A VME-based LabVIEW system for the magnetic measurements of the LHC prototype dipoles

A magnetic measurement system based on a set of rotating harmonic coils has been integrated together with the coil positioning and rotation control, the associated data acquisition and the power supply control using a PC. This PC is a mono-board VME module with its networking connection, local hard disk and serial interfaces. The PC communicates with its peripheral devices (the controller embedded in the power converter, the coil positioning PLC and the coil rotation hardware) via RS-232C lines and acquires data using VME modules: in-house designed voltage integrators for the magnetic measurement and a commercial ADC for real-time measurements. The software is a LabVIEW application: it handles and synchronizes the peripheral devices of the measurement system and the real-time tasks related to the data acquisition; it constitutes a man-machine interface for the operator and also directly stores field maps onto a file server. The system is operational on the test benches and has proved reliable, user-friendly and performed as expected.

Bladder inflammatory transcriptome in response to tachykinins: Neurokinin 1 receptor-dependent genes and transcription regulatory elements

Background Tachykinins (TK), such as substance P, and their neurokinin receptors which are ubiquitously expressed in the human urinary tract, represent an endogenous system regulating bladder inflammatory, immune responses, and visceral hypersensitivity. Increasing evidence correlates alterations in the TK system with urinary tract diseases such as neurogenic bladders, outflow obstruction, idiopathic detrusor instability, and interstitial cystitis. However, despite promising effects in animal models, there seems to be no published clinical study showing that NK-receptor antagonists are an effective treatment of pain in general or urinary tract disorders, such as detrusor overactivity. In order to search for therapeutic targets that could block the tachykinin system, we set forth to determine the regulatory network downstream of NK1 receptor activation. First, NK1R-dependent transcripts were determined and used to query known databases for their respective transcription regulatory elements (TREs). Methods: An expression analysis was performed using urinary bladders isolated from sensitized wild type (WT) and NK1R-/- mice that were stimulated with saline, LPS, or antigen to provoke inflammation. Based on cDNA array results, NK1R-dependent genes were selected. PAINT software was used to query TRANSFAC database and to retrieve upstream TREs that were confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Results: The regulatory network of TREs driving NK1R-dependent genes presented cRel in a central position driving 22% of all genes, followed by AP-1, NF-kappaB, v-Myb, CRE-BP1/c-Jun, USF, Pax-6, Efr-1, Egr-3, and AREB6. A comparison between NK1R-dependent and NK1R-independent genes revealed Nkx-2.5 as a unique discriminator. In the presence of NK1R, Nkx2-5 _01 was significantly correlated with 36 transcripts which included several candidates for mediating bladder development (FGF) and inflammation (PAR-3, IL-1R, IL-6, α-NGF, TSP2). In the absence of NK1R, the matrix Nkx2-5_02 had a predominant participation driving 8 transcripts, which includes those involved in cancer (EYA1, Trail, HSF1, and ELK-1), smooth-to-skeletal muscle trans-differentiation, and Z01, a tight-junction protein, expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed that, in the mouse urinary bladder, activation of NK1R by substance P (SP) induces both NKx-2.5 and NF-kappaB translocations. Conclusion: This is the first report describing a role for Nkx2.5 in the urinary tract. As Nkx2.5 is the unique discriminator of NK1R-modulated inflammation, it can be imagined that in the near future, new based therapies selective for controlling Nkx2.5 activity in the urinary tract may be used in the treatment in a number of bladder disorders

Pengaruh Aplikasi Biostimulan Terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Produksi Tanaman Sawi (Brassica juncea L.)

This study aimed to determine the effect of different biostimulant applications (solid and liquid) on the growth and yield of mustard plants. This study used a single factor Randomized Block Design (RBD), consisting of solid or liquid biostimulant treatment, each has twelve levels, i.e. K0 = without biostimulant, K1 = NPK 1 g per plant, solid and liquid biostimulant each consisting of 10 treatments = B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10. Solid biostimulant was given at 2.5 g per plant and liquid biostimulant at 10 ml per plant. The results showed that liquid biostimulant gave a significant effect on plant height, crop fresh weight, and crop dry weight; whereas solid biostimulant gave a very significant effect on entire weight, i.e. fresh weight of mustard plant, fresh root weight, and crop dry weight. The best treatment for liquid biostimulant was B1 treatment; whereas for the solid biostimulant was B7 treatment. Keywords: biostimulant, mustard, growth, yield   ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh aplikasi biostimulan yang berbeda (biostimulan padat dan cair) terhadap pertumbuhan dan produksi tanaman sawi. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok faktor tunggal yang terdiri dari perlakuan Biostimulan (padat dan cair) yang masing-masing perlakuan terdapat dua belas taraf (P): K0 = tanpa biostimulan, K1 = NPK 1 g/tan, Biostimulan padat dan cair masing-masing terdiri dari 10 perlakuan = B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10. Biostimulan padat 2.5 g/tan dan biostimulan cair 10 ml/tan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa biostimulan cair memberikan pengaruh yang nyata terhadap tinggi tanaman sawi, berat segar tanaman, dan berat kering tanaman, sedangkan biostimulan padat memberikan pengaruh yang sangat nyata terhadap semua bobot berat tanaman sawi yaitu berat segar tanaman, berat segar akar, dan berat kering tanaman. Perlakuan terbaik untuk biostimulan cair adalah perlakuan B1, sedangkan untuk biostimulan padat perlakuan yang terbaik adalah perlakuan B7. Kata kunci: biostimulan, sawi, pertumbuhan, produks

Summary of the LHC Controls and Operations Forum held at CERN on 1-2 December 1999

The LHC Controls-Operations Forum in December attempted to identify the challenges of running the LHC and the implications for controls and equipment. An outline of the forum, its objectives, summaries of the various sessions, conclusions and some recommendations are presented. It is anticipated that this information will act as input into current and future development

Internal standard-based analysis of microarray data. Part 1: analysis of differential gene expressions

Genome-scale microarray experiments for comparative analysis of gene expressions produce massive amounts of information. Traditional statistical approaches fail to achieve the required accuracy in sensitivity and specificity of the analysis. Since the problem can be resolved neither by increasing the number of replicates nor by manipulating thresholds, one needs a novel approach to the analysis. This article describes methods to improve the power of microarray analyses by defining internal standards to characterize features of the biological system being studied and the technological processes underlying the microarray experiments. Applying these methods, internal standards are identified and then the obtained parameters are used to define (i) genes that are distinct in their expression from background; (ii) genes that are differentially expressed; and finally (iii) genes that have similar dynamical behavior

First Powering of the LHC Test String 2

String 2 is a full-size model of a regular cell in an LHC arc. In the first phase, three dipole magnets and two quadrupole magnets have been assembled in String 2 and commissioning started in April 2001. By the beginning of 2002 three pre-series dipole magnets will be added to complete the cell. As for its predecessor String 1, the facility was built to individually validate the LHC systems and to investigate their collective behaviour for normal operation with the magnets at a temperature of 1.9 K, during transients as well as during exceptional conditions. String 2 is a precious milestone before installation and commissioning of the first LHC sector (1/8 of the machine) in 2004, with respect to infrastructure, installation, tooling and assembly procedures, testing and commissioning of individual systems, as well as the global commissioning of the technical systems. This paper describes the commissioning, and retraces the first powering history

Repeated BCG treatment of mouse bladder selectively stimulates small GTPases and HLA antigens and inhibits single-spanning uroplakins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite being a mainstay for treating superficial bladder carcinoma and a promising agent for interstitial cystitis, the precise mechanism of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) remains poorly understood. It is particularly unclear whether BCG is capable of altering gene expression beyond its well-recognized pro-inflammatory effects and how this relates to its therapeutic efficacy. The objective of this study was to determine differentially expressed genes in the mouse bladder following repeated intravesical BCG therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Mice were transurethrally instilled with BCG or pyrogen-free on days 1, 7, 14, and 21. Seven days after the last instillation, urothelia along with the submucosa was removed and amplified ds-DNA was prepared from control- and BCG-treated bladder mucosa and used to generate suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Plasmids from control- and BCG-specific differentially expressed clones and confirmed by Virtual Northern were then purified and the inserts were sequenced and annotated. Finally, chromatin immune precipitation combined with real-time polymerase chain reaction assay (ChIP/Q-PCR) was used to validate SSH-selected transcripts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Repeated intravesical BCG treatment induced an up regulation of genes associated with antigen presentation (B2M, HLA-A, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB2, HLA-E, HLA-G, IGHG, and IGH) and representatives of two IFNγ-induced small GTPase families: the GBPs (GBP1, GBP2, and GBP5) and the p47GTPases (IIGTP1, IIGTP2, and TGTP). Genes expressed in saline-treated bladders but down-regulated by BCG included: the single-spanning uroplakins (UPK3a and UPK2), SPRR2G, GSTM5, and RSP 19.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Here we introduced a hypothesis-generator approach to determine key genes involved in the urothelium/sumbmucosa responses to BCG therapy. Urinary bladder responds to repeated BCG treatment by up-regulating not only antigen presentation-related genes, but also GBP and p47 small GTPases, both potentially serving to mount a resistance to the replication of the <it>Mycobacterium</it>. It will be of tremendous future interest to determine whether these immune response cascades play a role in the anti-cancer effects exerted by BCG.</p