Configurable multiplier modules for an adaptive computing system

The importance of reconfigurable hardware is increasing steadily. For example, the primary approach of using adaptive systems based on programmable gate arrays and configurable routing resources has gone mainstream and high-performance programmable logic devices are rivaling traditional application-specific hardwired integrated circuits. Also, the idea of moving from the 2-D domain into a 3-D design which stacks several active layers above each other is gaining momentum in research and industry, to cope with the demand for smaller devices with a higher scale of integration. However, optimized arithmetic blocks in course-grain reconfigurable arrays as well as field-programmable architectures still play an important role. In countless digital systems and signal processing applications, the multiplication is one of the critical challenges, where in many cases a trade-off between area usage and data throughput has to be made. But the a priori choice of word-length and number representation can also be replaced by a dynamic choice at run-time, in order to improve flexibility, area efficiency and the level of parallelism in computation. In this contribution, we look at an adaptive computing system called 3-D-SoftChip to point out what parameters are crucial to implement flexible multiplier blocks into optimized elements for accelerated processing. The 3-D-SoftChip architecture uses a novel approach to 3-dimensional integration based on flip-chip bonding with indium bumps. The modular construction, the introduction of interfaces to realize the exchange of intermediate data, and the reconfigurable sign handling approach will be explained, as well as a beneficial way to handle and distribute the numerous required control signals

Unusual PLS application for Pd(ii) sensing in extremely acidic solutions

An economic and extremely selective device for Pd(ii) determination in very acidic solutions, TazoC-Mar@ is presented. The sensor was prepared via an ion exchange technique of an azoic ligand, (2-(tetrazolylazo)-1,8 dihydroxy naphthalene-3,6,-disulphonic acid), named TazoC, on a Macroporous Strong Anion Exchange Resin, namely Marathon® (Dow Chemical-USA). The TazoC-Mar@ rapidly forms complexes with palladium(ii) ions, which give an intense blue colour to the solid phase, even at low pH. The reaction is highly selective and no other metal ions react with the device at this pH. Moreover, the quantification of Pd(ii) is reliable when applying partial least squares regression (PLS) to relate the signal to the metal ion concentration. The regression model gives a good fit and correct predictions of Pd(ii) concentrations in unknown samples. The method presented here is highly sensitive with an LOD and LOQ equal to 0.2 nM and 0.5 nM, respectively

Mathematical modelling of cancer invasion : phenotypic transitioning provides insight into multifocal foci formation

Funding: Z. Szymańska acknowledge the support from the National Science Centre, Poland – grant No. 2017/26/M/ST1/00783. N. Sfakianaki’s scientific visit to the University of Warsaw was partially supported by the Excellence Initiative Research University Programme at the University of Warsaw. M. Lachowicz is happy to acknowledge the support from the New Ideas Grant - ”Równania kinetyczne w opisie zjawisk samoorganizacji” funded by the Excellence Initiative Research University Programme at the University of Warsaw.The transition from the epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype and its reverse (from mesenchymal to epithelial) are crucial processes necessary for the progression and spread of cancer. In this paper, we investigate how phenotypic switching at the cancer cell level impacts on behaviour at the tissue level, specifically on the emergence of isolated foci of the invading solid tumour mass leading to a multifocal tumour. To this end, we propose a new mathematical model of cancer invasion that includes the influence of cancer cell phenotype on the rate of invasion and metastasis. The implications of model are explored through numerical simulations revealing that the plasticity of tumour cell phenotypes appears to be crucial for disease progression and local invasive spread. The computational simulations show the progression of the invasive spread of a primary cancer reminiscent of in vivo multifocal breast carcinomas, where multiple, synchronous, ipsilateral neoplastic foci are frequently observed and are associated with a poorer patient prognosis.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The interaction of aluminum with catecholamine-based neurotransmitters: Can the formation of these species be considered a potential risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases?

The potential neurotoxic role of Al(iii) and its proposed link with the insurgence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have attracted increasing interest towards the determination of the nature of bioligands that are propitious to interact with aluminum. Among them, catecholamine-based neurotransmitters have been proposed to be sensitive to the presence of this non-essential metal ion in the brain. In the present work, we characterize several aluminum-catecholamine complexes in various stoichiometries, determining their structure and thermodynamics of formation. For this purpose, we apply a recently validated computational protocol with results that show a remarkably good agreement with the available experimental data. In particular, we employ Density Functional Theory (DFT) in conjunction with continuum solvation models to calculate complexation energies of aluminum for a set of four important catecholamines: l-DOPA, dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. In addition, by means of the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) and Energy Decomposition Analysis (EDA) we assessed the nature of the Al-ligand interactions, finding mainly ionic bonds with an important degree of covalent character. Our results point at the possibility of the formation of aluminum-catecholamine complexes with favorable formation energies, even when proton/aluminum competition is taken into account. Indeed, we found that these catecholamines are better aluminum binders than catechol at physiological pH, because of the electron withdrawing effect of the positively-charged amine that decreases their deprotonation penalty with respect to catechol. However, overall, our results show that, in an open biological environment, the formation of Al-catecholamine complexes is not thermodynamically competitive when compared with the formation of other aluminum species in solution such as Al-hydroxide, or when considering other endogenous/exogenous Al(iii) ligands such as citrate, deferiprone and EDTA. In summary, we rule out the possibility, suggested by some authors, that the formation of Al-catecholamine complexes in solution might be behind some of the toxic roles attributed to aluminum in the brain. An up-to-date view of the catecholamine biosynthesis pathway with sites of aluminum interference (according to the current literature) is presented. Alternative mechanisms that might explain the deleterious effects of this metal on the catecholamine route are thoroughly discussed, and new hypotheses that should be investigated in future are proposed

Effects of natural plant tenderizers on proteolysis and texture of dry sausages produced with wild boar meat addition

This study was conducted to develop a method for improving tenderness and overall qualities of tough wild boar meat used to dry sausage  production with direct addition of raw pineapple (Ananas comosus), mango (Mangifera indica), kiwifruit - fuzzy kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), or ginger (Zingiber officinale roscoe - ginger rhizome) juices contained a plant proteolytic enzyme. Dry-sausages were subjected to various chemical, mechanical and sensory evaluations. An increase in proteolysis was observed in all enzyme-treated samples compared to the control and as a consequence an improvement in juiciness, tenderness and overall acceptability scores were observed. Ginger or kiwifruit juice-treated sausages received better scores for texture, flavor, and overall acceptability. From these results, it is shown that those enzymes as a raw plant juices could be used as tenderizers in dry sausage production.Keywords: Dry sausages, wild boar meat, plant enzymes, proteolysis, texture, sensory properties.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(38), pp. 5670-567

Cadherin-26 (CDH26) regulates airway epithelial cell cytoskeletal structure and polarity.

Polarization of the airway epithelial cells (AECs) in the airway lumen is critical to the proper function of the mucociliary escalator and maintenance of lung health, but the cellular requirements for polarization of AECs are poorly understood. Using human AECs and cell lines, we demonstrate that cadherin-26 (CDH26) is abundantly expressed in differentiated AECs, localizes to the cell apices near ciliary membranes, and has functional cadherin domains with homotypic binding. We find a unique and non-redundant role for CDH26, previously uncharacterized in AECs, in regulation of cell-cell contact and cell integrity through maintaining cytoskeletal structures. Overexpression of CDH26 in cells with a fibroblastoid phenotype increases contact inhibition and promotes monolayer formation and cortical actin structures. CDH26 expression is also important for localization of planar cell polarity proteins. Knockdown of CDH26 in AECs results in loss of cortical actin and disruption of CRB3 and other proteins associated with apical polarity. Together, our findings uncover previously unrecognized functions for CDH26 in the maintenance of actin cytoskeleton and apicobasal polarity of AECs

A ~4.6 h quasi-periodic oscillation in the BL Lacertae PKS 2155-304?

We report a possible detection of an ~4.6-hour quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the 0.3-10 keV emission of the high-energy peaked blazar PKS 2155-304 from a 64 ks observation by the XMM-Newton EPIC/pn detector. We identify a total modulation of ~5% in the light curve and confirm that nominal period by periodogram, structure function and wavelet analyses. The limited light curve duration allows the capture of only 3.8 cycles of this oscillation and thus precludes a very strong claim for this QPO, despite a nominally high (>3 sigma) statistical significance. We briefly discuss models capable of producing an X-ray QPO of such a period in a blazar.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter

Salicylamide derivatives for iron and aluminium sequestration. From synthesis to complexation studies

This paper presents an easy, fast and economic synthesis of chelating agents for medical, environmental and analytical applications, and the evaluation of the stability of their complexes with Fe3+ and Al3+. Complex formation equilibria with Cu2+ and Zn2+ metal ions were also studied to evaluate if the chelating agents can perturb the homeostatic equilibria of these essential metal ions. Effective chelating agents for metal ions, in addition to their well-known medical uses, find an increasing number of applications in environmental remediation, agricultural applications (supplying essential elements in an easily available form), and in analytical chemistry as colorimetric reagents. Besides the stability of the complexes, the lack of toxicity and the low cost are the basic requisites of metal chelating agents. With these aims in mind, we utilized ethyl salicylate, a cheap molecule without toxic effects, and adopted a simple synthetic strategy to join two salicylate units through linear diamines of variable length. Actually, the mutual position of the metal binding oxygen groups, as well as the linker length, affected protonation and complex formation equilibria. A thorough study of the ligands is presented. In particular, the complex formation equilibria of the three ligands toward Fe3+, Al3+, Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions were investigated by combined potentiometric and spectrophotometric techniques. The results are encouraging: all the three ligands form stable complexes with all the investigated metal ions, involving the oxygen donor atoms from the 2-hydroxybenzamido unit, and nitrogen atoms in copper and zinc coordination

Cell starvation increases uptake of extracellular Thymosin β4 and its complexes with calcium

Cell metastasis is the main cause of cancer mortality. Inhibiting early events during cell metastasis and invasion could significantly improve cancer prognosis, but the initial mechanisms of cell transition and migration are barely known. Calcium regulates cell migration, whilst Thymosin β4 is a G-actin and iron binding peptide associated with tumor metastasis and ferroptosis. Under normal cell growth conditions, intracellular free calcium ions and Thymosin β4 concentrations are strictly regulated, and are not influenced by extracellular supplementation. However, cell starvation decreases intracellular Thymosin β4 and increases extracellular peptide uptake above the normal range. Unexpectedly, cell starvation significantly increases internalization of extracellular Ca2+/Thymosin β4 complexes. Elucidating the role of Ca2+/Thymosin β4 in the early events of metastasis will likely be important in the future to develop therapies targeting metastasis

War Manifestos

This Article is the first to examine “war manifestos,” documents that set out the legal reasons sovereigns provided for going to war from the late fifteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. We have assembled the world’s largest collection of war manifestos—over 350—in languages as diverse as Classical Chinese, German, French, Latin, Serbo-Croatian, and Dutch. Prior Anglophone scholarship has almost entirely missed war manifestos. This gap in the literature has produced a correspondingly large gap in our understanding of the role of war during the period in which manifestos were commonly used. Examining these previously ignored manifestos reveals that states exercised the right to wage war in ways that would be inconceivable today. In short, the right to intervene militarily could be asserted in any situation in which a legal right had been violated and all peaceful channels had been explored and exhausted. This Article begins by describing war manifestos. It then explores their history and evolution over the course of five centuries, explains the purposes they served for sovereigns, shows the many “just causes” they cited for war, and, finally, considers the lessons they hold for modern legal dilemmas. The discovery of war manifestos as a set of legal documents not only offers lawyers and legal scholars a new window into the international legal universe of the past, but it also casts new light on several long-standing legal debates