Rapid Development of Database Interfaces with Oracle APEX, used for the Controls Systems at CERN

The need to rapidly prototype, build and deploy applications and to be able to react immediately to the changing user requirements is a challenge facing every enterprise. CERN – the largest particle research centre in the world – has tremendous data storage requirements, encompassing many different databases and has to quickly provide interfaces to visualize the data. This article will cover how Oracle APEX has been used to build several different database-centric interfaces related to the accelerator complex. Real-world applications will be discussed and it will be shown how Oracle APEX has met the preliminary requirements of the application developers and the user community at CERN. The article will address the question of when APEX could be a suitable choice of application development technology, and will share a developer's first-hand experience of both the good and bad points

COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE PRECIPITATING INFLUENCE OF HISTONES UPON PLASMA OF RATS WITH TUMOURS AND HEALTHY ONES

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ADRENERGIC INFLUENCES ON ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMABILITY IN RATS

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Accelerator Data Foundation : How it all fits together

Since 2003, a coherent data management approach was envisaged for the needs of installing, commissioning, operating and maintaining the LHC. Data repositories in the distinct domains of physical equipment, installed components, controls configuration and operational data have been established to cater for these different aspects. The interdependencies between the domains have been implemented as a distributed database. This approach, based on a very wide data foundation, has been used for the LHC and is being extended to the CERN accelerator complex

Polymorphism at High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits and Morphological Diversity of Aegilops geniculata Roth Collected in Algeria

A collection of 35 accessions of the tetraploid wild wheat Aegilops geniculata Roth (MM, UU) sampled in northern Algeria was evaluated for morphological and biochemical variability. Morphological and ecological analyses based on morphological traits and bioclimatic parameters, respectively, were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). Accessions were differentiated by width characters, namely spike’s width, and a weak relationship between morphological traits and ecological parameters was found. Polymorphism of high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits was carried on by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Among accessions analyzed, 27 alleles were identified at the two loci Glu-M1 and Glu-U1: resulting in twenty-nine patterns and a nomenclature was proposed. Two alleles at the Glu-U1 locus expressed a new subunit with a slightly slower mobility than subunit 8. These results provide new information regarding the genetic variability of HMW glutenin subunits, as well as their usefulness in cultivated wheat quality improvement

Ancient Roman coin retrieval : a systematic examination of the effects of coin grade

Ancient coins are historical artefacts of great significance which attract the interest of scholars, and a large and growing number of amateur collectors. Computer vision based analysis and retrieval of ancient coins holds much promise in this realm, and has been the subject of an increasing amount of research. The present work is in great part motivated by the lack of systematic evaluation of the existing methods in the context of coin grade which is one of the key challenges both to humans and automatic methods. We describe a series of methods – some being adopted from previous work and others as extensions thereof – and perform the first thorough analysis to date.Postprin

A novel case of MSTO1 gene related congenital muscular dystrophy with progressive neurological involvement

Recessive mutations in the MSTO1 gene, encoding for a mitochondrial distribution and morphology regulator, have been recently described in a very limited number of patients with multisystem involvement, mostly characterized by myopathy or dystrophy, cerebellar ataxia, pigmentary retinopathy and raised creatine kinase levels. Here we report an additional patient with recessive MSTO1-related muscular dystrophy (MSTO1-RD), and clinical and radiological evidence of progressive cerebellar involvement. Whole-exome sequencing identified two novel MSTO1 missense variants, c.766C > T (p. (Arg256Trp) and c.1435C > T (p. (Pro479Ser), predicted as damaging by in silico tools. We also report a distinct pattern of selective involvement on muscle MRI in MSTO1-RD. This case confirms a consistent MSTO1-related neuromuscular phenotype and in addition suggests a progressive neurological component at least in some patients, in keeping with the mitochondrial role of the defective protein

CERN Proton Synchrotron Complex High-Level Controls Renovation

After a detailed study of the Proton Synchrotron (PS) complex requirements by experts of CERN controls & operation groups, a proposal to develop a new system, called Injector Controls Architecture (InCA), was presented to and accepted by the management late 2007. Aiming at the homogenisation of the control systems across CERN accelerators, InCA is based on components developed for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) but also new components required to fulfil operation needs. In 2008, the project was in its elaboration phase and we successfully validated its architecture and critical use-cases during several machine development sessions. After description of the architecture put in place and the components used, this paper describes the planning approach taken combining iterative development phases with deployment in operation for validation sessions

Bi-allelic mutations in MYL1 cause a severe congenital myopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Congenital myopathies are typically characterised by early onset hypotonia, weakness and hallmark features on biopsy. Despite the rapid pace of gene discovery, approximately 50% of patients with a congenital myopathy remain without a genetic diagnosis following screening of known disease genes. METHODS: We performed exome sequencing on two consanguineous probands diagnosed with a congenital myopathy and muscle biopsy showing selective atrophy/hypotrophy or absence of type II myofibres. RESULTS: We identified variants in the gene (MYL1) encoding the skeletal muscle fast-twitch specific myosin essential light chain in both probands. A homozygous essential splice acceptor variant (c.479-2A>G, predicted to result in skipping of exon 5 was identified in Proband 1, and a homozygous missense substitution (c.488T>G, p.(Met163Arg)) was identified in Proband 2. Protein modeling of the p.(Met163Arg) substitution predicted it might impede intermolecular interactions that facilitate binding to the IQ domain of myosin heavy chain, thus likely impacting on the structure and functioning of the myosin motor. MYL1 was markedly reduced in skeletal muscle from both probands, suggesting that the missense substitution likely results in an unstable protein. Knock down of myl1 in zebrafish resulted in abnormal morphology, disrupted muscle structure and impaired touch-evoked escape responses, thus confirming that skeletal muscle fast-twitch specific myosin essential light chain is critical for myofibre development and function. INTERPRETATION: Our data implicate MYL1 as a crucial protein for adequate skeletal muscle function and that MYL1 deficiency is associated with a severe congenital myopathy

Operando tracking of oxidation-state changes by coupling electrochemistry with time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy demonstrated for water oxidation by a cobalt-based catalyst film

Transition metal oxides are promising electrocatalysts for water oxidation, i.e., the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is critical in electrochemical production of non-fossil fuels. The involvement of oxidation state changes of the metal in OER electrocatalysis is increasingly recognized in the literature. Tracing these oxidation states under operation conditions could provide relevant information for performance optimization and development of durable catalysts, but further methodical developments are needed. Here, we propose a strategy to use single-energy X-ray absorption spectroscopy for monitoring metal oxidation-state changes during OER operation with millisecond time resolution. The procedure to obtain time-resolved oxidation state values, using two calibration curves, is explained in detail. We demonstrate the significance of this approach as well as possible sources of data misinterpretation. We conclude that the combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy with electrochemical techniques allows us to investigate the kinetics of redox transitions and to distinguish the catalytic current from the redox current. Tracking of the oxidation state changes of Co ions in electrodeposited oxide films during cyclic voltammetry in neutral pH electrolyte serves as a proof of principle