Efficient Multi-Robot Motion Planning for Unlabeled Discs in Simple Polygons

We consider the following motion-planning problem: we are given $m$ unit discs in a simple polygon with $n$ vertices, each at their own start position, and we want to move the discs to a given set of $m$ target positions. Contrary to the standard (labeled) version of the problem, each disc is allowed to be moved to any target position, as long as in the end every target position is occupied. We show that this unlabeled version of the problem can be solved in $O(n\log n+mn+m^2)$ time, assuming that the start and target positions are at least some minimal distance from each other. This is in sharp contrast to the standard (labeled) and more general multi-robot motion-planning problem for discs moving in a simple polygon, which is known to be strongly NP-hard

Effects of air pollution and meteorological parameters on human health in the city of Athens, Greece

The impact of air pollution (CO, NO, NO2, SO2, O3) and meteorological parameters (air temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure) on three indicators of human morbidity (circulatory, respiratory and skin diseases) is quantified, while the sensitivity of the results to different model specifications is tested. Findings indicate that higher SO2 and CO levels significantly increase circulatory and skin diseases, respectively, while higher NO and O3 concentrations increase respiratory diseases. Air temperature is significantly associated with all human health indicators. This work highlights the need for lower air pollution standards for the city of Athens and a wider climate change policy

The probability density function tail of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation in the strongly non-linear regime

An analytical derivation of the probability density function (PDF) tail describing the strongly correlated interface growth governed by the nonlinear Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation is provided. The PDF tail exactly coincides with a Tracy-Widom distribution i.e. a PDF tail proportional to $\exp( - c w_2^{3/2})$, where $w_2$ is the the width of the interface. The PDF tail is computed by the instanton method in the strongly non-linear regime within the Martin-Siggia-Rose framework using a careful treatment of the non-linear interactions. In addition, the effect of spatial dimensions on the PDF tail scaling is discussed. This gives a novel approach to understand the rightmost PDF tail of the interface width distribution and the analysis suggests that there is no upper critical dimension.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 persistence in the monocyte-macrophage lineage

The introduction of the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly improved survival. However, these treatments fail to definitively cure the patients and unveil the presence of quiescent HIV-1 reservoirs like cells from monocyte-macrophage lineage. A purge, or at least a significant reduction of these long lived HIV-1 reservoirs will be needed to raise the hope of the viral eradication. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms responsible for viral persistence in cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Controversy on latency and/or cryptic chronic replication will be specifically evoked. In addition, since HIV-1 infected monocyte-macrophage cells appear to be more resistant to apoptosis, this obstacle to the viral eradication will be discussed. Understanding the intimate mechanisms of HIV-1 persistence is a prerequisite to devise new and original therapies aiming to achieve viral eradication

Integrin-mediated adhesion regulates membrane order

The properties of cholesterol-dependent domains (lipid rafts) in cell membranes have been controversial. Because integrin-mediated cell adhesion and caveolin both regulate trafficking of raft components, we investigated the effects of adhesion and caveolin on membrane order. The fluorescent probe Laurdan and two-photon microscopy revealed that focal adhesions are highly ordered; in fact, they are more ordered than caveolae or domains that stain with cholera toxin subunit B (CtxB). Membrane order at focal adhesion depends partly on phosphorylation of caveolin1 at Tyr14, which localizes to focal adhesions. Detachment of cells from the substratum triggers a rapid, caveolin-independent decrease in membrane order, followed by a slower, caveolin-dependent decrease that correlates with internalization of CtxB-stained domains. Endocytosed CtxB domains also become more fluid. Thus, membrane order is highly dependent on caveolae and focal adhesions. These results show that lipid raft properties are conferred by assembly of specific protein complexes. The ordered state within focal adhesions may have important consequences for signaling at these sites

A Simple, Sensitive and Safe Method to Determine the Human α/β-Tryptase Genotype

The human tryptase locus on chromosome 16 contains one gene encoding only β-tryptase and another encoding either β-tryptase or the homologous α-tryptase, providing α:β gene ratios of 0∶4, 1∶3 or 2∶2 in the diploid genome, these genotypes being of potential clinical relevance in severe atopy. Using an EcoRV restriction site in α- but not β- tryptase, PCR products, spanning intron 1 to exon 5, were used to determine α/β-tryptase gene ratios using non-radioactive labels, including ethidium bromide labeling of all PCR products, and either digoxigenin-primer or DY682-primer labeling of only the final PCR cycle products. Sensitivity increased ∼60-fold with each final PCR cycle labeling technique. Ethidium bromide labeling underestimated amounts of α-tryptase, presumably because heteroduplexes of α/β-tryptase amplimers, formed during annealing, were EcoRV resistant. In contrast, both final PCR cycle labeling techniques precisely quantified these gene ratios, because only homoduplexes were labeled. Using the DY682-primer was most efficient, because PCR/EcoRV products could be analyzed directly in the gel; while digoxigenin-labeled products required transfer to a nitrocellulose membrane followed by immunoblotting. This technique for determining the α/β-tryptase genotype is sensitive, accurate, simple and safe, and should permit high-throughput screening to detect potential phenotype-genotype relations for α/β-tryptases, and for other closely related alleles

Critical Exponents of the pure and random-field Ising models

We show that current estimates of the critical exponents of the three-dimensional random-field Ising model are in agreement with the exponents of the pure Ising system in dimension 3 - theta where theta is the exponent that governs the hyperscaling violation in the random case.Comment: 9 pages, 4 encapsulated Postscript figures, REVTeX 3.

Cardiac Device‐Related Endocarditis Complicated by Spinal Abscess

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90084/1/j.1540-8159.2011.03288.x.pd

Inhibition of Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay by Antisense Morpholino Oligonucleotides Restores Functional Expression of hERG Nonsense and Frameshift Mutations in Long-QT Syndrome

Mutations in the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) cause long-QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2). We previously described a homozygous LQT2 nonsense mutation Q1070X in which the mutant mRNA is degraded by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) leading to a severe clinical phenotype. The degradation of the Q1070X transcript precludes the expression of truncated but functional mutant channels. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that inhibition of NMD can restore functional expression of LQT2 mutations that are targeted by NMD. We showed that inhibition of NMD by RNA interference-mediated knockdown of UPF1 increased Q1070X mutant channel protein expression and hERG current amplitude. More importantly, we found that specific inhibition of downstream intron splicing by antisense morpholino oligonucleotides prevented NMD of the Q1070X mutant mRNA and restored the expression of functional Q1070X mutant channels. The restoration of functional expression by antisense morpholino oligonucleotides was also observed in LQT2 frameshift mutations. Our findings suggest that inhibition of NMD by antisense morpholino oligonucleotides may be a potential therapeutic approach for some LQT2 patients carrying nonsense and frameshift mutations