1,314 research outputs found

    Biologic stability of plasma ion-implanted miniscrews

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    The asymptotic near-tip solution for mode-iii crack in steady growth in power hardening media

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    Two local solutions, one perpendicular and one parallel to the direction of solar gravitational field, are discussed. The influence of gravity on the gas-dynamical process driven by the piston is discussed in terms of characteristic theory, and the flow field is given quantitatively. For a typical piston trajectory similar to the one for an eruptive prominence, the velocity of the shock front which locates ahead the transient front is nearly constant or slightly accelerated, and the width of the compressed flow region may be kept nearly constant or increased linearly, depending on the velocity distribution of the piston. Based on these results, the major features of the transient may be explained. Some of the fine structure of the transient is also shown, which may be compared in detail with observations

    The inner core hemispheric boundary near 180°W

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    The inner core (IC) east–west hemispheric dichotomy is widely recognized, but the reported position of the hemispheric boundary varies among studies due to uneven sampling coverage and the data analyzed. This study investigates the sharpness of the western hemispheric boundary (WHB) near 180°W by analyzing differential time residuals of PKiKP–PKPdf and PKP(bc–df) for PKPdf phases that sample 155°E–130°W in various azimuthal directions. Using PKiKP–PKPdf observations, the WHB is located at 175°E–180°W in the southern hemisphere, based mainly on the lateral isotropy–anisotropy transition. However, based on the lateral isotropic velocity contrast and this isotropy–anisotropy transition between the two hemispheres, its location is 170–160°W in the northern hemisphere. These findings indicate that the WHB is sharp and exhibits a latitudinal dependence with a 10°–20° kink, as well as 1.75% anisotropy in the uppermost IC across the 180–155°W range of the western hemisphere. As suggested by PKP(bc–df), the WHB could remain at 160°W at depth. The isotropic velocity contrast near the WHB (160°W) between the eastern and western hemispheres is lower than previous estimates using PKPdf phases sampling the bulk part of each hemisphere

    Oral immunization of haemaggulutinin H5 expressed in plant endoplasmic reticulum with adjuvant saponin protects mice against highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus infection

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    Pandemics in poultry caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A virus occur too frequently globally, and there is growing concern about the HPAI A virus due to the possibility of a pandemic among humans. Thus, it is important to develop a vaccine against HPAI suitable for both humans and animals. Various approaches are underway to develop such vaccines. In particular, an edible vaccine would be a convenient way to vaccinate poultry because of the behaviour of the animals. However, an edible vaccine is still not available. In this study, we developed a strategy of effective vaccination of mice by the oral administration of transgenic Arabidopsis plants (HA-TG) expressing haemagglutinin (HA) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Expression of HA in the ER resulted in its high-level accumulation, N-glycosylation, protection from proteolytic degradation and long-term stability. Oral administration of HA-TG with saponin elicited high levels of HA-specific systemic IgG and mucosal IgA responses in mice, which resulted in protection against a lethal influenza virus infection with attenuated inflammatory symptoms. Based on these results, we propose that oral administration of freeze-dried leaf powders from transgenic plants expressing HA in the ER together with saponin is an attractive strategy for vaccination against influenza A virus.X111411Ysciescopu

    Increased S-nitrosylation and proteasomal degradation of caspase-3 during infection contribute to the persistence of adherent invasive escherichia coli (AIEC) in immune cells

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    Adherent invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) have been implicated as a causative agent of Crohn's disease (CD) due to their isolation from the intestines of CD sufferers and their ability to persist in macrophages inducing granulomas. The rapid intracellular multiplication of AIEC sets it apart from other enteric pathogens such as Salmonella Typhimurium which after limited replication induce programmed cell death (PCD). Understanding the response of infected cells to the increased AIEC bacterial load and associated metabolic stress may offer insights into AIEC pathogenesis and its association with CD. Here we show that AIEC persistence within macrophages and dendritic cells is facilitated by increased proteasomal degradation of caspase-3. In addition S-nitrosylation of pro- and active forms of caspase-3, which can inhibit the enzymes activity, is increased in AIEC infected macrophages. This S-nitrosylated caspase-3 was seen to accumulate upon inhibition of the proteasome indicating an additional role for S-nitrosylation in inducing caspase-3 degradation in a manner independent of ubiquitination. In addition to the autophagic genetic defects that are linked to CD, this delay in apoptosis mediated in AIEC infected cells through increased degradation of caspase-3, may be an essential factor in its prolonged persistence in CD patients

    Emotional Fuzzy Sliding-Mode Control for Unknown Nonlinear Systems

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    [[abstract]]The brain emotional learning model can be implemented with a simple hardware and processor; however, the learning model cannot model the qualitative aspects of human knowledge. To solve this problem, a fuzzy-based emotional learning model (FELM) with structure and parameter learning is proposed. The membership functions and fuzzy rules can be learned through the derived learning scheme. Further, an emotional fuzzy sliding-mode control (EFSMC) system, which does not need the plant model, is proposed for unknown nonlinear systems. The EFSMC system is applied to an inverted pendulum and a chaotic synchronization. The simulation results with the use of EFSMC system demonstrate the feasibility of FELM learning procedure. The main contributions of this paper are (1) the FELM varies its structure dynamically with a simple computation; (2) the parameter learning imitates the role of emotions in mammalians brain; (3) by combining the advantage of nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control, the EFSMC system provides very high precision and finite-time control performance; (4) the system analysis is given in the sense of the gradient descent method.[[notice]]補正完
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