A queue with multiple stable regions

Proceedings of the UKPEW, 2009, p. 75-83The stable region of a queue consists of all values of the system parameters for the queue to be stable. A queue can have multiple stable regions, such that the probability law governing the system has different functional forms in different stable regions and hence the performance of the system cannot be captured only by the parameter values. We analyze a queue with multiple stable regions, and explain why such a queue is not amenable to current queueing theory.postprin

Effect of Sucrose Esters on the Physicochemical Properties of Wheat Starch

Purpose: To investigate the effect of sucrose esters on the physicochemical properties of wheat starch.Methods: Sucrose ester was mixed with wheat starch extracted from normal soft wheat cultivars and heated. Change in starch properties arising from the interaction between were assessed for starch blue value, viscosity, solubility and retrogradation. In addition, the structure and thermodynamic properties of the modified starch were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FITR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).Results: The properties of wheat starch changed greatly by adding different sucrose esters to their structures. Starch containing 0.30 % sucrose esters had the lowest peak (2034 cps), trough (1331 cps), final (1896 cps), setback viscosities (565 cps), iodine value (0.378), supernatant volume (76.6mL), and lower dissolution rate (0.063g). The unmodified starch had higher peak (3576 cps), trough (2971 cps), final (4394 cps), setback viscosities (1423 cps), blue value (0.464), supernatant volume (85.4 mL ), and dissolution rate ( 0.076 g). After adding sucrose esters, the onset temperature (To) and peak temperature (Tp) of wheat starches increased by 1 - 5 °C and 1 - 3 °C, respectively; the conclusion temperature (Tc) and enthalpy, however, decreased by 5 - 6°C and 0.2 - 1.9 J/g, respectively. SEM and FT-IR showed that the microstructure and molecular structure of the starches with sucrose esters did not differ significantly from that of the unmodified starch.Conclusion: Incorporation of small amounts of sucrose ester in the structure of wheat starch can change the physicochemical properties of the starch to meet various functional requirements, including in the food and pharmaceutical industries.Keywords: Sucrose esters, Wheat starch, Viscosity, Microscopy; Microstructure, Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Monoamine oxidase A upregulated by chronic intermittent hypoxia activates indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and neurodegeneration

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Effect of Some Oligosaccharides on Functional Properties of Wheat Starch

Purpose: To investigate the effects of oligosaccharides on the functional properties of wheat starch.Methods: The blue value, retrogradation and pasting properties of wheat starch were determined. In addition, water activity (Aw), melting enthalpy and melting temperature of wheat starch paste were analyzed.Results: Fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) and xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) inhibited the retrogradation of wheat starch. The peak viscosity of wheat starch with oligosaccharides increased from 3238 ± 8 to 3822 ± 10 cP, with the highest peak obtained for sucrose. The setback of wheat starch decreased (from 1158 ± 5 to 799 ± 6 cP), with the lowest setback for FOS. Aw of control sample changed significantly (falling from 0.978 ± 0.025 to 0.397 ± 0.013) when the drying time was from 6 to 12 hours, while the Aw of the samples to which different oligosaccharides were added only showed slight decrease (from 0.98 ± 0.019 to 0.854 ± 0.022). During storage, the Aw of all starch pastes decreased, and the Aw and melting enthalpy of the samples containing FOS and XOS were significantly lower than that of the control after 6 days storage at 4 and 30 °C.Conclusion: A certain level of oligosaccharides can improve the functional properties of wheat starch paste and thus broaden its application prospects in food and pharmaceutical industries.Keywords: Melting enthalpy, Oligosaccharides, Pasting properties, Water activity, Wheat starc

Accurate prediction of heat of formation by combining Hartree-Fock/density functional theory calculation with linear regression correction approach

A linear regression correction (LRC) approach was developed to account for the electron correlation energy missing in Hartree-Fock (HF) calculation. This method was applied to evaluate the standard heats of formation of 180 small-sized to medium-sized organic molecules at 298.15 K. The descriptors in the LRC scheme are the number of lone-pair electrons, bonding electrons and inner layer electrons in molecules, and the number of unpaired electrons in ground state atoms. It is observed that the large systematic deviations for the calculated heat of formation are reduced drastically, in particular, for the HF results.published_or_final_versio

Combined acoustic radiation force impulse, aminotransferase to platelet ratio index and Forns index assessment for hepatic fibrosis grading in hepatitis B

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Erratum: Vital Signs During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Retrospective Analysis of 19,960 Participants in Wuhan and Four Nearby Capital Cities in China (Global Heart (2021) 16: 1 (47) DOI: 10.5334/gh.913)

This article details a correction to: Li J-W, Guo Y-T, Di Tanna GL, Neal B, Chen Y-D, Schutte AE. Vital Signs During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Retrospective Analysis of 19,960 Participants in Wuhan and Four Nearby Capital Cities in China. Global Heart. 2021;16(1):47. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/gh.913. CORRECTION The original article was published without complete funding details. It listed one funder, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (H2501), National Key Research and Development Project of China (2018YFC2001200). There was another funder missing from the original article, the Chinese Military Health Care (20BJZ26). The originally listed funder covered expenses for enrolment and follow-up of patients, and the purchase and maintenance of necessary equipment. The second funder covered the costs of publication. COMPETING INTERESTS J.L. held an International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program China (20170103) during the course of this work. G. Tao has no disclosures. A.E. Schutte received speaker honoraria from Omron Healthcare, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Servier, and serves on research advisory board for Abbott. She is President of the International Society of Hypertension, 2018-2020. G.L. Di Tanna has no disclosures. B. Neal is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Principal Research Fellowship; holds a research grant for this study from Janssen; and has held research grants for other large-scale cardiovascular outcome trials from Roche, Servier, and Merck Schering Plough; and his institution has received consultancy, honoraria, or travel support for contributions he has made to advisory boards and/or the continuing medical education programs of Abbott, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Servier. Y. Chen has no disclosures

Effects of tachyplesin on the morphology and ultrastructure of human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823

AIM To investigate the morphological and ultrastructural changes in the human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-S23 after being treated with tachyplesin, METHODS Tachyplesin was isolated from acid extracts of Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) hemocytes, BGC-823 cells and the cells treated with 2.0 mg/L tachyplesin were examined respectively under light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope. RESULTS BGC-823 cells had undergone the restorational alteration in morphology and ultrastructure after tachyplesin treatment. The changes were as follows: the shape of cells was unanimous, the volume enlarged and cells turned to be flat and spread, the nucleocytoplasmic ratio lessened and nuclear shape became rather regular, the number of nucleolus reduced and its volume lessened, heterchromatin decreased while euchromatin increased in nucleus. In the cytoplasm, mitochondria grew in number with consistent structure relatively, Golgi complex turned to be typical and well-developed, rough endoplasmic reticulum increased and polyribosome decreased. The microvilli at cellular surface were rare and the filopodia reduced while lamellipodia increased at the cell edge. CONCLUSION Tachyplesin could alter the malignant morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of human gastric carcinoma cells effectively and have a certain inducing differentiation effect on human gastric carcinoma cells

Isolation and Purification of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance by High-Speed Counter- Current Chromatography and Semi-Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Purpose: To isolate and purify sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance by highspeed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC).Methods: I. sonchifolia was extracted with water and then loaded on a glass column (10 ~ 1500 cm containing 3000g D101 macroporous resin) where various concentrations of aqueous ethanol (0, 10, 30, 50, and 95 %) were used to elute the column successively. The 50 % ethanol fraction was  purified by HSCCC using a solvent system comprised of ethyl acetate: n-butanol: methanol: water (4: 6: 1: 20, v/v), and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chemical structures of thecomponents obtained were further confirmed by high-resolution mass spectroscopy (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).Results: Three compounds, including ixerin Z1 (0.7 mg), ixerin Z (11.4 mg), and 11, 13α-dihydroixerin Z (8.2 mg), with purity of 96.2, 98.2, and 98.4 %, respectively, were obtained from 200 mg each of the 50 % ethanol fraction.Conclusion: HSCCC is a rapid and effective method for isolating and purifying sesquiterpene lactones from I. sonchifolia.Keywords: Sesquiterpene lactones, High-speed counter-current chromatography, Ixeris sonchifolia, Ixerin, 13α-Dihydroixeri

Two diterpenes and three diterpene glucosides from Phlogacanthus curviflorus

Two new diterpene lactones, phlogacantholides B (1) and C (2), and three new diterpene lactone glucosides, phlogacanthosides A (3), B (4), and C (5), together with lupeol, beta-sitosterol, betulin, P-daucosterol, (+)syringaresinol, and (+)-syringaresinol-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, were isolated from the roots of Phlogacanthus curviflorus. Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic evidence. The structure, including the relative configuration of phlogacantholide B (1), was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its diacetate (6)