An evaluation of two distributed deployment algorithms for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

Deployment is important in large wireless sensor networks (WSN), specially because nodes may fall due to failure or battery issues. Mobile WSN cope with deployment and reconfiguration at the same time: nodes may move autonomously: i) to achieve a good area coverage; and ii) to distribute as homogeneously as possible. Optimal distribution is computationally expensive and implies high tra c load, so local, distributed approaches may be preferable. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of role-based and behavior based ones. Results show that the later are better, specially for a large number of nodes in areas with obstacles.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Characterization of the monocyte-specific esterase (MSE) gene

Carboxylic esterases are widely distributed in hematopoietic cells. Monocytes express the esterase isoenzyme (termed 'monocyte-specific esterase', MSE) that can be inhibited by NaF in the alpha-naphthyl acetate cytochemical staining. We examined the expression of MSE in normal cells and primary and cultured leukemia-lymphoma cells. The MSE protein was demonstrated by isoelectric focusing (IEF); MSE mRNA expression was investigated by Northern blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The following samples were positive for MSE protein and Northern mRNA expression: 20/24 monocytic, 4/32 myeloid, and 1/20 erythroid-megakaryocytic leukemia cell lines, but none of the 112 lymphoid leukemia or lymphoma cell lines; of the normal purified cell populations only the monocytes were positive whereas, T, B cells, and granulocytes were negative; of primary acute (myelo) monocytic leukemia cells (CD14-positive, FAB M4/M5 morphology) 14/20 were Northern mRNA and 11/14 IEF protein positive. RT-PCR revealed MSE expression in 29/49 Northern-negative lymphoid leukemia-lymphoma cell lines. The RT-PCR signals in monocytic cell lines were on average 50-fold stronger than the mostly weak trace expression in lymphoid specimens. On treatment with various biomodulators, only all-trans retinoic acid significantly upregulated MSE message and protein levels but could not induce new MSE expression in several leukemia cell lines; lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma increased MSE expression in normal monocytes. Analysis of DNA methylation with sensitive restriction enzymes showed no apparent regulation of gene expression by differential methylation; the MSE gene is evolutionarily conserved among mammalian species; the half-life of the human MSE transcripts was about 5-6 h. The extent of MSE expression varied greatly among different monocytic leukemia samples. However, the MSE overexpression in a significant number of specimens was not associated with gene amplification, gross structural rearrangements or point mutations within the cDNA region. Taken together, the results suggest that MSE expression is not absolutely specific for, but strongly associated with cells of the monocytic lineage; MSE is either not expressed at all or expressed at much lower levels in cells from other lineages. The biological significance, if any, of rare MSE messages in lymphoid cells detectable only by the hypersensitive RT-PCR remains unclear. Further studies on the regulation of this gene and on the physiological function of the enzyme will no doubt be informative with respect to its striking overexpression in some malignant cells and to a possible role in the pathobiology of monocytic leukemias

Closure of left ventricle perforation with the use of muscular VSD occluder

Growing experience in interventional cardiology leads to the use of large diameter of vascular equipment. In some instances, the so-called hybrid procedures are performed. After performing the interventional procedure, the opening in ventricular wall is closed surgically. Our intention was to check if the MVSDO can be used to close the perforation in the heart after the interventional cardiology procedure performed through the left ventricular (LV) free wall. In three pigs under general anesthesia, the heart was exposed through a small substernal incision. The LV was punctured and an 18F sheath was introduced into the LV. A 14mm MVSDO was inserted through the 10F Delivery System. Using both the echocardiographic and angiographic guidance, the MVSDO was placed on the LV wall to close the opening in the LV. Time and volume of bleeding was recorded. In all cases the occluder was successfully placed closing the opening, bleeding observed after deployment of occluder lasted for approximately 2min. We think MVSD occluder can be used to close the LV free wall perforation after hybrid interventional cardiac procedure. Early bleeding through MVSDO might be resolved by the manufacturing of new occluder with better sealing propertie

Polyglycerol-Shelled Reduction-Sensitive Polymersome for DM1 Delivery to HER-2-Positive Breast Cancer

Supramolecular delivery systems with the prolonged circulation, the potential for diverse functionalization, and few toxin-related limitations have been extensively studied. For the present study, we constructed a linear polyglycerol-shelled polymersome attached with the anti-HER-2-antibody trastuzumab. We then covalently loaded the anticancer drug DM1 in the polymersome via dynamic disulfide bonding. The resulted trastuzumab-polymersome-DM1 (Tra-PS-DM1) exhibits a mean size of 95.3 nm and remarkable drug loading efficiency % of 99.3%. In addition to its superior stability, we observed the rapid release of DM1 in a controlled manner under reductive conditions. Compared to the native polymersomes, Tra-PS-DM1 has shown greatly improved cellular uptake and significantly reduced IC50 up to 17-fold among HER-2-positive cancer cells. Moreover, Tra-PS-DM1 demonstrated superb growth inhibition of HER-2-positive tumoroids; specifically, BT474 tumoroids shrunk up to 62% after 12 h treatment. With exceptional stability and targetability, the PG-shelled Tra-PS-DM1 appears as an attractive approach for HER-2-positive tumor treatment

Reproducibility of 3-dimensional ultrasound readings of volume of carotid atherosclerotic plaque

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-invasive 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) has emerged as the predominant approach for evaluating the progression of carotid atherosclerosis and its response to treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of a central reading procedure concerning plaque volume (PV), measured by 3D US in a multinational US trial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two data sets of 45 and 60 3D US patient images of plaques (mean PV, 71.8 and 39.8 μl, respectively) were used. PV was assessed by means of manual planimetry. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was applied to determine reader variabilities. The repeatability coefficient (RC) and the coefficient of variation (CV) were used to investigate the effect of number of slices (S) in manual planimetry and plaque size on measurement variability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Intra-reader variability was small as reflected by ICCs of 0.985, 0.967 and 0.969 for 3 appointed readers. The ICC value generated between the 3 readers was 0.964, indicating that inter-reader variability was small, too. Subgroup analyses showed that both intra- and inter-reader variabilities were lower for larger than for smaller plaques. Mean CVs were similar for the 5S- and 10S-methods with a RC of 4.7 μl. The RC between both methods as well as the CVs were comparatively lower for larger plaques.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By implementing standardised central 3D US reading protocols and strict quality control procedures highly reliable ultrasonic re-readings of plaque images can be achieved in large multicentre trials.</p

MALDI-TOF High Mass Calibration up to 200 kDa Using Human Recombinant 16 kDa Protein Histidine Phosphatase Aggregates

Background: Protein histidine phosphatase (PHP) is an enzyme which removes phosphate groups from histidine residues. It was described for vertebrates in the year 2002. The recombinant human 16 kDa protein forms multimeric complexes in physiological buffer and in the gas phase. High-mass calibration in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has remained a problem due to the lack of suitable standards. Large proteins can hardly be freed of their substructural microheterogeneity by classical purification procedures so that their use as calibrants is limited. A small adduct-forming protein of validated quality is a valuable alternative for that purpose. Methodology/Principal Findings: Three major PHP clusters of,113, 209 and.600 kDa were observed in gel filtration analysis. Re-chromatography of the monomer peak showed the same cluster distribution. The tendency to associate was detected also in MALDI-TOF MS measuring regular adducts up to 200 kDa. Conclusions/Significance: PHP forms multimers consisting of up to more than 35 protein molecules. In MALDI-TOF MS it generates adduct ions every 16 kDa. The protein can be produced with high quality so that its use as calibration compoun

Double-crowned valved stents for off-pump mitral valve replacement

Objective: An animal model has been designed to assess the feasibility of off-pump mitral valve replacement using valved stents. Methods: Glutaraldehyde-preserved homograft was sutured inside a prosthetic tube (Dacron). Then, two self-expandable nitinol Z-stents were sutured on the external surface of the prosthesis in such a way to create two self-expanding crowns for fixation. In adult pigs and under general anesthesia, the left atrium was exposed through a left thoracotomy and atrio-ventricular roadmapping was performed with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fluoroscopy. The double-crowned valved stents were loaded into a delivery sheath. The sheath was then introduced into the left atrium and the valved stents was deployed in mitral position in such a way that the part in between the two stents was at the level of the mitral annulus. Intracardiac Unltrasound (ICUS) was used to assess the valve function. Hemodynamic parameters were gathered as well. Animal survived for no more than 3h after the valve deployment and gross anatomy examination of the left heart was carried out. Results: The mean height of the valved stents was 29.4±0.2mm, with an internal diameter of 20.4±1.0mm, and an external diameter of 25.5±0.8mm. The procedure was successfully carried out in eight animals. In vivo evaluation showed a native mitral annulus diameter of 24.9±0.6mm, and a mean mitral valve area of 421.4±17.5mm2. ICUS showed a mild mitral regurgitation in three out of eight animals. Mean pressure gradient across the valved stents was 2.6±3.1mmHg. Mean pressure gradient across the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) was 6.6±5.2mmHg. The mean survival time was 97.5±56.3min (survival time range was 40-180min). One animal died due to the occlusion of the LVOT because of valved stents displacement. Postmortem evaluation confirmed correct positioning of the valved stent in the mitral position in seven out of eight animals. No atrial or ventricular lesions due to the valved stents were found. Conclusions: Off-pump implantation of a self-expandable valved stent in the mitral position is technically feasible. Further studies will assess if this procedure is also feasible in human

Bose Glass in Large N Commensurate Dirty Boson Model

The large N commensurate dirty boson model, in both the weakly and strongly commensurate cases, is considered via a perturbative renormalization group treatment. In the weakly commensurate case, there exists a fixed line under RG flow, with varying amounts of disorder along the line. Including 1/N corrections causes the system to flow to strong disorder, indicating that the model does not have a phase transition perturbatively connected to the Mott Insulator-Superfluid (MI-SF) transition. I discuss the qualitative effects of instantons on the low energy density of excitations. In the strongly commensurate case, a fixed point found previously is considered and results are obtained for higher moments of the correlation functions. To lowest order, correlation functions have a log-normal distribution. Finally, I prove two interesting theorems for large N vector models with disorder, relevant to the problem of replica symmetry breaking and frustration in such systems.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure