase in NADPH, ASC and TRR/TRX enhanced activities of rubisco, Krebs cycle and purine/pyrimidine synthesis enzymes, the increase in GSH, NADPH, and TRR/TRX enhanced APR activity, and the increase in NADPH and TRR/TRX enhanced GlnS activity. Thus, OC kappa increases NADPH, ASC and GSH syntheses leading to a more reducing redox status, the increase in NADPH, ASC, GSH syntheses and TRR/TRX activities are cross-talking events leading to activation of photosynthesis, basal metabolism and growth in Eucalyptus trees.

"Accelerated Perceptron": A Self-Learning Linear Decision Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Zuev, Yu. A.

2003-01-01

The class of linear decision rules is studied. A new algorithm for weight correction, called an "accelerated perceptron", is proposed. In contrast to classical Rosenblatt's perceptron this algorithm modifies the weight vector at each step. The algorithm may be employed both in learning and in self-learning modes. The theoretical aspects of the behaviour of the algorithm are studied when the algorithm is used for the purpose of increasing the decision reliability by means of weighted voting. I...

Transcriptional down-regulation of thromboxane A(2) receptor expression via activation of MAPK ERK1/2, p38/NF-kappaB pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Yaping; Edvinsson, Lars

2009-01-01

culture of the arteries, VSMC TP receptors were studied by using myography, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. We observed that organ culture for 24 and 48 h resulted in depressed TP receptor-mediated contraction in the VSMC, in parallel with decreased TP receptor mRNA and protein expressions....... Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), p38 and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) was seen by Western blot within 1-3 h after organ culture. Inhibition of ERK1/2, p38 or NF-kappaB reversed depressed contraction as well as decreased receptor mRNA expression. Actinomycin D...

Transcriptional Down-Regulation of Thromboxane A(2) Receptor Expression via Activation of MAPK ERK1/2, p38/NF-kappaB Pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Yaping; Edvinsson, Lars

2008-01-01

culture of the arteries, VSMC TP receptors were studied by using myography, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. We observed that organ culture for 24 and 48 h resulted in depressed TP receptor-mediated contraction in the VSMC, in parallel with decreased TP receptor mRNA and protein expressions....... Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), p38 and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) was seen by Western blot within 1-3 h after organ culture. Inhibition of ERK1/2, p38 or NF-kappaB reversed depressed contraction as well as decreased receptor mRNA expression. Actinomycin D...

On P-weight and P-distance inequalities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Britz, Thomas Johann

2006-01-01

Jang and Park asked in [On a MacWilliams type identity and a perfectness for a binary linear (n, n - 1, j)-poset code, Discrete Math. 265 (2003) 85-104] whether, for each poset P = {l...., n}, the P-weights and P-distances satisfy the inequalities w(P)(x) - w(P)(y)......Jang and Park asked in [On a MacWilliams type identity and a perfectness for a binary linear (n, n - 1, j)-poset code, Discrete Math. 265 (2003) 85-104] whether, for each poset P = {l...., n}, the P-weights and P-distances satisfy the inequalities w(P)(x) - w(P)(y)...

The linear ordering problem: an algorithm for the optimal solution ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper we describe and implement an algorithm for the exact solution of the Linear Ordering problem. Linear Ordering is the problem of finding a linear order of the nodes of a graph such that the sum of the weights which are consistent with this order is as large as possible. It is an NP - Hard combinatorial optimisation ...

Linear signal hyperintensity adjacent to the subchondral bone plate at the knee on T2-weighted fat-saturated sequences: imaging aspects and association with structural lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gondim Teixeira, Pedro Augusto; Balaj, Clemence [CHU Hopital Central, Service D' Imagerie Guilloz, Nancy (France); Universite de Lorraine, IADI, UMR S 947, Nancy (France); Marie, Beatrice [CHU Hopital Central, Service d' Anatomo-Pathologie, Nancy (France); Lecocq, Sophie; Louis, Matthias; Blum, Alain [CHU Hopital Central, Service D' Imagerie Guilloz, Nancy (France); Braun, Marc [CHU Hopital Central, Service de Neuroradiologie, Nancy (France)

2014-11-15

To describe the association between linear T2 signal abnormalities in the subchondral bone and structural knee lesions. MR studies of patients referred for the evaluation of knee pain were retrospectively evaluated and 133 of these patients presented bone marrow edema pattern (BMEP) (study group) and while 61 did not (control group). The presence of linear anomalies of the subchondral bone on T2-weighted fat-saturated sequences was evaluated. The findings were correlated to the presence of structural knee lesions and to the duration of the patient's symptoms. Histologic analysis of a cadaveric specimen was used for anatomic correlation. Linear T2 hyperintensities at the subchondral bone were present in 41 % of patients with BMEP. None of the patients in the control group presented this sign. When a subchondral linear hyperintensity was present, the prevalence of radial or root tears was high and that of horizontal tears was low (71.4 and 4.8 %, respectively). Sixty-nine percent of the patients with a subchondral insufficiency fracture presented a subchondral linear hyperintensity. It was significantly more prevalent in patients with acute or sub-acute symptoms (p < 0.0001). The studied linear T2 hyperintensity is located at the subchondral spongiosa and can be secondary to local or distant joint injuries. Its presence should evoke acute and sub-acute knee injuries. This sign is closely related to subchondral insufficiency fractures and meniscal tears with a compromise in meniscal function. (orig.)

MEASURING NEBULAR TEMPERATURES: THE EFFECT OF NEW COLLISION STRENGTHS WITH EQUILIBRIUM AND {kappa}-DISTRIBUTED ELECTRON ENERGIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicholls, David C.; Dopita, Michael A.; Sutherland, Ralph S.; Kewley, Lisa J. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Rd., Weston ACT 2611 (Australia); Palay, Ethan, E-mail: david@mso.anu.edu.au [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

2013-08-15

In this paper we develop tools for observers to use when analyzing nebular spectra for temperatures and metallicities, with two goals: to present a new, simple method to calculate equilibrium electron temperatures for collisionally excited line flux ratios, using the latest atomic data; and to adapt current methods to include the effects of possible non-equilibrium ''{kappa}'' electron energy distributions. Adopting recent collision strength data for [O III], [S III], [O II], [S II], and [N II], we find that existing methods based on older atomic data seriously overestimate the electron temperatures, even when considering purely Maxwellian statistics. If {kappa} distributions exist in H II regions and planetary nebulae as they do in solar system plasmas, it is important to investigate the observational consequences. This paper continues our previous work on the {kappa} distribution. We present simple formulaic methods that allow observers to (1) measure equilibrium electron temperatures and atomic abundances using the latest atomic data, and (2) to apply simple corrections to existing equilibrium analysis techniques to allow for possible non-equilibrium effects. These tools should lead to better consistency in temperature and abundance measurements, and a clearer understanding of the physics of H II regions and planetary nebulae.

Adult weight gain and colorectal adenomas-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlesinger, S; Aleksandrova, K; Abar, L; Vieria, A R; Vingeliene, S; Polemiti, E; Stevens, C A T; Greenwood, D C; Chan, D S M; Aune, D; Norat, T

2017-06-01

Colorectal adenomas are known as precursors for the majority of colorectal carcinomas. While weight gain during adulthood has been identified as a risk factor for colorectal cancer, the association is less clear for colorectal adenomas. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the evidence on this association. We searched Medline up to September 2016 to identify observational (prospective, cross-sectional and retrospective) studies on weight gain during adulthood and colorectal adenoma occurrence and recurrence. We conducted meta-analysis on high weight gain versus stable weight, linear and non-linear dose-response meta-analyses to analyze the association. Summary odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using a random effects model. For colorectal adenoma occurrence, the summary OR was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.17-1.65; I2: 43%, N = 9 studies, cases = 5507) comparing high (midpoint: 17.4 kg) versus stable weight gain during adulthood and with each 5 kg weight gain the odds increased by 7% (2%-11%; I2: 65%, N = 7 studies). Although there was indication of non-linearity (Pnon-linearity firm conclusions. Even a small amount of adult weight gain was related to a higher odds of colorectal adenoma occurrence. Our findings add to the benefits of weight control in adulthood regarding colorectal adenoma occurrence, which might be relevant for early prevention of colorectal cancer. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Neuroanatomical patterns of the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors of rat brain as determined by quantitative in vitro autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tempel, A.; Zukin, R.S.

1987-01-01

Highly specific radioligands and quantitative autoradiography reveal strikingly different neuroanatomical patterns for the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors of rat brain. The mu receptors are most densely localized in patches in the striatum, layers I and III of the cortex, the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampal formation, specific nuclei of the thalamus, the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra, the interpeduncular nucleus, and the locus coeruleus. In contrast, delta receptors are highly confined, exhibiting selective localization in layers I, II, and VIa of the neocortex, a diffuse pattern in the striatum, and moderate concentration in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra and in the interpeduncular nucleus. delta receptors are absent in most other brain structures. This distribution is unexpected in that the enkephalins, the putative endogenous ligands of the delta receptor, occur essentially throughout the brain. The kappa receptors of rat brain exhibit a third pattern distinct from that of the mu and delta receptors. kappa receptors occur at low density in patches in the striatum and at particularly high density in the nucleus accumbens, along the pyramidal and molecular layers of the hippocampus, in the granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus, specific midline nuclei of the thalamus, and hindbrain regions. kappa receptors appear to be uniformly distributed across regions in the neocortex with the exception of layer III, which revealed only trace levels of binding. An important conclusion of the present study is that delta receptors occur at high density only in the forebrain and in two midbrain structures, whereas mu and kappa receptors exhibit discrete patterns in most major brain regions

NF-kappa B activity in T cells stably expressing the Tax protein of human T cell lymphotropic virus type I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacoste, J.; Cohen, L.; Hiscott, J.

1991-01-01

The effect of constitutive Tax expression on the interaction of NF-κ B with its recognition sequence and on NF-κ B-dependent gene expression was examined in T lymphoid Jurkat cell lines (19D and 9J) stably transformed with a Tax expression vector. Tax expressing T cell lines contained a constitutive level of NF-κ B binding activity, detectable by mobility shift assay and uv cross-linking using a palindromic NF-κ B probe homologous to the interferon beta PRDII site. In Jurkat and NC2.10 induction with phorbol esters resulted in the appearance of new DNA binding proteins of 85, 75, and 54 kDa, whereas in Tax expressing cells the 85-kDa protein and a 92-kDa DNA binding protein were constitutively induced. Expression of Tax protein in 19D and 9J resulted in transcription of the endogenous NF-kappa B-dependent granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor gene and increased basal level expression of transfected NF-kappa B-regulated promoters. Nonetheless transcription of both the endogenous and the transfected gene was inducible by PMA treatment. Tax expression in Jurkat T cells may alter the stoichiometry of NF-kappa B DNA binding proteins and thus change the expression of NF-kappa B-regulated promoters

DMPD: Convergence of the NF-kappaB and IRF pathways in the regulation of the innateantiviral response. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 17706453 Convergence of the NF-kappaB and IRF pathways in the regulation of the innatea... (.png) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show Convergence of the NF-kappaB and IRF pathways in the regulation of the innatea... IRF pathways in the regulation of the innateantiviral response. Authors Hiscott J. Publication Cytokine Gro

Weighted straight skeletons in the plane.

Science.gov (United States)

Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

2015-02-01

We investigate weighted straight skeletons from a geometric, graph-theoretical, and combinatorial point of view. We start with a thorough definition and shed light on some ambiguity issues in the procedural definition. We investigate the geometry, combinatorics, and topology of faces and the roof model, and we discuss in which cases a weighted straight skeleton is connected. Finally, we show that the weighted straight skeleton of even a simple polygon may be non-planar and may contain cycles, and we discuss under which restrictions on the weights and/or the input polygon the weighted straight skeleton still behaves similar to its unweighted counterpart. In particular, we obtain a non-procedural description and a linear-time construction algorithm for the straight skeleton of strictly convex polygons with arbitrary weights.

Quantification of endocrine disruptors and pesticides in water by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Method validation using weighted linear regression schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansilha, C; Melo, A; Rebelo, H; Ferreira, I M P L V O; Pinho, O; Domingues, V; Pinho, C; Gameiro, P

2010-10-22

A multi-residue methodology based on a solid phase extraction followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for trace analysis of 32 compounds in water matrices, including estrogens and several pesticides from different chemical families, some of them with endocrine disrupting properties. Matrix standard calibration solutions were prepared by adding known amounts of the analytes to a residue-free sample to compensate matrix-induced chromatographic response enhancement observed for certain pesticides. Validation was done mainly according to the International Conference on Harmonisation recommendations, as well as some European and American validation guidelines with specifications for pesticides analysis and/or GC-MS methodology. As the assumption of homoscedasticity was not met for analytical data, weighted least squares linear regression procedure was applied as a simple and effective way to counteract the greater influence of the greater concentrations on the fitted regression line, improving accuracy at the lower end of the calibration curve. The method was considered validated for 31 compounds after consistent evaluation of the key analytical parameters: specificity, linearity, limit of detection and quantification, range, precision, accuracy, extraction efficiency, stability and robustness. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NIK is involved in constitutive activation of the alternative NF-{kappa}B pathway and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishina, Takashi [Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Yamaguchi, Noritaka [Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Consolidated Research Institute for Advanced Science and Medical Care, Waseda University, 513 Wasedatsurumaki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0041 (Japan); Gohda, Jin [Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan); Semba, Kentaro [Consolidated Research Institute for Advanced Science and Medical Care, Waseda University, 513 Wasedatsurumaki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0041 (Japan); Department of Life Science and Medical Bio-science, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480 (Japan); Inoue, Jun-ichiro, E-mail: jun-i@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639 (Japan)

2009-10-09

Pancreatic cancer has one of the poorest prognoses among human neoplasms. Constitutive activation of NF-{kappa}B is frequently observed in pancreatic cancer cells and is involved in their malignancy. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of this constitutive NF-{kappa}B activation. Here, we show that the alternative pathway is constitutively activated and NF-{kappa}B-inducing kinase (NIK), a mediator of the alternative pathway, is significantly expressed in pancreatic cancer cells. siRNA-mediated silencing of NIK expression followed by subcellular fractionation revealed that NIK is constitutively involved in the processing of p100 and nuclear transport of p52 and RelB in pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, NIK silencing significantly suppressed proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. These results clearly indicate that NIK is involved in the constitutive activation of the alternative pathway and controls cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer cells. Therefore, NIK might be a novel target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The associations between adult body composition and abdominal adiposity outcomes, and relative weight gain and linear growth from birth to age 22 in the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort, South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandra Prioreschi

Full Text Available The growing prevalence of overweight and obesity in low- or middle-income countries precipitates the need to examine early life predictors of adiposity.To examine growth trajectories from birth, and associations with adult body composition in the Birth to Twenty Plus Cohort, Soweto, South Africa.Complete data at year 22 was available for 1088 participants (536 males and 537 females. Conditional weight and height indices were generated indicative of relative rate of growth between years 0-2, 2-5, 5-8, 8-18, and 18-22. Whole body composition was measured at year 22 (range 21-25 years using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA. Total fat free soft tissue mass (FFSTM, fat mass, and abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT were recorded.Birth weight was positively associated with FFSTM and fat mass at year 22 (β = 0.11, p<0.01 and β = 0.10, p<0.01 respectively. Relative weight gain from birth to year 22 was positively associated with FFSTM, fat mass, VAT, and SAT at year 22. Relative linear growth from birth to year 22 was positively associated with FFSTM at year 22. Relative linear growth from birth to year 2 was positively associated with VAT at year 22. Being born small for gestational age and being stunted at age 2 years were inversely associated with FFSTM at year 22.The importance of optimal birth weight and growth tempos during early life for later life body composition, and the detrimental effects of pre- and postnatal growth restriction are clear; yet contemporary weight-gain most strongly predicted adult body composition. Thus interventions should target body composition trajectories during childhood and prevent excessive weight gain in early adulthood.

Object matching using a locally affine invariant and linear programming techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hongsheng; Huang, Xiaolei; He, Lei

2013-02-01

In this paper, we introduce a new matching method based on a novel locally affine-invariant geometric constraint and linear programming techniques. To model and solve the matching problem in a linear programming formulation, all geometric constraints should be able to be exactly or approximately reformulated into a linear form. This is a major difficulty for this kind of matching algorithm. We propose a novel locally affine-invariant constraint which can be exactly linearized and requires a lot fewer auxiliary variables than other linear programming-based methods do. The key idea behind it is that each point in the template point set can be exactly represented by an affine combination of its neighboring points, whose weights can be solved easily by least squares. Errors of reconstructing each matched point using such weights are used to penalize the disagreement of geometric relationships between the template points and the matched points. The resulting overall objective function can be solved efficiently by linear programming techniques. Our experimental results on both rigid and nonrigid object matching show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Stochastic Least-Squares Petrov--Galerkin Method for Parameterized Linear Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kookjin [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Computer Science; Carlberg, Kevin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Elman, Howard C. [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Computer Science and Inst. for Advanced Computer Studies

2018-03-29

Here, we consider the numerical solution of parameterized linear systems where the system matrix, the solution, and the right-hand side are parameterized by a set of uncertain input parameters. We explore spectral methods in which the solutions are approximated in a chosen finite-dimensional subspace. It has been shown that the stochastic Galerkin projection technique fails to minimize any measure of the solution error. As a remedy for this, we propose a novel stochatic least-squares Petrov--Galerkin (LSPG) method. The proposed method is optimal in the sense that it produces the solution that minimizes a weighted $\\ell^2$-norm of the residual over all solutions in a given finite-dimensional subspace. Moreover, the method can be adapted to minimize the solution error in different weighted $\\ell^2$-norms by simply applying a weighting function within the least-squares formulation. In addition, a goal-oriented seminorm induced by an output quantity of interest can be minimized by defining a weighting function as a linear functional of the solution. We establish optimality and error bounds for the proposed method, and extensive numerical experiments show that the weighted LSPG method outperforms other spectral methods in minimizing corresponding target weighted norms.

Uncaria rhynchophylla and Rhynchophylline inhibit c-Jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappaB activity in kainic acid-treated rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Ching-Liang; Ho, Tin-Yun; Su, Shan-Yu; Lo, Wan-Yu; Liu, Chung-Hsiang; Tang, Nou-Ying

2009-01-01

Our previous studies have shown that Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR) can reduce epileptic seizures. We hypothesized that UR and its major component rhynchophylline (RH), reduce epileptic seizures in rats treated with kainic acid (KA) by inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator-protein-1 (AP-1) activity, and by eliminating superoxide anions. Therefore, the level of superoxide anions and the DNA binding activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1 were measured. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were pre-treated with UR (1.0 g/kg, i.p.), RH (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.), or valproic acid (VA, 250 mg/kg, i.p.) for 3 days and then KA was administered intra-peritoneal (i.p.). The results indicated that UR, RH, and VA can reduce epileptic seizures and the level of superoxide anions in the blood. Furthermore, KA was demonstrated to induce the DNA binding activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1. However, these inductions were inhibited by pre-treatment with UR, RH, or VA for 3 days. Moreover, UR and RH were shown to be involved in the suppression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation. This study suggested that UR and RH have antiepileptic effects in KA-induced seizures and are associated with the regulation of the innate immune system via a reduction in the level of superoxide anions, JNK phosphorylation, and NF-kappaB activation.

Extension of the linear nodal method to large concrete building calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Childs, R.L.; Rhoades, W.A.

1985-01-01

The implementation of the linear nodal method in the TORT code is described, and the results of a mesh refinement study to test the effectiveness of the linear nodal and weighted diamond difference methods available in TORT are presented

(/sup 3/H)diprenorphine binding to kappa-sites in guinea-pig and rat brain: Evidence for apparent heterogeneity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, M.S.; Traynor, J.R.

1989-07-01

The binding of the unselective opioid antagonist (/sup 3/H)diprenorphine to homogenates prepared from rat brain and from guinea-pig brain and cerebellum has been studied in HEPES buffer containing 10 mM Mg2+ ions. Sequential displacement of bound (/sup 3/H)diprenorphine by ligands with selectivity for mu-, delta-, and kappa-opioid receptors uncovers the multiple components of binding. In the presence of cold ligands that occupy all mu-, delta-, and kappa-sites, opioid binding still remains. This binding represents 20% of total specific sites and is displaced by naloxone. The nature of these undefined opioid binding sites is discussed.

Oligo-carrageenan kappa-induced reducing redox status and increase in TRR/TRX activities promote activation and reprogramming of terpenoid metabolism in Eucalyptus trees.

Science.gov (United States)

González, Alberto; Gutiérrez-Cutiño, Marlen; Moenne, Alejandra

2014-06-05

In order to analyze whether the reducing redox status and activation of thioredoxin reductase (TRR)/thioredoxin(TRX) system induced by oligo-carrageenan (OC) kappa in Eucalyptus globulus activate secondary metabolism increasing terpenoid synthesis, trees were sprayed on the leaves with water, with OC kappa, or with inhibitors of NAD(P)H, ascorbate (ASC) and (GSH) synthesis and TRR activity, CHS-828, lycorine, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) and auranofine, respectively, and with OC kappa and cultivated for four months. The main terpenoids in control Eucalyptus trees were eucalyptol (76%), α-pinene (7.4%), aromadendrene (3.6%), silvestrene (2.8%), sabinene (2%) and α-terpineol (0.9%). Treated trees showed a 22% increase in total essential oils as well as a decrease in eucalyptol (65%) and sabinene (0.8%) and an increase in aromadendrene (5%), silvestrene (7.8%) and other ten terpenoids. In addition, treated Eucalyptus showed seven de novo synthesized terpenoids corresponding to carene, α-terpinene, α-fenchene, γ-maaliene, spathulenol and α-camphenolic aldehyde. Most increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids have potential insecticidal and antimicrobial activities. Trees treated with CHS-828, lycorine, BSO and auranofine and with OC kappa showed an inhibition of increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids. Thus, OC kappa-induced reducing redox status and activation of TRR/TRX system enhance secondary metabolism increasing the synthesis of terpenoids and reprogramming of terpenoid metabolism in Eucalyptus trees.

Oligo-Carrageenan Kappa-Induced Reducing Redox Status and Increase in TRR/TRX Activities Promote Activation and Reprogramming of Terpenoid Metabolism in Eucalyptus Trees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto González

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In order to analyze whether the reducing redox status and activation of thioredoxin reductase (TRR/thioredoxin(TRX system induced by oligo-carrageenan (OC kappa in Eucalyptus globulus activate secondary metabolism increasing terpenoid synthesis, trees were sprayed on the leaves with water, with OC kappa, or with inhibitors of NAD(PH, ascorbate (ASC and (GSH synthesis and TRR activity, CHS-828, lycorine, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO and auranofine, respectively, and with OC kappa and cultivated for four months. The main terpenoids in control Eucalyptus trees were eucalyptol (76%, α-pinene (7.4%, aromadendrene (3.6%, silvestrene (2.8%, sabinene (2% and α-terpineol (0.9%. Treated trees showed a 22% increase in total essential oils as well as a decrease in eucalyptol (65% and sabinene (0.8% and an increase in aromadendrene (5%, silvestrene (7.8% and other ten terpenoids. In addition, treated Eucalyptus showed seven de novo synthesized terpenoids corresponding to carene, α-terpinene, α-fenchene, γ-maaliene, spathulenol and α-camphenolic aldehyde. Most increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids have potential insecticidal and antimicrobial activities. Trees treated with CHS-828, lycorine, BSO and auranofine and with OC kappa showed an inhibition of increased and de novo synthesized terpenoids. Thus, OC kappa-induced reducing redox status and activation of TRR/TRX system enhance secondary metabolism increasing the synthesis of terpenoids and reprogramming of terpenoid metabolism in Eucalyptus trees.

Weighted thinned linear array design with the iterative FFT technique

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Du Plessis, WP

2011-09-01

Full Text Available techniques utilise simulated annealing [3]?[5], [10], mixed integer linear programming [7], genetic algorithms [9], and a hyrid approach combining a genetic algorithm and a local optimiser [8]. The iterative Fourier technique (IFT) developed by Keizer [2... algorithm being well- suited to obtaining low CTRs. Test problems from the literature are considered, and the results obtained with the IFT considerably exceed those achieved with other algorithms. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE ALGORITHM A flowchart describing...

Inhibition of transcription factor NF-kappaB signaling proteins IKKbeta and p65 through specific cysteine residues by epoxyquinone A monomer: correlation with its anti-cancer cell growth activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Mei-Chih; Bardhan, Sujata; Pace, Emily A; Rosman, Diana; Beutler, John A; Porco, John A; Gilmore, Thomas D

2006-02-28

Transcription factor NF-kappaB is constitutively active in many human chronic inflammatory diseases and cancers. Epoxyquinone A monomer (EqM), a synthetic derivative of the natural product epoxyquinol A, has previously been shown to be a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced activation of NF-kappaB, but the mechanism by which EqM inhibits NF-kappaB activation was not known. In this report, we show that EqM blocks activation of NF-kappaB by inhibiting two molecular targets: IkappaB kinase IKKbeta and NF-kappaB subunit p65. EqM inhibits TNF-alpha-induced IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and degradation by targeting IKKbeta, and an alanine substitution for Cys179 in the activation loop of IKKbeta makes it resistant to EqM-mediated inhibition. EqM also directly inhibits DNA binding by p65, but not p50; moreover, replacement of Cys38 in p65 with Ser abolishes EqM-mediated inhibition of DNA binding. Pretreatment of cells with reducing agent dithiothreitol dose-dependently reduces EqM-mediated inhibition of NF-kappaB, further suggesting that EqM directly modifies the thiol group of Cys residues in protein targets. Modifications of the exocyclic alkene of EqM substantially reduce EqM's ability to inhibit NF-kappaB activation. In the human SUDHL-4 lymphoma cell line, EqM inhibits both proliferation and NF-kappaB DNA binding, and activates caspase-3 activity. EqM also effectively inhibits the growth of human leukemia, kidney, and colon cancer cell lines in the NCI's tumor cell panel. Among six colon cancer cell lines, those with low amounts of constitutive NF-kappaB DNA-binding activity are generally more sensitive to growth inhibition by EqM. Taken together, these results suggest that EqM inhibits growth and induces cell death in tumor cells through a mechanism that involves inhibition of NF-kappaB activity at multiple steps in the signaling pathway.

Rapid analysis of rearranged kappa light chain genes of circulating polysaccharide-specific B lymphocytes by means of immunomagnetic beads and the polymerase chain reaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hougs, L; Barington, T; Madsen, HO

1993-01-01

reaction (PCR) using in addition a degenerate kappa light chain signal peptide region primer. The PCR product was cloned into the M13mp18 phage. The cloning efficiency was 100-600 clones/ml of blood. Of the 86 clones sequenced, 90% represented rearranged kappa light chain genes from different antibody...... of the B lymphocytes activated in vivo. Here, we present a method for rapid analysis of the rearranged kappa light chain genes used by human circulating antigen-specific B lymphocytes. After vaccination with Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide (HibCP) conjugated with protein, the Hib...

On the Inefficiency of Equilibria in Linear Bottleneck Congestion Games

Science.gov (United States)

de Keijzer, Bart; Schäfer, Guido; Telelis, Orestis A.

We study the inefficiency of equilibrium outcomes in bottleneck congestion games. These games model situations in which strategic players compete for a limited number of facilities. Each player allocates his weight to a (feasible) subset of the facilities with the goal to minimize the maximum (weight-dependent) latency that he experiences on any of these facilities. We derive upper and (asymptotically) matching lower bounds on the (strong) price of anarchy of linear bottleneck congestion games for a natural load balancing social cost objective (i.e., minimize the maximum latency of a facility). We restrict our studies to linear latency functions. Linear bottleneck congestion games still constitute a rich class of games and generalize, for example, load balancing games with identical or uniformly related machines with or without restricted assignments.

Characterisation of Prosopis juliflora seed gum and the effect of its addition to {kappa}-carrageenan systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Azero, Edwin G. [Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Ciencias Naturais; Andrade, Cristina T. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Macromoleculas Professora Eloisa Mano]. E-mail: ctandrade@ima.ufrj.br

2006-09-15

The galactomannan from Prosopis juliflora (PJ galactomannan) was extracted from milled seeds in water at 50 deg C. Its structural and solution properties were characterised in comparison with a commercial sample of guar gum (GG galactomannan). After partial degradation, the resulting samples were submitted to {sup 13}C-NMR spectroscopy. The mannose to galactose (M/G) ratios of PJ (M/G = 1.64) and GG (M/G = 1.85) galactomannans were estimated from the relative peak areas of the corresponding C-1 lines. Expansion of the C-4 lines revealed differences in the fine structure of the two galactomannans. The intrinsic viscosity determined for the GG sample, [{eta}] = 10.3 dL g{sup -1}, was slightly higher than that determined for PJ galactomannan, [{eta}] = 9.4 dL g{sup -1}. Dynamic experiments carried out at the same concentrations showed similar viscoelastic behaviours for the two gums. No enhancement in the storage modulus (G') was observed for {kappa}-carrageenan/PJ mixed solution in 0.1 mol L{sup -1} KCl at 1.0 g L{sup -1} total polymer concentration, in relation to {kappa}-carrageenan alone. Self-supporting gels obtained by mixing {kappa}-carrageenan and PJ or GG galactomannans in 0.25 mol L{sup -1} KCl at 10 g L{sup -1} total polymer concentration displayed similar mechanical properties. (author)

Diagnostic accuracy of automatic normalization of CBV in glioma grading using T1- weighted DCE-MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, Prativa; Gupta, Rakesh K; Gupta, Pradeep K; Awasthi, Ashish; Pandey, Chandra M; Gupta, Mudit; Patir, Rana; Vaishya, Sandeep; Ahlawat, Sunita; Saha, Indrajit

2017-12-01

Aim of this retrospective study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of proposed automatic normalization method to quantify the relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) with existing contra-lateral region of interest (ROI) based CBV normalization method for glioma grading using T1-weighted dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). Sixty patients with histologically confirmed gliomas were included in this study retrospectively. CBV maps were generated using T1-weighted DCE-MRI and are normalized by contralateral ROI based method (rCBV_contra), unaffected white matter (rCBV_WM) and unaffected gray matter (rCBV_GM), the latter two of these were generated automatically. An expert radiologist with >10years of experience in DCE-MRI and a non-expert with one year experience were used independently to measure rCBVs. Cutoff values for glioma grading were decided from ROC analysis. Agreement of histology with rCBV_WM, rCBV_GM and rCBV_contra respectively was studied using Kappa statistics and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The diagnostic accuracy of glioma grading using the measured rCBV_contra by expert radiologist was found to be high (sensitivity=1.00, specificity=0.96, pnormalization method showed same percentage of agreement for both expert and non-expert user. rCBV_WM showed an agreement of 88.33% (kappa=0.76,pnormalization of CBV using the proposed method could provide better diagnostic accuracy compared to the manual contralateral based approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Revisiting Kappa to account for change in the accuracy assessment of land-use models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliet, van J.; Bregt, A.K.; Hagen-Zanker, A.

2011-01-01

Land-use change models are typically calibrated to reproduce known historic changes. Calibration results can then be assessed by comparing two datasets: the simulated land-use map and the actual land-use map at the same time. A common method for this is the Kappa statistic, which expresses the

Effect of apple extracts on NF-kappaB activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Davis, P.A.; Polagruto, J.A.; Valacchi, G.; Phung, A.; Souček, Karel; Keen, C.L.; Gershwin, M.E.

2006-01-01

Roč. 231, č. 5 (2006), s. 594-598 ISSN 1535-3702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : human umbilical vascular endothelial cells * NF-kappaB * antioxidants Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.845, year: 2006

Electroacoustic theory for concentrated colloids with overlapped DLs at arbitrary kappa alpha. I. Application to nanocolloids and nonaqueous colloids.

Science.gov (United States)

Shilov, V N; Borkovskaja, Y B; Dukhin, A S

2004-09-15

Existing theories of electroacoustic phenomena in concentrated colloids neglect the possibility of double layer overlap and are valid mostly for the "thin double layer," when the double layer thickness is much less than the particle size. In this paper we present a new electroacoustic theory which removes this restriction. This would make this new theory applicable to characterizing a variety of aqueous nanocolloids and of nonaqueous dispersions. There are two versions of the theory leading to the analytical solutions. The first version corresponds to strongly overlapped diffuse layers (so-called quasi-homogeneous model). It yields a simple analytical formula for colloid vibration current (CVI), which is valid for arbitrary ultrasound frequency, but for restricted kappa alpha range. This version of the theory, as well the Smoluchowski theory for microelectrophoresis, is independent of particle shape and polydispersity. This makes it very attractive for practical use, with the hope that it might be as useful as classical Smoluchowski theory. In order to determine the kappa alpha range of the quasi-homogeneous model validity we develop the second version that limits ultrasound frequency, but applies no restriction on kappa alpha. The ultrasound frequency should substantially exceed the Maxwell-Wagner relaxation frequency. This limitation makes active conductivity related current negligible compared to the passive dielectric displacement current. It is possible to derive an expression for CVI in the concentrated dispersion as formulae inhering definite integrals with integrands depending on equilibrium potential distribution. This second version allowed us to estimate the ranges of the applicability of the first, quasi-homogeneous version. It turns out that the quasi-homogeneous model works for kappa alpha values up to almost 1. For instance, at volume fraction 30%, the highest kappa alpha limit of the quasi-homogeneous model is 0.65. Therefore, this version of the

NF-{kappa}B p50 promotes tumor cell invasion through negative regulation of invasion suppressor gene CRMP-1 in human lung adenocarcinoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ming, Gao [Cancer Research Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, National Taiwan University, Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Yeh, P Y [Cancer Research Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10016, Taiwan (China); Lu, Y -S [Cancer Research Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, National Taiwan University, Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10016, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chang, W C [Cancer Research Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Kuo, M -L [Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Cheng, A -L [Cancer Research Center, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, National Taiwan University, Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10016, Taiwan (China); Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10016, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: alcheng@ntu.edu.tw

2008-11-14

Lung adenocarcinoma Cl1-5 cells were selected from parental Cl1-0 cells based on their high metastatic potential. In a previous study, CRMP-1, an invasion suppressor gene, was shown to be suppressed in Cl1-5 cells. However, the regulation of CRMP-1 expression has not been explored. In this study, we showed nuclear factor-{kappa}B controls CRMP-1 expression. The electromobility shift assay showed that while Cl1-0 cells exhibited low NF-{kappa}B activity in response to TNF-{alpha}, an abundance of basal and TNF-{alpha}-induced NF-{kappa}B-DNA complex was detected in Cl1-5 cells. Supershift-coupled EMSA and Western blotting of nuclear proteins, however, revealed p50 protein, but not classic p65/p50 heterodimer in the complex. ChIP and EMSA demonstrated that p50 binds to a {kappa}B site residing between -1753 and -1743 of the CRMP-1 promoter region. Transfection of antisense p50 gene into Cl1-5 cells increased the CRMP-1 protein level and decreased the invasive activity of Cl1-5 cells.

A Non-Linear Upscaling Approach for Wind Turbines Blades Based on Stresses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castillo Capponi, P.; Van Bussel, G.J.W.; Ashuri, T.; Kallesoe, B.

2011-01-01

The linear scaling laws for upscaling wind turbine blades show a linear increase of stresses due to the weight. However, the stresses should remain the same for a suitable design. Application of linear scaling laws may lead to an upscaled blade that may not be any more a feasible design. In this

A Trigger for Opioid Misuse: Chronic Pain and Stress Dysregulate the Mesolimbic Pathway and Kappa Opioid System.

Science.gov (United States)

Massaly, Nicolas; Morón, Jose A; Al-Hasani, Ream

2016-01-01

Pain and stress are protective mechanisms essential in avoiding harmful or threatening stimuli and ensuring survival. Despite these beneficial roles, chronic exposure to either pain or stress can lead to maladaptive hormonal and neuronal modulations that can result in chronic pain and a wide spectrum of stress-related disorders including anxiety and depression. By inducing allostatic changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, both chronic pain and stress disorders affect the rewarding values of both natural reinforcers, such as food or social interaction, and drugs of abuse. Despite opioids representing the best therapeutic strategy in pain conditions, they are often misused as a result of these allostatic changes induced by chronic pain and stress. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system is critically involved in these neuronal adaptations in part through its control of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Therefore, it is likely that changes in the kappa opioid system following chronic exposure to pain and stress play a key role in increasing the misuse liability observed in pain patients treated with opioids. In this review, we will discuss how chronic pain and stress-induced pathologies can affect mesolimbic dopaminergic transmission, leading to increased abuse liability. We will also assess how the kappa opioid system may underlie these pathological changes.

A trigger for opioid misuse: Chronic pain and stress dysregulate the mesolimbic pathway and kappa opioid system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Massaly

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Pain and stress are protective mechanisms essential in avoiding harmful or threatening stimuli and ensuring survival. Despite these beneficial roles, chronic exposure to either pain or stress can lead to maladaptive hormonal and neuronal modulations that can result in chronic pain and a wide spectrum of stress-related disorders including anxiety and depression. By inducing allostatic changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, both chronic pain and stress disorders affect the rewarding values of both natural reinforcers, such as food or social interaction, and drugs of abuse. Despite opioids representing the best therapeutic strategy in acute pain conditions, they are often misused as a result of these allostatic changes induced by chronic pain and stress. The kappa opioid receptor system is critically involved in these neuronal adaptations in part through its control of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Therefore, it is likely that changes in the kappa opioid system following chronic exposure to pain and stress play a key role in increasing the misuse liability observed in pain patients treated with opioids. In this review, we will discuss how chronic pain and stress-induced pathologies can affect mesolimbic dopaminergic transmission, leading to increased abuse liability. We will also assess how the kappa opioid system may underlie these pathological changes.

Measurement of lower limb alignment: there are within-person differences between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing measurement modalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenmakers, Daphne A L; Feczko, Peter Z; Boonen, Bert; Schotanus, Martijn G M; Kort, Nanne P; Emans, Pieter J

2017-11-01

Previous studies have compared weight-bearing mechanical leg axis (MLA) measurements to non-weight-bearing measurement modalities. Most of these studies compared mean or median values and did not analyse within-person differences between measurements. This study evaluates the within-person agreement of MLA measurements between weight-bearing full-length radiographs (FLR) and non-weight-bearing measurement modalities (computer-assisted surgery (CAS) navigation or MRI). Two independent observers measured the MLA on pre- and postoperative weight-bearing FLR in 168 patients. These measurements were compared to non-weight-bearing measurements obtained by CAS navigation or MRI. Absolute differences in individual subjects were calculated to determine the agreement between measurement modalities. Linear regression was used to evaluate the possibility that other independent variables impact the differences in measurements. A difference was found in preoperative measurements between FLR and CAS navigation (mean of 2.5° with limit of agreement (1.96 SD) of 6.4°), as well as between FLR and MRI measurements (mean of 2.4° with limit of agreement (1.96 SD) of 6.9°). Postoperatively, the mean difference between MLA measured on FLR compared to CAS navigation was 1.5° (limit of agreement (1.96 SD) of 4.6°). Linear regression analysis showed that weight-bearing MLA measurements vary significantly from non-weight-bearing MLA measurements. Differences were more severe in patients with mediolateral instability (p = 0.010), age (p = 0.049) and ≥3° varus or valgus alignment (p = 0.008). The clinical importance of this study lies in the finding that there are within-person differences between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing measurement modalities. This has implications for preoperative planning, performing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and clinical follow-up after TKA surgery using CAS navigation or patient-specific instrumentation. III.

MAML1 regulates cell viability via the NF-{kappa}B pathway in cervical cancer cell lines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuncharin, Yanin [Medical Microbiology Interdisciplinary Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Sangphech, Naunpun [Biotechnology Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Kueanjinda, Patipark [Medical Microbiology Interdisciplinary Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Bhattarakosol, Parvapan [Medical Microbiology Interdisciplinary Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Palaga, Tanapat, E-mail: tanapat.p@chula.ac.th [Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand)

2011-08-01

The Notch signaling pathway plays important roles in tumorigenesis in a context-dependent manner. In human cervical cancer, alterations in Notch signaling have been reported, and both tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting roles of Notch signaling have been proposed; however, the precise molecular mechanisms governing these roles in cervical cancer remain controversial. MAML is a transcriptional co-activator originally identified by its role in Notch signaling. Recent evidence suggests that it also plays a role in other signaling pathways, such as the p53 and {beta}-catenin pathways. MAML is required for stable formation of Notch transcriptional complexes at the promoters of Notch target genes. Chromosomal translocations affecting MAML have been shown to promote tumorigenesis. In this study, we used a truncated dominant-negative MAML1 (DN-MAML) to investigate the role of MAML in HPV-positive cervical cancer cell lines. Three human cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, SiHa and CaSki) expressed all Notch receptors and the Notch target genes Hes1 and MAML1. Among these 3 cell lines, constitutive appearance of cleaved Notch1 was found only in CaSki cells, which suggests that Notch1 is constitutively activated in this cell line. Gamma secretase inhibitor (GSI) treatment, which suppresses Notch receptor activation, completely abrogated this form of Notch1 but had no effect on cell viability. Overexpression of DN-MAML by retroviral transduction in CaSki cells resulted in significant decreases in the mRNA levels of Hes1 and Notch1 but had no effects on the levels of MAML1, p53 or HPV E6/E7. DN-MAML expression induced increased viability of CaSki cells without any effect on cell cycle progression or cell proliferation. In addition, clonogenic assay experiments revealed that overexpression of DN-MAML resulted in increased colony formation compared to the overexpression of the control vector. When the status of the NF-{kappa}B pathway was investigated, CaSki cells overexpressing

Role of coronal high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging in acute optic neuritis: a comparison with axial orientation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Ping [Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai Institution of Medical Imaging, Shanghai (China); Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Department of Radiology, Shanghai (China); Sha, Yan; Wan, Hailin; Wang, Feng [Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Department of Radiology, Shanghai (China); Tian, Guohong [Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai (China)

2017-08-15

Through a comparison with the axial orientation, we aimed to evaluate the role of coronal high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in acute optic neuritis based on diagnostic accuracy and the reproducibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements. Orbital DWI, using readout-segmented, parallel imaging, and 2D navigator-based reacquisition (RESOLVE-DWI), was performed on 49 patients with acute vision loss. The coronal (thickness = 3 mm) and axial (thickness = 2 mm) diffusion images were evaluated by two neuroradiologists retrospectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated through diagnostic test; the inter- and intra-observer reliabilities were assessed with a weighted Cohen's kappa test. In addition, the agreement of ADC measurement among observers was evaluated by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), and Bland-Altman plots. Comparison of ADC values was also performed by unpaired t test. Among the 49 patients, 47 clinically positive optic nerves and 51 clinically negative optic nerves were found. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 85.1/87.2%, 90.2/94.12%, and 87.8/90.8%, respectively, for coronal RESOLVE-DWI and 83.0/85.1%, 66.7/76.5%, and 75.5/79.6%, respectively, for axial RESOLVE-DWI. The inter-observer kappa values were 0.710 and 0.806 for axial and coronal RESOLVE-DWI, respectively, and the intra-observer kappa values were 0.822 and 0.909, respectively (each P < 0.0001). Regarding the reproducibility of ADC measurements on axial and coronal RESOLVE-DWI, the ICCs among observers were 0.846 and 0.941, respectively, and the CV values were 7.046 and 4.810%, respectively. Bland-Altman plots revealed smaller inter-observer variability on coronal RESOLVE-DWI. ADC values were significantly lower in positive group (each P < 0.0001). Higher specificity and better reproducibility of ADC measurements were found for coronal RESOLVE-DWI, which demonstrated the

Bilinear nodal transport method in weighted diamond difference form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azmy, Y.Y.

1987-01-01

Nodal methods have been developed and implemented for the numerical solution of the discrete ordinates neutron transport equation. Numerical testing of these methods and comparison of their results to those obtained by conventional methods have established the high accuracy of nodal methods. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the linear-linear approximation is the most computationally efficient, practical nodal approximation. Indeed, this claim has been substantiated by comparing the accuracy in the solution, and the CPU time required to achieve convergence to that solution by several nodal approximations, as well as the diamond difference scheme. Two types of linear-linear nodal methods have been developed in the literature: analytic linear-linear (NLL) methods, in which the transverse-leakage terms are derived analytically, and approximate linear-linear (PLL) methods, in which these terms are approximated. In spite of their higher accuracy, NLL methods result in very complicated discrete-variable equations that exhibit a high degree of coupling, thus requiring special solution algorithms. On the other hand, the sacrificed accuracy in PLL methods is compensated for by the simple discrete-variable equations and diamond-difference-like solution algorithm. In this paper the authors outline the development of an NLL nodal method, the bilinear method, which can be written in a weighted diamond difference form with one spatial weight per dimension that is analytically derived rather than preassigned in an ad hoc fashion

Design and performance testing of an ultrasonic linear motor with dual piezoelectric actuators.

Science.gov (United States)

Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Suybangdum, Panumas; Laoratanakul, Pitak; Muensit, Nantakan

2012-05-01

In this work, design and performance testing of an ultrasonic linear motor with dual piezoelectric actuator patches are studied. The motor system consists of a linear stator, a pre-load weight, and two piezoelectric actuator patches. The piezoelectric actuators are bonded with the linear elastic stator at specific locations. The stator generates propagating waves when the piezoelectric actuators are subjected to harmonic excitations. Vibration characteristics of the linear stator are analyzed and compared with finite element and experimental results. The analytical, finite element, and experimental results show agreement. In the experiments, performance of the ultrasonic linear motor is tested. Relationships between velocity and pre-load weight, velocity and applied voltage, driving force and applied voltage, and velocity and driving force are reported. The design of the dual piezoelectric actuators yields a simpler structure with a smaller number of actuators and lower stator stiffness compared with a conventional design of an ultrasonic linear motor with fully laminated piezoelectric actuators.

[Nuclear factor-kappaB mRNA and protein expression in stomach tissue of rats with gastric ulcer recurrence and effect of jianwei yuyang granule on its expression].

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Jiang-Hong; Li, Jia-Bang; Shen, Ding-Zhu; Zhou, Bing

2006-03-01

To observe the inflammatory reaction, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) mRNA and protein expression in stomach tissue of rats with gastric ulcer recurrence and the effect of Jianwei Yuyang granule (JYG) on them. Gastric ulcer and its recurrent lesion were successively induced by acetic acid and interliukin1-beta (IL-1beta), and the model rats were divided into the sham operation group, the model group, the omeprazole (correction of omepraxole) group and the JYG group to observe the state of chronic inflammatory cell, neutrophil count, NF-kappaBmRNA and protein expression in stomach tissue. On the 16th and 92th day after administration, the increase of chronic inflammatory cell, neutrophil, NF-kappaBmRNA and protein expression in the model group was more significant than those in the sham operated group (P ulcer induced by acetic acid. JYG may suppress inflammatory reaction by inhibiting the activation and expression of NF-kappaB in stomach tissue, which may be one of the mechanisms of JYG in preventing the recurrence of gastric ulcer.

Cytokine regulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes in rat hepatocytes: NF-kappaB-regulated inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (cIAP2) prevents apoptosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schoemaker, Marieke H.; Ros, Jenny E.; Homan, Manon; Trautwein, Christian; Liston, Peter; Poelstra, Klaas; van Goor, Harry; Jansen, Peter L. M.; Moshage, Han

2002-01-01

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In acute liver failure, hepatocytes are exposed to various cytokines that activate both cell survival and apoptotic pathways. NF-kappaB is a central transcription factor in these responses. Recent studies indicate that blocking NF-kappaB causes apoptosis, indicating the existence of

Weighted conditional least-squares estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, J.G.

1987-01-01

A two-stage estimation procedure is proposed that generalizes the concept of conditional least squares. The method is instead based upon the minimization of a weighted sum of squares, where the weights are inverses of estimated conditional variance terms. Some general conditions are given under which the estimators are consistent and jointly asymptotically normal. More specific details are given for ergodic Markov processes with stationary transition probabilities. A comparison is made with the ordinary conditional least-squares estimators for two simple branching processes with immigration. The relationship between weighted conditional least squares and other, more well-known, estimators is also investigated. In particular, it is shown that in many cases estimated generalized least-squares estimators can be obtained using the weighted conditional least-squares approach. Applications to stochastic compartmental models, and linear models with nested error structures are considered

The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingels, John Spencer; Misra, Ranjita; Stewart, Jonathan; Lucke-Wold, Brandon; Shawley-Brzoska, Samantha

2017-01-01

The role of dietary tracking on weight loss remains unexplored despite being part of multiple diabetes and weight management programs. Hence, participants of the Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program (12 months, 22 sessions) tracked their food intake for the duration of the study. A scatterplot of days tracked versus total weight loss revealed a nonlinear relationship. Hence, the number of possible tracking days was divided to create the 3 groups of participants: rare trackers (66% total days tracked). After controlling for initial body mass index, hemoglobin A 1c , and gender, only consistent trackers had significant weight loss (-9.99 pounds), following a linear relationship with consistent loss throughout the year. In addition, the weight loss trend for the rare and inconsistent trackers followed a nonlinear path, with the holidays slowing weight loss and the onset of summer increasing weight loss. These results show the importance of frequent dietary tracking for consistent long-term weight loss success.

Towards lexicographic multi-objective linear programming using grossone methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Cococcioni, Marco; Pappalardo, Massimo; Sergeyev, Yaroslav D.

2016-10-01

Lexicographic Multi-Objective Linear Programming (LMOLP) problems can be solved in two ways: preemptive and nonpreemptive. The preemptive approach requires the solution of a series of LP problems, with changing constraints (each time the next objective is added, a new constraint appears). The nonpreemptive approach is based on a scalarization of the multiple objectives into a single-objective linear function by a weighted combination of the given objectives. It requires the specification of a set of weights, which is not straightforward and can be time consuming. In this work we present both mathematical and software ingredients necessary to solve LMOLP problems using a recently introduced computational methodology (allowing one to work numerically with infinities and infinitesimals) based on the concept of grossone. The ultimate goal of such an attempt is an implementation of a simplex-like algorithm, able to solve the original LMOLP problem by solving only one single-objective problem and without the need to specify finite weights. The expected advantages are therefore obvious.

Resveratrol enhances ultraviolet B-induced cell death through nuclear factor-{kappa}B pathway in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, Preeti; Kalra, Neetu; Nigam, Nidhi; George, Jasmine [Proteomics Laboratory, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India); Ray, Ratan Singh; Hans, Rajendra K. [Photobiology Laboratory, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India); Prasad, Sahdeo [Proteomics Laboratory, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India); Shukla, Yogeshwer, E-mail: yogeshwer_shukla@hotmail.com [Proteomics Laboratory, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR), P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India)

2009-06-26

Resveratrol has been reported to suppress cancer progression in several in vivo and in vitro models, whereas ultraviolet B (UVB), a major risk for skin cancer, is known to induce cell death in cancerous cells. Here, we investigated whether resveratrol can sensitize A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells to UVB-induced cell death. We examined the combined effect of UVB (30 mJ/cm{sup 2}) and resveratrol (60 {mu}M) on A431 cells. Exposure of A431 carcinoma cells to UVB radiation or resveratrol can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. However, the combination of resveratrol and UVB exposure was associated with increased proliferation inhibition of A431 cells compared with either agent alone. Furthermore, results showed that resveratrol and UVB treatment of A431 cells disrupted the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-{kappa}B) pathway by blocking phosphorylation of serine 536 and inactivating NF-{kappa}B and subsequent degradation of I{kappa}B{alpha}, which regulates the expression of survivin. Resveratrol and UVB treatment also decreased the phosphorylation of tyrosine 701 of the important transcription factor signal transducer activator of transcription (STAT1), which in turn inhibited translocation of phospho-STAT1 to the nucleus. Moreover, resveratrol/UVB also inhibited the metastatic protein LIMK1, which reduced the motility of A431 cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the combination of resveratrol and UVB act synergistically against skin cancer cells. Thus, resveratrol is a potential chemotherapeutic agent against skin carcinogenesis.

The physical imitation experiments of nuclear belt weight scaler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Qicun; Wang Mingqian; Sun Jinhua; Li Zhonghao

1993-01-01

The physical imitation experiments of the nuclear belt weight scaler (NBWS) were performed with a coal-loaded belt. The linearity, repetition and long-time stability; of the NBWS were measured. And the influence of pile shape, load bias and the composition of coal on weight calculation were studied

Introducing spatial information into predictive NF-kappaB modelling--an agent-based approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Pogson

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Nature is governed by local interactions among lower-level sub-units, whether at the cell, organ, organism, or colony level. Adaptive system behaviour emerges via these interactions, which integrate the activity of the sub-units. To understand the system level it is necessary to understand the underlying local interactions. Successful models of local interactions at different levels of biological organisation, including epithelial tissue and ant colonies, have demonstrated the benefits of such 'agent-based' modelling. Here we present an agent-based approach to modelling a crucial biological system--the intracellular NF-kappaB signalling pathway. The pathway is vital to immune response regulation, and is fundamental to basic survival in a range of species. Alterations in pathway regulation underlie a variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis and arthritis. Our modelling of individual molecules, receptors and genes provides a more comprehensive outline of regulatory network mechanisms than previously possible with equation-based approaches. The method also permits consideration of structural parameters in pathway regulation; here we predict that inhibition of NF-kappaB is directly affected by actin filaments of the cytoskeleton sequestering excess inhibitors, therefore regulating steady-state and feedback behaviour.

Is TIRADS a practical and accurate system for use in daily clinical practice?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandramohan, Anuradha; Khurana, Abhishek; Pushpa, B T; Manipadam, Marie Therese; Naik, Dukhabandhu; Thomas, Nihal; Abraham, Deepak; Paul, Mazhuvanchary Jacob

2016-01-01

To assess the positive predictive value (PPV) and inter-observer agreement of Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) as described by Kwak et al. This was a prospective study wherein ultrasound was performed by two radiologists on patients with thyroid nodules >1 cm. The third radiologist interpreted archived images. Ultrasound features and TIRADS category were compared with cytology and surgical histopathology. PPV was calculated for all readers’ combined assessment. Inter-observer agreement was calculated using linear weighted kappa. A total of 238 patients with 272 nodules of mean size 2.9 ± 1.7 cm were included. PPV for malignancy was 6.6%, 32%, 36%, 64%, 59%, and 91% for TIRADS 2, 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, and 5 categories, respectively. Inter-observer agreement was substantial [kappa (k) = 0.61-0.80] for assessment of nodule echogenicity, margins, calcification, and shape and good (k = 0.570, P < 0.001) for assessment of composition of the thyroid nodules. Overall agreement between observers was substantial for assigning TIRADS category [multi-rater weighted kappa coefficient (wt k) = 0.721, P < 0.001]. TIRADS is a simple and practical method of assessing thyroid nodules with high PPV and good inter-observer agreement

Induction of activator protein (AP)-1 and nuclear factor-kappaB by CD28 stimulation involves both phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and acidic sphingomyelinase signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmead, C E; Patel, Y I; Wilson, A; Boulougouris, G; Hall, N D; Ward, S G; Sansom, D M

1996-10-15

A major obstacle in understanding the signaling events that follow CD28 receptor ligation arises from the fact that CD28 acts as a costimulus to TCR engagement, making it difficult to assess the relative contribution of CD28 signals as distinct from those of the TCR. To overcome this problem, we have exploited the observation that activated human T cell blasts can be stimulated via the CD28 surface molecule in the absence of antigenic challenge; thus, we have been able to observe the response of normal T cells to CD28 activation in isolation. Using this system, we observed that CD28 stimulation by B7-transfected CHO cells induced a proliferative response in T cells that was not accompanied by measurable IL-2 production. However, subsequent analysis of transcription factor generation revealed that B7 stimulation induced both activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) complexes, but not NF-AT. In contrast, engagement of the TCR by class II MHC/superantigen, either with or without CD28 ligation, resulted in the induction of NF-AT, AP-1, and NF-kappaB as well as IL-2 production. Using selective inhibitors, we investigated the signaling pathways involved in the CD28-mediated induction of AP-1 and NF-kappaB. This revealed that NF-kappaB generation was sensitive to chloroquine, an inhibitor of acidic sphingomyelinase, but not to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, wortmannin. In contrast, AP-1 generation was inhibited by wortmannin and was also variably sensitive to chloroquine. These data suggest that in activated normal T cells, CD28-derived signals can stimulate proliferation at least in part via NF-kappaB and AP-1 generation, and that this response uses both acidic sphingomyelinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-linked pathways.

Bacterial endotoxin enhances colorectal cancer cell adhesion and invasion through TLR-4 and NF-kappaB-dependent activation of the urokinase plasminogen activator system.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Killeen, S D

2009-05-19

Perioperative exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is associated with accelerated metastatic colorectal tumour growth. LPS directly affects cells through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) and the transcription factor NF-kappaB. The urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) system is intimately implicated in tumour cell extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions fundamental to tumour progression. Thus we sought to determine if LPS directly induces accelerated tumour cell ECM adhesion and invasion through activation of the u-PA system and to elucidate the cellular pathways involved. Human colorectal tumour cell lines were stimulated with LPS. u-PA concentration, u-PA activity, active u-PA, surface urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (u-PAR) and TLR-4 expression were assessed by ELISA, colorimetric assay, western blot analysis and flow cytometry respectively. In vitro tumour cell vitronectin adhesion and ECM invasion were analysed by vitronectin adhesion assay and ECM invasion chambers. u-PA and u-PAR function was inhibited with anti u-PA antibodies or the selective u-PA inhibitors amiloride or WXC-340, TLR-4 by TLR-4-blocking antibodies and NF-kappaB by the selective NF-kappaB inhibitor SN-50. LPS upregulates u-PA and u-PAR in a dose-dependent manner, enhancing in vitro tumour cell vitronectin adhesion and ECM invasion by >40% (P<0.01). These effects were ameliorated by u-PA and u-PAR inhibition. LPS activates NF-kappaB through TLR-4. TLR-4 and NF-kappaB inhibition ameliorated LPS-enhanced u-PA and u-PAR expression, tumour cell vitronectin adhesion and ECM invasion. LPS promotes tumour cell ECM adhesion and invasion through activation of the u-PA system in a TLR-4- and NF-kappaB-dependent manner.

Synergistic chondroprotective effects of curcumin and resveratrol in human articular chondrocytes: inhibition of IL-1beta-induced NF-kappaB-mediated inflammation and apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Csaki, Constanze; Mobasheri, Ali; Shakibaei, Mehdi

2009-01-01

Currently available treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) are restricted to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which exhibit numerous side effects and are only temporarily effective. Thus novel, safe and more efficacious anti-inflammatory agents are needed for OA. Naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds, such as curcumin and resveratrol, are potent agents for modulating inflammation. Both compounds mediate their effects by targeting the NF-kappaB signalling pathway. We have recently demonstrated that in chondrocytes resveratrol modulates the NF-kappaB pathway by inhibiting the proteasome, while curcumin modulates the activation of NF-kappaB by inhibiting upstream kinases (Akt). However, the combinational effects of these compounds in chondrocytes has not been studied and/or compared with their individual effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential synergistic effects of curcumin and resveratrol on IL-1beta-stimulated human chondrocytes in vitro using immunoblotting and electron microscopy. Treatment with curcumin and resveratrol suppressed NF-kappaB-regulated gene products involved in inflammation (cyclooxygenase-2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, MMP-9, vascular endothelial growth factor), inhibited apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and TNF-alpha receptor-associated factor 1) and prevented activation of caspase-3. IL-1beta-induced NF-kappaB activation was suppressed directly by cocktails of curcumin and resveratrol through inhibition of Ikappakappa and proteasome activation, inhibition of IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and degradation, and inhibition of nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. The modulatory effects of curcumin and resveratrol on IL-1beta-induced expression of cartilage specific matrix and proinflammatory enzymes were mediated in part by the cartilage-specific transcription factor Sox-9. We propose that combining these natural compounds may be a useful strategy in OA therapy as compared with separate treatment with each individual

The least weighted squares I. The asymptotic linearity of normal equations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Víšek, Jan Ámos

2002-01-01

Roč. 9, č. 15 (2002), s. 31-58 ISSN 1212-074X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KSK1019101 Grant - others:GA UK(CZ) 255/2002/A EK /FSV Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1075907 Keywords : the least weighted squares * robust regression * asymptotic normality and representation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Short-memory linear processes and econometric applications

CERN Document Server

Mynbaev, Kairat T

2011-01-01

This book serves as a comprehensive source of asymptotic results for econometric models with deterministic exogenous regressors. Such regressors include linear (more generally, piece-wise polynomial) trends, seasonally oscillating functions, and slowly varying functions including logarithmic trends, as well as some specifications of spatial matrices in the theory of spatial models. The book begins with central limit theorems (CLTs) for weighted sums of short memory linear processes. This part contains the analysis of certain operators in Lp spaces and their employment in the derivation of CLTs

Comparación de las medidas del ángulo kappa realizadas mediante pupilometría y topografía corneal

OpenAIRE

Marcos Pérez, Mario

2016-01-01

El ojo no es un sistema óptico centrado, por ello surge la necesidad de definir ejes visuales. El ángulo kappa está formado entre el eje pupilar y la línea de mirada, es un parámetro mensurable y relevante a la hora de afrontar cirugía refractiva. El objetivo del trabajo es demostrar la intercambiabilidad de las medidas de kappa con los dispositivos Galilei G4 y Allegro Topolyzer. En la literatura no se encuentra un estudio similar, con lo que resulta conveniente. Para ello se realizan medida...

Linear relationships between cherry tomato traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Giacomini Sari

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to identify the linear relationship between cherry tomato yield components. Two uniformity trials, without treatments, were conducted on Lilli cherry tomato plants in a plastic greenhouse during the 2014 spring/summer season, with the plants in two stems. Variables observed for each plant were mean fruit length, mean fruit width, mean fruit weight, number of bunches, number of fruits per bunch, total number of fruits, and total fruit weight; a Pearson's correlation matrix was used to estimate the relationship between the variables. Path analysis was then performed considering total fruit weight as the main variable and the remaining variables as explanatory. Due to the severe multicollinearity, the variable 'number of fruits per bunch' was eliminated. Pearson's correlation coefficients were significant between explanatory and main variables. Mean fruit weight has a low cause-and-effect relationship with the total weight of fruits produced. A low cause-and-effect relationship was also observed between number of fruits and number of bunches. Cherry tomato productivity is directly related to the number of fruits per plant.

Noncommutative differential forms on the kappa-deformed space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meljanac, Stjepan; Kresic-Juric, Sasa

2009-01-01

We construct a differential algebra of forms on the kappa-deformed space. For a given realization of noncommutative coordinates as formal power series in the Weyl algebra we find an infinite family of one-forms and nilpotent exterior derivatives. We derive explicit expressions for the exterior derivative and one-forms in covariant and noncovariant realizations. We also introduce higher order forms and show that the exterior derivative satisfies the graded Leibniz rule. The differential forms are generally not graded commutative, but they satisfy the graded Jacobi identity. We also consider the star-product of classical differential forms. The star-product is well defined if the commutator between the noncommutative coordinates and one-forms is closed in the space of one-forms alone. In addition, we show that in certain realizations the exterior derivative acting on the star-product satisfies the undeformed Leibniz rule.

Weight and height prediction of immobilized patients

OpenAIRE

Rabito,Estela Iraci; Vannucchi,Gabriela Bergamini; Suen,Vivian Marques Miguel; Castilho Neto,Laércio Lopes; Marchini,Júlio Sérgio

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To confirm the adequacy of the formula suggested in the literature and/or to develop appropriate equations for the Brazilian population of immobilized patients based on simple anthropometric measurements. METHODS: Hospitalized patients were submitted to anthropometry and methods to estimate weight and height of bedridden patients were developed by multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty eight persons were evaluated at two hospital centers and five weight-predicting...

Kinetic Alfven wave in the presence of kappa distribution function in plasma sheet boundary layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shrivastava, G., E-mail: geetphy9@gmail.com; Ahirwar, G. [School of Studies in Physics, Vikram University, Ujjain India (India); Shrivastava, J., E-mail: jayashrivastava2007@gmail.com [Dronacharya Group of Institutions, Greater Noida-India (India)

2015-07-31

The particle aspect approach is adopted to investigate the trajectories of charged particles in the electromagnetic field of kinetic Alfven wave. Expressions are found for the dispersion relation, damping/growth rate and associated currents in the presence of kappa distribution function. Kinetic effect of electrons and ions are included to study kinetic Alfven wave because both are important in the transition region. It is found that the ratio β of electron thermal energy density to magnetic field energy density and the ratio of ion to electron thermal temperature (T{sub i}/T{sub e}), and kappa distribution function affect the dispersion relation, damping/growth rate and associated currents in both cases(warm and cold electron limit).The treatment of kinetic Alfven wave instability is based on assumption that the plasma consist of resonant and non resonant particles. The resonant particles participate in an energy exchange process, whereas the non resonant particles support the oscillatory motion of the wave.

Learning Gene Regulatory Networks Computationally from Gene Expression Data Using Weighted Consensus

KAUST Repository

Fujii, Chisato

2015-04-16

Gene regulatory networks analyze the relationships between genes allowing us to un- derstand the gene regulatory interactions in systems biology. Gene expression data from the microarray experiments is used to obtain the gene regulatory networks. How- ever, the microarray data is discrete, noisy and non-linear which makes learning the networks a challenging problem and existing gene network inference methods do not give consistent results. Current state-of-the-art study uses the average-ranking-based consensus method to combine and average the ranked predictions from individual methods. However each individual method has an equal contribution to the consen- sus prediction. We have developed a linear programming-based consensus approach which uses learned weights from linear programming among individual methods such that the methods have di↵erent weights depending on their performance. Our result reveals that assigning di↵erent weights to individual methods rather than giving them equal weights improves the performance of the consensus. The linear programming- based consensus method is evaluated and it had the best performance on in silico and Saccharomyces cerevisiae networks, and the second best on the Escherichia coli network outperformed by Inferelator Pipeline method which gives inconsistent results across a wide range of microarray data sets.

Linear codes associated to determinantal varieties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beelen, Peter; Ghorpade, Sudhir R.; Hasan, Sartaj Ul

2015-01-01

We consider a class of linear codes associated to projective algebraic varieties defined by the vanishing of minors of a fixed size of a generic matrix. It is seen that the resulting code has only a small number of distinct weights. The case of varieties defined by the vanishing of 2×2 minors is ...

Metastatic function of BMP-2 in gastric cancer cells: The role of PI3K/AKT, MAPK, the NF-{kappa}B pathway, and MMP-9 expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Myoung Hee [Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Sang Cheul [Division of Oncology/Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyun Joo [Department of Pathology, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Han Na; Kim, Jung Lim [Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jun Suk [Division of Oncology/Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Young A., E-mail: ydanbi@korea.ac.kr [Brain Korea 21 Program for Biomedical Science, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 136-705 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-07-15

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastatic progression in various types of cancer cells, but the role and cellular mechanism in the invasive phenotype of gastric cancer cells is not known. Herein, we determined the roles of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), nuclear factor (NF)-{kappa}B, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression in BMP-2-mediated metastatic function in gastric cancer. We found that stimulation of BMP-2 in gastric cancer cells enhanced the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK. Accompanying activation of AKT and ERK kinase, BMP-2 also enhanced phosphorylation/degradation of I{kappa}B{alpha} and the nuclear translocation/activation of NF-{kappa}B. Interestingly, blockade of PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling using LY294002 and PD98059, respectively, significantly inhibited BMP-2-induced motility and invasiveness in association with the activation of NF-{kappa}B. Furthermore, BMP-2-induced MMP-9 expression and enzymatic activity was also significantly blocked by treatment with PI3K/AKT, ERK, or NF-{kappa}B inhibitors. Immunohistochemistry staining of 178 gastric tumor biopsies indicated that expression of BMP-2 and MMP-9 had a significant positive correlation with lymph node metastasis and a poor prognosis. These results indicate that the BMP-2 signaling pathway enhances tumor metastasis in gastric cancer by sequential activation of the PI3K/AKT or MAPK pathway followed by the induction of NF-{kappa}B and MMP-9 activity, indicating that BMP-2 has the potential to be a therapeutic molecular target to decrease metastasis.

Selection of antigenic markers on a GFP-C{kappa} fusion scaffold with high sensitivity by eukaryotic ribosome display

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yongmin, Yang [Institute of Genetics, San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States); IgE Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States); Barankiewicz, Teresa J [Institute of Genetics, San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States); IgE Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States); Mingyue, He [Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT (United Kingdom); Taussig, Michael J [Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT (United Kingdom); Chen, Swey-Shen [Institute of Genetics, San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States) and IgE Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121-2233 (United States)

2007-07-27

Ribosome display is a cell-free system permitting gene selection through the physical association of genetic material (mRNA) and its phenotypic (protein) product. While often used to select single-chain antibodies from large libraries by panning against immobilized antigens, we have adapted ribosome display for use in the 'reverse' format in order to select high affinity antigenic determinants against solid-phase antibody. To create an antigenic scaffold, DNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) was fused to a light chain constant domain (C{kappa}) with stop codon deleted, and with 5' signals (T7 promoter, Kozak) enabling coupled transcription/translation in a eukaryotic cell-free system. Epitopes on either GFP (5') or C{kappa} (3') were selected by anti-GFP or anti-C{kappa} antibodies, respectively, coupled to magnetic beads. After selection, mRNA was amplified directly from protein-ribosome-mRNA (PRM) complexes by in situ PCR followed by internal amplification and reassembly PCR. As little as 10 fg of the 1 kb DNA construct, i.e. approximately 7500 molecules, could be recovered following a single round of interaction with solid-phase anti-GFP antibody. This platform is highly specific and sensitive for the antigen-antibody interaction and may permit selection and reshaping of high affinity antigenic variants of scaffold proteins.

Inhibition of IkappaB kinase-nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway by 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidene)piperidin-4-one (EF24), a novel monoketone analog of curcumin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasinski, Andrea L; Du, Yuhong; Thomas, Shala L; Zhao, Jing; Sun, Shi-Yong; Khuri, Fadlo R; Wang, Cun-Yu; Shoji, Mamoru; Sun, Aiming; Snyder, James P; Liotta, Dennis; Fu, Haian

2008-09-01

The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway has been targeted for therapeutic applications in a variety of human diseases, includuing cancer. Many naturally occurring substances, including curcumin, have been investigated for their actions on the NF-kappaB pathway because of their significant therapeutic potential and safety profile. A synthetic monoketone compound termed 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidene)piperidin-4-one (EF24) was developed from curcumin and exhibited potent anticancer activity. Here, we report a mechanism by which EF24 potently suppresses the NF-kappaB signaling pathway through direct action on IkappaB kinase (IKK). We demonstrate that 1) EF24 induces death of lung, breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cells, with a potency about 10 times higher than that of curcumin; 2) EF24 rapidly blocks the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB, with an IC(50) value of 1.3 microM compared with curcumin, with an IC(50) value of 13 microM; 3) EF24 effectively inhibits tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced IkappaB phosphorylation and degradation, suggesting a role of this compound in targeting IKK; and 4) EF24 indeed directly inhibits the catalytic activity of IKK in an in vitro-reconstituted system. Our study identifies IKK as an effective target for EF24 and provides a molecular explanation for a superior activity of EF24 over curcumin. The effective inhibition of TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB signaling by EF24 extends the therapeutic application of EF24 to other NF-kappaB-dependent diseases, including inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Stimulation of interleukin-13 expression by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 oncoprotein Tax via a dually active promoter element responsive to NF-kappaB and NFAT.

Science.gov (United States)

Silbermann, Katrin; Schneider, Grit; Grassmann, Ralph

2008-11-01

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax oncoprotein transforms human lymphocytes and is critical for the pathogenesis of HTLV-1-induced adult T-cell leukaemia. In HTLV-transformed cells, Tax upregulates interleukin (IL)-13, a cytokine with proliferative and anti-apoptotic functions that is linked to leukaemogenesis. Tax-stimulated IL-13 is thought to result in autocrine stimulation of HTLV-infected cells and thus may be relevant to their growth. The causal transactivation of the IL-13 promoter by Tax is predominantly dependent on a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)-binding P element. Here, it was shown that the isolated IL-13 Tax-responsive element (IL13TaxRE) was sufficient to mediate IL-13 transactivation by Tax and NFAT1. However, cyclosporin A, a specific NFAT inhibitor, revealed that Tax transactivation of IL13TaxRE or wild-type IL-13 promoter was independent of NFAT and that NFAT did not contribute to IL-13 upregulation in HTLV-transformed cells. By contrast, Tax stimulation was repressible by an efficient nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB inhibitor (IkBaDN), indicating the requirement for NF-kappaB. The capacity of NF-kappaB to stimulate IL13TaxRE was demonstrated by a strong response to NF-kappaB in reporter assays and by direct binding of NF-kappaB to IL13TaxRE. Thus, IL13TaxRE in the IL-13 promoter represents a dually active promoter element responsive to NF-kappaB and NFAT. Together, these results indicate that Tax causes IL-13 upregulation in HTLV-1-infected cells via NF-kappaB.

Frequency weighted model predictive control of wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klauco, Martin; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Mirzaei, Mahmood

2013-01-01

This work is focused on applying frequency weighted model predictive control (FMPC) on three blade horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). A wind turbine is a very complex, non-linear system influenced by a stochastic wind speed variation. The reduced dynamics considered in this work are the rotatio...... predictive controller are presented. Statistical comparison between frequency weighted MPC, standard MPC and baseline PI controller is shown as well.......This work is focused on applying frequency weighted model predictive control (FMPC) on three blade horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). A wind turbine is a very complex, non-linear system influenced by a stochastic wind speed variation. The reduced dynamics considered in this work...... are the rotational degree of freedom of the rotor and the tower for-aft movement. The MPC design is based on a receding horizon policy and a linearised model of the wind turbine. Due to the change of dynamics according to wind speed, several linearisation points must be considered and the control design adjusted...

Basicity of Systems of Sines with Linear Phase in Weighted Sobolev Spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. F. Salmanov

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The perturbed systems of sines, which appear when solving some partial differential equations by the Fourier method, are considered in this paper. Basis properties of these systems in weighted Sobolev spaces of functions are studied.

Real-time monitoring of inflammation status in 3T3-L1 adipocytes possessing a secretory Gaussia luciferase gene under the control of nuclear factor-kappa B response element

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagasaki, Haruka; Yoshimura, Takeshi [Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan); Aoki, Naohito, E-mail: n-aoki@bio.mie-u.ac.jp [Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan)

2012-04-13

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Inflammation status in adipocytes can be monitored by the new assay system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Only an aliquot of conditioned medium is required without cell lysis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Inflammation-attenuating compounds can be screened more conveniently. -- Abstract: We have established 3T3-L1 cells possessing a secretory Gaussia luciferase (GLuc) gene under the control of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-{kappa}B) response element. The 3T3-L1 cells named 3T3-L1-NF-{kappa}B-RE-GLuc could differentiate into adipocyte as comparably as parental 3T3-L1 cells. Inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-{alpha} and interleukin (IL)-1{beta} induced GLuc secretion of 3T3-L1-NF-{kappa}B-RE-GLuc adipocytes in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. GLuc secretion of 3T3-L1-NF-{kappa}B-RE-GLuc adipocytes was also induced when cultured with RAW264.7 macrophages and was dramatically enhanced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages. An NF-{kappa}B activation inhibitor BAY-11-7085 and an antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine significantly suppressed GLuc secretion induced by macrophages. Finally, we found that rosemary-derived carnosic acid strongly suppressed GLuc secretion induced by macrophages and on the contrary up-regulated adiponectin secretion. Collectively, by using 3T3-L1-NF-{kappa}B-RE-GLuc adipocytes, inflammation status can be monitored in real time and inflammation-attenuating compounds can be screened more conveniently.

A mechanical comparison of linear and double-looped hung supplemental heavy chain resistance to the back squat: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Neelly, Kurt R; Terry, Joseph G; Morris, Martin J

2010-01-01

A relatively new and scarcely researched technique to increase strength is the use of supplemental heavy chain resistance (SHCR) in conjunction with plate weights to provide variable resistance to free weight exercises. The purpose of this case study was to determine the actual resistance being provided by a double-looped versus a linear hung SHCR to the back squat exercise. The linear technique simply hangs the chain directly from the bar, whereas the double-looped technique uses a smaller chain to adjust the height of the looped chain. In both techniques, as the squat descends, chain weight is unloaded onto the floor, and as the squat ascends, chain weight is progressively loaded back as resistance. One experienced and trained male weight lifter (age = 33 yr; height = 1.83 m; weight = 111.4 kg) served as the subject. Plate weight was set at 84.1 kg, approximately 50% of the subject's 1 repetition maximum. The SHCR was affixed to load cells, sampling at a frequency of 500 Hz, which were affixed to the Olympic bar. Data were collected as the subject completed the back squat under the following conditions: double-looped 1 chain (9.6 kg), double-looped 2 chains (19.2 kg), linear 1 chain, and linear 2 chains. The double-looped SHCR resulted in a 78-89% unloading of the chain weight at the bottom of the squat, whereas the linear hanging SHCR resulted in only a 36-42% unloading. The double-looped technique provided nearly 2 times the variable resistance at the top of the squat compared with the linear hanging technique, showing that attention must be given to the technique used to hang SHCR.

Vergleichende Analyse der Expression des Glukokortikoid-Rezeptors und der NF-kappaB Untereinheit p50 in Lymphozyten von Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis und Gesunden

OpenAIRE

Klüter, Andreas

2003-01-01

Zielstellung: Es wurden die Expression des antiinflammatorisch wirkenden Transkriptionsfaktors Glukokortikoid-Rezeptor (GR) und der Untereinheit p50 des proinflammatorischen Transkriptionsfaktor NF-kappaB in peripheren mononuklearen Blutzellen (PBMC) von Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis (RA) untersucht. Methode: Es wurden unbehandelte und mit Glukokortikoiden vorbehandelte RA-Patienten sowie gesunde Probanden verglichen. Die Expressionsanalyse von GR und der NF-kappaB Untereinheit p50 ...

Transmission of linear regression patterns between time series: from relationship in time series to complex networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiangyun; An, Haizhong; Fang, Wei; Huang, Xuan; Li, Huajiao; Zhong, Weiqiong; Ding, Yinghui

2014-07-01

The linear regression parameters between two time series can be different under different lengths of observation period. If we study the whole period by the sliding window of a short period, the change of the linear regression parameters is a process of dynamic transmission over time. We tackle fundamental research that presents a simple and efficient computational scheme: a linear regression patterns transmission algorithm, which transforms linear regression patterns into directed and weighted networks. The linear regression patterns (nodes) are defined by the combination of intervals of the linear regression parameters and the results of the significance testing under different sizes of the sliding window. The transmissions between adjacent patterns are defined as edges, and the weights of the edges are the frequency of the transmissions. The major patterns, the distance, and the medium in the process of the transmission can be captured. The statistical results of weighted out-degree and betweenness centrality are mapped on timelines, which shows the features of the distribution of the results. Many measurements in different areas that involve two related time series variables could take advantage of this algorithm to characterize the dynamic relationships between the time series from a new perspective.

An example in linear quadratic optimal control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weiss, George; Zwart, Heiko J.

1998-01-01

We construct a simple example of a quadratic optimal control problem for an infinite-dimensional linear system based on a shift semigroup. This system has an unbounded control operator. The cost is quadratic in the input and the state, and the weighting operators are bounded. Despite its extreme

Joint environmental policy making and sustainable practices for the cardboard production: case study: Smurfit Kappa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carpio-Aguilar, J.C.; Franco Garcia, Maria Maria

2013-01-01

Purpose – This paper presents an analysis of the influence of “Joint Environmental Policy-making” (JEP) in the operation of the company Smurfit Kappa (SK) in The Netherlands, Austria and Denmark (NL&AD). The paper aims to answer the question: to what extend has different levels of jointness and

Linearly and nonlinearly optimized weighted essentially non-oscillatory methods for compressible turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Ellen Meredith

Weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) methods have been developed to simultaneously provide robust shock-capturing in compressible fluid flow and avoid excessive damping of fine-scale flow features such as turbulence. This is accomplished by constructing multiple candidate numerical stencils that adaptively combine so as to provide high order of accuracy and high bandwidth-resolving efficiency in continuous flow regions while averting instability-provoking interpolation across discontinuities. Under certain conditions in compressible turbulence, however, numerical dissipation remains unacceptably high even after optimization of the linear optimal stencil combination that dominates in smooth regions. The remaining nonlinear error arises from two primary sources: (i) the smoothness measurement that governs the application of adaptation away from the optimal stencil and (ii) the numerical properties of individual candidate stencils that govern numerical accuracy when adaptation engages. In this work, both of these sources are investigated, and corrective modifications to the WENO methodology are proposed and evaluated. Excessive nonlinear error due to the first source is alleviated through two separately considered procedures appended to the standard smoothness measurement technique that are designated the "relative smoothness limiter" and the "relative total variation limiter." In theory, appropriate values of their associated parameters should be insensitive to flow configuration, thereby sidestepping the prospect of costly parameter tuning; and this expectation of broad effectiveness is assessed in direct numerical simulations (DNS) of one-dimensional inviscid test problems, three-dimensional compressible isotropic turbulence of varying Reynolds and turbulent Mach numbers, and shock/isotropic-turbulence interaction (SITI). In the process, tools for efficiently comparing WENO adaptation behavior in smooth versus shock-containing regions are developed. The

Carbachol ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal epithelial tight junction damage by down-regulating NF-{kappa}{beta} and myosin light-chain kinase pathways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Ying [Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine Center, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, People' s Republic of China (China); Li, Jianguo, E-mail: 2010lijianguo@sina.cn [Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine Center, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, People' s Republic of China (China)

2012-11-16

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbachol reduced the lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal barrier breakdown. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbachol ameliorated the lipopolysaccharide-induced ileal tight junction damage. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbachol prevented the LPS-induced NF-{kappa}{beta} and myosin light-chain kinase activation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbachol exerted its beneficial effects in an {alpha}7 nicotinic receptor-dependent manner. -- Abstract: Carbachol is a cholinergic agonist that protects the intestines after trauma or burn injury. The present study determines the beneficial effects of carbachol and the mechanisms by which it ameliorates the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier breakdown. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg LPS. Results showed that the gut barrier permeability was reduced, the ultrastructural disruption of tight junctions (TJs) was prevented, the redistribution of zonula occludens-1 and claudin-2 proteins was partially reversed, and the nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-{kappa}{beta}) and myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) activation in the intestinal epithelium were suppressed after carbachol administration in LPS-exposed rats. Pretreatment with the {alpha}7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ({alpha}7nAchR) antagonist {alpha}-bungarotoxin blocked the protective action of carbachol. These results suggested that carbachol treatment can protect LPS-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction. Carbachol exerts its beneficial effect on the amelioration of the TJ damage by inhibiting the NF-{kappa}{beta} and MLCK pathways in an {alpha}7nAchR-dependent manner.

Common SAR Derived from Linear and Non-linear QSAR Studies on AChE Inhibitors used in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulikkal, Babitha Pallikkara; Marunnan, Sahila Mohammed; Bandaru, Srinivas; Yadav, Mukesh; Nayarisseri, Anuraj; Sureshkumar, Sivanpillai

2017-11-14

Deficits in cholinergic neurotransmission due to the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the brain are believed to be one of the major causes of the memory impairments associated with AD. Targeting acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) surfaced as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The present study is pursued to develop quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models to determine chemical descriptors responsible for AChE activity. Two different sets of AChE inhibitors, dataset-I (30 compounds) and dataset-II (20 compounds) were investigated through MLR aided linear and SVM aided non-linear QSAR models. The obtained QSAR models were found statistically fit, stable and predictive on validation scales. These QSAR models were further investigated for their common structure-activity relationship in terms of overlapping molecular descriptors selection. Atomic mass weighted 3D Morse descriptors (MATS5m) and Radial Distribution Function (RDF045m) descriptors were found in common SAR for both the datasets. Electronegativity weighted (MATS5e, HATSe, and Mor17e) descriptors have also been identified in regulative roles towards endpoint values of dataset-I and dataset-II. The common SAR identified in these linear and non-linear QSAR models could be utilized to design novel inhibitors of AChE with improved biological activity. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Oleamide suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2 through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in BV2 murine microglial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Young Taek; Lee, Jung Yeon; Lee, Jinhwa; Lee, Ju Hie; Kim, Ja-Eun; Ha, Joohun; Kang, Insug

2010-05-03

Oleamide (cis-9-octadecenamide) is an endogenous sleep-inducing fatty acid amide that accumulates in the cerebrospinal fluid of the sleep-deprived animals. Microglia are the major immune cells involved in neuroinflammation causing brain damage during infection, ischemia, and neurodegenerative disease. In this study, we examined the effects of oleamide on LPS-induced production of proinflammatory mediators and the mechanisms involved in BV2 microglia. Oleamide inhibited LPS-induced production of NO and prostaglandin E2 as well as expression of iNOS and COX-2. We showed that oleamide blocked LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and phosphorylation of inhibitor kappaB kinase (IKK). We also showed that oleamide inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of Akt, p38 MAPK, and ERK, activation of PI 3-kinase, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Finally, we showed that a specific antagonist of the CB2 receptor, AM630, blocked the inhibitory effects of oleamide on LPS-induced production of proinflammatory mediators and activation of NF-kappaB. Taken together, our results suggest that oleamide shows an anti-inflammatory effect through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia. 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

On D-branes from gauged linear sigma models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Govindarajan, S.; Jayaraman, T.; Sarkar, T.

2001-01-01

We study both A-type and B-type D-branes in the gauged linear sigma model by considering worldsheets with boundary. The boundary conditions on the matter and vector multiplet fields are first considered in the large-volume phase/non-linear sigma model limit of the corresponding Calabi-Yau manifold, where we find that we need to add a contact term on the boundary. These considerations enable to us to derive the boundary conditions in the full gauged linear sigma model, including the addition of the appropriate boundary contact terms, such that these boundary conditions have the correct non-linear sigma model limit. Most of the analysis is for the case of Calabi-Yau manifolds with one Kaehler modulus (including those corresponding to hypersurfaces in weighted projective space), though we comment on possible generalisations

Transcultural adaptation and reliability of the Spanish version of a questionnaire about oral hygiene advice given by dentists in Chile.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilze Maldupa

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim: To adapt and evaluate validity and reliability of the Spanish version of a questionnaire about oral hygiene advice given by dentists in Chile Materials and methods: A validation study was conducted according to recommendations of COSMIN. The original questionnaire was adapted from English into Spanish using translation, back translation, expert review and pilot test sample by 56 dentists. The instrument consisted of 3 sections: recommendations for oral hygiene, relevance given to delivery of oral hygiene instruction and training and experience in delivering oral hygiene recommendations. It was reapplied in 5 of them a week later. Reliability was measured with internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha, test-retest reliability (Cohen’s kappa and weighted kappa and measurement error (limits of agreement, LdA. Content validity was evaluated by experts and construct validity by using convergent validity (Pearson correlation. Results: A good level of internal consistency that applies to 5 items (Cronbach’s alpha=0.73 was obtained. For items on a nominal scale, Cohen Kappa coefficient was 0.80 (95% CI=0.64 to 0.95 and for ordinal items weighted kappa coefficient (linear weighting was 0.76 (95% CI=0.65 to 0.88. The difference between the scores calculated for the measurements was 1 standard deviation 2.35. Ninety five percent of the differences were between -5.7 to 3.7 (+/-4.7 LoA=1 and the variance of the total score was 29- 41. A good level of convergent validity (Pearson correlation=0.63 was obtained. Conclusion: The final questionnaire is valid and reliable to be applied to Chilean dentists with a profile like those included in this study in order to identify and quantify the oral hygiene instruction they provide to patients. Future studies should assess validity and reliability of this adaptation for other Spanish-speaking countries.

Excess body weight in children may increase the length of hospital stay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Teresa Bechere Fernandes

2015-02-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of excess body weight in the pediatric ward of University Hospital and to test both the association between initial nutritional diagnosis and the length of stay and the in-hospital variation in nutritional status. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study based on information entered in clinical records from University Hospital. The data were collected from a convenience sample of 91 cases among children aged one to 10 years admitted to the hospital in 2009. The data that characterize the sample are presented in a descriptive manner. Additionally, we performed a multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for age and gender. RESULTS: Nutritional classification at baseline showed that 87.8% of the children had a normal weight and that 8.9% had excess weight. The linear regression models showed that the average weight loss z-score of the children with excess weight compared with the group with normal weight was −0.48 (p = 0.018 and that their length of stay was 2.37 days longer on average compared with that of the normal-weight group (p = 0.047. CONCLUSIONS: The length of stay and loss of weight at the hospital may be greater among children with excess weight than among children with normal weight.

Time-Weighted Balanced Stochastic Model Reduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tahavori, Maryamsadat; Shaker, Hamid Reza

2011-01-01

A new relative error model reduction technique for linear time invariant (LTI) systems is proposed in this paper. Both continuous and discrete time systems can be reduced within this framework. The proposed model reduction method is mainly based upon time-weighted balanced truncation and a recently...

ANALYSIS OF HOLLOW COIL HELICAL EXTENSION SPRING AND THE STUDY OF OPTIMIZING THE WEIGHT

OpenAIRE

Naman Gupta*1, Manas purohit2 & Deepika potghan3

2017-01-01

This paper shows the study which deals with the weight reduction for tensile extension spring by changing the solid spring to hollow one. The springs which are generally used are in solid form due to which the weight of entire body in which the spring is attached gets increased. The forces which can be act on spring may be linear push or linear pull or radial type. This spring deflect by pulling and regain its shape when pulling is neglect. The weight of tensile spring is reduced by changing ...

Regional differences in mu and kappa opioid receptor G-protein activation in brain in male and female prairie voles.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, T J; Sexton, T; Kim, S A; Severino, A L; Peters, C M; Young, L J; Childers, S R

2015-12-17

Prairie voles are unusual mammals in that, like humans, they are capable of forming socially monogamous pair bonds, display biparental care, and engage in alloparental behaviors. Both mu and kappa opioid receptors are involved in behaviors that either establish and maintain, or result from pair bond formation in these animals. Mu and kappa opioid receptors both utilize inhibitory G-proteins in signal transduction mechanisms, however the efficacy by which these receptor subtypes stimulate G-protein signaling across the prairie vole neuraxis is not known. Utilizing [(35)S]GTPγS autoradiography, we characterized the efficacy of G-protein stimulation in coronal sections throughout male and female prairie vole brains by [D-Ala2,NMe-Phe4,Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAMGO) and U50,488H, selective mu and kappa opioid agonists, respectively. DAMGO stimulation was highest in the forebrain, similar to that found with other rodent species. U-50,488H produced greater stimulation in prairie voles than is typically seen in mice and rats, particularly in select forebrain areas. DAMGO produced higher stimulation in the core versus the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in females, while the distribution of U-50,488H stimulation was the opposite. There were no gender differences for U50,488H stimulation of G-protein activity across the regions examined, while DAMGO stimulation was greater in sections from females compared to those from males for NAc core, entopeduncular nucleus, and hippocampus. These data suggest that the kappa opioid system may be more sensitive to manipulation in prairie voles compared to mice and rats, and that female prairie voles may be more sensitive to mu agonists in select brain regions than males. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex Differences in Kappa Opioid Receptor Function and Their Potential Impact on Addiction

OpenAIRE

Chartoff, Elena H.; Mavrikaki, Maria

2015-01-01

Behavioral, biological, and social sequelae that lead to drug addiction differ between men and women. Our efforts to understand addiction on a mechanistic level must include studies in both males and females. Stress, anxiety, and depression are tightly linked to addiction, and whether they precede or result from compulsive drug use depends on many factors, including biological sex. The neuropeptide dynorphin (DYN), an endogenous ligand at kappa opioid receptors (KORs), is necessary for stress...

Novel point estimation from a semiparametric ratio estimator (SPRE): long-term health outcomes from short-term linear data, with application to weight loss in obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Weissman-Miller, Deborah

2013-11-02

Point estimation is particularly important in predicting weight loss in individuals or small groups. In this analysis, a new health response function is based on a model of human response over time to estimate long-term health outcomes from a change point in short-term linear regression. This important estimation capability is addressed for small groups and single-subject designs in pilot studies for clinical trials, medical and therapeutic clinical practice. These estimations are based on a change point given by parameters derived from short-term participant data in ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The development of the change point in initial OLS data and the point estimations are given in a new semiparametric ratio estimator (SPRE) model. The new response function is taken as a ratio of two-parameter Weibull distributions times a prior outcome value that steps estimated outcomes forward in time, where the shape and scale parameters are estimated at the change point. The Weibull distributions used in this ratio are derived from a Kelvin model in mechanics taken here to represent human beings. A distinct feature of the SPRE model in this article is that initial treatment response for a small group or a single subject is reflected in long-term response to treatment. This model is applied to weight loss in obesity in a secondary analysis of data from a classic weight loss study, which has been selected due to the dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. A very small relative error of estimated to test data is shown for obesity treatment with the weight loss medication phentermine or placebo for the test dataset. An application of SPRE in clinical medicine or occupational therapy is to estimate long-term weight loss for a single subject or a small group near the beginning of treatment.

Combining forecast weights: Why and how?

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Yip Chee; Kok-Haur, Ng; Hock-Eam, Lim

2012-09-01

This paper proposes a procedure called forecast weight averaging which is a specific combination of forecast weights obtained from different methods of constructing forecast weights for the purpose of improving the accuracy of pseudo out of sample forecasting. It is found that under certain specified conditions, forecast weight averaging can lower the mean squared forecast error obtained from model averaging. In addition, we show that in a linear and homoskedastic environment, this superior predictive ability of forecast weight averaging holds true irrespective whether the coefficients are tested by t statistic or z statistic provided the significant level is within the 10% range. By theoretical proofs and simulation study, we have shown that model averaging like, variance model averaging, simple model averaging and standard error model averaging, each produces mean squared forecast error larger than that of forecast weight averaging. Finally, this result also holds true marginally when applied to business and economic empirical data sets, Gross Domestic Product (GDP growth rate), Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Average Lending Rate (ALR) of Malaysia.

Decoding suprathreshold stochastic resonance with optimal weights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Liyan; Vladusich, Tony; Duan, Fabing; Gunn, Lachlan J.; Abbott, Derek; McDonnell, Mark D.

2015-01-01

We investigate an array of stochastic quantizers for converting an analog input signal into a discrete output in the context of suprathreshold stochastic resonance. A new optimal weighted decoding is considered for different threshold level distributions. We show that for particular noise levels and choices of the threshold levels optimally weighting the quantizer responses provides a reduced mean square error in comparison with the original unweighted array. However, there are also many parameter regions where the original array provides near optimal performance, and when this occurs, it offers a much simpler approach than optimally weighting each quantizer's response. - Highlights: • A weighted summing array of independently noisy binary comparators is investigated. • We present an optimal linearly weighted decoding scheme for combining the comparator responses. • We solve for the optimal weights by applying least squares regression to simulated data. • We find that the MSE distortion of weighting before summation is superior to unweighted summation of comparator responses. • For some parameter regions, the decrease in MSE distortion due to weighting is negligible

Cloning and characterization of R-PTP-kappa, a new member of the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase family with a proteolytically cleaved cellular adhesion molecule-like extracellular region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Y P; Wang, H; D'Eustachio, P

1993-01-01

We describe a new member of the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase family, R-PTP-kappa, cDNA cloning predicts that R-PTP-kappa is synthesized from a precursor protein of 1,457 amino acids. Its intracellular domain displays the classical tandemly repeated protein tyrosine phosphatase homology, ...

Induction of cyclooxygenase-2 in macrophages by catalase: role of NF-kappaB and PI3K signaling pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Byeong-Churl; Kim, Do-Hyun; Park, Jong-Wook; Kwon, Taeg Kyu; Kim, Sang-Pyo; Song, Dae-Kyu; Park, Jong-Gu; Bae, Jae-Hoon; Mun, Kyo-Chul; Baek, Won-Ki; Suh, Min-Ho; Hla, Timothy; Suh, Seong-Il

2004-04-02

Induction of COX-2 by catalase in smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and neuronal cells has been previously reported. However, the mechanism by which catalase up-regulates COX-2 remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of catalase on induction of COX-2 in macrophages. The addition of catalase into Raw 264.7 macrophages induced COX-2 expression that was correlated with increased COX-2 transcription and mRNA stability. Catalase also induced activation of NF-kappaB, PI3K, ERKs, p38s, or JNKs. Catalase-induced COX-2 expression was abrogated by treatment of MG-132 (a NF-kappaB inhibitor) or LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor), but not by treatment of PD98059 (an ERK inhibitor), SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor), or SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor). Moreover, inhibition of PI3K by LY294002 caused partial decrease of catalase-induced COX-2 transcription and steady-state COX-2 transcript levels, but not COX-2 mRNA stability. Together, these results suggest that catalase induces the expression of COX-2 in Raw 264.7 macrophages, and the induction is related with activation of NF-kappaB transcription factor and PI3K signaling pathway.

Use of linear discriminant function analysis in seed morphotype ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Use of linear discriminant function analysis in seed morphotype relationship study in 31 ... Data were collected on 100-seed weight, seed length and seed width. ... to the Mesoamerican gene pool, comprising the cultigroups Sieva-Big Lima, ...

Repeated biopsies in prostate cancer patients on active surveillance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Frederik Birkebaek; Marcussen, Niels; Berg, Kasper Drimer

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical implications of interobserver variation in the assessment of re-biopsies obtained during active surveillance (AS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 107 low-risk prostate cancer patients with a total of 93 diagnostic biopsy sets and 109 re-biopsy sets were...... included. The ISUP 2005 Gleason scoring system was applied for the histopathological assessment of all biopsies. Three different definitions of histopathological progression were applied. Unweighted and linear weighted Kappa statistics were used to compare the interobserver agreement. RESULTS: The overall...... recommendations would have changed in up to 10.1% (95% CI: 5.4%-17.7%) of the 109 re-biopsy sets. CONCLUSION: Kappa statistics demonstrated a strong agreement between the histological evaluations. Still, up to 10% of AS patients would receive different treatment recommendation depending upon which...

Noise and non-linearities in high-throughput data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Viet-Anh; Lió, Pietro; Koukolíková-Nicola, Zdena; Bagnoli, Franco

2009-01-01

High-throughput data analyses are becoming common in biology, communications, economics and sociology. The vast amounts of data are usually represented in the form of matrices and can be considered as knowledge networks. Spectra-based approaches have proved useful in extracting hidden information within such networks and for estimating missing data, but these methods are based essentially on linear assumptions. The physical models of matching, when applicable, often suggest non-linear mechanisms, that may sometimes be identified as noise. The use of non-linear models in data analysis, however, may require the introduction of many parameters, which lowers the statistical weight of the model. According to the quality of data, a simpler linear analysis may be more convenient than more complex approaches. In this paper, we show how a simple non-parametric Bayesian model may be used to explore the role of non-linearities and noise in synthetic and experimental data sets

IAPs contain an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitin-binding domain that regulates NF-kappaB as well as cell survival and oncogenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gyrd-Hansen, Mads; Darding, Maurice; Miasari, Maria

2008-01-01

found that the UBA domain is essential for the oncogenic potential of cIAP1, to maintain endothelial cell survival and to protect cells from TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Moreover, the UBA domain is required for XIAP and cIAP2-MALT1 to activate NF-kappaB. Our data suggest that the UBA domain of cIAP2......-MALT1 stimulates NF-kappaB signalling by binding to polyubiquitylated NEMO. Significantly, 98% of all cIAP2-MALT1 fusion proteins retain the UBA domain, suggesting that ubiquitin-binding contributes to the oncogenic potential of cIAP2-MALT1 in MALT lymphoma. Our data identify IAPs as ubiquitin...

Impedimetric aptasensor for nuclear factor kappa B with peroxidase-like mimic coupled DNA nanoladders as enhancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Kanfu; Zhao, Hongwen; Xie, Pan; Hu, Shuang; Yuan, Yali; Yuan, Ruo; Wu, Xiongfei

2016-07-15

In this work, we developed a sensitive and universal aptasensor for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) detection based on peroxidase-like mimic coupled DNA nanoladders for signal amplification. The dsDNA formed by capture DNA S1 and NF-κB binding aptamer (NBA) was firstly assembled on electrode surface. The presence of target NF-κB then led to the leave of NBA from electrode surface and thus provided the binding sites for immobilizing initiator to trigger in situ formation of DNA nanoladders on electrode surface. Since the peroxidase-like mimic manganese (III) meso-tetrakis (4-Nmethylpyridyl)-porphyrin (MnTMPyP) interacts with DNA nanoladders via groove binding, the insoluble benzo-4-chlorohexadienone (4-CD) precipitation derived from the oxidation of 4-chloro-1-naphthol (4-CN) could be formed on electrode surface in the presence of H2O2, resulting in a significantly amplified EIS signal output for quantitative target analysis. As a result, the developed aptasensor showed a low detection limit of 7pM and a wide linear range of 0.01-20nM. Featured with high sensitivity and label-free capability, the proposed sensing scheme can thus offer new opportunities for achieving sensitive, selective and stable detection of different types of target proteins. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Describing Growth Pattern of Bali Cows Using Non-linear Regression Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd. Hafiz A.W

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the best fit non-linear regression model to describe the growth pattern of Bali cows. Estimates of asymptotic mature weight, rate of maturing and constant of integration were derived from Brody, von Bertalanffy, Gompertz and Logistic models which were fitted to cross-sectional data of body weight taken from 74 Bali cows raised in MARDI Research Station Muadzam Shah Pahang. Coefficient of determination (R2 and residual mean squares (MSE were used to determine the best fit model in describing the growth pattern of Bali cows. Von Bertalanffy model was the best model among the four growth functions evaluated to determine the mature weight of Bali cattle as shown by the highest R2 and lowest MSE values (0.973 and 601.9, respectively, followed by Gompertz (0.972 and 621.2, respectively, Logistic (0.971 and 648.4, respectively and Brody (0.932 and 660.5, respectively models. The correlation between rate of maturing and mature weight was found to be negative in the range of -0.170 to -0.929 for all models, indicating that animals of heavier mature weight had lower rate of maturing. The use of non-linear model could summarize the weight-age relationship into several biologically interpreted parameters compared to the entire lifespan weight-age data points that are difficult and time consuming to interpret.

Inter-Observer Agreement on Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Interpretation for Diagnosis of Acute Ischemic Stroke Among Emergency Physicians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deniz ORAY

2015-06-01

Full Text Available SUMMARY: Objectives: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI is a highly sensitive tool for the detection of early ischemic stroke and is excellent at detecting small and early infarcts. Nevertheless, conflict may arise and judgments may differ among different interpreters. Inter-observer variability shows the systematic difference among different observers and is expressed as the kappa (Κ coefficient. In this study, we aimed to determinate the inter-observer variability among emergency physicians in the use of DW-MRI for the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Cranial DW-MRI images of 50 patients were interpreted in this retrospective observational cross-sectional study. Patients who were submitted to DW-MRI imaging for a suspected acute ischemic stroke were included in the study, unless the scans were ordered by any of the reviewers or they were absent in the system. The scans were blindly and randomly interpreted by four emergency physicians. Inter-observer agreement between reviewers was evaluated using Fleiss’ Κ statistics. Results: The mean kappa value for high signal on diffusion-weighted images (DWI and for reduction on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC were substantial (k=0.67 and moderate (k=0.60 respectively. The correlation for detection of the presence of ischemia and location was substantial (k: 0.67. There were 18 false-positive and 4 false-negative evaluations of DWI, 15 false positive and 8 false-negative evaluations of ADC. Conclusions: Our data suggest that DW-MRI is reliable in screening for ischemic stroke when interpreted by emergency physicians in the emergency department. The levels of stroke identification and variability show that emergency physicians may have an acceptable level of agreement. Key words: Emergency department, diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging, inter-observer agreement, ischemic stroke

A phenomenological biological dose model for proton therapy based on linear energy transfer spectra.

Science.gov (United States)

Rørvik, Eivind; Thörnqvist, Sara; Stokkevåg, Camilla H; Dahle, Tordis J; Fjaera, Lars Fredrik; Ytre-Hauge, Kristian S

2017-06-01

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of protons varies with the radiation quality, quantified by the linear energy transfer (LET). Most phenomenological models employ a linear dependency of the dose-averaged LET (LET d ) to calculate the biological dose. However, several experiments have indicated a possible non-linear trend. Our aim was to investigate if biological dose models including non-linear LET dependencies should be considered, by introducing a LET spectrum based dose model. The RBE-LET relationship was investigated by fitting of polynomials from 1st to 5th degree to a database of 85 data points from aerobic in vitro experiments. We included both unweighted and weighted regression, the latter taking into account experimental uncertainties. Statistical testing was performed to decide whether higher degree polynomials provided better fits to the data as compared to lower degrees. The newly developed models were compared to three published LET d based models for a simulated spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) scenario. The statistical analysis of the weighted regression analysis favored a non-linear RBE-LET relationship, with the quartic polynomial found to best represent the experimental data (P = 0.010). The results of the unweighted regression analysis were on the borderline of statistical significance for non-linear functions (P = 0.053), and with the current database a linear dependency could not be rejected. For the SOBP scenario, the weighted non-linear model estimated a similar mean RBE value (1.14) compared to the three established models (1.13-1.17). The unweighted model calculated a considerably higher RBE value (1.22). The analysis indicated that non-linear models could give a better representation of the RBE-LET relationship. However, this is not decisive, as inclusion of the experimental uncertainties in the regression analysis had a significant impact on the determination and ranking of the models. As differences between the models were

Tried and True: Springing into Linear Models

Science.gov (United States)

Darling, Gerald

2012-01-01

In eighth grade, students usually learn about forces in science class and linear relationships in math class, crucial topics that form the foundation for further study in science and engineering. An activity that links these two fundamental concepts involves measuring the distance a spring stretches as a function of how much weight is suspended…

Height and Weight Estimation From Anthropometric Measurements Using Machine Learning Regressions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rativa, Diego; Fernandes, Bruno J T; Roque, Alexandre

2018-01-01

Height and weight are measurements explored to tracking nutritional diseases, energy expenditure, clinical conditions, drug dosages, and infusion rates. Many patients are not ambulant or may be unable to communicate, and a sequence of these factors may not allow accurate estimation or measurements; in those cases, it can be estimated approximately by anthropometric means. Different groups have proposed different linear or non-linear equations which coefficients are obtained by using single or multiple linear regressions. In this paper, we present a complete study of the application of different learning models to estimate height and weight from anthropometric measurements: support vector regression, Gaussian process, and artificial neural networks. The predicted values are significantly more accurate than that obtained with conventional linear regressions. In all the cases, the predictions are non-sensitive to ethnicity, and to gender, if more than two anthropometric parameters are analyzed. The learning model analysis creates new opportunities for anthropometric applications in industry, textile technology, security, and health care.

A method for reducing misclassification in the extended Glasgow Outcome Score.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Juan; Marmarou, Anthony; Lapane, Kate; Turf, Elizabeth; Wilson, Lindsay

2010-05-01

The eight-point extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) is commonly used as the primary outcome measure in traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical trials. The outcome is conventionally collected through a structured interview with the patient alone or together with a caretaker. Despite the fact that using the structured interview questionnaires helps reach agreement in GOSE assessment between raters, significant variation remains among different raters. We introduce an alternate GOSE rating system as an aid in determining GOSE scores, with the objective of reducing inter-rater variation in the primary outcome assessment in TBI trials. Forty-five trauma centers were randomly assigned to three groups to assess GOSE scores on sample cases, using the alternative GOSE rating system coupled with central quality control (Group 1), the alternative system alone (Group 2), or conventional structured interviews (Group 3). The inter-rater variation between an expert and untrained raters was assessed for each group and reported through raw agreement and with weighted kappa (kappa) statistics. Groups 2 and 3 without central review yielded inter-rater agreements of 83% (weighted kappa = 0.81; 95% CI 0.69, 0.92) and 83% (weighted kappa = 0.76, 95% CI 0.63, 0.89), respectively, in GOS scores. In GOSE, the groups had an agreement of 76% (weighted kappa = 0.79; 95% CI 0.69, 0.89), and 63% (weighted kappa = 0.70; 95% CI 0.60, 0.81), respectively. The group using the alternative rating system coupled with central monitoring yielded the highest inter-rater agreement among the three groups in rating GOS (97%; weighted kappa = 0.95; 95% CI 0.89, 1.00), and GOSE (97%; weighted kappa = 0.97; 95% CI 0.91, 1.00). The alternate system is an improved GOSE rating method that reduces inter-rater variations and provides for the first time, source documentation and structured narratives that allow a thorough central review of information. The data suggest that a collective effort can be made to

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of current-driven waves in dusty plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Ali; Ali Shan, S.; Haque, Q.; Saleem, H.

2012-09-01

The linear and nonlinear dynamics of a recently proposed plasma mode of dusty plasma is studied using kappa distribution for electrons. This electrostatic wave can propagate in the plasma due to the sheared flow of electrons and ions parallel to the external magnetic field in the presence of stationary dust. The coupling of this wave with the usual drift wave and ion acoustic wave is investigated. D'Angelo's mode is also modified in the presence of superthermal electrons. In the nonlinear regime, the wave can give rise to dipolar vortex structures if the shear in flow is weaker and tripolar vortices if the flow has steeper gradient. The results have been applied to Saturn's magnetosphere corresponding to negatively charged dust grains. But the theoretical model is applicable for positively charged dust as well. This work will be useful for future observations and studies of dusty environments of planets and comets.

Forest fire risk assessment-an integrated approach based on multicriteria evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Goleiji, Elham; Hosseini, Seyed Mohsen; Khorasani, Nematollah; Monavari, Seyed Masoud

2017-11-06

The present study deals with application of the weighted linear combination method for zoning of forest fire risk in Dohezar and Sehezar region of Mazandaran province in northern Iran. In this study, the effective criteria for fires were identified by the Delphi method, and these included ecological and socioeconomic parameters. In this regard, the first step comprised of digital layers; the required data were provided from databases, related centers, and field data collected in the region. Then, the map of criteria was digitized in a geographic information system, and all criteria and indexes were normalized by fuzzy logic. After that, the geographic information system (GIS 10.3) was integrated with the Weighted Linear Combination and the Analytical Network Process, to produce zonation of the forest fire risk map in the Dohezar and Sehezar region. In order to analyze accuracy of the evaluation, the results obtained from the study were compared to records of former fire incidents in the region. This was done using the Kappa coefficient test and a receiver operating characteristic curve. The model showing estimations for forest fire risk explained that the prepared map had accuracy of 90% determined by the Kappa coefficient test and the value of 0.924 by receiver operating characteristic. These results showed that the prepared map had high accuracy and efficacy.

Vitamin K3 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury through inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, S; Nishiumi, S; Nishida, M; Mizushina, Y; Kobayashi, K; Masuda, A; Fujita, T; Morita, Y; Mizuno, S; Kutsumi, H; Azuma, T; Yoshida, M

2010-05-01

Vitamin K is a family of fat-soluble compounds including phylloquinone (vitamin K1), menaquinone (vitamin K2) and menadione (vitamin K3). Recently, it was reported that vitamin K, especially vitamins K1 and K2, exerts a variety of biological effects, and these compounds are expected to be candidates for therapeutic agents against various diseases. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin K3 in in vitro cultured cell experiments and in vivo animal experiments. In human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells, vitamin K3 inhibited the tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-evoked translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB into the nucleus, although vitamins K1 and K2 did not. Vitamin K3 also suppressed the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and production of TNF-alpha in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, the addition of vitamin K3 before and after LPS administration attenuated the severity of lung injury in an animal model of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which occurs in the setting of acute severe illness complicated by systemic inflammation. In the ARDS model, vitamin K3 also suppressed the LPS-induced increase in the serum TNF-alpha level and inhibited the LPS-evoked nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in lung tissue. Despite marked efforts, little therapeutic progress has been made, and the mortality rate of ARDS remains high. Vitamin K3 may be an effective therapeutic strategy against acute lung injury including ARDS.

Inter- and intra- observer reliability of risk assessment of repetitive work without an explicit method.

Science.gov (United States)

Eliasson, Kristina; Palm, Peter; Nyman, Teresia; Forsman, Mikael

2017-07-01

A common way to conduct practical risk assessments is to observe a job and report the observed long term risks for musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer reliability of ergonomists' risk assessments without the support of an explicit risk assessment method. Twenty-one experienced ergonomists assessed the risk level (low, moderate, high risk) of eight upper body regions, as well as the global risk of 10 video recorded work tasks. Intra-observer reliability was assessed by having nine of the ergonomists repeat the procedure at least three weeks after the first assessment. The ergonomists made their risk assessment based on his/her experience and knowledge. The statistical parameters of reliability included agreement in %, kappa, linearly weighted kappa, intraclass correlation and Kendall's coefficient of concordance. The average inter-observer agreement of the global risk was 53% and the corresponding weighted kappa (K w ) was 0.32, indicating fair reliability. The intra-observer agreement was 61% and 0.41 (K w ). This study indicates that risk assessments of the upper body, without the use of an explicit observational method, have non-acceptable reliability. It is therefore recommended to use systematic risk assessment methods to a higher degree. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Phase transformation of the L12 phase to kappa-carbide after spinodal decomposition and ordering in an Fe–C–Mn–Al austenitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Wei-Chun; Cheng, Chih-Yao; Hsu, Chia-Wei; Laughlin, David E.

2015-01-01

Fe–C–Mn–Al steels have the potential to substitute for commercial Ni–Cr stainless steels. For the development of Fe–C–Mn–Al stainless steels, phase transformations play an important role. Our methods of studying the phase transformations of the steel include heating, cooling, and/or annealing. The results of our study show that spinodal decomposition, an atomic ordering reaction and the transformation of the L1 2 phase to kappa-carbide occur in the Fe–C–Mn–Al steel. After cooling, the austenite decomposes by the spinodal mechanism into solute-lean and solute-rich austenite phases. The solute-rich austenite phase also transforms into the L1 2 phase via the ordering reaction upon cooling to lower temperatures. After quenching and prolonged annealing, the L1 2 phase grows in the austenite and finally transforms into kappa-carbide. This L1 2 phase to kappa-carbide transformation has not been observed previously

Increased levels of NOTCH1, NF-kappaB, and other interconnected transcription factors characterize primitive sets of hematopoietic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Panepucci, Rodrigo Alexandre; Oliveira, Lucila Habib B; Zanette, Dalila Luciola; Viu Carrara, Rita de Cassia; Araujo, Amélia Goes; Orellana, Maristela Delgado; Bonini de Palma, Patrícia Vianna; Menezes, Camila C B O; Covas, Dimas Tadeu; Zago, Marco Antonio

2010-03-01

As previously shown, higher levels of NOTCH1 and increased NF-kappaB signaling is a distinctive feature of the more primitive umbilical cord blood (UCB) CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), as compared to bone marrow (BM). Differences between BM and UCB cell composition also account for this finding. The CD133 marker defines a more primitive cell subset among CD34+ HSC with a proposed hemangioblast potential. To further evaluate the molecular basis related to the more primitive characteristics of UCB and CD133+ HSC, immunomagnetically purified human CD34+ and CD133+ cells from BM and UCB were used on gene expression microarrays studies. UCB CD34+ cells contained a significantly higher proportion of CD133+ cells than BM (70% and 40%, respectively). Cluster analysis showed that BM CD133+ cells grouped with the UCB cells (CD133+ and CD34+) rather than to BM CD34+ cells. Compared with CD34+ cells, CD133+ had a higher expression of many transcription factors (TFs). Promoter analysis on all these TF genes revealed a significantly higher frequency (than expected by chance) of NF-kappaB-binding sites (BS), including potentially novel NF-kappaB targets such as RUNX1, GATA3, and USF1. Selected transcripts of TF related to primitive hematopoiesis and self-renewal, such as RUNX1, GATA3, USF1, TAL1, HOXA9, HOXB4, NOTCH1, RELB, and NFKB2 were evaluated by real-time PCR and were all significantly positively correlated. Taken together, our data indicate the existence of an interconnected transcriptional network characterized by higher levels of NOTCH1, NF-kappaB, and other important TFs on more primitive HSC sets.

Hypothalamic kappa opioid receptor mediates both diet- and MCH-induced liver damage through inflammation and ER stress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Imbernon, Monica; Sanchez-Rebordelo, Estrella; Romero-Picó, Amparo; Kalló, Imre; Chee, Melissa J; Porteiro, Begoña; Al-Massadi, Omar; Contreras, Cristina; Fernø, Johan; Senra, Ana; Gallego, Rosalia; Folgueira, Cintia; Seoane, Luisa M; van Gestel, Margriet; Adan, Roger A; Liposits, Zsolt; Dieguez, Carlos; Lopez, Miguel; Nogueiras, Ruben

2016-01-01

The opioid system is widely known to modulate the brain reward system and thus affect human and animal behaviour, including feeding. We hypothesized that the hypothalamic opioid system might also control energy metabolism in peripheral tissues. Mice lacking the kappa opioid receptor (κOR) and

NF-kappaB-driven STAT2 and CCL2 expression in astrocytes in response to brain injury

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khorooshi, Reza; Babcock, Alicia A; Owens, Trevor

2008-01-01

Tissue response to injury includes expression of genes encoding cytokines and chemokines. These regulate entry of immune cells to the injured tissue. The synthesis of many cytokines and chemokines involves NF-kappaB and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT). Injury to the CNS ...

Distribution of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptor binding sites in the brain of the one-day-old domestic chick (Gallus domesticus): An in vitro quantitative autoradiographic study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Csillag, A.; Bourne, R.C.; Stewart, M.G. (Open Univ., Milton Keynes (England))

1990-12-15

Three highly specific opioid ligands--(D-Ala2,Gly-ol)-enkephalin (DAGO) for mu (mu) receptor sites, (D-Pen2,D-Pen5)-enkephalin (DPDPE) for delta (delta) sites, and U-69593 for kappa (kappa) sites--were used to determine the regional distribution of the three major subtypes of opioid receptor binding sites in the brains of 1-day-old domestic chicks by the technique of quantitative receptor autoradiography. While there was a degree of heterogeneity in the binding levels of each of the ligands, some notable similarities existed in the binding of the mu and kappa ligands in several forebrain regions, and in the optic tectum of the midbrain where mu and delta binding was very high. In the forebrain there was a high level of binding of mu and kappa ligands in the hyperstriatum, and for the mu ligand there was a very distinct lamination of binding sites in hyperstriatum accessorium, intercalatum supremum, dorsale and ventrale. Levels of binding of the mu and kappa ligands were also high in nucleus basalis, and (for mu only) in the neostriatum. The distribution of binding of the delta specific ligand in the forebrain showed marked differences to that of mu and kappa, being particularly low in the hyperstriatum and neostriatum. Very high levels of labelling of delta binding sites were, however, found in the nucleus rotundus. Binding of the three ligands was generally low or absent in the cerebellum and medulla, apart from a distinct labelling of the granule cell layer by the mu-ligand. A kinetic analysis was made of the binding of the three ligands to whole forebrain sections using scintillation counting methods.

The effect of monomer molecular weight on grafting reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Minghong; Ding Zhongli; Ma Zueteh

1995-01-01

In this paper, some condensed ethylene glycol acrylate monomers with different molecular weight being grafted to the PE film by means of pre-irradiation is reported. The effect of molecular weight of monomer on grafting reaction and the hydrophilicity of grafting sample have been discussed. The experimental results show: molar degrees of grafting decreased non-linearly with the increasement of molecular weight of monomer, the grafting reaction of polymer is greater effected by the swelling degree of PE film, the greater the swelling degree of grafting material, the higher the grating degree grafting is, the initial rate of grafting reaction decreased with the increasement of molecular weight of monomer. (author)

Estimate the contribution of incubation parameters influence egg hatchability using multiple linear regression analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Mohamed H; Shebl, Mostafa K; Kosba, Mohamed A; El-Sabrout, Karim; Zaki, Nesma

2016-08-01

This research was conducted to determine the most affecting parameters on hatchability of indigenous and improved local chickens' eggs. Five parameters were studied (fertility, early and late embryonic mortalities, shape index, egg weight, and egg weight loss) on four strains, namely Fayoumi, Alexandria, Matrouh, and Montazah. Multiple linear regression was performed on the studied parameters to determine the most influencing one on hatchability. The results showed significant differences in commercial and scientific hatchability among strains. Alexandria strain has the highest significant commercial hatchability (80.70%). Regarding the studied strains, highly significant differences in hatching chick weight among strains were observed. Using multiple linear regression analysis, fertility made the greatest percent contribution (71.31%) to hatchability, and the lowest percent contributions were made by shape index and egg weight loss. A prediction of hatchability using multiple regression analysis could be a good tool to improve hatchability percentage in chickens.

The normally expressed kappa immunoglobulin light chain gene repertoire and somatic mutations studied by single-sided specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR); frequent occurrence of features often assigned to autoimmunity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, L; Hougs, L; Andersen, V

1997-01-01

The expressed human kappa light chain gene repertoire utilized by healthy individuals was studied by two different single-sided specific PCR techniques to avoid bias for certain V genes. A total of 103 rearranged kappa sequences from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals were...

Kappa opioid receptor antagonism and chronic antidepressant treatment have beneficial activities on social interactions and grooming deficits during heroin abstinence.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalanne, L; Ayranci, G; Filliol, D; Gavériaux-Ruff, C; Befort, K; Kieffer, B L; Lutz, P-E

2017-07-01

Addiction is a chronic brain disorder that progressively invades all aspects of personal life. Accordingly, addiction to opiates severely impairs interpersonal relationships, and the resulting social isolation strongly contributes to the severity and chronicity of the disease. Uncovering new therapeutic strategies that address this aspect of addiction is therefore of great clinical relevance. We recently established a mouse model of heroin addiction in which, following chronic heroin exposure, 'abstinent' mice progressively develop a strong and long-lasting social avoidance phenotype. Here, we explored and compared the efficacy of two pharmacological interventions in this mouse model. Because clinical studies indicate some efficacy of antidepressants on emotional dysfunction associated with addiction, we first used a chronic 4-week treatment with the serotonergic antidepressant fluoxetine, as a reference. In addition, considering prodepressant effects recently associated with kappa opioid receptor signaling, we also investigated the kappa opioid receptor antagonist norbinaltorphimine (norBNI). Finally, we assessed whether fluoxetine and norBNI could reverse abstinence-induced social avoidance after it has established. Altogether, our results show that two interspaced norBNI administrations are sufficient both to prevent and to reverse social impairment in heroin abstinent animals. Therefore, kappa opioid receptor antagonism may represent a useful approach to alleviate social dysfunction in addicted individuals. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Exposure to chronic mild stress prevents kappa opioid-mediated reinstatement of cocaine and nicotine place preference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ream eAl-Hasani

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Stress increases the risk of drug abuse, causes relapse to drug seeking, and potentiates the rewarding properties of both nicotine and cocaine. Understanding the mechanisms by which stress regulates the rewarding properties of drugs of abuse provides valuable insight into potential treatments for drug abuse. Prior reports have demonstrated that stress causes dynorphin release, activating kappa-opioid receptors (KOR in monoamine circuits resulting in both potentiation and reinstatement of cocaine and nicotine conditioned place preference. Here we report that kappa-opioid dependent reinstatement of cocaine and nicotine place preference is reduced when the mice are exposed to a randomized chronic mild stress regime prior to training in a conditioned place preference-reinstatement paradigm. The chronic mild stress schedule involves seven different stressors (removal of nesting for 24hr, 5min forced swim stress at 15°C, 8hr food and water deprivation, damp bedding overnight, white noise, cage tilt and disrupted home cage lighting rotated over a three-week period. This response is KOR-selective, because chronic mild stress does not protect against cocaine or nicotine drug-primed reinstatement. This protection from reinstatement is also observed following sub-chronic social defeat stress, where each mouse is placed in an aggressor mouse home cage for a period of 20 min over five days. In contrast, a single acute stressor resulted in a potentiation of KOR-induced reinstatement, similarly to previously reported. Prior studies have shown that stress alters sensitivity to opioids and prior stress can influence the pharmacodynamics of the opioid receptor system. Together, these findings suggest that exposure to different forms of stress may cause a dysregulation of kappa opioid circuitry and that changes resulting from mild stress can have protective and adaptive effects against drug relapse.

Guidance for the utility of linear models in meta-analysis of genetic association studies of binary phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, James P; Mahajan, Anubha; Morris, Andrew P

2017-02-01

Linear mixed models are increasingly used for the analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of binary phenotypes because they can efficiently and robustly account for population stratification and relatedness through inclusion of random effects for a genetic relationship matrix. However, the utility of linear (mixed) models in the context of meta-analysis of GWAS of binary phenotypes has not been previously explored. In this investigation, we present simulations to compare the performance of linear and logistic regression models under alternative weighting schemes in a fixed-effects meta-analysis framework, considering designs that incorporate variable case-control imbalance, confounding factors and population stratification. Our results demonstrate that linear models can be used for meta-analysis of GWAS of binary phenotypes, without loss of power, even in the presence of extreme case-control imbalance, provided that one of the following schemes is used: (i) effective sample size weighting of Z-scores or (ii) inverse-variance weighting of allelic effect sizes after conversion onto the log-odds scale. Our conclusions thus provide essential recommendations for the development of robust protocols for meta-analysis of binary phenotypes with linear models.

Mechanical and solubility properties of bio-nanocomposite film of semi refined kappa carrageenan/ZnO nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Saputri, Apriliana Eka; Praseptiangga, Danar; Rochima, Emma; Panatarani, Camellia; Joni, I. Made

2018-02-01

The aim of this present work is to develop semi refined kappa carrageenan based bio-nanocomposite film as an alternative to synthetic petroleum based food packaging materials. Among natural polymers, carrageenan is one of the most promising material, since it is a renewable bioresource. The ZnO nanoparticles (0.5%; 1.0%; 1.5% w/w carrageenan) was incorporated into carrageenan polymer to prepare bio-nanocomposite films, where ZnO acts as reinforcement for carrageenan matrix. The mechanical and solubility properties of the prepared films were investigated as a function of ZnO concentration. The results indicated that the addition of ZnO exhibits greater solubility compared to the neat film. The elongation at break is insignificantly different on the films with and without addition ZnO. The tensile strength of the film was highest for the sample with 0.5% ZnO. These mechanical and solubility properties suggest that bio-nanocomposite film of semi refined kappa carrageenan and nanoparticle ZnO can be effectively used as food packaging material.

A double B1-mode 4-layer laminated piezoelectric linear motor.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaotian; Chen, Zhijiang; Dong, Shuxiang

2012-12-01

We report a miniature piezoelectric ultrasonic linear motor that is made of four Pb(Zr,Ti)O(3) (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic layers for low-voltage work. The 4-layer piezoelectric laminate works in two orthogonal first-bending modes for producing elliptical oscillations, which are then used to drive a contacting slider into continuous linear motion. Experimental results show that the miniature linear motor (size: 4 × 4 × 12 mm, weight: 1.7 g) can generate a large driving force of 0.48 N and a linear motion speed of up to 160 mm/s, using a 40 V(pp)/mm voltage drive at its resonance frequency of 64.5 kHz. The maximum efficiency of the linear motor is 30%.

Performance Characteristics and Prediction of Bodyweight using Linear Body Measurements in Four Strains of Broiler Chicken

OpenAIRE

I. Udeh; J.O. Isikwenu and G. Ukughere

2011-01-01

The objectives of this study were to compare the performance characteristics of four strains of broiler chicken from 2 to 8 weeks of age and predict body weight of the broilers using linear body measurements. The four strains of broiler chicken used were Anak, Arbor Acre, Ross and Marshall. The parameters recorded were bodyweight, weight gain, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio, mortality and some linear body measurements (body length, body width, breast width, drumstick length, shank l...

A symmetric Roos bound for linear codes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duursma, I.M.; Pellikaan, G.R.

2006-01-01

The van Lint–Wilson AB-method yields a short proof of the Roos bound for the minimum distance of a cyclic code. We use the AB-method to obtain a different bound for the weights of a linear code. In contrast to the Roos bound, the role of the codes A and B in our bound is symmetric. We use the bound

Graphs and matroids weighted in a bounded incline algebra.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Ling-Xia; Zhang, Bei

2014-01-01

Firstly, for a graph weighted in a bounded incline algebra (or called a dioid), a longest path problem (LPP, for short) is presented, which can be considered the uniform approach to the famous shortest path problem, the widest path problem, and the most reliable path problem. The solutions for LPP and related algorithms are given. Secondly, for a matroid weighted in a linear matroid, the maximum independent set problem is studied.

Nuclear Factor-kappaB in Autoimmunity: Man and Mouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Miraghazadeh, Bahar; Cook, Matthew C

2018-01-01

NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappa B) is a transcription complex crucial for host defense mediated by innate and adaptive immunity, where canonical NF-κB signaling, mediated by nuclear translocation of RelA, c-Rel, and p50, is important for immune cell activation, differentiation, and survival. Non-canonical signaling mediated by nuclear translocation of p52 and RelB contributes to lymphocyte maturation and survival and is also crucial for lymphoid organogenesis. We outline NF-κB signaling and regulation, then summarize important molecular contributions of NF-κB to mechanisms of self-tolerance. We relate these mechanisms to autoimmune phenotypes described in what is now a substantial catalog of immune defects conferred by mutations in NF-κB pathways in mouse models. Finally, we describe Mendelian autoimmune syndromes arising from human NF-κB mutations, and speculate on implications for understanding sporadic autoimmune disease.

Disjoint hypercyclicity of weighted composition operators

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Hypercyclicity; supercyclicity; disjoint hypercyclicity; disjoint super- cyclicity; weighted composition operators; Hilbert space. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 47A16, 47B33, 47B38. 1. Introduction. Let X be a topological vector space and T a bounded linear operator on X. The T-orbit of a vector x ∈ X is the set. O(x,T) ...

Peak thrust operation of linear induction machines from parameter identification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Z.; Eastham, T.R.; Dawson, G.E. [Queen`s Univ., Kingston, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

1995-12-31

Various control strategies are being used to achieve high performance operation of linear drives. To maintain minimum volume and weight of the power supply unit on board the transportation vehicle, peak thrust per unit current operation is a desirable objective. True peak thrust per unit current through slip control is difficult to achieve because the parameters of linear induction machines vary during normal operation. This paper first develops a peak thrust per unit current control law based on the per-phase equivalent circuit for linear induction machines. The algorithm for identification of the variable parameters in induction machines is then presented. Application to an operational linear induction machine (LIM) demonstrates the utility of this algorithm. The control strategy is then simulated, based on an operational transit LIM, to show the capability of achieving true peak thrust operation for linear induction machines.

Aortic and Hepatic Contrast Enhancement During Hepatic-Arterial and Portal Venous Phase Computed Tomography Scanning: Multivariate Linear Regression Analysis Using Age, Sex, Total Body Weight, Height, and Cardiac Output.

Science.gov (United States)

Masuda, Takanori; Nakaura, Takeshi; Funama, Yoshinori; Higaki, Toru; Kiguchi, Masao; Imada, Naoyuki; Sato, Tomoyasu; Awai, Kazuo

We evaluated the effect of the age, sex, total body weight (TBW), height (HT) and cardiac output (CO) of patients on aortic and hepatic contrast enhancement during hepatic-arterial phase (HAP) and portal venous phase (PVP) computed tomography (CT) scanning. This prospective study received institutional review board approval; prior informed consent to participate was obtained from all 168 patients. All were examined using our routine protocol; the contrast material was 600 mg/kg iodine. Cardiac output was measured with a portable electrical velocimeter within 5 minutes of starting the CT scan. We calculated contrast enhancement (per gram of iodine: [INCREMENT]HU/gI) of the abdominal aorta during the HAP and of the liver parenchyma during the PVP. We performed univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis between all patient characteristics and the [INCREMENT]HU/gI of aortic- and liver parenchymal enhancement. Univariate linear regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant correlations between the [INCREMENT]HU/gI and the age, sex, TBW, HT, and CO (all P linear regression analysis showed that only the TBW and CO were of independent predictive value (P linear regression analysis only the TBW and CO were significantly correlated with aortic and liver parenchymal enhancement; the age, sex, and HT were not. The CO was the only independent factor affecting aortic and liver parenchymal enhancement at hepatic CT when the protocol was adjusted for the TBW.

On a class of strongly degenerate and singular linear elliptic equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duong Minh Duc, D.M.; Le Dung.

1992-11-01

We consider a class of strongly degenerate linear elliptic equation. The boundedness and the Holder regularity of the weak solutions in the weighted Sobolev-Hardy spaces will be studied. (author). 9 refs

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of current-driven waves in dusty plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad, Ali [National Centre for Physics (NCP), Shahdara Valley Road, 44000 Islamabad (Pakistan); Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad (Pakistan); Theoretical Plasma Physics Division, PINSTECH, P. O. Nilore, Islamabad (Pakistan); Ali Shan, S.; Haque, Q. [National Centre for Physics (NCP), Shahdara Valley Road, 44000 Islamabad (Pakistan); Theoretical Plasma Physics Division, PINSTECH, P. O. Nilore, Islamabad (Pakistan); Saleem, H. [National Centre for Physics (NCP), Shahdara Valley Road, 44000 Islamabad (Pakistan); Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad (Pakistan)

2012-09-15

The linear and nonlinear dynamics of a recently proposed plasma mode of dusty plasma is studied using kappa distribution for electrons. This electrostatic wave can propagate in the plasma due to the sheared flow of electrons and ions parallel to the external magnetic field in the presence of stationary dust. The coupling of this wave with the usual drift wave and ion acoustic wave is investigated. D'Angelo's mode is also modified in the presence of superthermal electrons. In the nonlinear regime, the wave can give rise to dipolar vortex structures if the shear in flow is weaker and tripolar vortices if the flow has steeper gradient. The results have been applied to Saturn's magnetosphere corresponding to negatively charged dust grains. But the theoretical model is applicable for positively charged dust as well. This work will be useful for future observations and studies of dusty environments of planets and comets.

Subset of Kappa and Lambda Germline Sequences Result in Light Chains with a Higher Molecular Mass Phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnidge, David R; Lundström, Susanna L; Zhang, Bo; Dasari, Surendra; Murray, David L; Zubarev, Roman A

2015-12-04

In our previous work, we showed that electrospray ionization of intact polyclonal kappa and lambda light chains isolated from normal serum generates two distinct, Gaussian-shaped, molecular mass distributions representing the light-chain repertoire. During the analysis of a large (>100) patient sample set, we noticed a low-intensity molecular mass distribution with a mean of approximately 24 250 Da, roughly 800 Da higher than the mean of the typical kappa molecular-mass distribution mean of 23 450 Da. We also observed distinct clones in this region that did not appear to contain any typical post-translational modifications that would account for such a large mass shift. To determine the origin of the high molecular mass clones, we performed de novo bottom-up mass spectrometry on a purified IgM monoclonal light chain that had a calculated molecular mass of 24 275.03 Da. The entire sequence of the monoclonal light chain was determined using multienzyme digestion and de novo sequence-alignment software and was found to belong to the germline allele IGKV2-30. The alignment of kappa germline sequences revealed ten IGKV2 and one IGKV4 sequences that contained additional amino acids in their CDR1 region, creating the high-molecular-mass phenotype. We also performed an alignment of lambda germline sequences, which showed additional amino acids in the CDR2 region, and the FR3 region of functional germline sequences that result in a high-molecular-mass phenotype. The work presented here illustrates the ability of mass spectrometry to provide information on the diversity of light-chain molecular mass phenotypes in circulation, which reflects the germline sequences selected by the immunoglobulin-secreting B-cell population.

On generating functional of vertex functions in the Yang-Mills theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavrov, P.M.; Tyutin, I.V.

1981-01-01

It is shown that the generating functional GITA(kappa, PHI) in the Yang-Mills gauge theories for linear gauge conditions may be written as GITA(kappa, PHI)=GITA tilde(phi(kappa, PHI))-1/2t 2 , where t is a gauge function and GITA tilde(PHI) is a universal functional independent of kappa, parameters of the gauge condition [ru

Two "dual" families of Nearly-Linear Codes over ℤ p , p odd

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asch, van A.G.; Tilborg, van H.C.A.

2001-01-01

Since the paper by Hammons e.a. [1], various authors have shown an enormous interest in linear codes over the ring Z4. A special weight function on Z4 was introduced and by means of the so called Gray map ¿ : Z4¿Z2 2 a relation was established between linear codes over Z4 and certain interesting

Calibration of low molecular weight polypeptides by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glyn, M.C.P.; Bull, J.; Wright, R.

1982-01-01

Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is a technique commonly used in determining molecular weights of large proteins and peptides. This technique is used to analyse viral peptides, available in amounts too small to be monitored by an ultraviolet spectrophotometer. An experiment is described (with the limiting factor to use the SDS-PAGE technique), to determine the molecular weight peptides and the results are given to fit the linear relationship log M=4.286 - 0.42 V(e)/V(o). The results given by the SDS-PAGE system, described in the article, show that the experimental values describe a linear relationship with good resolution of low molecular weight peptides in the range 3 000 to 14 000 and that a partial cyanogen bromide digest of cytochrome c is suitable for calibration standards

Appearance of the weight-bearing lateral radiograph in retrocalcaneal bursitis

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Bart; Maas, Mario; Sierevelt, Inger N; van Dijk, C Niek

2010-01-01

Background and purpose A retrocalcaneal bursitis is caused by repetitive impingement of the bursa between the Achilles tendon and the posterosuperior calcaneus. The bursa is situated in the posteroinferior corner of Kager's triangle (retrocalcaneal recess), which is a radiolucency with sharp borders on the lateral radiograph of the ankle. If there is inflammation, the fluid-filled bursa is less radiolucent, making it difficult to delineate the retrocalcaneal recess. We assessed whether the radiographic appearance of the retrocalcaneal recess on plain digital (filmless) radiographs could be used in the diagnosis of a retrocalcaneal bursitis. Methods Whether or not there was obliteration of the retrocalcaneal recess (yes/no) on 74 digital weight-bearing lateral radiographs of the ankle was independently assessed by 2 observers. The radiographs were from 24 patients (25 heels) with retrocalcaneal bursitis (confirmed on endoscopic calcaneoplasty); the control group consisted of 50 patients (59 heels). Results The sensitivity of the test was 83% for observer 1 and 79% for observer 2. Specificity was 100% and 98%, respectively. The kappa value of the interobserver reliability test was 0.86. For observer 1, intraobserver reliability was 0.96 and for observer 2 it was 0.92. Interpretation On digital weight-bearing lateral radiographs of a retrocalcaneal bursitis, the retrocalcaneal recess has a typical appearance. PMID:20450438

Marginal instability threshold of magnetosonic waves in kappa distributed plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Bashir, M. F.; Manzoor, M. Z.; Ilie, R.; Yoon, P. H.; Miasli, M. S.

2017-12-01

The dispersion relation of magnetosonic wave is studied taking the non-extensive anisotropic counter-streaming distribution which follows the Tsallis statistics. The effects of non-extensivity parameter (q), counter-streaming parameter (P) and the wave-particle interaction is analyzed on the growth rate and the marginal instability threshold condition of Magnetosonic (MS) mode to provide the possible explanation of different regions the Bale-diagram obtained from the solar wind data at 1 AU as represented by the temperature anisotropy ( ) vs plasma beta ( ) solar wind data plot. It is shown that the most of the regions of Bale-diagram is bounded by the MS instability under different condition and best fitted by the non-extesnive distribution. The results for the bi-kappa distribution and bi- Maxwellian distribution are also obtained in the limits and respectively.

LINEAR2007, Linear-Linear Interpolation of ENDF Format Cross-Sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: LINEAR converts evaluated cross sections in the ENDF/B format into a tabular form that is subject to linear-linear interpolation in energy and cross section. The code also thins tables of cross sections already in that form. Codes used subsequently need thus to consider only linear-linear data. IAEA1311/15: This version include the updates up to January 30, 2007. Changes in ENDF/B-VII Format and procedures, as well as the evaluations themselves, make it impossible for versions of the ENDF/B pre-processing codes earlier than PREPRO 2007 (2007 Version) to accurately process current ENDF/B-VII evaluations. The present code can handle all existing ENDF/B-VI evaluations through release 8, which will be the last release of ENDF/B-VI. Modifications from previous versions: - Linear VERS. 2007-1 (JAN. 2007): checked against all ENDF/B-VII; increased page size from 60,000 to 600,000 points 2 - Method of solution: Each section of data is considered separately. Each section of File 3, 23, and 27 data consists of a table of cross section versus energy with any of five interpolation laws. LINEAR will replace each section with a new table of energy versus cross section data in which the interpolation law is always linear in energy and cross section. The histogram (constant cross section between two energies) interpolation law is converted to linear-linear by substituting two points for each initial point. The linear-linear is not altered. For the log-linear, linear-log and log- log laws, the cross section data are converted to linear by an interval halving algorithm. Each interval is divided in half until the value at the middle of the interval can be approximated by linear-linear interpolation to within a given accuracy. The LINEAR program uses a multipoint fractional error thinning algorithm to minimize the size of each cross section table

Moderate extracellular acidification inhibits capsaicin-induced cell death through regulating calcium mobilization, NF-{kappa}B translocation and ROS production in synoviocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Fen; Yang, Shuang; Zhao, Dan; Zhu, Shuyan; Wang, Yuxiang [Department of Biophysics, School of Physics and Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials of Education Ministry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Li, Junying, E-mail: jyli04@nankai.edu.cn [Department of Biophysics, School of Physics and Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials of Education Ministry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China)

2012-07-20

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Moderate extracellular acidification regulates intracellular Ca{sup 2+} mobilization. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Moderate acidification activates NF-{kappa}B nuclear translocation in synoviocytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Moderate acidification depresses the ROS production induced by capsaicin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Moderate acidification inhibits capsaicin-caused synoviocyte death. -- Abstract: We previously show the expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in primary synoviocytes from collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. Capsaicin and lowered extracellular pH from 7.4 to 5.5 induce cell death through TRPV1-mediated Ca{sup 2+} entry and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, under the pathological condition in rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial fluid is acidified to a moderate level (about pH 6.8). In the present study, we examined the effects of pH 6.8 on the TRPV1-mediated cell death. Our finding is different or even opposite from what was observed at pH 5.5. We found that the moderate extracellular acidification (from pH 7.4 to 6.8) inhibited the capsaicin-induced Ca{sup 2+} entry through attenuating the activity of TRPV1. In the mean time, it triggered a phospholipse C (PLC)-related Ca{sup 2+} release from intracellular stores. The nuclear translocation of NF-{kappa}B was found at pH 6.8, and this also depends on PLC activation. Moreover, the capsaicin-evoked massive ROS production and cell death were depressed at pH 6.8, both of which are dependent on the activation of PLC and NF-{kappa}B. Taken together, these results suggested that the moderate extracellular acidification inhibited the capsaicin-induced synoviocyte death through regulating Ca{sup 2+} mobilization, activating NF-{kappa}B nuclear translocation and depressing ROS production.

Myelin activates FAK/Akt/NF-kappaB pathways and provokes CR3-dependent inflammatory response in murine system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Sun

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Inflammatory response following central nervous system (CNS injury contributes to progressive neuropathology and reduction in functional recovery. Axons are sensitive to mechanical injury and toxic inflammatory mediators, which may lead to demyelination. Although it is well documented that degenerated myelin triggers undesirable inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, there has been very little study of the direct inflammatory consequences of damaged myelin in spinal cord injury (SCI, i.e., there is no direct evidence to show that myelin debris from injured spinal cord can trigger undesirable inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Our data showed that myelin can initiate inflammatory responses in vivo, which is complement receptor 3 (CR3-dependent via stimulating macrophages to express pro-inflammatory molecules and down-regulates expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanism study revealed that myelin-increased cytokine expression is through activation of FAK/PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB signaling pathways and CR3 contributes to myelin-induced PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB activation and cytokine production. The myelin induced inflammatory response is myelin specific as sphingomyelin (the major lipid of myelin and myelin basic protein (MBP, one of the major proteins of myelin are not able to activate NF-kappaB signaling pathway. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a crucial role of myelin as an endogenous inflammatory stimulus that induces pro-inflammatory responses and suggest that blocking myelin-CR3 interaction and enhancing myelin debris clearance may be effective interventions for treating SCI.

Human xenospecific T suppressor cells inhibit T helper cell proliferation to porcine aortic endothelial cells, and NF-kappaB activity in porcine APC.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciubotariu, R; Li, J; Colovai, A I; Platt, J L; Cortesini, R; Suciu Foca Cortesini, N

2001-05-01

Human T suppressor cells (Ts), capable of preventing autologous T helper cells (Th) from reacting against xenogeneic pig endothelial cells and pig APC can be generated in vitro. Ts derive from a population of CD3(+)CD8(+)CD28(-) T lymphocytes and specifically recognize the MHC class I antigens of the APC used for in vitro immunization. To study the mechanism that underlies suppression, we investigated whether Ts inhibit the expression of costimulatory molecules in xenogeneic professional and semiprofessional APC. We found that Ts down-regulate Th-induced expression of CD86 in pig APC, and that this effect occurs at the level of transcription, as indicated by nuclear run-on and Northern blot assays. EMSA results revealed that inhibition of CD86 expression is mediated by inactivation of transcription factor NF-kappaB. Furthermore, transfection of pig APC with a vector expressing NF-kappaB p65 partially rescued Th-induced expression of the CD86 molecule. These results strongly support the concept that xenospecific Ts inhibit the APC function of xenogeneic cells by preventing activation of NF-kappaB.

TFAP2B -Dietary Protein and Glycemic Index Interactions and Weight Maintenance after Weight Loss in the DiOGenes Trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stocks, Tanja; Ängquist, Lars Henrik; Hager, Jörg

2013-01-01

Background: TFAP2B rs987237 is associated with obesity and has shown interaction with the dietary fat-to-carbohydrate ratio, which has an effect on weight loss. We investigated interactions between rs987237 and protein-to-carbohydrate ratio or glycemic index (GI) in relation to weight maintenance...... percentage from fat: either low-protein/low-GI, low-protein/high-GI, high-protein/low-GI, or high-protein/high-GI diets, or a control diet for a 6-month weight maintenance period. Using linear regression analyses and additive genetic models, we investigated main and dietary interaction effects of TFAP2B rs...... diverge depending on the nutritional state. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel....

The weight hierarchies and chain condition of a class of codes from varieties over finite fields

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xinen; Feng, Gui-Liang; Rao, T. R. N.

1996-01-01

The generalized Hamming weights of linear codes were first introduced by Wei. These are fundamental parameters related to the minimal overlap structures of the subcodes and very useful in several fields. It was found that the chain condition of a linear code is convenient in studying the generalized Hamming weights of the product codes. In this paper we consider a class of codes defined over some varieties in projective spaces over finite fields, whose generalized Hamming weights can be determined by studying the orbits of subspaces of the projective spaces under the actions of classical groups over finite fields, i.e., the symplectic groups, the unitary groups and orthogonal groups. We give the weight hierarchies and generalized weight spectra of the codes from Hermitian varieties and prove that the codes satisfy the chain condition.

Molecular weight changes induced in an anionic polydimethylsiloxane by gamma irradiation in vacuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satti, Angel J.; Andreucetti, Noemi A.; Ciolino, Andres E.; Vitale, Cristian; Sarmoria, Claudia; Valles, Enrique M.

2010-01-01

An anionic almost monodisperse linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was subjected to gamma irradiation under vacuum at room temperature. The molecular weight changes induced by the radiation process have been investigated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with refraction index (RI) and multi angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detectors, to obtain the number and weight average molecular weights of the irradiated samples. The analysis of the data indicates that crosslinking reactions predominated over scission reactions. The results obtained by an SEC-RI have confirmed the presence of small, but measurable amounts of scission. A previously developed mathematical model of the irradiation process that accounts for simultaneous scission and crosslinking and allows for both H- and Y-crosslinks, fitted well the measured molecular weight data. This prediction is in accordance with the experimental data obtained by 29 Si-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and previously reported data for commercial linear PDMS ().

Meat quality and cut yield of pigs slaughtered over 100kg live weight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.M. Bertol

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Meat quality and cut yield of pigs slaughtered between 100 and 150kg live weight were evaluated. Pigs (417 Agroceres PIC barrows and gilts were fed a daily allowance of 2.8kg per head from 80kg until 100.71±0.85, 118.58±0.99, 134.07±1.18 or 143.90±1.24kg live weight. Seventy-one pigs were used for the evaluation of primal and subprimal cuts. There was no interaction between sex and slaughter weight for any of the evaluated parameters. Ham, shoulder, and loin weights linearly increased (P<0.01; R2: 84.3-93.2% with increasing slaughter weight, which, however, had little effect on primal cuts meat yield. Increasing slaughter weight promoted a linear (P<0.05 and a quadratic (P<0.01 increase of red/green coordinate (a* value of the loin and ham, respectively. Shear force showed a quadratic response (P<0.05, with minimum value estimated at 122kg slaughter weight. It was concluded that, under the applied management, increasing slaughter weight increased the volume of meat, but had little effect on meat yield. The meat of pigs slaughtered at heavier weights showed more intense red color and the same intramuscular fat content as lighter pigs, while tenderness was slightly affected.

A computer tool for a minimax criterion in binary response and heteroscedastic simple linear regression models.

Science.gov (United States)

Casero-Alonso, V; López-Fidalgo, J; Torsney, B

2017-01-01

Binary response models are used in many real applications. For these models the Fisher information matrix (FIM) is proportional to the FIM of a weighted simple linear regression model. The same is also true when the weight function has a finite integral. Thus, optimal designs for one binary model are also optimal for the corresponding weighted linear regression model. The main objective of this paper is to provide a tool for the construction of MV-optimal designs, minimizing the maximum of the variances of the estimates, for a general design space. MV-optimality is a potentially difficult criterion because of its nondifferentiability at equal variance designs. A methodology for obtaining MV-optimal designs where the design space is a compact interval [a, b] will be given for several standard weight functions. The methodology will allow us to build a user-friendly computer tool based on Mathematica to compute MV-optimal designs. Some illustrative examples will show a representation of MV-optimal designs in the Euclidean plane, taking a and b as the axes. The applet will be explained using two relevant models. In the first one the case of a weighted linear regression model is considered, where the weight function is directly chosen from a typical family. In the second example a binary response model is assumed, where the probability of the outcome is given by a typical probability distribution. Practitioners can use the provided applet to identify the solution and to know the exact support points and design weights. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confiabilidade teste-reteste de aspectos da rede social no Estudo Pró-Saúde Test-retest reliability of measures of social network in the "Pró-Saúde" Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosane Harter Griep

2003-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar os níveis de confiabilidade teste-reteste de informações relativas à rede social no Estudo Pró-saúde. MÉTODOS: Foi estimada a confiabilidade pelo estudo teste-reteste por meio de questionário multidimensional aplicado a uma coorte de trabalhadores de uma universidade. O mesmo questionário foi preenchido duas vezes por 192 funcionários não efetivos da universidade, com duas semanas de intervalo entre as aplicações. A concordância foi estimada pela estatística Kappa (variáveis categóricas, estatística Kappa ponderado e modelos log-lineares (variáveis ordinais, e coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (variáveis discretas. RESULTADOS: As medidas de concordância situaram-se acima de 0,70 para a maioria das variáveis. Estratificando-se as informações segundo gênero, idade e escolaridade, observou-se que a confiabilidade não apresentou padrão consistente de variabilidade. A aplicação de modelos log-lineares indicou que, para as variáveis ordinais do estudo, o modelo de melhor ajuste foi o de "concordância diagonal mais associação linear por linear". CONCLUSÕES: Os altos níveis de confiabilidade estimados permitem concluir que o processo de aferição dos itens sobre rede social foi adequado para as características investigadas. Estudos de validação em andamento complementarão a avaliação da qualidade dessas informações.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate test-retest reliability of social network-related information of the" Pró-Saúde" study. METHODS: A test-retest reliability study was conducted using a multidimensional questionnaire applied to a cohort of university employees. The same questionnaire was filled out twice by 192 non-permanent employees with two weeks apart. Agreement was estimated using kappa statistics (categorical variables, weighted kappa statistics, log-linear models (ordinal variables, and intraclass correlation coefficient (discrete variables. RESULTS: Estimates of reliability

Inhomogeneous linear equation in Rota-Baxter algebra

OpenAIRE

Pietrzkowski, Gabriel

2014-01-01

We consider a complete filtered Rota-Baxter algebra of weight $\\lambda$ over a commutative ring. Finding the unique solution of a non-homogeneous linear algebraic equation in this algebra, we generalize Spitzer's identity in both commutative and non-commutative cases. As an application, considering the Rota-Baxter algebra of power series in one variable with q-integral as the Rota-Baxter operator, we show certain Eulerian identities.

INHIBITION OF THE DNA-BINDING ACTIVITY OF DROSOPHILA SUPPRESSOR OF HAIRLESS AND OF ITS HUMAN HOMOLOG, KBF2/RBP-J-KAPPA, BY DIRECT PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTION WITH DROSOPHILA HAIRLESS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

BROU, C; LOGEAT, F; LECOURTOIS, M; VANDEKERCKHOVE, Joël; KOURILSKY, P; SCHWEISGUTH, F; ISRAEL, A

1994-01-01

We have purified the sequence-specific DNA-binding protein KBF2 and cloned the corresponding cDNA, which is derived from the previously described RBP-J kappa gene, the human homolog of the Drosophila Suppressor of Hairless [Su(H)] gene. Deletion studies of the RBP-J kappa and Su(H) proteins allowed

Acrolein inhibits cytokine gene expression by alkylating cysteine and arginine residues in the NF-kappaB1 DNA binding domain.

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Lambert, Cherie; Li, Jimei; Jonscher, Karen; Yang, Teng-Chieh; Reigan, Philip; Quintana, Megan; Harvey, Jean; Freed, Brian M

2007-07-06

Cigarette smoke is a potent inhibitor of pulmonary T cell responses, resulting in decreased immune surveillance and an increased incidence of respiratory tract infections. The alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes in cigarette smoke (acrolein and crotonaldehyde) inhibited production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-10, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by human T cells but did not inhibit production of IL-8. The saturated aldehydes (acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and butyraldehyde) in cigarette smoke were inactive. Acrolein inhibited induction of NF-kappaB DNA binding activity after mitogenic stimulation of T cells but had no effect on induction of NFAT or AP-1. Acrolein inhibited NF-kappaB1 (p50) binding to the IL-2 promoter in a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay by >99%. Using purified recombinant p50 in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we demonstrated that acrolein was 2000-fold more potent than crotonaldehyde in blocking DNA binding to an NF-kappaB consensus sequence. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight and tandem mass spectrometry demonstrated that acrolein alkylated two amino acids (Cys-61 and Arg-307) in the DNA binding domain. Crotonaldehyde reacted with Cys-61, but not Arg-307, whereas the saturated aldehydes in cigarette smoke did not react with p50. These experiments demonstrate that aldehydes in cigarette smoke can regulate gene expression by direct modification of a transcription factor.

Assessment of hypoxia and TNF-alpha response by a vector with HRE and NF-kappaB response elements.

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Chen, Zhilin; Eadie, Ashley L; Hall, Sean R; Ballantyne, Laurel; Ademidun, David; Tse, M Yat; Pang, Stephen C; Melo, Luis G; Ward, Christopher A; Brunt, Keith R

2017-01-01

Hypoxia and inflammatory cytokine activation (H&I) are common processes in many acute and chronic diseases. Thus, a single vector that responds to both hypoxia and inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, is useful for assesing the severity of such diseases. Adaptation to hypoxia is regulated primarily by hypoxia inducible transcription factor (HIF alpha) nuclear proteins that engage genes containing a hypoxia response element (HRE). Inflammation activates a multitude of cytokines, including TNF-alpha, that invariably modulate activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) transcription factor. We constructed a vector that encompassed both a hypoxia response element (HRE), and a NF-kappaB responsive element. We show that this vector was functionally responsive to both hypoxia and TNF-alpha, in vitro and in vivo . Thus, this vector might be suitable for the detection and assessment of hypoxia or TNF-alpha.

On the Convergence of Piecewise Linear Strategic Interaction Dynamics on Networks

KAUST Repository

Gharesifard, Bahman; Touri, Behrouz; Basar, Tamer; Shamma, Jeff S.

2015-01-01

We prove that the piecewise linear best-response dynamical systems of strategic interactions are asymptotically convergent to their set of equilibria on any weighted undirected graph. We study various features of these dynamical systems, including

Birth weight and risk of adiposity among adult Inuit in Greenland.

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Pernille Falberg Rønn

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The Inuit population in Greenland has undergone rapid socioeconomic and nutritional changes simultaneously with an increasing prevalence of obesity. Therefore, the objective was to examine fetal programming as part of the aetiology of obesity among Inuit in Greenland by investigating the association between birth weight and measures of body composition and fat distribution in adulthood. METHODS: The study was based on cross-sectional data from a total of 1,473 adults aged 18-61 years in two population-based surveys conducted in Greenland between 1999-2001 and 2005-2010. Information on birth weight was collected from birth records. Adiposity was assessed by anthropometry, fat mass index (FMI, fat-free mass index (FFMI, and visceral (VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT estimated by ultrasound. The associations to birth weight were analyzed using linear regression models and quadratic splines. Analyses were stratified by sex, and adjusted for age, birthplace, ancestry and family history of obesity. RESULTS: Spline analyses showed linear relations between birth weight and adult adiposity. In multiple regression analyses, birth weight was positively associated with BMI, waist circumference, FMI, FFMI and SAT with generally weaker associations among women compared to men. Birth weight was only associated with VAT after additional adjustment for waist circumference and appeared to be specific and inverse for men only. CONCLUSIONS: Higher birth weight among Inuit was associated with adiposity in adulthood. More studies are needed to explore a potential inverse association between birth size and VAT.

Linearization Method and Linear Complexity

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Tanaka, Hidema

We focus on the relationship between the linearization method and linear complexity and show that the linearization method is another effective technique for calculating linear complexity. We analyze its effectiveness by comparing with the logic circuit method. We compare the relevant conditions and necessary computational cost with those of the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm and the Games-Chan algorithm. The significant property of a linearization method is that it needs no output sequence from a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) because it calculates linear complexity using the algebraic expression of its algorithm. When a PRNG has n [bit] stages (registers or internal states), the necessary computational cost is smaller than O(2n). On the other hand, the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm needs O(N2) where N(≅2n) denotes period. Since existing methods calculate using the output sequence, an initial value of PRNG influences a resultant value of linear complexity. Therefore, a linear complexity is generally given as an estimate value. On the other hand, a linearization method calculates from an algorithm of PRNG, it can determine the lower bound of linear complexity.