Strong Analytic Controllability for Hydrogen Control Systems

The realization and representation of so(4,2) associated with the hydrogen atom Hamiltonian are derived. By choosing operators from the realization of so(4,2) as interacting Hamiltonians, a hydrogen atom control system is constructed, and it is proved that this control system is strongly analytically controllable based on a time-dependent strong analytic controllability theorem.Comment: 6 pages; corrected typo; added equations in section III for representation states of so(4,2). accepted by CDC 200

Fuzzy approach to construction activity estimation

Past experience has shown that variations in production rate value for the same work item is attributed to a wide range of factors. The relationships between these factors and the production rates are often very complex. It is impossible to describe an exact mathematical causal relationship between the qualitative factors(QF) and production rates. Various subjective approaches have been attempted to quantify the uncertainties contained in these causal relationships. This thesis presents one such approach by adopting a fuzzy set theory in conjunction with a fuzzy rule based system that could improve the quantification of the qualitative factors in estimating construction activity durations and costs. A method to generate a Standard Activity Unit Rate(SAUR) is presented. A construction activity can be defined by combining the Design Breakdown Structure, Trade Breakdown Structure and Work Section Breakdown Structure. By establishing the data structure of an activity, it is possible to synthesis the SAUR from published estimating sources in a systematic way. After the SAUR is defined, it is then used as a standard value from which an appropriate Activity Unit Rate(AUR) can be determined. A proto-type fuzzy rule based system called 'Fuzzy Activity Unit Rate Analyser(FAURA)' was developed to formalise a systematic framework for the QF quantification process in determining the most likely activity duration/cost. The compatibility measurement method proposed by Nafarieh and Keller has been applied as an inference strategy for FAURA. A computer program was developed to implement FAURA using Turbo Prolog. FAURA was tested and analysed by using a hypothetical bricklayer's activity in conjunction with five major QF as the input variables. The results produced by FAURA iii show that it can be applied usefully to overcome many of the problems encountered in the QF quantification process. In addition, the analysis shows that a fuzzy rule base approach provides the means to model and study the variability of AUR. Although the domain problem of this research was in estimation of activity duration/cost, the principles and system presented in this study are not limited to this specific area, and can be applied to a wide range of other disciplines involving uncertainty quantification problems. Further, this research highlights how the existing subjective methods in activity duration/cost estimation can be enhanced by utilising fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic

Therapeutic applications of ghrelin agonists in the treatment of gastroparesis

There remains an unmet need for effective pharmacologic treatments for gastroparesis. Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor and has been shown to regulate energy homeostasis and exert prokinetic effects on gastrointestinal motility. In recent years, several ghrelin receptor agonists have been studied in clinical trials of patients with diabetic gastroparesis. The intravenous macrocyclic peptidomimetic, TZP-101, initially suggested improvement in gastroparesis symptoms with intravenous administration when compared to placebo. However, in subsequent studies of oral preparations, TZP-102 failed to confirm these results. Another ghrelin receptor agonist, RM-131, was recently shown to significantly accelerate gastric emptying (GE) in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and delayed GE. RM-131 reduced total Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index-Daily Diary (GCSI-DD) and composite scores among type 1 diabetics. Continued development of ghrelin agonists should be explored in attempts to expand therapeutic options for the treatment of gastroparesis

Functional characterization of a constitutively active kinase variant of Arabidopsis phototropin 1

Phototropins (phots) are plasma membrane-associated serine/threonine kinases that coordinate a range of processes linked to optimizing photosynthetic efficiency in plants. These photoreceptors contain two light-, oxygen- or voltage-sensing (LOV) domains within their N-terminus, with each binding one molecule of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) as a UV/blue light absorbing chromophore. Although phots contain two LOV domains, light-induced activation of the C-terminal kinase domain and subsequent receptor autophosphorylation is controlled primarily by the A′α-LOV2-Jα photosensory module. Mutations that disrupt interactions between the LOV2-core and its flanking helical segments can uncouple this mode of light regulation. Yet, the impact of these mutations on phot function in Arabidopsis has not been explored. Here, we report that histidine substitution of Arg-472 located within the A′α-helix of Arabidopsis phot1 to histidine results in constitutively activates kinas activity in vitro without affecting LOV2 photochemistry. Expression analysis of phot1 R472H in the phot-deficient mutant confirmed that it is autophosphorylated in darkness in vivo, but was unable to initiate phot1 signaling in the absence of light. Instead, we found that the phot1 R472H mutant is poorly functional under low-light conditions, but can restore phototropism, chloroplast accumulation, stomatal opening, and leaf positioning and expansion at higher light intensities. Our findings suggest that Arabidopsis can adapt to the elevated phosphorylation status of the phot1 R472H mutant by in part reducing its stability, whereas the activity the mutant under high-light conditions can be attributed to additional increases in LOV2-mediated photoreceptor autophosphorylation

A robotics platform for automated batch fabrication of high density, microfluidics-based DNA microarrays, with applications to single cell, multiplex assays of secreted proteins

Microfluidics flow-patterning has been utilized for the construction of chip-scale miniaturized DNA and protein barcode arrays. Such arrays have been used for specific clinical and fundamental investigations in which many proteins are assayed from single cells or other small sample sizes. However, flow-patterned arrays are hand-prepared, and so are impractical for broad applications. We describe an integrated robotics/microfluidics platform for the automated preparation of such arrays, and we apply it to the batch fabrication of up to eighteen chips of flow-patterned DNA barcodes. The resulting substrates are comparable in quality with hand-made arrays and exhibit excellent substrate-to-substrate consistency. We demonstrate the utility and reproducibility of robotics-patterned barcodes by utilizing two flow-patterned chips for highly parallel assays of a panel of secreted proteins from single macrophage cells

A Normal Form for Spider Diagrams of Order

We develop a reasoning system for an Euler diagram based visual logic, called spider diagrams of order. We de- fine a normal form for spider diagrams of order and provide an algorithm, based on the reasoning system, for producing diagrams in our normal form. Normal forms for visual log- ics have been shown to assist in proving completeness of associated reasoning systems. We wish to use the reasoning system to allow future direct comparison of spider diagrams of order and linear temporal logic

Small cell carcinoma presenting as a biatrial mass with obstructive physiology: a case report

Background: Small cell carcinoma is a highly aggressive and often fatal cancer that most commonly arises in the lung, although it can occasionally arise from other sites, such as the gastrointestinal tract, prostate or cervix. Cardiac involvement, however, is extremely uncommon and therefore has been poorly documented in the literature. Case presentation: We describe a rare case of a 31-year-old male with small cell carcinoma presenting as a massive, 15-cm cardiac tumor invading the bilateral atria, interatrial septum, and pericardium without an apparent primary malignancy on PET CT and cardiac MRI. With extensive tissue necrosis, traditional methods of obtaining a right atrial endomyocardial biopsy via internal jugular venous access failed and a diagnosis was made via endoscopic ultrasound guided transesophageal fine needle aspiration of the left atrial mass. Due to the extensive tumor invasion, the patient was not a suitable candidate for surgical resection, debulking, or heart transplant. The patient was treated with etoposide, carboplatin, atezolizumab, and radiation therapy with initial monitoring in the intensive care unit due to concern that tumor lysis may cause rapid cardiac decompensation. Unfortunately, 4 months after chemoradiation therapy, the malignancy progressed and the patient passed away 6 months after the initial diagnosis. Conclusion: We describe a rare occurrence of small cell carcinoma presenting as a massive cardiac tumor without apparent primary malignancy. This case demonstrates useful alternative diagnostic strategies and treatment considerations for patients presenting with a rare cardiac mass