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This paper presents a K-band phase shifter with low insertion-loss variation fabricated with the TSMC standard 0.18-μm 1P6M CMOS technology. Low insertion loss variation is achieved by using impedance matching of the reflective load. To achieve a phase control range of 360°, a different 180° phase switch-type phase shifter (STPS) is applied to the output of a 180° continuous phase control range reflection-type phase shifter (RTPS). In this design, the layer of the bottom metal (M1) as the ground plane is used to minimize the substrate loss. The measured results show that the insertion loss variation in the phase control range is less than 1.2 dB, and the phase control range is 275° at 23 GHz. The chip size is 0.45 mm2 with pads and with no power consumption.

© 2012 Kung et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. FPGA-Based Motion Control IC for Linear Motor Drive X-Y Table Using Adaptive Fuzzy Control

The work presents an adaptive PI controller for sensorless permanent synchronous motor (PMSM) drive system. A rotor flux position of PMSM is estimated by using a sliding mode observer (SMO), firstly. The estimated rotor position will send to the current loop for current vector control and simultaneously feedback to the speed loop for speed control. Then to increase the performance of the PMSM drive system, a PI controller which its parameters are tuned by a radial basis function neural network (RBF NN) is applied to the speed controller for coping with the effect of the system dynamic uncertainty. In realization, the Very high speed IC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) is adopted to describe the behavior of the sensorless speed control IP (Intellectual Property) which includes the circuits of space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), vector control, coordinate transformation, SMO, PI controller, RBF NN, etc. Further, a simulation work is performed by MATLAB/Simulink and ModelSim co-simulation mode, provided by Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Simulator Link. The PMSM, inverter and speed command are performed in Simulink as well as the sensorless speed control IP is executed in ModelSim. Finally, some co-simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed sensorless PMSM IP.

Context-aware caring system is capable of effectively improving quality of health care in hospitals. Most of current context-aware health care systems adopt only simple context information, which only provide limited supports to caregivers. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of a new situation-aware caring system for smart wards, which combines multiple contexts and infer patients' "situations". This system is built and evaluated in a real-world hospital. We also report lessons learned, preliminary results of empirical deployment, and questionnaire surveys of caregivers.

Energy saving has become an important issue in recent years due to the problems relating to energy shortage and global warming. However, most prior works in a domestic environment often ignore users' perception of the deployed technologies, let alone users' high-level contexts such as on-going activities and preferences. Without the high-level contexts, an ES system may fail to provide sufficient clues for a user to determine the most desirable ES strategy. In addition, the prior works are more technology-oriented and assume that our real-life environment stayed fixed once the system has been established. This causes their energy-saving (ES) strategies to be less human-centric and less adaptive to users' context changes. Moreover, good ES strategies are often established after the collection of long-term data and thorough analysis such that efficient ES models can be well trained, but such models are often not reusable or not sharable among different users or even communities. This indirectly leads to extra "en-ergy" waste in setting up a new energy-efficient environment. To remedy these drawbacks, in this paper we propose a cloud-enabled adaptive activity-aware energy-saving system which not only can facilitate more human-centric and context-aware ES strategies in a dynamic environment, but also can share the promising ES models that embed these desirable ES strategies among different users to facilitate community-based energy-saving.

Background The covalently closed-circular DNA (cccDNA) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with viral persistence in HBV-infected hepatocytes. However, the regulation of cccDNA and its transcription in the host cells at different growth stages is not well understood. Methods We took advantages of a stably HBV-producing cell line, 1.3ES2, and examine the dynamic changes of HBV cccDNA, viral transcripts, and viral replication intermediates in different cellular growth stages. Results In this study, we showed that cccDNA increased suddenly in the initial proliferation phase of cell growth, probably attributable to its nuclear replenishment by intracellular nucleocapsids. The amount of cccDNA then decreased dramatically in the cells during their exponential proliferation similar to the loss of extrachromosomal plasmid DNA during cell division, after which it accumulated gradually while the host cells grew to confluency. We found that cccDNA was reduced in dividing cells and could be removed when proliferating cells were subjected to long term of lamivudine (3TC) treatment. The amounts of viral replicative intermediates were rapidly reduced in these proliferating cells and were significantly increased after cells reaching confluency. The expression levels of viral transcripts were increased in parallel with the elevated expression of hepatic transcription factors (HNF4α, CEBPα, PPARα, etc.) during cell growth confluency. The HBV transcripts were transcribed from both integrated viral genome and cccDNA, however the transcriptional abilities of cccDNA was less efficient then that from integrated viral genome in all cell growth stages. We also noted increases in the accumulation of intracellular viral particles and the secretion of mature virions as the cells reached confluency and ceased to grow. Conclusions Based on the dynamics of HBV replication, we propose that HBV replication is modulated differently in the different stages of cell growth, and can be divided into three phases (initial proliferation phase, exponential proliferation phase and growth confluency phase) according to the cell growth curve. The regulation of cccDNA in different cell growth phase and its importance regarding HBV replication are discussed.

Based on Simulink/Modelsim co-simulation technology, the design of a sensorless control IP (Intellectual Property) for PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) drive is presented in this paper. Firstly, a mathematical model for PMSM is derived and the vector control is adopted. Secondly, a rotor flux position is estimated by using a sliding mode observer (SMO). These estimated values are feed-backed to the current loop for vector control and to the speed loop for speed control. Thirdly, the Very-High-Speed IC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) is adopted to describe the behavior of the sensorless speed control IP which includes the circuits of space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), coordinate transformation, SMO, fuzzy controller, etc. Fourthly, the simulation work is performed by MATLAB/Simulink and ModelSim co-simulation mode, provided by Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Simulator Link. The PMSM, inverter and speed command are performed in Simulink and the sensorless speed control IP of PMSM drive is executed in ModelSim. Finally, the co-simulation results validate the effectiveness of the sensorless PMSM speed control system.

Recognizing Activities of Daily Living (ADL) plays an important role in healthcare. However, it is often impractical and sometimes impossible for a person to collect those useful data manually, not to mention constant long-term data maintenance and analysis. To address the above-mentioned challenges, we propose an architecture, in which many health-care applications and services can easily build upon, for collective long-term ADL pattern analysis that leverages several prominent advantages inherent in cloud computing. The core of the proposed infrastructure includes a module to perform MapReduce-assisted Bayesian activity recognition based on all collected ADL data. Better yet, the resultant data analysis can be delivered as a service from a service station which serves as a readily accessible interface to 3 rd party service providers and end-users. For the evaluation of the proposed architecture, a simulation of persuasive health engagement is presented and discussed as one potential application.

Fluoxetine-induced relaxation of the smooth muscle of small cerebral arteries is thought beneficial in treating mental disorders. The present study was designed to examine effect of fluoxetine on neurogenic nitrergic vasodilation in large cerebral arteries, using in vitro tissue myography, techniques of electrophysiology, calcium imaging and biochemistry. In isolated porcine endothelium-denuded basilar arteries in the presence of U-46619-induced active muscle tone, fluoxetine in low concentration (0.03 μM) significantly enhanced nicotine- and choline-induced relaxations. The vasorelaxation, however, was blocked by higher concentration of fluoxetine (0.3 μM) with maximum inhibition at 3 μM. At this concentration, fluoxetine did not affect the basal tone or vasorelaxations induced by transmural nerve stimulation, sodium nitroprusside, or isoproterenol. Furthermore, fluoxetine exclusively blocked nicotine-induced inward currents and calcium influx in cultured neurons of rat superior cervical ganglion and Xenopus oocytes expressing human α7-, α3β2-, or α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In addition, fluoxetine at 0.03 μM and 3 μM significantly enhanced and blocked, respectively, nicotine-induced norepinephrine (NE) release from cerebral perivascular sympathetic nerves. These results indicate that fluoxetine via axo-axonal interaction mechanism exhibits bimodal effects on nAChR-mediated neurogenic nitrergic dilation of basilar arteries. Fluoxetine in high concentrations decreases while in low concentrations it increases neurogenic vasodilation. These results from in vitro experimentation suggest that optimal concentrations of fluoxetine which increase or minimally affect neurogenic vasodilation indicative of regional cerebral blood flow may be important consideration in treating mental disorders.

Although previously rare, catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria is now increasingly encountered, especially among cancer patients who have catheters implanted for chemotherapy treatments. A 73-year-old female patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had Mycobacterium abscessus bacteremia with manifestations of multiple skin nodules, pneumonia, and mediastinal lymphadenopathy 4 months after the implantation of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) for the delivery of chemotherapy. The catheter-related M. abscessus bacteremia was confirmed by positive blood cultures of specimens drawn from a PICC line and a peripheral vein. She defervesced with the administration of meropenem, amikacin, levofloxacin, clarithromycin, and by the removal of PICC. Her fever subsided for 3 months with the disappearance of skin and lung lesions; however, she died of AML relapse. Bacteremia and skin infection caused by M. abscessus can be detected by culture and pathological examinations and should be considered in leukemia patients with a PICC. With appropriate laboratory diagnosis, M. abscessus bacteremia with disseminated infections can improve with catheter removal and combination antimicrobial therapy.

Aim: Resistance of cancer cells to hyperthermic temperatures and spatial limitations of nanoparticle-induced hyperthermia necessitates the identification of effective combination treatments that can enhance the efficacy of this treatment. Here we show that novel polypeptide-based degradable plasmonic matrices can be employed for simultaneous administration of hyperthermia and chemotherapeutic drugs as an effective combination treatment that can overcome cancer cell resistance to hyperthermia. Method: Novel gold nanorod elastin-like polypeptide matrices were generated and characterized. The matrices were also loaded with the heat-shock protein (HSP)90 inhibitor 17-(allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), currently in clinical trials for different malignancies, in order to deliver a combination of hyperthermia and chemotherapy. Results: Laser irradiation of cells cultured over the plasmonic matrices (without 17-AAG) resulted in the death of cells directly in the path of the laser, while cells outside the laser path did not show any loss of viability. Such spatial limitations, in concert with expression of prosurvival HSPs, reduce the efficacy of hyperthermia treatment. 17-AAG–gold nanorod–polypeptide matrices demonstrated minimal leaching of the drug to surrounding media. The combination of hyperthermic temperatures and the release of 17-AAG from the matrix, both induced by laser irradiation, resulted in significant (>90%) death of cancer cells, while ‘single treatments’ (i.e., hyperthermia alone and 17-AAG alone) demonstrated minimal loss of cancer cell viability (

International audience; We used oscillatory optical tweezers to investigate the microrheological properties of Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS; Mw = 70kDa) polymer solutions with different concentrations from 0.001mM to 10mM in terms of elastic modulus G'(omega) and loss modulus G ''(omega) as a function of angular frequency (omega) in the range of 6rad/s to 6000rad/s. The viscoelastic properties (including zero-shear-rate viscosity, crossing frequency and transition frequency) as a function of polymer concentration, deduced from our primary data, reveal the subtle structural changes in the polymer solutions as the polymer concentration increases from dilute to semi-dilute regimes, passing through the critical micelle formation concentration and the polymer overlapping concentration. The experimental results are consistent with the Maxwell model in some regime, and with the Rouse model in other, indicating the transient network character and the micelles formation in different regimes. (C)2011 Optical Society of America

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.07.005. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn.

Purpose: The focus of this work is to develop a unique drug delivery vehicle which can be taken up by cancer cells and can release the loaded drug. Methods: Core-shell composite nanoparticles have been prepared by one-step Pickering emulsion polymerization with a nonionic initiator, using silica as the sole stabilizer. More importantly, the Pickering emulsion polymerization is applied to synthesize polystyrene/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-silica core-shell nanoparticles with N-isopropylacrylamide incorporated into the core as a co-monomer. Results: The composite nanoparticles are temperature sensitive and can be taken up by human prostate cancer (PC3 and PC3-PSMA) cells. An anticancer agent 17-(Allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) has been loaded into the polymeric cores during formation of the nanoparticles and drug release has been successfully observed at elevated temperatures. The ability of the various nanoparticles for inducing death in human prostate cancer cells has been evaluated. Conclusion: The work has demonstrated the temperature sensitivity, controlled drug release properties of the synthesized core-shell nanoparticles, and their effectiveness for inducing death of human prostate cancer cells.

Applications to be supported on broadband networks exhibit a wide range of traffic statistics and many of them are sensitive to delay and loss violations. To accurately estimate admissible workload and bandwidth requirement, a detailed traffic model, HAP (Hierarchical Arrival Process) is proposed in this paper. Packets generated from HAP are modulated by processes at user, application, and message levels. This model is a generalization of on-off traffic models and is shown to be equivalent to a special class of MMPP (Markov Modulated Poisson Process). Three algorithmic methods along with simulations are applied to evaluate the queueing performance under HAP traffic. Delay under HAP traffic can be well over tens of times higher than Poisson traffic, depending on parameters and load. Congestion may persist for minutes. HAP's dramatic short-term behavior explains the occasional congestion in the real networks. Conventional traffic models, however, do not exhibit this behavior. With these results, we give implications for broadband network control.

The fibrillation of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) in the absence and presence of simple, unstructured D,L-lysine-co-glycine (D,L-Lys-co-gly) and D,L-lysine-co-L-phenylalanine (D,L-Lys-co-Phe) copolypeptides was studied by using a variety of analytical techniques. The attenuating and decelerating effects on fibrillation are significantly dependent on the polypeptide concentration and the composition ratios in the polypeptide chain. Interestingly, D,L-Lys-co-gly and D,L-Lys-co-Phe copolypeptides with the same composition ratio have comparable attenuating effects on fibrillation. The copolypeptide with highest molar fraction of glycine residue exhibits the strongest suppression of HEWL fibrillation. The copolypeptide has the highest hydrophobic interacting capacity due to the more molar ratio of apolar monomer in the polymer backbone. The major driving forces for the association of HEWL and copolypeptides are likely to be hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, and these interactions reduce the concentration of free protein in solution available to proceed to fibrillation, leading to the increase of lag time and attenuation of fibrillation. The results of this work may contribute to the understanding of the molecular factors affecting amyloid fibrillation and the molecular mechanism(s) of the interactions between the unstructured polypeptides and the amyloid proteins. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 97:107–116, 2012.

I n this paper, we report the viscoelastic properties of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) solution with different concentrations (in the range of 10 -4 M to 10 -3 M) and with different molecular weights (70 kDa vs. 200 kDa) investigated via Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy (DWS). The viscoelastic properties of the sample solutions are characterized in terms of the elastic modulus G’ and the viscous modulus G” as a function of frequency (f), and also in terms of the polymer disentanglement time ( W); the effect of polymer concentr ation and molecular weight on these parameters are presented. Our experimental results indicate that (1) both the viscous modulus G” and the disentanglement time (W increase with molecular concentration, whereas the elastic modulus G’ is relatively insensitive to molecular concentration, and (2) for the same concentration, all the 3 parameters (i.e., the elastic modulus G’, the viscous modulus G”, and disentanglement time W) increase as the molecular weight increases. Keywords: Passive microrheology, Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy (DWS), sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS), Mean Square Displacement (MSD), elastic modulus, viscou s modulus, crossing frequen cy, disentanglement time.

Based on FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology, the realization of a sensorless control IC for IPMSM (Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) drive is presented in this paper. Firstly, a mathematical model for IPMSM is derived and an extended EMF (Electro-Motive Force) or EEMF is defined. Secondly, a rotor position is estimated by using a sliding mode observer (SMO). These estimated values are feed-backed to the current loop for vector control and to the speed loop for speed control. Thirdly, an FSM (Finite State Machine) method is adopted to describe the overall SMO-based rotor position estimator. Further, using novel FPGA technology, the realization of a sensorless speed control IC is also described. At last, an experimental system is established to verify the effectiveness of the proposed sensorless speed control IC, and some experimental results are confirmed theoretically.

Bacterial galU coding for a uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase plays an important role in carbohydrates biosynthesis, including synthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), membrane-derived oligosaccharides, and capsular polysaccharides. In this study, we characterized the galU mutant of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae 61 (Psy61), a necrotizing plant pathogen whose pathogenicity depends on a functional type III secretion system (T3SS), and showed that the Psy61 galU mutant had reduced biofilm formation ability, was nonmotile, and had an assembled T3SS structure but failed to elicit hypersensitive response in resistant plants and necrotic lesions in susceptible plants. Moreover, the defective LPS and other pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on the surface of the Psy61 galU mutant were capable of inducing PAMP-triggered immunity, which severely compromised the ability of the Psy61 galU mutant to survive in planta. Our results demonstrated that the complete LPS protected plant-pathogenic bacteria from host innate immunity, similar to what was found in animal pathogens, prior to the translocation of T3S effectors and bacterial multiplication.

Plasmonic nanoparticles have shown promise in hyperthermic cancer therapy, both in vitro and in vivo. Previous reports have described hyperthermic ablation using targeted and non-targeted nanoparticles internalized by cancer cells, but most reports do not describe a theoretical analysis for determining optimal parameters. The focus of the current research was first to evaluate the spatiotemporal temperature distribution and cell death induced by extracellular hyperthermia in which gold nanorods (GNRs) were maintained in the dispersion outside human prostate cancer cells. The nanorod dispersion was irradiated with near infrared (NIR) laser and the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature was determined experimentally. This information was employed to develop and validate theoretical models of spatiotemporal temperature profiles for gold nanorod dispersions undergoing laser irradiation, and the impact of the resulting heat generation on the viability of human prostate cancer cells. A cell injury/death model was then coupled to the heat transfer model to predict spatial and temporal variations in cell death and injury. The model predictions agreed well with experimental measurements of both, temperature and cell death profiles. Finally, the model was extended to examine the impact of selective binding of gold nanorods to cancer cells compared to non-malignant cells, coupled with a small change in cell injury activation energy. The impact of these relatively minor changes results in a dramatic change in the overall cell death rate. Taken together, extracellular hyperthermia using gold nanorods is a promising strategy and tailoring the cellular binding efficacy of nanorods can result in varying therapeutic efficacies using this approach.

This study solves the dispute between the free cash flow and tunneling hypotheses in explaining the role of cash dividends on asset expropriation of the controlling shareholders in Chinese listed firms. Investors value more the cash dividends and the cash holdings of firms with lower ownership control than those of firms with higher ownership control. This is more consistent with the tunneling hypothesis. However, when investment opportunities are considered, the free cash flow hypothesis better explains firms' dividend policy. Investors value more the cash dividends of firms with fewer investment opportunities and higher probability of expropriation. This study indicates that investors are concerned with the potential asset expropriation through cash payouts, unless firms possess high growth opportunities.

Keeping a healthy and balanced diet has long been a critical issue for a person wanting to stay fit and energetic in her/his daily life. We can always turn to a dietitian (or a nutritionist) for professional diet suggestions if necessary. However, we cannot have a dietitian staying with us all the time, which renders daily nutrition control very challenging. Therefore, it is desirable for each individual to receive handy and informative diet suggestions whenever necessary. In this work, we propose a Context-aware Personal Diet Suggestion System (CPDSS) which tries to maximize an aggregated health utility function and provides useful diet suggestions according to some contextual information. In order to increase the practicality of the pro- posed system, we have integrated the CPDSS with an everyday appliance-a smart refrigerator-so that we can readily access the suggestions about one's diet, receive instant context-aware reminders while preparing foods, and keep long-term diet history to extract more useful pat- terns to caregivers to provide suggestions for health improvement.

With the rapid development of society, medical science and technology, although quality of life is enhanced and life expectancy is prolonged, aging, environmental changes and health problems are unavoidable. More and more people, therefore, are concerned about their health and place high demands on medical care. As modern medicine cannot meet all such demands, other medical care systems emerge. Trends in the seeking of medical care show that people are inclined towards natural approaches, so attention is being paid once again to traditional medicine, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Under the patient-oriented concept, medical personnel have to recognize means of health care while thinking of the individualized and socioeconomic impacts. The purpose of this paper therefore is to provide medical personnel with information on the developments and trends in, knowledge and research with regard to traditional medicine as well as complementary and alternative medicine.

The microimage analysis system described in this article is designed to detect a particular shape using Hough transform algorithm. The proposed microimage analysis system is developed by Simulink simulation process. The architecture of microimage enhance processing based on Laplace filtering is verified and simulated with Cadence design tools. The image enhancement system is also demonstrated on the Cyclone II FPGA device.

This paper is an update and reexamination of Yang et al. [Yang B., Lester D. and Yang C. Soc. Sci. Med. 34, 333, 1992]. Time-series analyses were carried out to explore the importance of sociological and economic determinants of suicide rates in the U.S. and in Taiwan for 1952-1992. Labor market related variables (unemployment and female labor force participation) were found to play similar roles in multiple regressions for both nations, while general economic and social conditions (GNP per capita and divorce) played a role only in the U.S.A comparison of standardized coefficients revealed that pure economic variables exerted greater influence over national suicide rates than sociological variables.

Background: Injuries are the leading causes of death and contribute greatly to morbidity in children. Our study examined injuries' age and gender-specific variations over time among children 0-19, from 1989 to 2007. Materials and Methods: Numbers of deaths caused by injury are drawn from Taiwan's official Vital Statistics System. Mortality was age-adjusted to the US 2000 standard population. Temporal trends were analyzed by linear regression. Results: Both genders' annual mortality rates and proportional mortality ratios of unintentional injuries declined significantly during 1989-2007. Conversely, an increasing trend of intentional deaths occurred. In general, during 1992-2007, increasing the rates of suicide deaths in ages 10-19 and of homicide deaths in ages 0-9 occurred. Boys had more suicide deaths than did girls. Conclusions: Unlike unintentional injuries, intentional injuries increased over the 1989-2007 period. Deaths in the subgroups of ages 0-19 and categorized by genders were caused by varying injuries.

The potential employment effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was the central concern of debate before the treaty was eventually passed. Panel data on unemployment rates in 10 major industries in the US during 1983-1994 were analyzed to assess the sensitivity of unemployment rates with respect to industry characteristics, macroeconomic variables, and Canadian and Mexican immigration to the US in the aftermath of the advent of NAFTA. The industries studied are mining; construction, durable goods, nondurable goods, transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; services; agriculture; and government. Analysis of the data determined that the output produced by the industry, unemployment insurance coverage, and interest rates are significant determinants of industry unemployment rates, but union presence does not affect industry unemployment. Both Canadian and Mexican immigrants seem to complement the US labor force, with Canadian immigrants being highly complementary to US labor. The Chow test found no evidence that NAFTA has changed the structure of unemployment determination in the industries studied.

Single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) serve as an alternative to full-length monoclonal antibodies used in research and therapeutic and diagnostic applications. However, when recombinant scFvs are overexpressed in bacteria, they often form inclusion bodies and exhibit loss of function. To overcome this problem, we developed an scFv secretion system in which scFv was fused with osmotically inducible protein Y (osmY), a bacterial secretory carrier protein, for efficient protein secretion. Anti-EGFR scFv (αEGFR) was fused with osmY (N- and C-termini) and periplasmic leader sequence (pelB) to generate αEGFR-osmY, osmY-αEGFR, and pelB-αEGFR (control), respectively. In comparison with the control, both the osmY-fused αEGFR scFvs were soluble and secreted into the LB medium. Furthermore, the yield of soluble αEGFR-osmY was 20-fold higher, and the amount of secreted protein was 250-fold higher than that of osmY-αEGFR. In addition, the antigen-binding activity of both the osmY-fused αEGFRs was 2-fold higher than that of the refolded pelB-αEGFR from inclusion bodies. Similar results were observed with αTAG72-osmY and αHer2-osmY. These results suggest that the N-terminus of osmY fused with scFv produces a high yield of soluble, functional, and secreted scFv, and the osmY-based bacterial secretion system may be used for the large-scale industrial production of low-cost αEGFR protein.

The NCS (networked control system) is different from the conventional control systems which is the integration of the automation and control over communication network. When an NCS operates over the communication network, one of the major challenges is the network-induced delay in data transfer among the controllers, actuators, and sensors. This delay degrades system performance and causes system unstablility. This paper proposes a GPC (generalized predictive control) with the Kalman state estimator to compensate for the network-induced delay and packet loss. The GPC is implemented in WiNCS (Wireless NCS) based on IEEE 802.11 standard. An analytical NCS model and NS2 (network simulator version 2) are developed to simulate and evaluate the performance under the effect of various delays and packet loss rates. The result shows that the proposed GPC is adaptive and robust to the uncertainties in a time-delay system. The WiNCS is evaluated with latency and throughput measurements in various environments. The experiment setup conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard achieves an average latency of 1.3 ms and a data throughput of 3.000 kB/s up to a distance of 70 m. The results demonstrate the feasibility of real-time closed-loop control with the proposed concept.

Introduction: The field of cancer therapeutics is moving towards attacking the pathology with mechanistically distinct or synergistic combination therapies. In addition to possessing distinct cytotoxicity mechanisms, factors such as dose and sequence of combination therapy needs to be determined for effective therapeutic outcome. Non-invasive imaging techniques play a major role in personalizing these therapies by providing quantitative information on tumor volume, perfusion, oxygenation status, drug concentration etc. In particular we utilized ultrasound imaging to gauge the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and irinotecan combination therapy in orthotopic pancreatic tumors of different volume. The rationale behind choosing PDT and irinotecan combination is that Irinotecan intracellular concentrations are increased, as PDT is known to cause destruction of ABC transporters that are responsible for the efflux of the drug and its metabolites outside of the cells. Photoacoustic imaging (a technique that provides contrast based on optical absorption properties of the tissue) was utilized to monitor changes in blood volume and oxygen saturation post photodynamic therapy. Materials and Methods: Orthotopic or subcutaneous pancreatic tumor models were established using MIA PaCA-2 cell line in Swiss Nu/Nu mice (4-6 weeks old). Cells (1 × 106in 50 μL of Matrigel-containing media) were injected into the pancreas or subcutaneously using a 301/2-gauge needle. Orthotopic tumors were imaged to gauge the combination treatment efficacy while the subcutaneous tumors provided change in tumor blood volume post PDT. Ultrasound imaging was used to non-invasively monitor tumor volume in mice and treatment was initiated when the tumors reached ∼35 mm3or ∼70 mm3. Irinotecan and photosensitizer, Benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) were encapsulated in liposomes and injected via tail vein at concentrations 0.25 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg respectively, 60 minutes prior to PDT light irradiation. Interstitial PDT (690 nm laser, 100mW/cm2, 75 J/cm2) was performed on the exteriorized pancreas of the anesthetized mice with orthotopic tumors. Subcutaneous tumors also received the same PDT dose. Ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging was performed using commercially available Vevo LAZR system. Results and Conclusions: The longitudinal non-invasive ultrasound monitoring of orthotopic tumor volume in response to combination therapy was carried out with appropriate controls. We observed that PDT significantly enhances the tumoricidal efficacy of irinotecan and significantly inhibited tumor growth up to at least 3 weeks post-treatment (p < 0.05). A second combination treatment given at this point did not yield a reduction in tumor volume. In addition we also observed the treatment was ineffective in larger tumors. Photoacoustic imaging of subcutaneous tumors showed decrease in oxygen saturation and blood volume post PDT. The findings of this study recognize the importance of longitudinally monitoring tumor volume, vasculature and blood oxygen status for success of combination treatments. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):B148. Citation Format: Srivalleesha Mallidi, Huang-Chiao Huang, Zhiming Mai, Ruth Goldschmidt, Joyce Liu, Patrick Chiang, Dmitriy Timerman, Imran Rizvi, Bryan Spring, Akilan Palanisami, Tayyaba Hasan. Ultrasound image guided combination therapies involving photodynamic therapy and irinotecan. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B148.

Introduction: Glioblastoma multiforme(GBM) is an aggressive cancer with bleak survival rates and limited new treatment options. Fluorescence guided resection of GBM followed by photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown promise in several chemo-or radiotherapy non-responsive GBM treatments clinically. PDT causes cytotoxicity with a combination of specific wavelength of light and photosensitizer (PS). Fluorescence is used in PDT research for detection of tumors, as the PS is also fluorescent. However, typically these molecules have low fluorescence quantum yields but good singlet oxygen yields to cause photodynamic damage. Also, in-vivo florescence images are surface-weighted and donot provide 3D image of the tumoral drug accumulation. In this study we utilize photoacoustic imaging (PA), a non-invasive, non-ionizing technique that provides contrast based on optical absorption properties of the tissue, to obtain 3D biodistribution of different fluorophores and PDT agents such as methylene blue (MB) free or encapsulated in liposomes in orthotopic brain tumors. We encapsulated verteporfin and MB in liposomes to increase its circulation half-life in-vivo and tumoral accumulation due to the enhanced-permeation and retention effect. Moreover, PA imaging can also be used to monitor tumoral blood oxygen saturation and this information is critical in PDT as oxygen plays a major role in creation of singlet oxygen cytotoxic species. Methods and Results: In this study, U87 glioma cells and patient derived GBM6 glioma cells were implanted orthotopically in the brain in 4-6 weeks old nude mice. 10 days post implantation, a burr hole was made in the skull to image intravenously injected liposomal methylene blue (10 mg/kg) uptake in the tumor. The liposomes were ∼110 nm in diameter evaluated using dynamic light scattering. A methylene blue loading efficiency of ∼50% was obtained in these liposomes. We observed that 2 hours post I.V. injection, the photoacoustic signal in brain tumor region increased ∼2.3 times and remained the same in non-tumor regions within the brain. We performed pilot studies in orthotopic glioma models that demonstrated: i) the efficacy of the photosensitizer encapsulated liposomes to accumulate in the glioma tumors, ii) ability of PA imaging technique to monitor the 3D heterogeneous uptake of the liposome constructs and iii) monitor PDT-induced changes in tumor vascular oxygen saturation non-invasively in real time. Conclusions: Taken together, we anticipate significant tumor burden reduction in our on-going in-vivo studies where the PDT light dose will be compensated based on the photoacoustic image information of the PDT agents uptake in the tumor. The findings of this study will form the basis for customized photodynamic therapy for glioblastoma and have the potential to serve as a platform for treatment of other cancers. Citation Format: Srivalleesha Mallidi, Huang-Chiao Huang, Joyce Y. Liu, Lawrence Mensah, Zhiming Mai, Tayyaba Hasan. Photoacoustic image guided photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3923. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3923

Using a 9.4 T MRI instrument, we have obtained images of the mouse brain response to photic stimulation during a period between deep anesthesia and the early stages of arousal. The large image enhancements we observe (often >30%) are consistent with literature results extrapolated to 9.4 T. However, there are also two unusual aspects to our findings. (i) The visual area of the brain responds only to changes in stimulus intensity, suggesting that we directly detect operations of the M visual system pathway. Such a channel has been observed in mice by invasive electrophysiology, and described in detail for primates. (ii) Along with the typical positive response in the area of the occipital portion of the brain containing the visual cortex, another area displays decreased signal intensity upon stimulation.

This book contains six essays by various authors based on presentations made at a lecture series sponsored by the Department of Economics at Western Michigan University in 1992-1993. "The essays in the present volume explore the various national and international dimensions of human capital and development ranging from the economic implications of demographic trends in the United States (Richard A. Easterlin) the effect of population growth and human capital on development (D. Gale Johnson and Julian L. Simon) the relationship among human capital the family and economic development (Mark R. Rosenzweig) and the crucial issue of workplace training in the United States (Peter B. Doeringer and Ann P. Bartel)." (EXCERPT)

The synthesis and self-assembly of amphiphilic copolypeptides, poly(L-lysine)-graft-hexanoyl (PLH), and their evaluation as carriers/encapsulants for myoglobin (Mb) encapsulation have been investigated. The interplay between the hydrophobic interaction and the chain conformational changes upon hexanoyl substitution determined the self-assembly behavior of PLH, which further influenced the evolution of the assembled nanostructures. The experimental data revealed that vesicles with mean sizes between 100 and 500 nm were formed by these amphiphilic copolypeptides in acidic and neutral aqueous solution. The hexanoyl substitution can regulate the hydrophobic interaction, chain conformation of PLH, and subsequently the size of the assembled vesicles at different pH. Taking advantage of the self-assembly capability, the PLH was employed for protein encapsulation, i.e.myoglobin (Mb). The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 50% and the encapsulated protein was still capable of carrying oxygen, which demonstrated that the PLH vesicles are promising carriers or encapsulants. The Mb-loaded PLH particles were further crosslinked by genipin to form stable nanostructures with mean sizes between 180 and 280 nm. The as-prepared particles were found to be well suspended in solution for months. With versatility of this synthesis strategy, additional functionality can be incorporated on PLH, which can allow these amphiphilic copolypeptides to be useful as targeted drug carriers, biomimetic encapsulants, and functional nanobioreactors in the biomedical fields.

A cost-effective, high-throughput method for generating gold nanowires and/or nanorods based on a multisegment template electrodeposition approach is described. Using this method, multiple nanowires/nanorods can be generated from a single pore of alumina template membranes by alternately depositing segments of desirable (e.g., gold) and non-desirable metals (e.g., silver), followed by dissolution of the template and the non-desirable metal. Critical cost analysis indicates substantial savings in material requirements, processing times, and processing costs compared to the commonly used single-segment method. In addition to solid gold nanowires/nanorods, high yields of porous gold nanowires/nanorods are obtained by depositing alternate segments of gold-silver alloy and silver from the same gold-silver plating solution followed by selective dissolution of the silver from both segments. It is anticipated that this high-throughput method for synthesizing solid and porous gold nanowires and nanorods will accelerate their use in sensing, electronic, and biomedical applications.

This paper concerns legal immigration to the United States with a focus on new admissions and adjustments of status. The authors develop a model of indirect professional immigration through adjustments of migrant status for the period 1964-1974 to show how changes in migration legislation have a significant effect. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA) (ANNOTATION)