Feasibility Of One–Dedicated–Lane Bus Rapid Transit ⁄Light–Rail Systems And Their Expansion To Two–Dedicated–Lane Systems: A Focus On Geometric Configuration And Performance Planning, MTI Report 08-01

This report consists primarily of two parts, the first on feasibility and the next on space minimization. In the section on feasibility, we propose the concept of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or light–rail system that effectively requires only one dedicated but reversible lane throughout the system to support two-way traffic in the median of a busy commute corridor with regular provision of left–turn lanes. Based on key ideas proposed in that section, the section on space minimization first addresses how to implement a two–dedicated–lane BRT or light–rail system with minimum right–of–way width and then proposes ways to expand a one–dedicated–lane system to two dedicated lanes. In a one–dedicated–lane system, traffic crossing is accommodated on the otherwise unused or underused median space resulting from provision of the left–turn lanes. Although not necessary, some left–turn lanes can be sacrificed for bus stops. Conceptual design options and geometric configuration sketches for the bus stop and crossing space are provided in the section on feasibility, which also discusses system performance in terms of travel speed, headway of operations, distance between two neighboring crossing spaces, and number of crossing spaces. To ensure practicality, we study implementation of such a system on an existing corridor. Such a system is also useful as an intermediate step toward a two–dedicated–lane system because of its potential for facilitating transit–oriented development. In typical existing or planned BRT or light–rail systems implemented with two dedicated traffic lanes, a space equivalent to four traffic lanes is dedicated for a bus stop. In the section on space minimization, we propose implementations requiring only three lanes at a bus stop, based on two key ideas proposed for a one–dedicated–lane system. That section also discusses ways to expand a one–dedicated–lane system to its corresponding two–dedicated–lane system

Constraints on large scalar multiplets from perturbative unitarity

We determine the constraints on the isospin and hypercharge of a scalar electroweak multiplet from partial-wave unitarity of tree-level scattering diagrams. The constraint from SU(2)_L interactions yields T <= 7/2 (i.e., n <= 8) for a complex scalar multiplet and T <= 4 (i.e., n <= 9) for a real scalar multiplet, where n = 2T+1 is the number of isospin states in the multiplet.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. v2: refs added, minor additions to text, submitted to PR

A Cortical Region Consisting Entirely of Face-Selective Cells

Face perception is a skill crucial to primates. In both humans and macaque monkeys, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals a system of cortical regions that show increased blood flow when the subject views images of faces, compared with images of objects. However, the stimulus selectivity of single neurons within these fMRI-identified regions has not been studied. We used fMRI to identify and target the largest face-selective region in two macaques for single-unit recording. Almost all (97%) of the visually responsive neurons in this region were strongly face selective, indicating that a dedicated cortical area exists to support face processing in the macaque

Recent progress on anticancer candidates in patents of herbal medicinal products

Herbal medicines in treatment of cancer as complementary and alternative therapy are accepted increasingly with growing scientific evidences of biomedical research and clinical trials. Anticancer drugs discovered from herbal medicines have a long history and some of them have been used in clinical setting as the conventional anticancer drugs. Actually, herbal medicines are a source for anticancer drug discovery and drug development. Recently, research continuously focuses on clues from traditional use of herbal medicines to develop new anticancer drugs in single pure compounds. On the other hand, standardized various extracts or fractions with anticancer effects or with adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment coming from single or mixed herbs are also accepted forms as dietary supplements and botanical drug products in the US for current statutory regulations. In the present paper, we analyzed the patented agents in the US from herbal medicines in recent ten years, both as potential anticancer extracts/fractions (containing multi-components) and single pure compound(s) that act as new anticancer substances. This review also highlighted the advances in knowledge about quality control, safety, efficacy and recent progress in anticancer candidates in patents of botanical drug products from herbal medicines. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.postprin

A Cortical Region Consisting Entirely of Face-Selective Cells

Face perception is a skill crucial to primates. In both humans and macaque monkeys, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals a system of cortical regions that show increased blood flow when the subject views images of faces, compared with images of objects. However, the stimulus selectivity of single neurons within these fMRI-identified regions has not been studied. We used fMRI to identify and target the largest face-selective region in two macaques for single-unit recording. Almost all (97%) of the visually responsive neurons in this region were strongly face selective, indicating that a dedicated cortical area exists to support face processing in the macaque

LMP1 of Epstein-Barr virus induces proliferation of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and cooperatively transforms the cells with a p16-insensitive CDK4 oncogene

The latent membrane protein LMP1 of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is often present in EBV-associated malignancies including nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Previous work demonstrates that the LMP1 gene of EBV is sufficient to transform certain established rodent fibroblast cell lines and to induce the tumorigenicity of some human epithelial cell lines. In addition, LMP1 plays pleiotropic roles in cell growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis, depending on the background of the target cells. To examine the roles of LMP1 in cell proliferation and growth regulation in primary culture cells, we constructed a recombinant retrovirus containing an LMP1 gene. With this retrovirus, LMP1 was shown to stimulate the proliferation of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF cells). It has a mitogenic activity for MEF cells, as demonstrated by an immediate induction of cell doubling time, In addition, it significantly extends the passage number of MEF cells to more than 30 after retroviral infection, compared with less than 5 for uninfected MEF cells. Furthermore, LMP1 cooperates with a pl6-insensitive CDK4(R24C) oncogene in transforming MEF cells. Our results provide the first evidence of the abilities of the LMP1 gene, acting alone, to effectively induce the proliferation of primary MEF cells and of its cooperativity with another cellular oncogene in transforming primary cells

Present status and future prospects for a Higgs boson discovery at the Tevatron and LHC

Discovering the Higgs boson is one of the primary goals of both the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The present status of the Higgs search is reviewed and future prospects for discovery at the Tevatron and LHC are considered. This talk focuses primarily on the Higgs boson of the Standard Model and its minimal supersymmetric extension. Theoretical expectations for the Higgs boson and its phenomenological consequences are reviewed.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, jpconf documentclass file, invited talk at PASCOS 2010, the 16th International Symposium on Particles, Strings and Cosmology, Valencia, Spain, 19--23 July 201

An endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase regulates endothelial adhesiveness for monocytes

AbstractOBJECTIVESWe sought to determine whether asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) inhibits nitric oxide (NO) elaboration in cultured human endothelial cells and whether this is associated with the activation of oxidant-sensitive signaling mediating endothelial adhesiveness for monocytes.BACKGROUNDEndothelial NO elaboration is impaired in hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, which may be due to elevated concentrations of ADMA, an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase.METHODSHuman umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV 304) and human monocytoid cells (THP-1) were studied in a functional binding assay. Nitric oxide and superoxide anion (O2−) were measured by chemiluminescence; ADMA by high pressure liquid chromatography; monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) by ELISA and NF-κB by electromobility gel shift assay.RESULTSIncubation of endothelial cells with ADMA (0.1 μM to 100 μM) inhibited NO formation, which was reversed by coincubation with L-arginine (1 mM). The biologically inactive stereoisomer symmetric dimethylarginine did not inhibit NO release. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (10 μM) or native low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (100 mg/dL) increased endothelial O2− to the same degree. Asymmetric dimethylarginine also stimulated MCP-1 formation by endothelial cells. This effect was paralleled by activation of the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-κB. Preincubation of endothelial cells with ADMA increased the adhesiveness of endothelial cells for THP-1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Asymmetric dimethylarginine-induced monocyte binding was diminished by L-arginine or by a neutralizing anti-MCP-1 antibody.CONCLUSIONSWe concluded that the endogenous NO synthase inhibitor ADMA is synthesized in human endothelial cells. Asymmetric dimethylarginine increases endothelial oxidative stress and potentiates monocyte binding. Asymmetric dimethylarginine may be an endogenous proatherogenic molecule

Models of Yukawa interaction in the two Higgs doublet model, and their collider phenomenology

Possible models of Yukawa interaction are discussed in the two Higgs doublet model (THDM) under the discrete symmetry imposed to avoid the flavor changing neutral current at the leading order. It is known that there are four types of such models corresponding to the possible different assignment of charges for the discrete symmetry on quarks and leptons. We first examine decay properties of Higgs bosons in each type of the models, and summarize constraints on the models from current experimental data. We then shed light on the differences among these models in collider phenomenology. In particular, we mainly discuss so-called the Type-II THDM and the Type-X THDM. The Type-II THDM corresponds to the model with the same Yukawa interaction as the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). On the other hand, in the Type-X THDM, additional Higgs bosons can predominantly decay into leptons. This scenario may be interesting because of the motivation for a light charged Higgs boson scenario such as in the TeV scale model of neutrino, dark matter and baryogenesis. We study how we can distinguish the Type-X THDM from the MSSM at the Large Hadron Collider and the International Linear Collider.Comment: 33 pages, 41 eps files, version accepted for publication in Physical Review