Two-measured variable method for wall interference assessment/correction

An iterative method for wall interference assessment and/or correction is presented for transonic flow conditions in wind tunnels equipped with two component velocity measurements on a single interface. The iterative method does not require modeling of the test article and tunnel wall boundary conditions. Analytical proof for the convergence and stability of the iterative method is shown in the subsonic flow regime. The numerical solutions are given for both 2-D and axisymmetrical cases at transonic speeds with the application of global Mach number correction

A balanced homodyne detector for high-rate Gaussian-modulated coherent-state quantum key distribution

We discuss excess noise contributions of a practical balanced homodyne detector in Gaussian-modulated coherent-state (GMCS) quantum key distribution (QKD). We point out the key generated from the original realistic model of GMCS QKD may not be secure. In our refined realistic model, we take into account excess noise due to the finite bandwidth of the homodyne detector and the fluctuation of the local oscillator. A high speed balanced homodyne detector suitable for GMCS QKD in the telecommunication wavelength region is built and experimentally tested. The 3dB bandwidth of the balanced homodyne detector is found to be 104MHz and its electronic noise level is 13dB below the shot noise at a local oscillator level of 8.5*10^8 photon per pulse. The secure key rate of a GMCS QKD experiment with this homodyne detector is expected to reach Mbits/s over a few kilometers.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Numerical methods for analyzing electromagnetic scattering

Attenuation properties of the normal modes in an overmoded waveguide coated with a lossy material were analyzed. It is found that the low-order modes, can be significantly attenuated even with a thin layer of coating if the coating material is not too lossy. A thinner layer of coating is required for large attenuation of the low-order modes if the coating material is magnetic rather than dielectric. The Radar Cross Section (RCS) from an uncoated circular guide terminated by a perfect electric conductor was calculated and compared with available experimental data. It is confirmed that the interior irradiation contributes to the RCS. The equivalent-current method based on the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) was chosen for the calculation of the contribution from the rim diffraction. The RCS reduction from a coated circular guide terminated by a PEC are planned schemes for the experiments are included. The waveguide coated with a lossy magnetic material is suggested as a substitute for the corrugated waveguide

DLC2 modulates angiogenic responses in vascular endothelial cells by regulating cell attachment and migration.

Deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1) is a RhoGTPase activation protein-containing tumor suppressor that associates with various types of cancer. Although DLC2 shares a similar domain structure with that of DLC1, the function of DLC2 is not well characterized. Here, we describe the expression and ablation of DLC2 in mice using a reporter-knockout approach. DLC2 is expressed in several tissues and in endothelial cells (ECs) of blood vessels. Although ECs and blood vessels show no histological abnormalities and mice appear overall healthy, DLC2-mutant mice display enhanced angiogenic responses induced by matrigel and by tumor cells. Silencing of DLC2 in human ECs has reduced cell attachment, increased migration, and tube formation. These changes are rescued by silencing of RhoA, suggesting that the process is RhoA pathway dependent. These results indicate that DLC2 is not required for mouse development and normal vessel formation, but may protect mouse from unwanted angiogenesis induced by, for example, tumor cells

Numerical methods for analyzing electromagnetic scattering

Numerical methods to analyze electromagnetic scattering are presented. The dispersions and attenuations of the normal modes in a circular waveguide coated with lossy material were completely analyzed. The radar cross section (RCS) from a circular waveguide coated with lossy material was calculated. The following is observed: (1) the interior irradiation contributes to the RCS much more than does the rim diffraction; (2) at low frequency, the RCS from the circular waveguide terminated by a perfect electric conductor (PEC) can be reduced more than 13 dB down with a coating thickness less than 1% of the radius using the best lossy material available in a 6 radius-long cylinder; (3) at high frequency, a modal separation between the highly attenuated and the lowly attenuated modes is evident if the coating material is too lossy, however, a large RCS reduction can be achieved for a small incident angle with a thin layer of coating. It is found that the waveguide coated with a lossy magnetic material can be used as a substitute for a corrugated waveguide to produce a circularly polarized radiation yield

Borderline personality in patients with poly-diagnoses treated for a Bipolar Disorder

Some patients with dysphoria, explosive behaviour, or suicidal ideation, may receive a diagnosis of, and treatment for Bipolar Disorder (BD) and, not infrequently. The coexistence of these two diagnoses has been explained in different ways. Some authors include the BPD in the bipolar spectrum; others are sceptical about the existence of real comorbidity, suggesting a misdiagnosis. This study aimed to assess the personality of this group of poly-diagnosed patients (PolyD) and hypothesised they had a pathological borderline organisation. Via the administration of the Schedler Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200), we compared PolyD patients with those suffering from BPD or BD only. We performed two different MANCOVAs to test PolyD, BPD and BD patients' differences in PD-factors, Q-traits and age. The sample comprised 45 patients (Mean age=43.3, SD=15.7; Females 57.7%, N=26). BD patients (N=15) did not present any personality disorder, they had a higher functioning and Obsessive Q-traits, and a lower Histrionic PD-factor than both PolyD (N=20) and BPD (N=10) patients. Compared to PolyD patients, BD had inferior PD-Borderline, PD-Antisocial factor and Dependent-Masochistic Q-traits, but there were no other differences with BPD patients. PolyD did not differ from BPD patients in any of the PD-factors and Q-traits. Our results suggest that PolyD patients are different from BD patients and propose to consider the pathological borderline personality as a central core of their disease

Extraction of Airways with Probabilistic State-space Models and Bayesian Smoothing

Segmenting tree structures is common in several image processing applications. In medical image analysis, reliable segmentations of airways, vessels, neurons and other tree structures can enable important clinical applications. We present a framework for tracking tree structures comprising of elongated branches using probabilistic state-space models and Bayesian smoothing. Unlike most existing methods that proceed with sequential tracking of branches, we present an exploratory method, that is less sensitive to local anomalies in the data due to acquisition noise and/or interfering structures. The evolution of individual branches is modelled using a process model and the observed data is incorporated into the update step of the Bayesian smoother using a measurement model that is based on a multi-scale blob detector. Bayesian smoothing is performed using the RTS (Rauch-Tung-Striebel) smoother, which provides Gaussian density estimates of branch states at each tracking step. We select likely branch seed points automatically based on the response of the blob detection and track from all such seed points using the RTS smoother. We use covariance of the marginal posterior density estimated for each branch to discriminate false positive and true positive branches. The method is evaluated on 3D chest CT scans to track airways. We show that the presented method results in additional branches compared to a baseline method based on region growing on probability images.Comment: 10 pages. Pre-print of the paper accepted at Workshop on Graphs in Biomedical Image Analysis. MICCAI 2017. Quebec Cit

Intrabodies Binding the Proline-Rich Domains of Mutant Huntingtin Increase Its Turnover and Reduce Neurotoxicity

Although expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeats are inherently toxic, causing at least nine neurodegenerative diseases, the protein context determines which neurons are affected. The polyQ expansion that causes Huntington's disease (HD) is in the first exon (HDx-1) of huntingtin (Htt). However, other parts of the protein, including the 17 N-terminal amino acids and two proline (polyP) repeat domains, regulate the toxicity of mutant Htt. The role of the P-rich domain that is flanked by the polyP domains has not been explored. Using highly specific intracellular antibodies (intrabodies), we tested various epitopes for their roles in HDx-1 toxicity, aggregation, localization, and turnover. Three domains in the P-rich region (PRR) of HDx-1 are defined by intrabodies: MW7 binds the two polyP domains, and Happ1 and Happ3, two new intrabodies, bind the unique, P-rich epitope located between the two polyP epitopes. We find that the PRR-binding intrabodies, as well as VL12.3, which binds the N-terminal 17 aa, decrease the toxicity and aggregation of HDx-1, but they do so by different mechanisms. The PRR-binding intrabodies have no effect on Htt localization, but they cause a significant increase in the turnover rate of mutant Htt, which VL12.3 does not change. In contrast, expression of VL12.3 increases nuclear Htt. We propose that the PRR of mutant Htt regulates its stability, and that compromising this pathogenic epitope by intrabody binding represents a novel therapeutic strategy for treating HD. We also note that intrabody binding represents a powerful tool for determining the function of protein epitopes in living cells