On the Finiteness Problem for Automaton (Semi)groups

This paper addresses a decision problem highlighted by Grigorchuk, Nekrashevich, and Sushchanskii, namely the finiteness problem for automaton (semi)groups. For semigroups, we give an effective sufficient but not necessary condition for finiteness and, for groups, an effective necessary but not sufficient condition. The efficiency of the new criteria is demonstrated by testing all Mealy automata with small stateset and alphabet. Finally, for groups, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition that does not directly lead to a decision procedure

Use of horseradish peroxidase for gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy with paracetamol

Gene therapy is a potential method of treating cancer with a greater degree of targeting than conventional therapies. In addition, therapy can be directed towards cells within the tumour population that are traditionally resistant to current treatment schedules. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) can oxidise paracetamol to N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine via a one-electron pathway. Incubation of human cells expressing HRP with 0.5–10 mm paracetamol reduced clonogenic survival, but had little effect on control cells. A small increase in apoptosis was seen and a decrease in the number of cells undergoing mitosis, consistent with reports in hepatocytes using higher paracetamol concentrations. The cytotoxicity was also seen under conditions of severe hypoxia (catalyst induced anoxia), indicating that the HRP/paracetamol combination may be suitable for hypoxia-targeted gene therapy

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Markers for Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Microvascular Disease – Is there a Difference?

Introduction: The clinical significance of inflammation (and markers such as resistin, hsCRP) and oxidative stress (e.g. 8-isoprostanes) for microvascular disease (MVD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) is still elusive

Using cross stamping to test Zinc sheets formability

Sheet metal formability has been studied for a half century. The sheet formability is mostly described by the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD). A prediction of this FLD is a source of interest for industrial companies. Indeed knowing the FLD of a material allows optimization of the production processes which leads to money saving. Nevertheless, the formability tests (tensile, bulge and Nakazima tests) which give the experimental FLD do not really represent the process that the sheet will undergo in industrial conditions. The paper therefore focuses on a cross stamping test. The material of interest is a Zinc sheet. FLD prediction is reported for a wide variety of metals [1] but literature about Zinc is nearly non existent. The studied Zinc sheets exhibit a highly anisotropic mechanical behaviour due to the hcp lattice structure and the inherited rolling texture. This anisotropic behaviour results in an anisotropic formability. The Zinc sheet FLD is influenced by the orientation of the rolling direction during the process. Experimental cross stamping of this material allows describing the studied material behaviour in a large range of mechanical solicitations from tensile to biaxial tension. The experimental results are compared with the finite element simulation and permit to understand where and why failures appear, which leads to a better understanding of Zinc anisotropic formability. © (2012) Trans Tech Publications

Theoretical and experimental evaluation of the formability of anisotropic zinc sheets

Formability of metal sheet has been widely studied for the past 40 years. This study leads to the well known Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) proposed by Keeler and Backhofen [1]. Such a diagram needs typical drawing and stretching experiments to be achieved. Lots of different metals have been considered as steel, aluminium, titanium or magnesium alloys [2]. Despite of the large amount of papers about sheet metal forming, few deal with Zinc sheets. The material has an anisotropic mechanical response due to its hexagonal crystallographic lattice and its microstructural texture. In the presented work, Nakazima and tensile tests have been performed for different mechanical orientations (0°, 45° and 90° angle to the rolling direction) in order to characterise this typical response. A high anisotropic behaviour has been noticed for the hardening and for the critical strains. The FLD is therefore a function of the orientation. Moreover thickness sensitivity is observed and leads to some criticisms about the plane stress assumption usually used in the FLD predictive models [3, 4]. The Modified Maximum Force Criterion (MMFC) is evaluated, and discussed. Then, this model is compared to a damage model used in [5] within an FEM formulation. © (2011) Trans Tech Publications

Using cross stamping to test Zinc sheets formability

International audienceSheet metal formability has been studied for a half century. The sheet formability is mostly described by the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD). A prediction of this FLD is a source of interest for industrial companies. Indeed knowing the FLD of a material allows optimization of the production processes which leads to money saving. Nevertheless, the formability tests (tensile, bulge and Nakazima tests) which give the experimental FLD do not really represent the process that the sheet will undergo in industrial conditions. The paper therefore focuses on a cross stamping test. The material of interest is a Zinc sheet. FLD prediction is reported for a wide variety of metals [1] but literature about Zinc is nearly non existent. The studied Zinc sheets exhibit a highly anisotropic mechanical behaviour due to the hcp lattice structure and the inherited rolling texture. This anisotropic behaviour results in an anisotropic formability. The Zinc sheet FLD is influenced by the orientation of the rolling direction during the process. Experimental cross stamping of this material allows describing the studied material behaviour in a large range of mechanical solicitations from tensile to biaxial tension. The experimental results are compared with the finite element simulation and permit to understand where and why failures appear, which leads to a better understanding of Zinc anisotropic formability