Bootstrap for Critical Branching Process with Non-Stationary Immigration

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 60J80, Secondary 62F12, 60G99.In the critical branching process with a stationary immigration the standard parametric bootstrap for an estimator of the offspring mean is invalid. We consider the process with non-stationary immigration, whose mean and variance α(n) and β(n) are finite for each n ≥ 1 and are regularly varying sequences with nonnegative exponents α and β, respectively. It turns out that if α(n) → ∞ and β(n) = o(nα2(n)) as n → ∞, then the standard parametric bootstrap procedure leads to a valid approximation for the distribution of the conditional least squares estimator. We state a theorem which justifies the validity of the bootstrap. By Monte-Carlo and bootstrap simulations for the process we confirm the theoretical findings. The simulation study highlights the validity and utility of the bootstrap in this model as it mimics the Monte-Carlo pivots even when generation size is small

Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying muscular dystrophy

The muscular dystrophies are a group of heterogeneous genetic diseases characterized by progressive degeneration and weakness of skeletal muscle. Since the discovery of the first muscular dystrophy gene encoding dystrophin, a large number of genes have been identified that are involved in various muscle-wasting and neuromuscular disorders. Human genetic studies complemented by animal model systems have substantially contributed to our understanding of the molecular pathomechanisms underlying muscle degeneration. Moreover, these studies have revealed distinct molecular and cellular mechanisms that link genetic mutations to diverse muscle wasting phenotypes

Physical training at university as a means of adaptation of foreign students to the study in different cultural environment

© Medwell Journals, 2016.In the study justified the necessity of foreign students involvement in active physical training and sports in order to improve their motor and communicative activity. Precisely in the area of physical activity of foreign students there are certain reserves for increasing the efficiency of adaptation processes. Physical activity is a powerful means of restoring mental and physical strength of students which helps to cope with the problems of adaptation to the new life's conditions and education. Physical training contributes to the expansion of communication ability of foreign students, reduces language barriers, creating favorable conditions for psychological adaptation of foreign students to study and live in different cultural environment

Investigation of wear mechanics and behaviour of NiCr metallic foam abradables

Current aero-engine sealing materials are reaching their operating limit, as manufacturers seek more efficient engines with longer service lives. Even when utilised in optimum conditions, current materials have inconsistencies in performance due to variabilities in their microstructure, which lead to undesirable responses and events. As such, a new generation of sealing materials is required. Metallic foams are one such material, given the opportunities that exist to both engineer material properties, and achieve relatively consistent microstructures when compared to the current class of thermally sprayed abradable materials. In this study, the abradability of a nickel (70%)–chromium (30%) (NiCr) alloy foam is investigated, with the role of cell size and filler material considered. Tests are performed on a representative high-speed test rig, where a flat blade is used to simulate an aero-engine incursion event. A series of in situ measurement techniques, such as force, temperature and stroboscopic wear measurements are used to characterise the incursion, with DIC (Digital Image Correlation) techniques also employed to investigate breakdown of the foam. Unfilled foams were shown to lead to high blade wear, with the inclusion of filler materials leading to load transfer and collapse of the foam away from the incursion site, along with improved fracture. Both load transfer and ligament collapse mechanisms were found to promote more favourable rub mechanics at all incursion rates tested

Tolerance education of students in the process of preparation and implementation of the sports volunteer

© Medwell Journals, 2016.The problem of tolerance among students is the most relevant. One of the effective forms of work of the university in solving the issue of tolerance is the organization and implementation of sports volunteering. There were identified the main tasks and directions of work of university's department of physical culture for theoretical and practical training of volunteers and supporters to activities in a multicultural environment of sports events at various levels

New Approach Measuring the Wheel/Rail Interaction Loads

This chapter suggested new methods for monitoring the dynamic processes of rolling stock/rail interaction. This study develops a new technical solution for measuring the wheel/rail interaction forces on a significant part of the sleeper. The theoretical part of this study, using FEM, confirm the ability of piecewise continuous recording of vertical and lateral forces from the wheel/rail interaction by measuring the stresses in two sections of the rail. Also, the optimum location of strain gauges and the effective length of the measuring zone have been determined. The experimental part of this study has been carried out on the stands and the railway track to confirm the effectiveness of the method to determine the vertical and lateral wheel/rail interaction forces, increase the reliable statistical data, improve the measurement accuracy, reducing the time and cost compared with current testing methods. The developed method is recommended to determine the wheel/rail interaction forces and identify defects on the wheels when diagnosing rolling stock on operational and travel regimes

Виртуальное хирургическое планирование для реконструкции мягких тканей при раке полости рта

Introduction. Reconstruction of soft tissue defects after radical surgeries in cancer patients is important for early surgical rehabilitation and improving quality of life. Our study presents technologies for virtual surgical planning (VSP) of soft tissue defect reconstruction in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.Case presentation. We described VSP in a report of a 54-year-old patient with locally advanced buccal mucosa cancer after extensive radical resection and reported the results. VSP was used to construct a 3D model from CT images, which was used to accurately assess the margin of radical surgical resection, as well as to develop individually based reconstruction of soft tissue defects. Next, we reported a series of cases of patients with oral cancer of various locations, who, after radical surgery, underwent reconstruction with using of VSP (n=7) or conventional reconstruction (n=10). A comparative analysis of intra and postoperative results was carried out.Results. In a patient with locally advanced left buccal mucosa cancer, reconstruction of the postoperative defect was successful without local complications after reconstruction. Good functional and aesthetic results were obtained. The patient was observed for 2 years without signs of disease. A comparative assessment of the results of the main and control groups showed that patients in the VSP group had a shorter operation time and postoperative hospital stay, as well as fewer and milder postoperative local complications in comparison with the control group.Conclusion. Our results showed the effectiveness of using 3D technology in reconstructive surgery of soft tissue defects after radical surgery for oral SCC. This technology has significantly reduced operative time, hospital stay, and improved flap utilization. This method has great potential for wider application and provides greater benefits with further improvement of technology.Введение. Реконструкция дефектов мягких тканей после радикальных операций у онкологических больных важна для ранней хирургической реабилитации и улучшения качества жизни. В нашем исследовании представлены технологии виртуального хирургического планирования (ВХП) реконструкции дефектов мягких тканей у больных с плоскоклеточным раком полости рта.Описание клинического случая. Представляем результаты применения методики ВХП при обширной радикальной резекции по поводу местнораспространенного рака слизистой оболочки щеки у пациента 54 лет. С помощью ВХП на основе КТ-изображений построена 3D-модель, которая использовалась для точной оценки границ радикальной резекции, а также для индивидуальной реконструкции дефектов мягких тканей. Далее мы сообщили о серии случаев больных раком полости рта, которым после радикальной операции проведена реконструкция с использованием ВХП-технологии (n=7) или традиционными методами (n=10). Проведен сравнительный анализ интра- и послеоперационных результатов.Результаты. У больного местнораспространенным раком слизистой оболочки левой щеки c реконструкцией образовавшегося дефекта послеоперационный период протекал без осложнений, получены хорошие функциональные и эстетические результаты. Больной наблюдался в течение 2 лет без признаков заболевания. Сравнительная оценка результатов показала, что у пациентов с ВХП были короче продолжительность операции и сроки послеоперационного пребывания в стационаре, а также меньшее количество и более легкие послеоперационные осложнения по сравнению с контрольной группой.Заключение. Наши результаты показали эффективность использования 3D-технологии в реконструктивной хирургии дефектов мягких тканей после радикальных операций по поводу плоскоклеточного рака полости рта. Эта технология позволила значительно сократить время операции и пребывания в больнице, а также улучшить использование лоскута. Этот метод имеет большой потенциал для более широкого применения и дает большие преимущества при дальнейшем совершенствовании технологии

Comparative RNA editing in autistic and neurotypical cerebella

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a neurodevelopmentally regulated epigenetic modification shown to modulate complex behavior in animals. Little is known about human A-to-I editing, but it is thought to constitute one of many molecular mechanisms connecting environmental stimuli and behavioral outputs. Thus, comprehensive exploration of A-to-I RNA editing in human brains may shed light on gene–environment interactions underlying complex behavior in health and disease. Synaptic function is a main target of A-to-I editing, which can selectively recode key amino acids in synaptic genes, directly altering synaptic strength and duration in response to environmental signals. Here, we performed a high-resolution survey of synaptic A-to-I RNA editing in a human population, and examined how it varies in autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder in which synaptic abnormalities are a common finding. Using ultra-deep (>1000 × ) sequencing, we quantified the levels of A-to-I editing of 10 synaptic genes in postmortem cerebella from 14 neurotypical and 11 autistic individuals. A high dynamic range of editing levels was detected across individuals and editing sites, from 99.6% to below detection limits. In most sites, the extreme ends of the population editing distributions were individuals with autism. Editing was correlated with isoform usage, clusters of correlated sites were identified, and differential editing patterns examined. Finally, a dysfunctional form of the editing enzyme adenosine deaminase acting on RNA B1 was found more commonly in postmortem cerebella from individuals with autism. These results provide a population-level, high-resolution view of A-to-I RNA editing in human cerebella and suggest that A-to-I editing of synaptic genes may be informative for assessing the epigenetic risk for autism.Nancy Lurie Marks Family FoundationF. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. (Applied Science Sequencing Grant Program)Autism Speaks (Organization)Simons FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01MH085143-01

In-situ measurements of thermal-mechanical wear in blade-abradable liner contacts

The abradable coating on the casing of a jet engine minimises any air gaps by allowing blades to cut a path into the abradable, reducing efficiency losses. Unfortunately, abradable cutting performance varies significantly with rub conditions and abradable type, leading to poor cutting performance and potentially damaging the blades. This study further develops the abradable testing capabilities of a 200ms−1 spindle test rig by applying previously researched stroboscopic imagining techniques to record the front of the blade alongside thermal imaging of the blade and the abradable. The front camera makes it possible to see how adhesions are forming along the width of the blade, and how the adhesion growth differs between materials. The thermal camera can then be used to identify hot spots on both the blade and the abradable, providing an insight into how hot spots relate to adhesions both spatially and temporally. These tools have been proven with testing of Metco 601 at a range of incursion rates. At the incursion rate of 0.2μm/pass the tools were able to provide conclusive results, with video footage of the front, side, blade temperature and abradable temperatures being aligned temporally and spatially. Numerical data could then be extracted to produce rub maps of adhesion height, blade temperature, and abradable temperature on separate plots which is a powerful tool when looking for relationships between the data sets, and for identifying time-based patterns. Further benefits of this tool set were shown when focusing on individual adhesions events within a rub, allowing for the delays between abradable heating, adhesions forming, and blade heating to be observed and quantified. When applied to multiple materials and at different test conditions this tool will provide further insight into how adhesion formation differs, and potentially into why adhesions form

Analysis of Myogenic and Candidate Disease Biomarkers in FSHD Muscle Cells

The UMMS Wellstone Program is a foundation and NIH-funded cooperative research center focusing on identifying biomarkers for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) to gain insight into the molecular pathology of the disease and to develop potential therapies. FSHD is characterized by progressive wasting of skeletal muscles, with weakness often initiating in facial muscles and muscles supporting the scapula and upper arms. While the genetics associated with FSHD are complex, the major form of the disease, FSHD1, is linked to contraction of the D4Z4 repeat region located at chromosome 4q. Recently, a transcript encoded at the distal end of the repeat region, Dux4-fl, normally expressed in embryonic stem cells and germ cells, was also detected in differentiated muscle cells and biopsies from FSHD subjects, giving rise to the hypothesis that DUX4-FL function contributes to muscle weakness. We established a repository of high quality, well-characterized primary and immortalized muscle cell strains from FSHD and control subjects in affected families to provide biomaterials for cell and molecular studies to the FSHD research community. qPCR and immunostaining analyses demonstrate similar growth and differentiation characteristics in cells from FSHD and control subjects within families. We detected Dux4-fl transcript and protein in FSHD cells as recently described; interestingly, we also detected Dux4-fl in muscle cells from a subset of control individuals, suggesting that any Dux4-fl-mediated myopathy would require additional modifying elements. Microarray analysis of FSHD and control muscle cells demonstrated that several genes were upregulated in FSHD cells, including genes that were concurrently identified as downstream targets of Dux4-fl and as candidate FSHD disease genes. Future studies will further characterize the RNA and protein expression of candidate disease genes in cells from FSHD and control subjects, including nonmanifesting subjects with the D4Z4 lesion but no muscle weakness, and utilizing whole transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) to identify additional candidates