Requirements engineering for inventory management of locomotive’s electronic modules maintenance

Abstract: Inventory Management is an important discipline that identifies tracking of software and hardware assets for manufacturing, maintenance, or retail purposes. Inventory management systems and processes can use similar terms as in literature but the environment where the asset’s inventory is used determines the requirements for that asset. Availability of locomotives for operations is key in supporting the economy of the country; therefore, locomotive availability should always be high. The current inventory management process is not fully utilized to support the locomotive maintenance business efficiency. Most failures in locomotives are due to electronic modules so it is important to efficiently manage the electronic inventory items for locomotive maintenance. The requirements for inventory management system needs to be elicited from the experts in the locomotive maintenance business. The stakeholders are engaged using the interview method to get the ideal requirements per their expertise. The Delphi method is adopted to validate a set of gathered requirements and the Likert scale of 1 to 5 points is used to draw consensus from the participating experts through a statistical group response. The research data shows a set of gathered requirements elicited from the stakeholders. The requirements are validated and the recommendations made based on the findings. It can be drawn from the results of using the Likert scale that the inventory management system would work better if enhanced by automated sub-systems such as barcode systems and point-of-sale machines. This paper is the first that provides additional requirements from a population of stakeholders and recommends that further research is made to find out about the impact of using latest technologies to enhance inventory management of electronic modules for locomotive maintenance

Characterization of a mycovirus associated with the brown discoloration of edible mushroom, Flammulina velutipes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A mycovirus previously identified in brown discolored fruiting bodies of the cultivated mushroom <it>Flammulina velutipes </it>was characterized. We tentatively named the virus the <it>F. velutipes </it>browning virus (FvBV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Purified FvBV particles contained two dsRNA genomes (dsRNA1 and 2). The complete sequence of dsRNA1 was 1,915 bp long, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) that encoded 580 amino acids of a putative 66-kDa RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). dsRNA2 was 1,730 bp long containing a single ORF encoding 541 amino acids of a putative 60-kDa coat protein (CP1). Phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp sequences revealed FvBV to be a <it>Partitivirus</it>, most closely related to <it>Chondrostereum purpureum </it>cryptic virus. An RT-PCR assay was developed for the amplification of a 495-bp cDNA fragment from dsRNA encoding the CP1. When wild <it>F. velutipes </it>isolated from various parts of Japan were examined by RT-PCR assay, three isolates from the central region of Japan contained FvBV. One wild strain infected with FvBV was isolated in Nagano prefecture, where brown discoloration of white cultivated strains has occurred. Fruiting bodies produced by virus-harboring and virus-free <it>F. velutipes </it>were compared.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cap color of the fruiting bodies of <it>F. velutipes </it>that contained <it>Partitivirus </it>FvBV was darker than FvBV-free fruiting bodies. The use of RT-PCR enabled association of FvBV and dark brown color of the fruiting body produced by <it>F. velutipes </it>strains.</p

A comprehensive modular map of molecular interactions in RB/E2F pathway

We present, here, a detailed and curated map of molecular interactions taking place in the regulation of the cell cycle by the retinoblastoma protein (RB/RB1). Deregulations and/or mutations in this pathway are observed in most human cancers. The map was created using Systems Biology Graphical Notation language with the help of CellDesigner 3.5 software and converted into BioPAX 2.0 pathway description format. In the current state the map contains 78 proteins, 176 genes, 99 protein complexes, 208 distinct chemical species and 165 chemical reactions. Overall, the map recapitulates biological facts from approximately 350 publications annotated in the diagram. The network contains more details about RB/E2F interaction network than existing large-scale pathway databases. Structural analysis of the interaction network revealed a modular organization of the network, which was used to elaborate a more summarized, higher-level representation of RB/E2F network. The simplification of complex networks opens the road for creating realistic computational models of this regulatory pathway

Immunohistochemical Expression of the Transcription Factor DP-1 and Its Heterodimeric Partner E2F-1 in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

DP-1 is a G1 cell cycle-related protein that forms heterodimers with E2F, a family of transcriptional factors regulating the expression of genes important for G1 to S progression. Although the exact role of DP-1 is not well understood, it has been shown to stabilize DNA binding of E2F proteins. By immunohistochemistry, the authors examined the expression of DP-1 in lymphoid tissues, including 8 cases of reactive follicular hyperplasia and 69 cases of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The expression of the cell cycle-related proteins E2F-1 and Ki-67 was also assessed. Scoring was based on the proportion of labeled nuclei (1-10%, 11-25%, 26-50%, and &gt; 50%). In reactive follicular hyperplasia, staining for DP-1, E2F-1, and Ki-67 was largely confined to the germinal centers. All 25 cases of follicular lymphoma, regardless of grade, had a high proportion (&gt; 50%) of DP-1-positive cells but a lower proportion of cells marking for E2F-1 and Ki-67 (P &lt; 0.001). The diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (n = 24) had high DP-1 and Ki-67 scores but low E2F-1 scores (P &lt; 0.001). Small lymphocytic (n = 10), marginal zone (n = 3), and mantle cell lymphomas (n = 5) contained relatively low proportions of cells labeled for all three markers. Precursor B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (n = 2) displayed high proportions of cells positive for DP-1, Ki-67, and E2F-1 (&gt; 50% in both cases). Except in follicular center cell lesions, DP-1 expression generally correlated with that of Ki-67. However, the expression of DP-1 was discordant with that of E2F-1 in benign and malignant follicular center cells, suggesting that DP-1 may have functions other than facilitating E2F-1-dependent gene regulation and cell cycle progression in these neoplasms