Induction of cytochrome P450 1A in hamster liver and lung by 6-nitrochrysene

The present study has determined the effect of 6-nitrochrysene (6-NC) on hepatic and pulmonary cytochrome P450 (P450)-dependent monooxygenases using hamsters pretreated with the nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (nitro-PAH) at 5 mg/kg per day for 3 days. Pretreatment with 6-NC elevated serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase, and bilirubin levels. Liver S9 fractions prepared from controls and hamsters pretreated with 6-NC markedly increased mutagenicity of the nitro-PAH in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA98, TA100, and TA102. The pretreatment selectively increased 1-nitropyrene reductase activities of lung cytosol and liver and lung microsomes. Pretreatment with 6-NC resulted in increases of microsomal 7-ethoxyresorufin and methoxyresorufin O-dealkylases activities in liver and lung without affecting the monooxygenase activities in kidney. Immunoblot analysis of microsomal proteins using mouse monoclonal antibody 1-12-3 to rat P450 1A1 revealed that 6-NC induced P450 1A-immunorelated proteins in liver and lung. RNA blot analysis using mouse P450 1A1 cDNA showed that 6-NC increased liver and lung P450 1A mRNA. 6-NC had no effect on the kidney P450 protein and mRNA. The present study demonstrates that the hamster enzymes can support 6-NC metabolic activation and the nitro-PAH induces liver and lung P4501A via a pretranslational mechanism.     

Performance analysis of two echo control designs in ATM networks

An ATM call interworking with the public switched telephone network may experience echo problems due to impedance mismatch. The authors propose two echo control designs to assure the quality of voice services by reducing round-trip echo delay. Performance of these two echo control designs is then analyzed     

Adaptive backstepping control using recurrent neural network forlinear induction motor drive

An adaptive backstepping control system using a recurrent neural network (RNN) is proposed to control the mover position of a linear induction motor (LIM) drive to compensate the uncertainties including the friction force in this paper. First, the dynamic model of an indirect field-oriented LIM drive is derived. Then, a backstepping approach is proposed to compensate the uncertainties including the friction force occurred in the motion control system. With the proposed backstepping control system, the mover position of the LIM drive possesses the advantages of good transient control performance and robustness to uncertainties for the tracking of periodic reference trajectories. Moreover, to further increase the robustness of the LIM drive, an RNN uncertainty observer is proposed to estimate the required lumped uncertainty in the backstepping control system. In addition, an online parameter training methodology, which is derived using the gradient-descent method, is proposed to increase the learning capability of the RNN. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified by both the simulated and experimental results     

Effect of high intensity drive train stimulation on dispersion of atrial refractoriness: role of autonomic nervous system

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of high intensity drive train (S1) stimulation on the atrial effective refractory period (ERP) and its relation to the autonomic nervous system. BACKGROUND: High intensity S1 stimulation was demonstrated to shorten the ventricular ERP and to increase dispersion of refractoriness. These effects may be due to local release of neurotransmitters. The response of the atrium and ventricle to neurotransmitters was different. The effects of high intensity S1 stimulation at the atrial tissue were evaluated. METHODS: Forty patients without structural heart disease were studied. In group 1, 20 patients, the atrial ERP was measured at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 mm away from the S1 site under both twice diastolic threshold and high intensity (10 mA) S1 stimulation. The same protocol was repeated after sequential administration of propranolol (0.2 mg/kg body weight) and atropine (0.04 mg/kg). In group 2, the other 20 patients, the atrial ERP was studied at three atrial sites (high lateral right atrium [HLRA], right posterior interatrial septum [RPS] and distal coronary sinus [DCS] with twice diastolic threshold and high intensity S1 stimulation at baseline and after sequential autonomic blockade. The three atrial sites were randomly assigned as the S1 location. RESULTS: In group 1, high intensity S1 stimulation shortened the atrial effective refractory period most prominently at the site of S1: (mean +/- SD) 13.3 +/- 6.4% (p < 0.001), 8.1 +/- 3.8% (p < 0.001), 4.8 +/- 4.3% (p < 0.001), 3.7 +/- 4.7% (p < 0.001) and 0.5 +/- 2.6% at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 mm from the S1 site, respectively. The effect of high intensity S1 stimulation was blunted with propranolol and autonomic blockade but persisted after atropine alone. High intensity S1 stimulation also increased dispersion of refractoriness (from 23 +/- 11 ms to 31 +/- 12 ms, p = 0.01), which was eliminated with autonomic blockade. In group 2, high intensity S1 stimulation had similar effects at different locations (ERP shortening of 10.8 +/- 2.7%, 10.8 +/- 2.2% and 12.2 +/- 4.6% at the HLRA, RPS and DCS, respectively). The responses to sequential autonomic blockade were similar to those in group 1. However, high intensity S1 stimulation at HLRA increased dispersion of refractoriness, but at DCS it reduced dispersion of refractoriness. CONCLUSIONS: High intensity S1 stimulation led to local shortening of the atrial ERP and increased dispersion of refractoriness. These effects were blunted with propranolol and autonomic blockade. High intensity S1 stimulation at the HLRA increased dispersion of atrial refractoriness, whereas the same stimulation at the DCS decreased dispersion of atrial refractoriness.     

Coupled Shear Strain-Pore Pressure Responses of Soil in Shaking Table Tests

Shaking table tests on a saturated sand specimen in a laminar shear box were performed to measure the coupled shear strain-pore pressure response of sands subjected to horizontal shaking. Three methods of shear strain evaluation techniques, which use soil motions recorded by embedded sensors within the soil specimen and external sensors on frame, were utilized to evaluate the shear strain-time histories in one-dimensional shaking cases. Coupled shear strain-pore pressure responses throughout the liquefaction process are presented based on evaluated shear strains and measured pore pressures at corresponding depths. More insights of the interactions between the induced shear strain and generated excess pore pressure are also given, including the temporal variations of induced shear strain prior and after the initial liquefaction, development of liquefied zone, and duration of liquefaction state. These spatial and temporal variations of coupled responses reveal that the induced shear strain amplitude is not only an important property in triggering soil liquefaction but also a better index in defining the time of initial liquefaction. Identifications of these coupled features will be beneficial for verifying and interpreting testing data in physical modelling for liquefaction studies.     

Performance analyses of adaptive noncoherent receivers for MC‐CDMA communications

In this paper, we propose differential phase‐shift keying (DPSK) noncoherent receivers for multicarrier code division multiple access systems in multipath channels. The noncoherent receivers are composed of a linear equalizer and a decision‐feedback differential detector to detect DPSK signals. The performances of the proposed noncoherent receivers can be improved by increasing the number of feedback symbols. For an infinite number of feedback symbols, the optimum weight can be derived analytically, and the performances of the proposed noncoherent receivers approach that of the conventional coherent receiver. For adaptation of the equalizer coefficients, modified least mean square and recursive least squares algorithms are proposed. Furthermore, the reduced‐rank schemes are proposed to simplify the system complexities. Some simulation examples are given to show the system performances of the four proposed receivers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hematogenous osteomyelitis with inflammatory cyst formation mimicking a soft-tissue tumor

Reported is a case of hematogenous osteomyelitis of the femur with inflammatory cyst formation mimicking a soft-tissue tumor. A 15-year-old boy with a three-year history of a gradually enlarging soft-tissue mass of his left thigh was found to have an aborted acute hematogenous osteomyelitis complicated by an inflammatory cyst that was probably caused by inadequate antibiotic therapy. The osteomyelitis and its inflammatory cyst were treated with excisional debridement and six weeks of antibiotic therapy. The patient remains well five years later, with no clinical or radiologic evidence of recurrence. This is a new variant of chronic osteomyelitis that has not previously been reported.     

Identification of a common cytochrome P450 epitope near the conserved heme-binding petide with antibodies raised against recombinant cytochrome P450 family 2 proteins

The cytochrome P450 (P450) proteins constitute a superfamily of enzymes involved in various oxidations and related activities. Polyclonal antibodies raised against bacterial recombinant human P450s varied in specificity, depending upon the individual rabbits used. Several of the antisera raised against P450s 2C10 and 2E1 recognized a number of P450 family 1, 2, and 3 proteins, and two of the less selective antibodies were used to identify cross-reactive epitopes. P450 2C10 peptides reacting with anti-P450 2E1 and P450 2E1 peptides reacting with anti-P450 2C10 were isolated after electrophoresis/immunoblotting and analyzed by Edman degradation. Several of these were in a region near the highly conserved Cys that is a putative axial ligand to the heme. Peptides corresponding to the most conserved regions in this area were synthesized. Anti-P450 2C10 sera did not recognize 14-mer peptides corresponding to the heme-binding region (2C10 410-423 or 2E1 409-422) or the 14-mer peptides immediately C-terminal to these (2C10 425-438 or 2E1 424-437), but anti-P450 2E1 sera showed weak reaction with the latter two synthetic peptides. A longer peptide (29-mer) of P450 2E1 containing parts of both regions (412-440) reacted with both anti-P450 2C10 and anti-P450 2E1 antisera. Antibodies raised against a conjugate of the 29-mer peptide (with hemocyanin) recognized this antigen, the more C-terminal 14-mer peptides (2C10 425-438 and 2E1 424-437), P450s 2C10 and 2E1, and P450s 1A1, 11A1, and 17A. The 29-mer peptide showed considerable alpha-helix structure as judged by CD spectroscopy, in contrast to any of the 14-mers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

CNC codes conversion from linear and circular paths to NURBS curves

A novel approach is proposed for converting NC files of G01/G02/G03 codes into NURBS curves. The NC points are first acquired from an NC file composed of lines and arcs. A segmentation algorithm based on the angles and lengths evaluated from adjacent points is then used to subdivide the entire group of points into segments. An error-bounded constrained curve fitting algorithm is implemented to fit each segment of points into a curve, maintaining the accuracy, smoothness and boundary continuity between the curves. The chord errors between the NC points and the fitted curves are controlled, which ensures the accurate recovery of NC paths. Also, a knot insertion algorithm is proposed to determine the appropriate number of control points automatically, allowing effective fitting of all segments. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.     

Modeling and simulation of the transcritical CO2 heat pump system

In this study, a CO₂ transcritical cycle model without imposing any excessive constraints such as fixed discharge pressure and suction pressure is developed. The detailed geometrical variation of the gas cooler and the evaporator have been taken into account. The model is validated with the experimental measurements. Parametric influences on the CO₂ system with regard to the effect of dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, inlet water temperature, compressor speed, and the capillary tube length are reported. The COP increases with the dry bulb temperature or the inlet relative humidity of the evaporator. Despite the refrigerant mass flowrate may be increased with the inlet water temperature, the COP declines considerably with it. Increasing the compressor speed leads to a higher heating capacity and to a much lower COP. Unlike those of the conventional sub-critical refrigerant, the COP of the transcritical CO₂ cycle does not reveal a maximum value against the capillary tube length.