Моделирования структуры поверхности банкнотной бумаги на основе теории фракталов

Проблематика. У статті розглянуто експериментальне дослідження структури поверхні банкнотного паперу в зоні водяного знака та поза його межами. Мета дослідження. Моделювання структури поверхні задрукованого і незадрукованого банкнотного паперу з використанням теорії фракталів, а також розрахунок основних показників, які описують макро- та мікроструктуру поверхні банкнотного паперу в зоні з водяними знаками і поза їх межами. Методика реалізації. Використовуються метод, який оснований на аналізі профілограм, отриманих контактним і оптичним методами профілометрії, та метод теорії фракталів. Результати дослідження. Визначено спосіб наближеного вимірювання фрактальної розмірності довільної фігури: Si⋅hDi≈c, де c – деяка константа, а D – фрактальна розмірність фігури. Отримано функцію поверхні паперового аркуша: f(h)≈L⋅c⋅h−(1+Dnp). Визначено фрактальну розмірність поверхні паперу: D=1+Dnp, і амплітудний коефіцієнт поверхні паперу: S=Cη(2D−3)τ(4−2D). Побудовано графічну модель поверхні паперу з урахуванням фрактальної розмірності й амплітудного коефіцієнта. Висновки. Розроблено метод дослідження структури поверхні паперу на основі теорії фракталів. Вказаний метод оснований на аналізі профілограм, отриманих контактним та оптичним методами профілометрії. Розроблено математичну модель структури поверхні незадрукованого та задрукованого банкнотного паперу. Розроблено алгоритм і програмне забезпечення для визначення фрактальної розмірності й амплітудного коефіцієнта мікроструктури незадрукованого та задрукованого паперу. Отримано значення фрактальної розмірності й амплітудного коефіцієнта поверхні банкнотного паперу.Background. The article describes the experimental study of the structure of the paper surface. Objective. The surface structure modeling of printed and unprinted banknote paper using fractal theory. Calculation of the main parameters describing the macro- and microstructure of the banknote paper surface within and beyond water marks. Methods. A method for studying the structure of the surface paper based on the theory of fractals is used. This method is based on profilograms analysis obtained by contact and optical profilometry. Results. The approximate method of measuring the fractal dimension of arbitrary shape was determined Si⋅hDi≈c, where c – some constant, and D – fractal dimension figure. Function of the surface paper sheet was received f(h)≈L⋅c⋅h−(1+Dnp). Determined the fractal dimension D=1+Dnp and amplitude coefficient of the surface of the paper S=Cη(2D−3)τ(4−2D). Graphical model structure of the surface paper on the basis fractal dimension and amplitude coefficient was constructed. Conclusions. A method studying the structure of the paper surface based on the theory of fractals was developed. This method is based on analysis of profilograms obtained by contact and optical profilometry. A mathematical model of the surface of unprinted and printed banknote paper was developed. Algorithm and software to determine the fractal dimension and the amplitude coefficient of the microstructure of the unprinted and printed paper was developed. The value of the fractal dimension and the amplitude coefficient of the surface of the banknote paper was obtained.Проблематика. В статье рассмотрены экспериментальные исследования структуры поверхности банкнотной бумаги в зоне водяного знака и за его пределами. Цель исследования. Моделирование структуры поверхности запечатанной и незапечатанной банкнотной бумаги с использованием теории фракталов, а также расчет основных показателей, описывающих макро- и микроструктуру поверхности банкнотной бумаги в зоне с водяными знаками и за их пределами. Методика реализации. Используются метод, который основан на анализе профилограмм, полученных контактным и оптическим методами профилометрии, и метод теории фракталов. Результаты исследования. Определен способ приближенного измерения фрактальной размерности произвольной фигуры: Si⋅hDi≈c, где c – некоторая константа, а D – фрактальная размерность фигуры. Получена функция поверхности бумажного листа: f(h)≈L⋅c⋅h−(1+Dnp). Определены фрактальная размерность: D=1+Dnp, и амплитудный коэффициент поверхности бумаги: S=Cη(2D−3)τ(4−2D). Построена графическая модель поверхности бумаги с учетом фрактальной размернос­ти и амплитудного коэффициента. Выводы. Разработан метод исследования структуры поверхности бумаги на основе теории фракталов. Указанный метод основан на анализе профилограмм, полученных контактным и оптическим методами профилометрии. Разработана математическая модель структуры поверхности незапечатанной и запечатанной банкнотной бумаги. Разработаны алгоритм и программное обеспечение для определения фрактальной размерности и амплитудного коэффициента микроструктуры незапечатанной и запечатанной бумаги. Получены значения фрактальной размерности и амплитудного коэффициента поверхности банкнотной бумаги

Efficacy and Safety of Tedizolid Phosphate versus Linezolid in a Randomized Phase 3 Trial in Patients with Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection

Tedizolid phosphate is approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection (ABSSSI) caused by Gram-positive bacteria in the United States, Europe, and other countries. In this multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 study, 598 adult ABSSSI patients in China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the United States were randomized to receive 200 mg of tedizolid, intravenously (i.v.)/orally (p.o.), once daily for 6 days or 600 mg of linezolid, i.v./p.o. twice daily for 10 days. The primary endpoint was early clinical response rate at 48 to 72 h. Secondary endpoints included programmatic and investigator-assessed outcomes at end-of-therapy (EOT) and posttherapy evaluation (PTE) visits. Safety was also evaluated. In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, 75.3% of tedizolid-treated patients and 79.9% of linezolid-treated patients were early responders (treatment difference, –4.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], –11.2, 2.2). After exclusion of patients who never received the study drug (tedizolid, n = 8; linezolid, n = 1; modified ITT), comparable early response rates were observed (tedizolid, 77.4%; linezolid, 80.1%; treatment difference, –2.7%; 95% CI, –9.4, 3.9). Secondary endpoints showed high and similar clinical success rates in the ITT and clinically evaluable (CE) populations at EOT and PTE visits (e.g., CE-PTE for tedizolid, 90.4%; for linezolid, 93.5%). Both drugs were well tolerated, and no death occurred. Eight patients experienced phlebitis with tedizolid while none did with linezolid; hence, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in a slightly higher proportion in the tedizolid (20.9%) arm than in the linezolid arm (15.8%). The study demonstrated that tedizolid in a primarily Asian population was an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment option for ABSSSI patients. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT02066402.

Pulmonary delivery of vancomycin dry powder aerosol to intubated rabbits

TGX-221 is a potent, selective, and cell membrane permeable inhibitor of the PI3K p110β catalytic subunit. Recent studies showed that TGX-221 has anti-proliferative activity against PTEN-deficient tumor cell lines including prostate cancers. The objective of this study was to develop an encapsulation system for parenterally delivering TGX-221 to the target tissue through a prostate-specific membrane aptamer (PSMAa10) with little or no side effects. In this study, PEG-PCL micelles were formulated to encapsulate the drug, and a prodrug strategy was pursued to improve the stability of the carrier system. Fluorescence imaging studies demonstrated that the cellular uptake of both drug and nanoparticles were significantly improved by targeted micelles in a PSMA positive cell line. The area under the plasma concentration time curve of the micelle formulation in nude mice was 2.27-fold greater than the naked drug, and the drug clearance rate was 17.5-fold slower. These findings suggest a novel formulation approach for improving site-specific drug delivery of a molecular-targeted prostate cancer treatment

A human ribonuclease induces apoptosis associated with p21WAF1/CIP1 induction and JNK inactivation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ribonucleases are promising agents for use in anticancer therapy. Among the different ribonucleases described to be cytotoxic, a paradigmatic example is onconase which manifests cytotoxic and cytostatic effects, presents synergism with several kinds of anticancer drugs and is currently in phase II/III of its clinical trial as an anticancer drug against different types of cancer. The mechanism of cytotoxicity of PE5, a variant of human pancreatic ribonuclease carrying a nuclear localization signal, has been investigated and compared to that of onconase.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cytotoxicity was measured by the MTT method and by the tripan blue exclusion assay. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, caspase enzymatic detection and confocal microscopy. Cell cycle phase analysis was performed by flow cytometry. The expression of different proteins was analyzed by western blot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We show that the cytotoxicity of PE5 is produced through apoptosis, that it does not require the proapoptotic activity of p53 and is not prevented by the multiple drug resistance phenotype. We also show that PE5 and onconase induce cell death at the same extent although the latter is also able to arrest the cell growth. We have compared the cytotoxic effects of both ribonucleases in the NCI/ADR-RES cell line by measuring their effects on the cell cycle, on the activation of different caspases and on the expression of different apoptosis- and cell cycle-related proteins. PE5 increases the number of cells in S and G₂/M cell cycle phases, which is accompanied by the increased expression of cyclin E and p21^WAF1/CIP1together with the underphosphorylation of p46 forms of JNK. Citotoxicity of onconase in this cell line does not alter the cell cycle phase distribution and it is accompanied by a decreased expression of XIAP</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that PE5 kills the cells through apoptosis associated with the p21^WAF1/CIP1induction and the inactivation of JNK. This mechanism is significantly different from that found for onconase.</p

Bright light therapy in pregnant women with major depressive disorder: Study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial

Background: Depression during pregnancy is a common and high impact disease. Generally, 5-10 % of pregnant women suffer from depression. Children who have been exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy have a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes and more often show cognitive, emotional and behavioural problems. Therefore, early detection and treatment of antepartum depression is necessary. Both psychotherapy and antidepressant medication, first choice treatments in a non-pregnant population, have limitations in treating depression during pregnancy. Therefore, it is urgent and relevant to investigate alternative treatments for antepartum depression. Bright light therapy (BLT) is a promising treatment for pregnant women with depressive disorder, for it combines direct availability, sufficient efficacy, low costs and high safety, taking the safety for the unborn child into account as well. Methods: In this study, 150 pregnant women (12-18 weeks pregnant) with a DSM-V diagnosis of depressive disorder will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to one of the two treatment arms: treatment with BLT (9.000 lux) or treatment with dim red light therapy (100 lux). Both groups will be treated for 6 weeks at home on a daily basis for 30 min, within 30 min of habitual wake-up time. Follow-up will take place after 6 weeks of therapy, 3 and 10 weeks after end of therapy, at birth and 2, 6 and 18 months postpartum. Primary outcome will be the average change in depressive symptoms between the two groups, as measured by the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Scale - Seasonal Affective Disorder version and the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale. Changes in rating scale scores of these questionnaires over time will be analysed using generalized linear mixed models. Secondary outcomes will be the changes in maternal cortisol and melatonin levels, in maternal sleep quality and gestational age, birth weight, infant behaviour, infant cortisol exposure and infant cortisol stress response. Discussion: If BLT reduces depressive symptoms in pregnant women, it will provide a safe, cheap, non-pharmacological and efficacious alternative treatment for psychotherapy and antidepressant medication in treating antepartum depression, without any expected adverse reactions for the unborn child. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR5476. Registered 5 November 2015

Bright light therapy versus physical exercise to prevent co-morbid depression and obesity in adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: The risk for major depression and obesity is increased in adolescents and adults with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adolescent ADHD predicts adult depression and obesity. Non-pharmacological interventions to treat and prevent these co-morbidities are urgently needed. Bright light therapy (BLT) improves day– night rhythm and is an emerging therapy for major depression. Exercise intervention (EI) reduces obesity and improves depressive symptoms. To date, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been performed to establish feasibility and efficacy of these interventions targeting the prevention of co-morbid depression and obesity in ADHD. We hypothesize that the two manualized interventions in combination with mobile health-based monitoring and reinforcement will result in less depressive symptoms and obesity compared to treatment as usual in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Methods: This trial is a prospective, pilot phase-IIa, parallel-group RCT with three arms (two add-on treatment groups [BLT, EI] and one treatment as usual [TAU] control group). The primary outcome variable is change in the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology total score (observer-blinded assessment) between baseline and ten weeks of intervention. This variable is analyzed with a mixed model for repeated measures approach investigating the treatment effect with respect to all three groups. A total of 330 participants with ADHD, aged 14 – < 30 years, will be screened at the four study centers. To establish effect sizes, the sample size was planned at the liberal significance level of α = 0.10 (two-sided) and the power of 1-β = 80% in order to find medium effects. Secondary outcomes measures including change in obesity, ADHD symptoms, general psychopathology, health-related quality of life, neurocognitive function, chronotype, and physical fitness are explored after the end of the intervention and at the 12-week follow-up. This is the first pilot RCT on the use of BLT and EI in combination with mobile health-based monitoring and reinforcement targeting the prevention of co-morbid depression and obesity in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. If at least medium effects can be established with regard to the prevention of depressive symptoms and obesity, a larger scale confirmatory phase-III trial may be warranted.The trial is funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020 (Project no. 667302). Funding period: January 2016–December 2020. This funding source had no role in the design of this study and will not have any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, or decision to submit results. Some local funds additionally contributed to carry out this study, especially for the preparation of the interventions: FBO research activity is by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness – MINECO (RYC-2011-09011) and by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)

Regulation of microRNA biogenesis and turnover by animals and their viruses

Item does not contain fulltextMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a ubiquitous component of gene regulatory networks that modulate the precise amounts of proteins expressed in a cell. Despite their small size, miRNA genes contain various recognition elements that enable specificity in when, where and to what extent they are expressed. The importance of precise control of miRNA expression is underscored by functional studies in model organisms and by the association between miRNA mis-expression and disease. In the last decade, identification of the pathways by which miRNAs are produced, matured and turned-over has revealed many aspects of their biogenesis that are subject to regulation. Studies in viral systems have revealed a range of mechanisms by which viruses target these pathways through viral proteins or non-coding RNAs in order to regulate cellular gene expression. In parallel, a field of study has evolved around the activation and suppression of antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) by viruses. Virus encoded suppressors of RNAi can impact miRNA biogenesis in cases where miRNA and small interfering RNA pathways converge. Here we review the literature on the mechanisms by which miRNA biogenesis and turnover are regulated in animals and the diverse strategies that viruses use to subvert or inhibit these processes

25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016

Abstracts of the 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016 Seogwipo City, Jeju-do, South Korea. 2–7 July 201