A new approach to the design of wide-band multiprobe reflectometers

A new design approach for low-cost multiprobe reflectometers is presented. While traditional circuits adopt equally-spaced probes, the presented solution provide a method to greatly enhance the bandwidth of the measuring system by a proper choice of each probe position. As example, a five-probe 0.6-16 GHz system has been designed

Effect of transportation and mixing with unfamiliar pig on Salmonella susceptibility in market weight pigs

There is increasing evidence that stress can have a significant deleterious effect on food safety through a variety of potential mechanisms. However, there is very little research conducted to determine the potential effects of specific pre-slaughter stressors on Salmonella infection and carriage in pigs

MEDEA: A Hybrid Shared-memory/Message-passing Multiprocessor NoC-based Architecture

The shared-memory model has been adopted, both for data exchange as well as synchronization using semaphores in almost every on-chip multiprocessor implementation, ranging from general purpose chip multiprocessors (CMPs) to domain specific multi-core graphics processing units (GPUs). Low-latency synchronization is desirable but is hard to achieve in practice due to the memory hierarchy. On the contrary, an explicit exchange of synchronization tokens among the processing elements through dedicated on-chip links would be beneficial for the overall system performance. In this paper we propose the Medea NoC-based framework, a hybrid shared-memory/message-passing approach. Medea has been modeled with a fast, cycle-accurate SystemC implementation enabling a fast system exploration varying several parameters like number and types of cores, cache size and policy and NoC features. In addition, every SystemC block has its RTL counterpart for physical implementation on FPGAs and ASICs. A parallel version of the Jacobi algorithm has been used as a test application to validate the metodology. Results confirm expectations about performance and effectiveness of system exploration and design

Association of clusterin with the BRI2-derived amyloid molecules ABri and ADan

Familial British and Danish dementias (FBD and FDD) share striking neuropathological similarities with Alzheimer's disease (AD), including intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles as well as parenchymal and vascular amyloid deposits. Multiple amyloid associated proteins with still controversial role in amyloidogenesis colocalize with the structurally different amyloid peptides ABri in FBD, ADan in FDD, and Aβ in AD. Genetic variants and plasma levels of one of these associated proteins, clusterin, have been identified as risk factors for AD. Clusterin is known to bind soluble Aβ in biological fluids, facilitate its brain clearance, and prevent its aggregation. The current work identifies clusterin as the major ABri- and ADan-binding protein and provides insight into the biochemical mechanisms leading to the association of clusterin with ABri and ADan deposits. Mirroring findings in AD, the studies corroborate clusterin co-localization with cerebral parenchymal and vascular amyloid deposits in both disorders. Ligand affinity chromatography with downstream Western blot and amino acid sequence analyses unequivocally identified clusterin as the major ABri- and ADan-binding plasma protein. ELISA highlighted a specific saturable binding of clusterin to ABri and ADan with low nanomolar Kd values within the same range as those previously demonstrated for the clusterin-Aβ interaction. Consistent with its chaperone activity, thioflavin T binding assays clearly showed a modulatory effect of clusterin on ABri and ADan aggregation/fibrillization properties. Our findings, together with the known multifunctional activity of clusterin and its modulatory activity on the complex cellular pathways leading to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the induction of cell death mechanisms – all known pathogenic features of these protein folding disorders – suggests the likelihood of a more complex role and a translational potential for the apolipoprotein in the amelioration/prevention of these pathogenic mechanisms

Enramado y riego como alternativas de rehabilitación de regiones semiáridas afectadas por el tendido de ductos

La instalación subterránea de cañerías requiere de la remoción de la vegetación y la compactación del suelo debido al tránsito de maquinaria pesada. Evaluamos el efecto de la aplicación de ramas de “quilembai” (Chuquiraga avellanedae Lorentz) sobre algunas propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo y sobre el establecimiento de la vegetación, simulando la construcción de “islas de fertilidad”, características del monte Patagónico. Seleccionamos dos sitios que sufrieron diferentes disturbios en un área afectada por la instalación de un gasoducto: i) desmonte, decapitación del suelo superficial y circulación de maquinaria pesada (Zona 1), y ii) desmonte, movimiento y deposición del suelo y la vegetación removida (Zona 2). En cada sitio se aplicaron tratamientos de agregado de ramas en dos dosis distintas que a su vez recibieron, o no, riego. También implementamos un tratamiento control y otro que solo recibió riego. Diez meses después de la aplicación se determinó humedad del suelo, densidad aparente, resistencia a la penetración, velocidad de infiltración, C orgánico y P-Olsen y se cuantificó la densidad de plantas, antes de la aplicación y a los 10 meses. Los tratamientos aumentaron la humedad del suelo respecto al control, aunque sólo en algunos casos lo hicieron en forma significativa; no se observaron tendencias claras en el resto de las variables edáficas. La densidad de gramíneas, principalmente Nassella tenuis (Phil.) arkworth, aumentó en los tratamientos con ramas de la Zona 1, y se observaron efectos positivos tanto de la dosis como del riego. No se detectó un efecto significativo de los tratamientos en la densidad de gramíneas en la Zona 2. En el corto plazo, la aplicación de ramas y riego en sitios muy disturbados no modificó significativamente las características físicas y químicas del suelo, no obstante se observó un aumento notable en el establecimiento de gramíneas, acelerando la recuperación de la cobertura vegetal

Ternary combination of irinotecan, fluorouracil-folinic acid and oxaliplatin: results on human colon cancer cell lines

A marked antitumour efficacy is currently obtained by oxaliplatin (LOHP)–fluorouracil (FU)–folinic acid (FA) combination and by CPT11–FU–FA combination. Logically, the triple association LOHP, CPT11 and FUFA will be soon tested in cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to compare two schedules combining SN38 (the active metabolite of CPT11, irinotecan) with FU–FA and LOHP. The two schedules differed by the SN38 position. The relative contribution of each drug in the resulting global cytotoxicity was evaluated. Two human colon cancer cell lines were used (WIDR and SW620 both p53 mutated). LOHP plus FA were applied for 2 h, just before a 48 h FU exposure. The SN38 sequence was applied for 24 h, starting either 48 h before LOHP-FA (schedule A), or just after LOHP-FA exposure (schedule B). Cytotoxicity was assessed by the 3-(4,5-demethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test and drug interactions were analysed according to the Chou and Talalay method, based on the computation of a combination index (CI). The SN38 position significantly induces a shift from additivity-antagonism when SN38 was applied after LOHP, towards additivity-synergism when SN38 was applied first (P = 0.03). The relative contribution (RC) of each drug in the overall cytotoxicity of the triple combination was defined as the drug concentration giving 50% cell lethality (IC 50) of the double association without that drug divided by the IC 50 of the triple association. Whatever the SN38 position, the larger contribution was made by LOHP (median RC = 2.4) and the smaller by SN38 (median RC = 1.1). In addition, the contribution of FUFA was improved when SN38 was applied first (median RC = 2.2) as compared to the opposite schedule (median RC = 1.2). Results were in agreement between the two explored cell lines. The present data should be taken into account when establishing the rationale of future trials combining CPT11, LOHP and FU–FA. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Determination of the Ileal Digestibility of Proteins and Amino Acids from Biscuit Bran and Wheat Gluten in Swine

To determine the apparent (AIDCP) and standardized (SIDCP) ileal digestibility coefficients of the protein and the apparent (AIDAA) and standardized (SIDAA) ileal digestibility coefficients of amino acids from biscuit bran and wheat gluten were used six castrated males swine in growth, on average weight from 22 to 60kg, with a T cannula on the terminal ileum, distributed in a randomized block design with three treatments, two periods and two repetitions per period. Each animal was considered a repeat. Treatments consisted of a protein free diet (PFD) for determination of the endogenous loss, PFD + biscuit bran (BB) and PFD + wheat gluten (WG). Each period lasted for six days, five days of adaptation of animals to the diet and 24 hours of collection of ileal digestion. The AIDCP of BB and WG were 82.33 and 90.07%, respectively and the SIDCP of BB and WG were 89.17% and 95.60%, respectively. The SIDAA were on average 80.84% (lysine), 83.94% (threonine), 90.57% (methionine + cystine) and 87.15% (valine) to BB. The SIDAA for the WG were on average 91.01% (lysine), 90.97% (threonine), 95.82% (methionine + cystine) and 90.04% (valine). The SID of protein and essential amino acids and non-essential elements identified in this study were on average, respectively, 89.17%, 88.54% and 89.20% of biscuit branand 95.60%, 93.71% and 89.20% of wheat gluten