Entropy generation in magnetohydrodynamic radiative non-Newtonian dissipative convection flow from an inclined plane : numerical study

A theoretical model is developed to study entropy generation in non-Newtonian magnetohydrodynamic thermal convection from an inclined plate as a simulation of electroconductive polymer materials processing of relevance to automotive coating applications. High temperature invokes radiative effects which are analysed with the Rosseland diffusion flux approximation. The Jeffery’s viscoelastic model is deployed to describe the non-Newtonian characteristics of the fluid and provides a good approximation for magnetic polymers, which constitutes a novelty of the present work. The normalized nonlinear boundary value problem is solved computationally with the Keller-Box implicit finite-difference technique. Extensive solutions for velocity, surface temperature, skin friction and heat transfer rate are visualized graphically for various thermophysical parameters. Validation is conducted with earlier published work for the case of a vertical plate in the absence of magnetic field, radiative flux and non-Newtonian effects. The dimensionless entropy generation is obtained via the reduced momentum and energy equations. Bejan number is generally decreased with greater values of Deborah number. Increasing magnetic field reduces entropy generation number whereas it enhances the Bejan number. Increasing Brinkman number (dissipation parameter) is found to enhance the entropy generation number whereas it suppresses the Bejan number

Targeting BTK for the treatment of FLT3-ITD mutated acute myeloid leukemia

Approximately 20% of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have a mutation in FMS-like-tyrosine-kinase-3 (FLT3). FLT3 is a trans-membrane receptor with a tyrosine kinase domain which, when activated, initiates a cascade of phosphorylated proteins including the SRC family of kinases. Recently our group and others have shown that pharmacologic inhibition and genetic knockdown of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) blocks AML blast proliferation, leukaemic cell adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells as well as migration of AML blasts. The anti-proliferative effects of BTK inhibition in human AML are mediated via inhibition of downstream NF-κB pro-survival signalling however the upstream drivers of BTK activation in human AML have yet to be fully characterised. Here we place the FLT3-ITD upstream of BTK in AML and show that the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib inhibits the survival and proliferation of FLT3-ITD primary AML blasts and AML cell lines. Furthermore ibrutinib inhibits the activation of downstream kinases including MAPK, AKT and STAT5. In addition we show that BTK RNAi inhibits proliferation of FLT3-ITD AML cells. Finally we report that ibrutinib reverses the cyto-protective role of BMSC on FLT3-ITD AML survival. These results argue for the evaluation of ibrutinib in patients with FLT3-ITD mutated AML

A time-domain control signal detection technique for OFDM

Transmission of system-critical control information plays a key role in efficient management of limited wireless network resources and successful reception of payload data information. This paper uses an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) architecture to investigate the detection performance of a time-domain approach used to detect deterministic control signalling information. It considers a type of control information chosen from a finite set of information, which is known at both transmitting and receiving wireless terminals. Unlike the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method, which is often used, the time-domain detection technique requires no channel estimation and no pilots as it uses a form of time-domain correlation as the means of detection. Results show that when compared with the ML method, the time-domain approach improves detection performance even in the presence of synchronisation error caused by carrier frequency offset

A Case of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery Arising from the Superior Mesenteric Artery in a Korean Woman

Anatomical variations of the inferior mesenteric artery are extremely uncommon, since the inferior mesenteric artery is regularly diverged at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. We found a rare case in which the inferior mesenteric artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery. The findings were made during a routine dissection of the cadaver of an 82-yr-old Korean woman. This is the tenth report on this anomaly, the second female and the first Korean. The superior mesenteric artery normally arising from abdominal aorta sent the inferior mesenteric artery as the second branch. The longitudinal anastomosis vessels between the superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery survived to form the common mesenteric artery. This anatomical variation concerning the common mesenteric artery is of clinical importance, performing procedures containing the superior mesenteric artery

Ferromagnetic Semiconductors: Moving Beyond (Ga,Mn)As

The recent development of MBE techniques for growth of III-V ferromagnetic semiconductors has created materials with exceptional promise in spintronics, i.e. electronics that exploit carrier spin polarization. Among the most carefully studied of these materials is (Ga,Mn)As, in which meticulous optimization of growth techniques has led to reproducible materials properties and ferromagnetic transition temperatures well above 150 K. We review progress in the understanding of this particular material and efforts to address ferromagnetic semiconductors as a class. We then discuss proposals for how these materials might find applications in spintronics. Finally, we propose criteria that can be used to judge the potential utility of newly discovered ferromagnetic semiconductors, and we suggest guidelines that may be helpful in shaping the search for the ideal material.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figure

Surface electrons at plasma walls

In this chapter we introduce a microscopic modelling of the surplus electrons on the plasma wall which complements the classical description of the plasma sheath. First we introduce a model for the electron surface layer to study the quasistationary electron distribution and the potential at an unbiased plasma wall. Then we calculate sticking coefficients and desorption times for electron trapping in the image states. Finally we study how surplus electrons affect light scattering and how charge signatures offer the possibility of a novel charge measurement for dust grains.Comment: To appear in Complex Plasmas: Scientific Challenges and Technological Opportunities, Editors: M. Bonitz, K. Becker, J. Lopez and H. Thomse

Developmental changes in the role of different metalinguistic awareness skills in Chinese reading acquisition from preschool to third grade

Copyright @ 2014 Wei et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The present study investigated the relationship between Chinese reading skills and metalinguistic awareness skills such as phonological, morphological, and orthographic awareness for 101 Preschool, 94 Grade-1, 98 Grade-2, and 98 Grade-3 children from two primary schools in Mainland China. The aim of the study was to examine how each of these metalinguistic awareness skills would exert their influence on the success of reading in Chinese with age. The results showed that all three metalinguistic awareness skills significantly predicted reading success. It further revealed that orthographic awareness played a dominant role in the early stages of reading acquisition, and its influence decreased with age, while the opposite was true for the contribution of morphological awareness. The results were in stark contrast with studies in English, where phonological awareness is typically shown as the single most potent metalinguistic awareness factor in literacy acquisition. In order to account for the current data, a three-stage model of reading acquisition in Chinese is discussed.National Natural Science Foundation of China and Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Analysis of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms in Vitiligo in Han Chinese People

Background: Vitiligo is a chronic depigmented skin disorder with regional melanocytes depletion. The pathogenesis was not completely clarified. Recently, more and more evidence suggested that polymorphisms of some genes are associated with vitiligo risk. Here, we want to examine the association between the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene polymorphisms and the risk of vitiligo in Chinese populations. Methods and Principal Findings: In a hospital-based case-control study of 749 patients with vitiligo and 763 age- and sexmatched healthy controls, three polymorphisms of iNOS gene were genotyped by using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and mutagenically separated PCR (MS-PCR) methods, respectively. We found the iNOS-954 polymorphism was associated with a significantly higher risk of vitiligo (adjusted OR = 1.36, 95 % CI = 1.02–1.81). Furthermore, this association is more pronounced in vulgaris vitiligo, active vitiligo and vitiligo without other autoimmune diseases in the stratification study. Analysis of haplotypes showed increased risk for the C-1173C-954CEx16+14 (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.01–1.74). In addition, the serum iNOS activity is significantly associated with iNOS-954 combined genotype (GC+CC) and is much higher in vitiligo patients than in the controls (P,0.01). Logistic regression analysis of iNOS activity showed increased risk between higher activity and iNOS-954 GRC variant genotype carriers (Ptrend,0.001). Conclusions and Significance: INOS gene polymorphisms may play an important role in the genetic susceptibility to th

Steroid receptor coactivator 1 deficiency increases MMTV-neu mediated tumor latency and differentiation specific gene expression, decreases metastasis, and inhibits response to PPAR ligands

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) subgroup of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily is activated by a variety of natural and synthetic ligands. PPARs can heterodimerize with retinoid X receptors, which have homology to other members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Ligand binding to PPAR/RXRs results in recruitment of transcriptional coactivator proteins such as steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1) and CREB binding protein (CBP). Both SRC-1 and CBP are histone acetyltransferases, which by modifying nucleosomal histones, produce more open chromatin structure and increase transcriptional activity. Nuclear hormone receptors can recruit limiting amounts of coactivators from other transcription factor binding sites such as AP-1, thereby inhibiting the activity of AP-1 target genes. PPAR and RXR ligands have been used in experimental breast cancer therapy. The role of coactivator expression in mammary tumorigenesis and response to drug therapy has been the subject of recent studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined the effects of loss of SRC-1 on MMTV-neu mediated mammary tumorigenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>SRC-1 null mutation in mammary tumor prone mice increased the tumor latency period, reduced tumor proliferation index and metastasis, inhibited response to PPAR and RXR ligands, and induced genes involved in mammary gland differentiation. We also examined human breast cancer cell lines overexpressing SRC-1 or CBP. Coactivator overexpression increased cellular proliferation with resistance to PPAR and RXR ligands and remodeled chromatin of the proximal epidermal growth factor receptor promoter.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results indicate that histone acetyltransferases play key roles in mammary tumorigenesis and response to anti-proliferative therapies.</p

Global and regional brain metabolic scaling and its functional consequences

Background: Information processing in the brain requires large amounts of metabolic energy, the spatial distribution of which is highly heterogeneous reflecting complex activity patterns in the mammalian brain. Results: Here, it is found based on empirical data that, despite this heterogeneity, the volume-specific cerebral glucose metabolic rate of many different brain structures scales with brain volume with almost the same exponent around -0.15. The exception is white matter, the metabolism of which seems to scale with a standard specific exponent -1/4. The scaling exponents for the total oxygen and glucose consumptions in the brain in relation to its volume are identical and equal to $0.86\pm 0.03$, which is significantly larger than the exponents 3/4 and 2/3 suggested for whole body basal metabolism on body mass. Conclusions: These findings show explicitly that in mammals (i) volume-specific scaling exponents of the cerebral energy expenditure in different brain parts are approximately constant (except brain stem structures), and (ii) the total cerebral metabolic exponent against brain volume is greater than the much-cited Kleiber's 3/4 exponent. The neurophysiological factors that might account for the regional uniformity of the exponents and for the excessive scaling of the total brain metabolism are discussed, along with the relationship between brain metabolic scaling and computation.Comment: Brain metabolism scales with its mass well above 3/4 exponen