Allelic diversity at the primate Mhc-G locus: exon 3 bears stop codons in all Cercopithecinae sequences

The aim of this study was to determine whether bisaramil-an antiarrhythmic compound under clinical investigation-influences the reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and biochemical parameters characterizing occlusion-reperfusion-induced free-radical reactions. The left descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded for 60 min in anaesthetized dogs followed by one hour of reperfusion. Blood samples were taken at different times of the occlusion and reperfusion for the determination of plasma concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG); furthermore of the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Free-radical generating capacity of polymorph neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) was also measured. At the end of the experiments heart tissue samples were excised from the injured areas and from the intact part of the left ventricular muscle. In tissues samples the concentrations of MDA and GSH and the activity of SOD were determined. Bisaramil was given as an i.v. bolus injection at a dose of 2 mg kg-1 several minutes prior to the end of LAD-occlusion; then the administration was repeated in the 30th minute of reperfusion. In the control group (10 dogs) ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred in seven cases which resulted in death in three. In the bisaramil-treated group, however. VF was seen in three cases and no death was recorded. Bisaramil inhibited the elevation of the plasma concentration of MDA and GSSG during the reperfusion and abolished the decrease in the plasma concentration of GSH during the occlusion and reperfusion. The activity of SOD and catalase in plasma was much better preserved in the bisaramil-treated group then in the controls. Bisaramil significantly inhibited the increase of the superoxide-radical generating capacity of PMNs during the reperfusion. The data obtained from myocardial tissue samples supported the cardioprotective effect of bisaramil. The biochemical investigation of ischemic-reperfused myocardium showed that bisaramil promoted preservation of SOD-activity and of tissue glutathione. Results of this study clearly showed that bisaramil has a significant effect on ischemiareperfusion injury. Besides its inhibitory effects on ischaemia-reperfusion induced arrhythmias it has a special benefit in influencing free-radical mediated damage leading to better preservation of membranes and to limitations of irreversible cell injuries.     

Evolutionary robustness analysis for multi-objective optimization: benchmark problems

This paper presents a new approach to robustness analysis in multi-objective optimization problems aimed at obtaining the most robust Pareto front solutions and distributing the solutions along the most robust regions of the optimal Pareto set. A new set of test problems accounting for the different types of robustness cases is presented in this study. Non-dominated solutions are classified according to their degree of robustness and are distributed along the Pareto front according to specific algorithm parameter values. Verification of the proposed method is carried out using the developed test problems and artificial and real world benchmark test problems present in the literature.     

Locking and hourglass phenomena in an element‐free Galerkin context: the B‐bar method with stabilization and an enhanced strain method

The meshless methods, namely the element‐free Galerkin method (EFGM), when they first appeared claimed that volumetric locking and hourglass were avoided. This was not the case and both phenomena occur in the EFGM. In the context of the finite element method (FEM) these phenomena were widely studied. In this work, forms of avoiding the locking phenomenon will be presented; a formulation based on the enhanced strain method will be introduced in the EFGM and the B‐bar method will be implemented under the scope of the EFGM. Secondly, to render this method more robust, a stabilization technique will be implemented avoiding hourglass. Several examples are solved to probe the efficiency of these techniques. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance of the most common non‐cryptographic hash functions

Non‐cryptographic hash functions (NCHFs) have an immense number of applications, ranging from compilers and databases to videogames and computer networks. Some of the most important NCHF have been used by major corporations in commercial products. This practical success demonstrates the ability of hashing systems to provide extremely efficient searches over unsorted sets. However, very little research has been devoted to the experimental evaluation of these functions. Therefore, we evaluated the most widely used NCHF using four criteria as follows: collision resistance, distribution of outputs, avalanche effect, and speed. We identified their strengths and weaknesses and found significant flaws in some cases. We also discuss our conclusions regarding general hashing considerations such as selection of the compression map. Our results should assist practitioners and engineers in making more informed choices regarding which function to use for a particular problem. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Decolorization of Methyl Orange Dye at IrO2‐SnO2‐Sb2O5 Coated Titanium Anodes

A film of iridium and tin dioxides doped with antimony oxide (IrO₂‐SnO₂‐Sb₂O₅) was deposited onto Ti mesh and plate substrates by the Pechini method. The electrode surface morphology and composition were characterized by SEM‐EDS. The ternary oxide coating was used for the anodic oxidation of methyl orange (MO) azo dye. Linear sweep voltammetry was used to identify the electrode potentials that favour MO degradation. Batch electrolyses were then carried out at a constant electrode potential of 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0 V vs. SHE using either a three‐electrode batch cell or a flow reactor. The dye solutions were totally decolorized via reactive oxygen species, such as ^?OH, H₂O₂ and O₃ formed in situ from water oxidation at the Ti/IrO₂‐SnO₂‐Sb₂O₅ surface.     

From ELF to Compressibility in Solids

Understanding the electronic nature of materials’ compressibility has always been a major issue behind tabulation and rationalization of bulk moduli. This is especially because this understanding is one of the main approaches to the design and proposal of new materials with a desired (e.g., ultralow) compressibility. It is well recognized that the softest part of the solid will be the one responsible for its compression at the first place. In chemical terms, this means that the valence will suffer the main consequences of pressurization. It is desirable to understand this response to pressure in terms of the valence properties (charge, volume, etc.). One of the possible approaches is to consider models of electronic separability, such as the bond charge model (BCM), which provides insight into the cohesion of covalent crystals in analogy with the classical ionic model. However, this model relies on empirical parametrization of bond and lone pair properties. In this contribution, we have coupled electron localization function (ELF) ab initio data with the bond charge model developed by Parr in order to analyze solid state compressibility from first principles and moreover, to derive general trends and shed light upon superhard behavior.     

Transgenic animals in toxicology

Recent advances have been made in the characterization of a number of transgenic animal models. These animal models have provided a powerful toxicological tool for studying in vivo chemical effects and have increased our understanding of the role of specific genetic alterations as predisposing factors for chemical carcinogenesis. The goal of this symposium was to introduce the development of transgenic animals and the utilization of transgenics in toxicology research focusing on understanding tissue-specific mutation, chemical effects, and cancer. The production of transgenic animals, including gene insertions and gene knockouts, and the utilization of transgenic technology for studying multistage carcinogenesis and tumor suppressor genes are described. Data on the application and implications of transgenics as a genetic endpoint are also discussed. The use of transgenic animals in toxicology should improve our understanding of the role of specific genetic alterations in the carcinogenic process and lead to improved estimations of human health risks.     

Reparametrizing swung surfaces over the reals

Let $\mathbb {K}\subseteq \mathbb {R}$ be a computable subfield of the real numbers (for instance, $\mathbb {Q}$ ). We present an algorithm to decide whether a given parametrization of a rational swung surface, with coefficients in $\mathbb {K}(\mathtt {i})$ , can be reparametrized over a real (i.e., embedded in $\mathbb {R}$ ) finite field extension of $\mathbb {K}$ . Swung surfaces include, in particular, surfaces of revolution.