Application of General Purpose Computer Techniques to the Design of a Programmable PCM Telemetry Decommutator

This paper describes design of a programmable decomrnutator for multi-format PCM telemetry data. The decommutator organization includes a program counter, instruction decoding registers, and an arithmetic unit, together with pattern comparison logic, and synchronization decision networks. The various types of input formats are discussed and their implications on the organization are determined. The input data formats include (a) normal PCM commutation with frame synchronization and subcommutation synchronization, (b) mixes of different rate PCM commutation, (c) word synchronization and (d) data address tags with each data word. The decommutator is organized around a coincident current memory which serves for both program storage and data buffering. A system of program interrupts is also provided so that (a) data words can be requested from the buffer by an asynchronous device, and (b) new programs can be loaded into unused sections of memory. The second feature permits immediate changes of input format by initiating only one manual command. The address and control fields of the program instructions are defined to allow all of the synchronization parameters (i.e. error tolerance) to be contained as part of the program

Energy management with TRIANA on FPAI

The current growth of smart grid capable appliances motivates the development of general and flexible software systems to support these devices. The FlexiblePower Application Infrastructure (FPAI) is such a system, which classifies devices by their type of flexibility. Subsequently, energy applications only have to support these flexibility classes. In this work, we present an implementation of the TRIANA demand side management approach as an energy application on the FPAI energy management software platform. We use dynamic programming to solve the local scheduling problems for each flexibility class. This work shows that FPAI can host energy applications with different control approaches and that the TRIANA control approach can be embedded in a general implementation framework

Downregulation of 26S proteasome catalytic activity promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows carcinoma cells with phenotypic plasticity that can facilitate the formation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and contribute to the metastatic cascade. While there is substantial support for the role of EMT in driving cancer cell dissemination, less is known about the intracellular molecular mechanisms that govern formation of CSCs via EMT. Here we show that β2 and β5 proteasome subunit activity is downregulated during EMT in immortalized human mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, selective proteasome inhibition enabled mammary epithelial cells to acquire certain morphologic and functional characteristics reminiscent of cancer stem cells, including CD44 expression, self-renewal, and tumor formation. Transcriptomic analyses suggested that proteasome-inhibited cells share gene expression signatures with cells that have undergone EMT, in part, through modulation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. These findings suggest that selective downregulation of proteasome activity in mammary epithelial cells can initiate the EMT program and acquisition of a cancer stem cell-like phenotype. As proteasome inhibitors become increasingly used in cancer treatment, our findings highlight a potential risk of these therapeutic strategies and suggest a possible mechanism by which carcinoma cells may escape from proteasome inhibitor-based therapy

Reconstructing Images from Projections Using the Maximum-Entropy Method. Numerical Simulations of Low-Aspect Astrotomography

The reconstruction of images from a small number of projections using the maximum-entropy method (MEM) with the Shannon entropy is considered. MEM provides higher-quality image reconstruction for sources with extended components than the Hogbom CLEAN method, which is also used in low-aspect astrotomography. The quality of image reconstruction for sources with mixed structure containing bright, compact features embedded in a comparatively weak, extended base can be further improved using a difference-mapping method, which requires a generalization of MEM for the reconstruction of sign-variable functions.We draw conclusions based on the results of numerical simulations for a number of model radio sources with various morphologies.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Field Performance Evaluation Method for a Machine Vision Based Intra Row Hoeing Machine

Wageningen University and Research developed a machine vision based intra row hoeing machine in collaboration with Steketee, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery. Although the machine is used in agricultural practice for several years already there is still a lack of an experimental method to evaluate the field performance of such a device. Reliable, quantitative information about the performance of the machine in the field is therefore not known and the effect of variations in field conditions and machine settings on the performance were not previously researched. The relative number of crop plants damaged by the machine and the relative amount of soil around the crop plants not hoed were used as criteria to assess the field performance. The performance was measured both manually on the field and with the help of sensors by logging the actuation response of the hoeing elements. In the field trial four treatments were combined: 1) the relative number of lettuce plants, 2) the weed density on the field, 3) the driving speed during hoeing, and 4) the moment of hoeing. Each possible combination of treatments was repeated three times. It was concluded that the developed method was suitable to determine statistically significant differences in the hoeing results for the applied treatments. No difference in the machine performance was found for different numbers of missing crop plants in a plant row. The machine performance decreased in terms of the relative number of damaged crop plants in case of high weed density treatments and decreased in terms of the relative number of not hoed intra row spaces in case of high speed treatments

Reducing Glycosphingolipid Content in Adipose Tissue of Obese Mice Restores Insulin Sensitivity, Adipogenesis and Reduces Inflammation

Adipose tissue is a critical mediator in obesity-induced insulin resistance. Previously we have demonstrated that pharmacological lowering of glycosphingolipids and subsequently GM3 by using the iminosugar AMP-DNM, strikingly improves glycemic control. Here we studied the effects of AMP-DNM on adipose tissue function and inflammation in detail to provide an explanation for the observed improved glucose homeostasis. Leptin-deficient obese (LepOb) mice were fed AMP-DNM and its effects on insulin signalling, adipogenesis and inflammation were monitored in fat tissue. We show that reduction of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis in adipose tissue of LepOb mice restores insulin signalling in isolated ex vivo insulin-stimulated adipocytes. We observed improved adipogenesis as the number of larger adipocytes was reduced and expression of genes like peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, insulin responsive glucose transporter (GLUT)-4 and adipsin increased. In addition, we found that adiponectin gene expression and protein were increased by AMP-DNM. As a consequence of this improved function of fat tissue we observed less inflammation, which was characterized by reduced numbers of adipose tissue macrophages (crown-like structures) and reduced levels of the macrophage chemo attractants monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (Mcp-1/Ccl2) and osteopontin (OPN). In conclusion, pharmacological lowering of glycosphingolipids by inhibition of glucosylceramide biosynthesis improves adipocyte function and as a consequence reduces inflammation in adipose tissue of obese animals

Traveling waves and pattern formation for spatially discrete bistable reaction-diffusion equations (survey)

Analysis and Stochastic