COALA-System for Visual Representation of Cryptography Algorithms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanisavljevic, Zarko; Stanisavljevic, Jelena; Vuletic, Pavle; Jovanovic, Zoran

2014-01-01

Educational software systems have an increasingly significant presence in engineering sciences. They aim to improve students' attitudes and knowledge acquisition typically through visual representation and simulation of complex algorithms and mechanisms or hardware systems that are often not available to the educational institutions. This paper…

Transcriptome Analysis of Skin from SMP30/GNL Knockout Mice Reveals the Effect of Ascorbic Acid Deficiency on Skin and Hair.

PubMed

Wakame, Koji; Komatsu, Ken-Ichi; Nakata, Akifumi; Sato, Keisuke; Takaguri, Akira; Masutomi, Hirofumi; Nagashima, Takayuki; Uchiyama, Hironobu

2017-01-01

Senescence marker protein-30/gluconolactonase knockout mice (SMP-30/GNL-KO) are a very useful model for clarifying the involvement of vitamin C (VC) in aging-related diseases. In this study, the effects of VC deficiency on skin and hair growth were investigated using SMP-30/GNL-KO mice by RNA sequencing. SMP-30/GNL-KO mice were given water containing 1.5 g/l VC until up to 8 weeks after birth to maintain a VC concentration in their organs and plasma equivalent to that in wild-type mice. The mice were then divided into two groups: a VC(+) group, where VC was administered, and a VC(-) group, where VC was not administered. Skin samples were collected at 4 and 8 weeks after the treatment. RNA was extracted from each skin sample, followed by cDNA synthesis and RNA-seq. In addition, hair growth was compared between the VC(-) and VC(+) groups after shaving. Skin samples were collected from the shaved area for histological examination by hematoxylin & eosin (HE) staining. RNA-seq revealed that there were 1,736 (FDR<0.001) differentially expressed genes in the VC(-) and VC(+) groups. From the functional analysis of the differentially expressed genes in the VC(-) and VC(+) groups, predicted functionalities including cell death and cytotoxicity increased in the VC(+) group. Furthermore, it was predicted that the difference in hair growth between the VC(-) and VC(+) groups was caused by the expression of genes including keratin-related genes and the Sonic hedgehog gene. It was confirmed that hair growth was significantly promoted; hair growth from hair papilla cells was also confirmed by HE staining of the shaved backs of SMP-30/GNL-KO mice in the VC(+) group. RNA-seq of the skin from VC-deficient mice showed the effects of VC deficiency on the expression of genes involved in cell growth and the hair cycle. Visual inspection suggested that changes in the expression of the genes are involved in delaying hair growth in the VC(-) group. Further research on the relationship among VC deficiency, the hair cycle, and skin cell growth may contribute to research on hair restoration and skin aging. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Efficiency improvement by navigated safety inspection involving visual clutter based on the random search model.

PubMed

Sun, Xinlu; Chong, Heap-Yih; Liao, Pin-Chao

2018-06-25

Navigated inspection seeks to improve hazard identification (HI) accuracy. With tight inspection schedule, HI also requires efficiency. However, lacking quantification of HI efficiency, navigated inspection strategies cannot be comprehensively assessed. This work aims to determine inspection efficiency in navigated safety inspection, controlling for the HI accuracy. Based on a cognitive method of the random search model (RSM), an experiment was conducted to observe the HI efficiency in navigation, for a variety of visual clutter (VC) scenarios, while using eye-tracking devices to record the search process and analyze the search performance. The results show that the RSM is an appropriate instrument, and VC serves as a hazard classifier for navigation inspection in improving inspection efficiency. This suggests a new and effective solution for addressing the low accuracy and efficiency of manual inspection through navigated inspection involving VC and the RSM. It also provides insights into the inspectors' safety inspection ability.

Toward a reliable gaze-independent hybrid BCI combining visual and natural auditory stimuli.

PubMed

Barbosa, Sara; Pires, Gabriel; Nunes, Urbano

2016-03-01

Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) are one of the last communication options for patients in the locked-in state (LIS). For complete LIS patients, interfaces must be gaze-independent due to their eye impairment. However, unimodal gaze-independent approaches typically present levels of performance substantially lower than gaze-dependent approaches. The combination of multimodal stimuli has been pointed as a viable way to increase users' performance. A hybrid visual and auditory (HVA) P300-based BCI combining simultaneously visual and auditory stimulation is proposed. Auditory stimuli are based on natural meaningful spoken words, increasing stimuli discrimination and decreasing user's mental effort in associating stimuli to the symbols. The visual part of the interface is covertly controlled ensuring gaze-independency. Four conditions were experimentally tested by 10 healthy participants: visual overt (VO), visual covert (VC), auditory (AU) and covert HVA. Average online accuracy for the hybrid approach was 85.3%, which is more than 32% over VC and AU approaches. Questionnaires' results indicate that the HVA approach was the less demanding gaze-independent interface. Interestingly, the P300 grand average for HVA approach coincides with an almost perfect sum of P300 evoked separately by VC and AU tasks. The proposed HVA-BCI is the first solution simultaneously embedding natural spoken words and visual words to provide a communication lexicon. Online accuracy and task demand of the approach compare favorably with state-of-the-art. The proposed approach shows that the simultaneous combination of visual covert control and auditory modalities can effectively improve the performance of gaze-independent BCIs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Millisecond coherence time in a tunable molecular electronic spin qubit [An unprecedented coherence time in a tunable molecular V(IV) electronic spin qubit

DOE PAGES

Zadrozny, Joseph M.; Niklas, Jens; Poluektov, Oleg G.; ...

2015-12-02

Here, quantum information processing (QIP) could revolutionize areas ranging from chemical modeling to cryptography. One key figure of merit for the smallest unit for QIP, the qubit, is the coherence time ( T 2), which establishes the lifetime for the qubit. Transition metal complexes offer tremendous potential as tunable qubits, yet their development is hampered by the absence of synthetic design principles to achieve a long T 2. We harnessed molecular design to create a series of qubits, (Ph 4P) 2[V(C 8S 8) 3] (1), (Ph 4P) 2[V(β-C 3S 5) 3] (2), (Ph 4P) 2[V(α-C 3S 5) 3] (3), andmore » (Ph 4P) 2[V(C 3S 4O) 3] (4), with T 2s of 1–4 μs at 80 K in protiated and deuterated environments. Crucially, through chemical tuning of nuclear spin content in the vanadium(IV) environment we realized a T 2 of ~1 ms for the species ( d 20-Ph 4P) 2[V(C 8S 8) 3] in CS 2, a value that surpasses the coordination complex record by an order of magnitude. This value even eclipses some prominent solid-state qubits. Electrochemical and continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data reveal variation in the electronic influence of the ligands on the metal ion across 1–4. However, pulsed measurements indicate that the most important influence on decoherence is nuclear spins in the protiated and deuterated solvents utilized herein. Our results illuminate a path forward in synthetic design principles, which should unite CS 2 solubility with nuclear spin free ligand fields to develop a new generation of molecular qubits.« less

Visual cryptography for face privacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, Arun; Othman, Asem A.

2010-04-01

We discuss the problem of preserving the privacy of a digital face image stored in a central database. In the proposed scheme, a private face image is dithered into two host face images such that it can be revealed only when both host images are simultaneously available; at the same time, the individual host images do not reveal the identity of the original image. In order to accomplish this, we appeal to the field of Visual Cryptography. Experimental results confirm the following: (a) the possibility of hiding a private face image in two unrelated host face images; (b) the successful matching of face images that are reconstructed by superimposing the host images; and (c) the inability of the host images, known as sheets, to reveal the identity of the secret face image.

Automated virtual colonoscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Gordon W.; Hemler, Paul F.; Vining, David J.

1997-05-01

Virtual colonscopy (VC) is a minimally invasive alternative to conventional fiberoptic endoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. The VC technique involves bowel cleansing, gas distension of the colon, spiral computed tomography (CT) scanning of a patient's abdomen and pelvis, and visual analysis of multiplanar 2D and 3D images created from the spiral CT data. Despite the ability of interactive computer graphics to assist a physician in visualizing 3D models of the colon, a correct diagnosis hinges upon a physician's ability to properly identify small and sometimes subtle polyps or masses within hundreds of multiplanar and 3D images. Human visual analysis is time-consuming, tedious, and often prone to error of interpretation.We have addressed the problem of visual analysis by creating a software system that automatically highlights potential lesions in the 2D and 3D images in order to expedite a physician's interpretation of the colon data.

Delivering patient education by group videoconferencing into the home: Lessons learnt from the Telehealth Literacy Project.

PubMed

Banbury, Annie; Parkinson, Lynne; Nancarrow, Susan; Dart, Jared; Gray, Leonard C; Buckley, Jennene

2016-12-01

We examined the procedures for implementing group videoconference (VC) education for older people delivered into the home environment to identify the most common themes affecting the optimum delivery of VC home-based groups to older people. Participants (n = 52) were involved in a six-week group VC patient education program. There were a total of 44 sessions, undertaken by nine groups, with an average of four participants (range 1-7) and the facilitator. Participants could see and hear each other in real-time whilst in their homes with customised tablets or a desktop computer. The data presented here are based on a program log maintained by the facilitator throughout the implementation phase of the project and post intervention. The VC group experience is influenced by factors including the VC device location, connection processes, meeting times, use of visual aids and test calls. Social presence can be improved by communication protocols and strategies. Robust information technology (IT) support is essential in mitigating technical problems to enhance users' experience. Group patient education can be delivered by VC into homes of older people. However, careful pre-program planning, training and support should be considered when implementing such programs. © The Author(s) 2016.

Recovery from Spatial Neglect with Intra- and Transhemispheric Functional Connectivity Changes in Vestibular and Visual Cortex Areas-A Case Study.

PubMed

Conrad, Julian; Boegle, Rainer; Ertl, Matthias; Brandt, Thomas; Dieterich, Marianne

2018-01-01

Vestibular signals are involved in higher cortical functions like spatial orientation and its disorders. Vestibular dysfunction contributes, for example, to spatial neglect which can be transiently improved by caloric stimulation. The exact roles and mechanisms of the vestibular and visual systems for the recovery of neglect are not yet known. Resting-state functional connectivity (fc) magnetic resonance imaging was recorded in a patient with hemispatial neglect during the acute phase and after recovery 6 months later following a right middle cerebral artery infarction before and after caloric vestibular stimulation. Seeds in the vestibular [parietal operculum (OP2)], the parietal [posterior parietal cortex (PPC); 7A, hIP3], and the visual cortex (VC) were used for the analysis. During the acute stage after caloric stimulation the fc of the right OP2 to the left OP2, the anterior cingulum, and the para/hippocampus was increased bilaterally (i.e., the vestibular network), while the interhemispheric fc was reduced between homologous regions in the VC. After 6 months, similar fc increases in the vestibular network were found without stimulation. In addition, fc increases of the OP2 to the PPC and the VC were seen; interhemispherically this was true for both PPCs and for the right PPC to both VCs. Improvement of neglect after caloric stimulation in the acute phase was associated with increased fc of vestibular cortex areas in both hemispheres to the para-hippocampus and the dorsal anterior cingulum, but simultaneously with reduced interhemispheric VC connectivity. This disclosed a, to some extent, similar but also distinct short-term mechanism (vestibular stimulation) of an improvement of spatial orientation compared to the long-term recovery of neglect.

MRI-Based Evaluation of the Vaginal Cuff in Brachytherapy Planning: Are We Missing the Target?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapman, Christina Hunter; Prisciandaro, Joann I.; Maturen, Katherine E.

2016-06-01

Purpose: Although recurrences and toxicity occur after vaginal cuff (VC) brachytherapy, little is known about dosimetry due to the inability to clearly visualize the VC on computed tomography (CT). T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to CT in this setting, and we hypothesized that it could provide previously unascertainable dosimetric information. Methods and Materials: In a cohort of 32 patients who underwent cylinder-based brachytherapy for endometrial cancer with available MR simulation images, the VC was retrospectively contoured on T2W images, and cases were replanned to treat the upper VC to a dose of 7 Gy/fraction prescribed to 5 mm. Relevantmore » dose-volume parameters for the VC were calculated. Results: T2W MRI identified significant underdosing not observed on CT or T1-weighted imaging. Over two-thirds (69%) of patients had at least 1 cm{sup 3} of VC that received less than 75% of the prescription dose and half (50%) of patients had a least 1 cm{sup 3} of VC that received less than 50% of the prescription dose. The mean minimum point dose to the VC was 2.4 Gy, or 34% of the intended prescription dose (range: 0.53-6.4 Gy). Conclusions: We identified previously unreported VC underdosing in over two-thirds of our patients, with most of these patients having volumes of undistended VC that received less than half of the prescription dose. The maximum dimension was along the craniocaudal axis in some patients or left-right/anterior-posterior axis in others, suggesting that suture material may be restricting access to the vaginal apex and that alternative applicators may be needed when the diameter of the apex is larger than the introitus. Additional follow-up will be needed to determine whether underdosing is associated with isolated VC failure or whether low failure rates across the cohort suggest that some patients are being exposed to excessive dose and unnecessary risk of toxicity.« less

A Novel Image Steganography Technique for Secured Online Transaction Using DWT and Visual Cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anitha Devi, M. D.; ShivaKumar, K. B.

2017-08-01

Online payment eco system is the main target especially for cyber frauds. Therefore end to end encryption is very much needed in order to maintain the integrity of secret information related to transactions carried online. With access to payment related sensitive information, which enables lot of money transactions every day, the payment infrastructure is a major target for hackers. The proposed system highlights, an ideal approach for secure online transaction for fund transfer with a unique combination of visual cryptography and Haar based discrete wavelet transform steganography technique. This combination of data hiding technique reduces the amount of information shared between consumer and online merchant needed for successful online transaction along with providing enhanced security to customer’s account details and thereby increasing customer’s confidence preventing “Identity theft” and “Phishing”. To evaluate the effectiveness of proposed algorithm Root mean square error, Peak signal to noise ratio have been used as evaluation parameters

Potential for using visual, auditory, and olfactory cues to manage foraging behaviour and spatial distribution of rangeland livestock

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper reviews the literature and reports on the current state of knowledge regarding the potential for managers to use visual (VC), auditory (AC), and olfactory (OC) cues to manage foraging behavior and spatial distribution of rangeland livestock. We present evidence that free-ranging livestock...

H3 and H4 Lysine Acetylation Correlates with Developmental and Experimentally Induced Adult Experience-Dependent Plasticity in the Mouse Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Vierci, Gabriela; Pannunzio, Bruno; Bornia, Natalia; Rossi, Francesco M.

2016-01-01

Histone posttranslational modifications play a fundamental role in orchestrating gene expression. In this work, we analyzed the acetylation of H3 and H4 histones (AcH3–AcH4) and its modulation by visual experience in the mouse visual cortex (VC) during normal development and in two experimental conditions that restore juvenile-like plasticity levels in adults (fluoxetine treatment and enriched environment). We found that AcH3–AcH4 declines with age and is upregulated by treatments restoring plasticity in the adult. We also found that visual experience modulates AcH3–AcH4 in young and adult plasticity-restored mice but not in untreated ones. Finally, we showed that the transporter vGAT is downregulated in adult plasticity-restored models. In summary, we identified a dynamic regulation of AcH3–AcH4, which is associated with high plasticity levels and enhanced by visual experience. These data, along with recent ones, indicate H3–H4 acetylation as a central hub in the control of experience-dependent plasticity in the VC. PMID:27891053

Dissociated roles of the parietal and frontal cortices in the scope and control of attention during visual working memory.

PubMed

Li, Siyao; Cai, Ying; Liu, Jing; Li, Dawei; Feng, Zifang; Chen, Chuansheng; Xue, Gui

2017-04-01

Mounting evidence suggests that multiple mechanisms underlie working memory capacity. Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), the current study aimed to provide causal evidence for the neural dissociation of two mechanisms underlying visual working memory (WM) capacity, namely, the scope and control of attention. A change detection task with distractors was used, where a number of colored bars (i.e., two red bars, four red bars, or two red plus two blue bars) were presented on both sides (Experiment 1) or the center (Experiment 2) of the screen for 100ms, and participants were instructed to remember the red bars and to ignore the blue bars (in both Experiments), as well as to ignore the stimuli on the un-cued side (Experiment 1 only). In both experiments, participants finished three sessions of the task after 15min of 1.5mA anodal tDCS administered on the right prefrontal cortex (PFC), the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and the primary visual cortex (VC), respectively. The VC stimulation served as an active control condition. We found that compared to stimulation on the VC, stimulation on the right PPC specifically increased the visual WM capacity under the no-distractor condition (i.e., 4 red bars), whereas stimulation on the right PFC specifically increased the visual WM capacity under the distractor condition (i.e., 2 red bars plus 2 blue bars). These results suggest that the PPC and PFC are involved in the scope and control of attention, respectively. We further showed that compared to central presentation of the stimuli (Experiment 2), bilateral presentation of the stimuli (on both sides of the fixation in Experiment 1) led to an additional demand for attention control. Our results emphasize the dissociated roles of the frontal and parietal lobes in visual WM capacity, and provide a deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms of WM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RSA cryptography and multi prime RSA cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sani, Nur Atiqah Abdul; Kamarulhaili, Hailiza

2017-08-01

RSA cryptography is one of the most powerful and popular cryptosystem which is being applied until now. There is one variant of RSA cryptography named Multi Prime RSA (MPRSA) cryptography. MPRSA cryptography is the improved version of RSA cryptography. We only need to modify a few steps in key generation part and apply the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) in the decryption part to get the MPRSA algorithm. The focus of this research is to compare between the standard RSA cryptography and MPRSA cryptography in a few aspects. The research shows that MPRSA cryptography is more efficient than the RSA cryptography. Time complexity using Mathematica software is also conducted and it is proven that MPRSA cryptography has shorter time taken. It also implies the computational time is less than RSA cryptography. Mathematica software version 9.0 and a laptop HP ProBook 4331s are used to check the timing and to implement both algorithms.

Framework for Evaluating Loop Invariant Detection Games in Relation to Automated Dynamic Invariant Detectors

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Detectability ...............................................................................................37 Figure 20. Excel VBA Codes for Checker...National Vulnerability Database OS Operating System SQL Structured Query Language VC Verification Condition VBA Visual Basic for Applications...checks each of these assertions for detectability by Daikon. The checker is an Excel Visual Basic for Applications ( VBA ) script that checks the

Probing Nuclear Spin Effects on Electronic Spin Coherence via EPR Measurements of Vanadium(IV) Complexes.

PubMed

Graham, Michael J; Krzyaniak, Matthew D; Wasielewski, Michael R; Freedman, Danna E

2017-07-17

Quantum information processing (QIP) has the potential to transform numerous fields from cryptography, to finance, to the simulation of quantum systems. A promising implementation of QIP employs unpaired electronic spins as qubits, the fundamental units of information. Though molecular electronic spins offer many advantages, including chemical tunability and facile addressability, the development of design principles for the synthesis of complexes that exhibit long qubit superposition lifetimes (also known as coherence times, or T 2 ) remains a challenge. As nuclear spins in the local qubit environment are a primary cause of shortened superposition lifetimes, we recently conducted a study which employed a modular spin-free ligand scaffold to place a spin-laden propyl moiety at a series of fixed distances from an S = 1 / 2 vanadium(IV) ion in a series of vanadyl complexes. We found that, within a radius of 4.0(4)-6.6(6) Å from the metal center, nuclei did not contribute to decoherence. To assess the generality of this important design principle and test its efficacy in a different coordination geometry, we synthesized and investigated three vanadium tris(dithiolene) complexes with the same ligand set employed in our previous study: K 2 [V(C 5 H 6 S 4 ) 3 ] (1), K 2 [V(C 7 H 6 S 6 ) 3 ] (2), and K 2 [V(C 9 H 6 S 8 ) 3 ] (3). We specifically interrogated solutions of these complexes in DMF-d 7 /toluene-d 8 with pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy and found that the distance dependence present in the previously synthesized vanadyl complexes holds true in this series. We further examined the coherence properties of the series in a different solvent, MeCN-d 3 /toluene-d 8 , and found that an additional property, the charge density of the complex, also affects decoherence across the series. These results highlight a previously unknown design principle for augmenting T 2 and open new pathways for the rational synthesis of complexes with long coherence times.

Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3Chem): Online resources for teaching and learning chemistry through the rich context of climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, L.; Versprille, A.; Towns, M.; Mahaffy, P.; Martin, B.; Kirchhoff, M.

2013-12-01

Global climate change is one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity. Many of the important underlying concepts require mental models that are built on a fundamental understanding of chemistry, yet connections to climate science and global climate change are largely missing from undergraduate chemistry courses for science majors. In Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3Chem), we have developed and piloted a set of online modules that addresses this gap by teaching core chemistry concepts through the rich context of climate science. These interactive web-based digital learning experiences enable students to learn about isotopes and their relevance in determining historical temperature records, IR absorption by greenhouse gases, and acid/base chemistry and the impacts on changing ocean pH. The efficacy of these tools and this approach has been assessed through measuring changes in students' understanding about both climate change and core chemistry concepts.

Microglia in the Cerebral Cortex in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tetreault, Nicole A.; Hakeem, Atiya Y.; Jiang, Sue; Williams, Brian A.; Allman, Elizabeth; Wold, Barbara J.; Allman, John M.

2012-01-01

We immunocytochemically identified microglia in fronto-insular (FI) and visual cortex (VC) in autopsy brains of well-phenotyped subjects with autism and matched controls, and stereologically quantified the microglial densities. Densities were determined blind to phenotype using an optical fractionator probe. In FI, individuals with autism had…

Genetic characterization of ØVC8 lytic phage for Vibrio cholerae O1.

PubMed

Solís-Sánchez, Alejandro; Hernández-Chiñas, Ulises; Navarro-Ocaña, Armando; De la Mora, Javier; Xicohtencatl-Cortes, Juan; Eslava-Campos, Carlos

2016-03-22

Epidemics and pandemics of cholera, a diarrheal disease, are attributed to Vibrio cholera serogroups O1 and O139. In recent years, specific lytic phages of V. cholera have been proposed to be important factors in the cyclic occurrence of cholera in endemic areas. However, the role and potential participation of lytic phages during long interepidemic periods of cholera in non-endemic regions have not yet been described. The purpose of this study was to isolate and characterize specific lytic phages of V. cholera O1 strains. Sixteen phages were isolated from wastewater samples collected at the Endhó Dam in Hidalgo State, Mexico, concentrated with PEG/NaCl, and purified by density gradient. The lytic activity of the purified phages was tested using different V. cholerae O1 and O139 strains. Phage morphology was visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and phage genome sequencing was performed using the Genome Analyzer IIx System. Genome assembly and bioinformatics analysis were performed using a set of high-throughput programs. Phage structural proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Sixteen phages with lytic and lysogenic activity were isolated; only phage ØVC8 showed specific lytic activity against V. cholerae O1 strains. TEM images of ØVC8 revealed a phage with a short tail and an isometric head. The ØVC8 genome comprises linear double-stranded DNA of 39,422 bp with 50.8 % G + C. Of the 48 annotated ORFs, 16 exhibit homology with sequences of known function and several conserved domains. Bioinformatics analysis showed multiple conserved domains, including an Ig domain, suggesting that ØVC8 might adhere to different mucus substrates such as the human intestinal epithelium. The results suggest that ØVC8 genome utilize the "single-stranded cohesive ends" packaging strategy of the lambda-like group. The two structural proteins sequenced and analyzed are proteins of known function. ØVC8 is a lytic phage with specific activity against V. cholerae O1 strains and is grouped as a member of the VP2-like phage subfamily. The encoding of an Ig domain by ØVC8 makes this phage a good candidate for use in phage therapy and an alternative tool for monitoring V. cholerae populations.

CT analysis of the effect of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

PubMed

Iwasawa, Tae; Ogura, Takashi; Sakai, Fumikazu; Kanauchi, Tetsu; Komagata, Takanobu; Baba, Tomohisa; Gotoh, Toshiyuki; Morita, Satoshi; Yazawa, Takuya; Inoue, Tomio

2014-01-01

Pirfenidone is a new, anti-fibrotic drug used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of computed tomography (CT) in the imaging assessment of the response to pirfenidone therapy. Subjects were 78 patients with IPF who underwent CT on two occasions with one-year interval (38 consecutive patients treated with pirfenidone and 40 age-matched control). Changes in the fibrous lesion on sequential CTs were assessed as visual score by two radiologists. We measured the volume and change per year of fibrous pattern (F-pattern) quantitatively using a computer-aided system on sequential CTs. The baseline vital capacity (%pred VC) was 74.0 ± 14.0% in the pirfenidone group and 74.6 ± 16.6% in controls (p=NS). Deterioration of respiratory status was defined as 10% or greater decline in %pred VC value after 12-month treatment. A significantly larger proportion of pirfenidone-treated patients showed stable respiratory status (21 of 38, 65.6%) than the control (15 of 40, 37.5%). The change in fibrous lesion was significantly smaller in the pirfenidone group than the control in both of visual score (p=0.006) and computer analysis (p<0.001). The decline in VC correlated significantly with the increase in fibrotic lesion (p<0.001). CT can be used to assess pirfenidone-induced slowing of progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chocolate Key Cryptography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachman, Dale J.; Brown, Ezra A.; Norton, Anderson H.

2010-01-01

Cryptography is the science of hidden or secret writing. More generally, cryptography refers to the science of safeguarding information. Cryptography allows people to use a public medium such as the Internet to transmit private information securely, thus enabling a whole range of conveniences, from online shopping to personally printed movie…

Quantum cryptography: a view from classical cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchmann, Johannes; Braun, Johannes; Demirel, Denise; Geihs, Matthias

2017-06-01

Much of digital data requires long-term protection of confidentiality, for example, medical health records. Cryptography provides such protection. However, currently used cryptographic techniques such as Diffe-Hellman key exchange may not provide long-term security. Such techniques rely on certain computational assumptions, such as the hardness of the discrete logarithm problem that may turn out to be incorrect. On the other hand, quantum cryptography---in particular quantum random number generation and quantum key distribution---offers information theoretic protection. In this paper, we explore the challenge of providing long-term confidentiality and we argue that a combination of quantum cryptography and classical cryptography can provide such protection.

A Generic Simulation Framework for Non-Entangled based Experimental Quantum Cryptography and Communication: Quantum Cryptography and Communication Simulator (QuCCs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhari, Abudhahir; Zukarnain, Zuriati Ahmad; Khalid, Roszelinda; Zakir Dato', Wira Jaafar Ahmad

2016-11-01

The applications of quantum information science move towards bigger and better heights for the next generation technology. Especially, in the field of quantum cryptography and quantum computation, the world already witnessed various ground-breaking tangible product and promising results. Quantum cryptography is one of the mature field from quantum mechanics and already available in the markets. The current state of quantum cryptography is still under various researches in order to reach the heights of digital cryptography. The complexity of quantum cryptography is higher due to combination of hardware and software. The lack of effective simulation tool to design and analyze the quantum cryptography experiments delays the reaching distance of the success. In this paper, we propose a framework to achieve an effective non-entanglement based quantum cryptography simulation tool. We applied hybrid simulation technique i.e. discrete event, continuous event and system dynamics. We also highlight the limitations of a commercial photonic simulation tool based experiments. Finally, we discuss ideas for achieving one-stop simulation package for quantum based secure key distribution experiments. All the modules of simulation framework are viewed from the computer science perspective.

Implementation Cryptography Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) Method in Communication System Based Near Field Communication (NFC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnadewi; Pramono Adhie, Roy; Hutama, Yonatan; Saleh Ahmar, A.; Setiawan, M. I.

2018-01-01

Cryptography is a method used to create secure communication by manipulating sent messages during the communication occurred so only intended party that can know the content of that messages. Some of the most commonly used cryptography methods to protect sent messages, especially in the form of text, are DES and 3DES cryptography method. This research will explain the DES and 3DES cryptography method and its use for stored data security in smart cards that working in the NFC-based communication system. Several things that will be explained in this research is the ways of working of DES and 3DES cryptography method in doing the protection process of a data and software engineering through the creation of application using C++ programming language to realize and test the performance of DES and 3DES cryptography method in encrypted data writing process to smart cards and decrypted data reading process from smart cards. The execution time of the entering and the reading process data using a smart card DES cryptography method is faster than using 3DES cryptography.

Cryptography for Big Data Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-13

Cryptography for Big Data Security Book Chapter for Big Data: Storage, Sharing, and Security (3S) Distribution A: Public Release Ariel Hamlin1 Nabil...Email: arkady@ll.mit.edu ii Contents 1 Cryptography for Big Data Security 1 1.1 Introduction...48 Chapter 1 Cryptography for Big Data Security 1.1 Introduction With the amount

An E-Hospital Security Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Fang; Adams, Carlisle

In this paper, we introduce how to use cryptography in network security and access control of an e-hospital. We first define the security goal of the e-hospital system, and then we analyze the current application system. Our idea is proposed on the system analysis and the related regulations of patients' privacy protection. The security of the whole application system is strengthened through layered security protection. Three security domains in the e-hospital system are defined according to their sensitivity level, and for each domain, we propose different security protections. We use identity based cryptography to establish secure communication channel in the backbone network and policy based cryptography to establish secure communication channel between end users and the backbone network. We also use policy based cryptography in the access control of the application system. We use a symmetric key cryptography to protect the real data in the database. The identity based and policy based cryptography are all based on elliptic curve cryptography—a public key cryptography.

Post-quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Bernstein, Daniel J; Lange, Tanja

2017-09-13

Cryptography is essential for the security of online communication, cars and implanted medical devices. However, many commonly used cryptosystems will be completely broken once large quantum computers exist. Post-quantum cryptography is cryptography under the assumption that the attacker has a large quantum computer; post-quantum cryptosystems strive to remain secure even in this scenario. This relatively young research area has seen some successes in identifying mathematical operations for which quantum algorithms offer little advantage in speed, and then building cryptographic systems around those. The central challenge in post-quantum cryptography is to meet demands for cryptographic usability and flexibility without sacrificing confidence.

Post-quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, Daniel J.; Lange, Tanja

2017-09-01

Cryptography is essential for the security of online communication, cars and implanted medical devices. However, many commonly used cryptosystems will be completely broken once large quantum computers exist. Post-quantum cryptography is cryptography under the assumption that the attacker has a large quantum computer; post-quantum cryptosystems strive to remain secure even in this scenario. This relatively young research area has seen some successes in identifying mathematical operations for which quantum algorithms offer little advantage in speed, and then building cryptographic systems around those. The central challenge in post-quantum cryptography is to meet demands for cryptographic usability and flexibility without sacrificing confidence.

Dual modality virtual colonoscopy workstation: design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dongqing; Meissner, Michael

2006-03-01

The aim of this study is to develop a virtual colonoscopy (VC) workstation that supports both CT (computed tomography) and MR (magnetic resonance) imaging procedures. The workflow should be optimized and be able to take advantage of both image modalities. The technological break through is at the real-time volume rendering of spatial-intensity-inhomogeneous MR images to achieve high quality 3D endoluminal view. VC aims at visualizing CT or MR tomography images for detection of colonic polyp and lesion. It is also called as CT/MR colonography based on the imaging modality that is employed. The published results of large scale clinical trial demonstrated more than 90% of sensitivity on polyp detection for certain CT colonography (CTC) workstation. A drawback of the CT colonoscopy is the radiation exposure. MR colonography (MRC) is free from the X-ray radiation. It achieved almost 100% specificity for polyp detection in published trials. The better tissue contrast in MR image allows the accurate diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease also, which is usually difficult in CTC. At present, most of the VC workstations are designed for CT examination. They are not able to display multi-sequence MR series concurrently in a single application. The automatic correlation between 2D and 3D view is not available due to the difficulty of 3D model building for MR images. This study aims at enhancing a commercial VC product that was successfully used for CTC to equally support dark-lumen protocol MR procedure also.

Research on Electrically Driven Single Photon Emitter by Diamond for Quantum Cryptography

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-24

by diamond for quantum cryptography 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA2386-14-1-4037 5b. GRANT NUMBE R Grant 14IOA093_144037 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...emerged as a highly competitive platform for applications in quantum cryptography , quantum computing, spintronics, and sensing or metrology...15. SUBJECT TERMS Diamond LED, Nitrogen Vacancy Complex, Quantum Computing, Quantum Cryptography , Single Spin Single Photon 16. SECURITY

Secure Information Sharing and Processing (SISAP) Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-03

Cryptography   SISAP   relies   heavily   on   commutative   or   cascadeable   cryptography .   This   is  when...commutative   cryptography   can   be   applied.   In   SISAP,   the   content   key  will   be  wrapped  with   the...Commutative   Cryptography ,  and   Private  Disjointness  Testing.  Thesis.  Massachusetts  Institute  of

Beyond "Inert" Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahaffy, Peter G.; Holme, Thomas A.; Martin-Visscher, Leah; Martin, Brian E.; Versprille, Ashley; Kirchhoff, Mary; McKenzie, Lallie; Town, Marcy

2017-01-01

As one approach to moving beyond transmitting "inert" ideas to chemistry students, we use the term "teaching from rich contexts" to describe implementations of case studies or context-based learning based on systems thinking that provide deep and rich opportunities for learning crosscutting concepts through contexts. This…

Investigating the Limitations of Advanced Design Methods through Real World Application

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-31

36 War Room Laptop Display ( MySQL , JMP 9 Pro, 64-bit Windows) Georgia Tech Secure Collaborative Visualization Environment ( MySQL , JMP 9 Pro...investigate expanding the EA for VC3ATS • Would like to consider both an expansion of the use of current Java -based BPM approach and other potential EA

Lightness, chroma and hue differences on visual shade matching.

PubMed

Pecho, Oscar E; Pérez, María M; Ghinea, Razvan; Della Bona, Alvaro

2016-11-01

To analyze the influence of lightness, chroma and hue differences on visual shade matching performed by dental students. 100 dental students (DS) volunteers with normal vision participated in the study. A spectroradiometer (SP) was used to measure the spectral reflectance of 4 extracted human upper central incisors (UCI 1-4) and shade tabs from Vita Classical (VC) and Vita Toothguide 3D-Master (3D) shade guides. Measurements were performed over a gray background, inside a viewing booth and under D65 illuminant (diffuse/0° geometry). Color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and h°) were calculated. DS used VC and 3D to visually select the best shade match for each UCI. CIE metric differences (Δa * ,Δb * ,ΔL ' , ΔC ' and ΔH ' ) and CIEDE2000(2:1:1) lightness (ΔE L ), chroma (ΔE C ) and hue (ΔE H ) differences were obtained from each UCI and the first three shades selected by DS and the first option using CIELAB, CIEDE2000(1:1:1) and CIEDE2000(2:1:1) color difference metrics. The closest CIELAB color-discrimination ellipsoid (from RIT-DuPont visual color-difference data) to each UCI was selected for the analysis of visual shade matching. DS showed a preference for shades with lower chroma (ΔC ' and ΔE C ) and/or hue (ΔH ' and ΔE H ) values instead of shades with lower lightness values (ΔL ' and ΔE L ). Most best visual matches were near the tolerance ellipsoid centered on tooth shade. This study is an attempt to partially explain the inconsistencies between visual and instrumental shade matching and the limitations of shade guides. Visual shade matching was driven by color differences with lower chroma and hue values. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vitamin C Nutrition in Cattle

PubMed Central

Matsui, T.

2012-01-01

Domestic animals, including ruminants, can synthesize vitamin C (VC) in their liver; as such, the dietary requirement for VC has not been confirmed in these animals. The adequacy of VC has been evaluated by quantifying VC levels in plasma, but the reported values in bovine plasma have been widely variable. Plasma VC concentration is decreased by heat stress, hepatic lesions, fattening, and infectious diseases such as mastitis in cattle. Therefore, VC supplementation is potentially beneficial for cattle with low plasma VC concentration. This review discusses the methods for determination of plasma VC concentration in cattle, VC nutrition, and the efficacy of VC supplementation in calves, dairy cattle, and beef cattle. Additionally I propose a reference range for plasma VC concentration in Japanese Black cattle. PMID:25049602

Can Smartphones and Privacy Coexist Assessing Technologies and Regulations Protecting Personal Data on Android and iOS Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

does not find any critically private information. To What Extent Do Apps Use Cryptography or Transmit Nonessential Private Data? In a third experiment... cryptography and private data. Specifically, we analyzed 50 banking apps on both iOS and Android to understand how well these apps use cryptography . First...RAND’s Engineering and Applied Sciences Department. His research expertise includes applied cryptography and technology policy. Zev Winkelman is a

Distinguishability of quantum states and shannon complexity in quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbekov, I. M.; Molotkov, S. N.

2017-07-01

The proof of the security of quantum key distribution is a rather complex problem. Security is defined in terms different from the requirements imposed on keys in classical cryptography. In quantum cryptography, the security of keys is expressed in terms of the closeness of the quantum state of an eavesdropper after key distribution to an ideal quantum state that is uncorrelated to the key of legitimate users. A metric of closeness between two quantum states is given by the trace metric. In classical cryptography, the security of keys is understood in terms of, say, the complexity of key search in the presence of side information. In quantum cryptography, side information for the eavesdropper is given by the whole volume of information on keys obtained from both quantum and classical channels. The fact that the mathematical apparatuses used in the proof of key security in classical and quantum cryptography are essentially different leads to misunderstanding and emotional discussions [1]. Therefore, one should be able to answer the question of how different cryptographic robustness criteria are related to each other. In the present study, it is shown that there is a direct relationship between the security criterion in quantum cryptography, which is based on the trace distance determining the distinguishability of quantum states, and the criterion in classical cryptography, which uses guesswork on the determination of a key in the presence of side information.

Transcript Profile of Flowering Regulatory Genes in VcFT-Overexpressing Blueberry Plants

PubMed Central

Walworth, Aaron E.; Chai, Benli; Song, Guo-qing

2016-01-01

In order to identify genetic components in flowering pathways of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), a transcriptome reference composed of 254,396 transcripts and 179,853 gene contigs was developed by assembly of 72.7 million reads using Trinity. Using this transcriptome reference and a query of flowering pathway genes of herbaceous plants, we identified potential flowering pathway genes/transcripts of blueberry. Transcriptome analysis of flowering pathway genes was then conducted on leaf tissue samples of transgenic blueberry cv. Aurora (‘VcFT-Aurora’), which overexpresses a blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT). Sixty-one blueberry transcripts of 40 genes showed high similarities to 33 known flowering-related genes of herbaceous plants, of which 17 down-regulated and 16 up-regulated genes were identified in ‘VcFT-Aurora’. All down-regulated genes encoded transcription factors/enzymes upstream in the signaling pathway containing VcFT. A blueberry CONSTANS-LIKE 5-like (VcCOL5) gene was down-regulated and associated with five other differentially expressed (DE) genes in the photoperiod-mediated flowering pathway. Three down-regulated genes, i.e., a MADS-AFFECTING FLOWERING 2-like gene (VcMAF2), a MADS-AFFECTING FLOWERING 5-like gene (VcMAF5), and a VERNALIZATION1-like gene (VcVRN1), may function as integrators in place of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in the vernalization pathway. Because no CONSTAN1-like or FLOWERING LOCUS C-like genes were found in blueberry, VcCOL5 and VcMAF2/VcMAF5 or VRN1 might be the major integrator(s) in the photoperiod- and vernalization-mediated flowering pathway, respectively. The major down-stream genes of VcFT, i.e., SUPPRESSOR of Overexpression of Constans 1-like (VcSOC1), LEAFY-like (VcLFY), APETALA1-like (VcAP1), CAULIFLOWER 1-like (VcCAL1), and FRUITFULL-like (VcFUL) genes were present and showed high similarity to their orthologues in herbaceous plants. Moreover, overexpression of VcFT promoted expression of all of these VcFT downstream genes. These results suggest that VcFT’s down-stream genes appear conserved in blueberry. PMID:27271296

Transcript Profile of Flowering Regulatory Genes in VcFT-Overexpressing Blueberry Plants.

PubMed

Walworth, Aaron E; Chai, Benli; Song, Guo-Qing

2016-01-01

In order to identify genetic components in flowering pathways of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), a transcriptome reference composed of 254,396 transcripts and 179,853 gene contigs was developed by assembly of 72.7 million reads using Trinity. Using this transcriptome reference and a query of flowering pathway genes of herbaceous plants, we identified potential flowering pathway genes/transcripts of blueberry. Transcriptome analysis of flowering pathway genes was then conducted on leaf tissue samples of transgenic blueberry cv. Aurora ('VcFT-Aurora'), which overexpresses a blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT). Sixty-one blueberry transcripts of 40 genes showed high similarities to 33 known flowering-related genes of herbaceous plants, of which 17 down-regulated and 16 up-regulated genes were identified in 'VcFT-Aurora'. All down-regulated genes encoded transcription factors/enzymes upstream in the signaling pathway containing VcFT. A blueberry CONSTANS-LIKE 5-like (VcCOL5) gene was down-regulated and associated with five other differentially expressed (DE) genes in the photoperiod-mediated flowering pathway. Three down-regulated genes, i.e., a MADS-AFFECTING FLOWERING 2-like gene (VcMAF2), a MADS-AFFECTING FLOWERING 5-like gene (VcMAF5), and a VERNALIZATION1-like gene (VcVRN1), may function as integrators in place of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in the vernalization pathway. Because no CONSTAN1-like or FLOWERING LOCUS C-like genes were found in blueberry, VcCOL5 and VcMAF2/VcMAF5 or VRN1 might be the major integrator(s) in the photoperiod- and vernalization-mediated flowering pathway, respectively. The major down-stream genes of VcFT, i.e., SUPPRESSOR of Overexpression of Constans 1-like (VcSOC1), LEAFY-like (VcLFY), APETALA1-like (VcAP1), CAULIFLOWER 1-like (VcCAL1), and FRUITFULL-like (VcFUL) genes were present and showed high similarity to their orthologues in herbaceous plants. Moreover, overexpression of VcFT promoted expression of all of these VcFT downstream genes. These results suggest that VcFT's down-stream genes appear conserved in blueberry.

Hospital communication between perception and cost savings: an Italian case study.

PubMed

Pennacchini, M; Pensieri, C; Binetti, P

2012-07-01

Communication field is very much studied by Companies but not so much from the Italian NHS. We aim to study the suffering communication that patients, relatives and customers feel when they approach a hospital. The research was carried out in an Italian region: Lazio. The Objective was to take a picture of the current state of Regional Health-Care System (RHS) communication by local Visual Communication (VC), telematic, internal perception, communication propensity and perception of hospital's brand. We have sampled 7 hospitals (114 items): Web-site's analysis, Location's VC, Urp's manager interview, Focus-group, Analysis Valuator of the Hospital's Brand (AVoHB). WEB: 14% of web-sites had a positive score, 86% had an Hospital Service Guide, 43% hadn't Urp's e-mail, 29% had a ward's map, 0% was W3C. Average: -17pt. on ±74pt. VISUAL COMMUNICATION: 100% had a Help-desk at the entrance, 100% had readable signpost, 43% had a readable badge, 29% had chromatic signpost, 0% had an assistance signpost and none of them had the Toilettes signpost. Average: -10,42pt. on ±58pt. FOCUS-GROUP: Staff underline their very high interest in interpersonal communication. They report a lack of VC inside their hospitals that cannot help patients to be self-oriented. Lost users can only ask information to the first doctor they see, taking staff time, which is already lacked. AVOHB: Powergrid shows that the positioning of the Aggregated Brand (RHS) and of each hospital analyzed are in the III quadrant. By a Corporate Communication point of view we can see that almost all companies reach a good level in terms of effective communication but none of them excel in all critical areas for an effective communication.

Calculator Cryptography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Matthew

2003-01-01

Uses cryptography to demonstrate the importance of algebra and the use of technology as an effective real application of mathematics. Explains simple encoding and decoding of messages for student learning of modular arithmetic. This elementary encounter with cryptography along with its historical and modern background serves to motivate student…

Physical Cryptography: A New Approach to Key Generation and Direct Encryption

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-18

has been  further studied theoretically and P a g e  | 4    experimentally to only a limited extent. The second is quantum cryptography [3] based on...Std Z39-18 P a g e  | 2    Abstract: The security of key generation and direct encryption in quantum and physical cryptography have been...investigated. It is found that similar to the situation of conventional mathematics based cryptography , fundamental and meaningful security levels for either

Threshold quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokunaga, Yuuki; Okamoto, Tatsuaki; Imoto, Nobuyuki

2005-01-01

We present the concept of threshold collaborative unitary transformation or threshold quantum cryptography, which is a kind of quantum version of threshold cryptography. Threshold quantum cryptography states that classical shared secrets are distributed to several parties and a subset of them, whose number is greater than a threshold, collaborates to compute a quantum cryptographic function, while keeping each share secretly inside each party. The shared secrets are reusable if no cheating is detected. As a concrete example of this concept, we show a distributed protocol (with threshold) of conjugate coding.

Improving education and supervision of Queensland X-ray Operators through video conference technology: A teleradiography pilot project.

PubMed

Rawle, Marnie; Oliver, Tanya; Pighills, Alison; Lindsay, Daniel

2017-12-01

X-ray Operator (XO) supervision in Queensland is performed by radiographers in a site removed from the XO site. This has historically been performed by telephone when the XO requires immediate help, as well as post-examination through radiographer review and the provision of written feedback on images produced. This project aimed to improve image quality through the provision of real-time support of XOs by the introduction of video conference (VC) supervision. A 6-month pilot project compared image quality with and without VC supervision. VC equipment was installed in the X-ray room at two rural sites, as well as at the radiographer site, to enable visual and oral supervision. The VC unit enabled visualisation of the X-ray examination technique as it was being undertaken, as well as the images produced prior to transmission to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Statistically significant improvement in image quality criteria measures were seen for patient positioning (P = 0.008), image quality (P < 0.001) and diagnostic value (P < 0.001) of images taken during this project. No statistically significant differences were seen during case level assessment in the inclusion of only appropriate imaging (P = 0.06), and the inclusion of unacceptable imaging (P = 0.06), however improvements were seen in both of these criteria. The survey revealed 24.6% of examinations performed would normally have involved the XO contacting the radiographer for assistance, although, assistance was actually provided in 88.3% of examinations. This project has demonstrated that significant improvement in image quality is achievable with VC supervision. A larger study with a control arm that did not receive direct supervision should be used to validate the findings of this study. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.

A Study on the Rectification Property of Self-Assembled Viologen Single Molecules Using a Scanning Tunneling Microscopy.

PubMed

Lee, Nam-Suk; Shin, Hoon-Kyu; Kwon, Young-Soo

2015-02-01

An ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM) and a scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) are used measure the rectification property of self-assembled viologen single molecules (VC8SH, VC10SH, HSC8VC8SH, and HSC10VC10SH) in the previous study. Using STM we observe viologen single molecules in the self-assembled octanethiol (OT) SAM matrix. In the OT matrix a mixed phase that includes a c(4 x 2) superlattice of high-density standing up-phase is observed. We indicate high peak current-like rectifications at + 1.68 V(VC8SH), + 1.56 V(VC10SH), + 1.14 V(HSC8VC8SH), and + 1.04 V(HSC10VC10SH) based on the experiment implemented in this study. In addition, transition voltages (Vtrans) from direct tunneling to the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling are presented at 1.08 V(VC8SH), 0.97 V(VC10SH), 0.99 V(HSC8VC8SH), and 0.89 V(HSC1VC1SH).

Effect of modulated-frequency and modulated-intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation after abdominal surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tokuda, Mitsunori; Tabira, Kazuyuki; Masuda, Takashi; Nishiwada, Takashi; Shomoto, Koji

2014-07-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for treatment of postoperative pain and pulmonary functions (vital capacity [VC]; cough peak flow, [CPF]) in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. Forty-eight patients were randomly allocated to receive TENS, placebo TENS, or no TENS (control) 1 hour a day for 3 days postoperatively. A 0-100 visual analog scale was used to assess pain at preintervention, mid-intervention, and postintervention on the third postoperative day. Pulmonary functions (VC, CPF) were evaluated by spirometer at preoperation (baseline) and at preintervention, mid-intervention, and postintervention on the third postoperative day. One-way analysis of variance was used to assess differences between groups at baseline. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the control group with the placebo-TENS and TENS group, at each assessment timepoint. Two-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test assessed the difference between the 2 (placebo-TENS×TENS) groups. A value of P<0.01 was considered statistically significant. The baselines were not significantly different between any groups. The TENS group had significant reductions in postoperative pain compared with the placebo group (P<0.01) and control group (P<0.01). There was also improvement in pulmonary functions (VC, CPF) at mid-TENS and post-TENS, but not in the placebo-TENS (P<0.01) or control groups (P<0.01). TENS is a valuable treatment to alleviate postoperative pain and improve pulmonary functions (ie, VC, CPF) in patients following abdominal surgery.

VC-dimension of univariate decision trees.

PubMed

Yildiz, Olcay Taner

2015-02-01

In this paper, we give and prove the lower bounds of the Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC)-dimension of the univariate decision tree hypothesis class. The VC-dimension of the univariate decision tree depends on the VC-dimension values of its subtrees and the number of inputs. Via a search algorithm that calculates the VC-dimension of univariate decision trees exhaustively, we show that our VC-dimension bounds are tight for simple trees. To verify that the VC-dimension bounds are useful, we also use them to get VC-generalization bounds for complexity control using structural risk minimization in decision trees, i.e., pruning. Our simulation results show that structural risk minimization pruning using the VC-dimension bounds finds trees that are more accurate as those pruned using cross validation.

Characterization of an Isolate That Uses Vinyl Chloride as a Growth Substrate under Aerobic Conditions

PubMed Central

Verce, Matthew F.; Ulrich, Ricky L.; Freedman, David L.

2000-01-01

An aerobic enrichment culture was developed by using vinyl chloride (VC) as the sole organic carbon and electron donor source. VC concentrations as high as 7.3 mM were biodegraded without apparent inhibition. VC use did not occur when nitrate was provided as the electron acceptor. A gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile isolate was obtained from the enrichment culture and identified based on biochemical characteristics and the sequence of its 16S rRNA gene as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, designated strain MF1. The observed yield of MF1 when it was grown on VC was 0.20 mg of total suspended solids (TSS)/mg of VC. Ethene, acetate, glyoxylate, and glycolate also served as growth substrates, while ethane, chloroacetate, glycolaldehyde, and phenol did not. Stoichiometric release of chloride and minimal accumulation of soluble metabolites following VC consumption indicated that the predominant fate for VC is mineralization and incorporation into cell material. MF1 resumed consumption of VC after at least 24 days when none was provided, unlike various mycobacteria that lost their VC-degrading ability after brief periods in the absence of VC. When deprived of oxygen for 2.5 days, MF1 did not regain the ability to grow on VC, and a portion of the VC was transformed into VC-epoxide. Acetylene inhibited VC consumption by MF1, suggesting the involvement of a monooxygenase in the initial step of VC metabolism. The maximum specific VC utilization rate for MF1 was 0.41 μmol of VC/mg of TSS/day, the maximum specific growth rate was 0.0048/day, and the Monod half-saturation coefficient was 0.26 μM. A higher yield and faster kinetics occurred when MF1 grew on ethene. When grown on ethene, MF1 was able to switch to VC as a substrate without a lag. It therefore appears feasible to grow MF1 on a nontoxic substrate and then apply it to environments that do not exhibit a capacity for aerobic biodegradation of VC. PMID:10919818

Report of the Public Cryptography Study Group.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Council on Education, Washington, DC.

Concerns of the National Security Agency (NSA) that information contained in some articles about cryptography in learned and professional journals and in monographs might be inimical to the national security are addressed. The Public Cryptography Study Group, with one dissenting opinion, recommends that a voluntary system of prior review of…

The enriched fraction of Vernonia cinerea L. induces apoptosis and inhibits multi-drug resistance transporters in human epithelial cancer cells.

PubMed

Appadath Beeran, Asmy; Maliyakkal, Naseer; Rao, Chamallamudi Mallikarjuna; Udupa, Nayanabhirama

2014-12-02

Vernonia cinerea Less. (VC) of the family Asteraceaes is considered as the sacred plant; 'Dasapushpam' which is ethnopharmacologically significant to the people of Kerala in India. In fact, VC has been used in the traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda) for the treatment of various ailments including cancer. Cytotoxicity of the ethanolic extract of VC (VC-ET), petroleum ether fraction (VC-PET), dichloromethane fraction (VC-DCM), n-butyl alcohol fraction (VC-BT), and rest fraction (VC-R) was evaluated in cervical carcinoma (HeLa), lung adenocarcinoma (A549), breast cancer (MCF-7), and colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cells using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The apoptotic effects of VC-DCM were assessed in cancer cells using Annexin V assay. The effects of VC-DCM on multi-drug resistance (MDR) transporters in HeLa, A549, MCF-7, and Caco-2 cells were evaluated using flow cytometry based functional assays. Similarly, drug uptake in cancer cells and sensitization of cancer cells towards chemotherapeutic drugs in the presence of VC-DCM were studied using Daunorubicin (DNR) accumulation assay and SRB assay, respectively. Cytotoxicity assay revealed that the enriched fraction of VC (VC-DCM) possessed dose-dependent cytotoxic effects in human epithelial cancer cells (HeLa, A549, MCF-7, and Caco-2). Further, treatment of cancer cells (HeLa, A549, MCF-7, and Caco-2) with VC-DCM led to a significant increase in both early and late apoptosis, indicating the induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, VC-DCM significantly inhibited functional activity of MDR transporters (ABC-B1 and ABC-G2), enhanced DNR-uptake in cancer cells, and sensitized cancer cells towards chemotherapeutic drug-mediated cytotoxicity, thus indicating the ability of VC-DCM to reverse MDR in cancer and enhance the cytotoxic effects of anticancer drugs. A methodological investigation on the anti-cancer properties of Vernonia cinerea Less. (VC) revealed that an enriched fraction of VC (VC-DCM) possessed cytotoxic effects, triggered apoptosis, inhibited MDR transporters, enhanced drug uptake, and sensitized cancer cells towards anticancer drug-mediated cytotoxicity in human epithelial cancer cells. Thus, VC appears to be promising for an effective treatment of various drug-resistant human epithelial cancers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification and expression analysis of MATE genes involved in flavonoid transport in blueberry plants.

PubMed

Chen, Li; Liu, Yushan; Liu, Hongdi; Kang, Limin; Geng, Jinman; Gai, Yuzhuo; Ding, Yunlong; Sun, Haiyue; Li, Yadong

2015-01-01

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) proteins are the most recently identified family of multidrug transporters. In plants, this family is remarkably large compared to the human and bacteria counterpart, highlighting the importance of MATE proteins in this kingdom. Here 33 Unigenes annotated as MATE transporters were found in the blueberry fruit transcriptome, of which eight full-length cDNA sequences were identified and cloned. These proteins are composed of 477-517 residues, with molecular masses ~54 kDa, and theoretical isoelectric points from 5.35 to 8.41. Bioinformatics analysis predicted 10-12 putative transmembrane segments for VcMATEs, and localization to the plasma membrane without an N-terminal signal peptide. All blueberry MATE proteins shared 32.1-84.4% identity, among which VcMATE2, VcMATE3, VcMATE5, VcMATE7, VcMATE8, and VcMATE9 were more similar to the MATE-type flavonoid transporters. Phylogenetic analysis showed VcMATE2, VcMATE3, VcMATE5, VcMATE7, VcMATE8 and VcMATE9 clustered with MATE-type flavonoid transporters, indicating that they might be involved in flavonoid transport. VcMATE1 and VcMATE4 may be involved in the transport of secondary metabolites, the detoxification of xenobiotics, or the export of toxic cations. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the expression profile of the eight VcMATE genes varied spatially and temporally. Analysis of expression and anthocyanin accumulation indicated that there were some correlation between the expression profile and the accumulation of anthocyanins. These results showed VcMATEs might be involved in diverse physiological functions, and anthocyanins across the membranes might be mutually maintained by MATE-type flavonoid transporters and other mechanisms. This study will enrich the MATE-based transport mechanisms of secondary metabolite, and provide a new biotechonology strategy to develop better nutritional blueberry cultivars.

Identification and Expression Analysis of MATE Genes Involved in Flavonoid Transport in Blueberry Plants

PubMed Central

Chen, Li; Liu, Yushan; Liu, Hongdi; Kang, Limin; Geng, Jinman; Gai, Yuzhuo; Ding, Yunlong; Sun, Haiyue; Li, Yadong

2015-01-01

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) proteins are the most recently identified family of multidrug transporters. In plants, this family is remarkably large compared to the human and bacteria counterpart, highlighting the importance of MATE proteins in this kingdom. Here 33 Unigenes annotated as MATE transporters were found in the blueberry fruit transcriptome, of which eight full-length cDNA sequences were identified and cloned. These proteins are composed of 477–517 residues, with molecular masses ~54 kDa, and theoretical isoelectric points from 5.35 to 8.41. Bioinformatics analysis predicted 10–12 putative transmembrane segments for VcMATEs, and localization to the plasma membrane without an N-terminal signal peptide. All blueberry MATE proteins shared 32.1–84.4% identity, among which VcMATE2, VcMATE3, VcMATE5, VcMATE7, VcMATE8, and VcMATE9 were more similar to the MATE-type flavonoid transporters. Phylogenetic analysis showed VcMATE2, VcMATE3, VcMATE5, VcMATE7, VcMATE8 and VcMATE9 clustered with MATE-type flavonoid transporters, indicating that they might be involved in flavonoid transport. VcMATE1 and VcMATE4 may be involved in the transport of secondary metabolites, the detoxification of xenobiotics, or the export of toxic cations. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the expression profile of the eight VcMATE genes varied spatially and temporally. Analysis of expression and anthocyanin accumulation indicated that there were some correlation between the expression profile and the accumulation of anthocyanins. These results showed VcMATEs might be involved in diverse physiological functions, and anthocyanins across the membranes might be mutually maintained by MATE-type flavonoid transporters and other mechanisms. This study will enrich the MATE-based transport mechanisms of secondary metabolite, and provide a new biotechonology strategy to develop better nutritional blueberry cultivars. PMID:25781331

Vitamin C impacts anxiety-like behavior and stress-induced anorexia relative to social environment in SMP30/GNL knockout mice.

PubMed

Koizumi, Miwako; Kondo, Yoshitaka; Isaka, Ayumi; Ishigami, Akihito; Suzuki, Emiko

2016-12-01

The role of endogenous vitamin C (VC) in emotion and psychiatric measures has long been uncertain. We aimed to investigate how an individual's VC status impacts his or her mental health. Our hypothesis is that body VC levels modulate anxiety, anorexia, and depressive phenotypes under the influence of psychosocial rearing environments and sex. The VC status of senescence marker protein-30/gluconolactonase knockout mice, which lack the ability to synthesize VC, were continuously shifted from adequate (VC+) to depleted (VC-) by providing a water with or without VC. Despite weight loss in both sexes, suppressed feeding was specifically seen in males only during the VC- phase. Anxiety responses in the novelty-suppressed feeding paradigm were worse during the VC-, especially in females. Sensitivity to the forced swim test as determined by the initial latency was significantly shorter in the socially stable animals compared with socially unstable animals during the VC+ condition. The stress coping underlying depressive phenotypes was assessed by immobility duration in a series of forced swim tests. No significant differences were apparent between contrasting VC status. Homeostatic symptoms following stressful behavioral tests consisted of a great loss of appetite during the VC-. It should be noted that anorexia is extremely serious for the females. We conclude that endogenous VC status is critical for determining vulnerability to anxiety and anorexia in a sex-specific manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Colorectal cancer screening with virtual colonoscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Yaorong; Vining, David J.; Ahn, David K.; Stelts, David R.

1999-05-01

Early detection and removal of colorectal polyps have been proven to reduce mortality from colorectal carcinoma (CRC), the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Unfortunately, traditional techniques for CRC examination (i.e., barium enema, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy) are unsuitable for mass screening because of either low accuracy or poor public acceptance, costs, and risks. Virtual colonoscopy (VC) is a minimally invasive alternative that is based on tomographic scanning of the colon. After a patient's bowel is optimally cleansed and distended with gas, a fast tomographic scan, typically helical computed tomography (CT), of the abdomen is performed during a single breath-hold acquisition. Two-dimensional (2D) slices and three-dimensional (3D) rendered views of the colon lumen generated from the tomographic data are then examined for colorectal polyps. Recent clinical studies conducted at several institutions including ours have shown great potential for this technology to be an effective CRC screening tool. In this paper, we describe new methods to improve bowel preparation, colon lumen visualization, colon segmentation, and polyp detection. Our initial results show that VC with the new bowel preparation and imaging protocol is capable of achieving accuracy comparable to conventional colonoscopy and our new algorithms for image analysis contribute to increased accuracy and efficiency in VC examinations.

Neural networks with local receptive fields and superlinear VC dimension.

PubMed

Schmitt, Michael

2002-04-01

Local receptive field neurons comprise such well-known and widely used unit types as radial basis function (RBF) neurons and neurons with center-surround receptive field. We study the Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension of feedforward neural networks with one hidden layer of these units. For several variants of local receptive field neurons, we show that the VC dimension of these networks is superlinear. In particular, we establish the bound Omega(W log k) for any reasonably sized network with W parameters and k hidden nodes. This bound is shown to hold for discrete center-surround receptive field neurons, which are physiologically relevant models of cells in the mammalian visual system, for neurons computing a difference of gaussians, which are popular in computational vision, and for standard RBF neurons, a major alternative to sigmoidal neurons in artificial neural networks. The result for RBF neural networks is of particular interest since it answers a question that has been open for several years. The results also give rise to lower bounds for networks with fixed input dimension. Regarding constants, all bounds are larger than those known thus far for similar architectures with sigmoidal neurons. The superlinear lower bounds contrast with linear upper bounds for single local receptive field neurons also derived here.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jason L. Wright; Milos Manic

Finding and identifying cryptography is a growing concern in the malware analysis community. In this paper, artificial neural networks are used to classify functional blocks from a disassembled program as being either cryptography related or not. The resulting system, referred to as NNLC (Neural Net for Locating Cryptography) is presented and results of applying this system to various libraries are described.

Approach to design neural cryptography: a generalized architecture and a heuristic rule.

PubMed

Mu, Nankun; Liao, Xiaofeng; Huang, Tingwen

2013-06-01

Neural cryptography, a type of public key exchange protocol, is widely considered as an effective method for sharing a common secret key between two neural networks on public channels. How to design neural cryptography remains a great challenge. In this paper, in order to provide an approach to solve this challenge, a generalized network architecture and a significant heuristic rule are designed. The proposed generic framework is named as tree state classification machine (TSCM), which extends and unifies the existing structures, i.e., tree parity machine (TPM) and tree committee machine (TCM). Furthermore, we carefully study and find that the heuristic rule can improve the security of TSCM-based neural cryptography. Therefore, TSCM and the heuristic rule can guide us to designing a great deal of effective neural cryptography candidates, in which it is possible to achieve the more secure instances. Significantly, in the light of TSCM and the heuristic rule, we further expound that our designed neural cryptography outperforms TPM (the most secure model at present) on security. Finally, a series of numerical simulation experiments are provided to verify validity and applicability of our results.

Towards secure quantum key distribution protocol for wireless LANs: a hybrid approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naik, R. Lalu; Reddy, P. Chenna

2015-12-01

The primary goals of security such as authentication, confidentiality, integrity and non-repudiation in communication networks can be achieved with secure key distribution. Quantum mechanisms are highly secure means of distributing secret keys as they are unconditionally secure. Quantum key distribution protocols can effectively prevent various attacks in the quantum channel, while classical cryptography is efficient in authentication and verification of secret keys. By combining both quantum cryptography and classical cryptography, security of communications over networks can be leveraged. Hwang, Lee and Li exploited the merits of both cryptographic paradigms for provably secure communications to prevent replay, man-in-the-middle, and passive attacks. In this paper, we propose a new scheme with the combination of quantum cryptography and classical cryptography for 802.11i wireless LANs. Since quantum cryptography is premature in wireless networks, our work is a significant step forward toward securing communications in wireless networks. Our scheme is known as hybrid quantum key distribution protocol. Our analytical results revealed that the proposed scheme is provably secure for wireless networks.

Changes to Quantum Cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, Yasuyuki; Tanaka, Hidema

Quantum cryptography has become a subject of widespread interest. In particular, quantum key distribution, which provides a secure key agreement by using quantum systems, is believed to be the most important application of quantum cryptography. Quantum key distribution has the potential to achieve the “unconditionally” secure infrastructure. We also have many cryptographic tools that are based on “modern cryptography” at the present time. They are being used in an effort to guarantee secure communication over open networks such as the Internet. Unfortunately, their ultimate efficacy is in doubt. Quantum key distribution systems are believed to be close to practical and commercial use. In this paper, we discuss what we should do to apply quantum cryptography to our communications. We also discuss how quantum key distribution can be combined with or used to replace cryptographic tools based on modern cryptography.

Cryptanalysis and security enhancement of optical cryptography based on computational ghost imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Sheng; Yao, Jianbin; Liu, Xuemei; Zhou, Xin; Li, Zhongyang

2016-04-01

Optical cryptography based on computational ghost imaging (CGI) has attracted much attention of researchers because it encrypts plaintext into a random intensity vector rather than complexed-valued function. This promising feature of the CGI-based cryptography reduces the amount of data to be transmitted and stored and therefore brings convenience in practice. However, we find that this cryptography is vulnerable to chosen-plaintext attack because of the linear relationship between the input and output of the encryption system, and three feasible strategies are proposed to break it in this paper. Even though a large number of plaintexts need to be chosen in these attack methods, it means that this cryptography still exists security risks. To avoid these attacks, a security enhancement method utilizing an invertible matrix modulation is further discussed and the feasibility is verified by numerical simulations.

Rotationally resolved state-to-state photoionization and the photoelectron study of vanadium monocarbide and its cations (VC/VC(+)).

PubMed

Chang, Yih Chung; Luo, Zhihong; Pan, Yi; Zhang, Zheng; Song, Ying-Nan; Kuang, Sophie Yajin; Yin, Qing Zhu; Lau, Kai-Chung; Ng, C Y

2015-04-21

By employing two-color visible (VIS)-ultraviolet (UV) laser photoionization and pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) techniques, we have obtained highly rotationally resolved photoelectron spectra for vanadium monocarbide cations (VC(+)). The state-to-state VIS-UV-PFI-PE spectra thus obtained allow unambiguous assignments for the photoionization rotational transitions, resulting in a highly precise value for the adiabatic ionization energy (IE) of vanadium monocarbide (VC), IE(VC) = 57512.0 ± 0.8 cm(-1) (7.13058 ± 0.00010 eV), which is defined as the energy of the VC(+)(X(3)Δ1; v(+) = 0; J(+) = 1) ← VC(X(2)Δ3/2; v'' = 0; J'' = 3/2) photoionization transition. The spectroscopic constants for VC(+)(X(3)Δ1) determined in the present study include the harmonic vibrational frequency ωe(+) = 896.4 ± 0.8 cm(-1), the anharmonicity constant ωe(+)xe(+) = 5.7 ± 0.8 cm(-1), the rotational constants Be(+) = 0.6338 ± 0.0025 cm(-1) and αe(+) = 0.0033 ± 0.0007 cm(-1), the equilibrium bond length re(+) = 1.6549 ± 0.0003 Å, and the spin-orbit coupling constant A = 75.2 ± 0.8 cm(-1) for VC(+)(X(3)Δ1,2,3). These highly precise energetic and spectroscopic data are used to benchmark state-of-the-art CCSDTQ/CBS calculations. In general, good agreement is found between the theoretical predictions and experimental results. The theoretical calculations yield the values, IE(VC) = 7.126 eV; the 0 K bond dissociation energies: D0(V-C) = 4.023 eV and D0(V(+)-C) = 3.663 eV; and heats of formation: ΔH°(f0)(VC) = 835.2, ΔH°(f298)(VC) = 840.4, ΔH°(f0)(VC(+)) = 1522.8, and ΔH°(f298)(VC(+)) = 1528.0 kJ mol(-1).

Vespa crabro immunotherapy versus Vespula-venom immunotherapy in Vespa crabro allergy: a comparison study in field re-stings.

PubMed

Macchia, Donatella; Cortellini, Gabriele; Mauro, Marina; Meucci, Elisa; Quercia, Oliviero; Manfredi, Mariangela; Massolo, Alessandro; Valentini, Maurizio; Severino, Maurizio; Passalacqua, Giovanni

2018-01-01

In ascertained allergic sensitization to Vespa crabro (VC) venom, the European guidelines still consider venom immunotherapy (VIT) with Vespula (VE) venom sufficient to achieve an adequate protection against VC. However, antigen 5 immunoblotting studies showed that a genuine sensitization to VC venom may exist. In such cases, a specific VC venom would be preferable for VIT treatment. Since in the last few years, VC venom extracts became available for diagnosis and desensitization, we assessed the efficacy and safety of VIT with a VC-VIT, compared to VE extract. Patients stung by VC, and carefully diagnosed for specific sensitization and indication to VIT underwent a 5-year course of immunotherapy with either VE or VC extracts . The severity of reactions at the first sting (pre-VIT) and after field re-stings (during VIT) were compared. Eighty-three patients, treated with VE extract and 130 patients treated with VC extract completed the 5-year course of VIT. Only a fraction of those patients (43,8%) were field-re-stung by VC: 64 patients on VC VIT and 69 on VE VIT. In the VC VIT group, reactions at re-sting were: 50 negative, 12 large local reactions, 4 systemic reactions (Muller grade I). In this group the VC VIT efficacy was 93,8%. In the VE VIT treated group the reactions at VC re-sting were: 51 negative, 10 large local reactions and 9 systemic reactions (5 Muller I, 3 Mueller III, 1 Muller IV). In this group the overall efficacy of VIT was 87,0%. The difference in efficacy between the two groups was not statistically significant, as previously reported in literature. Nonetheless, field sting systemic reactions Muller III and IV were recorded only in those patients receiving VE VIT. This observation suggests that in patients with ascertained VC-induced allergic reactions a specific VC VIT, where available, would be more adequate, at least concerning the safety profile.

Transcriptional analysis of Volvox photoreceptors suggests the existence of different cell-type specific light-signaling pathways.

PubMed

Kianianmomeni, Arash; Hallmann, Armin

2015-02-01

Photosynthetic organisms, e.g., plants including green algae, use a sophisticated light-sensing system, composed of primary photoreceptors and additional downstream signaling components, to monitor changes in the ambient light environment towards adjust their growth and development. Although a variety of cellular processes, e.g., initiation of cleavage division and final cellular differentiation, have been shown to be light-regulated in the green alga Volvox carteri, little is known about the underlying light perception and signaling pathways. This multicellular alga possesses at least 12 photoreceptors, i.e., one phototropin (VcPhot), four cryptochromes (VcCRYa, VcCRYp, VcCRYd1, and VcCRYd2), and seven members of rhodopsin-like photoreceptors (VR1, VChR1, VChR2, VcHKR1, VcHKR2, VcHKR3, and VcHKR4), which display distinct light-dependent chemical processes based on their protein architectures and associated chromophores. Gene expression analyses could show that the transcript levels of some of the photoreceptor genes (e.g., VChR1 and VcHKR1) accumulate during division cleavages, while others (e.g., VcCRYa, VcCRYp, and VcPhot) accumulate during final cellular differentiation. However, the pattern of transcript accumulation changes when the alga switches to the sexual development. Eight photoreceptor genes, e.g., VcPhot, VcCRYp, and VcHKR1, are highly expressed in the somatic cells, while only the animal-type rhodopsin VR1 was found to be highly expressed in the reproductive cells/embryos during both asexual and sexual life cycles. Moreover, accumulation of VChR1 and VcCRYa transcripts is more sensitive to light and changes in response to more than one light quality. Obviously, different regulatory mechanisms underlying gene expression control transcript accumulation of photoreceptors not only during development, but also in a cell-type specific way and in response to various external signals such as light quality. The transcriptional patterns described in this study show that Volvox photoreceptors are mostly expressed in a cell-type specific manner. This gives reason to believe that cell-type specific light-signaling pathways allow differential regulation of cellular and developmental processes in response to the environmental light cues.

Secure Embedded Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-26

UAS) to illustrate how we use cryptography to ensure confidentiality and integrity. Using this example, we demonstrate the identification of...potential attack targets by considering the CONOPS, the development of countermeasures to these attacks, and the design and implementation of a cryptography ...based security architecture. Because cryptography does not directly enable availability, we also provide insight into the ongoing research that

Erosion and corrosion resistance of laser cladded AISI 420 stainless steel reinforced with VC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhe; Yu, Ting; Kovacevic, Radovan

2017-07-01

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) fabricated by the laser cladding process have been widely applied as protective coatings in industries to improve the wear, erosion, and corrosion resistance of components and prolong their service life. In this study, the AISI 420/VC metal matrix composites with different weight percentage (0 wt.%-40 wt.%) of Vanadium Carbide (VC) were fabricated on a mild steel A36 by a high power direct diode laser. An induction heater was used to preheat the substrate in order to avoid cracks during the cladding process. The effect of carbide content on the microstructure, elements distribution, phases, and microhardness was investigated in detail. The erosion resistance of the coatings was tested by using the abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting machine. The corrosion resistance of the coatings was studied utilizing potentiodynamic polarization. The results showed that the surface roughness and crack susceptibility of the laser cladded layer were increased with the increase in VC fraction. The volume fraction of the precipitated carbides was increased with the increase in the VC content. The phases of the coating without VC consisted of martensite and austenite. New phases such as precipitated VC, V8C7, M7C3, and M23C6 were formed when the primary VC was added. The microhardness of the clads was increased with the increase in VC. The erosion resistance of the cladded layer was improved after the introduction of VC. The erosion resistance was increased with the increase in the VC content. No obvious improvement of erosion resistance was observed when the VC fraction was above 30 wt.%. The corrosion resistance of the clads was decreased with the increase in the VC content, demonstrating the negative effect of VC on the corrosion resistance of AISI 420 stainless steel

Interactions Between Dyspnea and the Brain Processing of Nociceptive Stimuli: Experimental Air Hunger Attenuates Laser-Evoked Brain Potentials in Humans.

PubMed

Dangers, Laurence; Laviolette, Louis; Similowski, Thomas; Morélot-Panzini, Capucine

2015-01-01

Dyspnea and pain share several characteristics and certain neural networks and interact with each other. Dyspnea-pain counter-irritation consists of attenuation of preexisting pain by intercurrent dyspnea and has been shown to have neurophysiological correlates in the form of inhibition of the nociceptive spinal reflex RIII and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs). Experimentally induced exertional dyspnea inhibits RIII and LEPs, while "air hunger" dyspnea does not inhibit RIII despite its documented analgesic effects. We hypothesized that air hunger may act centrally and inhibit LEPs. LEPs were obtained in 12 healthy volunteers (age: 21-29) during spontaneous breathing (FB), ventilator-controlled breathing (VC) tailored to FB, after inducing air hunger by increasing the inspired fraction of carbon dioxide -FiCO2- (VCCO2), and during ventilator-controlled breathing recovery (VCR). VCCO2 induced intense dyspnea (visual analog scale = 63% ± 6% of full scale, p < 0.001 vs. VC), predominantly of the air hunger type. VC alone reduced the amplitude of the N2-P2 component of LEPs (Δ = 24.0% ± 21.1%, p < 0.05, effect-size = 0.74) predominantly through a reduction in P2, and the amplitude of this inhibition was further reduced by inducting air hunger (Δ = 22.6% ± 17.9%, p < 0.05, effect-size = 0.53), predominantly through a reduction in N2. Somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) were not affected by VC or VCCO2, suggesting that the observed effects are specific to pain transmission. We conclude that air hunger interferes with the cortical mechanisms responsible for the cortical response to painful laser skin stimulation, which provides a neurophysiological substrate to the central nature of its otherwise documented analgesic effects.

The mixed blessing of treating symptoms in acute vestibular failure--evidence from a 4-aminopyridine experiment.

PubMed

Beck, Roswitha; Günther, Lisa; Xiong, Guoming; Potschka, Heidrun; Böning, Guido; Bartenstein, Peter; Brandt, Thomas; Jahn, Klaus; Dieterich, Marianne; Strupp, Michael; la Fougère, Christian; Zwergal, Andreas

2014-11-01

Early symptomatic treatment of acute unilateral vestibulopathy is thought to impede the course of ensuing central vestibular compensation (VC). Despite the great clinical importance of this hypothesis there is no experimental evidence of its validity. The present study addressed this question by investigating the direct effect of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on ocular motor and postural symptoms in acute unilateral vestibulopathy as well as its long-term consequences for VC in a rat model of chemical unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL). After UL, one group of Sprague-Dawley rats was treated with 4-AP p.o. (1mg/kg/day), another with 0.9% NaCl solution p.o. for 3days. Behavioural testing for symptoms of vestibular tone imbalance was done 1day before and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 21, and 30days after UL. In addition, sequential whole-brain [(18)F]-FDG-μPET was performed before and 1, 3, 7, 15, and 30days after UL to examine and visualize 4-AP-induced modulation of VC. Administration of 4-AP on days 1-3 significantly improved postural imbalance 2h after administration compared to that in controls. This effect was only transient. Remarkably, the 4-AP group had a prolonged and impaired course of postural compensation compared to that of controls. The μPET revealed a significant increase of regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) in the vestibulocerebellum 2h after administration of 4-AP. However, the 4-AP group exhibited a persistent asymmetry of rCGM after day 3 in the vestibular nuclei and posterolateral thalami. In conclusion, this study confirms the hypothesis that early pharmacological abatement of vestibular symptoms impedes VC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the complexity of search for keys in quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molotkov, S. N.

2016-03-01

The trace distance is used as a security criterion in proofs of security of keys in quantum cryptography. Some authors doubted that this criterion can be reduced to criteria used in classical cryptography. The following question has been answered in this work. Let a quantum cryptography system provide an ɛ-secure key such that ½‖ρ XE - ρ U ⊗ ρ E ‖1 < ɛ, which will be repeatedly used in classical encryption algorithms. To what extent does the ɛ-secure key reduce the number of search steps (guesswork) as compared to the use of ideal keys? A direct relation has been demonstrated between the complexity of the complete consideration of keys, which is one of the main security criteria in classical systems, and the trace distance used in quantum cryptography. Bounds for the minimum and maximum numbers of search steps for the determination of the actual key have been presented.

Realization of ActiveX control based on ATL in VC 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuhua; Tie, Yong

2011-10-01

ActiveX has a key role in web development, this paper realizes the classical program Polygon in the newest Visual C++ environment 2008 and tests each function of control in ActiveX Control Test Container. After that web code is created rapidly via ActiveX Control Pad and it is checked in HTML. Development process and key point attention are summarized systematically which can guide the related developers.

Overexpression of blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T is associated with changes in the expression of phytohormone-related genes in blueberry plants.

PubMed

Gao, Xuan; Walworth, Aaron E; Mackie, Charity; Song, Guo-Qing

2016-01-01

Flowering locus T ( FT ) is a primary integrator in the regulation of plant flowering. Overexpressing a blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) FT gene ( VcFT ) (herein VcFT -OX) resulted in early flowering and dwarfing in 'Aurora' plants (herein 'VcFT-Aurora'). In this study, we found that VcFT -OX reduced shoot regeneration from leaf explants. To investigate the potential roles of the phytohormone pathway genes associated with VcFT -OX, differentially expressed ( DE ) genes in leaf tissues of 'VcFT-Aurora' plants were annotated and analyzed using non-transgenic 'Aurora' plants as a control. Three DE floral genes, including the blueberry SUPPRESSOR of Overexpression of constans 1 ( VcSOC1 ) (gibberellin related), Abscisic acid responsive elements-binding factor 2 ( VcABF2 ) and protein related to ABI3/VP1 ( VcABI3/VP1 ) (ethylene-related), are present under both the phytohormone-responsive and the dwarfing-related Gene Ontology terms. The gene networks of the DE genes overall showed the molecular basis of the multifunctional aspects of VcFT overexpression beyond flowering promotion and suggested that phytohormone changes could be signaling molecules with important roles in the phenotypic changes driven by VcFT -OX.

Overexpression of blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T is associated with changes in the expression of phytohormone-related genes in blueberry plants

PubMed Central

Gao, Xuan; Walworth, Aaron E; Mackie, Charity; Song, Guo-qing

2016-01-01

Flowering locus T (FT) is a primary integrator in the regulation of plant flowering. Overexpressing a blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) FT gene (VcFT) (herein VcFT-OX) resulted in early flowering and dwarfing in ‘Aurora’ plants (herein ‘VcFT-Aurora’). In this study, we found that VcFT-OX reduced shoot regeneration from leaf explants. To investigate the potential roles of the phytohormone pathway genes associated with VcFT-OX, differentially expressed (DE) genes in leaf tissues of ‘VcFT-Aurora’ plants were annotated and analyzed using non-transgenic ‘Aurora’ plants as a control. Three DE floral genes, including the blueberry SUPPRESSOR of Overexpression of constans 1 (VcSOC1) (gibberellin related), Abscisic acid responsive elements-binding factor 2 (VcABF2) and protein related to ABI3/VP1 (VcABI3/VP1) (ethylene-related), are present under both the phytohormone-responsive and the dwarfing-related Gene Ontology terms. The gene networks of the DE genes overall showed the molecular basis of the multifunctional aspects of VcFT overexpression beyond flowering promotion and suggested that phytohormone changes could be signaling molecules with important roles in the phenotypic changes driven by VcFT-OX. PMID:27818778

Fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography with error detection

PubMed Central

Lai, Hong; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pieprzyk, Josef; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Lei; Li, Shudong; Orgun, Mehmet A.

2017-01-01

Quantum cryptography is commonly used to generate fresh secure keys with quantum signal transmission for instant use between two parties. However, research shows that the relatively low key generation rate hinders its practical use where a symmetric cryptography component consumes the shared key. That is, the security of the symmetric cryptography demands frequent rate of key updates, which leads to a higher consumption of the internal one-time-pad communication bandwidth, since it requires the length of the key to be as long as that of the secret. In order to alleviate these issues, we develop a matrix algorithm for fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography. Our scheme can achieve secure private communication with fresh keys generated from Fibonacci- and Lucas- valued orbital angular momentum (OAM) states for the seed to construct recursive Fibonacci and Lucas matrices. Moreover, the proposed matrix algorithm for quantum cryptography can ultimately be simplified to matrix multiplication, which is implemented and optimized in modern computers. Most importantly, considerably information capacity can be improved effectively and efficiently by the recursive property of Fibonacci and Lucas matrices, thereby avoiding the restriction of physical conditions, such as the communication bandwidth. PMID:28406240

Fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography with error detection.

PubMed

Lai, Hong; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pieprzyk, Josef; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Lei; Li, Shudong; Orgun, Mehmet A

2017-04-13

Quantum cryptography is commonly used to generate fresh secure keys with quantum signal transmission for instant use between two parties. However, research shows that the relatively low key generation rate hinders its practical use where a symmetric cryptography component consumes the shared key. That is, the security of the symmetric cryptography demands frequent rate of key updates, which leads to a higher consumption of the internal one-time-pad communication bandwidth, since it requires the length of the key to be as long as that of the secret. In order to alleviate these issues, we develop a matrix algorithm for fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography. Our scheme can achieve secure private communication with fresh keys generated from Fibonacci- and Lucas- valued orbital angular momentum (OAM) states for the seed to construct recursive Fibonacci and Lucas matrices. Moreover, the proposed matrix algorithm for quantum cryptography can ultimately be simplified to matrix multiplication, which is implemented and optimized in modern computers. Most importantly, considerably information capacity can be improved effectively and efficiently by the recursive property of Fibonacci and Lucas matrices, thereby avoiding the restriction of physical conditions, such as the communication bandwidth.

Fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography with error detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Hong; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pieprzyk, Josef; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Lei; Li, Shudong; Orgun, Mehmet A.

2017-04-01

Quantum cryptography is commonly used to generate fresh secure keys with quantum signal transmission for instant use between two parties. However, research shows that the relatively low key generation rate hinders its practical use where a symmetric cryptography component consumes the shared key. That is, the security of the symmetric cryptography demands frequent rate of key updates, which leads to a higher consumption of the internal one-time-pad communication bandwidth, since it requires the length of the key to be as long as that of the secret. In order to alleviate these issues, we develop a matrix algorithm for fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography. Our scheme can achieve secure private communication with fresh keys generated from Fibonacci- and Lucas- valued orbital angular momentum (OAM) states for the seed to construct recursive Fibonacci and Lucas matrices. Moreover, the proposed matrix algorithm for quantum cryptography can ultimately be simplified to matrix multiplication, which is implemented and optimized in modern computers. Most importantly, considerably information capacity can be improved effectively and efficiently by the recursive property of Fibonacci and Lucas matrices, thereby avoiding the restriction of physical conditions, such as the communication bandwidth.

Effect of contaminant concentration on aerobic microbial mineralization of DCE and VC in stream-bed sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, P.M.; Chapelle, F.H.

1998-01-01

Discharge of DCE and VC to an aerobic surface water system simultaneously represents a significant environmental concern and, potentially, a non-engineered opportunity for efficient contaminant bioremediation. The potential for bioremediation, however, depends on the ability of the stream-bed microbial community to efficiently and completely degrade DCE and VC over a range of contaminant concentrations. The purposes of the studies reported here were to assess the potential for aerobic DCE and VC mineralization by stream-bed microorganisms and to evaluate the effects of DCE and VC concentrations on the apparent rates of aerobic mineralization. Bed-sediment microorganisms indigenous to a creek, where DCE-contaminated groundwater continuously discharges, demonstrated rapid mineralization of DCE and VC under aerobic conditions. Over 8 days, the recovery of [1,2-14C]DCE radioactivity as 14CO2 ranged from 17% to 100%, and the recovery of [1,2- 14C]VC radioactivity as 14CO2 ranged from 45% to 100%. Rates of DCE and VC mineralization increased significantly with increasing contaminant concentration, and the response of apparent mineralization rates to changes in DCE and VC concentrations was adequately described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics.Discharge of DCE and VC to an aerobic surface water system simultaneously represents a significant environmental concern and, potentially, a non-engineered opportunity for efficient contaminant bioremediation. The potential for bioremediation, however, depends on the ability of the stream-bed microbial community to efficiently and completely degrade DCE and VC over a range of contaminant concentrations. The purposes of the studies reported here were to assess the potential for aerobic DCE and VC mineralization by stream-bed microorganisms and to evaluate the effects of DCE and VC concentrations on the apparent rates of aerobic mineralization. Bed-sediment microorganisms indigenous to a creek, where DCE-contaminated groundwater continuously discharges, demonstrated rapid mineralization of DCE and VC under aerobic conditions. Over 8 days, the recovery of [1,2-14C]DCE radioactivity as 14CO2 ranged from 17% to 100%, and the recovery of [1,2-14C]VC radioactivity as 14CO2 ranged from 45% to 100%. Rates of DCE and VC mineralization increased significantly with increasing contaminant concentration, and the response of apparent mineralization rates to changes in DCE and VC concentrations was adequately described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

Assessing Intracranial Vascular Compliance Using Dynamic Arterial Spin Labeling

PubMed Central

Yan, Lirong; Liu, Collin Y.; Smith, Robert X.; Jog, Mayank; Langham, Michael; Krasileva, Kate; Chen, Yufen; Ringman, John M.; Wang, Danny J.J.

2015-01-01

Vascular compliance (VC) is an important marker for a number of cardiovascular diseases and dementia, which is typically assessed in central and peripheral arteries indirectly by quantifying pulse wave velocity (PWV), and/or pulse pressure waveform. To date, very few methods are available for the quantification of intracranial VC. In the present study, a novel MRI technique for in-vivo assessment of intracranial VC was introduced, where dynamic arterial spin labeling (ASL) scans were synchronized with the systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle. VC is defined as the ratio of change in arterial cerebral blood volume (ΔCBV) and change in arterial pressure (ΔBP). Intracranial VC was assessed in different vascular components using the proposed dynamic ASL method. Our results show that VC mainly occurs in large arteries, gradually decreases in small arteries and arterioles. The comparison of intracranial VC between young and elderly subjects shows that aging is accompanied by a reduction of intracranial VC, in good agreement with the literature. Furthermore, a positive association between intracranial VC and cerebral perfusion measured using pseudo-continuous ASL with 3D GRASE MRI was observed independent of aging effects, suggesting loss of VC is associated with a decline in perfusion. Finally, a significant positive correlation between intracranial and central (aortic arch) VC was observed using an ungated phase-contrast 1D projection PWV technique. The proposed dynamic ASL method offers a promising approach for assessing intracranial VC in a range of cardiovascular diseases and dementia. PMID:26364865

Converting virtual community members into online buyers.

PubMed

Gupta, Sumeet; Kim, Hee-Woong; Shin, Seon-Jin

2010-10-01

Although many online vendors have sponsored virtual communities (VCs) in the hope of reaping commercial benefits from it, not many have been successful in reaping commercial benefits from their VC. Online vendors can benefit greatly from having a VC, if the VC members can be converted into online buyers. This study examines the conversion of a VC member into an online buyer. Using a classical-conditioning approach, this study finds that members' committed participation in the VC is the springboard for online vendors to convert VC members into online buyers.

Novel single photon sources for new generation of quantum communications

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-13

be used as building blocks for quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution There were numerous important achievements for the projects in the...single photon sources that will be used as build- ing blocks for quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution There were numerous im- portant...and enable absolutely secured information transfer between distant nodes – key prerequisite for quantum cryptography . Experiment: the experimental

Security and Privacy Assurance Research (SPAR) Pilot Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-30

for a single querier interacting with a single encrypted database. In order to deploy the technology, the underlying cryptography must support multiple...underlying cryptography . A full SPAR system should be evaluated too including the software itself. Software should be checked for consistency with...ESPADA included cryptography libraries (e.g., gnutls, nettle, and openssl). Consider a hypothetical scenario in which a vulnerability is discovered in

Have No PHEAR: Networks Without Identifiers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-07

packet processing, cryptography , or other computationally intensive func- tionality is present. This prevents, e.g., SDN-based onion routing from being...client registration protocol uses public key cryptography in its identity verification handshake. An attacker could exploit this by continually...and M. K. Wright. Timing Attacks in Low-Latency Mix-Based Systems. In A. Juels, editor, Proceedings of Financial Cryptography (FC ’04), pages 251–265

Nonquadratic Variation of the Blum Blum Shub Pseudorandom Number Generator

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

maximum 200 words) Cryptography is essential for secure online communications. Many different types of ciphers are implemented in modern-day... cryptography , but they all have one common factor. All ciphers require a source of randomness, which makes them unpre- dictable. One such source of this...Martinsen Second Reader Craig Rasmussen Chair, Department of Applied Mathematics iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Cryptography is

Using Mathematics to Make Computing on Encrypted Data Secure and Practical

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

LLL) lattice basis reduction algorithm, G-Lattice, Cryptography , Security, Gentry-Szydlo Algorithm, Ring-LWE 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17...with symmetry be further developed, in order to quantify the security of lattice-based cryptography , including especially the security of homomorphic...the Gentry-Szydlo algorithm, and the ideas should be applicable to a range of questions in cryptography . The new algorithm of Lenstra and Silverberg

SU-F-P-61: Does It Matter Not to Use Optimization Points at the Apex for Vaginal Cylinder HDR Brachytherapy Planning?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Y

2016-06-15

Purpose: To test the impact of the use of apex optimization points for new vaginal cylinder (VC) applicators. Methods: New “ClickFit” single channel VC applicators (Varian) that have a different top thicknesses but the same diameters as the old VC applicators (2.3 cm diameter, 2.6 cm, 3.0 cm, and 3.5 cm) were compared using phantom studies. Old VC applicator plans without apex optimization points were also compared to the plans with the optimization points. The apex doses were monitored at 5 mm depth doses (8 points) where a prescription dose (Rx) of 6Gy was prescribed. VC surface doses (8 points)more » were also analyzed. Results: The new VC applicator plans without apex optimization points presented significantly lower 5mm depth doses than Rx (on average −31 ± 7%, p <0.00001) due to their thicker VC tops (3.4 ± 1.1 mm thicker with the range of 1.2 to 4.4 mm) than the old VC applicators. Old VC applicator plans also showed a statistically significant reduction (p <0.00001) due to Ir-192 source anisotropic effect at the apex region but the % reduction over Rx was only −7 ± 9%. However, by adding apex optimization points to the new VC applicator plans, the plans improved 5 mm depth doses (−7 ± 9% over Rx) that were not statistically different from old VC plans (p = 0.923), along with apex VC surface doses (−22 ± 10% over old VC versus −46 ± 7% without using apex optimization points). Conclusion: The use of apex optimization points are important in order to avoid significant additional cold doses (−24 ± 2%) at the prescription depth (5 mm) of apex, especially for the new VC applicators that have thicker tops.« less

Induction of cell death in renal cell carcinoma with combination of D-fraction and vitamin C.

PubMed

Alexander, Bobby; Fishman, Andrew I; Eshghi, Majid; Choudhury, Muhammad; Konno, Sensuke

2013-09-01

Although several conventional therapeutic options for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are currently available, the unsatisfactory outcomes demand establishing more effective interventions. D-fraction (PDF), a bioactive proteoglucan of Maitake mushroom, demonstrates anticancer and immunomodulatory activities, which are also shown to be potentiated by vitamin C (VC). We thus hypothesized that a combination of PDF and VC (PDF + VC) could be an alternative approach to more effectively inhibit the growth of RCC. We examined the dose-dependent effects of PDF + VC on RCC cell viability and also performed biochemical assays to explore the growth regulatory mechanism. Human RCC, ACHN cell line, was employed and exposed to varying concentrations of PDF or VC and their combinations. Cell viability at specified times was determined by MTT assay. Lipid peroxidation assay, cell cycle analysis, and Western blot analysis were also performed. PDF or VC alone led to the significant reduction in cell viability at 72 hours with PDF >500 µg/mL and VC ≥300 µM. When various combinations of PDF and VC were tested, the combination of the ineffective concentrations of PDF (300 µg/mL) and VC (200 µM) resulted in ~90% cell death in 24 hours. Lipid peroxidation assay then indicated significantly (~2.5 fold) elevated oxidative stress with this PDF + VC. Cell cycle analysis also indicated a G1 cell cycle arrest following a 6-hour PDF + VC treatment. Western blots further revealed a downregulation of Bcl2, an upregulation of Bax, and proteolytic activation of PARP (poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase) in PDF + VC-treated cells, indicating induction of apoptosis. The present study demonstrates that the combination of PDF and VC can become highly cytotoxic, inducing severe cell death in ACHN cells. This cytotoxic mechanism appears to be primarily attributed to oxidative stress, accompanied by a G1 cell cycle arrest. Such cell death induced by PDF + VC could be more likely linked to apoptosis, as indicated by the modulation of apoptosis regulators (Bcl2, Bax, and PARP). Therefore, as PDF and VC may work synergistically to induce apoptotic cell death, they may have clinical implications in an alternative, improved therapeutic modality for advanced RCC.

Quantum cryptography approaching the classical limit.

PubMed

Weedbrook, Christian; Pirandola, Stefano; Lloyd, Seth; Ralph, Timothy C

2010-09-10

We consider the security of continuous-variable quantum cryptography as we approach the classical limit, i.e., when the unknown preparation noise at the sender's station becomes significantly noisy or thermal (even by as much as 10(4) times greater than the variance of the vacuum mode). We show that, provided the channel transmission losses do not exceed 50%, the security of quantum cryptography is not dependent on the channel transmission, and is therefore incredibly robust against significant amounts of excess preparation noise. We extend these results to consider for the first time quantum cryptography at wavelengths considerably longer than optical and find that regions of security still exist all the way down to the microwave.

Security proof of counterfactual quantum cryptography against general intercept-resend attacks and its vulnerability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Sheng; Wang, Jian; Tang, Chao-Jing

2012-06-01

Counterfactual quantum cryptography, recently proposed by Noh, is featured with no transmission of signal particles. This exhibits evident security advantages, such as its immunity to the well-known photon-number-splitting attack. In this paper, the theoretical security of counterfactual quantum cryptography protocol against the general intercept-resend attacks is proved by bounding the information of an eavesdropper Eve more tightly than in Yin's proposal [Phys. Rev. A 82 042335 (2010)]. It is also shown that practical counterfactual quantum cryptography implementations may be vulnerable when equipped with imperfect apparatuses, by proving that a negative key rate can be achieved when Eve launches a time-shift attack based on imperfect detector efficiency.

Statistical mechanics of the vertex-cover problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Alexander K.; Weigt, Martin

2003-10-01

We review recent progress in the study of the vertex-cover problem (VC). The VC belongs to the class of NP-complete graph theoretical problems, which plays a central role in theoretical computer science. On ensembles of random graphs, VC exhibits a coverable-uncoverable phase transition. Very close to this transition, depending on the solution algorithm, easy-hard transitions in the typical running time of the algorithms occur. We explain a statistical mechanics approach, which works by mapping the VC to a hard-core lattice gas, and then applying techniques such as the replica trick or the cavity approach. Using these methods, the phase diagram of the VC could be obtained exactly for connectivities c < e, where the VC is replica symmetric. Recently, this result could be confirmed using traditional mathematical techniques. For c > e, the solution of the VC exhibits full replica symmetry breaking. The statistical mechanics approach can also be used to study analytically the typical running time of simple complete and incomplete algorithms for the VC. Finally, we describe recent results for the VC when studied on other ensembles of finite- and infinite-dimensional graphs.

Efficacy of do-it-yourself whitening as compared to conventional tooth whitening modalities: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Kwon, S R; Meharry, M; Oyoyo, U; Li, Y

2015-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy of do-it-yourself (DIY) whitening as compared to conventional tooth whitening modalities using different shade assessment tools. Extracted human molars (120) were randomly distributed to six groups (n=20). Whitening was performed according to manufacturer's directions for over-the-counter, dentist-dispensed for home use, and in-office whitening. DIY whitening consisted of a strawberry and baking soda mix. Additionally, negative and positive controls were used. Two evaluators used the Vita Classical (VC) and Vita Bleachedguide 3D-Master with interpolated numbers (BGi) for visual assessment at baseline and one-week, one-month, and three-month postwhitening. Instrumental measurements were performed with a spectrophotometer. Kruskal-Wallis procedure was used to assess color changes among groups and intraclass correlation (ICC) to evaluate agreement between evaluators. DIY exhibited lower color change (ΔSGUVC, ΔSGUBGi, ΔE*, where SGU = shade guide unit and E = overall color change) compared to other whitening groups at all time points (p<0.05). ICC demonstrated very good agreement between evaluators with VC and BGi at each time point. Both shade guides were related with each other and strongly related to instrumental measurements (p<0.05). DIY whitening was the least effective whitening modality. Both VC and BGi are related with each other and have good correlation with instrumental measurements.

An Implementation of RC4+ Algorithm and Zig-zag Algorithm in a Super Encryption Scheme for Text Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budiman, M. A.; Amalia; Chayanie, N. I.

2018-03-01

Cryptography is the art and science of using mathematical methods to preserve message security. There are two types of cryptography, namely classical and modern cryptography. Nowadays, most people would rather use modern cryptography than classical cryptography because it is harder to break than the classical one. One of classical algorithm is the Zig-zag algorithm that uses the transposition technique: the original message is unreadable unless the person has the key to decrypt the message. To improve the security, the Zig-zag Cipher is combined with RC4+ Cipher which is one of the symmetric key algorithms in the form of stream cipher. The two algorithms are combined to make a super-encryption. By combining these two algorithms, the message will be harder to break by a cryptanalyst. The result showed that complexity of the combined algorithm is θ(n2 ), while the complexity of Zig-zag Cipher and RC4+ Cipher are θ(n2 ) and θ(n), respectively.

Report on Pairing-based Cryptography.

PubMed

Moody, Dustin; Peralta, Rene; Perlner, Ray; Regenscheid, Andrew; Roginsky, Allen; Chen, Lily

2015-01-01

This report summarizes study results on pairing-based cryptography. The main purpose of the study is to form NIST's position on standardizing and recommending pairing-based cryptography schemes currently published in research literature and standardized in other standard bodies. The report reviews the mathematical background of pairings. This includes topics such as pairing-friendly elliptic curves and how to compute various pairings. It includes a brief introduction to existing identity-based encryption (IBE) schemes and other cryptographic schemes using pairing technology. The report provides a complete study of the current status of standard activities on pairing-based cryptographic schemes. It explores different application scenarios for pairing-based cryptography schemes. As an important aspect of adopting pairing-based schemes, the report also considers the challenges inherent in validation testing of cryptographic algorithms and modules. Based on the study, the report suggests an approach for including pairing-based cryptography schemes in the NIST cryptographic toolkit. The report also outlines several questions that will require further study if this approach is followed.

Report on Pairing-based Cryptography

PubMed Central

Moody, Dustin; Peralta, Rene; Perlner, Ray; Regenscheid, Andrew; Roginsky, Allen; Chen, Lily

2015-01-01

This report summarizes study results on pairing-based cryptography. The main purpose of the study is to form NIST’s position on standardizing and recommending pairing-based cryptography schemes currently published in research literature and standardized in other standard bodies. The report reviews the mathematical background of pairings. This includes topics such as pairing-friendly elliptic curves and how to compute various pairings. It includes a brief introduction to existing identity-based encryption (IBE) schemes and other cryptographic schemes using pairing technology. The report provides a complete study of the current status of standard activities on pairing-based cryptographic schemes. It explores different application scenarios for pairing-based cryptography schemes. As an important aspect of adopting pairing-based schemes, the report also considers the challenges inherent in validation testing of cryptographic algorithms and modules. Based on the study, the report suggests an approach for including pairing-based cryptography schemes in the NIST cryptographic toolkit. The report also outlines several questions that will require further study if this approach is followed. PMID:26958435

Free-space quantum cryptography with quantum and telecom communication channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyoshima, Morio; Takayama, Yoshihisa; Klaus, Werner; Kunimori, Hiroo; Fujiwara, Mikio; Sasaki, Masahide

2008-07-01

Quantum cryptography is a new technique that uses the laws of physics to transmit information securely. In such systems, the vehicle to transfer quantum information is a single photon. However, the transmission distance is limited by the absorption of photons in an optical fiber in which the maximum demonstrated range is about 100 km. Free-space quantum cryptography between a ground station and a satellite is a way of sending the quantum information further distances than that with optical fibers since there is no birefringence effect in the atmosphere. At the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), the laser communication demonstration between the NICT optical ground station and a low earth orbit satellite was successfully conducted in 2006. For such space communication links, free-space quantum cryptography is considered to be an important application in the future. We have developed a prototype system for free-space quantum cryptography using a weak coherent light and a telecom communication channel. The preliminary results are presented.

Effects of dietary vitamin C on the immune function of shrimps, Penaeus chinensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weiqing; Li, Aijie; Cheung, Siugin

2002-04-01

Prepared in this experiment were six groups of diets, i.e. VC0, VC1, VC2, VC3, VC4 and VC5 with the contents of vitamin C (VCmg(100 g)-1 diet) of 0, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1200 respectively. It was found that vitamin C increased the concentrations of immunoglobulin-like (IgG-like, IgA-like and IgM-like) substances in the serum of Penaeus chinensis after a feeding period of 3 weeks. The differences among groups were significant (P<0.01), but there was no difference in the contents of complement3-like and complement4-like substances in the serum (P>0.05). Phenoloxidase (PO) activity in the serum of VC3 group shrimps was higher than that of VC0 and other groups, but no significant difference was observed between VC0 group and other groups. Furthermore, bactericidal activity of the serum to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shrimps fed with the VC1 diet was higher than that in the other groups (P<0.01), while no difference was demonstrated among all groups for the bactericidal activity to Vibrio alginolyticus (P>0.05). It is, therefore, suggested that vitamin C (100 400 mg(100 g)-1 diets) could be used as an immunostimulant of P. chinensis.

Multiprime Blum-Blum-Shub Pseudorandom Number Generator

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Cryptography , National Institute of Standards and Technology Tests 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 83 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT Unclassified 18...1: Introduction Cryptography is a part of our daily lives. Many digital communications require secrecy and authentication over open channels such as...security, of which cryptography is an intrinsic part. Encryption is the process of transforming data, in the form of plaintext, into ciphertext using a

Federation for a Secure Enterprise

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-10

12 October 2005 e. RFC Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure: Certification Path Building, 2005 f. Public Key Cryptography Standard, PKCS #1...v2.2: RSA Cryptography Standard, RSA Laboratories, October 27, 2012 g. PKCS#12 format PKCS #12 v1.0: Personal Information Exchange Syntax Standard, RSA...ClientHello padding extension, 2015-02-17 f. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Cipher Suites for Transport Layer Security (TLS) Versions 1.2 and Earlier

Research on Quantum Algorithms at the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-29

local quantum computation with applications to position-based cryptography , New Journal of Physics, (09 2011): 0. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/13/9/093036... cryptography , such as the ability to turn private-key encryption into public-key encryption. While ad hoc obfuscators exist, theoretical progress has mainly...to device-independent quantum cryptography , to quantifying entanglement, and to the classification of quantum phases of matter. Exact synthesis

Enhanced Antioxidant Activity of Mugwort Herb and Vitamin C in Combination on Shelf-life of Chicken Nuggets

PubMed Central

Choi, Yun-Sang; Lee, Mi-Ai

2014-01-01

The effect of mugwort extract (ME) and vitamin C (VC), added individually or in combination, on color, lipid oxidation, and sensory characteristics of chicken nuggets stored for 12 d was investigated. Eight treatments of chicken nuggets contained the following: Control (no antioxidant added), VC (0.05% VC), ME 0.05 (0.05% ME), ME 0.1 (0.1% ME), ME 0.2 (0.2% ME), VC+ME 0.05 (0.05% VC + 0.05% ME) and VC+ME 0.1 (0.05% VC + 0.1% ME), VC+ME 0.2 (0.05% VC + 0.2% ME). Results showed that the mixture of 0.05% VC and 0.2% ME was most effective for delaying lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, conjugated dienies, and peroxide formation) when compared to the control or ME alone added. The color values of all treatments were significantly affected by adding ME. Additionally, the total color difference (ΔE), chroma (C*), and hue angle (H°) values of all treatments, except for VC, were lower than those of the control as the amount of ME increased. The sensory characteristics (flavor, odor, and overall acceptability) did not differ significantly in any of the chicken nugget samples, whereas storage time had a significant effect. The results suggest that the possibility of utilizing chicken nuggets with a mixture of mugwort extract and vitamin C for the increase of shelf-life and quality. PMID:26761491

Vascular calcification on plain radiographs is associated with carotid intima media thickness, malnutrition and cardiovascular events in dialysis patients: a prospective observational study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Vascular calcification (VC) and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) are strongly associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease. We hypothesized that significant VC on plain radiographs is associated with CIMT and CV events in dialysis patients. In addition, we evaluated risk factors for VC progression on plain radiographs in dialysis patients. Methods In this 2-year observational, prospective study, 67 dialysis patients were included. We checked plain radiographs at baseline and after 2 years. Laboratory tests and malnutrition score were obtained at baseline, after 12 months, and after 24 months. Results The mean age of patients was 56.3 ± 10.3 years and duration of dialysis was 41.3 ± 34.5 months. The prevalence of significant VC was 61.2% and the prevalence of carotid artery atheromatous plaques was 55.6%. Mean CIMT, malnutrition scores, CRP level and prevalence of carotid atheromatous plaques were significantly higher in patients with significant VC. Serum albumin and total iron binding capacity were significantly lower in patients with significant VC compared to patients without significant VC. During a mean observational period of 22 months, patients without significant VC showed lower CV events by the Kaplan-Meyer method (p = 0.010). Progression of VC was found in 35.7% among 56 patients followed up. Hemoglobin after 24 months was an independent factor for progression of VC (Exp(B) = 0.344, 95% Confidence Interval = 0.13 – 0.96, p = 0.034). Conclusions Significant VC on plain radiograph was associated with CIMT, malnutrition, inflammation, and CV events in dialysis patients. Conditions which increase hemoglobin level may retard progression of VC in dialysis patients. PMID:23360132

Vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation alleviates oxidative stress induced by dexamethasone and improves fertility of breeder roosters.

PubMed

Min, Yuna; Sun, Tongtong; Niu, Zhuye; Liu, Fuzhu

2016-08-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of supplemental dietary vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE) on improving semen quality and antioxidative status in breeder roosters challenged with dexamethasone (DEX). 120 45-week-old Lveyang black-boned breeder roosters were divided into 5 experimental treatments, including negative group, positive group, and three trial groups, which were fed basal diet supplemented with 300mg/kg VC, 200mg/kg VE, or 300mg/kg VC and 200mg/kg VE (VC+VE). At 49 weeks of age, the positive control and trial groups were subcutaneously injected 3 times every other day with DEX 4 mg/kg body weight, the negative control group was sham injected with saline. At 50 weeks of age, average daily feed intake of birds challenged with DEX significantly increased (P<0.05), however, serum testosterone significantly decreased (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation of VC+VE enhanced serum testosterone and sperm motility remarkably (P<0.05). There were no differences in sperm viability between the DEX-treated groups. During the post-stress recovery period (52 weeks of age), dietary supplementation of VE and VC+VE significantly increased the body weight of birds under oxidative stress (P<0.01). VC, VE, and VC+VE groups had greater sperm viability than control group (P<0.01). Additionally, there was a decrease in the semen plasma malondialdehyde content (P<0.05) of the VC and VC+VE groups, and in the testicular malondialdehyde content (P<0.01) of the VE and VC+VE groups. In summary, VC, VE, especially their combination alleviate the oxidative stress induced by DEX and are favorable for the fertility of breeder roosters. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Differences in substrate specificity of V. cholerae FabH enzymes suggest new approaches for the development of novel antibiotics and biofuels.

PubMed

Hou, Jing; Zheng, Heping; Tzou, Wen-Shyong; Cooper, David R; Chruszcz, Maksymilian; Chordia, Mahendra D; Kwon, Keehwan; Grabowski, Marek; Minor, Wladek

2018-06-19

Vibrio cholerae, the causative pathogen of the life-threatening infection cholera, encodes two copies of β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (vcFabH1 and vcFabH2). vcFabH1 and vcFabH2 are pathogenic proteins associated with fatty acid synthesis, lipid metabolism, and potential applications in biofuel production. Our biochemical assays characterize vcFabH1 as exhibiting specificity for acetyl-CoA and CoA thioesters with short acyl chains, similar to that observed for FabH homologs found in most Gram-negative bacteria. vcFabH2 prefers medium chain-length acyl-CoA thioesters, particularly octanoyl-CoA, which is a pattern of specificity rarely seen in bacteria. Structural characterization of one vcFabH and six vcFabH2 structures determined in either apo-form or in complex with acetyl-CoA/octanoyl-CoA indicate that the substrate binding pockets of vcFabH1 and vcFabH2 are of different sizes, accounting for variations in substrate chain-length specificity. An unusual and unique feature of vcFabH2 is its C-terminal fragment that interacts with both the substrate-entrance loop and the dimer interface of the enzyme. Our discovery of the pattern of substrate specificity of both vcFabH1 and vcFabH2 can potentially aid the development of novel antibacterial agents against V. cholerae. Additionally, the distinctive substrate preference of FabH2 in V. cholerae and related facultative anaerobes conceivably make it an attractive component of genetically engineered bacteria used for commercial biofuel production. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Solid waste management of temple floral offerings by vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida.

PubMed

Singh, Akanksha; Jain, Akansha; Sarma, Birinchi K; Abhilash, P C; Singh, Harikesh B

2013-05-01

Recycling of temple waste (TW) mainly comprising of floral offerings was done through vermitechnology using Eisenia fetida and its impact on seed germination and plant growth parameters was studied by comparing with kitchen waste (KW) and farmyard waste (FYW) vermicompost (VC). The worm biomass was found to be maximum in TW VC compared to KW and FYW VCs at both 40 and 120days old VCs. Physico-chemical analysis of worm-worked substrates showed better results in TW VC especially in terms of electrical conductivity, C/N, C/P and TK. 10% TW VC-water extract (VCE) showed stimulatory effect on germination percentage of chickpea seeds while KW and FYW VCE proved effective at higher concentration. Variation in growth parameters was also observed with change in the VC-soil ratio and TW VC showed enhanced shoot length, root length, number of secondary roots and total biomass at 12.5% VC compared to KW and FYW VC. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum cryptography over underground optical fibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hughes, R.J.; Luther, G.G.; Morgan, G.L.

1996-05-01

Quantum cryptography is an emerging technology in which two parties may simultaneously generated shared, secret cryptographic key material using the transmission of quantum states of light whose security is based on the inviolability of the laws of quantum mechanics. An adversary can neither successfully tap the key transmissions, nor evade detection, owing to Heisenberg`s uncertainty principle. In this paper the authors describe the theory of quantum cryptography, and the most recent results from their experimental system with which they are generating key material over 14-km of underground optical fiber. These results show that optical-fiber based quantum cryptography could allow secure,more » real-time key generation over ``open`` multi-km node-to-node optical fiber communications links between secure ``islands.``« less

Spirometric measurements and physical efficiency in children and adolescents with hearing and visual impairments.

PubMed

Zebrowska, A; Gawlik, K; Zwierzchowska, A

2007-11-01

The objective of the study was to investigate whether a sensory impairment has an effect on functional capabilities of the respiratory system and whether possible deviations from reference ranges of selected parameters might indicate a decrease of physical efficiency. Vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory flow of 25-75% (FEF25-75), maximum voluntary volume (MVV), and maximum oxygen uptake VO2 max were measured in 86 deaf and 102 blind children and adolescents, and in a matched group of hearing controls. We found a significant influence of deafness on PEF (P<0.01), FEF25-75 (P<0.05), and MVV (P<0.05). As compared with the control subjects, mean VC was significantly lower in blind adolescents (P<0.05). Our results seem to suggest that both sensory defects during childhood and adolescence affect functional capabilities of the respiratory system.

Security Issues on the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bar-Ilan, Judit

1996-01-01

Discusses some basic notions of modern cryptography: public key systems and digital signatures. Describes how theoretical modern cryptography can help solve security problems on the Internet. (Author/JKP)

Vaccination coverage among children in Germany estimated by analysis of health insurance claims data

PubMed Central

Rieck, Thorsten; Feig, Marcel; Eckmanns, Tim; Benzler, Justus; Siedler, Anette; Wichmann, Ole

2014-01-01

In Germany, the national routine childhood immunization schedule comprises 12 vaccinations. Primary immunizations should be completed by 24 mo of age. However, nationwide monitoring of vaccination coverage (VC) is performed only at school entry. We utilized health insurance claims data covering ~85% of the total population with the objectives to (1) assess VC of all recommended childhood vaccinations in birth-cohorts 2004–2009, (2) analyze cross-sectional (at 24 and 36 mo) and longitudinal trends, and (3) validate the method internally and externally. Counting vaccine doses in a retrospective cohort fashion, we assembled individual vaccination histories and summarized VC to nationwide figures. For most long-established vaccinations, VC at 24 mo was at moderate levels (~73–80%) and increased slightly across birth-cohorts. One dose measles VC was high (94%), but low (69%) for the second dose. VC with a full course of recently introduced varicella, pneumococcal, and meningococcal C vaccines increased across birth-cohorts from below 10% above 60%, 70%, and 80%, respectively. At 36 mo, VC had increased further by up to 15 percentage points depending on vaccination. Longitudinal analysis suggested a continued VC increase until school entry. Validation of VC figures with primary data showed an overall good agreement. In conclusion, analysis of health insurance claims data allows for the estimation of VC among children in Germany considering completeness and timeliness of vaccination series. This approach provides valid nationwide VC figures for all currently recommended pediatric vaccinations and fills the information gap between early infancy and late assessment at school entry. PMID:24192604

75 FR 70690 - Visteon Corporation Springfield Plant Formerly Known as VC Regional Assembly & Manufacturing, LLC...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-18

... Springfield Plant Formerly Known as VC Regional Assembly & Manufacturing, LLC Including On-Site Leased Workers... formerly known as VC Regional Assembly & Manufacturing, LLC. Workers separated from employment at the... name VC Regional Assembly & Manufacturing, LLC. Accordingly, the Department is amending this...

Theoretical studies to understand surface chemistry on carbon anodes for lithium-ion batteries: how does vinylene carbonate play its role as an electrolyte additive?

PubMed

Wang, Yixuan; Nakamura, Shinichiro; Tasaki, Ken; Balbuena, Perla B

2002-04-24

To elucidate the role of vinylene carbonate (VC) as a solvent additive in organic polar solutions for lithium-ion batteries, reductive decompositions for vinylene carbonate (VC) and ethylene carbonate (EC) molecules have been comprehensively investigated both in the gas phase and in solution by means of density functional theory calculations. The salt and solvent effects are incorporated with the clusters (EC)nLi+(VC) (n = 0-3), and further corrections that account for bulk solvent effects are added using the polarized continuum model (PCM). The electron affinities of (EC)nLi+(VC) (n = 0-3) monotonically decrease when the number of EC molecules increases; a sharp decrease of about 20.0 kcal/mol is found from n = 0 to 1 and a more gentle variation for n > 1. For (EC)nLi+(VC) (n = 1-3), the reduction of VC brings about more stable ion-pair intermediates than those due to reduction of the EC molecule by 3.1, 6.1, and 5.3 kcal/mol, respectively. This finding qualitatively agrees with the experimental fact that the reduction potential of VC in the presence of Li salt is more negative than that of EC. The calculated reduction potentials corresponding to radical anion formation are close to the experimental potentials determined with cyclic voltammetry on a gold electrode surface (-2.67, -3.19 eV on the physical scale for VC and EC respectively vs experimental values -2.96 and -2.94 eV). Regarding the decomposition mechanisms, the VC and EC moieties undergo homolytic ring opening from their respective reduction intermediates, and the energy barrier of VC is about one time higher than that of EC (e.g., 20.1 vs 8.8 kcal/mol for (EC)2Li+(VC)); both are weakly affected by the explicit solvent molecules and by a bulk solvent represented by a continuum model. Alternatively, starting from the VC-reduction intermediate, the ring opening of the EC moiety via an intramolecular electron-transfer transition state has also been located; its barrier lies between those of EC and VC (e.g., 17.2 kcal/mol for (EC)2Li+(VC)). On the basis of these results, we suggest the following explanation about the role that VC may play as additive in EC-based lithium-ion battery electrolytes; VC is initially reduced to a more stable intermediate than that from EC reduction. One possibility then is that the reduced VC decomposes to form a radical anion via a barrier of about 20 kcal/mol, which undergoes a series of reactions to give rise to more active film-forming products than those resulting from EC reduction, such as lithium divinylene dicarbonate, Li-C carbides, lithium vinylene dicarbonate, R-O-Li compound, and even oligomers with repeated vinylene and carbonate-vinylene units. Another possibility starting from the VC-reduction intermediate is that the ring opening occurs on the unreduced EC moiety instead of being on the reduced VC, via an intramolecular electron transfer transition state, the energy barrier of which is lower than that of the former, in which VC just helps the intermediate formation and is not consumed. The factors that determine the additive functioning mechanism are briefly discussed, and consequently a general rule for the selection of electrolyte additive is proposed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AISL-CRYPTO is a library of cryptography functions supporting other AISL software. It provides various crypto functions for Common Lisp, including Digital Signature Algorithm, Data Encryption Standard, Secure Hash Algorithm, and public-key cryptography.

Geospatial cryptography: enabling researchers to access private, spatially referenced, human subjects data for cancer control and prevention.

PubMed

Jacquez, Geoffrey M; Essex, Aleksander; Curtis, Andrew; Kohler, Betsy; Sherman, Recinda; Emam, Khaled El; Shi, Chen; Kaufmann, Andy; Beale, Linda; Cusick, Thomas; Goldberg, Daniel; Goovaerts, Pierre

2017-07-01

As the volume, accuracy and precision of digital geographic information have increased, concerns regarding individual privacy and confidentiality have come to the forefront. Not only do these challenge a basic tenet underlying the advancement of science by posing substantial obstacles to the sharing of data to validate research results, but they are obstacles to conducting certain research projects in the first place. Geospatial cryptography involves the specification, design, implementation and application of cryptographic techniques to address privacy, confidentiality and security concerns for geographically referenced data. This article defines geospatial cryptography and demonstrates its application in cancer control and surveillance. Four use cases are considered: (1) national-level de-duplication among state or province-based cancer registries; (2) sharing of confidential data across cancer registries to support case aggregation across administrative geographies; (3) secure data linkage; and (4) cancer cluster investigation and surveillance. A secure multi-party system for geospatial cryptography is developed. Solutions under geospatial cryptography are presented and computation time is calculated. As services provided by cancer registries to the research community, de-duplication, case aggregation across administrative geographies and secure data linkage are often time-consuming and in some instances precluded by confidentiality and security concerns. Geospatial cryptography provides secure solutions that hold significant promise for addressing these concerns and for accelerating the pace of research with human subjects data residing in our nation's cancer registries. Pursuit of the research directions posed herein conceivably would lead to a geospatially encrypted geographic information system (GEGIS) designed specifically to promote the sharing and spatial analysis of confidential data. Geospatial cryptography holds substantial promise for accelerating the pace of research with spatially referenced human subjects data.

Neural cryptography with feedback.

PubMed

Ruttor, Andreas; Kinzel, Wolfgang; Shacham, Lanir; Kanter, Ido

2004-04-01

Neural cryptography is based on a competition between attractive and repulsive stochastic forces. A feedback mechanism is added to neural cryptography which increases the repulsive forces. Using numerical simulations and an analytic approach, the probability of a successful attack is calculated for different model parameters. Scaling laws are derived which show that feedback improves the security of the system. In addition, a network with feedback generates a pseudorandom bit sequence which can be used to encrypt and decrypt a secret message.

Confidential and Authenticated Communications in a Large Fixed-Wing UAV Swarm

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

either a UAV or a ground station. Asymmetric cryptography is not an option for swarm communications. It is a potential option for initially keying or...each UAV grows ten bytes for each UAV in the swarm, and a 30% overhead is added on for worst case cryptography . The resulting throughput is...analysis in Section IV, we can predict the burden that cryptography places on the ODroid computer. Given that the average unencrypted message size was

Secure Communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellac, Michel Le

2014-11-01

The first practical application of quantum physics examined in this book is quantum cryptography. Quantum cryptography is a relatively recent invention (it dates back from the mid 1980s) but I chose it because it allows me to illustrate the fundamental principles with a minimum number of intermediate steps. I shall begin with a short summary of classical cryptography, reviewing briefly the two systems which are currently used today: the secret key system and the public key system. Quantum cryptography is not a new method for dissimulating the meaning of a message, but it allows one to be certain that no spy has accessed it. There exist many quantum cryptography protocols and various experimental devices have been proposed for implementing them. The simplest device is based on polarization, a concept which will be introduced first in the case of of light polarization, and then in that of photon polarization. The use of photon polarization gives the simplest implementation of the protocol proposed in 1984 by Bennett and Brassard, which is known by the acronym formed with their initials, the BB84 protocol.

Toward a high-throughput method for determining vicine and convicine levels in faba bean seeds using flow injection analysis combined with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Purves, Randy W; Khazaei, Hamid; Vandenberg, Albert

2018-08-01

Although faba bean provides environmental and health benefits, vicine and convicine (v-c) limit its use as a source of vegetable protein. Crop improvement efforts to minimize v-c concentration require low-cost, rapid screening methods to distinguish between high and low v-c genotypes to accelerate development of new cultivars and to detect out-crossing events. To assist crop breeders, we developed a unique and rapid screening method that uses a 60 s instrumental analysis step to accurately distinguish between high and low v-c genotypes. The method involves flow injection analysis (FIA) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (i.e., selective reaction monitoring, SRM). Using seeds with known v-c levels as calibrants, measured v-c levels were comparable with liquid chromatography (LC)-SRM results and the method was used to screen 370 faba bean genotypes. Widespread use of FIA-SRM will accelerate breeding of low v-c faba bean, thereby alleviating concerns about anti-nutritional effects of v-c in this crop. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ghrelin improves vascular autophagy in rats with vascular calcification.

PubMed

Xu, Mingming; Liu, Lin; Song, Chenfang; Chen, Wei; Gui, Shuyan

2017-06-15

This study aimed to investigate whether ghrelin ameliorated vascular calcification (VC) through improving autophagy. VC model was induced by nicotine plus vitamin D 3 in rats and β-glycerophosphate in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). Calcium deposition was detected by von Kossa staining or alizarin red S staining. ALP activity was also detected. Western blot was used to assess the protein expression. Ghrelin treatment attenuated the elevation of calcium deposition and ALP activity in VC model both in vivo and in vitro. Interesting, the protein levels of autophagy markers, LC3 and beclin1 were significantly upregulated by ghrelin in VC model. An autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine blocks the ameliorative effect of ghrelin on VC. Furthermore, protein expressions of phosphate-AMPK were increased by ghrelin treatment both in calcified aorta and VSMC. The effect of ghrelin on autophagy induction and VC attenuation was prevented by AMPK inhibitor, compound C. Our results suggested that ghrelin improved autophagy through AMPK activation, which was resulted in VC amelioration. These data maybe throw light on prevention and therapy of VC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cell damage and death by autoschizis in human bladder (RT4) carcinoma cells resulting from treatment with ascorbate and menadione.

PubMed

Gilloteaux, Jacques; Jamison, James M; Neal, Deborah R; Loukas, Marios; Doberzstyn, Theresa; Summers, Jack L

2010-05-01

A human bladder carcinoma cell line RT4 was sham-treated with buffer or treated with ascorbate (VC) alone, menadione alone (VK(3)), or a combination of ascorbate:menadione (VC+VK(3)) for 1, 2, and 4 h. Cytotoxic damage was found to be treatment-dependent in this sequence: VC+VK(3)>VC>VK(3)>sham. The combined treatment induced the greatest oxidative stress, with early tumor cell injury affecting the cytoskeletal architecture and contributing to the self-excisions of pieces of cytoplasm freed from organelles. Additional damage, including a reduction in cell size, organelle alterations, nuclear damage, and nucleic acid degradation as well as compromised lysosome integrity, is caused by reactivation of DNases and the redox cycling of VC or VC+VK(3). In addition, cell death caused by VC+VK(3) treatment as well as by prolonged VC treatment is consistent with cell demise by autoschizis, not apoptosis. This report confirms and complements previous observations about this new mode of tumor cell death. It supports the contention that a combination of VC+VK(3), also named Apatone, could be co-administered as a nontoxic adjuvant with radiation and/or chemotherapies to kill bladder tumor cells and other cancer cells without any supplementary risk or side effects for patients.

Artificially-built solid electrolyte interphase via surface-bonded vinylene carbonate derivative on graphite by molecular layer deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chae, Seulki; Lee, Jeong Beom; Lee, Jae Gil; Lee, Tae-jin; Soon, Jiyong; Ryu, Ji Heon; Lee, Jin Seok; Oh, Seung M.

2017-12-01

Vinylene carbonate (VC) is attached in a ring-opened form on a graphite surface by molecular layer deposition (MLD) method, and its role as a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) former is studied. When VC is added into the electrolyte solution of a graphite/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) full-cell, it is reductively decomposed to form an effective SEI on the graphite electrode. However, VC in the electrolyte solution has serious adverse effects due to its poor stability against electrochemical oxidation on the LNMO positive electrode. A excessive acid generation as a result of VC oxidation is observed, causing metal dissolution from the LNMO electrode. The dissolved metal ions are plated on the graphite electrode to destroy the SEI layer, eventually causing serious capacity fading and poor Coulombic efficiency. The VC derivative on the graphite surface also forms an effective SEI layer on the graphite negative electrode via reductive decomposition. The detrimental effects on the LNMO positive electrode, however, can be avoided because the bonded VC derivative on the graphite surface cannot move to the LNMO electrode. Consequently, the graphite/LNMO full-cell fabricated with the VC-attached graphite outperforms the cells without VC or with VC in the electrolyte, in terms of Coulombic efficiency and capacity retention.

Solid waste management of temple floral offerings by vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Akanksha, E-mail: bhuaks29@gmail.com; Jain, Akansha, E-mail: akansha007@rediffmail.com; Sarma, Birinchi K., E-mail: birinchi_ks@yahoo.com

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Effective management of temple floral offerings using E. fetida. ► Physico-chemical properties in TW VC were better especially EC, C/N, C/P and TK. ► TW VC as plant growth promoter at much lower application rates than KW and FYW VC. - Abstract: Recycling of temple waste (TW) mainly comprising of floral offerings was done through vermitechnology using Eisenia fetida and its impact on seed germination and plant growth parameters was studied by comparing with kitchen waste (KW) and farmyard waste (FYW) vermicompost (VC). The worm biomass was found to be maximum in TW VC compared to KW andmore » FYW VCs at both 40 and 120 days old VCs. Physico-chemical analysis of worm-worked substrates showed better results in TW VC especially in terms of electrical conductivity, C/N, C/P and TK. 10% TW VC–water extract (VCE) showed stimulatory effect on germination percentage of chickpea seeds while KW and FYW VCE proved effective at higher concentration. Variation in growth parameters was also observed with change in the VC–soil ratio and TW VC showed enhanced shoot length, root length, number of secondary roots and total biomass at 12.5% VC compared to KW and FYW VC.« less

Crystal Structure of VC0702 at 2.0 angstrom: A Conserved Hypothetical Protein from Vibrio Cholerae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ni, Shuisong; Forouhar, Farhad; Bussiere, Dirksen E.

2006-06-01

VC0702, a conserved hypothetical protein of unknown function from Vibrio cholerae, resides in a putative three-gene operon containing the MbaA gene, which is involved in regulating formation of the extracellular matrix of biofilms in Vibrio cholerae. The VC0702 crystal structure has been determined at 2.0? and refined to Rwork=22.8% and Rfree=26.3%. VC0702 crystallized in an orthorhombic crystal lattice in the C2221 space group with dimensions of a=66.61 ?, b=88.118 ?, and c=118.35 ? with a homodimer in the asymmetric unit. VC0702 belongs to the Pfam DUF84 and COG1986 family of proteins. Sequence conservation within the DUF84 and COG1986 families wasmore » used to identify a conserved patch of surface residues that define a cleft and potential substrate-binding site in VC0702. The three-dimensional structure of VC0702 is similar to that of Mj0226 from Methanococcus janeshii, which has been identified as a novel NTPase. The NTP-binding site in Mj0226 is similarly located in comparison to the conserved patch of surface residues in VC0702. Furthermore, the NTP binds to MJ0226 in a cleft and deep cavity, features that are present in the VC0702 structure as well, suggesting that VC0702 may have a biochemical function involving NTP binding that is associated with a cellular function of regulating biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae.« less

Active Site and Remote Contributions to Catalysis in Methylthioadenosine Nucleosidases

DOE PAGES

Thomas, Keisha; Cameron, Scott A.; Almo, Steven C.; ...

2015-03-25

5'-Methylthioadenosine/S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine nucleosidases (MTANs) catalyze the hydrolysis of 5'-methylthioadenosine to adenine and 5-methylthioribose. The amino acid sequences of the MTANs from Vibrio cholerae (VcMTAN) and Escherichia coli (EcMTAN) are 60% identical and 75% similar. Protein structure folds and kinetic properties are similar. However, binding of transition-state analogues is dominated by favorable entropy in VcMTAN and by enthalpy in EcMTAN. Catalytic sites of VcMTAN and EcMTAN in contact with reactants differ by two residues; Ala113 and Val153 in VcMTAN are Pro113 and Ile152, respectively, in EcMTAN. Here, we mutated the VcMTAN catalytic site residues to match those of EcMTAN in anticipation ofmore » altering its properties toward EcMTAN. Inhibition of VcMTAN by transition-state analogues required filling both active sites of the homodimer. However, in the Val153Ile mutant or double mutants, transition-state analogue binding at one site caused complete inhibition. Therefore, a single amino acid, Val153, alters the catalytic site cooperativity in VcMTAN. The transition-state analogue affinity and thermodynamics in mutant VcMTAN became even more unlike those of EcMTAN, the opposite of expectations from catalytic site similarity; thus, catalytic site contacts in VcMTAN are unable to recapitulate the properties of EcMTAN. X-ray crystal structures of EcMTAN, VcMTAN, and a multiple-site mutant of VcMTAN most closely resembling EcMTAN in catalytic site contacts show no major protein conformational differences. In conclusion, the overall protein architectures of these closely related proteins are implicated in contributing to the catalytic site differences.« less

Active Site and Remote Contributions to Catalysis in Methylthioadenosine Nucleosidases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, Keisha; Cameron, Scott A.; Almo, Steven C.

5'-Methylthioadenosine/S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine nucleosidases (MTANs) catalyze the hydrolysis of 5'-methylthioadenosine to adenine and 5-methylthioribose. The amino acid sequences of the MTANs from Vibrio cholerae (VcMTAN) and Escherichia coli (EcMTAN) are 60% identical and 75% similar. Protein structure folds and kinetic properties are similar. However, binding of transition-state analogues is dominated by favorable entropy in VcMTAN and by enthalpy in EcMTAN. Catalytic sites of VcMTAN and EcMTAN in contact with reactants differ by two residues; Ala113 and Val153 in VcMTAN are Pro113 and Ile152, respectively, in EcMTAN. Here, we mutated the VcMTAN catalytic site residues to match those of EcMTAN in anticipation ofmore » altering its properties toward EcMTAN. Inhibition of VcMTAN by transition-state analogues required filling both active sites of the homodimer. However, in the Val153Ile mutant or double mutants, transition-state analogue binding at one site caused complete inhibition. Therefore, a single amino acid, Val153, alters the catalytic site cooperativity in VcMTAN. The transition-state analogue affinity and thermodynamics in mutant VcMTAN became even more unlike those of EcMTAN, the opposite of expectations from catalytic site similarity; thus, catalytic site contacts in VcMTAN are unable to recapitulate the properties of EcMTAN. X-ray crystal structures of EcMTAN, VcMTAN, and a multiple-site mutant of VcMTAN most closely resembling EcMTAN in catalytic site contacts show no major protein conformational differences. In conclusion, the overall protein architectures of these closely related proteins are implicated in contributing to the catalytic site differences.« less

Effect of the fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on Echinostoma paraensei (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae).

PubMed

Lelis, Rosane Teixeira; Braga, Fabio Ribeiro; de Carvalho, Lorendane Millena; de Paula, Alessandra Teixeira; Araujo, Juliana Milani; Fausto, Mariana Costa; Junior, Arnaldo Maldonado; Rodrigues, João Victor Facchini; de Freitas Soares, Filippe Elias; Garcia, Juberlan Silva; de Araújo, Jackson Victor

2014-11-01

Echinostoma paraensei is a trematode of the genus Echinostoma that causes echinostomiasis in humans. The objectives of this study were to: evaluate the ovicidal activity of the nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia (VC1 and VC4) on a solid medium 2% water-agar (2% WA) against E. paraensei eggs (assay A); evaluate ovicidal effect (destruction of eggs) of the isolate VC4 in supplemented culture media (assay B); and evaluate the ovicidal ability of the crude extract (VC4) on E. paraensei eggs (assay C). Eggs of E. paraensei (assay A) were placed in Petri dishes containing 2% WA with an isolate of the fungus P. chlamydosporia (VC1 and VC4) grown for 10 days, and without fungus as a control and evaluated regarding their destruction. In assay B, eggs of E. paraensei were placed in Petri dishes with different supplemented culture media and with VC4 isolate and the destruction of eggs was examined at the end of 25 days of interaction. In assay C, effects of the crude extract of P. chlamydosporia (VC4) on eggs were evaluated at the end of 7 days. In assay A, there was no difference (p>0.05) in ovicidal activity among the tested isolates (VC1 and VC4); however, the highest percentage for ovicidal activity (type 3 effect) was demonstrated by the isolate VC4. In assay B, the culture medium starch-agar showed the best results for the destruction of the eggs, with a percentage of 46.6% at the end of the assay. In assay C, the crude extract of VC4 was effective in the destruction of E. paraensei eggs, with a percentage reduction of 53%. The results of this study demonstrate that a rich culture medium with a greater availability of carbon and nitrogen may interfere directly in the predatory characteristics of ovicidal fungi. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-term immunogenicity of an initial booster dose of an inactivated, Vero cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine (JE-VC) and the safety and immunogenicity of a second JE-VC booster dose in children previously vaccinated with an inactivated, mouse brain-derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine.

PubMed

Yun, Ki Wook; Lee, Hoan Jong; Park, Ji Young; Cho, Hye-Kyung; Kim, Yae-Jean; Kim, Kyung-Hyo; Kim, Nam Hee; Hong, Young Jin; Kim, Dong Ho; Kim, Hwang Min; Cha, Sung-Ho

2018-03-07

This study was performed with the aim of determining the long-term immunogenicity of an inactivated, Vero cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine (JE-VC) and an inactivated, mouse brain-derived JE vaccine (JE-MB) after the 1st booster dose at 2 years of age, as well as the safety and immunogenicity of the 2nd booster dose of JE-VC at 6 years of age, in children primed and given a 1st booster dose of either JE-VC or JE-MB. In this multicenter, open-label clinical trial, the study population consisted of healthy Korean children (aged 6 years) who participated in the previous JE vaccine trial. All subjects were subcutaneously vaccinated once for the booster immunization with Boryung Cell Culture Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine® (JE-VC). Approximately 4 years after the 1st booster dose of JE-VC, the seroprotection rate (SPR) and geometric mean titer (GMT) of the neutralizing antibody were 100% and 1113.8, respectively. In children primed and given a 1st booster dose of JE-MB, the SPR and GMT were 88.5% and 56.3, respectively. After the 2nd booster dose of JE-VC, all participants primed and given a 1st booster dose of either JE-MB or JE-VC were seroprotective against JE virus. The GMT of the neutralizing antibody was higher in children primed and given a 1st booster dose of JE-VC (8144.1) than in those primed and given a 1st booster dose of JE-MB (942.5) after the vaccination (p < 0.001). In addition, the 2nd booster dose of JE-VC showed a good safety profile with no serious vaccine-related adverse events. The 1st booster dose of JE-VC and JE-MB showed long-term immunogenicity of at least 4 years, and the 2nd booster dose of JE-VC showed a good safety and immunogenicity profile in children primed and given a 1st booster dose of either JE-VC or JE-MB. ClinicalTtrials.gov Identifier: NCT02532569. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality control of climatological time series in the province of macerata (adriatic side of central italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentilucci, Matteo; Bisci, Carlo; Fazzini, Massimiliano; Tognetti, Danilo

2016-04-01

The analysis is focused on more than 100 meteorological recording stations located in the Province of Macerata (Marche region, Adriatic side of Central Italy) and in its neighbours; it aims to check the time series of their climatological data (temperatures and precipitations), covering about one century of observations, in order to remove or rectify any errors. This small area (about 2.800Km2) features many different climate types, because of its varied topography ranging, moving westward, from the Adriatic coast to the Appennines (over 2.100m of altitude). In this irregular context, it is difficult to establish a common procedure for each sector; therefore, it has been followed the general guidelines of the WMO, with some important difference (mostly in the method). Data are classified on the basis of validation codes (VC): missing datum (VC=-1), correct or verified datum (VC=0), datum under investigation (VC=1), datum removed after the analysis (VC=2), datum reconstructed through interpolation or by estimating the errors of digitization (VC=3). The first step was the "Logical Control", consisting in the investigation of gross errors of digitization: the data found in this phase of the analysis has been removed without any other control (VC=2). The second step, represented by the "Internal Consistency Check", leads to the elimination (VC=2) of all the data out of range, estimated on the basis of the climate zone for each investigated variable. The third one is the "Tolerance Test", carried out comparing each datum with the historical record it belongs to, in order to apply this test, the normal distribution of data has been evaluated. The "Tolerance Test" usually defines only suspect data (VC=1) to be verified with further tests, such as the "Temporal Consistency" and the "Spatial Consistency". The "Temporal Consistency" allows an evaluation of the time sequence of data, setting a specified range for each station basing upon its historical records. Data out of range have been considered under investigation (VC=1). Data are finally compared with the ones contemporaneously recorded in a set of neighboring meteorological stations through the "Spatial Consistency" test, thus eliminating every suspicious datum (recoded VC=2 or VC=0, depending upon the results of this analysis). This procedure uses a series of different statistic steps to avoid uncertainties: at its end, all the investigated data are either accepted (VC=0) or refused (VC=2). Refused and missing data (VC=-1 and VC=2) have been reconstructed through interpolation using co-kriging techniques (assigning VC=3), when necessary, in the final stage of the process. All the above procedure has been developed using a database managing software in a GIS (ESRI ArcGIS ®) environment. The refused data are 1.286 in 77.021 (1,67%) for the precipitations and 375 in 1.821.054 for the temperatures (0,02%).

78 FR 14233 - Electronic Retirement Processing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

.... Public/private key (asymmetric) cryptography is a method of creating a unique mark, known as a digital... delivering a broad array of administrative services to multiple agencies. Shared symmetric key cryptography...

Quantum discord as a resource for quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Pirandola, Stefano

2014-11-07

Quantum discord is the minimal bipartite resource which is needed for a secure quantum key distribution, being a cryptographic primitive equivalent to non-orthogonality. Its role becomes crucial in device-dependent quantum cryptography, where the presence of preparation and detection noise (inaccessible to all parties) may be so strong to prevent the distribution and distillation of entanglement. The necessity of entanglement is re-affirmed in the stronger scenario of device-independent quantum cryptography, where all sources of noise are ascribed to the eavesdropper.

Quantum discord as a resource for quantum cryptography

PubMed Central

Pirandola, Stefano

2014-01-01

Quantum discord is the minimal bipartite resource which is needed for a secure quantum key distribution, being a cryptographic primitive equivalent to non-orthogonality. Its role becomes crucial in device-dependent quantum cryptography, where the presence of preparation and detection noise (inaccessible to all parties) may be so strong to prevent the distribution and distillation of entanglement. The necessity of entanglement is re-affirmed in the stronger scenario of device-independent quantum cryptography, where all sources of noise are ascribed to the eavesdropper. PMID:25378231

Conventional Cryptography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Marie A.

1993-01-01

Cryptography is the science that renders data unintelligible to prevent its unauthorized disclosure or modification. Presents an application of matrices used in linear transformations to illustrate a cryptographic system. An example is provided. (17 references) (MDH)

Quantum cryptography: The power of independence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekert, Artur

2018-02-01

Device-independent quantum cryptography promises unprecedented security, but it is regarded as a theorist's dream and an experimentalist's nightmare. A new mathematical tool has now pushed its experimental demonstration much closer to reality.

Advanced ESPI-based medical instruments for otolaryngology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castracane, James; Conerty, M.; Cacace, Anthony T.; Gardner, Glendon M.; Miller, Mitchell B.; Parnes, Steven M.

1993-05-01

Optical fibers have long been used for visual inspection inside the human body for medical diagnoses and treatment. By making use of sophisticated optical interferometric and ultra- small imaging techniques, combined with automated image processing, it is possible to extract significantly increased information for more accurate medical diagnoses. With support from NIH under the SBIR program, we have been developing a range of such instruments. One of these supported by the NIDCD is capable of providing detailed spatial information on the vibratory response of the tympanic membrane (TM). This instrument involves the examination of the TM by means of high speed electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI). This provides a real time view of the vibration patterns of the TM for clinical diagnosis. This Interferometric Otoscope consists of mode conserving fiber optics, miniature diode lasers and high speed solid state detector arrays. We present the current status of the research including holography and ESPI of TM models and excised temporal bone preparations. A second instrument, also developed with support from NIDCD, is for application to the larynx. This system is also ESPI based but will incorporate features for direct vocal cord (VC) examination. By careful examination of the vibratory response of the VC during phonation, the characteristics of the mucosal wave may be examined. Adynamic regions of the cords can signal the start of lesions or cysts. Results of surgery can be evaluated in a quantitative manner. The design of a clinical prototype and preliminary electro-optic experiments on excised larynges and VC models will be presented.

Treatment of Severe Edema in Children with Nephrotic Syndrome with Diuretics Alone — A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Kapur, Gaurav; Valentini, Rudolph P.; Imam, Abubakr A.; Mattoo, Tej K.

2009-01-01

Background and objective: Severe edema in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) may be associated with volume contraction (VC) or volume expansion (VE). Usually, severe edema in children is treated with intravenous (IV) albumin and diuretics, which is appropriate for VC patients. However, in VE patients, this can precipitate fluid overload. The objective of this study was to evaluate treatment of severe edema in NS with diuretics alone. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Thirty NS patients with severe edema were enrolled in this prospective study in two phases. VC was diagnosed based on fractional excretion of sodium (FeNa) <1%. VC patients received IV albumin and furosemide. VE patients received IV furosemide and oral spironolactone. On the basis of phase 1 observations, FeNa <0.2% identified VC in 20 phase 2 patients. Results: All phase 1 patients had FeNa <1%. Phase 1 patients when reanalyzed based on a FeNa cutoff of 0.2%; it was noted that VC patients had higher BUN, BUN/creatinine ratio, urine osmolality, and lower FeNa and urine sodium compared with VE patients. Similar results were observed in phase 2. VC patients had significantly higher renin, aldosterone, and antidiuretic hormone levels. In phase 2, 11 VE patients received diuretics alone and 9 VC patients received albumin and furosemide. There was no difference in hospital stay and weight loss in VC and VE groups after treatment. Conclusions: FeNa is useful in distinguishing VC versus VE in NS children with severe edema. The use of diuretics alone in VE patients is safe and effective. PMID:19406963

Perineuronal nets labeled by monoclonal antibody VC1.1 ensheath interneurons expressing parvalbumin and calbindin in the rat amygdala

PubMed Central

McDonald, Alexander J.; Hamilton, Patricia G.; Barnstable, Colin J.

2018-01-01

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized condensations of extracellular matrix that ensheath particular neuronal subpopulations in the brain and spinal cord. PNNs regulate synaptic plasticity, including the encoding of fear memories by the amygdala. The present immunohistochemical investigation studied PNN structure and distribution, as well as the neurochemistry of their ensheathed neurons, in the rat amygdala using monoclonal antibody VC1.1, which recognizes a glucuronic acid 3-sulfate glycan associated with PNNs in the cerebral cortex. VC1.1+ PNNs surrounded the cell bodies and dendrites of a subset of nonpyramidal neurons in cortex-like portions of the amygdala (basolateral amygdalar complex, cortical nuclei, nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract, and amygdalohippocampal region). There was also significant neuropilar VC1.1 immunoreactivity whose density varied in different amygdalar nuclei. Cell counts in the basolateral nucleus revealed that virtually all neurons ensheathed by VC1.1+ PNNs were parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons, and these VC1.1+/PV+ cells constituted 60% of all PV+ interneurons, including all of the larger PV+ neurons. Approximately 70% of VC1.1+ neurons were calbindin-positive (CB+), and these VC1.1+/CB+ cells constituted about 40% of all CB+ neurons. Colocalization of VC1.1 with Vicia villosa agglutinin (VVA) binding, which stains terminal N-acetylgalactosamines, revealed that VC1.1+ PNNs were largely a subset of VVA+ PNNs. This investigation provides baseline data regarding PNNs in the rat which should be useful for future studies of their function in this species. PMID:29094304

Anaerobic degradation of vinyl chloride in aquifer microcosms.

PubMed

Smits, Theo H M; Assal, Antoine; Hunkeler, Daniel; Holliger, Christof

2011-01-01

The anaerobic degradation potential at a chloroethene-contaminated site was investigated by operating two anoxic column aquifer microcosms enriched in iron(III). One column was fed with vinyl chloride (VC) only (column A) and one with VC and acetate (column B). In column A, after about 600 pore volume exchanges (PVEs), VC started to disappear and reached almost zero VC recovery in the effluent after 1000 PVEs. No formation of ethene was observed. In column B, effluent VC was almost always only a fraction of influent VC. Formation of ethene was observed after 800 PVEs and started to become an important degradation product after 1550 PVEs. However, ethene was never observed in stoichiometric amounts compared with disappeared VC. The average stable isotope enrichment factor for VC disappearance in column A was determined to be -4.3‰. In column B, the isotope enrichment factor shifted from -10.7 to -18.5‰ concurrent with an increase in ethene production. Batch microcosms inoculated with column material showed similar isotope enrichment factors as the column microcosms. These results indicated that two degradation processes occurred, one in column A and two in parallel in column B with increasing importance of reductive dechlorination with time. This study suggests that in addition to reductive dechlorination, other degradation processes such as anaerobic oxidation should be taken into account when evaluating natural attenuation of VC and that isotope analysis can help to differentiate between different pathways of VC removal. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Effect of altered arterial perfusion pressure on vascular conductance and muscle blood flow dynamic response during exercise in humans.

PubMed

Villar, Rodrigo; Hughson, Richard L

2013-03-01

Changes in vascular conductance (VC) are required to counter changes in muscle perfusion pressure (MPP) to maintain muscle blood flow (MBF) during exercise. We investigated the recruitment of VC as a function of peak VC measured in three body positions at two different work rates to test the hypothesis that adaptations in VC compensated changes in MPP at low-power output (LPO), but not at high-power output (HPO). Eleven healthy volunteers exercised at LPO and HPO (repeated plantar flexion contractions at 20-30% maximal voluntary contraction, respectively) in horizontal (HOR), 35° head-down tilt (HDT), and 45° head-up tilt (HUT). Muscle blood flow velocity and popliteal diameter were measured by ultrasound to determine MBF, and VC was estimated by dividing MBF flow by MPP. Peak VC was unaffected by body position. The rates of increase in MBF and VC were significantly faster in HUT and slower in HDT than HOR, and rates were faster in LPO than HPO. During LPO exercise, the increase in, and steady-state values of, MBF were less for HUT and HDT than HOR; the increase in VC was less in HUT than HOR and HDT. During HPO exercise, MBF in the HDT was reduced compared with HOR and HUT, even though VC reached 92% VC peak, which was greater than HOR, which was, in turn, greater than HUT. Reduced MBF during HPO HDT exercise had the functional consequence of a significant increase in muscle electromyographic index, revealing the effects of MPP on O2 delivery during exercise.

Myosin Vc Interacts with Rab32 and Rab38 Proteins and Works in the Biogenesis and Secretion of Melanosomes*

PubMed Central

Bultema, Jarred J.; Boyle, Judith A.; Malenke, Parker B.; Martin, Faye E.; Dell'Angelica, Esteban C.; Cheney, Richard E.; Di Pietro, Santiago M.

2014-01-01

Class V myosins are actin-based motors with conserved functions in vesicle and organelle trafficking. Herein we report the discovery of a function for Myosin Vc in melanosome biogenesis as an effector of melanosome-associated Rab GTPases. We isolated Myosin Vc in a yeast two-hybrid screening for proteins that interact with Rab38, a Rab protein involved in the biogenesis of melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles. Rab38 and its close homolog Rab32 bind to Myosin Vc but not to Myosin Va or Myosin Vb. Binding depends on residues in the switch II region of Rab32 and Rab38 and regions of the Myosin Vc coiled-coil tail domain. Myosin Vc also interacts with Rab7a and Rab8a but not with Rab11, Rab17, and Rab27. Although Myosin Vc is not particularly abundant on pigmented melanosomes, its knockdown in MNT-1 melanocytes caused defects in the trafficking of integral membrane proteins to melanosomes with substantially increased surface expression of Tyrp1, nearly complete loss of Tyrp2, and significant Vamp7 mislocalization. Knockdown of Myosin Vc in MNT-1 cells more than doubled the abundance of pigmented melanosomes but did not change the number of unpigmented melanosomes. Together the data demonstrate a novel role for Myosin Vc in melanosome biogenesis and secretion. PMID:25324551

Activity of the nematophagous fungi Pochonia chlamydosporia, Duddingtonia flagrans and Monacrosporium thaumasium on egg capsules of Dipylidium caninum.

PubMed

Araujo, Juliana Milani; de Araújo, Jackson Victor; Braga, Fabio Ribeiro; Carvalho, Rogério Oliva; Ferreira, Sebastião Rodrigo

2009-12-03

Nematophagous fungi are potential biological control agents of helminths. The in vitro ovicidal effect of four isolates of the nematophagous fungi Pochonia chlamydosporia (VC1 and VC4), Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001) and Monacrosporium thaumasium (NF34) was evaluated on egg capsules of Dipylidium caninum, a cestode parasite of dogs, cats and humans. One thousand egg capsules of D. caninum were plated on 2% water-agar with the grown isolates and control without fungus. The ovicidal activity of these fungi was evaluated 5, 10 and 15 days after incubation. Only P. chlamydosporia showed ovicidal activity (p<0.05) on D. caninum egg capsules, of 19.6% (VC1) and 20% (VC4) on the 5th day; 44.2% (VC1) and 31.5% (VC4) on the 10th day; and 49.2% (VC1) and 41.9% (VC4) on the 15th day. D. flagrans and M. thaumasium caused no morphological damage to egg capsules. The results demonstrated that P. chlamydosporia was in vitro effective against capsules and eggs of D. caninum, and can be considered as a potential biological control agent for this helminth.

Effect of various halide salts on the incompatibility of cyanocobalamin and ascorbic acid in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Makoto; Ide, Nagatoshi; Shiraishi, Sumihiro; Ono, Kazuhisa

2005-06-01

Combination of cyanocobalamin (VB12) and ascorbic acid (VC) has been widely seen in pharmaceutical products and dietary supplements. However, VB12 has been reported that its behavior in stability in aqueous solution is quite different when VC is mixed. In the present study, we examined the stabilities of these vitamins in acetate buffer (pH 4.8) using high performance liquid chromatography. Degradation of VB12 was not observed in the absence of VC in the buffer. However, when VC was mixed in the VB12 solution, VB12 concentrations decreased in accordance with VC degradation. VB12 and VC degradations were inhibited by adding sodium halides to acetate buffer at pH 4.8. These stabilization effects were also observed in the range from pH 3.5 to 5.3 and by adding potassium, magnesium, and calcium halides. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that increases in the halide anion concentrations and atomic number (Cl-

Exposure to Vinyl Chloride and Its Influence on Western Diet-Induced Cardiac Remodeling.

PubMed

Liang, Yaqin; Lang, Anna L; Zhang, Jian; Chen, Jing; Wang, Kai; Chen, Liya; Beier, Juliane I; Qian, Yan; Cai, Lu

2018-06-18

Obesity, usually caused by high fat diets (HFD), is a major public health issue worldwide, causing obesity associated cardiomyopathy. Moreover, the environmental toxicant vinyl chloride (VC) can exacerbate HFD-induced fatty liver disease. However, whether VC serves to enhance obesity-associated cardiomyopathy remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the interaction of western diet (WD) containing relatively low fat (42%) with VC on cardiac remodeling and its underling mechanisms. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to WD coinhalation of low-dose VC (<1 ppm/d) for 12 weeks. Results showed that WD feeding for 12 weeks caused slight cardiac systolic dysfunction without significant hypertrophy or fibrosis, even with VC. Nevertheless, WD upregulated NF-κB function and expression of IL-1β and PAI-1, while VC showed no significant impact on these effects. In contrast, WD together with VC significantly increased the expression of CHOP and TGF-β1, key markers for endoplasmic reticulum stress and profibrotic cytokine, respectively. In summary, exposure to low-dose of environmental toxicant VC while a WD is consumed for a relatively short time does not have significant impact on cardiac remodeling except for a mild systolic dysfunction of the heart.

Influence of supplementing vitamin C to yearling steers fed a high sulfur diet during the finishing period on meat color, tenderness and protein degradation, and fatty acid profile of the longissimus muscle.

PubMed

Pogge, Danielle J; Lonergan, Steven M; Hansen, Stephanie L

2014-08-01

The objective was to determine the influence of vitamin C (VC) supplemented for approximately 102 d during the finishing period on color, tenderness, and fatty acid profile of longissimus thoracis (LT; n=136) from steers fed a 0.55% sulfur diet. Treatments included 4 supplemental VC concentrations: 1) 0 (CON), 2) 5 (5VC), 3) 10 (10VC), or 4) 20 (20VC) gVC·h(-1)∙d(-1) in a common diet. Increasing supplemental VC decreased (P<0.01) L*, but increased (P<0.01) vitamin E and tended to increase (P≤0.07) calcium and iron content of steaks. No VC (P≥0.25) effect was noted for WBSF, calpain-1 autolysis, troponin T degradation, or most fatty acid profiles. A quadratic effect (P≤0.03) was observed for cholesterol and CLA content of LT. Under the conditions of our study, supplementing VC to steers fed a 0.55% sulfur diet late in the finishing period did not influence color or tenderness, but increased the vitamin E content. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Public Key Cryptography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tapson, Frank

1996-01-01

Describes public key cryptography, also known as RSA, which is a system using two keys, one used to put a message into cipher and another used to decipher the message. Presents examples using small prime numbers. (MKR)

5 CFR 850.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (asymmetric) cryptography is a method of creating a unique mark, known as a digital signature, on an... cryptography means a method of authentication in which a single key is used to sign and verify an electronic...

Practical device-independent quantum cryptography via entropy accumulation.

PubMed

Arnon-Friedman, Rotem; Dupuis, Frédéric; Fawzi, Omar; Renner, Renato; Vidick, Thomas

2018-01-31

Device-independent cryptography goes beyond conventional quantum cryptography by providing security that holds independently of the quality of the underlying physical devices. Device-independent protocols are based on the quantum phenomena of non-locality and the violation of Bell inequalities. This high level of security could so far only be established under conditions which are not achievable experimentally. Here we present a property of entropy, termed "entropy accumulation", which asserts that the total amount of entropy of a large system is the sum of its parts. We use this property to prove the security of cryptographic protocols, including device-independent quantum key distribution, while achieving essentially optimal parameters. Recent experimental progress, which enabled loophole-free Bell tests, suggests that the achieved parameters are technologically accessible. Our work hence provides the theoretical groundwork for experimental demonstrations of device-independent cryptography.

The (in)adequacy of applicative use of quantum cryptography in wireless sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkanović, Muhamed; Hölbl, Marko

2014-10-01

Recently quantum computation and cryptography principles are exploited in the design of security systems for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which are consequently named as quantum WSN. Quantum cryptography is presumably secure against any eavesdropper and thus labeled as providing unconditional security. This paper tries to analyze the aspect of the applicative use of quantum principles in WSN. The outcome of the analysis elaborates a summary about the inadequacy of applicative use of quantum cryptography in WSN and presents an overview of all possible applicative challenges and problems while designing quantum-based security systems for WSN. Since WSNs are highly complex frameworks, with many restrictions and constraints, every security system has to be fully compatible and worthwhile. The aim of the paper was to contribute a verdict about this topic, backed up by equitable facts.

Error-correcting pairs for a public-key cryptosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellikaan, Ruud; Márquez-Corbella, Irene

2017-06-01

Code-based Cryptography (CBC) is a powerful and promising alternative for quantum resistant cryptography. Indeed, together with lattice-based cryptography, multivariate cryptography and hash-based cryptography are the principal available techniques for post-quantum cryptography. CBC was first introduced by McEliece where he designed one of the most efficient Public-Key encryption schemes with exceptionally strong security guarantees and other desirable properties that still resist to attacks based on Quantum Fourier Transform and Amplitude Amplification. The original proposal, which remains unbroken, was based on binary Goppa codes. Later, several families of codes have been proposed in order to reduce the key size. Some of these alternatives have already been broken. One of the main requirements of a code-based cryptosystem is having high performance t-bounded decoding algorithms which is achieved in the case the code has a t-error-correcting pair (ECP). Indeed, those McEliece schemes that use GRS codes, BCH, Goppa and algebraic geometry codes are in fact using an error-correcting pair as a secret key. That is, the security of these Public-Key Cryptosystems is not only based on the inherent intractability of bounded distance decoding but also on the assumption that it is difficult to retrieve efficiently an error-correcting pair. In this paper, the class of codes with a t-ECP is proposed for the McEliece cryptosystem. Moreover, we study the hardness of distinguishing arbitrary codes from those having a t-error correcting pair.

The in vitro antitumor activity of vitamins C and K3 against ovarian carcinoma.

PubMed

von Gruenigen, Vivian E; Jamison, James M; Gilloteaux, Jacques; Lorimer, Heather E; Summers, Marcia; Pollard, Robert R; Gwin, Carley A; Summers, Jack L

2003-01-01

The objective was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect and mechanism of action of vitamins C (VC) and K3 (VK3) on ovarian carcinoma. Cytotoxicity assays were performed on ovarian cancer cell lines with VC, VK3 or a VC/VK3 combination. FIC index was employed to evaluate synergism. Flow cytometry was accomplished at 90% cytotoxic doses. Light, transmission electron microscopy and DNA isolation were performed. Antitumor activity was exhibited by both VC, VK3 and VC/VK3. VC/VK3 demonstrated synergistic activity. VC/VK3 may induce a G1 block in the cell cycle. Combined vitamin treatment resulted in cells that maintain apparently intact nuclei while extruding pieces of organelle-free cytoplasm. Degradation of chromosomal DNA was observed. Cell death (autoschizis) displayed characteristics of both apoptosis and necrosis. The cytotoxic effects observed may enable vitamins C and K3 to play an adjuvant role in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Contact inspection of Si nanowire with SEM voltage contrast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohashi, Takeyoshi; Yamaguchi, Atsuko; Hasumi, Kazuhisa; Ikota, Masami; Lorusso, Gian; Horiguchi, Naoto

2018-03-01

A methodology to evaluate the electrical contact between nanowire (NW) and source/drain (SD) in NW FETs was investigated with SEM voltage contrast (VC). The electrical defects were robustly detected by VC. The validity of the inspection result was verified by TEM physical observations. Moreover, estimation of the parasitic resistance and capacitance was achieved from the quantitative analysis of VC images which were acquired with different scan conditions of electron beam (EB). A model considering the dynamics of EB-induce charging was proposed to calculate the VC. The resistance and capacitance can be determined by comparing the model-based VC with experimentally obtained VC. Quantitative estimation of resistance and capacitance would be valuable not only for more accurate inspection, but also for identification of the defect point.

Real-Time Gaze Holding in Binocular Robot Vision

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

could have strong implications for visual perception for locomotion. Some results [Bandopadhay, 1986; Aloimonos et al., 1988; Raviv and Herman, 1991...34 In SPIE v. 119, Applications of Digital Image Processing, pages 197-205, San Diego, 1977. [ Raviv and Herman, 1991] Daniel Raviv and Martin Herman...ohlps ft~eshv dqaehg rqec cw te, utte erodcý- d s ii.vc t fle iach ,. oth rio tal van eric lIN (b)IsOw am Imgoaflr pidcalm JOwfile Ths mag iI otlr

Trichocyanines: a Red-Hair-Inspired Modular Platform for Dye-Based One-Time-Pad Molecular Cryptography.

PubMed

Leone, Loredana; Pezzella, Alessandro; Crescenzi, Orlando; Napolitano, Alessandra; Barone, Vincenzo; d'Ischia, Marco

2015-06-01

Current molecular cryptography (MoCryp) systems are almost exclusively based on DNA chemistry and reports of cryptography technologies based on other less complex chemical systems are lacking. We describe herein, as proof of concept, the prototype of the first asymmetric MoCryp system, based on an 8-compound set of a novel bioinspired class of cyanine-type dyes called trichocyanines. These novel acidichromic cyanine-type dyes inspired by red hair pigments were synthesized and characterized with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Trichocyanines consist of a modular scaffold easily accessible via an expedient condensation of 3-phenyl- or 3-methyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazines with N-dimethyl- or o-methoxyhydroxy-substituted benzaldehyde or cinnamaldehyde derivatives. The eight representative members synthesized herein can be classified as belonging to two three-state systems tunable through four different control points. This versatile dye platform can generate an expandable palette of colors and appears to be specifically suited to implement an unprecedented single-use asymmetric molecular cryptography system. With this system, we intend to pioneer the translation of digital public-key cryptography into a chemical-coding one-time-pad-like system.

Trichocyanines: a Red-Hair-Inspired Modular Platform for Dye-Based One-Time-Pad Molecular Cryptography

PubMed Central

Leone, Loredana; Pezzella, Alessandro; Crescenzi, Orlando; Napolitano, Alessandra; Barone, Vincenzo; d’Ischia, Marco

2015-01-01

Current molecular cryptography (MoCryp) systems are almost exclusively based on DNA chemistry and reports of cryptography technologies based on other less complex chemical systems are lacking. We describe herein, as proof of concept, the prototype of the first asymmetric MoCryp system, based on an 8-compound set of a novel bioinspired class of cyanine-type dyes called trichocyanines. These novel acidichromic cyanine-type dyes inspired by red hair pigments were synthesized and characterized with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Trichocyanines consist of a modular scaffold easily accessible via an expedient condensation of 3-phenyl- or 3-methyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazines with N-dimethyl- or o-methoxyhydroxy-substituted benzaldehyde or cinnamaldehyde derivatives. The eight representative members synthesized herein can be classified as belonging to two three-state systems tunable through four different control points. This versatile dye platform can generate an expandable palette of colors and appears to be specifically suited to implement an unprecedented single-use asymmetric molecular cryptography system. With this system, we intend to pioneer the translation of digital public-key cryptography into a chemical-coding one-time-pad-like system. PMID:26246999

Innovative hyperchaotic encryption algorithm for compressed video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chun; Zhong, Yuzhuo; Yang, Shiqiang

2002-12-01

It is accepted that stream cryptosystem can achieve good real-time performance and flexibility which implements encryption by selecting few parts of the block data and header information of the compressed video stream. Chaotic random number generator, for example Logistics Map, is a comparatively promising substitute, but it is easily attacked by nonlinear dynamic forecasting and geometric information extracting. In this paper, we present a hyperchaotic cryptography scheme to encrypt the compressed video, which integrates Logistics Map with Z(232 - 1) field linear congruential algorithm to strengthen the security of the mono-chaotic cryptography, meanwhile, the real-time performance and flexibility of the chaotic sequence cryptography are maintained. It also integrates with the dissymmetrical public-key cryptography and implements encryption and identity authentification on control parameters at initialization phase. In accord with the importance of data in compressed video stream, encryption is performed in layered scheme. In the innovative hyperchaotic cryptography, the value and the updating frequency of control parameters can be changed online to satisfy the requirement of the network quality, processor capability and security requirement. The innovative hyperchaotic cryprography proves robust security by cryptoanalysis, shows good real-time performance and flexible implement capability through the arithmetic evaluating and test.

Measurement of vascular calcification using CT fistulograms.

PubMed

Toussaint, Nigel D; Lau, Ken K; Polkinghorne, Kevan R; Kerr, Peter G

2007-02-01

Vascular calcification (VC), precipitated by calcium and phosphate imbalance, is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) quantitatively assesses coronary artery calcification (CAC), with VC scores predictive of atherosclerosis and cardiac events in the general and CKD population. EBCT is not readily available but spiral CT can also provide quantitative assessment of the extent of VC. CT fistulograms can be used as initial investigation for arterio-venous fistula (AVF) problems in haemodialysis (HD). The images obtained include thoracic aorta, brachio-cephalic, subclavian and common carotid arteries which allow assessment of the extent of VC in these vessels. No study to date has combined the CT fistulogram with concurrent determination of VC. We hypothesize that a single investigation for AVF management may also provide information on VC. We retrospectively analysed CT fistulograms on 28 HD patients determining VC scores (in Hounsfield units) in AVF, subclavian and carotid arteries and aorta. We correlated these scores with patient demographics, serum markers of mineral metabolism (time averaged for the period 6 months prior to CT) and calcium-based phosphate binders. Patients (60.7% male) had a median age of 59 years and 46.4% were diabetic. The mean duration of dialysis was 17.5 months. CT fistulograms showed predominantly aortic (75% of patients) and subclavian (75%) calcifications, with only 21.4% having carotid VC and minimal VC at the level of AVF. Median VC scores were 619.8 (0-1481.4) for aorta and 521.7 (0-1139.6) for subclavian (scores of >400 indicate severe atherosclerotic disease), but there was no significant correlation with serum markers or duration of HD. Increasing age correlated significantly with greater VC in aortic (R = 0.53, P = 0.003) and subclavian (R = 0.40, P = 0.03) vessels, as well as with the number of VC sites involved. CAC was present in most patients (89.3%) but CAC scores were not able to be determined because of cardiac movement. Concurrent determination of the degree of calcification in certain vessels may be possible from CT studies assessing AVF structure. VC scores provided by CT fistulograms could contribute to HD patient CVD risk assessment but studies with larger patient numbers are required to determine their relevance.

Accessory cells with a veiled morphology and movement pattern generated from monocytes after avoidance of plastic adherence and of NADPH oxidase activation. A comparison with GM-CSF/IL-4-induced monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

PubMed

Ruwhof, Cindy; Canning, Martha O; Grotenhuis, Kristel; de Wit, Harm J; Florencia, Zenovia Z; de Haan-Meulman, Meeny; Drexhage, Hemmo A

2002-07-01

Veiled cells (VC) present in afferent lymph transport antigen from the periphery to the draining lymph nodes. Although VC in lymph form a heterogeneous population, some of the cells clearly belong on morphological grounds to the Langerhans cell (LC)/ dendritic cell (DC) series. Here we show that culturing monocytes for 24 hrs while avoiding plastic adherence (polypropylene tubes) and avoiding the activation of NADPH oxidase (blocking agents) results in the generation of a population of veiled accessory cells. The generated VC were actively moving cells like lymph-borne VC in vivo. The monocyte (mo)-derived VC population existed of CD14(dim/-) and CD14(brighT) cells. Of these the CD14(dim/-) VC were as good in stimulating allogeneic T cell proliferation as immature DC (iDC) obtained after one week of adherent culture of monocytes in granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)/interleukin (IL)-4. This underscores the accessory cell function of the mo-derived CD14(dim/-) VC. Although the CD14(dim/-)VC had a modest expression of the DC-specific marker CD83 and were positive for S100, expression of the DC-specific markers CD1a, Langerin, DC-SIGN, and DC-LAMP were absent. This indicates that the here generated CD14(dim/-) VC can not be considered as classical LC/DC. It was also impossible to turn the CD14(dim/-) mo-derived VC population into typical DC by culture for one week in GM-CSF/IL-4 or LPS. In fact the cells died tinder such circumstances, gaining some macrophage characteristics before dying. The IL-12 production from mo-derived CD14(dim/-) VC was lower, whereas the production of IL-10 was higher as compared to iDC. Consequently the T cells that were stimulated by these mo-derived VC produced less IFN-gamma as compared with T cells stimulated by iDC. Our data indicate that it is possible to rapidly generate a population of CD14(dim/-) veiled accessory cells from monocytes. The marker pattern and cytokine production of these VC indicate that this population is not a classical DC population. The cells might earlier be related to the veiled macrophage-like cells also earlier described in afferent lymph.

Three-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography for direct measurement of vena contracta area in mitral regurgitation: in vitro validation and clinical experience.

PubMed

Little, Stephen H; Pirat, Bahar; Kumar, Rahul; Igo, Stephen R; McCulloch, Marti; Hartley, Craig J; Xu, Jiaqiong; Zoghbi, William A

2008-11-01

Our goal was to prospectively compare the accuracy of real-time three-dimensional (3D) color Doppler vena contracta (VC) area and two-dimensional (2D) VC diameter in an in vitro model and in the clinical assessment of mitral regurgitation (MR) severity. Real-time 3D color Doppler allows direct measurement of VC area and may be more accurate for assessment of MR than the conventional VC diameter measurement by 2D color Doppler. Using a circulatory loop with an incorporated imaging chamber, various pulsatile flow rates of MR were driven through 4 differently sized orifices. In a clinical study of patients with at least mild MR, regurgitation severity was assessed quantitatively using Doppler-derived effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA), and semiquantitatively as recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography. We describe a step-by-step process to accurately identify the 3D-VC area and compare that measure against known orifice areas (in vitro study) and EROA (clinical study). In vitro, 3D-VC area demonstrated the strongest correlation with known orifice area (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), whereas 2D-VC diameter had a weak correlation with orifice area (r = 0.56, p = 0.01). In a clinical study of 61 patients, 3D-VC area correlated with Doppler-derived EROA (r = 0.85, p < 0.001); the relation was stronger than for 2D-VC diameter (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). The advantage of 3D-VC area over 2D-VC diameter was more pronounced in eccentric jets (r = 0.87, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.6, p < 0.001, respectively) and in moderate-to-severe or severe MR (r = 0.80, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.18, p = 0.4, respectively). Measurement of VC area is feasible with real-time 3D color Doppler and provides a simple parameter that accurately reflects MR severity, particularly in eccentric and clinically significant MR where geometric assumptions may be challenging.

Three-Dimensional Color Doppler Echocardiography for Direct Measurement of Vena Contracta Area in Mitral Regurgitation

PubMed Central

Little, Stephen H.; Pirat, Bahar; Kumar, Rahul; Igo, Stephen R.; McCulloch, Marti; Hartley, Craig J.; Xu, Jiaqiong; Zoghbi, William A.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVES Our goal was to prospectively compare the accuracy of real-time three-dimensional (3D) color Doppler vena contracta (VC) area and two-dimensional (2D) VC diameter in an in vitro model and in the clinical assessment of mitral regurgitation (MR) severity. BACKGROUND Real-time 3D color Doppler allows direct measurement of VC area and may be more accurate for assessment of MR than the conventional VC diameter measurement by 2D color Doppler. METHODS Using a circulatory loop with an incorporated imaging chamber, various pulsatile flow rates of MR were driven through 4 differently sized orifices. In a clinical study of patients with at least mild MR, regurgitation severity was assessed quantitatively using Doppler-derived effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA), and semiquantitatively as recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography. We describe a step-by-step process to accurately identify the 3D-VC area and compare that measure against known orifice areas (in vitro study) and EROA (clinical study). RESULTS In vitro, 3D-VC area demonstrated the strongest correlation with known orifice area (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), whereas 2D-VC diameter had a weak correlation with orifice area (r = 0.56, p = 0.01). In a clinical study of 61 patients, 3D-VC area correlated with Doppler-derived EROA (r = 0.85, p < 0.001); the relation was stronger than for 2D-VC diameter (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). The advantage of 3D-VC area over 2D-VC diameter was more pronounced in eccentric jets (r = 0.87, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.6, p < 0.001, respectively) and in moderate-to-severe or severe MR (r = 0.80, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.18, p = 0.4, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Measurement of VC area is feasible with real-time 3D color Doppler and provides a simple parameter that accurately reflects MR severity, particularly in eccentric and clinically significant MR where geometric assumptions may be challenging. PMID:19356505

Generalized logistic map and its application in chaos based cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawnik, M.

2017-12-01

The logistic map is commonly used in, for example, chaos based cryptography. However, its properties do not render a safe construction of encryption algorithms. Thus, the scope of the paper is a proposal of generalization of the logistic map by means of a wellrecognized family of chaotic maps. In the next step, an analysis of Lyapunov exponent and the distribution of the iterative variable are studied. The obtained results confirm that the analyzed model can safely and effectively replace a classic logistic map for applications involving chaotic cryptography.

Counterfactual quantum cryptography network with untrusted relay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuanyuan; Gu, Xuemei; Jiang, Dong; Xie, Ling; Chen, Lijun

2015-07-01

Counterfactual quantum cryptography allows two remote parties to share a secret key even though a physical particle is not in fact transmitted through the quantum channel. In order to extend the scope of counterfactual quantum cryptography, we use an untrusted relay to construct a multi-user network. The implementation issues are discussed to show that the scheme can be realized with current technologies. We also prove the practical security advantages of the scheme by eliminating the probability that an eavesdropper can directly access the signal or an untrusted relay can perform false operations.

On a two-pass scheme without a faraday mirror for free-space relativistic quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kravtsov, K. S.; Radchenko, I. V.; Korol'kov, A. V.

2013-05-15

The stability of destructive interference independent of the input polarization and the state of a quantum communication channel in fiber optic systems used in quantum cryptography plays a principal role in providing the security of communicated keys. A novel optical scheme is proposed that can be used both in relativistic quantum cryptography for communicating keys in open space and for communicating them over fiber optic lines. The scheme ensures stability of destructive interference and admits simple automatic balancing of a fiber interferometer.

Microbial mineralization of dichloroethene and vinyl chloride under hypoxic conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Paul M.; Chapelle, Francis H.

2011-01-01

Mineralization of 14C-radiolabled vinyl chloride ([1,2-14C] VC) and cis-dichloroethene ([1,2-14C] cis-DCE) under hypoxic (initial dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations about 0.1 mg/L) and nominally anoxic (DO minimum detection limit = 0.01 mg/L) was examined in chloroethene-exposed sediments from two groundwater and two surface water sites. The results show significant VC and dichloroethene (DCE) mineralization under hypoxic conditions. All the sample treatments exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetics for DCE and VC mineralization over an extended range of substrate concentrations. First-order rates for VC mineralization were approximately 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher in hypoxic groundwater sediment treatments and at least three times higher in hypoxic surface water sediment treatments than in the respective anoxic treatments. For VC, oxygen-linked processes accounted for 65 to 85% of mineralization at DO concentrations below 0.1 mg/L, and 14CO2 was the only degradation product observed in VC treatments under hypoxic conditions. Because the lower detection limit for DO concentrations measured in the field is typically 0.1 to 0.5 mg/L, these results indicate that oxygen-linked VC and DCE biodegradation can be significant under field conditions that appear anoxic. Furthermore, because rates of VC mineralization exceeded rates of DCE mineralization under hypoxic conditions, DCE accumulation without concomitant accumulation of VC may not be evidence of a DCE degradative “stall” in chloroethene plumes. Significantly, mineralization of VC above the level that could reasonably be attributed to residual DO contamination was also observed in several nominally anoxic (DO minimum detection limit = 0.01 mg/L) microcosm treatments.

Prediction of post-operative pulmonary function after lobectomy for primary lung cancer: A comparison among counting method, effective lobar volume, and lobar collapsibility using inspiratory/expiratory CT.

PubMed

Yabuuchi, Hidetake; Kawanami, Satoshi; Kamitani, Takeshi; Yonezawa, Masato; Yamasaki, Yuzo; Yamanouchi, Torahiko; Nagao, Michinobu; Okamoto, Tatsuro; Honda, Hiroshi

2016-11-01

To compare the predictabilities of postoperative pulmonary function after lobectomy for primary lung cancer among counting method, effective lobar volume, and lobar collapsibility. Forty-nine patients who underwent lobectomy for primary lung cancer were enrolled. All patients underwent inspiratory/expiratory CT and pulmonary function tests 2 weeks before surgery and postoperative pulmonary function tests 6-7 months after surgery. Pulmonary function losses (ΔFEV 1.0 and ΔVC) were calculated from the pulmonary function tests. Predictive postoperative pulmonary function losses (ppoΔFEV 1.0 and ppoΔVC) were calculated using counting method, effective volume, and lobar collapsibility. Correlations and agreements between ΔFEV 1.0 and ppoFEV 1.0 and those between ΔVC and ppoΔVC were tested among three methods using Spearman's correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. ΔFEV 1.0 and ppoΔFEV 1.0insp-exp were strongly correlated (r=0.72), whereas ΔFEV 1.0 and ppoΔFEV 1.0count and ΔFEV 1.0 and Pred. ΔFEV 1.0eff.vol. were moderately correlated (r=0.50, 0.56). ΔVC and ppoΔVC eff.vol. (r=0.71) were strongly correlated, whereas ΔVC and ppoΔVC count , and ΔVC and ppoΔVC insp-exp were moderately correlated (r=0.55, 0.42). Volumetry from inspiratory/expiratory CT data could be useful to predict postoperative pulmonary function after lobectomy for primary lung cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of Linear Plasmids in Aerobic Biodegradation of Vinyl Chloride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BRIGMON, ROBINL.

2004-06-14

Pseudomonas putida strain AJ and Ochrobactrum strain TD were isolated from hazardous waste sites based on their ability to use vinyl chloride (VC) as a sole source of carbon and energy under aerobic conditions. Strains AJ and TD also use ethene and ethylene oxide as growth substrates. Strain AJ contained a linear megaplasmid (approximately 260 kb) when grown on VC or ethene, but no circular plasmids. While growing on ethylene oxide, the size of the linear plasmid in strain AJ decreased to approximately 100 kb, although its ability to use VC as a substrate was retained. The linear plasmids inmore » strain AJ were cured and its ability to consume VC, ethene, and ethylene oxide was lost following growth on a rich substrate (Luria-Bertani broth) through at least three transfers. Strain TD contained three linear plasmids, ranging in size from approximately 100 kb to 320 kb, when growing on VC or ethene. As with strain AJ, the linear plasmids in strain TD were cured following growth on Luria -Bertani broth and its ability to consume VC and ethene was lost. Further analysis of these linear plasmids may help reveal the pathway for VC biodegradation in strains AJ and TD and explain why this process occurs at many but not all sites where groundwater is contaminated with chloroethenes. Metabolism of VC and ethene by strains AJ and TD is initiated by an alkene monooxygenase. Their yields during growth on VC (0.15-0.20 mg total suspended solids per mg VC) are similar to the yields reported for other isolates i.e., Mycobacterium sp., Nocardioides sp., and Pseudomonas sp.« less

Origin of VC-only plumes from naturally enhanced dechlorination in a peat-rich hydrogeologic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippini, Maria; Amorosi, Alessandro; Campo, Bruno; Herrero-Martìn, Sara; Nijenhuis, Ivonne; Parker, Beth L.; Gargini, Alessandro

2016-09-01

The occurrence of vinyl chloride (VC) is often a main concern at sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents due to its high degree of toxicity and carcinogenicity. VC occurrence in aquifers is most often related to the degradation of higher chlorinated ethenes or ethanes and it is generally detected in plumes along with parent contaminants. However, specific combination of stratigraphic, hydrogeologic and geochemical conditions can enhance the degradation of parents and lead to the formation of plumes almost entirely composed of VC (i.e. VC-only plumes). This paper investigates the causes of VC-only plumes in the aquifers below the city of Ferrara (northern Italy) by combining multiple lines of evidence. The City of Ferrara is located on an alluvial lowland, built by the River Po, and is made up of alternating unconsolidated sandy aquifer and silt-clay aquitard deposits of fluvial origin. This region has been strongly impacted by prior industrial activities, with the occurrence of chlorinated compounds at several sites. VC-only plumes with uncertain source location were found at two contaminated sites. The source zone of a third plume composed of chloroethenes from PCE to VC was investigated for high resolution depositional facies architecture and contaminant distribution (contaminant concentration and Compound Specific Isotope Analysis - CSIA). The investigation suggested that degradation of PCE and TCE takes place during contaminant migration through peat-rich (swamp) layers related to the Holocene transgression, which locally act as a ;reactor; for stimulating degradation with the accumulation of VC in the strongly reducing environment of the peat. Regional-scale stratigraphic architecture showed the ubiquitous occurrence of swamp layers at distinct stratigraphic levels in the investigated system and their apparent linkage to the in situ creation of the VC-only plumes.

Magnesium prevents phosphate-induced calcification in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells.

PubMed

Louvet, Loïc; Büchel, Janine; Steppan, Sonja; Passlick-Deetjen, Jutta; Massy, Ziad A

2013-04-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is prevalent in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Factors promoting calcification include abnormalities in mineral metabolism, particularly high phosphate levels. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a classical inducer of in vitro VC. Recently, an inverse relationship between serum magnesium concentrations and VC has been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of magnesium on Pi-induced VC at the cellular level using primary HAVSMC. Alive and fixed HAVSMC were assessed during 14 days in the presence of Pi with increasing concentrations of magnesium (Mg(2+)) chloride. Mineralization was measured using quantification of calcium, von Kossa and alizarin red stainings. Cell viability and secretion of classical VC markers were also assessed using adequate tests. Involvement of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) 7 was assessed using 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate (2-APB) inhibitor. Co-incubation with Mg(2+) significantly decreased Pi-induced VC in live HAVSMC, no effect was found in fixed cells. At potent concentrations in Pi-induced HAVSMC, Mg(2+) significantly improved cell viability and restored to basal level increased secretions of osteocalcin and matrix gla protein, whereas a decrease in osteopontin secretion was partially restored. The block of TRPM7 with 2-APB at 10(-4) M led to the inefficiency of Mg(2+) to prevent VC. Increasing Mg(2+) concentrations significantly reduced VC, improved cell viability and modulated secretion of VC markers during cell-mediated matrix mineralization clearly pointing to a cellular role for Mg(2+) and 2-APB further involved TRPM7 and a potential Mg(2+) entry to exert its effects. Further investigations are needed to shed light on additional cellular mechanism(s) by which Mg(2+) is able to prevent VC.

Selectivity of Vibrio cholerae H-NOX for Gaseous Ligands Follows “Sliding Scale Rule” Hypothesis

PubMed Central

Wu, Gang; Liu, Wen; Berka, Vladimir; Tsai, Ah-lim

2014-01-01

Vc H-NOX (or VCA0720) is an H-NOX (heme-nitric oxide and oxygen binding) protein from facultative aerobic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It shares significant sequence homology with soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), a NO sensor protein commonly found in animals. Similar to sGC, Vc H-NOX binds strongly to NO and CO with affinities of 0.27 nM and 0.77 μM, respectively, but weakly to O2. When positioned in “sliding scale” plot {Tsai, A.-L. et. al. (2012) Biochemistry, 51, pp172-86}, the line connecting logKD(NO) and logKD(CO) of Vc H-NOX is almost superimposable with that of Ns H-NOX. Therefore, the measured affinities and kinetic parameters of gaseous ligands to Vc H-NOX provide more evidence to validate the “sliding scale rule” hypothesis. Like sGC, Vc H-NOX binds NO in multiple steps, forming first a 6-coordinate heme-NO complex with a rate of 1.1 × 109 M−1s−1, and then converts to a 5c heme-NO complex at a rate also dependent on [NO]. Although the formation of oxyferrous Vc H-NOX is not detectable under normal atmospheric oxygen level, ferrous Vc H-NOX is oxidized to ferric form at a rate of 0.06 s−1 when mixed with O2. Ferric Vc H-NOX exists as a mixture of high- and low-spin states and is influenced by binding to different ligands. Characterization of both ferric and ferrous Vc H-NOX and their complexes with various ligands lay the foundation for understanding the possible dual roles in gas and redox sensing of Vc H-NOX. PMID:24351060

Myosin vc interacts with Rab32 and Rab38 proteins and works in the biogenesis and secretion of melanosomes.

PubMed

Bultema, Jarred J; Boyle, Judith A; Malenke, Parker B; Martin, Faye E; Dell'Angelica, Esteban C; Cheney, Richard E; Di Pietro, Santiago M

2014-11-28

Class V myosins are actin-based motors with conserved functions in vesicle and organelle trafficking. Herein we report the discovery of a function for Myosin Vc in melanosome biogenesis as an effector of melanosome-associated Rab GTPases. We isolated Myosin Vc in a yeast two-hybrid screening for proteins that interact with Rab38, a Rab protein involved in the biogenesis of melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles. Rab38 and its close homolog Rab32 bind to Myosin Vc but not to Myosin Va or Myosin Vb. Binding depends on residues in the switch II region of Rab32 and Rab38 and regions of the Myosin Vc coiled-coil tail domain. Myosin Vc also interacts with Rab7a and Rab8a but not with Rab11, Rab17, and Rab27. Although Myosin Vc is not particularly abundant on pigmented melanosomes, its knockdown in MNT-1 melanocytes caused defects in the trafficking of integral membrane proteins to melanosomes with substantially increased surface expression of Tyrp1, nearly complete loss of Tyrp2, and significant Vamp7 mislocalization. Knockdown of Myosin Vc in MNT-1 cells more than doubled the abundance of pigmented melanosomes but did not change the number of unpigmented melanosomes. Together the data demonstrate a novel role for Myosin Vc in melanosome biogenesis and secretion. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Proposal for founding mistrustful quantum cryptography on coin tossing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kent, Adrian; Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Filton Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8QZ,

2003-07-01

A significant branch of classical cryptography deals with the problems which arise when mistrustful parties need to generate, process, or exchange information. As Kilian showed a while ago, mistrustful classical cryptography can be founded on a single protocol, oblivious transfer, from which general secure multiparty computations can be built. The scope of mistrustful quantum cryptography is limited by no-go theorems, which rule out, inter alia, unconditionally secure quantum protocols for oblivious transfer or general secure two-party computations. These theorems apply even to protocols which take relativistic signaling constraints into account. The best that can be hoped for, in general, aremore » quantum protocols which are computationally secure against quantum attack. Here a method is described for building a classically certified bit commitment, and hence every other mistrustful cryptographic task, from a secure coin-tossing protocol. No security proof is attempted, but reasons are sketched why these protocols might resist quantum computational attack.« less

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pd 3V/C nanoparticles with a trace amount of Pt decoration for the oxygen reduction reaction

DOE PAGES

Liu, Sufen; Han, Lili; Zhu, Jing; ...

2015-09-14

In this study, carbon supported Pd 3V bimetallic alloy nanoparticles (Pd 3V/C) have been successfully synthesized via a simple impregnation–reduction method, followed by high temperature treatment under a H 2 atmosphere. Electrochemical tests reveal that the half-wave potential of Pd 3V/C-500 shifts positively 40 mV compared with Pd/C. However, the catalytic activity of Pd 3V/C-500 suffers from serious degradation after 1k cycles. By a spontaneous displacement reaction or co-reduction method, a trace amount of Pt was decorated on the surface or inside of the Pd 3V/C nanoparticles. The catalytic activity and stability of the Pd 3V@Pt/C and Pt-Pd 3V/C catalystsmore » for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are enhanced significantly, and are comparable to commercial Pt/C. In addition, the Pt mass activity of Pd 3V@Pt/C and Pt-Pd 3V/C improves by factors of 10.9 and 6.5 at 0.80 V relative to Pt/C. Moreover, Pt-decorated Pd 3V/C nanoparticles show almost no obvious morphology change after durability tests, because the Pt-rich shell plays an important role in preventing degradation.« less

Patients' Experiences with Specialist Care via Video Consultation in Primary Healthcare in Rural Areas

PubMed Central

Johansson, Annette M.; Lindberg, Inger; Söderberg, Siv

2014-01-01

Introduction. Video consultation (VC) can improve access to specialist care, especially for individuals who live in rural areas that are long distances from specialist clinics. Aim. The aim of this study was to describe patients' experiences with specialist care via VC encounters. Method. Interviews were conducted with 26 patients who had participated in a VC encounter. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Result. The analysis resulted in two themes. The theme “confident with the technology” was constructed from the categories “possibilities and obstacles in using VC encounters” and “advantages and disadvantages of the technology.” The theme “personal satisfaction with the VC encounters” was constructed from the categories “support from the healthcare personnel,” “perceived security,” and “satisfaction with the specialist consultation.” Conclusion. The patients who did not think that the VC was the best care still considered that the visit was adequate because they did not have to travel. An important finding was that the patients' perceived even short distances to specialty care as expensive journeys because many patients had low incomes. Among the patients who had more than one VC, the second encounter was perceived as safer. Additionally, good communication was essential for the patient's perception of security during the VC encounter. PMID:25243009

Patients' Experiences with Specialist Care via Video Consultation in Primary Healthcare in Rural Areas.

PubMed

Johansson, Annette M; Lindberg, Inger; Söderberg, Siv

2014-01-01

Introduction. Video consultation (VC) can improve access to specialist care, especially for individuals who live in rural areas that are long distances from specialist clinics. Aim. The aim of this study was to describe patients' experiences with specialist care via VC encounters. Method. Interviews were conducted with 26 patients who had participated in a VC encounter. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Result. The analysis resulted in two themes. The theme "confident with the technology" was constructed from the categories "possibilities and obstacles in using VC encounters" and "advantages and disadvantages of the technology." The theme "personal satisfaction with the VC encounters" was constructed from the categories "support from the healthcare personnel," "perceived security," and "satisfaction with the specialist consultation." Conclusion. The patients who did not think that the VC was the best care still considered that the visit was adequate because they did not have to travel. An important finding was that the patients' perceived even short distances to specialty care as expensive journeys because many patients had low incomes. Among the patients who had more than one VC, the second encounter was perceived as safer. Additionally, good communication was essential for the patient's perception of security during the VC encounter.

Exploring the views of emergency department staff on the use of videoconferencing for mental health emergencies in southwestern Ontario.

PubMed

Pangka, Kyle R; Chandrasena, Ranjith; Wijeratne, Nishardi; Mann, Miriam

2015-01-01

Patients presenting to a rural emergency department (ED) with mental health symptoms have difficulty accessing services of mental health professionals [1,2]. Videoconferencing (VC) has been found to improve patient access to health services that require specialist care in rural EDs [3,4,5]. Although previous studies highlight the benefit of using VC for patients presenting with mental health emergencies, no study has investigated the current views and use of VC for mental health emergencies in EDs in Southwestern Ontario [3,5,6]. To explore the views of ED staff regarding the use of VC in mental health emergencies, structured telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from EDs in the Erie St. Clair and Southwest Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN). Participants noted that using VC for mental health emergencies may improve patient experience and benefit crisis response teams. VC was perceived by some participants as a means to expedite the direct assessment of a patient presenting with a mental health emergency by a mental health specialist. However several participants stated that using VC for mental health emergencies strains ED resources. Lack of use and difficulty accessing a psychiatrist were identified as potential barriers to implementing the use of VC for mental health emergencies.

Ascorbic acid enhances oxidative stress tolerance and biological control efficacy of Pichia caribbica against postharvest blue mold decay of apples.

PubMed

Li, Chaolan; Zhang, Hongyin; Yang, Qiya; Komla, Mahunu Gustav; Zhang, Xiaoyun; Zhu, Shuyun

2014-07-30

The effect of ascorbic acid (VC) on improving oxidative stress tolerance of Pichia caribbica and biocontrol efficacy against blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum on apples was investigated. P. caribbica showed susceptibility to the oxidative stress in vitro test, and 250 μg/mL VC treatment improved its oxidative stress tolerance. The higher viability exhibited by VC-treated yeast was associated with a lower intracellular ROS level. The activities of antioxidant enzymes of P. caribbica were improved by VC treatment, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Additionally, VC-treated yeast exhibited greater biocontrol activity against P. expansum and faster growth when stored at 25 and 4 °C, respectively, compared to the performance of the non-VC-treated yeast. In response to the VC treatment under oxidative stress, several differentially expressed proteins were identified in P. caribbica, and most of the poteins were confirmed to be related to basic metabolism. Therefore, the application of ascorbic acid is a useful approach to improve oxidative stress tolerance of P. caribbica and its biocontrol efficacy on apples.

Number Theory and Public-Key Cryptography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefton, Phyllis

1991-01-01

Described are activities in the study of techniques used to conceal the meanings of messages and data. Some background information and two BASIC programs that illustrate the algorithms used in a new cryptographic system called "public-key cryptography" are included. (CW)

Shannon: Theory and cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roefs, H. F. A.

1982-11-01

The ideas of Shannon as a theoretical basis for cryptography are discussed. The notion of mutual information is introduced to provide a deeper understanding of the functioning of cryptographic systems. Shannon's absolute secure cryptosystem and his notion of unicity distance are explained.

Using Virtual Technology to Promote Functional Communication in Aphasia: Preliminary Evidence From Interactive Dialogues With Human and Virtual Clinicians.

PubMed

Kalinyak-Fliszar, Michelene; Martin, Nadine; Keshner, Emily; Rudnicky, Alex; Shi, Justin; Teodoro, Gregory

2015-11-01

We investigated the feasibility of using a virtual clinician (VC) to promote functional communication abilities of persons with aphasia (PWAs). We aimed to determine whether the quantity and quality of verbal output in dialogues with a VC would be the same or greater than those with a human clinician (HC). Four PWAs practiced dialogues for 2 sessions each with a HC and VC. Dialogues from before and after practice were transcribed and analyzed for content. We compared measures taken before and after practice in the VC and HC conditions. Results were mixed. Participants either produced more verbal output with the VC or showed no difference on this measure between the VC and HC conditions. Participants also showed some improvement in postpractice narratives. Results provide support for the feasibility and applicability of virtual technology to real-life communication contexts to improve functional communication in PWAs.

Optical responses evoked by white matter stimulation in rat visual cortical slices and their relation to neural activities.

PubMed

Tanifuji, M; Yamanaka, A; Sunaba, R; Terakawa, S; Toyama, K

1996-10-28

To characterize optical responses (ORs) evoked by white matter (WM) stimulation in slices of rat visual cortex (VC) stained with voltage sensitive dyes, time course of ORs in each layer was investigated by recording ORs with a linearly aligned photodiode array, and the spatial patterns of the ORs at specified time after stimulation were investigated by a CCD camera in combination with stroboscopic illumination. The ORs recorded by the photodiode array were an increase in absorption at 700 nm and a decrease in the wavelength below 650 nm, suggesting that the ORs were dye related. The ORs were compared with field potentials (FPs) to clarify that neural events were represented by the ORs, and in support of this view, we found that the first order spatial differentials of ORs and that of FPs were in good agreement. We further compared ORs with intracellular responses, and found that the ORs mainly represent postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) of VC neurons except for the deeper part of layer VI, where a component representing action potentials in fibers stimulated directly was observed. The time-lapse imaging of ORs showed that excitation first propagated vertically up to layer I and subsequently in the horizontal direction along layers II-III and V-VI as in previous investigations. Spatio-temporal patterns of ORs under blockade of synaptic transmission were also investigated to reveal activity of fibers evoked by WM stimulation which produced such patterns of propagation.

In Vivo Imaging of Glial Activation after Unilateral Labyrinthectomy in the Rat: A [18F]GE180-PET Study.

PubMed

Zwergal, Andreas; Günther, Lisa; Brendel, Matthias; Beck, Roswitha; Lindner, Simon; Xiong, Guoming; Eilles, Eva; Unterrainer, Marcus; Albert, Nathalie Lisa; Becker-Bense, Sandra; Brandt, Thomas; Ziegler, Sibylle; la Fougère, Christian; Dieterich, Marianne; Bartenstein, Peter

2017-01-01

The functional relevance of reactive gliosis for recovery from acute unilateral vestibulopathy is unknown. In the present study, glial activation was visualized in vivo by [ 18 F]GE180-PET in a rat model of unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) and compared to behavioral vestibular compensation (VC) overtime. 14 Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a UL by transtympanic injection of bupivacaine/arsenilate, 14 rats a SHAM UL (injection of normal saline). Glial activation was depicted with [ 18 F]GE180-PET and ex vivo autoradiography at baseline and 7, 15, 30 days after UL/SHAM UL. Postural asymmetry and nystagmus were registered at 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 30 days after UL/SHAM UL. Signs of vestibular imbalance were found only after UL, which significantly decreased until days 15 and 30. In parallel, [ 18 F]GE180-PET and ex vivo autoradiography depicted glial activation in the ipsilesional vestibular nerve and nucleus on days 7 and 15 after UL. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative association of [ 18 F]GE180 uptake in the ipsilesional vestibular nucleus on day 7 with the rate of postural recovery ( R  = -0.90, p  < 0.001), suggesting that glial activation accelerates VC. In conclusion, glial activation takes place in the ipsilesional vestibular nerve and nucleus within the first 30 days after UL in the rat and can be visualized in vivo by [ 18 F]GE180-PET.

In Vivo Imaging of Glial Activation after Unilateral Labyrinthectomy in the Rat: A [18F]GE180-PET Study

PubMed Central

Zwergal, Andreas; Günther, Lisa; Brendel, Matthias; Beck, Roswitha; Lindner, Simon; Xiong, Guoming; Eilles, Eva; Unterrainer, Marcus; Albert, Nathalie Lisa; Becker-Bense, Sandra; Brandt, Thomas; Ziegler, Sibylle; la Fougère, Christian; Dieterich, Marianne; Bartenstein, Peter

2017-01-01

The functional relevance of reactive gliosis for recovery from acute unilateral vestibulopathy is unknown. In the present study, glial activation was visualized in vivo by [18F]GE180-PET in a rat model of unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) and compared to behavioral vestibular compensation (VC) overtime. 14 Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a UL by transtympanic injection of bupivacaine/arsenilate, 14 rats a SHAM UL (injection of normal saline). Glial activation was depicted with [18F]GE180-PET and ex vivo autoradiography at baseline and 7, 15, 30 days after UL/SHAM UL. Postural asymmetry and nystagmus were registered at 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 30 days after UL/SHAM UL. Signs of vestibular imbalance were found only after UL, which significantly decreased until days 15 and 30. In parallel, [18F]GE180-PET and ex vivo autoradiography depicted glial activation in the ipsilesional vestibular nerve and nucleus on days 7 and 15 after UL. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative association of [18F]GE180 uptake in the ipsilesional vestibular nucleus on day 7 with the rate of postural recovery (R = −0.90, p < 0.001), suggesting that glial activation accelerates VC. In conclusion, glial activation takes place in the ipsilesional vestibular nerve and nucleus within the first 30 days after UL in the rat and can be visualized in vivo by [18F]GE180-PET. PMID:29312111

Large-Scale Patterns in a Minimal Cognitive Flocking Model: Incidental Leaders, Nematic Patterns, and Aggregates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barberis, Lucas; Peruani, Fernando

2016-12-01

We study a minimal cognitive flocking model, which assumes that the moving entities navigate using the available instantaneous visual information exclusively. The model consists of active particles, with no memory, that interact by a short-ranged, position-based, attractive force, which acts inside a vision cone (VC), and lack velocity-velocity alignment. We show that this active system can exhibit—due to the VC that breaks Newton's third law—various complex, large-scale, self-organized patterns. Depending on parameter values, we observe the emergence of aggregates or millinglike patterns, the formation of moving—locally polar—files with particles at the front of these structures acting as effective leaders, and the self-organization of particles into macroscopic nematic structures leading to long-ranged nematic order. Combining simulations and nonlinear field equations, we show that position-based active models, as the one analyzed here, represent a new class of active systems fundamentally different from other active systems, including velocity-alignment-based flocking systems. The reported results are of prime importance in the study, interpretation, and modeling of collective motion patterns in living and nonliving active systems.

Large-Scale Patterns in a Minimal Cognitive Flocking Model: Incidental Leaders, Nematic Patterns, and Aggregates.

PubMed

Barberis, Lucas; Peruani, Fernando

2016-12-09

We study a minimal cognitive flocking model, which assumes that the moving entities navigate using the available instantaneous visual information exclusively. The model consists of active particles, with no memory, that interact by a short-ranged, position-based, attractive force, which acts inside a vision cone (VC), and lack velocity-velocity alignment. We show that this active system can exhibit-due to the VC that breaks Newton's third law-various complex, large-scale, self-organized patterns. Depending on parameter values, we observe the emergence of aggregates or millinglike patterns, the formation of moving-locally polar-files with particles at the front of these structures acting as effective leaders, and the self-organization of particles into macroscopic nematic structures leading to long-ranged nematic order. Combining simulations and nonlinear field equations, we show that position-based active models, as the one analyzed here, represent a new class of active systems fundamentally different from other active systems, including velocity-alignment-based flocking systems. The reported results are of prime importance in the study, interpretation, and modeling of collective motion patterns in living and nonliving active systems.

Bush Sophora Root polysaccharide and its sulfate can scavenge free radicals resulted from duck virus hepatitis.

PubMed

Chen, Yun; Xiong, Wen; Zeng, Ling; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Shuaibing; Xu, Meiyun; Song, Meiyun; Wang, Yixuan; Du, Hongxu; Liu, Jiaguo; Wang, Deyun; Wu, Yi; Hu, Yuanliang

2014-05-01

In order to study the antioxidant effect of Bush Sophora Root polysaccharide (BSRPS) and its sulfate on anti-duck virus hepatitis (DVH), sulfated Bush Sophora Root polysaccharide (sBSRPS) was prepared by chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method. Ducklings were fed with BSRPS and sBSRPS after challenged DHAV. Death was monitored, evaluation indexes of peroxidative and hepatic injury at the initial (4th and 8th hour) and later (54th hour) stages were detected. The results showed a fine treatment effect of BSRPS and sBSRPS. Visual hepatic pathological injury severities were less serious after the treatment. At the initial stage, free radical levels in all groups were the same, and BSRPS and sBSRPS reduced the hepatic injury through inhibiting virus replication. At the later stage, mass free radicals were detected in VC group while free radical levels in BSRPS and sBSRPS groups were significantly lower than VC group. The antioxidant effect of BSRPS and sBSRPS might alleviate the hepatic injury. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In vivo and in vitro phenotypic differences between Great Lakes VHSV genotype IVb isolates with sequence types vcG001 and vcG002

PubMed Central

Imanse, Sierra M.; Cornwell, Emily R.; Getchell, Rodman G.; Kurath, Gael; Bowser, Paul R.

2014-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is an aquatic rhabdovirus first recognized in farmed rainbow trout in Denmark. In the past decade, a new genotype of this virus, IVb was discovered in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and has caused several massive die-offs in some of the 28 species of susceptible North American freshwater fishes. Since its colonization of the Great Lakes, several closely related sequence types within genotype IVb have been reported, the two most common of which are vcG001 and vcG002. These sequence types have different spatial distributions in the Great Lakes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the genotypic differences between representative vcG001 (isolate MI03) and vcG002 (isolate 2010-030 #91) isolates correspond to phenotypic differences in terms of virulence using both an in vitro and in vivo approach. In vitro infection of epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC), bluegill fry (BF-2), and Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE) cells demonstrated some differences in onset and rate of growth in EPC and BF-2 cells, without any difference in the quantity of RNA produced. In vivo infection of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) via immersion exposure to different concentrations of vcG001 or vcG002 caused a significantly greater mortality in round gobies exposed to 102 plaque forming units ml−1 of vcG001. These experiments suggest that there are phenotypic differences between Great Lakes isolates of VHSV genotype IVb. PMID:25722533

In vivo and in vitro phenotypic differences between Great Lakes VHSV genotype IVb isolates with sequence types vcG001 and vcG002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Imanse, Sierra M.; Cornwell, Emily R.; Getchell, Rodman G.; Kurath, Gael; Bowser, Paul R.

2014-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is an aquatic rhabdovirus first recognized in farmed rainbow trout in Denmark. In the past decade, a new genotype of this virus, IVb was discovered in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and has caused several massive die-offs in some of the 28 species of susceptible North American freshwater fishes. Since its colonization of the Great Lakes, several closely related sequence types within genotype IVb have been reported, the two most common of which are vcG001 and vcG002. These sequence types have different spatial distributions in the Great Lakes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the genotypic differences between representative vcG001 (isolate MI03) and vcG002 (isolate 2010-030 #91) isolates correspond to phenotypic differences in terms of virulence using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. In vitro infection of epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC), bluegill fry (BF-2), and Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE) cells demonstrated some differences in onset and rate of growth in EPC and BF-2 cells, without any difference in the quantity of RNA produced. In vivo infection of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) via immersion exposure to different concentrations of vcG001 or vcG002 caused a significantly greater mortality in round gobies exposed to 102 plaque forming units ml− 1 of vcG001. These experiments suggest that there are phenotypic differences between Great Lakes isolates of VHSV genotype IVb.

Prevalence of Vibrio cholerae in Coastal Alternative Supplies of Drinking Water and Association with Bacillus-Like Spore Formers.

PubMed

Shishir, Md Asaduzzaman; Mamun, Md Al; Mian, Md Mahmuduzzaman; Ferdous, Umme Tamanna; Akter, Noor Jahan; Suravi, Rajia Sultana; Datta, Suvamoy; Kabir, Md Ehsanul

2018-01-01

The scarcity of hygienic drinking water is a normal phenomenon in the coastal areas of Bangladesh due to the high salinity of ground water. The inhabitants of this locality, therefore, live on alternative supplies of water including rain-fed pond water, and rainwater with persistent complex microbial interactions therein, often contaminated with life-threatening pathogens. Hence, this study was aimed at analyzing the prevalence of Vibrio cholerae ( Vc ) in the alternative drinking waters of Mathbaria, a coastal subdistrict neighboring the Bay of Bengal, the efficacy of pond sand filter (PSF) and the co-association among Bacillus -like spore formers (Sf) and Vc . Vc presumably entrapped into the membrane filter was enriched in alkaline peptone water medium and was isolated on selective thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose and taurocholate-tellurite-gelatin agar media. They were finally identified by immunochromatographic one step rapid test and serology test. A total of 26% Vc positive samples were obtained out of 100 [ponds-48, household (HH)-29, and PSFs-23] where 13% cases were pathogenic ( Vc O1) and 13% were non-pathogenic ( Vc non-O1/non-O139). The distribution of Vc as observed was 33, 26, and 13.8% in waters derived from pond surface, PSF, and HH reservoirs, respectively, and for pathogenic type, it was 62.5%, 50%, and nil, respectively. Although none of the samples was identified with pathogenic Vc O139, the statistics represents a significant and augmentative risk of cholera outbreak in the focused area. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern in this study resembled the trend observed during last few years for Vc . The PSF demonstrated its inability to remove Vc from any of the samples and in addition, the filter itself was evidenced to be the source of pathogens and spores in further contamination and transmission. The development of biofilm in the PSF could be hypothesized as the reservoir in contaminating pathogen-free water samples. From the test of homogeneity, the risk levels of alternative water sources were estimated equal regarding Vc . Simultaneously, it was determined statistically that the prevalence of Vc , by no means, is influenced by Bacillus -like Sf be it for pond surface, HH, or PSF derived water.

Prevalence of Vibrio cholerae in Coastal Alternative Supplies of Drinking Water and Association with Bacillus-Like Spore Formers

PubMed Central

Shishir, Md. Asaduzzaman; Mamun, Md. Al; Mian, Md. Mahmuduzzaman; Ferdous, Umme Tamanna; Akter, Noor Jahan; Suravi, Rajia Sultana; Datta, Suvamoy; Kabir, Md. Ehsanul

2018-01-01

The scarcity of hygienic drinking water is a normal phenomenon in the coastal areas of Bangladesh due to the high salinity of ground water. The inhabitants of this locality, therefore, live on alternative supplies of water including rain-fed pond water, and rainwater with persistent complex microbial interactions therein, often contaminated with life-threatening pathogens. Hence, this study was aimed at analyzing the prevalence of Vibrio cholerae (Vc) in the alternative drinking waters of Mathbaria, a coastal subdistrict neighboring the Bay of Bengal, the efficacy of pond sand filter (PSF) and the co-association among Bacillus-like spore formers (Sf) and Vc. Vc presumably entrapped into the membrane filter was enriched in alkaline peptone water medium and was isolated on selective thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose and taurocholate-tellurite-gelatin agar media. They were finally identified by immunochromatographic one step rapid test and serology test. A total of 26% Vc positive samples were obtained out of 100 [ponds—48, household (HH)—29, and PSFs—23] where 13% cases were pathogenic (Vc O1) and 13% were non-pathogenic (Vc non-O1/non-O139). The distribution of Vc as observed was 33, 26, and 13.8% in waters derived from pond surface, PSF, and HH reservoirs, respectively, and for pathogenic type, it was 62.5%, 50%, and nil, respectively. Although none of the samples was identified with pathogenic Vc O139, the statistics represents a significant and augmentative risk of cholera outbreak in the focused area. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern in this study resembled the trend observed during last few years for Vc. The PSF demonstrated its inability to remove Vc from any of the samples and in addition, the filter itself was evidenced to be the source of pathogens and spores in further contamination and transmission. The development of biofilm in the PSF could be hypothesized as the reservoir in contaminating pathogen-free water samples. From the test of homogeneity, the risk levels of alternative water sources were estimated equal regarding Vc. Simultaneously, it was determined statistically that the prevalence of Vc, by no means, is influenced by Bacillus-like Sf be it for pond surface, HH, or PSF derived water. PMID:29536001

Differential Cav2.1 and Cav2.3 channel inhibition by baclofen and α-conotoxin Vc1.1 via GABAB receptor activation

PubMed Central

McArthur, Jeffrey R.; Cuny, Hartmut; Clark, Richard J.; Adams, David J.

2014-01-01

Neuronal Cav2.1 (P/Q-type), Cav2.2 (N-type), and Cav2.3 (R-type) calcium channels contribute to synaptic transmission and are modulated through G protein–coupled receptor pathways. The analgesic α-conotoxin Vc1.1 acts through γ-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptors (GABABRs) to inhibit Cav2.2 channels. We investigated GABABR-mediated modulation by Vc1.1, a cyclized form of Vc1.1 (c-Vc1.1), and the GABABR agonist baclofen of human Cav2.1 or Cav2.3 channels heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. 50 µM baclofen inhibited Cav2.1 and Cav2.3 channel Ba2+ currents by ∼40%, whereas c-Vc1.1 did not affect Cav2.1 but potently inhibited Cav2.3, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of ∼300 pM. Depolarizing paired pulses revealed that ∼75% of the baclofen inhibition of Cav2.1 was voltage dependent and could be relieved by strong depolarization. In contrast, baclofen or Vc1.1 inhibition of Cav2.3 channels was solely mediated through voltage-independent pathways that could be disrupted by pertussis toxin, guanosine 5′-[β-thio]diphosphate trilithium salt, or the GABABR antagonist CGP55845. Overexpression of the kinase c-Src significantly increased inhibition of Cav2.3 by c-Vc1.1. Conversely, coexpression of a catalytically inactive double mutant form of c-Src or pretreatment with a phosphorylated pp60c-Src peptide abolished the effect of c-Vc1.1. Site-directed mutational analyses of Cav2.3 demonstrated that tyrosines 1761 and 1765 within exon 37 are critical for inhibition of Cav2.3 by c-Vc1.1 and are involved in baclofen inhibition of these channels. Remarkably, point mutations introducing specific c-Src phosphorylation sites into human Cav2.1 channels conferred c-Vc1.1 sensitivity. Our findings show that Vc1.1 inhibition of Cav2.3, which defines Cav2.3 channels as potential targets for analgesic α-conotoxins, is caused by specific c-Src phosphorylation sites in the C terminus. PMID:24688019

Mass of chlorinated volatile organic compounds removed by Pump-and-Treat, Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 1996-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lacombe, Pierre J.

2011-01-01

Pump and Treat (P&T) remediation is the primary technique used to contain and remove trichloroethylene (TCE) and its degradation products cis 1-2,dichloroethylene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) from groundwater at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. Three methods were used to determine the masses of TCE, cDCE, and VC removed from groundwater by the P&T system since it became fully operational in 1996. Method 1, is based on the flow volume and concentrations of TCE, cDCE, and VC in groundwater that entered the P&T building as influent. Method 2 is based on withdrawal volume from each active recovery well and the concentrations of TCE, cDCE, and VC in the water samples from each well. Method 3 compares the maximum monthly amount of TCE, cDCE, and VC from Method 1 and Method 2. The greater of the two values is selected to represent the masses of TCE, cDCE and VC removed from groundwater each month. Previously published P&T monthly reports used Method 1 to determine the mass of TCE, cDCE, and VC removed. The reports state that 8,666 pounds (lbs) of TCE, 13,689 lbs of cDCE, and 2,455 lbs of VC were removed by the P&T system during 1996-2010. By using Method 2, the mass removed was determined to be 8,985 lbs of TCE, 17,801 lbs of cDCE, and 3,056 lbs of VC removed, and Method 3, resulted in 10,602 lbs of TCE, 21,029 lbs of cDCE, and 3,496 lbs of VC removed. To determine the mass of original TCE removed from groundwater, the individual masses of TCE, cDCE, and VC (determined using Methods 1, 2, and 3) were converted to numbers of moles, summed, and converted to pounds of original TCE. By using the molar conversion the mass of original TCE removed from groundwater by Methods 1, 2, and 3 was 32,381 lbs, 39,535 lbs, and 46,452 lbs, respectively, during 1996-2010. P&T monthly reports state that 24,805 lbs of summed TCE, cDCE, and VC were removed from groundwater. The simple summing method underestimates the mass of original TCE removed by the P&T system.

78 FR 43145 - Announcing Approval of Federal Information Processing Standard 186-4, Digital Signature Standard

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... correction of wording and typographical errors, and further aligns the FIPS with Key Cryptography Standard... Cryptography Standard (PKCS) 1. NIST published a Federal Register Notice (77 FR 21538) on April 10, 2012 to...

Cryptography for a High-Assurance Web-Based Enterprise

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

2. Other Cryptographic services - Java provides many cryptographic services through the Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA) framework. The...id=2125 [7]. Miller, Sandra Kay, Fiber Optic Networks Vulnerable to Attack, Information Security Magazine, November 15, 2006, [8]. José R.C

ECC-based grouping-proof RFID for inpatient medication safety.

PubMed

Lin, Qiping; Zhang, Fangguo

2012-12-01

Several papers were proposed in which symmetric cryptography was used to design RFID grouping-proof for medication safety in the Journal of Medical Systems. However, if we want to ensure privacy, authentication and protection against the tracking of RFID-tags without losing system scalability, we must design an asymmetric cryptography-based RFID. This paper will propose a new ECC-based grouping-proof for RFID. Our ECC-based grouping-proof reduces the computation of tags and prevents timeout problems from occurring in n-party grouping-proof protocol. Based on asymmetric cryptography, the proposed scheme is practical, secure and efficient for medication applications.

Security improvement by using a modified coherent state for quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Y.J.; Zhu, Luobei; Ou, Z.Y.

2005-03-01

Weak coherent states as a photon source for quantum cryptography have a limit in secure data rate and transmission distance because of the presence of multiphoton events and loss in transmission line. Two-photon events in a coherent state can be taken out by a two-photon interference scheme. We investigate the security issue of utilizing this modified coherent state in quantum cryptography. A 4-dB improvement in the secure data rate or a nearly twofold increase in transmission distance over the coherent state are found. With a recently proposed and improved encoding strategy, further improvement is possible.

Device independence for two-party cryptography and position verification with memoryless devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Jérémy; Thinh, Le Phuc; Kaniewski, Jedrzej; Helsen, Jonas; Wehner, Stephanie

2018-06-01

Quantum communication has demonstrated its usefulness for quantum cryptography far beyond quantum key distribution. One domain is two-party cryptography, whose goal is to allow two parties who may not trust each other to solve joint tasks. Another interesting application is position-based cryptography whose goal is to use the geographical location of an entity as its only identifying credential. Unfortunately, security of these protocols is not possible against an all powerful adversary. However, if we impose some realistic physical constraints on the adversary, there exist protocols for which security can be proven, but these so far relied on the knowledge of the quantum operations performed during the protocols. In this work we improve the device-independent security proofs of Kaniewski and Wehner [New J. Phys. 18, 055004 (2016), 10.1088/1367-2630/18/5/055004] for two-party cryptography (with memoryless devices) and we add a security proof for device-independent position verification (also memoryless devices) under different physical constraints on the adversary. We assess the quality of the devices by observing a Bell violation, and, as for Kaniewski and Wehner [New J. Phys. 18, 055004 (2016), 10.1088/1367-2630/18/5/055004], security can be attained for any violation of the Clauser-Holt-Shimony-Horne inequality.

A Secure Key Distribution System of Quantum Cryptography Based on the Coherent State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Guang-Can; Zhang, Xiao-Yu

1996-01-01

The cryptographic communication has a lot of important applications, particularly in the magnificent prospects of private communication. As one knows, the security of cryptographic channel depends crucially on the secrecy of the key. The Vernam cipher is the only cipher system which has guaranteed security. In that system the key must be as long as the message and most be used only once. Quantum cryptography is a method whereby key secrecy can be guaranteed by a physical law. So it is impossible, even in principle, to eavesdrop on such channels. Quantum cryptography has been developed in recent years. Up to now, many schemes of quantum cryptography have been proposed. Now one of the main problems in this field is how to increase transmission distance. In order to use quantum nature of light, up to now proposed schemes all use very dim light pulses. The average photon number is about 0.1. Because of the loss of the optical fiber, it is difficult for the quantum cryptography based on one photon level or on dim light to realize quantum key-distribution over long distance. A quantum key distribution based on coherent state is introduced in this paper. Here we discuss the feasibility and security of this scheme.

Securing resource constraints embedded devices using elliptic curve cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Tony; Alfasi, Mohamed; Mozumdar, Mohammad

2014-06-01

The use of smart embedded device has been growing rapidly in recent time because of miniaturization of sensors and platforms. Securing data from these embedded devices is now become one of the core challenges both in industry and research community. Being embedded, these devices have tight constraints on resources such as power, computation, memory, etc. Hence it is very difficult to implement traditional Public Key Cryptography (PKC) into these resource constrained embedded devices. Moreover, most of the public key security protocols requires both public and private key to be generated together. In contrast with this, Identity Based Encryption (IBE), a public key cryptography protocol, allows a public key to be generated from an arbitrary string and the corresponding private key to be generated later on demand. While IBE has been actively studied and widely applied in cryptography research, conventional IBE primitives are also computationally demanding and cannot be efficiently implemented on embedded system. Simplified version of the identity based encryption has proven its competence in being robust and also satisfies tight budget of the embedded platform. In this paper, we describe the choice of several parameters for implementing lightweight IBE in resource constrained embedded sensor nodes. Our implementation of IBE is built using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC).

[Accidents of the everyday life (AcVC) in children in Dakar: about 201 cases].

PubMed

Mohamed, Azhar Salim; Sagna, Aloïse; Fall, Mbaye; Ndoye, Ndeye Aby; Mbaye, Papa Alassane; Fall, Aimé Lakh; Diaby, Alou; Ndour, Oumar; Ngom, Gabriel

2017-01-01

Accidents of everyday life (AcVC) are common in children and can led to disabling injuries and death. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological aspects of AcVC and the related injury mechanisms in Dakar. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013. All the children victims of domestic accidents, sport and leisure accidents or school accidents were included. We studied some general parameters and some parameters related to each type of AcVC. Two hundred and one children were included, accounting for 27% of emergency consultations. There were 148 boys and 53 girls. Children less than 5 years of age were most affected (37.8%). Football and wrestling game were the main causes of AcVC. AcVC occur mainly at home (58.2%) and in the areas of sport and recreation (31.8%). The fractures predominated in the different types of AcVC: 54.9% of domestic accidents, 68.8% of sport and recreation accidents and 40% of school accidents. From an epidemiological perspective, our results are superimposable to literature. Fractures predominated contrary to literature where bruises were preponderant. Wrestling game is the main cause of these fractures, after football. The acquisition of knowledge about the epidemiological aspects of AcVC and the related injury mechanisms will allow for prevention campaigns in Dakar.

Involvement of Trigeminal Transition Zone and Laminated Subnucleus Caudalis in Masseter Muscle Hypersensitivity Associated with Tooth Inflammation

PubMed Central

Shimizu, Kohei; Matsumoto, Kunihito; Noma, Noboru; Matsuura, Shingo; Ohara, Kinuyo; Komiya, Hiroki; Watase, Tetsuro; Ogiso, Bunnai; Tsuboi, Yoshiyuki; Shinoda, Masamichi; Hatori, Keisuke; Nakaya, Yuka; Iwata, Koichi

2014-01-01

A rat model of pulpitis/periapical periodontitis was used to study mechanisms underlying extraterritorial enhancement of masseter response associated with tooth inflammation. Periapical bone loss gradually increased and peaked at 6 weeks after complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) application to the upper molar tooth pulp (M1). On day 3, the number of Fos-immunoreactive (IR) cells was significantly larger in M1 CFA rats compared with M1 vehicle (veh) rats in the trigeminal subnucleus interpolaris/caudalis transition zone (Vi/Vc). The number of Fos-IR cells was significantly larger in M1 CFA and masseter (Mass) capsaicin applied (M1 CFA/Mass cap) rats compared with M1 veh/Mass veh rats in the contralateral Vc and Vi/Vc. The number of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK)-IR cells was significantly larger in M1 CFA/Mass cap and M1 veh/Mass cap rats compared to Mass-vehicle applied rats with M1 vehicle or CFA in the Vi/Vc. Pulpal CFA application caused significant increase in the number of Fos-IR cells in the Vi/Vc but not Vc on week 6. The number of pERK-IR cells was significantly lager in the rats with capsaicin application to the Mass compared to Mass-vehicle treated rats after pulpal CFA- or vehicle-application. However, capsaicin application to the Mass did not further affect the number of Fos-IR cells in the Vi/Vc in pulpal CFA-applied rats. The digastric electromyographic (d-EMG) activity after Mass-capsaicin application was significantly increased on day 3 and lasted longer at 6 weeks after pulpal CFA application, and these increase and duration were significantly attenuated by i.t. PD98059, a MEK1 inhibitor. These findings suggest that Vi/Vc and Vc neuronal excitation is involved in the facilitation of extraterritorial hyperalgesia for Mass primed with periapical periodontitis or acute pulpal-inflammation. Furthermore, phosphorylation of ERK in the Vi/Vc and Vc play pivotal roles in masseter hyperalgesia after pulpitis or periapical periodontitis. PMID:25279551

Joint Dictionary Learning-Based Non-Negative Matrix Factorization for Voice Conversion to Improve Speech Intelligibility After Oral Surgery.

PubMed

Fu, Szu-Wei; Li, Pei-Chun; Lai, Ying-Hui; Yang, Cheng-Chien; Hsieh, Li-Chun; Tsao, Yu

2017-11-01

Objective: This paper focuses on machine learning based voice conversion (VC) techniques for improving the speech intelligibility of surgical patients who have had parts of their articulators removed. Because of the removal of parts of the articulator, a patient's speech may be distorted and difficult to understand. To overcome this problem, VC methods can be applied to convert the distorted speech such that it is clear and more intelligible. To design an effective VC method, two key points must be considered: 1) the amount of training data may be limited (because speaking for a long time is usually difficult for postoperative patients); 2) rapid conversion is desirable (for better communication). Methods: We propose a novel joint dictionary learning based non-negative matrix factorization (JD-NMF) algorithm. Compared to conventional VC techniques, JD-NMF can perform VC efficiently and effectively with only a small amount of training data. Results: The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed JD-NMF method not only achieves notably higher short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) scores (a standardized objective intelligibility evaluation metric) than those obtained using the original unconverted speech but is also significantly more efficient and effective than a conventional exemplar-based NMF VC method. Conclusion: The proposed JD-NMF method may outperform the state-of-the-art exemplar-based NMF VC method in terms of STOI scores under the desired scenario. Significance: We confirmed the advantages of the proposed joint training criterion for the NMF-based VC. Moreover, we verified that the proposed JD-NMF can effectively improve the speech intelligibility scores of oral surgery patients. Objective: This paper focuses on machine learning based voice conversion (VC) techniques for improving the speech intelligibility of surgical patients who have had parts of their articulators removed. Because of the removal of parts of the articulator, a patient's speech may be distorted and difficult to understand. To overcome this problem, VC methods can be applied to convert the distorted speech such that it is clear and more intelligible. To design an effective VC method, two key points must be considered: 1) the amount of training data may be limited (because speaking for a long time is usually difficult for postoperative patients); 2) rapid conversion is desirable (for better communication). Methods: We propose a novel joint dictionary learning based non-negative matrix factorization (JD-NMF) algorithm. Compared to conventional VC techniques, JD-NMF can perform VC efficiently and effectively with only a small amount of training data. Results: The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed JD-NMF method not only achieves notably higher short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) scores (a standardized objective intelligibility evaluation metric) than those obtained using the original unconverted speech but is also significantly more efficient and effective than a conventional exemplar-based NMF VC method. Conclusion: The proposed JD-NMF method may outperform the state-of-the-art exemplar-based NMF VC method in terms of STOI scores under the desired scenario. Significance: We confirmed the advantages of the proposed joint training criterion for the NMF-based VC. Moreover, we verified that the proposed JD-NMF can effectively improve the speech intelligibility scores of oral surgery patients.

Putative protein VC0395_0300 from Vibrio cholerae is a diguanylate cyclase with a role in biofilm formation.

PubMed

Bandekar, Divya; Chouhan, Om Prakash; Mohapatra, Swati; Hazra, Mousumi; Hazra, Saugata; Biswas, Sumit

2017-09-01

The hallmark of the lifecycle of Vibrio cholerae is its ability to switch between two lifestyles - the sessile, non-pathogenic form and the motile, infectious form in human hosts. One of these changes is in the formation of surface biofilms, when in sessile aquatic habitats. The cell-cell interactions within a V. cholerae biofilm are stabilized by the production of an exopolysachharide (EPS) matrix, which in turn is regulated by the ubiquitous secondary messenger, cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP), synthesized by proteins containing GGD(/E)EF domains in all prokaryotic systems. Here, we report the functional role of the VC0395_0300 protein (Sebox3) encoded by the chromosome I of V. cholerae, with a GGEEF signature sequence, in the formation of surface biofilms. In our study, we have shown that Escherichia coli containing the full-length Sebox3 displays enhanced biofilm forming ability with cellulose production as quantified and visualized by multiple assays, most notably using FEG-SEM. This has also been corroborated with the lack of motility of host containing Sebox3 in semi-solid media. Searching for the reasons for this biofilm formation, we have demonstrated in vitro that Sebox3 can synthesize c-di-GMP from GTP. The homology derived model of Sebox3 displayed significant conservation of the GGD(/E)EF architecture as well. Hence, we propose that the putative protein VC0395_0300 from V. cholerae is a diguanylate cyclase which has an active role in biofilm formation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Brca2 (XRCC11) Deficiency Results in Radioresistant DNA Synthesis and a Higher Frequency of Spontaneous Deletions

PubMed Central

Kraakman-van der Zwet, Maria; Overkamp, Wilhelmina J. I.; van Lange, Rebecca E. E.; Essers, Jeroen; van Duijn-Goedhart, Annemarie; Wiggers, Ingrid; Swaminathan, Srividya; van Buul, Paul P. W.; Errami, Abdellatif; Tan, Raoul T. L.; Jaspers, Nicolaas G. J.; Sharan, Shyam K.; Kanaar, Roland; Zdzienicka, Małgorzata Z.

2002-01-01

We show here that the radiosensitive Chinese hamster cell mutant (V-C8) of group XRCC11 is defective in the breast cancer susceptibility gene Brca2. The very complex phenotype of V-C8 cells is complemented by a single human chromosome 13 providing the BRCA2 gene, as well as by the murine Brca2 gene. The Brca2 deficiency in V-C8 cells causes hypersensitivity to various DNA-damaging agents with an extreme sensitivity toward interstrand DNA cross-linking agents. Furthermore, V-C8 cells show radioresistant DNA synthesis after ionizing radiation, suggesting that Brca2 deficiency affects cell cycle checkpoint regulation. In addition, V-C8 cells display tremendous chromosomal instability and a high frequency of abnormal centrosomes. The mutation spectrum at the hprt locus showed that the majority of spontaneous mutations in V-C8 cells are deletions, in contrast to wild-type V79 cells. A mechanistic explanation for the genome instability phenotype of Brca2-deficient cells is provided by the observation that the nuclear localization of the central DNA repair protein in homologous recombination, Rad51, is reduced in V-C8 cells. PMID:11756561

Insights on the SO2 Poisoning of Pt3Co/VC and Pt/VC Fuel Cell Catalysts

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

catalyst is performed at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells ( PEMFCs ) in order to link previously reported results at the elec- trode...stripping voltammetry and underpotential deposition (upd) of copper adatoms. Then the performance of PEMFC cathodes employing 30wt.% Pt3Co/VC and 50wt.% Pt/VC...proton exchange membrane fuel cells( PEMFCs )in order to link previously reported results at the elec- trode/solution interface to the FC environment. First

Structural and biochemical studies on Vibrio cholerae Hsp31 reveals a novel dimeric form and Glutathione-independent Glyoxalase activity

PubMed Central

Dey, Sanjay

2017-01-01

Vibrio cholerae experiences a highly hostile environment at human intestine which triggers the induction of various heat shock genes. The hchA gene product of V. cholerae O395, referred to a hypothetical intracellular protease/amidase VcHsp31, is one such stress-inducible homodimeric protein. Our current study demonstrates that VcHsp31 is endowed with molecular chaperone, amidopeptidase and robust methylglyoxalase activities. Through site directed mutagenesis coupled with biochemical assays on VcHsp31, we have confirmed the role of residues in the vicinity of the active site towards amidopeptidase and methylglyoxalase activities. VcHsp31 suppresses the aggregation of insulin in vitro in a dose dependent manner. Through crystal structures of VcHsp31 and its mutants, grown at various temperatures, we demonstrate that VcHsp31 acquires two (Type-I and Type-II) dimeric forms. Type-I dimer is similar to EcHsp31 where two VcHsp31 monomers associate in eclipsed manner through several intersubunit hydrogen bonds involving their P-domains. Type-II dimer is a novel dimeric organization, where some of the intersubunit hydrogen bonds are abrogated and each monomer swings out in the opposite directions centering at their P-domains, like twisting of wet cloth. Normal mode analysis (NMA) of Type-I dimer shows similar movement of the individual monomers. Upon swinging, a dimeric surface of ~400Å2, mostly hydrophobic in nature, is uncovered which might bind partially unfolded protein substrates. We propose that, in solution, VcHsp31 remains as an equilibrium mixture of both the dimers. With increase in temperature, transformation to Type-II form having more exposed hydrophobic surface, occurs progressively accounting for the temperature dependent increase of chaperone activity of VcHsp31. PMID:28235098

Rapid detection of the Vibrio cholerae ctx gene in food enrichments using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Fedio, Willis; Blackstone, George M; Kikuta-Oshima, Lynne; Wendakoon, Chitra; McGrath, Timothy H; DePaola, Angelo

2007-01-01

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the detection of the ctxA gene of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae (Vc) was validated against standard culture techniques. The first experimental phase determined optimal enrichment conditions for detection by culture and qPCR of Vc in shrimp, bottled water, milk, and potato salad. The conditions tested included temperature (35 and 42 degrees C), time (6 and 18 h), and effect of shaking (0 and 100 rpm). No definitive trends were found with enrichment temperature or shaking on Vc isolation frequency or detection by qPCR. Generally, Vc was detected by qPCR more frequently than Vc was isolated, but this difference was significant only in the 35 degrees C 6 h enrichment without shaking. In the second phase of experiments, shrimp, bottled water, milk, potato salad, and oysters were inoculated with each of 3 toxigenic Vc strains (Latin American O1 strain, an O139 strain, and an O1 strain from the U.S. Gulf Coast) and enriched under static conditions at 42OC for 6 and 18 h. Overall, detection frequency of ctx by qPCR was 98% (88/90) and 100% (90/90) after 6 and 18 h enrichments, respectively, while Vc isolation frequency was 87% (78/90) and 83% (75/90) after 6 and 18 h, respectively. Toxigenic Vc can be detected by qPCR within an 8 h work day using the 6 h enrichment procedure, assuming an initial level of at least 1-2 colony-forming units/g; however, overnight enrichment may be necessary to detect lower levels. These data indicate that the qPCR assay for ctx is a more reliable, sensitive, and rapid alternative to standard Vc culture methods and is applicable to diverse food products.

New echocardiographic windows for quantitative determination of aortic regurgitation volume using color Doppler flow convergence and vena contracta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiota, T.; Jones, M.; Agler, D. A.; McDonald, R. W.; Marcella, C. P.; Qin, J. X.; Zetts, A. D.; Greenberg, N. L.; Cardon, L. A.; Sun, J. P.;

Ascidian sperm glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored CRISP-like protein as a binding partner for an allorecognizable sperm receptor on the vitelline coat.

PubMed

Urayama, Satoshi; Harada, Yoshito; Nakagawa, Yoko; Ban, Susumu; Akasaka, Mari; Kawasaki, Nana; Sawada, Hitoshi

2008-08-01

Although ascidians are hermaphroditic, many species including Halocynthia roretzi are self-sterile. We previously reported that a vitelline coat polymorphic protein HrVC70, consisting of 12 EGF (epidermal growth factor)-like repeats, is a candidate allorecognition protein in H. roretzi, because the isolated HrVC70 shows higher affinity to nonself-sperm than to self-sperm. Here, we show that a sperm 35-kDa glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored CRISP (cysteine-rich secretory protein)-like protein HrUrabin in a low density detergent-insoluble membrane fraction is a physiological binding partner for HrVC70. We found that HrVC70 specifically interacts with HrUrabin, which had been separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane. HrUrabin has an N-linked sugar chain, essential for binding to HrVC70. HrUrabin mRNA is expressed in the testis but not in the ovary, and the protein appears to be localized on the surface of sperm head and tail. Anti-HrUrabin antibody, which neutralizes the interaction between HrUrabin and HrVC70, potently inhibited fertilization and allorecognizable sperm-binding to HrVC70-agarose. However, no significant difference in the binding ability of HrUrabin to HrVC70 was observed in autologous and allogeneic combinations by Far Western analyses. These results indicate that sperm-egg binding in H. roretzi is mediated by the molecular interaction between HrUrabin on the sperm surface and HrVC70 on the vitelline coat, but that HrUrabin per se is unlikely to be a direct allorecognition protein.

Hepatitis C videoconferencing: the impact on continuing medical education for rural healthcare providers.

PubMed

Rossaro, Lorenzo; Tran, Thu P; Ransibrahmanakul, Kanat; Rainwater, Julie A; Csik, Genell; Cole, Stacey L; Prosser, Colette C; Nesbitt, Thomas S

2007-06-01

This study compared the impact of multipoint videoconferencing (VC) versus standard lecturing (ST) on primary care providers' (MDs, NPs/PAs, and RNs) education regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV). The hypothesis was that the educational impact of teaching through telemedicine is comparable to the traditional method. The aim was to provide participants clinically relevant information and knowledge about the natural history, diagnosis, and management of HCV. Improved knowledge was scored from a 10-item quiz administered before and after the educational intervention. Comparison of the pretest knowledge scores within provider groups showed no statistically significant difference in baseline knowledge for the ST versus VC method. However, for all practitioners combined, the VC group scored significantly lower on the pretest than the ST group (p < 0.05). All three types of learners improved their knowledge scores following intervention. On average, MDs and NP/PAs correctly answered two to 3.5 more questions in the posttest. RNs showed the greatest improvements, correctly answering an average of four to five more questions following intervention. Improvement in knowledge scores between the two methods was statistically significant in favor of VC for the MDs (VC = 3.56 +/- 1.92 vs. ST = 2.13 +/- 1.89, p < 0.001) and all groups combined (VC 4.37 +/- 1.92 vs ST 3.06 +/- 1.89, p < 0.001). The results of this study indicate that VC is equivalent, if not better, than standard continuing medical education (CME). VC can potentially improve clinician education regarding the history, diagnosis, and management of HCV, thereby making a substantial impact on the clinical course of patients with this condition. In addition, VC has the potential to eliminate the financial and geographic barriers to professional education for rural practitioners.

New echocardiographic windows for quantitative determination of aortic regurgitation volume using color Doppler flow convergence and vena contracta.

PubMed

Shiota, T; Jones, M; Agler, D A; McDonald, R W; Marcella, C P; Qin, J X; Zetts, A D; Greenberg, N L; Cardon, L A; Sun, J P; Sahn, D J; Thomas, J D

1999-04-01

Color Doppler images of aortic regurgitation (AR) flow acceleration, flow convergence (FC), and the vena contracta (VC) have been reported to be useful for evaluating severity of AR. However, clinical application of these methods has been limited because of the difficulty in clearly imaging the FC and VC. This study aimed to explore new windows for imaging the FC and VC to evaluate AR volumes in patients and to validate this in animals with chronic AR. Forty patients with AR and 17 hemodynamic states in 4 sheep with strictly quantified AR volumes were evaluated. A Toshiba SSH 380A with a 3.75-MHz transducer was used to image the FC and VC. After routine echo Doppler imaging, patients were repositioned in the right lateral decubitus position, and the FC and VC were imaged from high right parasternal windows. In only 15 of the 40 patients was it possible to image clearly and measure accurately the FC and VC from conventional (left decubitus) apical or parasternal views. In contrast, 31 of 40 patients had clearly imaged FC regions and VCs using the new windows. In patients, AR volumes derived from the FC and VC methods combined with continuous velocity agreed well with each other (r = 0.97, mean difference = -7.9 ml +/- 9.9 ml/beat). In chronic animal model studies, AR volumes derived from both the VC and the FC agreed well with the electromagnetically derived AR volumes (r = 0.92, mean difference = -1.3 +/- 4.0 ml/beat). By imaging from high right parasternal windows in the right decubitus position, complementary use of the FC and VC methods can provide clinically valuable information about AR volumes.

75 FR 32748 - Availability of Testing and Evaluation Report and Intent To Proceed With the Final Stages of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... authentication of the source and integrity of information stored in the DNS using public key cryptography and a.../DNSSEC_05282010.html . \\7\\ In cryptography, a trust anchor is an authoritative entity represented via a...

Optimizing Security of Cloud Computing within the DoD

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

information security governance and risk management; application security; cryptography; security architecture and design; operations security; business ...governance and risk management; application security; cryptography; security architecture and design; operations security; business continuity...20 7. Operational Security (OPSEC).........................................................20 8. Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster

INVITED PAPER: Low power cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitsos, P.; Koufopavlou, O.; Selimis, G.; Sklavos, N.

2005-01-01

Today more and more sensitive data is stored digitally. Bank accounts, medical records and personal emails are some categories that data must keep secure. The science of cryptography tries to encounter the lack of security. Data confidentiality, authentication, non-reputation and data integrity are some of the main parts of cryptography. The evolution of cryptography drove in very complex cryptographic models which they could not be implemented before some years. The use of systems with increasing complexity, which usually are more secure, has as result low throughput rate and more energy consumption. However the evolution of cipher has no practical impact, if it has only theoretical background. Every encryption algorithm should exploit as much as possible the conditions of the specific system without omitting the physical, area and timing limitations. This fact requires new ways in design architectures for secure and reliable crypto systems. A main issue in the design of crypto systems is the reduction of power consumption, especially for portable systems as smart cards.

Evolutionary Algorithms for Boolean Functions in Diverse Domains of Cryptography.

PubMed

Picek, Stjepan; Carlet, Claude; Guilley, Sylvain; Miller, Julian F; Jakobovic, Domagoj

2016-01-01

The role of Boolean functions is prominent in several areas including cryptography, sequences, and coding theory. Therefore, various methods for the construction of Boolean functions with desired properties are of direct interest. New motivations on the role of Boolean functions in cryptography with attendant new properties have emerged over the years. There are still many combinations of design criteria left unexplored and in this matter evolutionary computation can play a distinct role. This article concentrates on two scenarios for the use of Boolean functions in cryptography. The first uses Boolean functions as the source of the nonlinearity in filter and combiner generators. Although relatively well explored using evolutionary algorithms, it still presents an interesting goal in terms of the practical sizes of Boolean functions. The second scenario appeared rather recently where the objective is to find Boolean functions that have various orders of the correlation immunity and minimal Hamming weight. In both these scenarios we see that evolutionary algorithms are able to find high-quality solutions where genetic programming performs the best.

Conceptual designs of onboard transceivers for ground-to-satellite quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyoshima, Morio; Shoji, Yozo; Takayama, Yoshihisa; Kunimori, Hiroo; Takeoka, Masahiro; Fujiwara, Mikio; Sasaki, Masahide

2009-05-01

A free-space quantum key distribution system is being developed by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Koganei, Japan. Quantum cryptography is a new technique for transmitting information where the security is guaranteed by the laws of physics. In such systems, a single photon is used for the quantum information. However, since the transmission distance in optical fibers is limited by the absorption of photons by the fiber, the maximum demonstrated range has been limited to about 100 km. Free-space quantum cryptography between an optical ground station and a satellite is a possible solution to extend the distance for a quantum network beyond the limits of optical fibers. At NICT, a laser communication demonstration between the NICT optical ground station and a low earth orbit satellite was successfully conducted in 2006. The use of free-space quantum key distribution for such space communication links is considered an important future application. This paper presents conceptual designs for the onboard transceivers for satellite quantum cryptography

Effects of Vernonia cinerea on reproductive performance in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Pomjunya, Atchariya; Ratthanophart, Jasada; Fungfuang, Wirasak

2017-03-23

The present study investigated the effects of Vernonia cinerea (VC) on the reproductive function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male rats. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: group 1, normal control rats; group 2, diabetic untreated rats; group 3, diabetic rats treated with VC (10 mg/kg); and group 4, diabetic rats treated with VC (40 mg/kg). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). All animals were treated for 30 consecutive days. Body weight, blood glucose, food intake, epididymal sperm parameters, testicular microstructure and serum testosterone levels were evaluated. VC treatment significantly restored the sperm motility and testosterone concentration, and decreased the testicular histopathological changes in DM rats. Moreover, high-dose VC exhibited an antidibetic activity and significantly improved the sperm count. In conclusion, we found, for the first time, that administration of VC significantly restored the testicular function and testosterone concentration in diabetic male rats.

Effects of Vernonia cinerea on reproductive performance in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

PubMed Central

POMJUNYA, Atchariya; RATTHANOPHART, Jasada; FUNGFUANG, Wirasak

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the effects of Vernonia cinerea (VC) on the reproductive function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male rats. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: group 1, normal control rats; group 2, diabetic untreated rats; group 3, diabetic rats treated with VC (10 mg/kg); and group 4, diabetic rats treated with VC (40 mg/kg). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). All animals were treated for 30 consecutive days. Body weight, blood glucose, food intake, epididymal sperm parameters, testicular microstructure and serum testosterone levels were evaluated. VC treatment significantly restored the sperm motility and testosterone concentration, and decreased the testicular histopathological changes in DM rats. Moreover, high-dose VC exhibited an antidibetic activity and significantly improved the sperm count. In conclusion, we found, for the first time, that administration of VC significantly restored the testicular function and testosterone concentration in diabetic male rats. PMID:28190818

Quantification of vicine and convicine in faba bean seeds using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Purves, Randy W; Khazaei, Hamid; Vandenberg, Albert

2018-02-01

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) provides environmental and health benefits; however, the presence of the pyrimidine glycosides vicine and convicine (v-c) in its seeds limits consumption. Low v-c genotypes have been introduced, but the convicine levels in these genotypes have not been quantified. To improve detection, the polar nature of v-c was exploited by implementing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). A sample preparation method using a two-step extraction was developed for use with UV and/or tandem mass spectrometry (SRM) detection. The HILIC-UV method was suitable for over three orders of magnitude, covering the range of v-c concentrations in faba bean seeds across all genotypes tested. The linear range of HILIC-SRM was slightly less (∼3 orders of magnitude), but improved sensitivity and selectivity make it more suitable for quantifying low v-c samples. The analysis of 13 genotypes suggests that v-c concentrations in faba bean seeds may be independent quantitative traits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunohistochemical expression of basement membrane proteins of verrucous carcinoma of the oral mucosa.

PubMed

Arduino, Paolo G; Carrozzo, Marco; Pagano, Marco; Broccoletti, Roberto; Scully, Crispian; Gandolfo, Sergio

2010-06-01

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity is an extremely invasive tumour of stratified squamous epithelium that spreads throughout degradation of the basement membrane (BM) and extra-cellular matrix. Oral verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a rare low-grade variant of oral SCC that penetrates into the subepithelial connective tissue. It also has a different clinical behaviour from classical oral SCC. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of laminin, laminin-5, collagen IV and fibronectin in VC, severe epithelial dysplasia (SED) and SCC in order to analyse if the pattern of these molecules expression contributes to the differences in the biological behaviour of these diseases. The staining pattern of laminin was less intensive in SCC compared with SED and VC, and collagen IV expression was increased in VC compared with SED. Discontinuities of laminin, collagen IV and fibronectin were more evident in SED than in VC. This study indicates that VC has a biological behaviour different from SED or SCC, observable by immunohistochemistry in the BM zone.

[Lung dysfunction in patients with mild chronic obstructive bronchitis].

PubMed

Nefedov, V B; Popova, L A; Shergina, E A

2004-01-01

VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, TCL, TGV, RV, Ravt, Riin, Rex, DLCO-SS, PaO2, and PaO2 were determined in 33 patients with mild chronic obstructive lung disease (FEV1 > 70% of the normal value). All the patients were found to have impaired bronchial patency; most (63.6%) patients had lung volume and capacity changes, almost half (45.5%) the patients had pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction. Impaired bronchial patency mainly appeared as decreased MEF50, MEF15, and FEV1/VC%; altered lung volumes and capacities manifested chiefly by increased RV and decreased VC; pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction showed up primarily as lowered PaO2. The magnitude of the observed functional changes was generally slight. MEF50, MEF75, FEV1/VC%, and VC dropped to 59-20 and 79-70% of the normal value, respectively. RV increased up to 142-196% of the normal value; PaO2 reduced up to 79-60% mm Hg.

Dietary l-Lysine Prevents Arterial Calcification in Adenine-Induced Uremic Rats

PubMed Central

Shimomura, Akihiro; Matsui, Isao; Hamano, Takayuki; Ishimoto, Takuya; Katou, Yumiko; Takehana, Kenji; Inoue, Kazunori; Kusunoki, Yasuo; Mori, Daisuke; Nakano, Chikako; Obi, Yoshitsugu; Fujii, Naohiko; Takabatake, Yoshitsugu; Nakano, Takayoshi; Tsubakihara, Yoshiharu; Rakugi, Hiromi

2014-01-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is a life-threatening complication of CKD. Severe protein restriction causes a shortage of essential amino acids, and exacerbates VC in rats. Therefore, we investigated the effects of dietary l-lysine, the first-limiting amino acid of cereal grains, on VC. Male Sprague-Dawley rats at age 13 weeks were divided randomly into four groups: low-protein (LP) diet (group LP), LP diet+adenine (group Ade), LP diet+adenine+glycine (group Gly) as a control amino acid group, and LP diet+adenine+l-lysine·HCl (group Lys). At age 18 weeks, group LP had no VC, whereas groups Ade and Gly had comparable levels of severe VC. l-Lysine supplementation almost completely ameliorated VC. Physical parameters and serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, and phosphate did not differ among groups Ade, Gly, and Lys. Notably, serum calcium in group Lys was slightly but significantly higher than in groups Ade and Gly. Dietary l-lysine strongly suppressed plasma intact parathyroid hormone in adenine rats and supported a proper bone-vascular axis. The conserved orientation of the femoral apatite in group Lys also evidenced the bone-protective effects of l-lysine. Dietary l-lysine elevated plasma alanine, proline, arginine, and homoarginine but not lysine. Analyses in vitro demonstrated that alanine and proline inhibit apoptosis of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, and that arginine and homoarginine attenuate mineral precipitations in a supersaturated calcium/phosphate solution. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of l-lysine ameliorated VC by modifying key pathways that exacerbate VC. PMID:24652795

Evaluating How Post-Bronchodilator Vital Capacities Affect the Diagnosis of Obstruction in Pulmonary Function Tests.

PubMed

Blagev, Denitza P; Sorenson, Dean; Linares-Perdomo, Olinto; Bamberg, Stacy; Hegewald, Matthew; Morris, Alan H

2016-11-01

Although the ratio of FEV 1 to the vital capacity (VC) is universally accepted as the cornerstone of pulmonary function test (PFT) interpretation, FVC remains in common use. We sought to determine what the differences in PFT interpretation were when the largest measured vital capacity (VC max ) was used instead of the FVC. We included 12,238 consecutive PFTs obtained for routine clinical care. We interpreted all PFTs first using FVC in the interpretation algorithm and then again using the VC max , obtained either before or after administration of inhaled bronchodilator. Six percent of PFTs had an interpretive change when VC max was used instead of FVC. The most common changes were: new diagnosis of obstruction and exclusion of restriction (previously suggested by low FVC without total lung capacity measured by body plethysmography). A nonspecific pattern occurred in 3% of all PFT interpretations with FVC. One fifth of these 3% produced a new diagnosis of obstruction with VC max . The largest factors predicting a change in PFT interpretation with VC max were a positive bronchodilator response and the administration of a bronchodilator. Larger FVCs decreased the odds of PFT interpretation change. Surprisingly, the increased numbers of PFT tests did not increase odds of PFT interpretation change. Six percent of PFTs have a different interpretation when VC max is used instead of FVC. Evaluating borderline or ambiguous PFTs using the VC max may be informative in diagnosing obstruction and excluding restriction. Copyright © 2016 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Photosynthesis, Earth System Models and the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, A.; Sloan, V. L.; Xu, C.; Wullschleger, S. D.

2013-12-01

The primary goal of Earth System Models (ESMs) is to improve understanding and projection of future global change. In order to do this they must accurately represent the huge carbon fluxes associated with the terrestrial carbon cycle. Photosynthetic CO2 uptake is the largest of these fluxes, and is well described by the Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry (FvCB) model of photosynthesis. Most ESMs use a derivation of the FvCB model to calculate gross primary productivity (GPP). One of the key parameters required by the FvCB model is an estimate of the maximum rate of carboxylation by the enzyme Rubisco (Vc,max). In ESMs the parameter Vc,max is usually fixed for a given plant functional type (PFT). Although Arctic GPP a small flux relative to global GPP, uncertainty is large. Only four ESMs currently have an explicit Arctic PFT and the data used to derive Vc,max for the Arctic PFT in these models relies on small data sets and unjustified assumptions. As part of a multidisciplinary project to improve the representation of the Arctic in ESMs (Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments - Arctic) we examined the derivation of Vc,max in current Arctic PFTs and estimated Vc,max for 12 species representing both dominant vegetation and key PFTs growing on the Barrow Environmental Observatory, Barrow, AK. The values of Vc,max currently used to represent Arctic PFTs in ESMs are 70% lower than the values we measured in these species. Separate measurements of CO2 assimilation (A) made at ambient conditions were compared with A modeled using the Vc,max values we measured in Barrow and those used by the ESMs. The A modeled with the Vc,max values used by the ESMs was 80% lower than the observed A. When our measured Vc,max values were used, modeled A was within 5% of observed A. Examination of the derivation of Vc,max in ESMs identified that the cause of the relatively low Vc,max value was the result of underestimating both the leaf N content and the investment of that N in Rubisco. Here we have identified possible improvements to the derivation of Vc,max in ESMs and provided new physiological characterization of Arctic species that is mechanistically consistent with observed leaf level CO2 uptake. These data suggest that the Arctic tundra has a much greater capacity for CO2 uptake than is currently represented in ESMs. Our parameterization can be used in future model projections to improve representation of the Arctic landscape in ESMs.

Effects of faba beans with different concentrations of vicine and convicine on egg production, egg quality and red blood cells in laying hens.

PubMed

Lessire, M; Gallo, V; Prato, M; Akide-Ndunge, O; Mandili, G; Marget, P; Arese, P; Duc, G

2017-08-01

The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a potential source of proteins for poultry, mainly for laying hens whose protein requirements are lower than those of other birds such as growing broilers and turkeys. However, this feedstuff contains anti-nutritional factors, that is, vicine (V) and convicine (C) that are already known to reduce laying hen performance. The aim of the experiment reported here was to evaluate the effects of a wide range of dietary V and C concentrations in laying hens. Two trials were performed with laying hens fed diets including 20% or 25% of faba bean genotypes highly contrasting in V+C content. In Trial 1, faba beans from two tannin-containing cultivars, but with high or low V+C content were dehulled in order to eliminate the tannin effect. In addition to the contrasting levels of V+C in the two cultivars, two intermediate levels of V+C were obtained by mixing the two cultivars (70/30 and 30/70). In Trial 2, two isogenic zero-tannin faba bean genotypes with high or low V+C content were used. In both trials, a classical corn-soybean diet was also offered to control hens. Each experimental diet was given to 48 laying hens for 140 (Trial 1) or 89 (Trial 2) days. Laying performance and egg quality were measured. The redox sensitivity of red blood cells (RBCs) was assessed by measuring hemolysis and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration in these cells. Egg weight was significantly reduced by the diets containing the highest concentrations of V+C (P<0.0001) in Trial 1 and slightly reduced (P<0.10) in Trial 2, but only weak linear relationships between egg weight and dietary V+C concentration were established. No negative effect of V+C level was observed for egg quality parameters. In contrast, certain parameters (i.e. Haugh units, yolk color) were improved by feeding low V+C diets (P<0.05). Hemolysis of RBCs was higher in hens fed high V+C diets. A decrease in GSH concentration in RBCs of hens fed the highest levels of V+C was observed. Faba bean genotypes with low concentrations of V+C can therefore be used in laying hen diets up to 25% without any detrimental effects on performance levels or egg characteristics, without any risk of hemolysis of RBCs.

Optimal eavesdropping in cryptography with three-dimensional quantum states.

PubMed

Bruss, D; Macchiavello, C

2002-03-25

We study optimal eavesdropping in quantum cryptography with three-dimensional systems, and show that this scheme is more secure against symmetric attacks than protocols using two-dimensional states. We generalize the according eavesdropping transformation to arbitrary dimensions, and discuss the connection with optimal quantum cloning.

Quantum cryptography using single-particle entanglement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Jae-Weon; Lee, Eok Kyun; Chung, Yong Wook

2003-07-01

A quantum cryptography scheme based on entanglement between a single-particle state and a vacuum state is proposed. The scheme utilizes linear optics devices to detect the superposition of the vacuum and single-particle states. Existence of an eavesdropper can be detected by using a variant of Bell's inequality.

A European randomised controlled trial of the addition of etoposide to standard vincristine and carboplatin induction as part of an 18-month treatment programme for childhood (≤16 years) low grade glioma - A final report.

PubMed

Gnekow, Astrid K; Walker, David A; Kandels, Daniela; Picton, Susan; Giorgio Perilongo; Grill, Jacques; Stokland, Tore; Sandstrom, Per Eric; Warmuth-Metz, Monika; Pietsch, Torsten; Giangaspero, Felice; Schmidt, René; Faldum, Andreas; Kilmartin, Denise; De Paoli, Angela; De Salvo, Gian Luca

2017-08-01

The use of chemotherapy to manage newly diagnosed low grade glioma (LGG) was first introduced in the 1980s. One randomised trial has studied two- versus four-drug regimens with a duration of 12 months of treatment after resection. Within the European comprehensive treatment strategy for childhood LGG, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology-Low Grade Glioma (SIOP LGG) Committee launched a randomised trial involving 118 institutions and 11 countries to investigate the addition of etoposide (100 mg/m 2 , days 1, 2 & 3) to a four-course induction of vincristine (1.5 mg/m 2  × 10 wkly) and carboplatin (550 mg/m 2 q 3 weekly) as part of 18-month continuing treatment programme. Patients were recruited after imaging diagnosis, resection or biopsy with progressive disease/symptoms. Some 497 newly diagnosed patients (M/F 231/266; median age 4.26 years (interquartile range (IQR) 2.02-7.06)) were randomised to receive vincristine carboplatin (VC) (n = 249) or VC plus etoposide (VCE) during induction (n = 248), stratified by age and tumour site. No differences between the two arms were found in term of survival and radiological response. Response and non-progression rates at 24 weeks for VC and VCE, were 46% versus 41%, and 93% versus 91% respectively; 5-year Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) were 46% (StDev 3.5) versus 45% (StDev 3.5) and 89% (StDev 2.1) versus 89% (StDev 2.1) respectively. Age and diencephalic syndrome are adverse clinical risk factors for PFS and OS. 5-year OS for patients in early progression at week 24 were 46% (StDev 13.8) and 49% (StDev 16.5) in the two arms, respectively. The addition of etoposide to VC did not improve PFS or OS. High non-progression rates at 24 weeks justify retaining VC as standard first-line therapy. Infants with diencephalic syndrome and early progression need new treatments to be tested. Future trials should use neurological/visual and toxicity outcomes and be designed to discriminate between the impact on disease outcomes of 'duration of therapy' and 'age at stopping therapy'. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Quantifying the Presence and Activity of Aerobic, Vinyl Chloride-Degrading Microorganisms in Dilute Groundwater Plumes by Using Real-Time PCR

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

throughout the observation period. A 0.25-ml Pressure-Lok gas -tight syringe with a side-ported needle was used to take 0.1 ml headspace samples during...33. Biodegradation of methane, VC and a methane+VC mixture by methane enrichment cultures derived from Carver well RB63I. These results indicate that...VC and a methane+VC mixture by methane enrichment cultures derived from Carver well RB63I. These results are a repeat of the experiment depicted in

Comparison of Lyophilized Glutaraldehyde-Preserved Bovine Pericardium with Different Vascular Prostheses for Use as Vocal Cords Implants: Experimental Study

PubMed Central

Olmos-Zuñiga, J. Raúl; Jasso-Victoria, Rogelio; Gaxiola-Gaxiola, Miguel; Sotres-Vega, Avelina; Hernández-Jiménez, Claudia; Baltazares-Lipp, Matilde; Arredondo del Bosque, Fernando; Santillan-Doherty, Patricio

2015-01-01

This study compared the use of lyophilized glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium (LGPBP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and Teflon felt (TF) as implants for vocal cords (VC) medialization and aimed to assess the endoscopic, macroscopic, and microscopic VC changes after medialization in a canine model. In 18 mongrel dogs, the right VC were medialized with LGPBP and the left were implanted as follows: Group I (n = 6): LGPBP and PTFE; Group II (n = 6): LGPBP and PET; Group III (n = 6): LGPBP and TF. Surgical handling of the implants was compared. Three months after surgery, macroscopic and microscopic changes of VC and implants were evaluated. LGPBP offered the best surgical handling (p = 0.005, Kruskal-Wallis). TF implants showed extrusion (p = 0.005, Kruskal-Wallis) and severe inflammation. All VC formed fibrous capsules around the implants; the ones developed by LGPBP implants were thinner (p = 0.001, ANOVA, Tukey). VC implanted with synthetic materials showed eosinophilic infiltration (p = 0.01, Kruskal-Wallis). We concluded that the LGPBP could be used as an implant for VC medialization because it is biocompatible, easy to handle and remove during surgical procedures, and nonabsorbable or extrudable and produces an inflammatory reaction similar to PTFE and PET. PMID:26075232

Listening to Schneiderian Voices: A Novel Phenomenological Analysis

PubMed Central

Rosen, Cherise; Chase, Kayla A.; Jones, Nev; Grossman, Linda S.; Gin, Hannah; Sharma, Rajiv P.

2016-01-01

Background/Aims This paper reports on analyses designed to elucidate phenomenological characteristics, content and experience specifically targeting participants with Schneiderian voices conversing/commenting (VC) while exploring difference in clinical presentation and quality of life compared to those with voices not conversing (VNC). Methods This mixed-method investigation of Schneiderian voices included standardized clinical metrics and exploratory phenomenological interviews designed to elicit in-depth information about characteristics, content, meaning and personification of AVHs. Results The subjective experience of VC show a striking pattern of VC that are experienced as internal at initial onset and during longer-term course of illness when compared to the VNC group. Participants in the VC group were more likely to attribute origins of their voices to an external source such as God, telepathic communication, or mediumistic sources. VC and VNC were described as characterological entities that were distinct from self (I/we versus you). We also found an association between VC and positive, cognitive, and depression symptom profile. However, we did not find a significant group difference in overall quality of life. Conclusions The clinical portrait of VC is complex, multisensory, and distinct, and suggests a need for further research into biopsychosocial interface between subjective experience, socioenvironmental constraints, individual psychology, and biological architecture of intersecting symptoms. PMID:27304081

Potential protection of vitamin C against liver-lesioned mice.

PubMed

Su, Min; Chen, Hongqiu; Wei, Chaohe; Chen, Ning; Wu, Wei

2014-10-01

Pathologically, liver injury can result from sustained trauma to hepatocytes, including acute damage. Thus, attenuation of hepatocellular lesion may help improve liver functions. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential advantages of vitamin C (VC) intake on acutely intralesional liver in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-exposed mice. Here our data showed that VC supplementation contributed to ameliorated vital signs of CCl4-lesioned mice, resulting in dose-dependent reduction of hepatomegaly. VC lowered the levels of liver functional enzymes including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (AST) in serum, while concentration of lactic acid concentration in blood plasma was decreased. VC-administered CCl4-lesioned mice manifested increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was reduced in liver tissue. Moreover, VC consumption attenuated hepatotoxic injuries of CCl4-lesioned mice, in which the number of TNF-α positive cells was dose-dependently reduced. Furthermore, intrahepatic expression of TRL-4 mRNA, a vital inflammation-regulator, was down-regulated in VC-administered mice. Overall, we conclude that VC has the potentiality of anti-hepatotoxicity that is capable of ameliorating liver functions, speculating that therapeutic mechanism relates to normalizing metabolism and blocking inflammatory stress in the liver. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of lyophilized glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium with different vascular prostheses for use as vocal cords implants: experimental study.

PubMed

Olmos-Zuñiga, J Raúl; Jasso-Victoria, Rogelio; Gaxiola-Gaxiola, Miguel; Sotres-Vega, Avelina; Hernández-Jiménez, Claudia; Baltazares-Lipp, Matilde; Arredondo del Bosque, Fernando; Santillan-Doherty, Patricio

2015-01-01

This study compared the use of lyophilized glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium (LGPBP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and Teflon felt (TF) as implants for vocal cords (VC) medialization and aimed to assess the endoscopic, macroscopic, and microscopic VC changes after medialization in a canine model. In 18 mongrel dogs, the right VC were medialized with LGPBP and the left were implanted as follows: Group I (n = 6): LGPBP and PTFE; Group II (n = 6): LGPBP and PET; Group III (n = 6): LGPBP and TF. Surgical handling of the implants was compared. Three months after surgery, macroscopic and microscopic changes of VC and implants were evaluated. LGPBP offered the best surgical handling (p = 0.005, Kruskal-Wallis). TF implants showed extrusion (p = 0.005, Kruskal-Wallis) and severe inflammation. All VC formed fibrous capsules around the implants; the ones developed by LGPBP implants were thinner (p = 0.001, ANOVA, Tukey). VC implanted with synthetic materials showed eosinophilic infiltration (p = 0.01, Kruskal-Wallis). We concluded that the LGPBP could be used as an implant for VC medialization because it is biocompatible, easy to handle and remove during surgical procedures, and nonabsorbable or extrudable and produces an inflammatory reaction similar to PTFE and PET.

Improving the representation of Arctic photosynthesis in Earth system models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, A.; Serbin, S.; Ely, K.; Sloan, V. L.; Wyatt, R. A.; Kubien, D. S.; Ali, A. A.; Xu, C.; Wullschleger, S. D.

2015-12-01

The primary goal of Earth System Models (ESMs) is to improve understanding and projection of future global change. In order to do this they must accurately represent the carbon fluxes associated with the terrestrial carbon cycle. Although Arctic carbon fluxes are small - relative to global carbon fluxes - uncertainty is large. As part of a multidisciplinary project to improve the representation of the Arctic in ESMs (Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments - Arctic) we are examining the photosynthetic parameterization of the Arctic plant functional type (PFT) in ESMs. Photosynthetic CO2 uptake is well described by the Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry (FvCB) model of photosynthesis. Most ESMs use a derivation of the FvCB model to calculate gross primary productivity. Two key parameters required by the FvCB model are an estimate of the maximum rate of carboxylation by the enzyme Rubisco (Vc,max) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax). In ESMs the parameter Vc,max is usually fixed for a given PFT. Only four ESMs currently have an explicit Arctic PFT and the data used to derive Vc,max for the Arctic PFT in these models relies on small data sets and unjustified assumptions. We examined the derivation of Vc,max and Jmax in current Arctic PFTs and estimated Vc,max and Jmax for 7 species representing both dominant vegetation and key Arctic PFTs growing on the Barrow Environmental Observatory, Barrow, AK. The values of Vc,max currently used to represent Arctic PFTs in ESMs are 70% lower than the values we measured in these species. Examination of the derivation of Vc,max in ESMs identified that the cause of the relatively low Vc,max value was the result of underestimating both the leaf N content and the investment of that N in Rubisco. Contemporary temperature response functions for Vc,max also appear to underestimate Vc,max at low temperature. ESMs typically use a single multiplier (JVratio) to convert Vc,max to Jmax for all PFTs. We found that the JVratio of Arctic plants is higher than current estimates suggesting that the Arctic PFT will be more responsive to rising carbon dioxide than currently projected. Our data suggest that the Arctic tundra has a much greater capacity for CO2 uptake, particularly at low temperature, and will be more CO2 responsive than is currently represented in ESMs.

A randomized comparison of a novel nitinol-frame low-dose-copper intrauterine contraceptive and a copper T380S intrauterine contraceptive.

PubMed

Reeves, Matthew F; Katz, Bob H; Canela, Juan M; Hathaway, Mark J; Tal, Michael G

2017-06-01

We sought to compare VeraCept (VC175), a novel nitinol intrauterine contraceptive (IUC) with 175 square-mm of copper surface area, to a copper T380S IUC. We enrolled parous women into a randomized subject-blinded comparison of VC175 and a copper T380S in a 2:1 fashion at a single clinic. The primary outcomes were total adverse events and continuation at 12 months. We also examined pain on insertion, ease of placement, expulsion, tolerability and pregnancy. Subjective ratings were on a 5-point Likert scale (0, no pain to 5, worst pain). We followed subjects through 24-month follow-up. We enrolled 300 women with 199 randomized to VC175 and 101 to the T380S. Insertion was successful in 198 subjects for VC175 and 100 for the T380S. Mean age was 25 years (range 18, 41), and median parity was 2 (range 1, 8), with 39% having only had Cesarean deliveries. No subjects developed clinical infection or reported serious adverse events. In the VC175 and T380S groups, mean pain at insertion was 1.4 and 2.4, respectively (p<.01). At the 12-month primary endpoint for VC175 and T380S, respectively, continuation was 84% and 68% (p<.002) with expulsions in 5.0% and 12.0% (p<.05) and removal for pain/bleeding in 3.5% and 17.0% (p<.01). At the 24-month visit for VC175 and T380S, respectively, continuation was 77% and 62% (p<.02 by log-rank). One ectopic pregnancy was identified at the 12-month follow-up in a VC175 user. No other pregnancies were diagnosed. With 297.3 and 132.4 woman-years, pregnancy rates were 0.3 and 0.0 per 100 woman-years for VC175 and T380S, respectively. VC175 resulted in less pain at insertion, fewer expulsions and higher total continuation than the T380S, with similar contraceptive efficacy. VC175 is a promising new intrauterine copper contraceptive on a nitinol frame that warrants further clinical trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are there sex differences in the capillary blood volume and diffusing capacity response to exercise?

PubMed

Bouwsema, Melissa M; Tedjasaputra, Vincent; Stickland, Michael K

2017-03-01

Previous work suggests that women may exhibit a greater respiratory limitation in exercise compared with height-matched men. Diffusion capacity (Dl CO ) increases with incremental exercise, and the smaller lungs of women may limit membrane diffusing capacity (Dm) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) in response to the increased oxygen demand. We hypothesized that women would have lower Dl CO , Dl CO relative to cardiac output (Dl CO /Q̇), Dm, Vc, and pulmonary transit time, secondary to lower Vc at peak exercise. Sixteen women (112 ± 12% predicted relative V̇o 2peak ) and sixteen men (118 ± 22% predicted relative V̇o 2peak ) were matched for height and weight. Hemoglobin-corrected diffusing capacity (Dl CO ), Vc, and Dm were determined via the multiple-[Formula: see text] Dl CO technique at rest and during incremental exercise up to 90% of V̇o 2peak Both groups increased Dl CO , Vc, and Dm with exercise intensity, but women had 20% lower Dl CO ( P < 0.001), 18% lower Vc ( P = 0.002), and 22% lower Dm ( P < 0.001) compared with men across all workloads, and neither group exhibited a plateau in Vc. When expressed relative to alveolar volume (Va), the between-sex difference was eliminated. The drop in Dl CO /Q̇ was proportionally less in women than men, and mean pulmonary transit time did not drop below 0.3 s in either group. Women demonstrate consistently lower Dl CO , Vc, and Dm compared with height-matched men during exercise; however, these differences disappear with correction for lung size. These results suggest that after differences in lung volume are accounted for there is no intrinsic sex difference in the Dl CO , Vc, or Dm response to exercise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Women demonstrate lower diffusing capacity-to-cardiac output ratio (Dl CO /Q̇), pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc), and membrane diffusing capacity (Dm) compared with height-matched men during exercise. However, these differences disappear after correction for lung size. The drop in Dl CO /Q̇ was proportionally less in women, and pulmonary transit time did not drop below 0.3 s in either group. After differences in lung volume are accounted for, there is no intrinsic sex difference in Dl CO , Vc, or Dm response to exercise. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Dual function seal: visualized digital signature for electronic medical record systems.

PubMed

Yu, Yao-Chang; Hou, Ting-Wei; Chiang, Tzu-Chiang

2012-10-01

Digital signature is an important cryptography technology to be used to provide integrity and non-repudiation in electronic medical record systems (EMRS) and it is required by law. However, digital signatures normally appear in forms unrecognizable to medical staff, this may reduce the trust from medical staff that is used to the handwritten signatures or seals. Therefore, in this paper we propose a dual function seal to extend user trust from a traditional seal to a digital signature. The proposed dual function seal is a prototype that combines the traditional seal and digital seal. With this prototype, medical personnel are not just can put a seal on paper but also generate a visualized digital signature for electronic medical records. Medical Personnel can then look at the visualized digital signature and directly know which medical personnel generated it, just like with a traditional seal. Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is used as an image processing method to generate a visualized digital signature, and the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) is calculated to verify that distortions of all converted images are beyond human recognition, and the results of our converted images are from 70 dB to 80 dB. The signature recoverability is also tested in this proposed paper to ensure that the visualized digital signature is verifiable. A simulated EMRS is implemented to show how the visualized digital signature can be integrity into EMRS.

Cryptographic Research and NSA: Report of the Public Cryptography Study Group.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davida, George I.

1981-01-01

The Public Cryptography Study Group accepted the claim made by the National Security Agency that some information in some publications concerning cryptology could be inimical to national security, and is allowing the establishment of a voluntary mechanism, on an experimental basis, for NSA to review cryptology manuscripts. (MLW)

Characterization of collective Gaussian attacks and security of coherent-state quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Pirandola, Stefano; Braunstein, Samuel L; Lloyd, Seth

2008-11-14

We provide a simple description of the most general collective Gaussian attack in continuous-variable quantum cryptography. In the scenario of such general attacks, we analyze the asymptotic secret-key rates which are achievable with coherent states, joint measurements of the quadratures and one-way classical communication.

The Design and Evaluation of a Cryptography Teaching Strategy for Software Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowling, T.

2006-01-01

The present paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a cryptography module for final-year software engineering students. The emphasis is on implementation architectures and practical cryptanalysis rather than a standard mathematical approach. The competitive continuous assessment process reflects this approach and rewards…

The Vigenere Cipher with the TI-83

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Michael; Yankosky, Bill

2004-01-01

Cryptology, the science of secret writing, is a great way to introduce students to different areas of mathematics such as number theory, linear algebra, probability and statistics. Cryptology consists of two branches: cryptography and cryptanalysis. Cryptography is the science of designing techniques for encrypting and decrypting a message.…

Harry Potter and the Cryptography with Matrices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chua, Boon Liang

2006-01-01

This article describes Cryptography, defined as the science of encrypting and deciphering messages written in secret codes, it has played a vital role in securing information since ancient times. There are several cryptographic techniques and many make extensive use of mathematics to secure information. The author discusses an activity built…

Cost Comparison Among Provable Data Possession Schemes

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

possession,” in Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Ap- plied Cryptography and Network Security. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2013...curves,” in Security and Cryptography (SECRYPT), 2013 International Conference on, July 2013, pp. 1–12. [19] R. S. Kumar and A. Saxena, “Data integrity

Enhancing Undergraduate Mathematics Curriculum via Coding Theory and Cryptography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Nuh

2009-01-01

The theory of error-correcting codes and cryptography are two relatively recent applications of mathematics to information and communication systems. The mathematical tools used in these fields generally come from algebra, elementary number theory, and combinatorics, including concepts from computational complexity. It is possible to introduce the…

Cryptographer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Megan

2005-01-01

For the general public, the field of cryptography has recently become famous as the method used to uncover secrets in Dan Brown's fictional bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. But the science of cryptography has been popular for centuries--secret hieroglyphics discovered in Egypt suggest that code-making dates back almost 4,000 years. In today's…

Steganography and Cryptography Inspired Enhancement of Introductory Programming Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kortsarts, Yana; Kempner, Yulia

2015-01-01

Steganography is the art and science of concealing communication. The goal of steganography is to hide the very existence of information exchange by embedding messages into unsuspicious digital media covers. Cryptography, or secret writing, is the study of the methods of encryption, decryption and their use in communications protocols.…

Vital capacity and COPD: the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS).

PubMed

Torén, Kjell; Olin, Anna-Carin; Lindberg, Anne; Vikgren, Jenny; Schiöler, Linus; Brandberg, John; Johnsson, Åse; Engström, Gunnar; Persson, H Lennart; Sköld, Magnus; Hedner, Jan; Lindberg, Eva; Malinovschi, Andrei; Piitulainen, Eeva; Wollmer, Per; Rosengren, Annika; Janson, Christer; Blomberg, Anders; Bergström, Göran

2016-01-01

Spirometric diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based on the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/vital capacity (VC), either as a fixed value <0.7 or below the lower limit of normal (LLN). Forced vital capacity (FVC) is a proxy for VC. The first aim was to compare the use of FVC and VC, assessed as the highest value of FVC or slow vital capacity (SVC), when assessing the FEV1/VC ratio in a general population setting. The second aim was to evaluate the characteristics of subjects with COPD who obtained a higher SVC than FVC. Subjects (n=1,050) aged 50-64 years were investigated with FEV1, FVC, and SVC after bronchodilation. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) COPDFVC was defined as FEV1/FVC <0.7, GOLDCOPDVC as FEV1/VC <0.7 using the maximum value of FVC or SVC, LLNCOPDFVC as FEV1/FVC below the LLN, and LLNCOPDVC as FEV1/VC below the LLN using the maximum value of FVC or SVC. Prevalence of GOLDCOPDFVC was 10.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.2-12.0) and the prevalence of LLNCOPDFVC was 9.5% (95% CI 7.8-11.4). When estimates were based on VC, the prevalence became higher; 16.4% (95% CI 14.3-18.9) and 15.6% (95% CI 13.5-17.9) for GOLDCOPDVC and LLNCOPDVC, respectively. The group of additional subjects classified as having COPD based on VC, had lower FEV1, more wheeze and higher residual volume compared to subjects without any COPD. The prevalence of COPD was significantly higher when the ratio FEV1/VC was calculated using the highest value of SVC or FVC compared with using FVC only. Subjects classified as having COPD when using the VC concept were more obstructive and with indications of air trapping. Hence, the use of only FVC when assessing airflow limitation may result in a considerable under diagnosis of subjects with mild COPD.

Dietary L-lysine prevents arterial calcification in adenine-induced uremic rats.

PubMed

Shimomura, Akihiro; Matsui, Isao; Hamano, Takayuki; Ishimoto, Takuya; Katou, Yumiko; Takehana, Kenji; Inoue, Kazunori; Kusunoki, Yasuo; Mori, Daisuke; Nakano, Chikako; Obi, Yoshitsugu; Fujii, Naohiko; Takabatake, Yoshitsugu; Nakano, Takayoshi; Tsubakihara, Yoshiharu; Isaka, Yoshitaka; Rakugi, Hiromi

2014-09-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is a life-threatening complication of CKD. Severe protein restriction causes a shortage of essential amino acids, and exacerbates VC in rats. Therefore, we investigated the effects of dietary l-lysine, the first-limiting amino acid of cereal grains, on VC. Male Sprague-Dawley rats at age 13 weeks were divided randomly into four groups: low-protein (LP) diet (group LP), LP diet+adenine (group Ade), LP diet+adenine+glycine (group Gly) as a control amino acid group, and LP diet+adenine+l-lysine·HCl (group Lys). At age 18 weeks, group LP had no VC, whereas groups Ade and Gly had comparable levels of severe VC. l-Lysine supplementation almost completely ameliorated VC. Physical parameters and serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, and phosphate did not differ among groups Ade, Gly, and Lys. Notably, serum calcium in group Lys was slightly but significantly higher than in groups Ade and Gly. Dietary l-lysine strongly suppressed plasma intact parathyroid hormone in adenine rats and supported a proper bone-vascular axis. The conserved orientation of the femoral apatite in group Lys also evidenced the bone-protective effects of l-lysine. Dietary l-lysine elevated plasma alanine, proline, arginine, and homoarginine but not lysine. Analyses in vitro demonstrated that alanine and proline inhibit apoptosis of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, and that arginine and homoarginine attenuate mineral precipitations in a supersaturated calcium/phosphate solution. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of l-lysine ameliorated VC by modifying key pathways that exacerbate VC. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Calcium Overload Accelerates Phosphate-Induced Vascular Calcification Via Pit-1, but not the Calcium-Sensing Receptor.

PubMed

Masumoto, Asuka; Sonou, Tomohiro; Ohya, Masaki; Yashiro, Mitsuru; Nakashima, Yuri; Okuda, Kouji; Iwashita, Yuko; Mima, Toru; Negi, Shigeo; Shigematsu, Takashi

2017-07-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is a risk factor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD-mineral and bone metabolism disorder is an important problem in patients with renal failure. Abnormal levels of serum phosphate and calcium affect CKD-mineral and bone metabolism disorder and contribute to bone disease, VC, and cardiovascular disease. Hypercalcemia is a contributing factor in progression of VC in patients with CKD. However, the mechanisms of how calcium promotes intracellular calcification are still unclear. This study aimed to examine the mechanisms underlying calcium-induced calcification in a rat aortic tissue culture model. Aortic segments from 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured in serum-supplemented medium for 10 days. We added high calcium (HiCa; calcium 3.0 mM) to high phosphate (HPi; phosphate 3.8 mM) medium to accelerate phosphate and calcium-induced VC. We used phosphonoformic acid and the calcimimetic R-568 to determine whether the mechanism of calcification involves Pit-1 or the calcium-sensing receptor. Medial VC was significantly augmented by HPi+HiCa medium compared with HPi alone (300%, p＜0.05), and was associated with upregulation of Pit-1 protein. Pit-1 protein concentrations in HPi+HiCa medium were greater than those in HPi medium. Phosphonoformic acid completely negated the augmentation of medial VC induced by HPi+HiCa. R-568 had no additive direct effect on medial VC. These results indicated that exposure to HPi+HiCa accelerates medial VC, and this is mediated through Pit-1, not the calcium-sensing receptor.

Exploratory analysis of a phase III trial of pirfenidone identifies a subpopulation of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as benefiting from treatment

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A phase III trial in Japan showed that pirfenidone is effective for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). To find out which patients specifically benefit from pirfenidone, we analyzed in an exploratory manner the data from the phase III trial. Methods The patients in the phase III trial were stratified by baseline percentage predicted vital capacity (%VC), arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), and the lowest oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) during the 6-minute steady-state exercise test (6MET). In the subpopulations, changes in VC and subjective symptoms (cough and dyspnea on the Fletcher, Hugh-Jones [F, H-J] Classification scale) were evaluated in patients treated with high-dose (1800 mg/day) pirfenidone, low-dose (1200 mg/day) pirfenidone, and placebo at week 52. Results Significant efficacy of pirfenidone in reducing the decline in VC could be seen in a subpopulation having %VC ≥ 70% and SpO2 < 90% at baseline. This favorable effect was accompanied by categorical change in VC and progression-free survival time. In the subpopulation, pirfenidone significantly suppressed cough and dyspnea. Conclusions IPF patients having %VC ≥ 70% and SpO2 < 90% at baseline will most likely benefit from pirfenidone when evaluated using changes in VC (and %VC), and cough and dyspnea symptoms. This subpopulation could expect to benefit most from pirfenidone treatment. Trial Registration This clinical trial was registered with the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center (JAPIC) on September 13th, 2005 (Registration Number: JAPICCTI-050121). PMID:22035508

Additive effect on reductive decomposition and binding of carbonate-based solvent toward solid electrolyte interphase formation in lithium-ion battery.

PubMed

Ushirogata, Keisuke; Sodeyama, Keitaro; Okuno, Yukihiro; Tateyama, Yoshitaka

2013-08-14

The solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed through the reductive decomposition of solvent molecules plays a crucial role in the stability and capability of a lithium-ion battery (LIB). Here we investigated the effects of adding vinylene carbonate (VC) to ethylene carbonate (EC) solvent, a typical electrolyte in LIBs, on the reductive decomposition. We focused on both thermodynamics and kinetics of the possible processes and used density functional theory-based molecular dynamics with explicit solvent and Blue-moon ensemble technique for the free energy change. We considered Li(+) in only EC solvent (EC system) and in EC solvent with a VC additive (EC/VC system) to elucidate the additive effects. In addition to clarifying the equilibrium properties, we evaluated the free energy changes along several EC or VC decomposition pathways under one-electron (1e) reduction condition. Two-electron (2e) reduction and attacks of anion radicals to intact molecules were also examined. The present results completely reproduce the gaseous products observed in the experiments. We also found a new mechanism involving the VC additive: the VC additive preferentially reacts with the EC anion radical to suppress the 2e reduction of EC and enhance the initial SEI formation, contrary to the conventional scenario in which VC additive is sacrificially reduced and its radical oligomerization becomes the source of SEI. Because our mechanism needs only 1e reduction, the irreversible capacity at the SEI formation will decrease, which is also consistent with the experimental observations. These results reveal the primary role of VC additive in the EC solvent.

The vitamin C:vitamin K3 system - enhancers and inhibitors of the anticancer effect.

PubMed

Lamson, Davis W; Gu, Yu-Huan; Plaza, Steven M; Brignall, Matthew S; Brinton, Cathy A; Sadlon, Angela E

2010-12-01

The oxidizing anticancer system of vitamin C and vitamin K₃ (VC:VK₃, producing hydrogen peroxide via superoxide) was combined individually with melatonin, curcumin, quercetin, or cholecalciferol (VD₃) to determine interactions. Substrates were LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines. Three of the tested antioxidants displayed differences in cell line cytotoxicity. Melatonin combined with VC:VK₃ quenched the oxidizing effect, while VC:VK₃ applied 24 hours after melatonin showed no quenching. With increasing curcumin concentrations, an apparent combined effect of VC:VK₃ and curcumin occurred in LNCaP cells, but not PC-3 cells. Quercetin alone was cytotoxic on both cell lines, but demonstrated an additional 50-percent cytotoxicity on PC-3 cells when combined with VC:VK₃. VD₃ was effective against both cell lines, with more effect on PC-3. This effect was negated on LNCaP cells with the addition of VC:VK₃. In conclusion, a natural antioxidant can enhance or decrease the cytotoxicity of an oxidizing anticancer system in vitro, but generalizations about antioxidants cannot be made.

Chromosome aberrations detected by conventional karyotyping using novel mitogens in chronic lymphocytic leukemia with "normal" FISH: correlations with clinicobiologic parameters.

PubMed

Rigolin, Gian Matteo; Cibien, Francesca; Martinelli, Sara; Formigaro, Luca; Rizzotto, Lara; Tammiso, Elisa; Saccenti, Elena; Bardi, Antonella; Cavazzini, Francesco; Ciccone, Maria; Nichele, Ilaria; Pizzolo, Giovanni; Zaja, Francesco; Fanin, Renato; Galieni, Piero; Dalsass, Alessia; Mestichelli, Francesca; Testa, Nicoletta; Negrini, Massimo; Cuneo, Antonio

2012-03-08

It is unclear whether karyotype aberrations that occur in regions uncovered by the standard fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panel have prognostic relevance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We evaluated the significance of karyotypic aberrations in a learning cohort (LC; n = 64) and a validation cohort (VC; n = 84) of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with "normal" FISH. An abnormal karyotype was found in 21.5% and 35.7% of cases in the LC and VC, respectively, and was associated with a lower immunophenotypic score (P = .030 in the LC, P = .035 in the VC), advanced stage (P = .040 in the VC), and need for treatment (P = .002 in the LC, P = < .0001 in the VC). The abnormal karyotype correlated with shorter time to first treatment and shorter survival in both the LC and the VC, representing the strongest prognostic parameter. In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with normal FISH, karyotypic aberrations by conventional cytogenetics with novel mitogens identify a subset of cases with adverse prognostic features.

Myo-Inositol content determined by myo-inositol biosynthesis and oxidation in blueberry fruit.

PubMed

Song, Fangyuan; Su, Hongyan; Yang, Nan; Zhu, Luying; Cheng, Jieshan; Wang, Lei; Cheng, Xianhao

2016-11-01

Myo-inositol metabolism in plant edible organs has become the focus of many recent studies because of its benefits to human health and unique functions in plant development. In this study, myo-inositol contents were analyzed during the development of two blueberry cultivars, cv 'Berkeley' and cv 'Bluecrop'. Furthermore, two VcMIPS 1/2 (Vaccinium corymbosum MIPS) genes, one VcIMP (Vaccinium corymbosum IMP) gene and one VcMIOX (Vaccinium corymbosum MIOX) gene were isolated for the first time from blueberry. The expression patterns of VcMIPS2, VcIMP and VcMIOX genes showed a relationship with the change profiles of myo-inositol content during fruit ripening. The results were further confirmed by the analyses of the enzyme activity. Results indicated that both myo-inositol biosynthesis and oxidation played important roles in determining of myo-inositol levels during the development of blueberry. To our knowledge, this report is the first to discuss myo-inositol levels in fruits in terms of biosynthesis and catabolism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of myofibroblasts expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma, verrucous carcinoma, high risk epithelial dysplasia, low risk epithelial dysplasia and normal oral mucosa.

PubMed

Chaudhary, Minal; Gadbail, Amol Ramchandra; Vidhale, Gaurav; Mankar Gadbail, Mugdha P; Gondivkar, Shailesh M; Gawande, Madhuri; Patil, Swati

2012-09-01

The aim was to evaluate and compare the presence of myofibroblasts in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), verrucous carcinoma (VC), high-risk epithelial dysplasia (HRED), low-risk epithelial dysplasia (LRED), and normal oral mucosa (NOM). The study consisted of 37 OSCC, 15 VC, 15 HRED, 15 LRED and 15 NOM. α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) antibody was used to identify myofibroblasts. The α-SMA expression was not observed in NOM and LRED. The α-SMA was expressed in 97.29% of OSCC, 86.66% of VC, 46.66 % of HRED. The α-SMA expression was significantly higher in OSCC than VC (p = 0.023) and HRED (p < 0.000). The α-SMA expression was significantly higher in VC than HRED (p = 0.043). Myofibroblastic expression, as highlighted by α-SMA, is undetectable in NOM and LRED but increases as the disease progresses from potentially malignant disorders, as HRED to VC to invasive OSCC. Thus, proliferation of myofibroblasts may be used as a stromal marker of oral premalignancy and malignancy.

Power profiles and short-term visual performance of soft contact lenses.

PubMed

Papas, Eric; Dahms, Anne; Carnt, Nicole; Tahhan, Nina; Ehrmann, Klaus

2009-04-01

To investigate the manner in which contemporary soft contact lenses differ in the distribution of optical power within their optic zones and establish if these variations affect the vision of wearers or the prescribing procedure for back vertex power (BVP). By using a Visionix VC 2001 contact lens power analyzer, power profiles were measured across the optic zones of the following contemporary contact lenses ACUVUE 2, ACUVUE ADVANCE, O2OPTIX, NIGHT & DAY and PureVision. Single BVP measures were obtained using a Nikon projection lensometer. Visual performance was assessed in 28 masked subjects who wore each lens type in random order. Measurements taken were high and low contrast visual acuity in normal illumination (250 Cd/m), high contrast acuity in reduced illumination (5 Cd/m), subjective visual quality using a numerical rating scale, and visual satisfaction rating using a Likert scale. Marked differences in the distribution of optical power across the optic zone were evident among the lens types. No significant differences were found for any of the visual performance variables (p > 0.05, analysis of variance with repeated measures and Friedman test). Variations in power profile between contemporary soft lens types exist but do not, in general, result in measurable visual performance differences in the short term, nor do they substantially influence the BVP required for optimal correction.

LSD modulates music-induced imagery via changes in parahippocampal connectivity.

PubMed

Kaelen, Mendel; Roseman, Leor; Kahan, Joshua; Santos-Ribeiro, Andre; Orban, Csaba; Lorenz, Romy; Barrett, Frederick S; Bolstridge, Mark; Williams, Tim; Williams, Luke; Wall, Matthew B; Feilding, Amanda; Muthukumaraswamy, Suresh; Nutt, David J; Carhart-Harris, Robin

2016-07-01

Psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were used extensively in psychiatry in the past and their therapeutic potential is beginning to be re-examined today. Psychedelic psychotherapy typically involves a patient lying with their eyes-closed during peak drug effects, while listening to music and being supervised by trained psychotherapists. In this context, music is considered to be a key element in the therapeutic model; working in synergy with the drug to evoke therapeutically meaningful thoughts, emotions and imagery. The underlying mechanisms involved in this process have, however, never been formally investigated. Here we studied the interaction between LSD and music-listening on eyes-closed imagery by means of a placebo-controlled, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. Twelve healthy volunteers received intravenously administered LSD (75µg) and, on a separate occasion, placebo, before being scanned under eyes-closed resting conditions with and without music-listening. The parahippocampal cortex (PHC) has previously been linked with (1) music-evoked emotion, (2) the action of psychedelics, and (3) mental imagery. Imaging analyses therefore focused on changes in the connectivity profile of this particular structure. Results revealed increased PHC-visual cortex (VC) functional connectivity and PHC to VC information flow in the interaction between music and LSD. This latter result correlated positively with ratings of enhanced eyes-closed visual imagery, including imagery of an autobiographical nature. These findings suggest a plausible mechanism by which LSD works in combination with music listening to enhance certain subjective experiences that may be useful in a therapeutic context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Lung diffusing capacity for nitric oxide as a marker of fibrotic changes in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.

PubMed

Barisione, Giovanni; Brusasco, Claudia; Garlaschi, Alessandro; Baroffio, Michele; Brusasco, Vito

2016-05-01

Lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is decreased in both usual interstitial pneumonia-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (UIP-IPF) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), but is moderately related to computed tomography (CT)-determined fibrotic changes. This may be due to the relative insensitivity of DLCO to changes in alveolar membrane diffusive conductance (DMCO). The purpose of this study was to determine whether measurement of lung diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO) better reflects fibrotic changes than DLCO DLNO-DLCO were measured simultaneously in 30 patients with UIP-IPF and 30 with NSIP. Eighty-one matched healthy subjects served as a control group. The amount of pulmonary fibrosis was estimated by CT volumetric analysis of visually bounded areas showing reticular opacities and honeycombing. DMCO and pulmonary capillary volume (VC) were calculated. DLNO was below the lower limit of normal in all patients irrespective of extent and nature of disease, whereas DLCO was within the normal range in a nonnegligible number of patients. Both DLNO and DLCO were significantly correlated with visual assessment of fibrosis but DLNO more closely than DLCO DMCO was also below the lower limit of normal in all UIP-IPF and NSIP patients and significantly correlated with fibrosis extent in both diseases, whereas VC was weakly correlated with fibrosis in UIP-IPF and uncorrelated in NSIP, with normal values in half of patients. In conclusion, measurement of DLNO may provide a more sensitive evaluation of fibrotic changes than DLCO in either UIP-IPF or NSIP, because it better reflects DMCO. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Decoy state method for quantum cryptography based on phase coding into faint laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulik, S. P.; Molotkov, S. N.

2017-12-01

We discuss the photon number splitting attack (PNS) in systems of quantum cryptography with phase coding. It is shown that this attack, as well as the structural equations for the PNS attack for phase encoding, differs physically from the analogous attack applied to the polarization coding. As far as we know, in practice, in all works to date processing of experimental data has been done for phase coding, but using formulas for polarization coding. This can lead to inadequate results for the length of the secret key. These calculations are important for the correct interpretation of the results, especially if it concerns the criterion of secrecy in quantum cryptography.

Cross-protection elicited by primary and booster vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis: a two-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Erra, Elina O; Askling, Helena Hervius; Yoksan, Sutee; Rombo, Lars; Riutta, Jukka; Vene, Sirkka; Lindquist, Lars; Vapalahti, Olli; Kantele, Anu

2013-12-17

The inactivated Vero cell-derived vaccine (JE-VC, IXIARO) has replaced the traditional mouse brain-derived preparations (JE-MB) in travelers' vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis. We showed recently that a single JE-VC dose efficiently boosts immunity in JE-MB-primed vaccinees, and that JE-VC elicits cross-protective immunity against non-vaccine genotypes, including the emerging genotype I. While these studies only provided short-term data, the present investigation evaluates the longevity of seroprotection in the same volunteers. The study comprised 48 travelers who had received (1) JE-VC primary series, (2) JE-MB primary series followed by a single JE-VC booster dose, or (3) JE-MB primary series and a single JE-MB booster dose. Serum samples were collected two years after the last vaccine dose, and evaluated with the plaque-reduction neutralization test against seven Japanese encephalitis virus strains representing genotypes I-IV. PRNT50 titers ≥ 10 were considered protective. Two years after the primary series with JE-VC, 87-93% of the vaccinees proved to be cross-protected against test strains representing genotypes II-IV and 73% against those of genotype I. After a single homologous or heterologous booster dose to JE-MB-primed subjects, the two-year seroprotection rates against genotype I-IV strains were 89-100%. After JE-VC primary series, seroprotection appeared to wane first against genotype I. The first booster should not be delayed beyond two years. In JE-MB-primed subjects, a single JE-VC booster provided cross-protective immunity against genotype I-IV strains in almost all vaccinees, suggesting an interval of two years or even longer for the second booster. These data further support the use of a single JE-VC dose for boosting JE-MB immunity. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Novel Anti-CD22 Anthracycline-Based Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) That Overcomes Resistance to Auristatin-Based ADCs.

PubMed

Yu, Shang-Fan; Zheng, Bing; Go, MaryAnn; Lau, Jeff; Spencer, Susan; Raab, Helga; Soriano, Robert; Jhunjhunwala, Suchit; Cohen, Robert; Caruso, Michele; Polakis, Paul; Flygare, John; Polson, Andrew G

2015-07-15

We are interested in identifying mechanisms of resistance to the current generation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and developing ADCs that can overcome this resistance. Pinatuzumab vedotin (anti-CD22-vc-MMAE) and polatuzumab vedotin (anti-CD79b-vc-MMAE) are ADCs that contain the microtubule inhibitor monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) attached to the antibody by the protease-cleavable linker maleimidocaproyl-valine-citrulline-p-aminobenzoyloxycarbonyl (MC-vc-PAB). Early clinical trial data suggest that these ADCs have promising efficacy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); however, some patients do not respond or become resistant to the ADCs. Anthracyclines are very effective in NHL, but ADCs containing the anthracycline doxorubicin were not clinically efficacious probably due to the low drug potency and inadequate linker technology. The anthracycline analogue PNU-159682 is thousands of times more cytotoxic than doxorubicin, so we used it to develop a new class of ADCs. We used the same MC-vc-PAB linker and antibody in pinatuzumab vedotin but replaced the MMAE with a derivative of PNU-159682 to make anti-CD22-NMS249 and tested it for in vivo efficacy in xenograft tumors resistant to MMAE-based ADCs. We derived cell lines from in vivo xenograft tumors that were made resistant to anti-CD22-vc-MMAE and anti-CD79b-vc-MMAE. We identified P-gp (ABCB1/MDR1) as the major driver of resistance to the vc-MMAE-based conjugates. Anti-CD22-NMS249 was at least as effective as anti-CD22-vc-MMAE in xenograft models of the parental cell lines and maintained its efficacy in the resistant cell lines. These studies provide proof of concept for an anthracycline-based ADC that could be used to treat B-cell malignancies that are resistant to vc-MMAE conjugates. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

Identification and localization of the sperm CRISP family protein CiUrabin involved in gamete interaction in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.

PubMed

Yamaguchi, Akira; Saito, Takako; Yamada, Lixy; Taniguchi, Hisaaki; Harada, Yoshito; Sawada, Hitoshi

2011-07-01

Ascidians are hermaphrodites, and most release sperm and eggs nearly simultaneously. Many species, including Halocynthia roretzi and Ciona intestinalis, are self-sterile. We previously reported that the interaction between a 12 EGF-like repeat-containing vitelline-coat (VC) protein, HrVC70, and a sperm GPI-anchored CRISP, HrUrabin, in lipid rafts plays a key role in self-/nonself-recognizable gamete interaction in H. roretzi. On the other hand, we recently identified two pairs of polymorphic genes responsible for self-incompatibility in C. intestinalis by positional cloning: The sperm polycystin 1-like receptors s-Themis-A/B and its fibrinogen-like ligand v-Themis-A/B on the VC. However, it is not known if the orthologs of HrVC70 and HrUrabin also participate in gamete interaction in C. intestinalis since they are from different orders. Here, we tested for a C. intestinalis ortholog (CiUrabin) of HrUrabin by searching the genome database and proteomes of sperm lipid rafts. The identified CiUrabin belongs to the CRISP family, with a PR domain and a GPI-anchor-attachment site. CiUrabin appears to be specifically expressed in the testis and localized at the surface of the sperm head, as revealed by Northern blotting and immunocytochemistry, respectively. The specific interaction between CiVC57, a C. intestinalis ortholog of HrVC70, and CiUrabin was confirmed by Far Western analysis, similarly to the interaction between HrVC70 and HrUrabin. The molecular interaction between CiVC57 and CiUrabin may be involved in the primary binding of sperm to the VC prior to the allorecognition process, mediated by v-Themis-A/B and s-Themis-A/B, during fertilization of C. intestinalis. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Financial and Temporal Advantages of Virtual Consultation in Veterans Requiring Specialty Care.

PubMed

Abbott, Daniel E; Macke, Ryan A; Kurtz, Jodi; Safdar, Nasia; Greenberg, Caprice C; Weber, Sharon M; Voils, Corrine I; Fisher, Deborah A; Maloney, James D

2018-01-01

Access to specialty health care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) system continues to be problematic. Given the potential temporal and fiscal benefits of telehealth, the Madison VA developed a virtual consultation (VC) mechanism to expedite diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for Veterans with incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules. Materials and. VC, a remote encounter between referring provider and thoracic surgeon for incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules, was implemented at the Madison VA between 2009 and 2011. Time from request to completion of consultation, hospital cost, and travel costs were determined for 157 veterans. These endpoints were then compared with in-person consultations over a concurrent 6-mo period. For the entire study cohort, the mean time to completion of VC was 3.2 d (SD ± 4.4 d). For the 6-mo period of first VC availability, the mean time to VC completion versus in-person consultation was 2.8 d (SD ± 2.8 d) and 20.5 d (SD ± 15.6 d), respectively (p < 0.05). Following initial VC, 84 (53%) veterans were scheduled for virtual follow-up alone; no veteran required an additional office visit before further diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. VA hospital cost was $228 per in-person consultation versus $120 per episode for VC - a 47.4% decrease. The average distance form veteran home to center was 86 miles, with an average travel reimbursement of $112 per in-person consultation, versus no travel cost associated with VC. VC for incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules significantly decreases time to consultation completion, hospital cost, and veteran travel cost. These data suggest that a significant opportunity exists for expansion of telehealth into additional practice settings within the VA system. © Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Raising venture capital in the biopharma industry.

PubMed

Leytes, Lev J

2002-11-15

Raising venture capital (VC) is both an art and a science. Future entrepreneurs should carefully consider the various issues of VC financing that have a strong impact on the success of their business. In addition to attracting the best venture capital firms, these issues include such subtle but important points as the timing of financing (especially of the first round), external support sources, desirable qualities of a VC firm, amount to be raised, establishing a productive interface between the founders and the venture capitalists, and most importantly the effects of well-executed VC funding on hiring senior executives and scientific leaders.

Lipid mediator profile in vernix caseosa reflects skin barrier development.

PubMed

Checa, Antonio; Holm, Tina; Sjödin, Marcus O D; Reinke, Stacey N; Alm, Johan; Scheynius, Annika; Wheelock, Craig E

2015-11-02

Vernix caseosa (VC) is a protective layer that covers the skin of most human newborns. This study characterized the VC lipid mediator profile, and examined its relationship to gestational period, gender of the newborn and maternal lifestyle. VC collected at birth from 156 newborns within the ALADDIN birth cohort was analyzed and 3 different groups of lipid mediators (eicosanoids and related oxylipin analogs, endocannabinoids and sphingolipids) were screened using LC-MS/MS. A total of 54 compounds were detected in VC. A number of associations between lipid mediators and the gestational period were observed, including increases in the ceramide to sphingomyelin ratio as well as the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Gender-specific differences in lipid mediator levels were observed for all 3 lipid classes. In addition, levels of the linoleic acid oxidation products 9(10)-epoxy-12Z-octadecenoic and 12(13)-epoxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (EpOMEs) as well as 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (DiHOME) were increased in VC of children from mothers with an anthroposophic lifestyle. Accordingly, VC was found to be rich in multiple classes of bioactive lipid mediators, which evidence lifestyle, gender and gestational week dependencies. Levels of lipid mediators in VC may therefore be useful as early stage non-invasive markers of the development of the skin as a protective barrier.

Differential enumeration of subpopulations in concentrated frozen and lyophilized cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus.

PubMed

Shao, Yuyu; Wang, Zhaoxia; Bao, Qiuhua; Zhang, Heping

2017-11-01

Differential enumeration of subpopulations in concentrated frozen and lyophilized cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ND02 derived from 2 propagation procedures was determined. The subpopulations consisted of 3 categories (physiological states): viable cells capable of forming colonies on agar plates (VC+), viable cells incapable of forming colonies on agar plates (VC-), widely referred to as viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells, and nonviable or dead cells (NVC). Counts of VC+ were recorded using a conventional plate count procedure. A fluorescent vital staining procedure that discriminates between viable (VC+ and VC-) and NVC cells was used to determine the number of viable and nonviable cells. Both propagation procedures had 2 variables: in procedure (P)1, the propagation medium was rich in yeast extract (4.0%) and the pH was maintained at 5.7; in P2, the medium was devoid of yeast extract and the pH was maintained at 5.1. The results showed that post-propagation operations-concentration of cells by centrifugation and subsequent freezing or lyophilization of cell concentrate-induced different degrees of transience from VC+ to VC- states in cells derived from P1 and P2. Compared with cells derived from P2, cells from P1 were more labile to stress associated with centrifugation, freezing, and lyophilization, as revealed by differential counting. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A quantitative PCR assay for aerobic, vinyl chloride- and ethene-assimilating microorganisms in groundwater.

PubMed

Jin, Yang Oh; Mattes, Timothy E

2010-12-01

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a known human carcinogen that is primarily formed in groundwater via incomplete anaerobic dechlorination of chloroethenes. Aerobic, ethene-degrading bacteria (etheneotrophs), which are capable of both fortuitous and growth-linked VC oxidation, could be important in natural attenuation of VC plumes that escape anaerobic treatment. In this work, we developed a quantitative, real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for etheneotrophs in groundwater. We designed and tested degenerate qPCR primers for two functional genes involved in aerobic, growth-coupled VC- and ethene-oxidation (etnC and etnE). Primer specificity to these target genes was tested by comparison to nucleotide sequence databases, PCR analysis of template DNA extracted from isolates and environmental samples, and sequencing of qPCR products obtained from VC-contaminated groundwater. The assay was made quantitative by constructing standard curves (threshold cycle vs log gene copy number) with DNA amplified from Mycobacterium strain JS60, an etheneotrophic isolate. Analysis of groundwater samples from three different VC-contaminated sites revealed that etnC abundance ranged from 1.6 × 10(3) - 1.0 × 10(5) copies/L groundwater while etnE abundance ranged from 4.3 × 10(3) - 6.3 × 10(5) copies/L groundwater. Our data suggest this novel environmental measurement method will be useful for supporting VC bioremediation strategies, assisting in site closure, and conducting microbial ecology studies involving etheneotrophs.

Magnesium prevents phosphate-induced vascular calcification via TRPM7 and Pit-1 in an aortic tissue culture model.

PubMed

Sonou, Tomohiro; Ohya, Masaki; Yashiro, Mitsuru; Masumoto, Asuka; Nakashima, Yuri; Ito, Teppei; Mima, Toru; Negi, Shigeo; Kimura-Suda, Hiromi; Shigematsu, Takashi

2017-06-01

Previous clinical and experimental studies have indicated that magnesium may prevent vascular calcification (VC), but mechanistic characterization has not been reported. This study investigated the influence of increasing magnesium concentrations on VC in a rat aortic tissue culture model. Aortic segments from male Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated in serum-supplemented high-phosphate medium for 10 days. The magnesium concentration in this medium was increased to demonstrate its role in preventing VC, which was assessed by imaging and spectroscopy. The mineral composition of the calcification was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping. Magnesium supplementation of high-phosphate medium dose-dependently suppressed VC (quantified as aortic calcium content), and almost ablated it at 2.4 mm magnesium. The FTIR images and SEM-EDX maps indicated that the distribution of phosphate (as hydroxyapatite), phosphorus and Mg corresponded with calcium content in the aortic ring and VC. The inhibitory effect of magnesium supplementation on VC was partially reduced by 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate, an inhibitor of TRPM7. Furthermore, phosphate transporter-1 (Pit-1) protein expression was increased in tissues cultured in HP medium and was gradually-and dose dependently-decreased by magnesium. We conclude that a mechanism involving TRPM7 and Pit-1 underpins the magnesium-mediated reversal of high-phosphate-associated VC.

Cryptography as a Pedagogical Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Manmohan

2008-01-01

In order to get undergraduates interested in mathematics, it is necessary to motivate them, give them good reasons to spend time on a subject that requires hard work, and, if possible, involve them in undergraduate research. This article discusses how cryptography can be used for all these purposes. In particular, a special topics course on…

CompGC: Efficient Offline/Online Sem i-honest Two-party Computation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-22

Rivest, and A. T. Sherman, Eds., Plenum Press, New York, USA, pp. 205–210. 13 [9] Goldreich, O. Foundations of Cryptography : Volume 2, Basic...low depth circuits. In FC 2013: 17th International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security (Okinawa, Japan, Apr. 1–5, 2013), A.-R

Quantum-tomographic cryptography with a semiconductor single-photon source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaszlikowski, D.; Yang, L.J.; Yong, L.S.

2005-09-15

We analyze the security of so-called quantum-tomographic cryptography with the source producing entangled photons via an experimental scheme proposed by Fattal et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 37903 (2004)]. We determine the range of the experimental parameters for which the protocol is secure against the most general incoherent attacks.

Constructing Pairing-Friendly Elliptic Curves under Embedding Degree 1 for Securing Critical Infrastructures.

PubMed

Wang, Maocai; Dai, Guangming; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Jayaraman, Prem Prakash; Ranjan, Rajiv

2016-01-01

Information confidentiality is an essential requirement for cyber security in critical infrastructure. Identity-based cryptography, an increasingly popular branch of cryptography, is widely used to protect the information confidentiality in the critical infrastructure sector due to the ability to directly compute the user's public key based on the user's identity. However, computational requirements complicate the practical application of Identity-based cryptography. In order to improve the efficiency of identity-based cryptography, this paper presents an effective method to construct pairing-friendly elliptic curves with low hamming weight 4 under embedding degree 1. Based on the analysis of the Complex Multiplication(CM) method, the soundness of our method to calculate the characteristic of the finite field is proved. And then, three relative algorithms to construct pairing-friendly elliptic curve are put forward. 10 elliptic curves with low hamming weight 4 under 160 bits are presented to demonstrate the utility of our approach. Finally, the evaluation also indicates that it is more efficient to compute Tate pairing with our curves, than that of Bertoni et al.

Fast, Parallel and Secure Cryptography Algorithm Using Lorenz's Attractor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marco, Anderson Gonçalves; Martinez, Alexandre Souto; Bruno, Odemir Martinez

A novel cryptography method based on the Lorenz's attractor chaotic system is presented. The proposed algorithm is secure and fast, making it practical for general use. We introduce the chaotic operation mode, which provides an interaction among the password, message and a chaotic system. It ensures that the algorithm yields a secure codification, even if the nature of the chaotic system is known. The algorithm has been implemented in two versions: one sequential and slow and the other, parallel and fast. Our algorithm assures the integrity of the ciphertext (we know if it has been altered, which is not assured by traditional algorithms) and consequently its authenticity. Numerical experiments are presented, discussed and show the behavior of the method in terms of security and performance. The fast version of the algorithm has a performance comparable to AES, a popular cryptography program used commercially nowadays, but it is more secure, which makes it immediately suitable for general purpose cryptography applications. An internet page has been set up, which enables the readers to test the algorithm and also to try to break into the cipher.

Constructing Pairing-Friendly Elliptic Curves under Embedding Degree 1 for Securing Critical Infrastructures

PubMed Central

Dai, Guangming

2016-01-01

Information confidentiality is an essential requirement for cyber security in critical infrastructure. Identity-based cryptography, an increasingly popular branch of cryptography, is widely used to protect the information confidentiality in the critical infrastructure sector due to the ability to directly compute the user’s public key based on the user’s identity. However, computational requirements complicate the practical application of Identity-based cryptography. In order to improve the efficiency of identity-based cryptography, this paper presents an effective method to construct pairing-friendly elliptic curves with low hamming weight 4 under embedding degree 1. Based on the analysis of the Complex Multiplication(CM) method, the soundness of our method to calculate the characteristic of the finite field is proved. And then, three relative algorithms to construct pairing-friendly elliptic curve are put forward. 10 elliptic curves with low hamming weight 4 under 160 bits are presented to demonstrate the utility of our approach. Finally, the evaluation also indicates that it is more efficient to compute Tate pairing with our curves, than that of Bertoni et al. PMID:27564373

Protecting Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loepp, Susan; Wootters, William K.

2006-09-01

For many everyday transmissions, it is essential to protect digital information from noise or eavesdropping. This undergraduate introduction to error correction and cryptography is unique in devoting several chapters to quantum cryptography and quantum computing, thus providing a context in which ideas from mathematics and physics meet. By covering such topics as Shor's quantum factoring algorithm, this text informs the reader about current thinking in quantum information theory and encourages an appreciation of the connections between mathematics and science.Of particular interest are the potential impacts of quantum physics:(i) a quantum computer, if built, could crack our currently used public-key cryptosystems; and (ii) quantum cryptography promises to provide an alternative to these cryptosystems, basing its security on the laws of nature rather than on computational complexity. No prior knowledge of quantum mechanics is assumed, but students should have a basic knowledge of complex numbers, vectors, and matrices. Accessible to readers familiar with matrix algebra, vector spaces and complex numbers First undergraduate text to cover cryptography, error-correction, and quantum computation together Features exercises designed to enhance understanding, including a number of computational problems, available from www.cambridge.org/9780521534765

FORMATION OF 7-(2-0XOETHYL)GUANINE FROM LIPID PEROXIDATION AND VINYL CHLORIDE EXPOSURE IN MALE SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS

EPA Science Inventory

Vinyl Chloride (VC) is a known human and animal carcinogen that induces hepatic angiosarcomas. Other than occupational exposure and smoking, VC is also found in Superfund sites at ppb concentrations. VC is metabolized to chloroethylene oxide by CYP450 2E1 to induce four major DNA...

A Comparison of Intellectual Assessments over Video Conferencing and In-Person for Individuals with ID: Preliminary Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temple, V.; Drummond, C.; Valiquette, S.; Jozsvai, E.

2010-01-01

Background: Video conferencing (VC) technology has great potential to increase accessibility to healthcare services for those living in rural or underserved communities. Previous studies have had some success in validating a small number of psychological tests for VC administration; however, VC has not been investigated for use with persons with…

Intramuscular Immunization of Mice with the Live-Attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Vaccine Strain VC2 Expressing Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) Glycoprotein D Generates Anti-EHV-1 Immune Responses in Mice.

PubMed

Liu, Shiliang A; Stanfield, Brent A; Chouljenko, Vladimir N; Naidu, Shan; Langohr, Ingeborg; Del Piero, Fabio; Ferracone, Jacqueline; Roy, Alma A; Kousoulas, Konstantin G

2017-06-15

Vaccination remains the best option to combat equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection, and several different strategies of vaccination have been investigated and developed over the past few decades. Herein, we report that the live-attenuated herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) VC2 vaccine strain, which has been shown to be unable to enter into neurons and establish latency in mice, can be utilized as a vector for the heterologous expression of EHV-1 glycoprotein D (gD) and that the intramuscular immunization of mice results in strong antiviral humoral and cellular immune responses. The VC2-EHV-1-gD recombinant virus was constructed by inserting an EHV-1 gD expression cassette under the control of the cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter into the VC2 vector in place of the HSV-1 thymidine kinase (UL23) gene. The vaccines were introduced into mice through intramuscular injection. Vaccination with both the VC2-EHV-1-gD vaccine and the commercially available vaccine Vetera EHV XP 1/4 (Vetera; Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica) resulted in the production of neutralizing antibodies, the levels of which were significantly higher in comparison to those in VC2- and mock-vaccinated animals ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.001). Analysis of EHV-1-reactive IgG subtypes demonstrated that vaccination with the VC2-EHV-1-gD vaccine stimulated robust IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies after three vaccinations ( P < 0.001). Interestingly, Vetera-vaccinated mice produced significantly higher levels of IgM than mice in the other groups before and after challenge ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Vaccination with VC2-EHV-1-gD stimulated strong cellular immune responses, characterized by the upregulation of both interferon- and tumor necrosis factor-positive CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells. Overall, the data suggest that the HSV-1 VC2 vaccine strain may be used as a viral vector for the vaccination of horses as well as, potentially, for the vaccination of other economically important animals. IMPORTANCE A novel virus-vectored VC2-EHV-1-gD vaccine was constructed using the live-attenuated HSV-1 VC2 vaccine strain. This vaccine stimulated strong humoral and cellular immune responses in mice, suggesting that it could protect horses against EHV-1 infection. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Chromosome aberrations detected by conventional karyotyping using novel mitogens in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Clinical and biologic correlations.

PubMed

Rigolin, Gian Matteo; del Giudice, Ilaria; Formigaro, Luca; Saccenti, Elena; Martinelli, Sara; Cavallari, Maurizio; Lista, Enrico; Tammiso, Elisa; Volta, Eleonora; Lupini, Laura; Bassi, Cristian; Bardi, Antonella; Sofritti, Olga; Daghia, Giulia; Cavazzini, Francesco; Marinelli, Marilisa; Tavolaro, Simona; Guarini, Anna; Negrini, Massimo; Foà, Robin; Cuneo, Antonio

2015-12-01

To clarify whether karyotype aberrations (KA) involving regions not covered by the standard fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panel have independent prognostic relevance, we evaluated KA by conventional cytogenetics in a learning cohort (LC; n = 166) and a validation cohort (VC; n = 250) of untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. In the VC, novel mitogens were used to improve metaphase generation and TP53, NOTCH1, and SF3B1 mutations were assessed. KA undetected by FISH were found in 35 and 35% of the cases in the LC and VC, respectively. In addition to FISH, KA allowed reclassification of 23 and 26% of cases in the LC and VC, respectively, into a higher cytogenetic risk group. By multivariate analysis, both in the LC and VC, KA other than isolated 13q deletion correlated with a shorter time to first treatment (TFT; P < 0.001 and 0.003, respectively), while a complex karyotype predicted a worse overall survival (OS, P = 0.015 and 0.010, respectively). In the VC, where a comprehensive biologic assessment was performed, a shorter TFT was also predicted by stage (P < 0.001), IGHV mutational status (P = 0.05), and del(17p)/TP53 mutations (P = 0.033) while stage (P = 0.023) and del(17p)/TP53 mutations (P = 0.024) independently predicted a shorter OS. FISH results did not independently impact on TFT and OS, in the LC and VC cohorts; this was also the case for NOTCH1 and SF3B1 mutations in the VC. We suggest that in CLL, conventional karyotyping with novel mitogens could be more effective than FISH for the detection of KA allowing for a more precise refinement of prognosis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Vaccinium corymbosum FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT): a flowering activator reverses photoperiodic and chilling requirements in blueberry.

PubMed

Song, Guo-qing; Walworth, Aaron; Zhao, Dongyan; Jiang, Ning; Hancock, James F

2013-11-01

The blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T ( FT )-like gene ( VcFT ) cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering. Blueberry is a woody perennial bush with a longer juvenile period than annual crops, requiring vernalization to flower normally. Few studies have been reported on the molecular mechanism of flowering in blueberry or other woody plants. Because FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) from Arabidopsis thaliana plays a multifaceted role in generating mobile molecular signals to regulate plant flowering time, isolation and functional analysis of the blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) FT-like gene (VcFT) will facilitate the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of flowering in woody plants. Based on EST sequences, a 525-bpVcFT was identified and cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry cultivar, Bluecrop. Ectopic expression of 35S:VcFT in tobacco induced flowering an average of 28 days earlier than wild-type plants. Expression of the 35S:VcFT in the blueberry cultivar Aurora resulted in an extremely early flowering phenotype, which flowered not only during in vitro culture, a growth stage when nontransgenic shoots had not yet flowered, but also in 6-10-week old, soil-grown transgenic plants, in contrast to the fact that at least 1 year and 800 chilling hours are required for the appearance of the first flower of both nontransgenic 'Aurora' and transgenic controls with the gusA. These results demonstrate that the VcFT is a functional floral activator and overexpression of the VcFT is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering.

TR-ESR Investigation on Reaction of Vitamin C with Excited Triplet of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone in Reversed Micelle Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xin-sheng; Shi, Lei; Liu, Yi; Ji, Xue-han; Cui, Zhi-feng

2011-04-01

Time-resolved electron spin resonance has been used to study quenching reactions between the antioxidant Vitamin C (VC) and the triplet excited states of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PAQ) in ethylene glycol-water (EG-H2O) homogeneous and inhomogeneous reversed micelle solutions. Reversed micelle solutions were used to be the models of physiological environment of biological cell and tissue. In PAQ/EG-H2O homogeneous solution, the excited triplet of PAQ (3PAQ*) abstracts hydrogen atom from solvent EG. In PAQ/VC/EG-H2O solution, 3PAQ* abstracts hydrogen atom not only from solvent EG but also from VC. The quenching rate constant of 3PAQ* by VC is close to the diffusion-controlled value of 1.41 × 108 L/(mol ·s). In hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/EG-H2O and aerosol OT (AOT)/EG-H2O reversed micelle solutions, 3PAQ* and VC react around the water-oil interface of the reversed micelle. Exit of 3PAQ* from the lipid phase slows down the quenching reaction. For Triton X-100 (TX-100)/EG-H2O reversed micelle solution, PAQ and VC coexist inside the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol core, and the quenching rate constant of 3PAQ* by VC is larger than those in AOT/EG-H2O and CTAB/EG-H2O reversed micelle solutions, even a little larger than that in EG-H2O homogeneous solution. The strong emissive chemically induced dynamic electron polarization of As.- resulted from the effective TM spin polarization transfer in hydrogen abstraction of 3PAQ* from VC.

Effects of Vacancy Cluster Defects on Electrical and Thermodynamic Properties of Silicon Crystals

PubMed Central

Huang, Pei-Hsing; Lu, Chi-Ming

2014-01-01

A first-principle plane-wave pseudopotential method based on the density function theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the effects of vacancy cluster (VC) defects on the band structure and thermoelectric properties of silicon (Si) crystals. Simulation results showed that various VC defects changed the energy band and localized electron density distribution of Si crystals and caused the band gap to decrease with increasing VC size. The results can be ascribed to the formation of a defect level produced by the dangling bonds, floating bonds, or high-strain atoms surrounding the VC defects. The appearance of imaginary frequencies in the phonon spectrum of defective Si crystals indicates that the defect-region structure is dynamically unstable and demonstrates phase changes. The phonon dispersion relation and phonon density of state were also investigated using density functional perturbation theory. The obtained Debye temperature (θ D) for a perfect Si crystal had a minimum value of 448 K at T = 42 K and a maximum value of 671 K at the high-temperature limit, which is consistent with the experimental results reported by Flubacher. Moreover, the Debye temperature decreased with increases in the VC size. VC defects had minimal effects on the heat capacity (C v) value when temperatures were below 150 K. As the temperature was higher than 150 K, the heat capacity gradually increased with increasing temperature until it achieved a constant value of 11.8 cal/cell·K. The heat capacity significantly decreased as the VC size increased. For a 2 × 2 × 2 superlattice Si crystal containing a hexagonal ring VC (HRVC10), the heat capacity decreased by approximately 17%. PMID:24526923

Oxidative Stress Response Induced by Butachlor in Zebrafish Embryo/Larvae: The Protective Effect of Vitamin C.

PubMed

Xiang, Qingqing; Xu, Bofan; Ding, Yilun; Liu, Xiaoyi; Zhou, Ying; Ahmad, Farooq

2018-02-01

The widespread contamination and persistence of the herbicide butachlor in the environment resulted in the exposure of non-target organisms. The present study investigated the toxicity effect of butachlor (1-15 µmol/L) and the protective effect of vitamin C (VC) against butachlor-induced toxicity in zebrafish. It was found that butachlor significantly increased the mortality and malformation rates in a dose-dependent manner, which caused elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) after 72 h exposure. Compared with butachlor treatment group, the protective effect of VC against butachlor-induced toxicity were observed after adding 40, 80 mg/L VC respectively. VC significantly decreased the mortality, malformation rates, ROS, MDA, and normalized antioxidant enzymes activities of zebrafish after 72 h exposure. The result shows VC has mitigative effect on butachlor-induced toxicity and it can be used as an effective antioxidant in aquaculture.

Strategies for Increasing the Market Share of Recycled Products—A Games Theory Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batzias, Dimitris F.; Pollalis, Yannis A.

2009-08-01

A methodological framework (including 28 activity stages and 10 decision nodes) has been designed under the form of an algorithmic procedure for the development of strategies for increasing the market share of recycled products within a games theory context. A case example is presented referring to a paper market, where a recycling company (RC) is in competition with a virgin-raw-material-using company (VC). The strategies of the VC, for increasing its market share, are the strengthening of (and advertisement based on) the high quality (VC1), the high reliability (VC2), the combination quality and reliability, putting emphasis on the first component (VC3), the combination quality and reliability, putting emphasis on the second component (VC4). The strategies of the RC, for increasing its market share, are proper advertisement based on the low price of produced recycled paper satisfying minimum quality requirements (RC1), the combination of low price with sensitization of the public as regards environmental and materials-saving issues, putting emphasis on the first component (RC2), the same combination, putting emphasis on the second component (RC3). Analysis of all possible situations for the case example under examination is also presented.

VcBBX, VcMYB21, and VcR2R3MYB Transcription Factors Are Involved in UV-B-Induced Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in the Peel of Harvested Blueberry Fruit.

PubMed

Nguyen, Chau T T; Lim, Sooyeon; Lee, Jeong Gu; Lee, Eun Jin

2017-03-15

This study was carried out to better understand the mechanism responsible for increasing the anthocyanins in blueberries after UV-B radiation at 6.0 kJ m -2 for 20 min. UV-B induced upregulation of genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in blueberry fruit compared to a nontreated control. Phenylalanine ammonia lyase, chalcone synthase, and flavanone 3'-hydroxylase, which are enzymes that function upstream of anthocyanin biosynthesis, were significantly expressed by UV-B. Expression levels of VcBBX, VcMYB21, and VcR2R3MYB transcription factors (TFs) were upregulated by UV-B in the same manner as the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. The significant increase in the expression of TFs occurred immediately after UV-B treatment and was then maximized within 3 h. In accordance with these changes, individual anthocyanin contents in the fruits treated with UV-B significantly increased within 6 h and were 2-3-fold higher than the control. Our results indicated that UV-B radiation stimulates an increase in anthocyanin biosynthesis, which could be upregulated by the TFs studied.

Self-assembly of Carbon Vacancies in Sub-stoichiometric ZrC1−x

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yanhui; Liu, Bin; Wang, Jingyang

2015-01-01

Sub-stoichiometric interstitial compounds, including binary transition metal carbides (MC1−x), maintain structural stability even if they accommodate abundant anion vacancies. This unique character endows them with variable-composition, diverse-configuration and controllable-performance through composition and structure design. Herein, the evolution of carbon vacancy (VC) configuration in sub-stoichiometric ZrC1−x is investigated by combining the cluster expansion method and first-principles calculations. We report the interesting self-assembly of VCs and the fingerprint VC configuration (VC triplet constructed by 3rd nearest neighboring vacancies) in all the low energy structures of ZrC1−x. When VC concentration is higher than the critical value of 0.5 (x > 0.5), the 2nd nearest neighboring VC configurations with strongly repulsive interaction inevitably appear, and meanwhile, the system energy (or formation enthalpy) of ZrC1−x increases sharply which suggests the material may lose phase stability. The present results clarify why ZrC1−x bears a huge amount of VCs, tends towards VC ordering, and retains stability up to a stoichiometry of x = 0.5. PMID:26667083

Histone Methylation Restrains the Expression of Subtype-Specific Genes during Terminal Neuronal Differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans

PubMed Central

Chiang, Victor; Chalfie, Martin

2013-01-01

Although epigenetic control of stem cell fate choice is well established, little is known about epigenetic regulation of terminal neuronal differentiation. We found that some differences among the subtypes of Caenorhabditis elegans VC neurons, particularly the expression of the transcription factor gene unc-4, require histone modification, most likely H3K9 methylation. An EGF signal from the vulva alleviated the epigenetic repression of unc-4 in vulval VC neurons but not the more distant nonvulval VC cells, which kept unc-4 silenced. Loss of the H3K9 methyltransferase MET-2 or H3K9me2/3 binding proteins HPL-2 and LIN-61 or a novel chromodomain protein CEC-3 caused ectopic unc-4 expression in all VC neurons. Downstream of the EGF signaling in vulval VC neurons, the transcription factor LIN-11 and histone demethylases removed the suppressive histone marks and derepressed unc-4. Behaviorally, expression of UNC-4 in all the VC neurons caused an imbalance in the egg-laying circuit. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms help establish subtype-specific gene expression, which are needed for optimal activity of a neural circuit. PMID:24348272

Influence of supplemental vitamin C on postmortem protein degradation and fatty acid profiles of the longissimus thoracis of steers fed varying concentrations of dietary sulfur.

PubMed

Pogge, Danielle J; Lonergan, Steven M; Hansen, Stephanie L

2014-02-01

The objective was to examine the effects of supplemental vitamin C (VC) on postmortem protein degradation and fatty acid profiles of cattle receiving varying concentrations of dietary sulfur (S). A longissimus muscle was collected from 120 Angus-cross steers assigned to a 3 × 2 factorial, evaluating three concentrations of dietary S (0.22, 0.34, and 0.55%) and two concentrations of supplemental VC (0 or 10 g h(-1)d(-1)). Increasing dietary S and VC supplementation (P<0.001) increased the percent polyunsaturated fatty acids of steaks. Addition of VC tended to increase (P = 0.09) both Fe and 2-thiobarbituric acid content of longissimus thoracis. Increasing S increased (P = 0.03) the proportion of 80-kDa subunit of μ-calpain. Addition of VC within the high S treatment increased (P = 0.05) the abundance of 76-kDa subunit of μ-calpain. Increasing S decreased troponin T degradation (P = 0.07) and protein carbonylation (P<0.01). Supplemental VC appears to alleviate negative effects of high S on autolysis of μ-calpain and protein degradation. © 2013.

Improving the representation of Arctic photosynthesis in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, A.; Serbin, S.; Sloan, V. L.; Norby, R. J.; Wullschleger, S. D.

2014-12-01

The primary goal of Earth System Models (ESMs) is to improve understanding and projection of future global change. In order to do this models must accurately represent the terrestrial carbon cycle. Although Arctic carbon fluxes are small relative to global carbon fluxes, uncertainty is large. Photosynthetic CO2 uptake is well described by the Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry (FvCB) model of photosynthesis and most ESMs use a derivation of the FvCB model to calculate gross primary productivity. Two key parameters required by the FvCB model are an estimate of the maximum rate of carboxylation by the enzyme Rubisco (Vc,max) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax). In ESMs the parameter Vc,max is typically fixed for a given plant functional type (PFT). Only four ESMs currently have an explicit Arctic PFT and the data used to derive Vc,max in these models relies on small data sets and unjustified assumptions. We examined the derivation of Vc,max and Jmax in current Arctic PFTs and estimated Vc,max and Jmax for a range of Arctic PFTs growing on the Barrow Environmental Observatory, Barrow, AK. We found that the values of Vc,max currently used to represent Arctic plants in ESMs are 70% lower than the values we measured, and contemporary temperature response functions for Vc,max also appear to underestimate Vc,max at low temperature. ESMs typically use a single multiplier (JVratio) to convert Vc,max to Jmax, however we found that the JVratio of Arctic plants is higher than current estimates suggesting that Arctic PFTs will be more responsive to rising carbon dioxide than currently projected. In addition we are exploring remotely sensed methods to scale up key biochemical (e.g. leaf N, leaf mass area) and physiological (e.g. Vc,max and Jmax) properties that drive model representation of photosynthesis in the Arctic. Our data suggest that the Arctic tundra has a much greater capacity for CO2 uptake, particularly at low temperature, and will be more CO2 responsive than is currently represented in ESMs. As we build robust relationships between physiology and spectral signatures we hope to provide spatially and temporally resolved trait maps of key model parameters that can be ingested by new model frameworks, or used to validate emergent model properties.

The clinical significance of 5% change in vital capacity in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: extended analysis of the pirfenidone trial

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Our phase III clinical trial of pirfenidone for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) revealed the efficacy in reducing the decline of vital capacity (VC) and increasing the progression-free survival (PFS) time by pirfenidone. Recently, marginal decline in forced VC (FVC) has been reported to be associated with poor outcome in IPF. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of pirfenidone from the aspects of 5% change in VC. Methods Improvement ratings based on 5% change in absolute VC, i.e., "improved (VC ≥ 5% increase)", "stable (VC < 5% change)", and "worsened (VC ≥ 5% decrease)" at month 3, 6, 9 and 12 were compared between high-dose pirfenidone (1800 mg/day; n = 108) and placebo (n = 104) groups, and (high-dose and low-dose (1200 mg/day; n = 55)) pirfenidone (n = 163) and placebo groups. PFS times with defining the disease progression as death or a ≥ 5% decline in VC were also compared between high-dose pirfenidone and placebo groups, and low-dose pirfenidone and placebo groups. Furthermore, considering "worsened" and "non-worsened (improved and stable)" of the ratings at months 3 and 12 as "positive" and "negative", respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values of the ratings were calculated in each group. Results In the comparison of the improvement ratings, the statistically significant differences were clearly revealed at months 3, 6, 9, and 12 between pirfenidone and placebo groups. Risk reductions by pirfenidone to placebo were approximately 35% over the study period. In the comparison of the PFS times, statistically significant difference was also observed between pirfenidone and placebo groups. The positive/negative predictive values in placebo and pirfenidone groups were 86.1%/50.8% and 87.1%/71.7%, respectively. Further, the baseline characteristics of patients worsened at month 3 had generally severe impairment, and their clinical outcomes including mortality were also significantly worsened after 1 year. Conclusions The efficacy of pirfenidone in Japanese phase III trial was supported by the rating of 5% decline in VC, and the VC changes at month 3 may be used as a prognostic factor of IPF. Trial Registration This clinical trial was registered with the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center (JAPIC) on September 13th, 2005 (Registration Number: JAPICCTI-050121). PMID:21756364

Dichloroethene and Vinyl Chloride Degradation Potential in Wetland Sediments at Twin Lakes and Pen Branch, Savannah River National Laboratory, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Paul M.

2007-01-01

A series of 14C-radiotracer-based microcosm experiments was conducted to assess the mechanisms and products of degradation of dichloroethene (DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) in wetland sediments at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River National Laboratory. This project investigated the potential for biotic and abiotic DCE and VC degradation in wetland sediments from the Twin Lakes area of the C-BRP investigative unit and from the portion of Pen Branch located directly down gradient from the CMP investigative unit. Substantial degradation of [1,2-14C] DCE and [1,2-14C] VC to 14CO2 was observed in all viable sediment microcosms prepared under oxic conditions. These results indicate that microbial mineralization processes, involving direct oxidation or cometabolic oxidation, are the primary mechanisms of DCE and VC biodegradation in Twin Lake and Pen Branch sediments under oxic conditions. Substantial degradation of [1,2-14C] DCE and [1,2-14C] VC was observed in all viable sediment microcosms incubated under anoxic conditions. Production of 14CO2 was observed in all sediment microcosms under anoxic conditions. In general, the accumulation of mineralization products (14CO2 and 14CH4) was comparable to the accumulation of those reduced daughter products (14C-VC, 14C-ethene or 14C-ethane) traditionally identified with chloroethene reductive dechlorination. These results indicate that microbial mineralization processes can be an important component of DCE and VC degradation in Twin Lake and Pen Branch sediments under anoxic conditions. These results demonstrate that an evaluation of the efficiency of in situ DCE and VC biodegradation in Twin Lakes and Pen Branch that is based solely on the observed accumulation of reduced daughter products may underestimate substantially the total extent of contaminant biodegradation and, thus, the contribution of biodegradation to overall contaminant attenuation. No evidence of abiotic degradation of [1,2-14C] DCE or [1,2-14C] VC was observed in heat-sterilized control treatments in this study under oxic or anoxic conditions. Efforts to enrich and isolate microorganisms involved in the mineralization of [1,2-14C] cis-DCE and/or [1,2-14C] VC were unsuccessful.

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement.

PubMed

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-04-04

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory.

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement

PubMed Central

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-01-01

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory. PMID:28374854

An Application-Independent Cryptography Model That Is Easy to Use for All Level Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabrielson, Anthony J.

2013-01-01

Cryptography libraries are inflexible and difficult for developers to integrate with their applications. These difficulties are often encountered by applications, like PGP, which are non-intuitive for end-users and are often used improperly or not at all. This thesis discusses the negative impact of the current prevailing poor usability on…

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-04-01

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory.

Chaos and Cryptography: A new dimension in secure communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Santo; Kurths, J.

2014-06-01

This issue is a collection of contributions on recent developments and achievements of cryptography and communications using chaos. The various contributions report important and promising results such as synchronization of networks and data transmissions; image cipher; optical and TDMA communications, quantum keys etc. Various experiments and applications such as FPGA, smartphone cipher, semiconductor lasers etc, are also included.

One-time pad, complexity of verification of keys, and practical security of quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Molotkov, S. N., E-mail: sergei.molotkov@gmail.com

2016-11-15

A direct relation between the complexity of the complete verification of keys, which is one of the main criteria of security in classical systems, and a trace distance used in quantum cryptography is demonstrated. Bounds for the minimum and maximum numbers of verification steps required to determine the actual key are obtained.

Multivariate Cryptography Based on Clipped Hopfield Neural Network.

PubMed

Wang, Jia; Cheng, Lee-Ming; Su, Tong

2018-02-01

Designing secure and efficient multivariate public key cryptosystems [multivariate cryptography (MVC)] to strengthen the security of RSA and ECC in conventional and quantum computational environment continues to be a challenging research in recent years. In this paper, we will describe multivariate public key cryptosystems based on extended Clipped Hopfield Neural Network (CHNN) and implement it using the MVC (CHNN-MVC) framework operated in space. The Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm is extended into the matrix field, which illustrates the feasibility of its new applications in both classic and postquantum cryptography. The efficiency and security of our proposed new public key cryptosystem CHNN-MVC are simulated and found to be NP-hard. The proposed algorithm will strengthen multivariate public key cryptosystems and allows hardware realization practicality.

An Investigation of Cholinergic Circuitry in Cat Striate Cortex Using Acetylcholinesterase Histochemistry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-10

OF REPORT 6 PERIOD COEREC All !lVL-tiVc"lt in) 0! I ntt rcu t r, ill Cat Technical Report 00 !ti t ( lt: . ,h , -in c , I lcho l n t e ra ,- ( H iSto...8217 Report) I0 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 19 K EY WORDS (Continue on reveree old* it n~coeeary and Identify by block number) Ac Ltv VIc C11 i e Visual Cortex...Basal Forebrain 20. ADSTRPACT (Continue an revere. eld* it necessary and identl fy by block number) Iicor’anization of cholinergic inputs to cat striate

Effects of duration of vitamin C supplementation during the finishing period on postmortem protein degradation, tenderness, and meat color of the longissimus muscle of calf-fed steers consuming a 0.31 or 0.59% sulfur diet.

PubMed

Pogge, D J; Lonergan, S M; Hansen, S L

2015-05-01

High-S (HS) diets have been identified as a causative agent in the development of oxidative stress in cattle, which in postmortem muscle can negatively alter meat quality. Vitamin C (VC) is a potent antioxidant produced endogenously by cattle; however, exogenous supplementation of VC may be useful when HS diets are fed to cattle. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of duration of VC supplementation, for the first 56, 90, or 127 d, during the finishing period on meat color and tenderness of the longissimus thoracis (LT) collected from calf-fed steers consuming a 0.31 or 0.59% S diet. Angus steers ( n= 42) were stratified to pens by initial BW (304 ± 13 kg) and GeneMax marbling score (4.3 ± 0.12), and each pen was randomly assigned to 1 of 7 treatments (6 steers/pen, 1 pen/treatment), including HS (0.59% S, a combination of dried distillers grains plus solubles and sodium sulfate) control (HS CON), HS CON + 10 g VC·steer·(-1)d(-1) for the first 56 d (HS VC56), 90 d (HS VC90), or 127 d (HS VC127), low S (LS; 0.31% S) + 10 g VC·steer·(-1)d(-1) for the first 56 d (LS VC56), 90 d (LS VC90), or 127 d (LS VC127). Steers were harvested (n = 40) and, after a 24-h chill, rib sections (LT) were collected. pH was determined on each rib section before division into 3 sections for determination of 1) 7-d retail display and color and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), 2) 14-d WBSF determination, and 3) protein degradation and collagen content (2 d postmortem). Data were analyzed by ANOVA as a completely randomized design, with the fixed effect of treatment. Individual feed intake was recorded, and steer was the experimental unit. The HS steers had a greater and lesser percent of the 80- and 76-kDa subunits of calpain-1 (P ≤ 0.05), respectively, and tended to have less (P = 0.08) troponin T degradation (d2), and more (P = 0.02) collagen than LS steers. Increasing days of VC supplementation decreased (P = 0.05) the percentage of the 80 kDa subunit of calpain-1 in HS steers but actually increased it in LS steers (P= 0.003). Supplementing VC, regardless of dietary S, did not affect meat collagen, WBSF, or color (P ≥ 0.12). a* and b* values were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in the LS treatments compared to the HS treatments. Increasing the days of VC supplementation to steers fed a HS diet appears to alleviate the negative effects of the HS diet on calpain-1 but has no effect on muscle tenderness or meat color.

A NEW LC-MS/MS METHOD FOR THE DETECTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF ENDOGENOUS AND VINYL CHLORIDE INDUCED 7-(2-0XOETHYL)GUANINE IN SPRAGUE DAWLEY MALE RATS

EPA Science Inventory

Vinyl chloride (VC) is an industrial chemical that is known to be carcinogenic to animals and humans. VC primarily induces hepatic angiosarcomas following high exposures (≥50 ppm). VC is also found in Superfund sites at ppb concentrations as a result of microbial metabolism of tr...

Exploring Online Learning at Primary Schools: Students' Perspectives on Cyber Home Learning System through Video Conferencing (CHLS-VC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, June; Yoon, Seo Young; Lee, Chung Hyun

2013-01-01

The purposes of the study are to investigate CHLS (Cyber Home Learning System) in online video conferencing environment in primary school level and to explore the students' responses on CHLS-VC (Cyber Home Learning System through Video Conferencing) in order to explore the possibility of using CHLS-VC as a supportive online learning system. The…

Scalar and vector form factors of D →π (K )ℓν decays with Nf=2 +1 +1 twisted fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubicz, V.; Riggio, L.; Salerno, G.; Simula, S.; Tarantino, C.; ETM Collaboration

2017-09-01

We present a lattice determination of the vector and scalar form factors of the D →π ℓν and D →K ℓν semileptonic decays, which are relevant for the extraction of the CKM matrix elements |Vc d| and |Vc s| from experimental data. Our analysis is based on the gauge configurations produced by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with Nf=2 +1 +1 flavors of dynamical quarks, at three different values of the lattice spacing (a ≃0.062 ,0.082 ,0.089 fm ) and with pion masses as small as 210 MeV. Quark momenta are injected on the lattice using nonperiodic boundary conditions. The matrix elements of both vector and scalar currents are determined for plenty of kinematical conditions in which parent and child mesons are either moving or at rest. Lorentz symmetry breaking due to hypercubic effects is clearly observed in the data and included in the decomposition of the current matrix elements in terms of additional form factors. After the extrapolations to the physical pion mass and to the continuum limit, we determine the vector and scalar form factors in the whole kinematical region from q2=0 up to qmax2=(MD-Mπ (K ))2 accessible in the experiments, obtaining a good overall agreement with experiments, except in the region at high values of q2 where some deviations are visible. A set of synthetic data points, representing our results for f+Dπ (K )(q2) and f0D π (K )(q2) for several selected values of q2, is provided and also the corresponding covariance matrix is available. At zero four-momentum transfer, we get f+D→π(0 )=0.612 (35 ) and f+D→K(0 )=0.765 (31 ). Using the experimental averages for |Vc d|f+D→π(0 ) and |Vc s|f+D→K(0 ), we extract |Vc d|=0.2330 (137 ) and |Vc s|=0.945 (38 ), respectively. The second row of the CKM matrix is found to be in agreement with unitarity within the current uncertainties: |Vc d|2+|Vc s|2+|Vc b|2=0.949 (78 ).

Selected data fron continental scientific drilling core holes VC-1 and VC-2a, Valles Caldera, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musgrave, J.A.; Goff, F.; Shevenell, L.

1989-02-01

This report presents geochemical and isotopic data on rocks and water and wellbore geophysical data from the Continental Scientific Drilling Program core holes VC-1 and VC-2a, Valles Caldera, New Mexico. These core holes were drilled as a portion of a broader program that seeks to answer fundamental questions about magma, water/rock interactions, ore deposits, and volcanology. The data in this report will assist the interpretation of the hydrothermal system in the Jemez Mountains and will stimulate further research in magmatic processes, hydrothermal alteration, ore deposits, hydrology, structural geology, and hydrothermal solution chemistry. 37 refs., 36 figs., 28 tabs.

A Situation Awareness Assistant for Human Deep Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boy, Guy A.; Platt, Donald

2013-01-01

This paper presents the development and testing of a Virtual Camera (VC) system to improve astronaut and mission operations situation awareness while exploring other planetary bodies. In this embodiment, the VC is implemented using a tablet-based computer system to navigate through inter active database application. It is claimed that the advanced interaction media capability of the VC can improve situation awareness as the distribution of hu man space exploration roles change in deep space exploration. The VC is being developed and tested for usability and capability to improve situation awareness. Work completed thus far as well as what is needed to complete the project will be described. Planned testing will also be described.

Encrypted Objects and Decryption Processes: Problem-Solving with Functions in a Learning Environment Based on Cryptography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Tobin

2009-01-01

This paper introduces an applied problem-solving task, set in the context of cryptography and embedded in a network of computer-based tools. This designed learning environment engaged students in a series of collaborative problem-solving activities intended to introduce the topic of functions through a set of linked representations. In a…

QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY: Single Photons.

PubMed

Benjamin, S

2000-12-22

Quantum cryptography offers the potential of totally secure transfer of information, but as Benjamin discusses in this Perspective, its practical implementation hinges on being able to generate single photons (rather than two or more) at a time. Michler et al. show how this condition can be met in a quantum dot microdisk structure. Single molecules were also recently shown to allow controlled single-photon emission.

Information flow and quantum cryptography using statistical fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Home, D.; Whitaker, M.A.B.

2003-02-01

A procedure is formulated, using the quantum teleportation arrangement, that communicates knowledge of an apparatus setting between the wings of the experiment, using statistical fluctuations in a sequence of measurement results. It requires an entangled state, and transmission of classical information totally unrelated to the apparatus setting actually communicated. Our procedure has conceptual interest, and has applications to quantum cryptography.

Dynamics of neural cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruttor, Andreas; Kinzel, Wolfgang; Kanter, Ido

2007-05-01

Synchronization of neural networks has been used for public channel protocols in cryptography. In the case of tree parity machines the dynamics of both bidirectional synchronization and unidirectional learning is driven by attractive and repulsive stochastic forces. Thus it can be described well by a random walk model for the overlap between participating neural networks. For that purpose transition probabilities and scaling laws for the step sizes are derived analytically. Both these calculations as well as numerical simulations show that bidirectional interaction leads to full synchronization on average. In contrast, successful learning is only possible by means of fluctuations. Consequently, synchronization is much faster than learning, which is essential for the security of the neural key-exchange protocol. However, this qualitative difference between bidirectional and unidirectional interaction vanishes if tree parity machines with more than three hidden units are used, so that those neural networks are not suitable for neural cryptography. In addition, the effective number of keys which can be generated by the neural key-exchange protocol is calculated using the entropy of the weight distribution. As this quantity increases exponentially with the system size, brute-force attacks on neural cryptography can easily be made unfeasible.

Design of an Elliptic Curve Cryptography processor for RFID tag chips.

PubMed

Liu, Zilong; Liu, Dongsheng; Zou, Xuecheng; Lin, Hui; Cheng, Jian

2014-09-26

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an important technique for wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things. Recently, considerable research has been performed in the combination of public key cryptography and RFID. In this paper, an efficient architecture of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Processor for RFID tag chip is presented. We adopt a new inversion algorithm which requires fewer registers to store variables than the traditional schemes. A new method for coordinate swapping is proposed, which can reduce the complexity of the controller and shorten the time of iterative calculation effectively. A modified circular shift register architecture is presented in this paper, which is an effective way to reduce the area of register files. Clock gating and asynchronous counter are exploited to reduce the power consumption. The simulation and synthesis results show that the time needed for one elliptic curve scalar point multiplication over GF(2163) is 176.7 K clock cycles and the gate area is 13.8 K with UMC 0.13 μm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Moreover, the low power and low cost consumption make the Elliptic Curve Cryptography Processor (ECP) a prospective candidate for application in the RFID tag chip.

Hybrid Cryptosystem Using Tiny Encryption Algorithm and LUC Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rachmawati, Dian; Sharif, Amer; Jaysilen; Andri Budiman, Mohammad

2018-01-01

Security becomes a very important issue in data transmission and there are so many methods to make files more secure. One of that method is cryptography. Cryptography is a method to secure file by writing the hidden code to cover the original file. Therefore, if the people do not involve in cryptography, they cannot decrypt the hidden code to read the original file. There are many methods are used in cryptography, one of that method is hybrid cryptosystem. A hybrid cryptosystem is a method that uses a symmetric algorithm to secure the file and use an asymmetric algorithm to secure the symmetric algorithm key. In this research, TEA algorithm is used as symmetric algorithm and LUC algorithm is used as an asymmetric algorithm. The system is tested by encrypting and decrypting the file by using TEA algorithm and using LUC algorithm to encrypt and decrypt the TEA key. The result of this research is by using TEA Algorithm to encrypt the file, the cipher text form is the character from ASCII (American Standard for Information Interchange) table in the form of hexadecimal numbers and the cipher text size increase by sixteen bytes as the plaintext length is increased by eight characters.

Design of an Elliptic Curve Cryptography Processor for RFID Tag Chips

PubMed Central

Liu, Zilong; Liu, Dongsheng; Zou, Xuecheng; Lin, Hui; Cheng, Jian

2014-01-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an important technique for wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things. Recently, considerable research has been performed in the combination of public key cryptography and RFID. In this paper, an efficient architecture of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Processor for RFID tag chip is presented. We adopt a new inversion algorithm which requires fewer registers to store variables than the traditional schemes. A new method for coordinate swapping is proposed, which can reduce the complexity of the controller and shorten the time of iterative calculation effectively. A modified circular shift register architecture is presented in this paper, which is an effective way to reduce the area of register files. Clock gating and asynchronous counter are exploited to reduce the power consumption. The simulation and synthesis results show that the time needed for one elliptic curve scalar point multiplication over GF(2163) is 176.7 K clock cycles and the gate area is 13.8 K with UMC 0.13 μm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Moreover, the low power and low cost consumption make the Elliptic Curve Cryptography Processor (ECP) a prospective candidate for application in the RFID tag chip. PMID:25264952

Dynamics of neural cryptography.

PubMed

Ruttor, Andreas; Kinzel, Wolfgang; Kanter, Ido

2007-05-01

Synchronization of neural networks has been used for public channel protocols in cryptography. In the case of tree parity machines the dynamics of both bidirectional synchronization and unidirectional learning is driven by attractive and repulsive stochastic forces. Thus it can be described well by a random walk model for the overlap between participating neural networks. For that purpose transition probabilities and scaling laws for the step sizes are derived analytically. Both these calculations as well as numerical simulations show that bidirectional interaction leads to full synchronization on average. In contrast, successful learning is only possible by means of fluctuations. Consequently, synchronization is much faster than learning, which is essential for the security of the neural key-exchange protocol. However, this qualitative difference between bidirectional and unidirectional interaction vanishes if tree parity machines with more than three hidden units are used, so that those neural networks are not suitable for neural cryptography. In addition, the effective number of keys which can be generated by the neural key-exchange protocol is calculated using the entropy of the weight distribution. As this quantity increases exponentially with the system size, brute-force attacks on neural cryptography can easily be made unfeasible.

Dynamics of neural cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruttor, Andreas; Kinzel, Wolfgang; Kanter, Ido

2007-05-15

Synchronization of neural networks has been used for public channel protocols in cryptography. In the case of tree parity machines the dynamics of both bidirectional synchronization and unidirectional learning is driven by attractive and repulsive stochastic forces. Thus it can be described well by a random walk model for the overlap between participating neural networks. For that purpose transition probabilities and scaling laws for the step sizes are derived analytically. Both these calculations as well as numerical simulations show that bidirectional interaction leads to full synchronization on average. In contrast, successful learning is only possible by means of fluctuations. Consequently,more » synchronization is much faster than learning, which is essential for the security of the neural key-exchange protocol. However, this qualitative difference between bidirectional and unidirectional interaction vanishes if tree parity machines with more than three hidden units are used, so that those neural networks are not suitable for neural cryptography. In addition, the effective number of keys which can be generated by the neural key-exchange protocol is calculated using the entropy of the weight distribution. As this quantity increases exponentially with the system size, brute-force attacks on neural cryptography can easily be made unfeasible.« less

Molecular dynamics coupled with a virtual system for effective conformational sampling.

PubMed

Hayami, Tomonori; Kasahara, Kota; Nakamura, Haruki; Higo, Junichi

2018-07-15

An enhanced conformational sampling method is proposed: virtual-system coupled canonical molecular dynamics (VcMD). Although VcMD enhances sampling along a reaction coordinate, this method is free from estimation of a canonical distribution function along the reaction coordinate. This method introduces a virtual system that does not necessarily obey a physical law. To enhance sampling the virtual system couples with a molecular system to be studied. Resultant snapshots produce a canonical ensemble. This method was applied to a system consisting of two short peptides in an explicit solvent. Conventional molecular dynamics simulation, which is ten times longer than VcMD, was performed along with adaptive umbrella sampling. Free-energy landscapes computed from the three simulations mutually converged well. The VcMD provided quicker association/dissociation motions of peptides than the conventional molecular dynamics did. The VcMD method is applicable to various complicated systems because of its methodological simplicity. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biodegradation of trichloroethylene and its anaerobic daughter products in freshwater wetland sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorah, M.M.; Olsen, L.D.

2001-01-01

Laboratory microcosms were prepared under methanogenic, sulfate-reducing, and aerobic conditions using sediment and groundwater from a freshwater wetland that is a discharge area for a trichloroethylene (TCE) to evaluate potential biodegradation rates of TCE and its anaerobic daughter products (cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride (VC)). Anaerobic degradation of TCE was about an order of magnitude faster under methanogenic conditions than under sulfate-reducing conditions. Both 12DCE and VC were found under sulfate-reducing conditions in the microcosms containing the wetland sediment, but their production, especially for VC, was substantially slower than under methanogenic conditions. Methane concentrations remained approximately constant (when losses in the formalin-amended controls are considered) in the microcosms amended with TCE and increased in the microcosms amended with the 12DCE isomers and VC during the first 18-25 days of incubation. The most rapid decrease in concentrations of TCE, cis-12DCE, trans-12DCE, and VC was found after aerobic methane-oxidizing conditions were definitely established.

Barriers and Opportunities to Advancing Women in Leadership Roles in Vector Control: Perspectives from a Stakeholder Survey.

PubMed

Hayden, Mary H; Barrett, Erika; Bernard, Guyah; Toko, Eunice N; Agawo, Maurice; Okello, Amanda M; Gunn, Jayleen K L; Ernst, Kacey C

2018-05-01

Increasing the active participation of professional women in vector control (VC) activities may help promote greater gender equity in the workplace and reduce the burden of vector-borne diseases. This stakeholder survey examined the current roles and perspective of professionals employed in the VC sector in Kenya, Indonesia, India, and other countries. The largest barriers that women face in pursuing leadership roles in the VC sector include lack of awareness of career opportunities, limitations based on cultural norms, and the belief that VC is men's work. These barriers could be addressed through improving education and recruitment campaigns, as well as supporting higher education and mentoring programs. Females were almost six times more likely to be encouraged to pursue leadership positions in their organization compared with male respondents (odds ratio = 5.9, P > 0.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 29.42). These findings suggest that once women are recruited into the VC workforce, they face minimal discrimination and have increased leadership opportunities.

Influence of harvest residues and vegetation on microsite soil and air temperatures in a young conifer plantation.

Treesearch

W.D. Devine; C.A. Harrington

2007-01-01

This study examines the effects of bole-only harvesting with and without vegetation control (BO+VC; BO-VC) and total-tree harvesting plus removal of legacy woody debris with vegetation control (TTP+VC) on microsite soil and air temperatures in a young Douglas-fir plantation. Mean soil temperature and the diurnal range in soil temperature during the growing season...

Short-term effect of volume recruitment-derecruitment manoeuvre on chest-wall motion in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

PubMed

Meric, Henri; Falaize, Line; Pradon, Didier; Lacombe, Matthieu; Petitjean, Michel; Orlikowski, David; Prigent, Hélène; Lofaso, Frédéric

2017-05-01

Because progressive respiratory muscle weakness leads to decreased chest-wall motion with eventual ribcage stiffening, the purpose was to compare vital capacity (VC) and contributions of chest-wall compartments before and after volume recruitment-derecruitment manoeuvres (VRDM) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We studied nine patients with DMD and VC lower than 30% of predicted. VRDM was performed using 15 insufflations-exsufflations of +30 to -30 cmH 2 O. VC and three-dimensional chest-wall motion were measured, as well as oxygen saturation, transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide and the rapid shallow breathing index (respiratory rate/tidal volume) before (baseline) and immediately and 1 hour after VRDM. VC increased significantly immediately after VRDM (108% ± 7% of baseline, p = 0.018) but returned to baseline within 1 hour, and the rapid shallow breathing index increased significantly. The non-dominant side systematically increased immediately after VRDM ( p = 0.0077), and in the six patients with abnormal breathing asymmetry (difference >10% of VC) at baseline, this asymmetry was corrected immediately and/or 1 hour after VRDM. VRDM improved VC and reduced chest-wall motion asymmetry, but this beneficial effect waned rapidly with respiratory muscle fatigue, suggesting that VRDM may need to be repeated during the day to produce lasting benefits.

Multifactor analysis and simulation of the surface runoff and soil infiltration at different slope gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J.; Kang, Q.; Yang, J. X.; Jin, P. W.

2017-08-01

The surface runoff and soil infiltration exert significant influence on soil erosion. The effects of slope gradient/length (SG/SL), individual rainfall amount/intensity (IRA/IRI), vegetation cover (VC) and antecedent soil moisture (ASM) on the runoff depth (RD) and soil infiltration (INF) were evaluated in a series of natural rainfall experiments in the South of China. RD is found to correlate positively with IRA, IRI, and ASM factors and negatively with SG and VC. RD decreased followed by its increase with SG and ASM, it increased with a further decrease with SL, exhibited a linear growth with IRA and IRI, and exponential drop with VC. Meanwhile, INF exhibits a positive correlation with SL, IRA and IRI and VC, and a negative one with SG and ASM. INF was going up and then down with SG, linearly rising with SL, IRA and IRI, increasing by a logit function with VC, and linearly falling with ASM. The VC level above 60% can effectively lower the surface runoff and significantly enhance soil infiltration. Two RD and INF prediction models, accounting for the above six factors, were constructed using the multiple nonlinear regression method. The verification of those models disclosed a high Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient and low root-mean-square error, demonstrating good predictability of both models.

Effects of vegetation cover of natural grassland on runoff and sediment yield in loess hilly region of China.

PubMed

Zhao, Xining; Chen, Xiaoli; Huang, Jun; Wu, Pute; Helmers, Matthew J

2014-02-01

The effects of vegetation cover (VC) on runoff and sediment yield were investigated from rainfall simulation experiments in the Loess Plateau of China. Five VCs from 0% to 80% and three different rainfall intensities (I₂.₀, ₁.₅, ₀.₇₅) were implemented. The results indicated that runoff and sediment yields in slopes were significantly affected by I and VC, and when the VC amounted to 40% there occurred obvious benefits of runoff and sediment reductions and then amplitude decreased with the increase of VC. The runoff reduction benefits at I₁.₅ and I₀.₇₅ were much greater than that at I₂.₀, while the sediment reduction benefits had no significant difference among different rainfall intensities. At I₂.₀, the natural grassland slopes with high VC exhibited the characteristics of high runoff but low sediment production. There existed a power function relationship between cumulative runoff and sediment yield. The increase in cumulative sediment yield was less than the increase in cumulative runoff with increasing VC, and the sediment reduction benefit was greater than runoff reduction on natural grassland slopes. The ratio of runoff reduction to sediment reduction can be used as a comprehensive index for assessing the benefits of runoff and sediment reduction in natural grassland. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microscopic aspects of autoschizic cell death in human ovarian carcinoma (2774) cells following vitamin C, vitamin K3 or vitamin C:K3 treatment.

PubMed

Gilloteaux, Jacques; Jamison, James M; Arnold, David; Taper, Henryk S; Von Gruenigen, Vivian E; Summers, Jack L

2003-08-01

Human ovarian carcinoma cells (MDAH 2774) were treated with sodium ascorbate (VC), menadione (VK3), or with a VC:VK3 combination for 1 h and then studied using light microscopy (LM) and scanning (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy. Plasma membrane damage (blisters and blebs, hairy aspect) results from vitamin C (VC) treatment, while cytoskeletal damage and self-morsellation are caused by vitamin K3 (VK3) treatment. VC:VK3-treated cells exhibit exacerbated injuries characteristic of both VC and VK3 treatment as well as a significant decrease in cell diameters from 20-35 microm for control cells to 7-12 microm for VC:VK3 treatment. Moreover, after a 1-h exposure to the vitamin combination, autoschizis (43%), apoptosis (3%), and oncosis (1.9%) are observed at the percentages indicated. All cellular changes associated with autoschizis observed with SEM were confirmed by LM and TEM observations and are consistent with cell death by autoschizis: decrease in cell size, cytoplasmic self-excisions, degradation of the nucleus and nucleolus without formation of apoptotic bodies and, ultimately, karyorrhexis and karyolysis. These results also suggest that the vitamin combination may find clinical use in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Microscopic Aspects of Autoschizic Cell Death in Human Ovarian Carcinoma (2774) Cells Following Vitamin C, Vitamin K3 or Vitamin C:K3 Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilloteaux, Jacques; Jamison, James M.; Arnold, David; Taper, Henryk S.; von Gruenigen, Vivian E.; Summers, Jack L.

2003-08-01

Human ovarian carcinoma cells (MDAH 2774) were treated with sodium ascorbate (VC), menadione (VK3), or with a VC:VK3 combination for 1 h and then studied using light microscopy (LM) and scanning (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy. Plasma membrane damage (blisters and blebs, hairy aspect) results from vitamin C (VC) treatment, while cytoskeletal damage and self-morsellation are caused by vitamin K3 (VK3) treatment. VC:VK3-treated cells exhibit exacerbated injuries characteristic of both VC and VK3 treatment as well as a significant decrease in cell diameters from 20 35 [mu]m for control cells to 7 12 [mu]m for VC:VK3 treatment. Moreover, after a 1-h exposure to the vitamin combination, autoschizis (43%), apoptosis (3%), and oncosis (1.9%) are observed at the percentages indicated. All cellular changes associated with autoschizis observed with SEM were confirmed by LM and TEM observations and are consistent with cell death by autoschizis: decrease in cell size, cytoplasmic self-excisions, degradation of the nucleus and nucleolus without formation of apoptotic bodies and, ultimately, karyorrhexis and karyolysis. These results also suggest that the vitamin combination may find clinical use in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Effect of Fe(III) on 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane degradation and vinyl chloride accumulation in wetland sediments of the Aberdeen proving ground

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, E.J.P.; Voytek, M.A.; Lorah, M.M.

2004-01-01

1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane (TeCA) contaminated groundwater at the Aberdeen Proving Ground discharges through an anaerobic wetland in West Branch Canal Creek, MD, where dechlorination occurred. Two microbially mediated pathways, dichloroelimination and hydrogenolysis, account for most of the TeCA degradation at this site. The dichloroelimination pathways led to the formation of vinyl chloride (VC), a recalcitrant carcinogen of great concern. The effect of adding Fe(III) to TeCA-amended microcosms of wetland sediment was studied. Differences were identified in the TeCA degradation pathway between microcosms treated with amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide (AFO-treated) and untreated (no AFO) microcosms. TeCA degradation was accompanied by a lower accumulation of VC in AFO-treated microcosms than no AFO microcosms. The microcosm incubations and subsequent experiments with the microcosm materials showed that AFO treatment resulted in lower production of VC by shifting TeCA degradation from dichloroelimination pathways to production of a greater proportion of chlorinated ethane products, and decreasing the microbial capability to produce VC from 1,2-dichloroethylene. VC degradation was not stimulated in the presence of Fe(III). Rather, VC degradation occurred readily under methanogenic conditions and was inhibited under Fe(III)-reducing conditions.

Predictive models and spatial variations of vital capacity in healthy people from 6 to 84 years old in China based on geographical factors.

PubMed

He, Jinwei; Ge, Miao; Wang, Congxia; Jiang, Naigui; Zhang, Mingxin; Yun, Pujun

2014-07-01

The aim of this study was to provide a scientific basic for a unified standard of the reference value of vital capacity (VC) of healthy subjects from 6 and 84 years old in China. The normal reference value of VC was correlated to seven geographical factors, including altitude (X1), annual duration of sunshine (X2), annual mean air temperature (X3), annual mean relative humidity (X4), annual precipitation amount (X5), annual air temperature range (X6) and annual mean wind speed (X7). Predictive models were established by five different linear and nonlinear methods. The best models were selected by t-test. The geographical distribution map of VC in different age groups can be interpolated by Kriging's method using ArcGIS software. It was found that the correlation of VC and geographical factors in China was quite significant, especially for both males and females aged from 6 to 45. The best models were built for different age groups. The geographical distribution map shows the spatial variations of VC in China precisely. The VC of healthy subjects can be simulated by the best model or acquired from the geographical distribution map provided the geographical factors for that city or county of China are known.

Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography.

PubMed

Gallegos-Garcia, Gina; Tapia-Recillas, Horacio

2015-01-01

Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC), which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA) to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps.

Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography

PubMed Central

Gallegos-Garcia, Gina; Tapia-Recillas, Horacio

2015-01-01

Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC), which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA) to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps. PMID:26090515

Asymmetric cryptography based on wavefront sensing.

PubMed

Peng, Xiang; Wei, Hengzheng; Zhang, Peng

2006-12-15

A system of asymmetric cryptography based on wavefront sensing (ACWS) is proposed for the first time to our knowledge. One of the most significant features of the asymmetric cryptography is that a trapdoor one-way function is required and constructed by analogy to wavefront sensing, in which the public key may be derived from optical parameters, such as the wavelength or the focal length, while the private key may be obtained from a kind of regular point array. The ciphertext is generated by the encoded wavefront and represented with an irregular array. In such an ACWS system, the encryption key is not identical to the decryption key, which is another important feature of an asymmetric cryptographic system. The processes of asymmetric encryption and decryption are formulized mathematically and demonstrated with a set of numerical experiments.

Cryptography and the Internet: lessons and challenges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCurley, K.S.

1996-12-31

The popularization of the Internet has brought fundamental changes to the world, because it allows a universal method of communication between computers. This carries enormous benefits with it, but also raises many security considerations. Cryptography is a fundamental technology used to provide security of computer networks, and there is currently a widespread engineering effort to incorporate cryptography into various aspects of the Internet. The system-level engineering required to provide security services for the Internet carries some important lessons for researchers whose study is focused on narrowly defined problems. It also offers challenges to the cryptographic research community by raising newmore » questions not adequately addressed by the existing body of knowledge. This paper attempts to summarize some of these lessons and challenges for the cryptographic research community.« less

Evaluation of agglutination strength by a flow-induced cell movement assay based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique.

PubMed

Sudprasert, Krisda; Peungthum, Patjaree; Vongsakulyanon, Apirom; Amarit, Ratthasart; Somboonkaew, Armote; Sutapun, Boonsong; Kitpoka, Pimpun; Kunakorn, Mongkol; Srikhirin, Toemsak

2015-02-07

A flow-induced cell movement assay combined with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique was developed to quantify the agglutination strength, derived from the standard tube-agglutination test. Red blood cells (RBCs), based on the ABO blood group system, were specifically captured by anti-A and/or anti-B antibodies immobilized on a sensor surface. The agglutination strength corresponds to the amount of antigen-antibody interactions or the strength of RBC adhesion. Under a shear flow, the adherent RBCs were forced to move out of the region of interest with different average cell velocities (vc) depending upon the adhesion strength and wall shear stress (WSS). That is, a higher adhesion strength (higher agglutination strength) or lower WSS represents a lower vc or vice versa. In this work, the agglutination strength was derived from the vc that was calculated from the time derivative of the relative SPR signal by using a simple model of cell movement response, whose validity was verified. The vc values of different samples were correlated with their agglutination strengths at a given WSS and antibody surface density. The vc decreased as the agglutination strength increased, which can be considered as a linear regression. The coefficient of variation of the calculated vc decreased to 0.1 as vc increased to 30 μm min(-1). The sensitivity of this assay can be controlled by optimizing the antibody surface density or the WSS. This assay has the capability to resolve the antigen density of A1 and B RBCs from that of A1B RBCs.

True morphology of mitral regurgitant flow assessed by three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.

PubMed

Lombardero, Martin; Henquin, Ruth; Perea, Gabriel; Corneli, Mariana; Izurieta, Carlos

2017-01-01

Quantification of mitral regurgitation (MR) by two-dimensional (2D) transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is based on the analysis of the proximal flow convergence (PFC) and the "vena contracta" (VC). This method assumes geometries and can be misleading. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography directly measures flow volumes and does not assume geometries, which allows for more accurate MR evaluation. To report the 3D transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) feasibility for MR quantification and evaluate its concordance with 2D echo. Twenty-seven consecutive patients undergoing 2D and 3DTEE for presurgical MR evaluation were studied prospectively. MR quantification was performed by classical 2D methods based on PFC. Diameters of the VC in orthogonal planes by 3DTEE were estimated, establishing the VC sphericity index as well as VC area (VCA) by direct planimetry. In case of multiple jets, we calculated the sum of the VCA. MR assessment by 3DTEE was feasible. An adequate concordance between VC measurements by 2D methods (TTE and TEE) was observed; however, there was a poor correlation when compared with 3DTEE. The sphericity index of the VC was: 2.08 (±0. 72), reflecting a noncircular VC. 3DTEE is a feasible method for the assessment of the MR true morphology, allowing a better quantification of MR without assuming any geometry. This method revealed the presence of multiple jets, potentially improving MR evaluation and leading to changes in medical decision when compared to 2D echo assessment. © 2016, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Systematic review and meta-analysis for the association of bone mineral density and osteoporosis/osteopenia with vascular calcification in women.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiyun; Feng, Bo

2017-02-01

The relationships of osteoporosis/osteopenia and bone mineral density (BMD) with vascular calcification (VC) remain controversial. Thus, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between BMD, osteoporosis/osteopenia risk and VC. PubMed, Embase and Springer databases were searched from inception to March, 2015 for studies involving the association of vascular calcification with BMD and osteopenia/osteoporosis in women. A manual search of the references cited in the publications was also employed for more relevant studies. The heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q statistic and I 2 test. Weighted mean difference (WMD) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) in the VC group and control group were appropriately pooled. Four studies were enrolled in the meta-analysis. The pooled effects indicated that the spine BMD (WMD = -0.08, 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.06) and hip BMD (WMD = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.07) in VC group were significantly lower than those in control group, respectively. Moreover, patients with VC were prone to develop osteoporosis (OR = 4.39, 95% CI: 2.82-6.83) and osteopenia (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.14-2.60). The results suggest that patients with VC have lower lumbar spine and hip BMD levels and increased risk for developing osteoporosis/osteopenia. Thus, VC patients should be evaluated for the presence of osteoporosis/osteopenia, as well as susceptibility to fractures. © 2016 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Association between vascular calcification assessed by simple radiography and non-fatal cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Petrauskiene, Vaida; Vaiciuniene, Ruta; Bumblyte, Inga Arune; Kuzminskis, Vytautas; Ziginskiene, Edita; Grazulis, Saulius; Jonaitiene, Egle

2016-12-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is one of the factors associated with cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Recommendations concerning screening for VC differ. Possible ability to prevent and reversibility of VC are major subjects on debate whether screening for VC could improve outcomes of renal patients. The objective of the study was to evaluate the significance of simple vascular calcification score (SVCS) based on plane radiographic films and to test its association with non-fatal cardiovascular events in patients on chronic HD. A study population consisted of 95 prevalent HD patients in the HD unit of Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health sciences Kaunas Clinics. Clinical data and laboratory tests information were collected from medical records. SVCS was evaluated as it is described by Adragao et al. After measurement of VC, HD patients were observed for novel non-fatal cardiovascular events. Patients were divided into two groups: SVCS≥3 (57 patients [60%]) and <3 (38 patients [40%]). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves show a significant difference in non-fatal cardiovascular events in the group with SVCS≥3 vs. <3 group (26.3% vs. 7.8%; log rank 5,49; P=0.018). Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed a negative impact of VC, hyperphosphatemia, and lower ejection fraction on cardiovascular events. No statistically significant differences were observed comparing parameters of Ca-P metabolism disorders between groups with different SVCS. On separate analysis, the presence of VC in hands was also associated with higher rate of novel cardiovascular events (score 0 goup-5 events [10.6%] vs. score≥1 group-13 events [27%], log rank P=0.035). VC assessed by simple and inexpensive radiological method was an independent predictor of novel non-fatal cardiovascular events in HD patients. Copyright © 2016 Association Société de néphrologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Transcriptomic changes reveal gene networks responding to the overexpression of a blueberry DWARF AND DELAYED FLOWERING 1 gene in transgenic blueberry plants.

PubMed

Song, Guo-Qing; Gao, Xuan

2017-06-19

Constitutive expression of the CBF/DREB1 for increasing freezing tolerance in woody plants is often associated with other phenotypic changes including dwarf plant and delayed flowering. These phenotypic changes have been observed when Arabidopsis DWARF AND DELAYED FLOWERING 1 (DDF1) was overexpressed in A. thaliana plants. To date, the DDF1 orthologues have not been studied in woody plants. The aim of this study is to investigate transcriptomic responses to the overexpression of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) DDF1 (herein, VcDDF1-OX). The VcDDF1-OX resulted in enhanced freezing tolerance in tetraploid blueberry plants and did not result in significant changes in plant size, chilling requirement, and flowering time. Comparative transcriptome analysis of transgenic 'Legacy-VcDDF1-OX' plants containing an overexpressed VcDDF1 with non-transgenic highbush blueberry 'Legacy' plants revealed the VcDDF1-OX derived differentially expressed (DE) genes and transcripts in the pathways of cold-response, plant flowering, DELLA proteins, and plant phytohormones. The increase in freezing tolerance was associated to the expression of cold-regulated genes (CORs) and the ethylene pathway genes. The unchanged plant size, dormancy and flowering were due to the minimal effect of the VcDDF1-OX on the expression of DELLA proteins, flowering pathway genes, and the other phytohormone genes related to plant growth and development. The DE genes in auxin and cytokinin pathways suggest that the VcDDF1-OX has also altered plant tolerance to drought and high salinity. A DDF1 orthologue in blueberry functioned differently from the DDF1 reported in Arabidopsis. The overexpression of VcDDF1 or its orthologues is a new approach to increase freezing tolerance of deciduous woody plant species with no obvious effect on plant size and plant flowering time.

Organization of hyperactive microglial cells in trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis and upper cervical spinal cord associated with orofacial neuropathic pain.

PubMed

Shibuta, Kazuo; Suzuki, Ikuko; Shinoda, Masamichi; Tsuboi, Yoshiyuki; Honda, Kuniya; Shimizu, Noriyoshi; Sessle, Barry J; Iwata, Koichi

2012-04-27

The aim of this study was to evaluate spatial organization of hyperactive microglial cells in trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) and upper cervical spinal cord (C1), and to clarify the involvement in mechanisms underlying orofacial secondary hyperalgesia following infraorbital nerve injury. We found that the head-withdrawal threshold to non-noxious mechanical stimulation of the maxillary whisker pad skin was significantly reduced in chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (ION-CCI) rats from day 1 to day 14 after ION-CCI. On day 3 after ION-CCI, mechanical allodynia was obvious in the orofacial skin areas innervated by the 1st and 3rd branches of the trigeminal nerve as well as the 2nd branch area. Hyperactive microglial cells in Vc and C1 were observed on days 3 and 7 after ION-CCI. On day 3 after ION-CCI, a large number of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK)-immunoreactive (IR) cells were observed in Vc and C1. Many hyperactive microglial cells were also distributed over a wide area of Vc and C1 innervated by the trigeminal nerve. The intraperitoneal administration of minocycline significantly reduced the activation of microglial cells and the number of pERK-IR cells in Vc and C1, and also significantly attenuated the development of mechanical allodynia. Furthermore, enhanced background activity and mechanical evoked responses of Vc wide dynamic range neurons in ION-CCI rats were significantly reversed following minocycline administration. These findings suggest that activation of microglial cells over a wide area of Vc and C1 is involved in the enhancement of Vc and C1 neuronal excitability in the early period after ION-CCI, resulting in the neuropathic pain in orofacial areas innervated by the injured as well as uninjured nerves. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marginal bone-level alterations of loaded zirconia and titanium dental implants: an experimental study in the dog mandible.

PubMed

Thoma, Daniel S; Benic, Goran I; Muñoz, Fernando; Kohal, Ralf; Sanz Martin, Ignacio; Cantalapiedra, Antonio G; Hämmerle, Christoph H F; Jung, Ronald E

2016-04-01

The aim was to test whether or not the marginal bone-level alterations of loaded zirconia implants are similar to the bone-level alterations of a grade 4 titanium one-piece dental implant. In six dogs, all premolars and the first molars were extracted in the mandible. Four months later, three zirconia implants (BPI, VC, ZD) and a control titanium one-piece (STM) implant were randomly placed in each hemimandible and left for transmucosal healing (baseline). Six months later, CAD/CAM crowns were cemented. Sacrifice was scheduled at 6-month postloading. Digital X-rays were taken at implant placement, crowns insertion, and sacrifice. Marginal bone-level alterations were calculated, and intra- and intergroup comparisons performed adjusted by confounding factors. Implants were successfully placed. Until crown insertion, two implants were fractured (one VC, one ZD). At sacrifice, 5 more implants were (partly) fractured (one BPI, four ZD), and one lost osseointegration (VC). No decementation of crowns occurred. All implant systems demonstrated a statistically significant (except VC) loss of marginal bone between baseline and crown insertion ranging from 0.29 mm (VC; P = 0.116) to 0.80 mm (ZD; P = 0.013). The estimated marginal bone loss between baseline and 6 months of loading ranged between 0.19 mm (BPI) and 1.11 mm (VC), being statistically significant for STM and VC only (P < 0.05). The changes in marginal bone levels were statistically significantly different between zirconia implants and control implants (STM vs. BPI P = 0.007; vs. VC P = 0.001; vs. ZD P = 0.011). Zirconia implants were more prone to fracture prior to and after loading with implant-supported crowns compared to titanium implants. Individual differences and variability in the extent of the bone-level changes during the 12-month study period were found between the different implant types and materials. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Acetogenic microbial degradation of vinyl chloride

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, P.M.; Chapelle, F.H.

2000-01-01

Under methanogenic conditions, microbial degradation of [1,2-14C]vinyl chloride (VC) resulted in significant (14 ?? 3% maximum recovery) but transient recovery of radioactivity as 14C-acetate. Subsequently, 14C- acetate was degraded to 14CH4 and 14CO2 (18 ?? 2% and 54 ?? 3% final recoveries, respectively). In contrast, under 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES) amended conditions, 14C-acetate recovery remained high (27 ?? 1% maximum recovery) throughout the study, no 14CH4 was produced, and the final recovery of 14CO2 was only 35 ?? 4%. These results demonstrate that oxidative acetogenesis may be an important mechanism for anaerobic VC biodegradation. Moreover, these results (1) demonstrate that microbial degradation of VC to CH4 and CO2 may involve oxidative acetogenesis followed by acetotrophic methanogenesis and (2) suggest that oxidative acetogenesis may be the initial step in the net oxidation of VC to CO2 reported previously under Fe(III)-reducing, SO4-reducing, and humic acids- reducing conditions.Under methanogenic conditions, microbial degradation of [1,2-14C]vinyl chloride (VC) resulted in significant (14 ?? 3% maximum recovery) but transient recovery of radioactivity as 14C-acetate. Subsequently, 14C-acetate was degraded to 14CH4 and 14CO2 (18 ?? 2% and 54 ?? 3% final recoveries respectively). In contrast, under 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES) amended conditions, 14C-acetate recovery remained high (27 ?? 1% maximum recovery) throughout the study, no 14CH4 was produced, and the final recovery of 14CO2 was only 35 ?? 4%. These results demonstrate that oxidative acetogenesis may be an important mechanism for anaerobic VC biodegradation. Moreover, these results (1) demonstrate that microbial degradation of VC to CH4 and CO2 may involve oxidative acetogenesis followed by acetotrophic methanogenesis and (2) suggest that oxidative acetogenesis may be the initial step in the net oxidation of VC to CO2 reported previously under Fe(III)-reducing, SO4-reducing, and humic acids-reducing conditions.

Genomic Characterization of Vulvar (Pre)cancers Identifies Distinct Molecular Subtypes with Prognostic Significance.

PubMed

Nooij, Linda S; Ter Haar, Natalja T; Ruano, Dina; Rakislova, Natalia; van Wezel, Tom; Smit, Vincent T H B M; Trimbos, Baptist J B M Z; Ordi, Jaume; van Poelgeest, Mariette I E; Bosse, Tjalling

2017-11-15

Purpose: Vulvar cancer (VC) can be subclassified by human papillomavirus (HPV) status. HPV-negative VCs frequently harbor TP53 mutations; however, in-depth analysis of other potential molecular genetic alterations is lacking. We comprehensively assessed somatic mutations in a large series of vulvar (pre)cancers. Experimental Design: We performed targeted next-generation sequencing (17 genes), p53 immunohistochemistry and HPV testing on 36 VC and 82 precursors (sequencing cohort). Subsequently, the prognostic significance of the three subtypes identified in the sequencing cohort was assessed in a series of 236 VC patients (follow-up cohort). Results: Frequent recurrent mutations were identified in HPV-negative vulvar (pre)cancers in TP53 (42% and 68%), NOTCH1 (28% and 41%), and HRAS (20% and 31%). Mutation frequency in HPV-positive vulvar (pre)cancers was significantly lower ( P = 0.001). Furthermore, a substantial subset of the HPV-negative precursors (35/60, 58.3%) and VC (10/29, 34.5%) were TP53 wild-type (wt), suggesting a third, not-previously described, molecular subtype. Clinical outcomes in the three different subtypes (HPV + , HPV - /p53wt, HPV - /p53abn) were evaluated in a follow-up cohort consisting of 236 VC patients. Local recurrence rate was 5.3% for HPV + , 16.3% for HPV - /p53wt and 22.6% for HPV - /p53abn tumors ( P = 0.044). HPV positivity remained an independent prognostic factor for favorable outcome in the multivariable analysis ( P = 0.020). Conclusions: HPV - and HPV + vulvar (pre)cancers display striking differences in somatic mutation patterns. HPV - /p53wt VC appear to be a distinct clinicopathologic subgroup with frequent NOTCH1 mutations. HPV + VC have a significantly lower local recurrence rate, independent of clinicopathological variables, opening opportunities for reducing overtreatment in VC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6781-9. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Entropy-as-a-Service: Unlocking the Full Potential of Cryptography.

PubMed

Vassilev, Apostol; Staples, Robert

2016-09-01

Securing the Internet requires strong cryptography, which depends on the availability of good entropy for generating unpredictable keys and accurate clocks. Attacks abusing weak keys or old inputs portend challenges for the Internet. EaaS is a novel architecture providing entropy and timestamps from a decentralized root of trust, scaling gracefully across diverse geopolitical locales and remaining trustworthy unless much of the collective is compromised.

Multiphoton entanglement concentration and quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Durkin, Gabriel A; Simon, Christoph; Bouwmeester, Dik

2002-05-06

Multiphoton states from parametric down-conversion can be entangled both in polarization and photon number. Maximal high-dimensional entanglement can be concentrated postselectively from these states via photon counting. This makes them natural candidates for quantum key distribution, where the presence of more than one photon per detection interval has up to now been considered undesirable. We propose a simple multiphoton cryptography protocol for the case of low losses.

Compact transmission system using single-sideband modulation of light for quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Duraffourg, L; Merolla, J M; Goedgebuer, J P; Mazurenko, Y; Rhodes, W T

2001-09-15

We report a new transmission that can be used for quantum key distribution. The system uses single-sideband-modulated light in an implementation of the BB84 quantum cryptography protocol. The system is formed by two integrated unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers and is based on interference between phase-modulated sidebands in the spectral domain. Experiments show that high interference visibility can be obtained.

Experimental realization of counterfactual quantum cryptography Experimental realization of counterfactual quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brida, G.; Cavanna, A.; Degiovanni, I. P.; Genovese, M.; Traina, P.

2012-03-01

In counterfactual quantum key distribution (CQKD) information is transferred, in a secure way, between Alice and Bob even when no particle carrying the information is in fact transmitted between them. In this letter we fully implement the scheme for CQKD proposed in [1], demonstrating for the first time that information can be transmitted between two parties without the transmission of a carrier.

Quantum cryptography: Security criteria reexamined

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaszlikowski, Dagomir; Liang, Y.C.; Englert, Berthold-Georg

2004-09-01

We find that the generally accepted security criteria are flawed for a whole class of protocols for quantum cryptography. This is so because a standard assumption of the security analysis, namely that the so-called square-root measurement is optimal for eavesdropping purposes, is not true in general. There are rather large parameter regimes in which the optimal measurement extracts substantially more information than the square-root measurement.

Isolation and Structural Characterization of Two Very Large, and Largely Empty, Endohedral Fullerenes: Tm@C3v-C94 and Ca@C3v-C94

PubMed Central

Che, Yuliang; Yang, Hua; Wang, Zhimin; Jin, Hongxiao; Lu, Chunxin; Zuo, Tianming; Beavers, Christine M.

2009-01-01

The structures of two newly synthesized endohedral fullerenes - Tm@C3v-C94 and Ca@C3v-C94 - have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction on samples co-crystallized with NiII(octaethylporphyrin). Both compounds exhibit the same cage geometry and conform to the isolated pentagon rule (IPR). The metal ions within these rather large cages are localized near one end and along the C3 axis. While the calcium ion is situated over a C-C bond at a 6:6 ring junction, the thulium ion is positioned above a six-membered ring of the fullerene. PMID:19507844

A Novel System for Visualizing Alphavirus Assembly

PubMed Central

Steel, J. Jordan; Geiss, Brian J.

2015-01-01

Alphaviruses are small, enveloped RNA viruses that form infectious particles by budding through the cellular plasma membrane. To help visualize and understand the intracellular assembly of alphavirus virions we have developed a bimolecular fluorescence complementation-based system (BiFC) that allows visualization of capsid and E2 subcellular localization and association in live cells. In this system, N- or C-terminal Venus fluorescent protein fragments (VN- and VC-) are fused to the N-terminus of the capsid protein on the Sindbis virus structural polyprotein, which results in the formation of fluorescent capsid-like structures in the absence of viral genomes that associate with the plasma membrane of cells. Mutation of the capsid autoprotease active site blocks structural polyprotein processing and alters the subcellular distribution of capsid fluorescence. Incorporating mCherry into the extracellular domain of the E2 glycoprotein allows the visualization of E2 glycoprotein localization and showed a close association of the E2 and capsid proteins at the plasma membrane as expected. These results suggest that this system is a useful new tool to study alphavirus assembly in live cells and may be useful in identifying molecules that inhibit alphavirus virion formation. PMID:26122073

The virtual continuity in learning programme: results.

PubMed

Wood, Eleanor; Tso, Simon

2012-08-01

The implementation of the European Working Time Directive and specialty-driven care has resulted in the loss of continuity of patient care, and thus a loss of continuity in learning. We proposed a potential solution to this fragmentation of junior doctor workplace learning in the Virtual Continuity in Learning Programme (VCLP). The VCLP enables the doctor to follow the virtual patient journey (of an actual patient who is no longer under their care) using the Virtual Consulting Room (VcR), and to understand the rationale behind clinical decision making prior to completing their case-based discussion (CbD) work-based assessments. Fifty-seven out of 62 (92%) of foundation doctors (Homerton University Hospital, London, UK) consented to participate in the study. Web-tracking software was used. Fifty-three out of 57 (93%) doctors completed an initial questionnaire. Twenty-nine out of 57 (51%) doctors returned a follow-up questionnaire 6 months later. Eleven doctors were interviewed in three focus groups: the VcR user group; the VcR non-user group; and a mixed group. The data was analysed qualitatively. Tracking showed 33.3 per cent (19/57) of doctors used the VcR over a 6-month period. Interestingly doctors used the VcR in a range of situations, not solely as instructed. Results enabled us to understand how doctors learn and their perception of using the VCLP to support their learning and completion of work-based assessments. Foundation doctors use the educational resources available, including the VcR, to help structure their workplace learning. The majority of VcR users found it particularly useful for just-in-time learning. The VCLP offers support to junior doctors learning during their preparation for case-based discussion. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Structural insights into the oligomerization mode of the human receptor for advanced glycation end-products.

PubMed

Yatime, Laure; Andersen, Gregers R

2013-12-01

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is a pattern recognition receptor sensing endogenous stress signals associated with the development of various diseases, including diabetes, vascular complications, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. RAGE ligands include advanced glycation end-products, S100 proteins, high mobility group box 1 protein and amyloid β-peptides/fibrils. Their signalling through RAGE induces a sustained inflammation that accentuates tissue damage, thereby participating in disease progression. Receptor oligomerization appears to be a crucial parameter for the formation of active signalling complexes, although the precise mode of oligomerization remains unclear in the context of these various ligands. In the present study, we report the first crystal structure of the VC1C2 fragment of the RAGE ectodomain. This structure provides the first description of the C2 domain in the context of the entire ectodomain and supports the observation of its conformational freedom relative to the rigid VC1 domain tandem. In addition, we have obtained a new crystal structure of the RAGE VC1 fragment. The packing in both crystal structures reveals an association of the RAGE molecules through contacts between two V domains and the physiological relevance of this homodimerization mode is discussed. Based on homology with single-pass transmembrane receptors, we also suggest RAGE dimerization through a conserved GxxxG motif within its transmembrane domain. A multimodal homodimerization strategy of RAGE is proposed to form the structural basis for ligand-specific complex formation and signalling functions, as well as for RAGE-mediated cell adhesion. hRAGE_VC1C2 and hRAGE_VC1C2 bind by x-ray crystallography (View interaction) hRAGE_VC1 and hRAGE_VC1 bind by x-ray crystallography (View interaction). © 2013 FEBS.

Exposure of Daphnia magna to trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride (VC): evaluation of gene transcription, cellular activity, and life-history parameters.

PubMed

Houde, Magali; Douville, Mélanie; Gagnon, Pierre; Sproull, Jim; Cloutier, François

2015-06-01

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a ubiquitous contaminant classified as a human carcinogen. Vinyl chloride (VC) is primarily used to manufacture polyvinyl chloride and can also be a degradation product of TCE. Very few data exist on the toxicity of TCE and VC in aquatic organisms particularly at environmentally relevant concentrations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sub-lethal effects (10 day exposure; 0.1; 1; 10 µg/L) of TCE and VC in Daphnia magna at the gene, cellular, and life-history levels. Results indicated impacts of VC on the regulation of genes related to glutathione-S-transferase (GST), juvenile hormone esterase (JHE), and the vitelline outer layer membrane protein (VMO1). On the cellular level, exposure to 0.1, 1, and 10 µg/L of VC significantly increased the activity of JHE in D. magna and TCE increased the activity of chitinase (at 1 and 10 µg/L). Results for life-history parameters indicated a possible tendency of TCE to affect the number of molts at the individual level in D. magna (p=0.051). Measurement of VG-like proteins using the alkali-labile phosphates (ALP) assay did not show differences between TCE treated organisms and controls. However, semi-quantitative measurement using gradient gel electrophoresis (213-218 kDa) indicated significant decrease in VG-like protein levels following exposure to TCE at all three concentrations. Overall, results indicate effects of TCE and VC on genes and proteins related to metabolism, reproduction, and growth in D. magna. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A somatostatin analog improves tilt table tolerance by decreasing splanchnic vascular conductance

PubMed Central

Florian, J. P.; Curren, M. J.; Pawelczyk, J. A.

2012-01-01

Splanchnic hemodynamics and tilt table tolerance were assessed after an infusion of placebo or octreotide acetate, a somatostatin analog whose vascular effects are largely confined to the splanchnic circulation. We hypothesized that reductions in splanchnic blood flow (SpBF) and splanchnic vascular conductance (SpVC) would be related to improvements in tilt table tolerance. In randomized, double-blind, crossover trials, hemodynamic variables were collected in 14 women and 16 men during baseline, 70° head-up tilt (HUT), and recovery. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare changes from baseline with respect to sex and condition. HUT elicited an increase in heart rate and decreases in mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, stroke index, and systemic vascular conductance. Additionally, SpVC and non-SpVC were lower during HUT. Octreotide reduced SpBF and SpVC and increased systemic vascular conductance and non-SpVC. Changes in SpBF and SpVC between supine and HUT were smaller in women (P < 0.05). Tilt table tolerance was increased after administration of octreotide [median tilt time: 15.7 vs. 37.0 min (P < 0.05) and 21.8 vs. 45.0 min (P < 0.05) for women and men, respectively]. A significant relationship existed between change (Δ) in SpBF (placebo-octreotide) and Δtilt time in women (Δtilt time = 2.5–0.0083 ΔSpBF, P < 0.01), but not men (Δtilt time = 3.41–0.0008 ΔSpBF, P = 0.59). In conclusion, administration of octreotide acetate improved tilt table tolerance, which was associated with a decrease in SpVC. In women, but not men, the magnitude of reduction in SpBF was positively associated with improvements in tilt tolerance. PMID:22345429

Molecular characterisation of a calmodulin gene, VcCaM1, that is differentially expressed under aluminium stress in highbush blueberry.

PubMed

Inostroza-Blancheteau, C; Aquea, F; Loyola, R; Slovin, J; Josway, S; Rengel, Z; Reyes-Díaz, M; Alberdi, M; Arce-Johnson, P

2013-11-01

Calmodulin (CaM), a small acidic protein, is one of the best characterised Ca(2+) sensors in eukaryotes. This Ca(2+) -regulated protein plays a critical role in decoding and transducing environmental stress signals by activating specific targets. Many environmental stresses elicit changes in intracellular Ca(2+) activity that could initiate adaptive responses under adverse conditions. We report the first molecular cloning and characterisation of a calmodulin gene, VcCaM1 (Vaccinium corymbosum Calmodulin 1), in the woody shrub, highbush blueberry. VcCaM1 was first identified as VCAL19, a gene induced by aluminium stress in V. corymbosum L. A full-length cDNA of VcCaM1 containing a 766-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 149 amino acids was cloned from root RNA. The sequence encodes four Ca(2+) -binding motifs (EF-hands) and shows high similarity (99%) with the isoform CaM 201 of Daucus carota. Expression analyses showed that following Al treatment, VcCaM1 message level decreased in roots of Brigitta, an Al-resistant cultivar, and after 48 h, was lower than in Bluegold, an Al-sensitive cultivar. VcCAM1 message also decreased in leaves of both cultivars within 2 h of treatment. Message levels in leaves then increased by 24 h to control levels in Brigitta, but not in Bluegold, but then decreased again by 48 h. In conclusion, VcCaM1 does not appear to be directly involved in Al resistance, but may be involved in improved plant performance under Al toxicity conditions through regulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis and antioxidant systems in leaves. © 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Sensitization of trigeminal brainstem pathways in a model for tear deficient dry eye

PubMed Central

Rahman, Mostafeezur; Okamoto, Keiichiro; Thompson, Randall; Katagiri, Ayano; Bereiter, David A.

2015-01-01

Abstract Chronic dry eye disease (DE) is associated with an unstable tear film and symptoms of ocular discomfort. The characteristics of symptoms suggest a key role for central neural processing; however, little is known about central neuroplasticity and DE. We used a model for tear deficient DE and assessed effects on eye blink behavior, orbicularis oculi muscle activity (OOemg), and trigeminal brainstem neural activity in male rats. Ocular-responsive neurons were recorded at the interpolaris/caudalis transition (Vi/Vc) and Vc/upper cervical cord (Vc/C1) regions under isoflurane, whereas OOemg activity was recorded under urethane. Spontaneous tear volume was reduced by ∼50% at 14 days after exorbital gland removal. Hypertonic saline–evoked eye blink behavior in awake rats was enhanced throughout the 14 days after surgery. Saline-evoked neural activity at the Vi/Vc transition and in superficial and deep laminae at the Vc/C1 region was greatly enhanced in DE rats. Neurons from DE rats classified as wide dynamic range displayed enlarged convergent periorbital receptive fields consistent with central sensitization. Saline-evoked OOemg activity was markedly enhanced in DE rats compared with controls. Synaptic blockade at the Vi/Vc transition or the Vc/C1 region greatly reduced hypertonic saline–evoked OOemg activity in DE and sham rats. These results indicated that persistent tear deficiency caused sensitization of ocular-responsive neurons at multiple regions of the caudal trigeminal brainstem and enhanced OOemg activity. Central sensitization of ocular-related brainstem circuits is a significant factor in DE and likely contributes to the apparent weak correlation between peripheral signs of tear dysfunction and symptoms of irritation. PMID:25734990

Quantum Cryptography in Existing Telecommunications Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Daniel; Bienfang, Joshua; Mink, Alan; Hershman, Barry; Nakassis, Anastase; Tang, Xiao; Ma, Lijun; Su, David; Williams, Carl; Clark, Charles

2006-03-01

Quantum cryptography has shown the potential for ultra-secure communications. However, all systems demonstrated to date operate at speeds that make them impractical for performing continuous one-time-pad encryption of today's broadband communications. By adapting clock and data recovery techniques from modern telecommunications engineering practice, and by designing and implementing expeditious error correction and privacy amplification algorithms, we have demonstrated error-corrected and privacy-amplified key rates up to 1.0 Mbps over a free-space link with a 1.25 Gbps clock. Using new detectors with improved timing resolution, careful wavelength selection and an increased clock speed, we expect to quadruple the transmission rate over a 1.5 km free-space link. We have identified scalable solutions for delivering sustained one-time-pad encryption at 10 Mbps, thus making it possible to integrate quantum cryptography with first-generation Ethernet protocols.

A New Image Encryption Technique Combining Hill Cipher Method, Morse Code and Least Significant Bit Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nofriansyah, Dicky; Defit, Sarjon; Nurcahyo, Gunadi W.; Ganefri, G.; Ridwan, R.; Saleh Ahmar, Ansari; Rahim, Robbi

2018-01-01

Cybercrime is one of the most serious threats. Efforts are made to reduce the number of cybercrime is to find new techniques in securing data such as Cryptography, Steganography and Watermarking combination. Cryptography and Steganography is a growing data security science. A combination of Cryptography and Steganography is one effort to improve data integrity. New techniques are used by combining several algorithms, one of which is the incorporation of hill cipher method and Morse code. Morse code is one of the communication codes used in the Scouting field. This code consists of dots and lines. This is a new modern and classic concept to maintain data integrity. The result of the combination of these three methods is expected to generate new algorithms to improve the security of the data, especially images.

Insecurity of position-based quantum-cryptography protocols against entanglement attacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Hoi-Kwan; Lo, Hoi-Kwong

2011-01-15

Recently, position-based quantum cryptography has been claimed to be unconditionally secure. On the contrary, here we show that the existing proposals for position-based quantum cryptography are, in fact, insecure if entanglement is shared among two adversaries. Specifically, we demonstrate how the adversaries can incorporate ideas of quantum teleportation and quantum secret sharing to compromise the security with certainty. The common flaw to all current protocols is that the Pauli operators always map a codeword to a codeword (up to an irrelevant overall phase). We propose a modified scheme lacking this property in which the same cheating strategy used to underminemore » the previous protocols can succeed with a rate of at most 85%. We prove the modified protocol is secure when the shared quantum resource between the adversaries is a two- or three-level system.« less

Biological control of Ascaris suum eggs by Pochonia chlamydosporia fungus.

PubMed

Ferreira, Sebastião Rodrigo; de Araújo, Jackson Victor; Braga, Fábio Ribeiro; Araujo, Juliana Milani; Frassy, Luiza Neme; Ferreira, Aloízio Soares

2011-12-01

Ascaris suum is a gastrointestinal nematode parasite of swines. The aim of this study was to observe Pochonia chlamydosporia fungus on biological control of A. suum eggs after fungus passage through swines gastrointestinal tract. Eighteen pigs, previously dewormed, were randomly divided into three groups: group 1, treated with the fungus isolate VC4; group 2, treated with the fungus isolate VC1 and group 3 did not receive fungus (control). In the treated groups, each animal received a 9 g single dose of mycelium mass containing P. chlamydosporia (VC1 or VC4). Thereafter, animal fecal samples were collected at the following intervals: 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h after treatment beginning and these were poured in Petri dishes containing 2% water-agar culture medium. Then, 1,000 A. suum eggs were poured into each dish and kept in an incubator at 26 °C and in the dark for 30 days. After this period, approximately 100 eggs were removed from each Petri dish and morphologically analyzed under light microscopy following the ovicidal activity parameters. The higher percentage observed for isolated VC4 eggs destruction was 57.5% (36 h) after fungus administration and for isolate VC1 this percentage was 45.8% (24 h and 72 h) (p > 0.01). P. chlamydosporia remained viable after passing through the gastrointestinal tract of swines, maintaining its ability of destroying A. suum eggs.

Effect of Fe(III) on 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane degradation and vinyl chloride accumulation in wetland sediments of the Aberdeen Proving Ground

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Elizabeth; Voytek, Mary; Lorah, Michelle

2004-01-01

1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane (TeCA) contaminated groundwater at the Aberdeen Proving Ground discharges through an anaerobic wetland in West Branch Canal Creek (MD), where dechlorination occurs. Two microbially mediated pathways, dichloroelimination and hydrogenolysis, account for most of the TeCA degradation at this site. The dichloroelimination pathways lead to the formation of vinyl chloride (VC), a recalcitrant carcinogen of great concern. The goal of this investigation was to determine whether microbially-available Fe(III) in the wetland surface sediment influenced the fate of TeCA and its daughter products. Differences were identified in the TeCA degradation pathway between microcosms treated with amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide (AFO-treated) and untreated (no AFO) microcosms. TeCA degradation was accompanied by a lower accumulation of VC in AFO-treated microcosms than untreated microcosms. The microcosm incubations and subsequent experiments with the microcosm materials showed that AFO treatment resulted in lower production of VC by (1) shifting TeCA degradation from dichloroelimination pathways to production of a greater proportion of chlorinated ethane products, and (2) decreasing the microbial capability to produce VC from 1,2-dichloroethene (DCE). VC degradation was not stimulated in the presence of Fe(III). Rather, VC degradation occurred readily under methanogenic conditions and was inhibited under Fe(III)-reducing conditions.

Effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide on vascular conductance are unaffected by anesthesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bouder, T.G.; Huffman, L.J.; Hedge, G.A.

1988-12-01

In rats anesthetized with ketamine and pentobarbital (KET/PB), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) increases vascular conductance (VC) in the salivary gland, pancreas, and thyroid gland, whereas no changes in VC are observed in a number of other organs. Because anesthesia may alter the responsiveness of physiological systems, we compared the effects of VIP on organ VC in conscious or anesthetized rats. Chronically catheterized rats were studied in the conscious state or 30 min after induction of anesthesia with KET/PB, isoflurane, or Inactin. Blood flows were measured by the reference sample version of the radioactive microsphere (MS) technique using two MS injectionsmore » ({sup 141}Ce-MS/{sup 85}Sr-MS). Mean arterial blood pressure was monitored and used in the calculation of VC. Organ VCs were similar under basal conditions in conscious and anesthetized rats. VIP infusion caused systemic hypotension and increased VCs in the salivary gland, pancreas, and thyroid gland, and these responses were largely unaffected by anesthesia. These results indicate that the anesthetics used do not alter basal VC or the responsiveness of the vasculature to exogenous VIP.« less

Vapor chamber with hollow condenser tube heat sink

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, K. S.; Haw, P. L.; Lai, K. C.; Tan, K. H.

2017-04-01

Heat pipes are heat transfer devices capable of transferring large quantities of heat effectively and efficiently. A vapor chamber (VC) is a flat heat pipe. A novel VC with hollow condenser tubes embedded on the top of it is proposed. This paper reports on the experimental thermal performance of three VC devices embedded with hollow tubes and employed as heat sinks. The first device consisted of a VC with a single hollow tube while the other two VCs had an array of multi-tubes with different tube lengths. All three devices were tested under natural and force air convection cooling. An electrical resistance heater was employed to provide power inputs of 10 and 40 W. Surface temperatures were measured with thermocouple probes at different locations around the devices. The results show that temperatures increased with heater input while total device thermal resistances decreased. Force convection results in lower temperatures and lower resistance. Dry-out occurs at high input power and with too much condensing area. There appears to be an optimum fill ratio which depended upon dimensions of the VC and also heating power.

Estimation of gas and tissue lung volumes by MRI: functional approach of lung imaging.

PubMed

Qanadli, S D; Orvoen-Frija, E; Lacombe, P; Di Paola, R; Bittoun, J; Frija, G

1999-01-01

The purpose of this work was to assess the accuracy of MRI for the determination of lung gas and tissue volumes. Fifteen healthy subjects underwent MRI of the thorax and pulmonary function tests [vital capacity (VC) and total lung capacity (TLC)] in the supine position. MR examinations were performed at inspiration and expiration. Lung volumes were measured by a previously validated technique on phantoms. Both individual and total lung volumes and capacities were calculated. MRI total vital capacity (VC(MRI)) was compared with spirometric vital capacity (VC(SP)). Capacities were correlated to lung volumes. Tissue volume (V(T)) was estimated as the difference between the total lung volume at full inspiration and the TLC. No significant difference was seen between VC(MRI) and VC(SP). Individual capacities were well correlated (r = 0.9) to static volume at full inspiration. The V(T) was estimated to be 836+/-393 ml. This preliminary study demonstrates that MRI can accurately estimate lung gas and tissue volumes. The proposed approach appears well suited for functional imaging of the lung.

Dynamic frame resizing with convolutional neural network for efficient video compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaehwan; Park, Youngo; Choi, Kwang Pyo; Lee, JongSeok; Jeon, Sunyoung; Park, JeongHoon

2017-09-01

In the past, video codecs such as vc-1 and H.263 used a technique to encode reduced-resolution video and restore original resolution from the decoder for improvement of coding efficiency. The techniques of vc-1 and H.263 Annex Q are called dynamic frame resizing and reduced-resolution update mode, respectively. However, these techniques have not been widely used due to limited performance improvements that operate well only under specific conditions. In this paper, video frame resizing (reduced/restore) technique based on machine learning is proposed for improvement of coding efficiency. The proposed method features video of low resolution made by convolutional neural network (CNN) in encoder and reconstruction of original resolution using CNN in decoder. The proposed method shows improved subjective performance over all the high resolution videos which are dominantly consumed recently. In order to assess subjective quality of the proposed method, Video Multi-method Assessment Fusion (VMAF) which showed high reliability among many subjective measurement tools was used as subjective metric. Moreover, to assess general performance, diverse bitrates are tested. Experimental results showed that BD-rate based on VMAF was improved by about 51% compare to conventional HEVC. Especially, VMAF values were significantly improved in low bitrate. Also, when the method is subjectively tested, it had better subjective visual quality in similar bit rate.

Secure quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Hoi-Kwong; Curty, Marcos; Tamaki, Kiyoshi

2014-08-01

Secure communication is crucial in the Internet Age, and quantum mechanics stands poised to revolutionize cryptography as we know it today. In this Review, we introduce the motivation and the current state of the art of research in quantum cryptography. In particular, we discuss the present security model together with its assumptions, strengths and weaknesses. After briefly introducing recent experimental progress and challenges, we survey the latest developments in quantum hacking and countermeasures against it.

Entropy-as-a-Service: Unlocking the Full Potential of Cryptography

PubMed Central

Vassilev, Apostol; Staples, Robert

2016-01-01

Securing the Internet requires strong cryptography, which depends on the availability of good entropy for generating unpredictable keys and accurate clocks. Attacks abusing weak keys or old inputs portend challenges for the Internet. EaaS is a novel architecture providing entropy and timestamps from a decentralized root of trust, scaling gracefully across diverse geopolitical locales and remaining trustworthy unless much of the collective is compromised. PMID:28003687

A-E Services to Perform a Cathodic Protection Survey of the Bulk Fuel Terminals at N.S.C. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Volume I.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

20) From VC-D to VC-E a. 8" Avgas Line - Coated Steel (21) From FC -E to Victor Dock #1 a. 12" Avgas Line - Coated Steel (22) From Air Force Scraper...14. Bldg. S776 3" Ballast Line to VC-2 - 775 3" Ballast Line to Loading Rack - 775 15. 6" Water Line, 10’ N of Bldg. S776 - 745 6" AFFF Line, N of...S776 3" Ballast line to VC-2 - 740 - 775 35 3" Ballast line to Loading Rack - 740 - 775 35 15. 6" Water line 10’ N of Bldg. S776 - 710 - 745 35 6" AFFF

A combined toxicity study of zinc oxide nanoparticles and vitamin C in food additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yanli; Yuan, Lulu; Yao, Chenjie; Ding, Lin; Li, Chenchen; Fang, Jie; Sui, Keke; Liu, Yuanfang; Wu, Minghong

2014-11-01

At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the cytotoxicity significantly compared with that of the ZnO only NPs. When the cells were exposed to ZnO NPs at a concentration less than 15 mg L-1, or to Vc at a concentration less than 300 mg L-1, there was no significant cytotoxicity, both in the case of gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) and neural stem cells (NSCs). However, when 15 mg L-1 of ZnO NPs and 300 mg L-1 of Vc were introduced to cells together, the cell viability decreased sharply indicating significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the significant increase in toxicity was also shown in the in vivo experiments. The dose of the ZnO NPs and Vc used in the in vivo study was calculated according to the state of food and nutrition enhancer standard. After repeated oral exposure to ZnO NPs plus Vc, the injury of the liver and kidneys in mice has been indicated by the change of these indices. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic toxicity presented in a complex system is essential for the toxicological evaluation and safety assessment of nanofood.At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the cytotoxicity significantly compared with that of the ZnO only NPs. When the cells were exposed to ZnO NPs at a concentration less than 15 mg L-1, or to Vc at a concentration less than 300 mg L-1, there was no significant cytotoxicity, both in the case of gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) and neural stem cells (NSCs). However, when 15 mg L-1 of ZnO NPs and 300 mg L-1 of Vc were introduced to cells together, the cell viability decreased sharply indicating significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the significant increase in toxicity was also shown in the in vivo experiments. The dose of the ZnO NPs and Vc used in the in vivo study was calculated according to the state of food and nutrition enhancer standard. After repeated oral exposure to ZnO NPs plus Vc, the injury of the liver and kidneys in mice has been indicated by the change of these indices. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic toxicity presented in a complex system is essential for the toxicological evaluation and safety assessment of nanofood. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr05480f

A prototype system based on visual interactive SDM called VGC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Zelu; Liu, Yaolin; Liu, Yanfang

2009-10-01

In many application domains, data is collected and referenced by its geo-spatial location. Spatial data mining, or the discovery of interesting patterns in such databases, is an important capability in the development of database systems. Spatial data mining recently emerges from a number of real applications, such as real-estate marketing, urban planning, weather forecasting, medical image analysis, road traffic accident analysis, etc. It demands for efficient solutions for many new, expensive, and complicated problems. For spatial data mining of large data sets to be effective, it is also important to include humans in the data exploration process and combine their flexibility, creativity, and general knowledge with the enormous storage capacity and computational power of today's computers. Visual spatial data mining applies human visual perception to the exploration of large data sets. Presenting data in an interactive, graphical form often fosters new insights, encouraging the information and validation of new hypotheses to the end of better problem-solving and gaining deeper domain knowledge. In this paper a visual interactive spatial data mining prototype system (visual geo-classify) based on VC++6.0 and MapObject2.0 are designed and developed, the basic algorithms of the spatial data mining is used decision tree and Bayesian networks, and data classify are used training and learning and the integration of the two to realize. The result indicates it's a practical and extensible visual interactive spatial data mining tool.

Development and application of an LC-MS/MS method for the detection of the vinyl chloride-induced DNA adduct N2,3-ethenoguanine in tissues of adult and weanling rats following the exposure to [13C2]-VC

EPA Science Inventory

In the 1970s exposure to vinyl chloride (VC) was shown to cause liver angiosarcoma in VC workers. We have developed a new LC-MS/MS method for analyzing the promutagenic DNA adduct N2,3-ethenoguanine and have applied this to DNA from tissues of both adult and weanling rats expose...

Diabetes confers in vitro calcific potential on serum which associates with in vivo vascular calcification.

PubMed

Patidar, Ashish; Singh, Dhruv K; Thakur, Shori; Winocour, Peter; Farrington, Ken; Baydoun, Anwar R

2017-05-01

Although vascular calcification (VC) is prevalent in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Neither is it known whether T2DM confers calcific potential (CP) on serum, enabling it to induce VC outside the disease milieu. We, therefore, investigated the CP of serum from controls and subjects with T2DM with and without in vivo VC . Samples from 20 healthy controls and 44 age- and sex-matched patients with T2DM with modification of diet in renal disease estimated glomerular filtration rate (MDRD-4 eGFR) > 60 ml·min -1 were analysed for CP using rat aortic smooth muscle cells in vitro CT scans of femoral arteries identified individuals with in vivo calcification. Serum from subjects with T2DM revealed significantly greater CP than controls. This was further enhanced in the presence of in vivo VC. Addition of β-glycerophosphate (β-GP) plus CaCl 2 increased the CP of T2DM serum but not of controls. Along with age, CP was an independent predictor of the presence of VC. In receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis, CP was a significant predictor of femoral arterial VC (C-statistic 0.70: P =0.009). The distribution of CP was bimodal around a cutoff of 100 nmoles of Ca 2+ protein mg -1 , with a higher proportion of Type 2 diabetes subjects with in vivo calcification (T2DM+) sera above the cutoff value. This group also showed elevated levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and matrix Gla protein (MGP). Diabetes confers CP on the serum which is enhanced by the presence of in vivo VC. The CP acquired may be dependent on levels of OPG and MGP. These findings may be clinically relevant for early identification of individuals at risk of VC and for informing therapeutic strategies. © 2017 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

The effects of assisted cycling therapy (ACT) and voluntary cycling on reaction time and measures of executive function in adolescents with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Ringenbach, S D R; Holzapfel, S D; Mulvey, G M; Jimenez, A; Benson, A; Richter, M

2016-11-01

Reports of positive effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function in persons with Down syndrome are extremely limited. However, a novel exercise intervention, termed assisted cycling therapy (ACT), has resulted in acutely improved cognitive planning ability and reaction times as well as improved cognitive planning after 8 weeks of ACT in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Here, we report the effects of 8 weeks of ACT on reaction time, set-shifting, inhibition and language fluency in adolescents with Down syndrome. Adolescents with Down syndrome (age: ~18 years) were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of ACT (n = 17) or voluntary cycling (VC: n = 16), and a convenience sample (n = 11) was assigned to be an inactive comparison group (NC: n = 11). During ACT, the cycling cadence of the participants was augmented to an average cadence that was 80% faster than the voluntary cadence of the VC group. The increase in cadence was achieved with an electric motor in the stationary bicycle. Reaction time, set-shifting, inhibition and language fluency were assessed before and after 8 weeks of intervention. Power output and heart rates of the ACT and VC groups were almost identical, but the ACT cadence was significantly faster. The ACT group, but not the VC or NC groups, showed significantly improved reactions times (Hedges' g = -0.42) and inhibitory control (g = 0.18). Only the VC group showed improved set-shifting ability (g = 0.57). The ACT and VC groups displayed improved semantic language fluency (g = 0.25, g = 0.22, respectively). These and previous results support the hypothesis of increased neuroplasticity and prefrontal cortex function following ACT and, to a smaller extent, following VC. Both ACT and VC appear to be associated with cortical benefits, but based on current and previous results, ACT seems to maximize the benefits. © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Entangled state quantum cryptography: eavesdropping on the ekert protocol

PubMed

Naik; Peterson; White; Berglund; Kwiat

2000-05-15

Using polarization-entangled photons from spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we have implemented Ekert's quantum cryptography protocol. The near-perfect correlations of the photons allow the sharing of a secret key between two parties. The presence of an eavesdropper is continually checked by measuring Bell's inequalities. We investigated several possible eavesdropper strategies, including pseudo-quantum-nondemolition measurements. In all cases, the eavesdropper's presence was readily apparent. We discuss a procedure to increase her detectability.

Nonequivalence of two flavors of oblivious transfer at the quantum level

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He Guangping; Wang, Z. D.; Department of Physics and Center of Theoretical and Computational Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

2006-04-15

Though all-or-nothing oblivious transfer and one-out-of-two oblivious transfer are equivalent in classical cryptography, we here show that a protocol built upon secure quantum all-or-nothing oblivious transfer cannot satisfy the rigorous definition of quantum one-out-of-two oblivious transfer due to the nature of quantum cryptography. Thus the securities of the two oblivious transfer protocols are not equivalent at the quantum level.

DNA-Cryptography-Based Obfuscated Systolic Finite Field Multiplier for Secure Cryptosystem in Smart Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shaobo; Chen, Pingxiuqi; Shao, Qiliang; Basha Shaik, Nazeem; Xie, Jiafeng

2017-05-01

The elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) provides much stronger security per bits compared to the traditional cryptosystem, and hence it is an ideal role in secure communication in smart grid. On the other side, secure implementation of finite field multiplication over GF(2 m ) is considered as the bottle neck of ECC. In this paper, we present a novel obfuscation strategy for secure implementation of systolic field multiplier for ECC in smart grid. First, for the first time, we propose a novel obfuscation technique to derive a novel obfuscated systolic finite field multiplier for ECC implementation. Then, we employ the DNA cryptography coding strategy to obfuscate the field multiplier further. Finally, we obtain the area-time-power complexity of the proposed field multiplier to confirm the efficiency of the proposed design. The proposed design is highly obfuscated with low overhead, suitable for secure cryptosystem in smart grid.

File Cryptography with AES and RSA for Mobile Based on Android

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

laia, Yonata; Nababan, Marlince; Sihombing, Oloan; Aisyah, Siti; Sitanggang, Delima; Parsaoran, Saut; Zendato, Niskarto

2018-04-01

The users of mobile based on android were increasing currently even now mobile was almost the same computer one of which could be used to be done by every users mobile was save the individual important data.Saving the data on mobile was very risk because become hackers’ target. That was the reason of researchers want to add cryptography which the combination between Advance Encryption System (AES) dan Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir dan Len Adleman (RSA). The result of the second method above could do cryptography data on mobile. With different encryption time where the file size; 25.44 KB, encryption time 4 second, 200 KB, 5 second, 600 KB 7 second, 2.29 MB, 10 second. Where decryption 25.44 KB, encryption 2 second, 200 KB, 1.5 second, 600 KB 2.5 second, 2.29 MB, 2.7 second.

Optical cryptography topology based on a three-dimensional particle-like distribution and diffractive imaging.

PubMed

Chen, Wen; Chen, Xudong

2011-05-09

In recent years, coherent diffractive imaging has been considered as a promising alternative for information retrieval instead of conventional interference methods. Coherent diffractive imaging using the X-ray light source has opened up a new research perspective for the measurement of non-crystalline and biological specimens, and can achieve unprecedentedly high resolutions. In this paper, we show how a three-dimensional (3D) particle-like distribution and coherent diffractive imaging can be applied for a study of optical cryptography. An optical multiple-random-phase-mask encoding approach is used, and the plaintext is considered as a series of particles distributed in a 3D space. A topology concept is also introduced into the proposed optical cryptosystem. During image decryption, a retrieval algorithm is developed to extract the plaintext from the ciphertexts. In addition, security and advantages of the proposed optical cryptography topology are also analyzed. © 2011 Optical Society of America

High-rate measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirandola, Stefano; Ottaviani, Carlo; Spedalieri, Gaetana; Weedbrook, Christian; Braunstein, Samuel L.; Lloyd, Seth; Gehring, Tobias; Jacobsen, Christian S.; Andersen, Ulrik L.

2015-06-01

Quantum cryptography achieves a formidable task—the remote distribution of secret keys by exploiting the fundamental laws of physics. Quantum cryptography is now headed towards solving the practical problem of constructing scalable and secure quantum networks. A significant step in this direction has been the introduction of measurement-device independence, where the secret key between two parties is established by the measurement of an untrusted relay. Unfortunately, although qubit-implemented protocols can reach long distances, their key rates are typically very low, unsuitable for the demands of a metropolitan network. Here we show, theoretically and experimentally, that a solution can come from the use of continuous-variable systems. We design a coherent-state network protocol able to achieve remarkably high key rates at metropolitan distances, in fact three orders of magnitude higher than those currently achieved. Our protocol could be employed to build high-rate quantum networks where devices securely connect to nearby access points or proxy servers.

Growth and FIB-SEM analyses of C60 microtubes vertically synthesized on porous alumina membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyazawa, Kun'ichi; Kuriyama, Ryota; Shimomura, Shuichi; Wakahara, Takatsugu; Tachibana, Masaru

2014-02-01

The vertical growth of C60 microtubes (C60MTs) on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes was investigated. The C60MT size dependence on isopropyl alcohol (IPA) injection rate, into C60-saturated toluene solutions through AAO membranes, was measured. A longitudinal section of the interface between a vertically grown C60MT (V-C60MT) and a membrane was prepared by focused ion beam processing, and observed with scanning electron microscopy. No cracking was observed along the interface, suggesting good bonding. V-C60MTs exhibited spiral growth. V-C60MT planar density, wall thickness and aspect ratio all decreased with increasing IPA injection rate. The relationships among length, inner and outer diameters of V-C60MTs were also investigated by varying IPA injection rate.

Volumetric capnography curves as lung function test to confirm bronchoconstriction after carbachol challenge in sedated dogs.

PubMed

Scheffzek, S; Mosing, M; Hirt, R; Iff, I; Moens, Y

2012-12-01

This study investigated volumetric capnography (VC) in detecting airway responsiveness following airway challenge using carbachol in seven sedated dogs via face mask. Nebulised saline was administered, followed by increasing concentrations of nebulised carbachol until airflow limitation occurred (EP). Dead space (DS) variables and shape indices of the VC curve were calculated automatically after entering arterial carbon dioxide tension. Airway DS, airway DS to tidal volume (VT) ratio and the intercept of slope 2 of the VC curve decreased significantly at EP by 10%, 13% and 16%, respectively, minute ventilation, VT and alveolar DS increased significantly at EP by 49%, 22% and 200%, respectively. We conclude that VC and derived indices may be used to verify a reaction to airway challenge caused by carbachol in sedated dogs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester and 4-Vinylcatechol on the Stabilities of Oil-in-Water Emulsions of Stripped Soybean Oil.

PubMed

Jia, Cai-Hua; Shin, Jung-Ah; Lee, Ki-Teak

2015-12-02

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and 4-vinylcatechol (4-VC) were prepared for studying their antioxidative activities in emulsion. Oil-in-water emulsions of stripped soybean oil containing 200 ppm of CAPE, 4-VC, or α-tocopherol were stored at 40 °C in the dark for 50 days, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) was used to identify and quantify the oxidation products. Emulsion droplet sizes, peroxide values, and levels of primary oxidation products (i.e., hydroperoxides) and secondary oxidation products (i.e., aldehydes) were determined. The results showed that CAPE (200 ppm) and 4-VC (200 ppm) had significantly greater antioxidant activities on the oxidation of stripped soybean oil-in-water emulsions than α-tocopherol (200 ppm). The peroxide values of CAPE (8.4 mequiv/L emulsion) and 4-VC (15.0 mequiv/L emulsion) were significantly lower than that of α-tocopherol (33.4 mequiv/L emulsion) (p < 0.05) on 36 days. In addition, the combinations of CAPE + α-tocopherol (100 + 100 ppm) or 4-VC + α-tocopherol (100 + 100 ppm) had better antioxidant activities than α-tocopherol (200 ppm). For CAPE + α-tocopherol, 4-VC + α-tocopherol, and α-tocopherol, the amounts of conjugated diene forms were 16.67, 13.72, and 16.32 mmol/L emulsion, and the concentrations of aldehydes were 2.15, 1.13, and 4.26 mmol/L emulsion, respectively, after 50 days of storage.

BRIC-100VC Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC)-100VC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, Stephanie E.; Levine, Howard G. (Compiler); Romero, Vergel

2016-01-01

The Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC) is an anodized-aluminum cylinder used to provide passive stowage for investigations of the effects of space flight on small specimens. The BRIC 100 mm petri dish vacuum containment unit (BRIC-100VC) has supported Dugesia japonica (flatworm) within spring under normal atmospheric conditions for 29 days in space and Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus L. (daylily) somatic embryo development within a 5% CO2 gaseous environment for 4.5 months in space. BRIC-100VC is a completely sealed, anodized-aluminum cylinder (Fig. 1) providing containment and structural support of the experimental specimens. The top and bottom lids of the canister include rapid disconnect valves for filling the canister with selected gases. These specialized valves allow for specific atmospheric containment within the canister, providing a gaseous environment defined by the investigator. Additionally, the top lid has been designed with a toggle latch and O-ring assembly allowing for prompt sealing and removal of the lid. The outside dimensions of the BRIC-100VC canisters are 16.0 cm (height) x 11.4 cm (outside diameter). The lower portion of the canister has been equipped with sufficient storage space for passive temperature and relative humidity data loggers. The BRIC- 100VC canister has been optimized to accommodate standard 100 mm laboratory petri dishes or 50 mL conical tubes. Depending on storage orientation, up to 6 or 9 canisters have been flown within an International Space Station (ISS) stowage locker.

The Vibrio cholerae Mrp system: cation/proton antiport properties and enhancement of bile salt resistance in a heterologous host.

PubMed

Dzioba-Winogrodzki, Judith; Winogrodzki, Olga; Krulwich, Terry A; Boin, Markus A; Häse, Claudia C; Dibrov, Pavel

2009-01-01

The mrp operon from Vibrio cholerae encoding a putative multisubunit Na(+)/H(+) antiporter was cloned and functionally expressed in the antiporter-deficient strain of Escherichia coli EP432. Cells of EP432 expressing Vc-Mrp exhibited resistance to Na(+) and Li(+) as well as to natural bile salts such as sodium cholate and taurocholate. When assayed in everted membrane vesicles of the E. coli EP432 host, Vc-Mrp had sufficiently high antiport activity to facilitate the first extensive analysis of Mrp system from a Gram-negative bacterium encoded by a group 2 mrp operon. Vc-Mrp was found to exchange protons for Li(+), Na(+), and K(+) ions in pH-dependent manner with maximal activity at pH 9.0-9.5. Exchange was electrogenic (more than one H(+) translocated per cation moved in opposite direction). The apparent K(m) at pH 9.0 was 1.08, 1.30, and 68.5 mM for Li(+), Na(+), and K(+), respectively. Kinetic analyses suggested that Vc-Mrp operates in a binding exchange mode with all cations and protons competing for binding to the antiporter. The robust ion antiport activity of Vc-Mrp in sub-bacterial vesicles and its effect on bile resistance of the heterologous host make Vc-Mrp an attractive experimental model for the further studies of biochemistry and physiology of Mrp systems. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Double negatively charged carbon vacancy at the h- and k-sites in 4H-SiC: Combined Laplace-DLTS and DFT study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capan, Ivana; Brodar, Tomislav; Pastuović, Željko; Siegele, Rainer; Ohshima, Takeshi; Sato, Shin-ichiro; Makino, Takahiro; Snoj, Luka; Radulović, Vladimir; Coutinho, José; Torres, Vitor J. B.; Demmouche, Kamel

2018-04-01

We present results from combined Laplace-Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (Laplace-DLTS) and density functional theory studies of the carbon vacancy (VC) in n-type 4H-SiC. Using Laplace-DLTS, we were able to distinguish two previously unresolved sub-lattice-inequivalent emissions, causing the broad Z1/2 peak at 290 K that is commonly observed by conventional DLTS in n-type 4H-SiC. This peak has two components with activation energies for electron emission of 0.58 eV and 0.65 eV. We compared these results with the acceptor levels of VC obtained by means of hybrid density functional supercell calculations. The calculations support the assignment of the Z1/2 signal to a superposition of emission peaks from double negatively charged VC defects. Taking into account the measured and calculated energy levels, the calculated relative stability of VC in hexagonal (h) and cubic (k) lattice sites, as well as the observed relative amplitude of the Laplace-DLTS peaks, we assign Z1 and Z2 to VC(h) and VC(k), respectively. We also present the preliminary results of DLTS and Laplace-DLTS measurements on deep level defects (ET1 and ET2) introduced by fast neutron irradiation and He ion implantation in 4H-SiC. The origin of ET1 and ET2 is still unclear.

The Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Combined Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Returning Veterans.

PubMed

Combs, Hannah L; Berry, David T R; Pape, Theresa; Babcock-Parziale, Judith; Smith, Bridget; Schleenbaker, Randal; Shandera-Ochsner, Anne; Harp, Jordan P; High, Walter M

2015-07-01

United States veterans of the Iraqi (Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF]) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF]) conflicts have frequently returned from deployment after sustaining mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and enduring stressful events resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A large number of returning service members have been diagnosed with both a history of mTBI and current PTSD. Substantial literature exists on the neuropsychological factors associated with mTBI and PTSD occurring separately; far less research has explored the combined effects of PTSD and mTBI. The current study employed neuropsychological and psychological measures in a sample of 251 OIF/OEF veterans to determine whether participants with a history of mTBI and current PTSD (mTBI+PTSD) have poorer cognitive and psychological outcomes than participants with mTBI only (mTBI-o), PTSD only (PTSD-o), or veteran controls (VC), when groups are comparable on intelligence quotient, education, and age. The mTBI+PTSD group performed more poorly than VC, mTBI-o, and PTSD-o groups on several neuropsychological measures. Effect size comparisons suggest small deleterious effects for mTBI-o on measures of processing speed and visual attention and small effects for PTSD-o on measures of verbal memory, with moderate effects for mTBI+PTSD on the same variables. Additionally, the mTBI+PTSD group was significantly more psychologically distressed than the PTSD-o group, and PTSD-o group was more distressed than VC and mTBI-o groups. These findings suggest that veterans with mTBI+PTSD perform significantly lower on neuropsychological and psychiatric measures than veterans with mTBI-o or PTSD-o. The results also raise the possibility of mild but persisting cognitive changes following mTBI sustained during deployment.

The Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Combined Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Returning Veterans

PubMed Central

Combs, Hannah L.; Berry, David T. R.; Pape, Theresa; Babcock-Parziale, Judith; Smith, Bridget; Schleenbaker, Randal; Shandera-Ochsner, Anne; Harp, Jordan P.

2015-01-01

Abstract United States veterans of the Iraqi (Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF]) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF]) conflicts have frequently returned from deployment after sustaining mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and enduring stressful events resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A large number of returning service members have been diagnosed with both a history of mTBI and current PTSD. Substantial literature exists on the neuropsychological factors associated with mTBI and PTSD occurring separately; far less research has explored the combined effects of PTSD and mTBI. The current study employed neuropsychological and psychological measures in a sample of 251 OIF/OEF veterans to determine whether participants with a history of mTBI and current PTSD (mTBI+PTSD) have poorer cognitive and psychological outcomes than participants with mTBI only (mTBI-o), PTSD only (PTSD-o), or veteran controls (VC), when groups are comparable on intelligence quotient, education, and age. The mTBI+PTSD group performed more poorly than VC, mTBI-o, and PTSD-o groups on several neuropsychological measures. Effect size comparisons suggest small deleterious effects for mTBI-o on measures of processing speed and visual attention and small effects for PTSD-o on measures of verbal memory, with moderate effects for mTBI+PTSD on the same variables. Additionally, the mTBI+PTSD group was significantly more psychologically distressed than the PTSD-o group, and PTSD-o group was more distressed than VC and mTBI-o groups. These findings suggest that veterans with mTBI+PTSD perform significantly lower on neuropsychological and psychiatric measures than veterans with mTBI-o or PTSD-o. The results also raise the possibility of mild but persisting cognitive changes following mTBI sustained during deployment. PMID:25350012

Degradation of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and accumulation of vinyl chloride in wetland sediment microcosms and in situ porewater: biogeochemical controls and associations with microbial communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorah, Michelle M.; Voytek, Mary A.

2004-05-01

The biodegradation pathways of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (112TCA) and the associated microbial communities in anaerobic wetland sediments were evaluated using concurrent geochemical and genetic analyses over time in laboratory microcosm experiments. Experimental results were compared to in situ porewater data in the wetland to better understand the factors controlling daughter product distributions in a chlorinated solvent plume discharging to a freshwater tidal wetland at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Microcosms constructed with wetland sediment from two sites showed little difference in the initial degradation steps of TeCA, which included simultaneous hydrogenolysis to 112TCA and dichloroelimination to 1,2-dichloroethene (12DCE). The microcosms from the two sites showed a substantial difference, however, in the relative dominance of subsequent dichloroelimination of 112TCA. A greater dominance of 112TCA dichloroelimination in microcosms constructed with sediment that was initially iron-reducing and subsequently simultaneously iron-reducing and methanogenic caused approximately twice as much vinyl chloride (VC) production as microcosms constructed with sediment that was methanogenic only throughout the incubation. The microcosms with higher VC production also showed substantially more rapid VC degradation. Field measurements of redox-sensitive constituents, TeCA, and its anaerobic degradation products along flowpaths in the wetland porewater also showed greater production and degradation of VC with concurrent methanogenesis and iron reduction. Molecular fingerprinting indicated that bacterial species [represented by a peak at a fragment size of 198 base pairs (bp) by MnlI digest] are associated with VC production from 112TCA dichloroelimination, whereas methanogens (190 and 307 bp) from the Methanococcales or Methanobacteriales family are associated with VC production from 12DCE hydrogenolysis. Acetate-utilizing methanogens (acetotrophs) appear to be involved in the biodegradation of VC. The relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae, the only methanogen group with acetotrophic members, doubled in microcosms in which degradation of VC was observed. In addition, molecular analyses using primers specific for known dehalorespiring bacteria in the Dehalococcoides and Desulfuromonas groups showed the presence of these bacteria in microcosm slurry from the site that showed the highest VC production and degradation. Determination of biogeochemical controls and microbial consortia involved in TeCA degradation is leading to a better understanding of the heterogeneity in biodegradation rates and daughter product distribution in the wetland, improving capabilities for developing remediation and monitoring plans.

Potential for Microbial Degradation of cis-Dichloroethene and Vinyl Chloride in Streambed Sediment at the U.S. Department of Energy, Kansas City Plant, Missouri, 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Paul M.

2009-01-01

A series of carbon-14 (14C) radiotracer-based microcosm experiments was conducted to assess the mechanisms and products of degradation of cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) in streambed sediments at the U.S. Department of Energy, Kansas City Plant in Kansas City, Missouri. The focus of the investigation was the potential for biotic and abiotic cis-DCE and VC degradation in surficial and underlying hyporheic sediment from the Blue River and its tributaries, Indian Creek and Boone Creek. Substantial degradation of [1,2-14C] cis-DCE and [1,2-14C] VC to 14C-carbon dioxide (14CO2) was observed in all viable surficial sediment microcosms prepared under oxic conditions. No significant accumulation of reductive dechlorination products was observed under these oxic incubation conditions. The results indicate that microbial mineralization processes involving direct oxidation or co-metabolic oxidation are the primary mechanisms of cis-DCE and VC biodegradation in oxic stream sediment at the Kansas City Plant. Substantial mineralization of [1,2-14C] VC also was observed in all viable surficial sediment microcosms incubated in the absence of detectable oxygen (dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 25 micrograms per liter). In general, the accumulation of mineralization products (14CO2 and 14C-methane [14CH4]) predominated with only trace-level detection of the reductive dechlorination product, 14C-ethene. In contrast, microbial degradation of [1,2-14C] cis-DCE by reductive dechlorination or mineralization was not significant in the absence of detectable oxygen. The potential for [1,2-14C] VC biodegradation also was significant in sediments from the deeper hyporheic zones under oxic conditions and in the absence of detectable oxygen. In this study, microbial degradation of [1,2-14C] cis-DCE was not significant in hyporheic sediment treatments under either oxygen condition. Taken together, the results indicate that microbial mineralization processes in streambed sediments at the Kansas City Plant can be an important component of cis-DCE and VC degradation under oxic conditions and of VC degradation even in the absence of detectable oxygen. These results demonstrate that an evaluation of the efficiency of in situ cis-DCE and VC biodegradation in streambed sediments, based solely on observed accumulations of reduced daughter products, may underestimate substantially the total extent of contaminant biodegradation and, thus, the potential importance of the hyporheic zone and streambed sediments as barriers to the discharge of contaminated groundwater.

Degradation of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and accumulation of vinyl chloride in wetland sediment microcosms and in situ porewater: biogeochemical controls and associations with microbial communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorah, Michelle M.; Voytek, Mary A.

2004-01-01

The biodegradation pathways of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (112TCA) and the associated microbial communities in anaerobic wetland sediments were evaluated using concurrent geochemical and genetic analyses over time in laboratory microcosm experiments. Experimental results were compared to in situ porewater data in the wetland to better understand the factors controlling daughter product distributions in a chlorinated solvent plume discharging to a freshwater tidal wetland at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Microcosms constructed with wetland sediment from two sites showed little difference in the initial degradation steps of TeCA, which included simultaneous hydrogenolysis to 112TCA and dichloroelimination to 1,2-dichloroethene (12DCE). The microcosms from the two sites showed a substantial difference, however, in the relative dominance of subsequent dichloroelimination of 112TCA. A greater dominance of 112TCA dichloroelimination in microcosms constructed with sediment that was initially iron-reducing and subsequently simultaneously iron-reducing and methanogenic caused approximately twice as much vinyl chloride (VC) production as microcosms constructed with sediment that was methanogenic only throughout the incubation. The microcosms with higher VC production also showed substantially more rapid VC degradation. Field measurements of redox-sensitive constituents, TeCA, and its anaerobic degradation products along flowpaths in the wetland porewater also showed greater production and degradation of VC with concurrent methanogenesis and iron reduction.Molecular fingerprinting indicated that bacterial species [represented by a peak at a fragment size of 198 base pairs (bp) by MnlI digest] are associated with VC production from 112TCA dichloroelimination, whereas methanogens (190 and 307 bp) from the Methanococcales or Methanobacteriales family are associated with VC production from 12DCE hydrogenolysis. Acetate-utilizing methanogens (acetotrophs) appear to be involved in the biodegradation of VC. The relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae, the only methanogen group with acetotrophic members, doubled in microcosms in which degradation of VC was observed. In addition, molecular analyses using primers specific for known dehalorespiring bacteria in the Dehalococcoides and Desulfuromonas groups showed the presence of these bacteria in microcosm slurry from the site that showed the highest VC production and degradation. Determination of biogeochemical controls and microbial consortia involved in TeCA degradation is leading to a better understanding of the heterogeneity in biodegradation rates and daughter product distribution in the wetland, improving capabilities for developing remediation and monitoring plans.

Degradation of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and accumulation of vinyl chloride in wetland sediment microcosms and in situ porewater: Biogeochemical controls and associations with microbial communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorah, M.M.; Voytek, M.A.

2004-01-01

The biodegradation pathways of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA) and 1,1,2-trichloroethane (112TCA) and the associated microbial communities in anaerobic wetland sediments were evaluated using concurrent geochemical and genetic analyses over time in laboratory microcosm experiments. Experimental results were compared to in situ porewater data in the wetland to better understand the factors controlling daughter product distributions in a chlorinated solvent plume discharging to a freshwater tidal wetland at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Microcosms constructed with wetland sediment from two sites showed little difference in the initial degradation steps of TeCA, which included simultaneous hydrogenolysis to 112TCA and dichloroelimination to 1,2-dichloroethene (12DCE). The microcosms from the two sites showed a substantial difference, however, in the relative dominance of subsequent dichloroelimination of 112TCA. A greater dominance of 112TCA dichloroelimination in microcosms constructed with sediment that was initially iron-reducing and subsequently simultaneously iron-reducing and methanogenic caused approximately twice as much vinyl chloride (VC) production as microcosms constructed with sediment that was methanogenic only throughout the incubation. The microcosms with higher VC production also showed substantially more rapid VC degradation. Field measurements of redox-sensitive constituents, TeCA, and its anaerobic degradation products along flowpaths in the wetland porewater also showed greater production and degradation of VC with concurrent methanogenesis and iron reduction. Molecular fingerprinting indicated that bacterial species [represented by a peak at a fragment size of 198 base pairs (bp) by MnlI digest] are associated with VC production from 112TCA dichloroelimination, whereas methanogens (190 and 307 bp) from the Methanococcales or Methanobacteriales family are associated with VC production from 12DCE hydrogenolysis. Acetate-utilizing methanogens (acetotrophs) appear to be involved in the biodegradation of VC. The relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae, the only methanogen group with acetotrophic members, doubled in microcosms in which degradation of VC was observed. In addition, molecular analyses using primers specific for known dehalorespiring bacteria in the Dehalococcoides and Desulfuromonas groups showed the presence of these bacteria in microcosm slurry from the site that showed the highest VC production and degradation. Determination of biogeochemical controls and microbial consortia involved in TeCA degradation is leading to a better understanding of the heterogeneity in biodegradation rates and daughter product distribution in the wetland, improving capabilities for developing remediation and monitoring plans.

Fate and Transport Modeling of Selected Chlorinated Organic Compounds at Hangar 1000, U.S. Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, J. Hal

2003-01-01

The Jacksonville Naval Air Station occupies 3,800 acres adjacent to the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. Two underground storage tanks at Hangar 1000 contained solvents from the late 1960s until they were removed in 1994. Ground-water samples at one of the tank sites had levels of trichloroethene (TCE) and total dichloroethene (DCE) of 8,710 micrograms per liter (mg/L) and 4,280 mg/L, respectively. Vinyl chloride (VC) at the site is the result of the biodegradation of DCE. Ground water beneath Hangar 1000 flows toward a storm sewer. TCE and DCE plumes travel with the ground water and presumably have reached the storm sewer, which discharges to the St. Johns River. Simulation of solute transport indicates that the traveltime from the storage tank site to the storm sewer is 16, 14, and 12 years for TCE, DCE, and VC respectively. TCE has the longest traveltime because it has the highest retardation factor at 2.5, DCE takes less time with a retardation factor of 2.0, and VC has the quickest traveltime because it has the lowest retardation factor of 1.7. Based on modeling results, the release of contaminants in the aquifer occurred more than 16 years ago. Model-derived dispersivity values at Hangar 1000 were: longitudinal 1.5 feet (ft), transverse 0.27 ft, and vertical 0.27 ft. The model-derived first order decay rates for biodegradation of TCE, DCE, and VC were 0.0002 per day (d-1), 0.0002 d-1, and 0.06 d-1, respectively. These rates are equivalent to half-lives of 13.7 years for TCE and DCE and 17 days for VC. Source area reductions in contaminant concentrations of 50 and 100 percent were modeled to simulate remediation. As expected, reducing the source concentration by 50 percent resulted in eventual TCE, DCE, and VC concentrations that were half of the original concentrations. About 16 years were needed for new steady-state TCE concentrations to develop, about 14 years for DCE, and about 12 years for VC. Reducing the source area concentrations by 100 percent in the model eventually resulted in zero concentrations of TCE, DCE, and VC. The modeled period of time for the contaminants to be removed from the aquifer once the source was removed was about 17 years for TCE, 15 years for DCE, and 13 years for VC.

Vitamin D in Vascular Calcification: A Double-Edged Sword?

PubMed

Wang, Jeffrey; Zhou, Jimmy J; Robertson, Graham R; Lee, Vincent W

2018-05-22

Vascular calcification (VC) as a manifestation of perturbed mineral balance, is associated with aging, diabetes and kidney dysfunction, as well as poorer patient outcomes. Due to the current limited understanding of the pathophysiology of vascular calcification, the development of effective preventative and therapeutic strategies remains a significant clinical challenge. Recent evidence suggests that traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as left ventricular hypertrophy and dyslipidaemia, fail to account for clinical observations of vascular calcification. Therefore, more complex underlying processes involving physiochemical changes to mineral balance, vascular remodelling and perturbed hormonal responses such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) are likely to contribute to VC. In particular, VC resulting from modifications to calcium, phosphate and vitamin D homeostasis has been recently elucidated. Notably, deregulation of vitamin D metabolism, dietary calcium intake and renal mineral handling are associated with imbalances in systemic calcium and phosphate levels and endothelial cell dysfunction, which can modulate both bone and soft tissue calcification. This review addresses the current understanding of VC pathophysiology, with a focus on the pathogenic role of vitamin D that has provided new insights into the mechanisms of VC.

Spectral coherent-state quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Cincotti, Gabriella; Spiekman, Leo; Wada, Naoya; Kitayama, Ken-ichi

2008-11-01

A novel implementation of quantum-noise optical cryptography is proposed, which is based on a simplified architecture that allows long-haul, high-speed transmission in a fiber optical network. By using a single multiport encoder/decoder and 16 phase shifters, this new approach can provide the same confidentiality as other implementations of Yuen's encryption protocol, which use a larger number of phase or polarization coherent states. Data confidentiality and error probability for authorized and unauthorized receivers are carefully analyzed.

Experimental quantum secret sharing and third-man quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Chen, Yu-Ao; Zhang, An-Ning; Zhao, Zhi; Zhou, Xiao-Qi; Lu, Chao-Yang; Peng, Cheng-Zhi; Yang, Tao; Pan, Jian-Wei

2005-11-11

Quantum secret sharing (QSS) and third-man quantum cryptography (TQC) are essential for advanced quantum communication; however, the low intensity and fragility of the multiphoton entanglement source in previous experiments have made their realization an extreme experimental challenge. Here, we develop and exploit an ultrastable high intensity source of four-photon entanglement to report an experimental realization of QSS and TQC. The technology developed in our experiment will be important for future multiparty quantum communication.

All-optical cryptography of M-QAM formats by using two-dimensional spectrally sliced keys.

PubMed

Abbade, Marcelo L F; Cvijetic, Milorad; Messani, Carlos A; Alves, Cleiton J; Tenenbaum, Stefan

2015-05-10

There has been an increased interest in enhancing the security of optical communications systems and networks. All-optical cryptography methods have been considered as an alternative to electronic data encryption. In this paper we propose and verify the use of a novel all-optical scheme based on cryptographic keys applied on the spectral signal for encryption of the M-QAM modulated data with bit rates of up to 200 gigabits per second.

DNA Cryptography and Deep Learning using Genetic Algorithm with NW algorithm for Key Generation.

PubMed

Kalsi, Shruti; Kaur, Harleen; Chang, Victor

2017-12-05

Cryptography is not only a science of applying complex mathematics and logic to design strong methods to hide data called as encryption, but also to retrieve the original data back, called decryption. The purpose of cryptography is to transmit a message between a sender and receiver such that an eavesdropper is unable to comprehend it. To accomplish this, not only we need a strong algorithm, but a strong key and a strong concept for encryption and decryption process. We have introduced a concept of DNA Deep Learning Cryptography which is defined as a technique of concealing data in terms of DNA sequence and deep learning. In the cryptographic technique, each alphabet of a letter is converted into a different combination of the four bases, namely; Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T), which make up the human deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Actual implementations with the DNA don't exceed laboratory level and are expensive. To bring DNA computing on a digital level, easy and effective algorithms are proposed in this paper. In proposed work we have introduced firstly, a method and its implementation for key generation based on the theory of natural selection using Genetic Algorithm with Needleman-Wunsch (NW) algorithm and Secondly, a method for implementation of encryption and decryption based on DNA computing using biological operations Transcription, Translation, DNA Sequencing and Deep Learning.

Secure satellite communication using multi-photon tolerant quantum communication protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darunkar, Bhagyashri; Punekar, Nikhil; Verma, Pramode K.

2015-09-01

This paper proposes and analyzes the potential of a multi-photon tolerant quantum communication protocol to secure satellite communication. For securing satellite communication, quantum cryptography is the only known unconditionally secure method. A number of recent experiments have shown feasibility of satellite-aided global quantum key distribution (QKD) using different methods such as: Use of entangled photon pairs, decoy state methods, and entanglement swapping. The use of single photon in these methods restricts the distance and speed over which quantum cryptography can be applied. Contemporary quantum cryptography protocols like the BB84 and its variants suffer from the limitation of reaching the distances of only Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at the data rates of few kilobits per second. This makes it impossible to develop a general satellite-based secure global communication network using the existing protocols. The method proposed in this paper allows secure communication at the heights of the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. The benefits of the proposed method are two-fold: First it enables the realization of a secure global communication network based on satellites and second it provides unconditional security for satellite networks at GEO heights. The multi-photon approach discussed in this paper ameliorates the distance and speed issues associated with quantum cryptography through the use of contemporary laser communication (lasercom) devices. This approach can be seen as a step ahead towards global quantum communication.

Accelerating volumetric cine MRI (VC-MRI) using undersampling for real-time 3D target localization/tracking in radiation therapy: a feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Wendy; Yin, Fang-Fang; Wang, Chunhao; Zhang, You; Cai, Jing; Ren, Lei

2018-01-01

Purpose. To accelerate volumetric cine MRI (VC-MRI) using undersampled 2D-cine MRI to provide real-time 3D guidance for gating/target tracking in radiotherapy. Methods. 4D-MRI is acquired during patient simulation. One phase of the prior 4D-MRI is selected as the prior images, designated as MRIprior. The on-board VC-MRI at each time-step is considered a deformation of the MRIprior. The deformation field map is represented as a linear combination of the motion components extracted by principal component analysis from the prior 4D-MRI. The weighting coefficients of the motion components are solved by matching the corresponding 2D-slice of the VC-MRI with the on-board undersampled 2D-cine MRI acquired. Undersampled Cartesian and radial k-space acquisition strategies were investigated. The effects of k-space sampling percentage (SP) and distribution, tumor sizes and noise on the VC-MRI estimation were studied. The VC-MRI estimation was evaluated using XCAT simulation of lung cancer patients and data from liver cancer patients. Volume percent difference (VPD) and Center of Mass Shift (COMS) of the tumor volumes and tumor tracking errors were calculated. Results. For XCAT, VPD/COMS were 11.93  ±  2.37%/0.90  ±  0.27 mm and 11.53  ±  1.47%/0.85  ±  0.20 mm among all scenarios with Cartesian sampling (SP  =  10%) and radial sampling (21 spokes, SP  =  5.2%), respectively. When tumor size decreased, higher sampling rate achieved more accurate VC-MRI than lower sampling rate. VC-MRI was robust against noise levels up to SNR  =  20. For patient data, the tumor tracking errors in superior-inferior, anterior-posterior and lateral (LAT) directions were 0.46  ±  0.20 mm, 0.56  ±  0.17 mm and 0.23  ±  0.16 mm, respectively, for Cartesian-based sampling with SP  =  20% and 0.60  ±  0.19 mm, 0.56  ±  0.22 mm and 0.42  ±  0.15 mm, respectively, for radial-based sampling with SP  =  8% (32 spokes). Conclusions. It is feasible to estimate VC-MRI from a single undersampled on-board 2D cine MRI. Phantom and patient studies showed that the temporal resolution of VC-MRI can potentially be improved by 5-10 times using a 2D cine image acquired with 10-20% k-space sampling.

Improvements in manual dexterity relate to improvements in cognitive planning after assisted cycling therapy (ACT) in adolescents with down syndrome.

PubMed

Holzapfel, Simon D; Ringenbach, Shannon D R; Mulvey, Genna M; Sandoval-Menendez, Amber M; Cook, Megan R; Ganger, Rachel O; Bennett, Kristen

2015-01-01

We have previously reported beneficial effects of acute (i.e., single session) Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) on manual dexterity and cognitive planning ability in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). In the present study, we report the chronic effects of eight weeks of ACT, voluntary cycling (VC), and no cycling (NC), on the same measures in adolescents with DS. Participants completed 8 weeks of ACT, VC, or NC. Those in the ACT and VC groups completed 30min sessions three times per week on a stationary bicycle. During ACT, the mechanical motor of the bicycle augmented the cadence to a rate which was on average 79% faster than the voluntary cadence. During VC, the participants pedaled at a self-selected rate. Unimanual dexterity scores as measured with the Purdue Pegboard test (PPT) improved significantly more for the ACT and VC groups compared to the NC group. ACT lead to greater improvements than VC and NC in the assembly sub-test, which is a task that requires more advanced temporal and spatial processing. The ACT group improved significantly more than the VC group and non-significantly more than the NC group in cognitive planning ability as measured by the Tower of London test (ToL). There were also significant correlations between the assembly subtest of the PPT and all measures of the ToL. These correlations were stronger during post-testing than pre-testing. Pre-post changes in the combined PPT score and ToL number of correct moves correlated positively in the ACT group. These results support the efficacy of the salutary effects of ACT on global fine motor function and executive function in DS. Additionally, the performance on complex bimanual dexterity tasks appears to be related to the capacity of cognitive planning ability. This research has important implications for persons with movement deficits that affect activities of daily living. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of vegetation establishment on tailings dam at an iron ore mining site of suburban Beijing, China, 7 years after reclamation with contrasting site treatment methods.

PubMed

Yan, Demin; Zhao, Fangying; Sun, Osbert Jianxin

2013-09-01

Strip-mining operations greatly disturb soil, vegetation and landscape elements, causing many ecological and environmental problems. Establishment of vegetation is a critical step in achieving the goal of ecosystem restoration in mining areas. At the Shouyun Iron Ore Mine in suburban Beijing, China, we investigated selective vegetation and soil traits on a tailings dam 7 years after site treatments with three contrasting approaches: (1) soil covering (designated as SC), (2) application of a straw mat, known as "vegetation carpet", which contains prescribed plant seed mix and water retaining agent (designated as VC), on top of sand piles, and (3) combination of soil covering and application of vegetation carpet (designated as SC+VC). We found that after 7 years of reclamation, the SC+VC site had twice the number of plant species and greater biomass than the SC and VC sites, and that the VC site had a comparable plant abundance with the SC+VC site but much less biodiversity and plant coverage. The VC site did not differ with the SC site in the vegetation traits, albeit low soil fertility. It is suggested that application of vegetation carpet can be an alternative to introduction of topsoil for treatment of tailings dam with fine-structured substrate of ore sands. However, combination of topsoil treatment and application of vegetation carpet greatly increases vegetation coverage and plant biodiversity, and is therefore a much better approach for assisting vegetation establishment on the tailings dam of strip-mining operations. While application of vegetation carpet helps to stabilize the loose surface of fine-structured mine wastes and to introduce seed bank, introduction of fertile soil is necessary for supplying nutrients to plant growth in the efforts of ecosystem restoration of mining areas.

Vitamin E and vitamin C supplementation improves antioxidant status and immune function in oxidative-stressed breeder roosters by up-regulating expression of GSH-Px gene.

PubMed

Min, Y N; Niu, Z Y; Sun, T T; Wang, Z P; Jiao, P X; Zi, B B; Chen, P P; Tian, D L; Liu, F Z

2018-04-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin C and vitamin E on antioxidant capacity and immune function in oxidative-stressed breeder roosters. One hundred twenty 45-week-old Lveyang black-boned breeder roosters were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments, including negative control group (NC), positive control group (PC), and 3 trial groups, which were fed the diets containing 300 mg/kg VC, 200 mg/kg VE, or 300 mg/kg VC and 200 mg/kg VE (VC+VE). At 47 wk of age, the positive control and trial groups were subcutaneously injected 3 times every other d with dexamethasone (DEX) 4 mg/kg of body weight, the negative control group was injected with saline. The experiment lasted for 35 d. The results showed that at 50 wk of age, average daily feed intake of birds challenged with DEX significantly increased (P < 0.05). During post-stress recovery period (52 wk of age), dietary supplemental VE or VC+VE notably increased body weight under oxidative stress (P < 0.01). Oxidative stress induced by DEX could significantly decrease superoxide dismutase (SOD), IgM, antibody titer of ND and mRNA expression of SOD or glutathion peroxidase activity (GSH-Px), increase serous malondialdehyde (MDA) (P < 0.05). Supplementation of VC or VE significantly decreased serous MDA, and increased SOD under oxidative stress (P < 0.05). Supplementation of VC or VE, or their combination significantly increased the relative expression of GSH-Px mRNA when compared to the oxidative-stressed control treatment (P < 0.05), whereas did not alleviate the relative expression of SOD mRNA (P > 0.05). Therefore, the results suggest that addition of 300 mg/kg VC, 200 mg/kg VE or their combination could improve antioxidant ability and immune performance in oxidative-stressed breeder roosters through up-regulating the expression of GSH-Px gene.

Les accidents de la vie courante chez l’enfant à Dakar: à propos de 201 cas

PubMed Central

Mohamed, Azhar Salim; Sagna, Aloïse; Fall, Mbaye; Ndoye, Ndeye Aby; Mbaye, Papa Alassane; Fall, Aimé Lakh; Diaby, Alou; Ndour, Oumar; Ngom, Gabriel

2017-01-01

Les accidents de la vie courante (AcVC) sont fréquents chez l’enfant et peuvent être à l’origine de lésions handicapantes et de décès. L’objectif de notre travail était d’étudier les aspects épidémiologiques et lésionnels des AcVC à Dakar. C’est une étude transversale descriptive menée du 1er Janvier 2013 au 30 juin 2013. Les enfants victimes d’accidents domestiques, d’accidents de sport et de loisirs ou d’accidents scolaires ont été inclus. Nous avons étudié des paramètres généraux et des paramètres ayant trait à chaque type d’AcVC. Deux cent et un enfants ont été inclus, ce qui représentait 27% des consultations aux urgences. Il y avait 148 garçons et 53 filles. Les enfants de moins de 5 ans étaient les plus touchés (37,8%). Le football et le jeu de lutte étaient les grands pourvoyeurs d’AcVC. Les AcVC survenaient principalement à domicile (58,2%) et dans les aires de sport et de loisirs (31,8%). Les fractures prédominaient dans les différents types d’AcVC: 54,9% des accidents domestiques, 68,8% des accidents de sport et de loisirs et 40% des accidents scolaires. Au plan épidémiologique, nos résultats sont superposables à la littérature. Les fractures prédominent à l’opposé de la littérature où les contusions sont prépondérantes. Le jeu de lutte est le plus grand pourvoyeur de ces fractures après le football. La connaissance des aspects épidémiologiques et lésionnels permet de mener des campagnes de prévention des AcVC à Dakar. PMID:29187941

A capture method based on the VC1 domain reveals new binding properties of the human receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE).

PubMed

Degani, Genny; Altomare, Alessandra A; Colzani, Mara; Martino, Caterina; Mazzolari, Angelica; Fritz, Guenter; Vistoli, Giulio; Popolo, Laura; Aldini, Giancarlo

2017-04-01

The Advanced Glycation and Lipoxidation End products (AGEs and ALEs) are a heterogeneous class of compounds derived from the non-enzymatic glycation or protein adduction by lipoxidation break-down products. The receptor for AGEs (RAGE) is involved in the progression of chronic diseases based on persistent inflammatory state and oxidative stress. RAGE is a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) and the inhibition of the interaction with its ligands or of the ligand accumulation have a potential therapeutic effect. The N-terminal domain of RAGE, the V domain, is the major site of AGEs binding and is stabilized by the adjacent C1 domain. In this study, we set up an affinity assay relying on the extremely specific biological interaction AGEs ligands have for the VC1 domain. A glycosylated form of VC1, produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris, was attached to magnetic beads and used as insoluble affinity matrix (VC1-resin). The VC1 interaction assay was employed to isolate specific VC1 binding partners from in vitro generated AGE-albumins and modifications were identified/localized by mass spectrometry analysis. Interestingly, this method also led to the isolation of ALEs produced by malondialdehyde treatment of albumins. Computational studies provided a rational-based interpretation of the contacts established by specific modified residues and amino acids of the V domain. The validation of VC1-resin in capturing AGE-albumins from complex biological mixtures such as plasma and milk, may lead to the identification of new RAGE ligands potentially involved in pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses, independently of their structures or physical properties, and without the use of any covalent derivatization process. In addition, the method can be applied to the identification of antagonists of RAGE-ligand interaction. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pulmonary Vascular Congestion: A Mechanism for Distal Lung Unit Dysfunction in Obesity.

PubMed

Oppenheimer, Beno W; Berger, Kenneth I; Ali, Saleem; Segal, Leopoldo N; Donnino, Robert; Katz, Stuart; Parikh, Manish; Goldring, Roberta M

2016-01-01

Obesity is characterized by increased systemic and pulmonary blood volumes (pulmonary vascular congestion). Concomitant abnormal alveolar membrane diffusion suggests subclinical interstitial edema. In this setting, functional abnormalities should encompass the entire distal lung including the airways. We hypothesize that in obesity: 1) pulmonary vascular congestion will affect the distal lung unit with concordant alveolar membrane and distal airway abnormalities; and 2) the degree of pulmonary congestion and membrane dysfunction will relate to the cardiac response. 54 non-smoking obese subjects underwent spirometry, impulse oscillometry (IOS), diffusion capacity (DLCO) with partition into membrane diffusion (DM) and capillary blood volume (VC), and cardiac MRI (n = 24). Alveolar-capillary membrane efficiency was assessed by calculation of DM/VC. Mean age was 45±12 years; mean BMI was 44.8±7 kg/m2. Vital capacity was 88±13% predicted with reduction in functional residual capacity (58±12% predicted). Despite normal DLCO (98±18% predicted), VC was elevated (135±31% predicted) while DM averaged 94±22% predicted. DM/VC varied from 0.4 to 1.4 with high values reflecting recruitment of alveolar membrane and low values indicating alveolar membrane dysfunction. The most abnormal IOS (R5 and X5) occurred in subjects with lowest DM/VC (r2 = 0.31, p<0.001; r2 = 0.34, p<0.001). Cardiac output and index (cardiac output / body surface area) were directly related to DM/VC (r2 = 0.41, p<0.001; r2 = 0.19, p = 0.03). Subjects with lower DM/VC demonstrated a cardiac output that remained in the normal range despite presence of obesity. Global dysfunction of the distal lung (alveolar membrane and distal airway) is associated with pulmonary vascular congestion and failure to achieve the high output state of obesity. Pulmonary vascular congestion and consequent fluid transudation and/or alterations in the structure of the alveolar capillary membrane may be considered often unrecognized causes of airway dysfunction in obesity.

Interleukin-18 Enhances Vascular Calcification and Osteogenic Differentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Through TRPM7 Activation.

PubMed

Zhang, Kun; Zhang, Yinyin; Feng, Weijing; Chen, Renhua; Chen, Jie; Touyz, Rhian M; Wang, Jingfeng; Huang, Hui

2017-10-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is an important predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a key mechanism of VC. Recent studies show that IL-18 (interleukin-18) favors VC while TRPM7 (transient receptor potential melastatin 7) channel upregulation inhibits VC. However, the relationship between IL-18 and TRPM7 is unclear. We questioned whether IL-18 enhances VC and osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs through TRPM7 channel activation. Coronary artery calcification and serum IL-18 were measured in patients by computed tomographic scanning and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Primary rat VSMCs calcification were induced by high inorganic phosphate and exposed to IL-18. VSMCs were also treated with TRPM7 antagonist 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate or TRPM7 small interfering RNA to block TRPM7 channel activity and expression. TRPM7 currents were recorded by patch-clamp. Human studies showed that serum IL-18 levels were positively associated with coronary artery calcium scores ( r =0.91; P <0.001). In VSMCs, IL-18 significantly decreased expression of contractile markers α-smooth muscle actin, smooth muscle 22 α, and increased calcium deposition, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of osteogenic differentiation markers bone morphogenetic protein-2, Runx2 (runt-related transcription factor 2), and osteocalcin ( P <0.05). IL-18 increased TRPM7 expression through ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) signaling activation, and TRPM7 currents were augmented by IL-18 treatment. Inhibition of TRPM7 channel by 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate or TRPM7 small interfering RNA prevented IL-18-enhanced osteogenic differentiation and VSMCs calcification. These findings suggest that coronary artery calcification is associated with increased IL-18 levels. IL-18 enhances VSMCs osteogenic differentiation and subsequent VC induced by β-glycerophosphate via TRPM7 channel activation. Accordingly, IL-18 may contribute to VC in proinflammatory conditions. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Recovery of function, peripheral sensitization and sensory neurone activation by novel pathways following axonal injury in Aplysia californica.

PubMed

Dulin, M F; Steffensen, I; Morris, C E; Walters, E T

1995-10-01

Recovery of behavioural and sensory function was examined following unilateral pedal nerve crush in Aplysia californica. Nerve crush that transected all axons connecting the tail to the central nervous system (CNS) eliminated the ipsilateral tail-evoked siphon reflex, whose sensory input travels in the crushed tail nerve (p9). The first reliable signs of recovery of this reflex were observed within 1 week, and most animals displayed tail-evoked siphon responses within 2 weeks. Wide-dynamic-range mechanosensory neurons with somata in the ventrocaudal (VC) cluster of the ipsilateral pleural ganglion exhibited a few receptive fields (RFs) on the tail 3 weeks after unilateral pedal nerve crush, indicating that the RFs had either regenerated or been reconnected to the central somata. These RFs were smaller and sensitized compared with corresponding RFs on the contralateral, uncrushed side. Centrally conducted axon responses of VC sensory neurones to electrical stimulation distal to the nerve crush site did not reappear until at least 10 days after the crush. Because the crush site was much closer to the CNS than to the tail, the failure of axon responses to be restored earlier than the behavioural responses indicates that early stages of reflex recovery are not due to regeneration of VC sensory neurone axons into the tail. Following nerve crush, VC sensory neurones often could be activated by stimulating central connectives or peripheral nerves that do not normally contain the sensory neurone's axons. These results suggest that recovery of behavioral function after nerve injury involves complex mechanisms, including regenerative growth of axotomized VC sensory neurones, sensitization of regenerating RFs and sprouting of VC sensory neurone fibres within the CNS. Furthermore, the rapidity of behavioural recovery indicates that its initial phases are mediated by additional mechanisms, perhaps centripetal regeneration of unidentified sensory neurones having peripheral somata, or transient reconnection of proximal and distal stumps of axotomized VC cells.

Attenuated noradrenergic sensitivity during local cooling in aged human skin

PubMed Central

Thompson, Caitlin S; Holowatz, Lacy A; Kenney, W. Larry

2005-01-01

Reflex-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction (VC) is impaired in older humans; however, it is unclear whether this blunted VC also occurs during local cooling, which mediates VC through different mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that the sensitization of cutaneous vessels to noradrenaline (NA) during direct skin cooling seen in young skin is blunted in aged skin. In 11 young (18–30 years) and 11 older (62–76 years) men and women, skin blood flow was monitored at two forearm sites with laser Doppler (LD) flowmetry while local skin temperature was cooled and clamped at 24°C. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; LD flux/mean arterial pressure) was expressed as percentage change from baseline (%ΔCVCbase). At one site, five doses of NA (10−10–10−2m) were sequentially infused via intradermal microdialysis during cooling while the other 24°C site served as control (Ringer solution + cooling). At control sites, VC due to cooling alone was similar in young versus older (−54 ± 5 versus −56 ± 3%ΔCVCbase, P= 0.46). In young, NA infusions induced additional dose-dependent VC (10−8, 10−6, 10−4 and 10−2m: −70 ± 2, −72 ± 3, −78 ± 3 and −79 ± 4%ΔCVCbase; P < 0.05 versus control). In older subjects, further VC did not occur until the highest infused dose of NA (10−2m: −70 ± 5%ΔCVCbase; P < 0.05 versus control). When cutaneous arterioles are sensitized to NA by direct cooling, young skin exhibits the capacity to further constrict to NA in a dose-dependent manner. However, older skin does not display enhanced VC capacity until treated with saturating doses of NA, possibly due to age-associated decrements in Ca2+ availability or α2C-adrenoceptor function. PMID:15705648

Reflex vasoconstriction in aged human skin increasingly relies on Rho kinase-dependent mechanisms during whole body cooling

PubMed Central

Jennings, John D.; Holowatz, Lacy A.; Kenney, W. Larry

2009-01-01

Primary human aging may be associated with augmented Rho kinase (ROCK)-mediated contraction of vascular smooth muscle and ROCK-mediated inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). We hypothesized that the contribution of ROCK to reflex vasoconstriction (VC) is greater in aged skin. Cutaneous VC was elicited by 1) whole body cooling [mean skin temperature (Tsk) = 30.5°C] and 2) local norepinephrine (NE) infusion (1 × 10−6 M). Four microdialysis fibers were placed in the forearm skin of eight young (Y) and eight older (O) subjects for infusion of 1) Ringer solution (control), 2) 3 mM fasudil (ROCK inhibition), 3) 20 mM NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (NOS inhibition), and 4) both ROCK + NOS inhibitors. Red cell flux was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry over each site. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated as flux/mean arterial pressure and normalized to baseline CVC (%ΔCVCbaseline). VC was reduced at the control site in O during cooling (Y, −34 ± 3; and O, −18 ± 3%ΔCVCbaseline; P < 0.001) and NE infusion (Y, −53 ± 4, and O, −41 ± 9%ΔCVCbaseline; P = 0.006). Fasudil attenuated VC in both age groups during mild cooling; however, this reduction remained only in O but not in Y skin during moderate cooling (Y, −30 ± 5; and O, −7 ± 1%ΔCVCbaseline; P = 0.016) and was not altered by NOS inhibition. Fasudil blunted NE-mediated VC in both age groups (Y, −23 ± 4; and O, −7 ± 3%ΔCVCbaseline; P < 0.01). Cumulatively, these data indicate that reflex VC is more reliant on ROCK in aged skin such that approximately half of the total VC response to whole body cooling is ROCK dependent. PMID:19717729

77 FR 36131 - Airworthiness Directives; Enstrom Helicopter Corporation Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... ``Aeroshell 22 grease'' or ``VC-3 Vibra- tite thread locker,'' you may use an equivalent product. (2) For the... instructions specify using ``Aeroshell 22 grease'' or ``VC-3 Vibra- tite thread locker,'' you may use an...

The bacterial dicarboxylate transporter, VcINDY, uses a two-domain elevator-type mechanism

PubMed Central

Mulligan, Christopher; Fenollar-Ferrer, Cristina; Fitzgerald, Gabriel A.; Vergara-Jaque, Ariela; Kaufmann, Desirée; Li, Yan; Forrest, Lucy R.; Mindell, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

Secondary transporters use alternating access mechanisms to couple uphill substrate movement to downhill ion flux. Most known transporters utilize a “rocking bundle” motion, where the protein moves around an immobile substrate binding site. However, the glutamate transporter homolog, GltPh, translocates its substrate binding site vertically across the membrane, an “elevator” mechanism. Here, we used the “repeat swap” approach to computationally predict the outward-facing state of the Na+/succinate transporter VcINDY, from Vibrio cholerae. Our model predicts a substantial “elevator”-like movement of vcINDY’s substrate binding site, with a vertical translation of ~15 Å and a rotation of ~43°; multiple disulfide crosslinks which completely inhibit transport provide experimental confirmation and demonstrate that such movement is essential. In contrast, crosslinks across the VcINDY dimer interface preserve transport, revealing an absence of large scale coupling between protomers. PMID:26828963

Understanding contributing factors to verbal coercion while studying abroad.

PubMed

Marcantonio, Tiffany; Angelone, D J; Joppa, Meredith

2018-02-06

Verbal coercion (VC) is a common sexual assault (SA) tactic whereby men and women can be victims or perpetrators. College study abroad students report engagement in casual sex, alcohol consumption, and immersion in a sexualized environment (eg, an environment that supports or encourages sexual activity); factors highly associated with SA in general. The purpose of this study was to examine casual sex, alcohol use, and sexualized environments with VC victimization (VCV) and perpetration (VCP) while abroad. Study abroad students (N = 130) completed questionnaires on alcohol use, casual sex, immersion in a sexualized environment, and VC experiences. Participants were more likely to report both VCV and VCP while abroad if they immersed themselves in a sexualized environment; identifying as male was associated with VCP. Results can inform intervention by providing directors with specific constructs to discuss in pre-departure meetings, such as the influence of the environment on VC.

[Lung dysfunction in patients with severe chronic obstructive bronchitis].

PubMed

Nefedov, V B; Popova, L A; Shergina, E A

2005-01-01

VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, TCL, TGV, RV, Raw, Rin, Rex, DLCO-SS, PaO2, and PaCO2 were determined in 36 patients with severe chronic obstructive lung disease (FEV1 < 50% of the normal value). All the patients were found to have impaired bronchial patency and changes in lung volumes and capacities; 83.3% of the patients had pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction. Impaired bronchial patency mainly appeared as decreased FEV1, FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, Raw, Rin, Rex; altered lung volumes and capacities manifested by increased RV, TGV, and TLC, and by decreased VC and FVC; pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction showed up as lowered PaO2 and DLCO-SS, as decreased or increased PaCO2. The observed bronchial patency disorders varied from significant to severe; functional changes in lung volumes and capacities were mild to severe.

Magnesium Attenuates Phosphate-Induced Deregulation of a MicroRNA Signature and Prevents Modulation of Smad1 and Osterix during the Course of Vascular Calcification.

PubMed

Louvet, Loïc; Metzinger, Laurent; Büchel, Janine; Steppan, Sonja; Massy, Ziad A

2016-01-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is prevalent in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). High phosphate levels promote VC by inducing abnormalities in mineral and bone metabolism. Previously, we demonstrated that magnesium (Mg(2+)) prevents inorganic phosphate- (Pi-) induced VC in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HAVSMC). As microRNAs (miR) modulate gene expression, we investigated the role of miR-29b, -30b, -125b, -133a, -143, and -204 in the protective effect of Mg(2+) on VC. HAVSMC were cultured in the presence of 3 mM Pi with or without 2 mM Mg(2+) chloride. Total RNA was extracted after 4 h, 24 h, day 3, day 7, and day 10. miR-30b, -133a, and -143 were downregulated during the time course of Pi-induced VC, whereas the addition of Mg(2+) restored (miR-30b) or improved (miR-133a, miR-143) their expression. The expression of specific targets Smad1 and Osterix was significantly increased in the presence of Pi and restored by coincubation with Mg(2+). As miR-30b, miR-133a, and miR-143 are negatively regulated by Pi and restored by Mg(2+) with a congruent modulation of their known targets Runx2, Smad1, and Osterix, our results provide a potential mechanistic explanation of the observed upregulation of these master switches of osteogenesis during the course of VC.

Results of intraoperative neuromonitoring in thyroid surgery and preoperative vocal cord paralysis.

PubMed

Lorenz, Kerstin; Abuazab, Mohammed; Sekulla, Carsten; Schneider, Rick; Nguyen Thanh, Phuong; Dralle, Henning

2014-03-01

Systematic studies of intermittent intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) have shown that IONM enhances recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) identification via functional assessment, but does not significantly reduce rates of vocal cord (VC) paralysis (VCP). The reliability of functional nerve assessment depends on the preoperative integrity of VC mobility. The present study was therefore performed to analyze the validity of IONM in patients with pre-existing VC paralysis. Of 8,128 patients, 285 (3.5 %) with preoperative VCP underwent thyroid surgery using standardized IONM of the RLN and vagus nerves (VNs). VC function was assessed by pre- and postoperative direct videolaryngoscopy. Quantitative parameters of IONM in patients with VCP were compared with IONM in patients with intact VC function. Clinical symptoms and surgical outcomes of patients with pre-existing VCP were analyzed. A total of 244 patients revealed negative, and 41 revealed positive IONM on the side of the VCP. VCP with positive IONM revealed significantly lower amplitudes of VN and RLN than intact VN (p = 0.010) and RLN (p = 0.011). Symptoms of patients with VCP included hoarseness (25 %), dyspnea (29 %), stridor (13 %), and dysphagia (13 %); 13 % were asymptomatic. New VCP occurred in five patients, ten needed tracheostomy for various reasons, and one patient died. Patients with pre-existing VCP revealed significantly reduced amplitude of ipsilateral VN and RLN, indicating retained nerve conductivity despite VC immobility. Preoperative laryngoscopy is therefore indispensable for reliable IONM and risk assessment, even in patients without voice abnormalities.

The Value Chain Approach in One Health: Conceptual Framing and Focus on Present Applications and Challenges.

PubMed

Antoine-Moussiaux, Nicolas; Peyre, Marisa; Bonnet, Pascal; Bebay, Charles; Bengoumi, Mohammed; Tripodi, Astrid

2017-01-01

The value chain (VC) is a major operational concept for socioeconomic analysis at meso level. Widely mobilized in development practice, it is still undergoing conceptual and practical refining, e.g., to take account of environmental and social sustainability. Briefly, VC refers to a system of value creation through the full set of actors, links, technical and commercial activities and flows involved in the provision of a good or service on a market. In the past decade, this concept has been promoted in the management of animal health. In particular, the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has triggered an interdisciplinary dynamic including VC analysis as a central tool. These efforts promoted participatory investigation methods in the analysis of health systems. Using qualitative and quantitative data, these methods acknowledge the usefulness of actors' involvement and knowledge, hence facilitating the transdisciplinarity needed for effective action. They fit into adaptive and action-oriented strategies, fostering stakeholders' participation. Recent research on HPAI surveillance in South-East Asia merged VC and participatory approaches to develop innovative tools for analyzing constraints to information flow. On-going interventions for HPAI prevention and control as well as the prevention of other emerging zoonotic risks in Africa are presently building on this VC framework to develop strategies for its application at national and regional scales. Based on the latter experiences, this article proposes a field-based perspective on VC applications to animal and public health systems, within a One Health approach responding to the overall challenge of complexity.

In vitro activity of almond skin polyphenols for scavenging free radicals and inducing quinone reductase.

PubMed

Chen, C-Y Oliver; Blumberg, Jeffrey B

2008-06-25

Observational studies and clinical trials suggest nut intake, including almonds, is associated with an enhancement in antioxidant defense and a reduction in the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Almond skins are rich in polyphenols (ASP) that may contribute to these putative benefits. To assess their potential mechanisms of action, we tested the in vitro effect of ASP extracted with methanol (M) or a gastrointestinal juice mimic (GI) alone or in combination with vitamins C (VC) or E (VE) (1-10 micromol/L) on scavenging free radicals and inducing quinone reductase (QR). Flavonoid profiles from ASP-M and -GI extracts were different from one another. ASP-GI was more potent in scavenging HOCl and ONOO (-) radicals than ASP-M. In contrast, ASP-M increased and ASP-GI decreased QR activity in Hepa1c1c7 cells. Adding VC or VE to ASP produced a combination- and dose-dependent action on radical scavenging and QR induction. In comparison to their independent actions, ASP-M plus VC were less potent in scavenging DPPH, HOCl, ONOO (-), and O 2 (-) (*). However, the interaction between ASP-GI plus VC promoted their radical scavenging activity. Combining ASP-M plus VC resulted in a synergistic interaction, inducing QR activity, but ASP-GI plus VC had an antagonistic effect. On the basis of their total phenolic content, the measures of total antioxidant activity of ASP-M and -GI were comparable. Thus, in vitro, ASP act as antioxidants and induce QR activity, but these actions are dependent upon their dose, method of extraction, and interaction with antioxidant vitamins.

Quantitative estimated exposure to vinyl chloride and risk of angiosarcoma of the liver and hepatocellular cancer in the US industry-wide vinyl chloride cohort: mortality update through 2013

PubMed Central

Mundt, Kenneth A; Dell, Linda D; Crawford, Lori; Gallagher, Alexa E

2017-01-01

Objective To evaluate mortality risks of angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL), primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other cancers among 9951 men employed between 1942 and 1972 at 35 US vinyl chloride (VC) or polyvinyl chloride plants followed for mortality through 31 December 2013. Methods SMR and time-dependent Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to evaluate mortality risks by cumulative VC exposure. Results Liver cancer mortality was elevated (SMR=2.87, 95% CI 2.40 to 3.40), and ASL and HCC were strongly associated with cumulative VC exposure ≥865 parts per million-years (ppm-years) (ASL: HR=36.3, 95% CI 13.1 to 100.5; and HCC: HR=5.3, 95% CI 1.6 to 17.7 for ≥2271 ppm-years). Excess deaths due to connective and soft tissue cancers (SMR=2.43, 95% CI 1.48 to 3.75), mesothelioma (SMR=2.29, 95% CI 1.18 to 4.00) and explosions (SMR=3.43, 95% CI 1.25 to 7.47) were seen. Mortalities due to melanoma, brain cancer, lung cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma were not increased or associated with VC exposure. Conclusion The association between VC and ASL first reported in this cohort 44 years ago persisted and was strongest among workers most highly exposed. VC exposure also was associated with HCC mortality, although it remains possible that misdiagnosis of early ASLs influenced findings. PMID:28490663

Magnesium Attenuates Phosphate-Induced Deregulation of a MicroRNA Signature and Prevents Modulation of Smad1 and Osterix during the Course of Vascular Calcification

PubMed Central

Louvet, Loïc; Metzinger, Laurent; Büchel, Janine; Steppan, Sonja; Massy, Ziad A.

2016-01-01

Vascular calcification (VC) is prevalent in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). High phosphate levels promote VC by inducing abnormalities in mineral and bone metabolism. Previously, we demonstrated that magnesium (Mg2+) prevents inorganic phosphate- (Pi-) induced VC in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HAVSMC). As microRNAs (miR) modulate gene expression, we investigated the role of miR-29b, -30b, -125b, -133a, -143, and -204 in the protective effect of Mg2+ on VC. HAVSMC were cultured in the presence of 3 mM Pi with or without 2 mM Mg2+ chloride. Total RNA was extracted after 4 h, 24 h, day 3, day 7, and day 10. miR-30b, -133a, and -143 were downregulated during the time course of Pi-induced VC, whereas the addition of Mg2+ restored (miR-30b) or improved (miR-133a, miR-143) their expression. The expression of specific targets Smad1 and Osterix was significantly increased in the presence of Pi and restored by coincubation with Mg2+. As miR-30b, miR-133a, and miR-143 are negatively regulated by Pi and restored by Mg2+ with a congruent modulation of their known targets Runx2, Smad1, and Osterix, our results provide a potential mechanistic explanation of the observed upregulation of these master switches of osteogenesis during the course of VC. PMID:27419135

The effect of the degree of left renal vein constriction on the development of adolescent varicocele in Sprague-Dawley rats.

PubMed

Yao, Bing; Zhou, Wen-Liang; Han, Da-Yu; Ouyang, Bin; Chen, Xu; Chen, Sheng-Fu; Deng, Chun-Hua; Sun, Xiang-Zhou

2016-01-01

Experimental models have allowed inquiry into the pathophysiology of varicocele (VC) beyond that possible with human patients. A randomized controlled study in rats was designed to clarify the influence of the degree of left renal vein constriction on the development of adolescent VC. Fifty adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) were randomly assigned to five groups of 10: the experimental groups (I-IV) underwent partial ligation of left renal veins with 0.5-, 0.6-, 0.7-, and 0.8-mm diameter needles, respectively. The control group (V) underwent a sham operation. The diameter of the left spermatic vein (LSV) was measured at baseline and 30 days postoperatively. In addition, the lesion of the left kidney was examined with the naked eye and assessed by Masson's trichrome staining. VC was successfully induced in 2 (20%), 4 (40%), 7 (70%), and 10 (100%) rats in groups I-IV, respectively. The other rats failed to develop VCs primarily due to left renal atrophy. No VC was observed in group V. The postsurgical LSV diameters in VC rats in groups III and IV were 1.54 ± 0.16 and 1.49 ± 0.13 mm, respectively (P > 0.05), and their increments were 1.36 ± 0.10 and 1.31 ± 0.10 mm, respectively (P > 0.05). These results suggest that suitable constriction of the left renal vein is critical for adolescent VC development. In addition, the 0.8-mm diameter needle may be more suitable for inducing left renal vein constriction in adolescent rat models.

The Value Chain Approach in One Health: Conceptual Framing and Focus on Present Applications and Challenges

PubMed Central

Antoine-Moussiaux, Nicolas; Peyre, Marisa; Bonnet, Pascal; Bebay, Charles; Bengoumi, Mohammed; Tripodi, Astrid

2017-01-01

The value chain (VC) is a major operational concept for socioeconomic analysis at meso level. Widely mobilized in development practice, it is still undergoing conceptual and practical refining, e.g., to take account of environmental and social sustainability. Briefly, VC refers to a system of value creation through the full set of actors, links, technical and commercial activities and flows involved in the provision of a good or service on a market. In the past decade, this concept has been promoted in the management of animal health. In particular, the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has triggered an interdisciplinary dynamic including VC analysis as a central tool. These efforts promoted participatory investigation methods in the analysis of health systems. Using qualitative and quantitative data, these methods acknowledge the usefulness of actors’ involvement and knowledge, hence facilitating the transdisciplinarity needed for effective action. They fit into adaptive and action-oriented strategies, fostering stakeholders’ participation. Recent research on HPAI surveillance in South-East Asia merged VC and participatory approaches to develop innovative tools for analyzing constraints to information flow. On-going interventions for HPAI prevention and control as well as the prevention of other emerging zoonotic risks in Africa are presently building on this VC framework to develop strategies for its application at national and regional scales. Based on the latter experiences, this article proposes a field-based perspective on VC applications to animal and public health systems, within a One Health approach responding to the overall challenge of complexity. PMID:29322047

Effects of Ascorbyl-2-phosphate Magnesium on Human Keratinocyte Toxicity and Pathological Changes by Sorafenib.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Shichiri, Hiroaki; Ishida, Takahiro; Kaku, Kenta; Nishioka, Tatsuya; Kume, Manabu; Makimoto, Hiroo; Nakagawa, Tsutomu; Hirano, Takeshi; Bito, Toshinori; Nishigori, Chikako; Yano, Ikuko; Hirai, Midori

2017-01-01

Hand-foot skin reaction is recognized as one of the most common adverse events related to multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but an effective prevention method has not been identified. The chief aim of this study was to find a mechanism-based preventive method for the skin toxicity induced by sorafenib using vitamin C derivatives. The effects of ascorbyl-2-phosphate magnesium (P-VC-Mg) on the molecular and pathological changes induced by sorafenib were investigated in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The cell growth inhibition and apoptotic effects of sorafenib were attenuated by P-VC-Mg. Moreover, P-VC-Mg inhibited the decrease of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and the expression of apoptosis suppressors treated by sorafenib. HaCaT cells transfected with the STAT3 dominant-negative form (STAT3DN) and STAT3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) combined with P-VC-Mg did not exhibit the attenuation of cell growth inhibition. Interestingly, after exposure to sorafenib in a three dimensional (3D) skin model assay, the basal layer was significantly thickened and the granular and spinous layers became thinner. In contrast, after exposure to sorafenib with P-VC-Mg, the thickness of the basal, granular, and spinous layers was similar to that of the control image. These findings suggest that P-VC-Mg attenuates sorafenib-induced apoptosis and pathological changes in human keratinocyte cells and in the 3D skin model mediated by the maintenance of STAT3 activity.

A combined toxicity study of zinc oxide nanoparticles and vitamin C in food additives.

PubMed

Wang, Yanli; Yuan, Lulu; Yao, Chenjie; Ding, Lin; Li, Chenchen; Fang, Jie; Sui, Keke; Liu, Yuanfang; Wu, Minghong

2014-12-21

At present, safety evaluation standards for nanofood additives are made based on the toxic effects of a single additive. Since the size, surface properties and chemical nature influence the toxicity of nanomaterials, the toxicity may have dramatically changed when nanomaterials are used as food additives in a complex system. Herein, we investigated the combined toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and vitamin C (Vc, ascorbic acid). The results showed that Vc increased the cytotoxicity significantly compared with that of the ZnO only NPs. When the cells were exposed to ZnO NPs at a concentration less than 15 mg L(-1), or to Vc at a concentration less than 300 mg L(-1), there was no significant cytotoxicity, both in the case of gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) and neural stem cells (NSCs). However, when 15 mg L(-1) of ZnO NPs and 300 mg L(-1) of Vc were introduced to cells together, the cell viability decreased sharply indicating significant cytotoxicity. Moreover, the significant increase in toxicity was also shown in the in vivo experiments. The dose of the ZnO NPs and Vc used in the in vivo study was calculated according to the state of food and nutrition enhancer standard. After repeated oral exposure to ZnO NPs plus Vc, the injury of the liver and kidneys in mice has been indicated by the change of these indices. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic toxicity presented in a complex system is essential for the toxicological evaluation and safety assessment of nanofood.

Resonance Raman spectroscopic investigation of the light-harvesting chromophore in escherichia coli photolyase and Vibrio cholerae cryptochrome-1.

PubMed

Sokolova, Olga; Cecala, Christine; Gopal, Anand; Cortazar, Frank; McDowell-Buchanan, Carla; Sancar, Aziz; Gindt, Yvonne M; Schelvis, Johannes P M

2007-03-27

Photolyases and cryptochromes are flavoproteins that belong to the class of blue-light photoreceptors. They usually bind two chromophores: flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), which forms the active site, and a light-harvesting pigment, which is a 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate polyglutamate (MTHF) in most cases. In Escherichia coli photolyase (EcPhr), the MTHF cofactor is present in substoichiometric amounts after purification, while in Vibrio cholerae cryptochrome-1 (VcCry1) the MTHF cofactor is bound more strongly and is present at stoichiometric levels after purification. In this paper, we have used resonance Raman spectroscopy to monitor the effect of loss of MTHF on the protein-FAD interactions in EcPhr and to probe the protein-MTHF interactions in both EcPhr and VcCry1. We find that removal of MTHF does not perturb protein-FAD interactions, suggesting that it may not affect the physicochemical properties of FAD in EcPhr. Our data demonstrate that the pteridine ring of MTHF in EcPhr has different interactions with the protein matrix than that of MTHF in VcCry1. Comparison to solution resonance Raman spectra of MTHF suggests that the carbonyl of its pteridine ring in EcPhr experiences stronger hydrogen bonding and a more polar environment than in VcCry1, but that hydrogen bonding to the pteridine ring amine hydrogens is stronger in VcCry-1. These differences in hydrogen bonding may account for the higher binding affinity of MTHF in VcCry1 compared to EcPhr.

Atomic resolution crystal structure of VcLMWPTP-1 from Vibrio cholerae O395: Insights into a novel mode of dimerization in the low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase family

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nath, Seema; Banerjee, Ramanuj; Sen, Udayaditya, E-mail: udayaditya.sen@saha.ac.in

Highlights: • VcLMWPTP-1 forms dimer in solution. • The dimer is catalytically active unlike other reported dimeric LMWPTPs. • The formation of extended dimeric surface excludes the active site pocket. • The surface bears closer resemblance to eukaryotic LMWPTPs. - Abstract: Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMWPTP) is a group of phosphotyrosine phosphatase ubiquitously found in a wide range of organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals. Dimerization in the LMWPTP family has been reported earlier which follows a common mechanism involving active site residues leading to an enzymatically inactive species. Here we report a novel form of dimerization inmore » a LMWPTP from Vibrio cholera 0395 (VcLMWPTP-1). Studies in solution reveal the existence of the dimer in solution while kinetic study depicts the active form of the enzyme. This indicates that the mode of dimerization in VcLMWPTP-1 is different from others where active site residues are not involved in the process. A high resolution (1.45 Å) crystal structure of VcLMWPTP-1 confirms a different mode of dimerization where the active site is catalytically accessible as evident by a tightly bound substrate mimicking ligand, MOPS at the active site pocket. Although being a member of a prokaryotic protein family, VcLMWPTP-1 structure resembles very closely to LMWPTP from a eukaryote, Entamoeba histolytica. It also delineates the diverse surface properties around the active site of the enzyme.« less

The Effect of Intermittent Vest Cooling on Thermoregulation and Cardiovascular Strain in Baseball Catchers.

PubMed

Bishop, Stacy H; Szymanski, David J; Ryan, Greg A; Herron, Robert L; Bishop, Phil A

2017-08-01

Bishop, SH, Szymanski, DJ, Ryan, GA, Herron, RL, and Bishop, PA. The effect of intermittent vest cooling on thermoregulation and cardiovascular strain in baseball catchers. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2060-2065, 2017-Baseball catchers are exposed to multiple physiological challenges while playing outside during the spring and summer months, many of which deal with recovery and thermoregulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of intermittent cooling on core temperature, cardiovascular strain, exertion, and recovery during a simulated catching performance in the heat. Six trained college-aged baseball catchers performed in a controlled, hot (35° C), and humid (25% relative humidity) environment in a counter-balanced, cross-over design. Ice vest cooling (VC) was used as a cooling modality and was compared with a control of no cooling (NC). Rectal temperature (Tre), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and perceived recovery scale (PRS) were recorded before and after each simulated inning. All activities took place in a heat chamber, and each inning consisted of catchers receiving 12 pitches in their position followed by 6 minutes of recovery. Nine total innings were performed, and 27 total innings were performed with each of the 2 treatments. A significantly smaller mean Tre change was seen in VC when compared with NC (0.58 ± 0.2° C, 0.98 ± 0.2° C, p ≤ 0.01, respectively). Rating of perceived exertion was significantly lower and PRS was significantly improved for VC compared with NC (both p ≤ 0.05). Mean recovery HR during VC was significantly lower than NC in the fifth (VC = 84 ± 8 b·min, NC = 90 ± 9 b·min, p = 0.04), seventh (VC = 84 ± 3 b·min, NC = 92 ± 7 b·min, p = 0.02), and ninth (VC = 85 ± 7 b·min, NC = 93 ± 5 b·min, p = 0.01) innings. Heart rate during catching was significantly lower at the end of the VC trials when compared with NC (108 ± 16 b·min vs. 120 ± 19 b·min, p = 0.02, respectively). Vest cooling decreased heat strain, cardiovascular strain, and RPE while it improved perceived recovery in catchers over a simulated 3-game series performed in hot conditions.

A multi-pathway hypothesis for human visual fear signaling

PubMed Central

Silverstein, David N.; Ingvar, Martin

2015-01-01

A hypothesis is proposed for five visual fear signaling pathways in humans, based on an analysis of anatomical connectivity from primate studies and human functional connectvity and tractography from brain imaging studies. Earlier work has identified possible subcortical and cortical fear pathways known as the “low road” and “high road,” which arrive at the amygdala independently. In addition to a subcortical pathway, we propose four cortical signaling pathways in humans along the visual ventral stream. All four of these traverse through the LGN to the visual cortex (VC) and branching off at the inferior temporal area, with one projection directly to the amygdala; another traversing the orbitofrontal cortex; and two others passing through the parietal and then prefrontal cortex, one excitatory pathway via the ventral-medial area and one regulatory pathway via the ventral-lateral area. These pathways have progressively longer propagation latencies and may have progressively evolved with brain development to take advantage of higher-level processing. Using the anatomical path lengths and latency estimates for each of these five pathways, predictions are made for the relative processing times at selective ROIs and arrival at the amygdala, based on the presentation of a fear-relevant visual stimulus. Partial verification of the temporal dynamics of this hypothesis might be accomplished using experimental MEG analysis. Possible experimental protocols are suggested. PMID:26379513

The design of real time infrared image generation software based on Creator and Vega

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Rui-feng; Wu, Wei-dong; Huo, Jun-xiu

2013-09-01

Considering the requirement of high reality and real-time quality dynamic infrared image of an infrared image simulation, a method to design real-time infrared image simulation application on the platform of VC++ is proposed. This is based on visual simulation software Creator and Vega. The functions of Creator are introduced simply, and the main features of Vega developing environment are analyzed. The methods of infrared modeling and background are offered, the designing flow chart of the developing process of IR image real-time generation software and the functions of TMM Tool and MAT Tool and sensor module are explained, at the same time, the real-time of software is designed.

Quantum cryptography with entangled photons

PubMed

Jennewein; Simon; Weihs; Weinfurter; Zeilinger

2000-05-15

By realizing a quantum cryptography system based on polarization entangled photon pairs we establish highly secure keys, because a single photon source is approximated and the inherent randomness of quantum measurements is exploited. We implement a novel key distribution scheme using Wigner's inequality to test the security of the quantum channel, and, alternatively, realize a variant of the BB84 protocol. Our system has two completely independent users separated by 360 m, and generates raw keys at rates of 400-800 bits/s with bit error rates around 3%.

Single photon quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Beveratos, Alexios; Brouri, Rosa; Gacoin, Thierry; Villing, André; Poizat, Jean-Philippe; Grangier, Philippe

2002-10-28

We report the full implementation of a quantum cryptography protocol using a stream of single photon pulses generated by a stable and efficient source operating at room temperature. The single photon pulses are emitted on demand by a single nitrogen-vacancy color center in a diamond nanocrystal. The quantum bit error rate is less that 4.6% and the secure bit rate is 7700 bits/s. The overall performances of our system reaches a domain where single photons have a measurable advantage over an equivalent system based on attenuated light pulses.

Quantum State Tomography of a Fiber-Based Source of Polarization-Entangled Photon Pairs

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-20

Processing 175−179 (IEEE, Bangalore, 1984). 4. A. K. Ekert, “ Quantum cryptography based on Bell’s theorem ,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 661–663 (1991). 5...NUMBERS Quantum State Tomography of a Fiber- Based Source of MURI Center for Photonic Quantum Information Systems: AROIARDA Program Polarization...Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, 1996). 7. N. Gisin, G. Ribordy, W. Tittel, and H. Zbinden, “ Quantum cryptography ,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 74, 145

A Statistical Test Suite for Random and Pseudorandom Number Generators for Cryptographic Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-15

is based on a calculated test statistic value, which is a function of the data. If the test statistic value is S and the critical value is t, then...5 Defined in The Handbook of Applied Cryptography ; A. Menezes, P. Van Oorschot and S . Vanstone; CRC Press, 1997. The first 4...3rd ed. Reading: Addison-Wesley, Inc., pp. 61-80. [4] A. J. Menezes, P. C. van Oorschot, and S . A. Vanstone (1997), Handbook of Applied Cryptography

Relativistic quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaniewski, Jedrzej

Special relativity states that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light, which means that communication between agents occupying distinct locations incurs some minimal delay. Alternatively, we can see it as temporary communication constraints between distinct agents and such constraints turn out to be useful for cryptographic purposes. In relativistic cryptography we consider protocols in which interactions occur at distinct locations at well-defined times and we investigate why such a setting allows to implement primitives which would not be possible otherwise. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Comment on 'Two-way protocols for quantum cryptography with a nonmaximally entangled qubit pair'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qin Sujuan; Gao Fei; Wen Qiaoyan

2010-09-15

Three protocols of quantum cryptography with a nonmaximally entangled qubit pair [Phys. Rev. A 80, 022323 (2009)] were recently proposed by Shimizu, Tamaki, and Fukasaka. The security of these protocols is based on the quantum-mechanical constraint for a state transformation between nonmaximally entangled states. However, we find that the second protocol is vulnerable under the correlation-elicitation attack. An eavesdropper can obtain the encoded bit M although she has no knowledge about the random bit R.

Entangled State Quantum Cryptography: Eavesdropping on the Ekert Protocol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Naik, D. S.; Peterson, C. G.; White, A. G.

2000-05-15

Using polarization-entangled photons from spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we have implemented Ekert's quantum cryptography protocol. The near-perfect correlations of the photons allow the sharing of a secret key between two parties. The presence of an eavesdropper is continually checked by measuring Bell's inequalities. We investigated several possible eavesdropper strategies, including pseudo-quantum-nondemolition measurements. In all cases, the eavesdropper's presence was readily apparent. We discuss a procedure to increase her detectability. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

Tomographic quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liang, Yeong Cherng; Kaszlikowski, Dagomir; Englert, Berthold-Georg

2003-08-01

We present a protocol for quantum cryptography in which the data obtained for mismatched bases are used in full for the purpose of quantum state tomography. Eavesdropping on the quantum channel is seriously impeded by requiring that the outcome of the tomography is consistent with unbiased noise in the channel. We study the incoherent eavesdropping attacks that are still permissible and establish under which conditions a secure cryptographic key can be generated. The whole analysis is carried out for channels that transmit quantum systems of any finite dimension.

A possible biochemical missing link among archaebacteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Achenbach-Richter, Laurie; Woese, Carl R.; Stetter, Karl O.

1987-01-01

The characteristics of the newly discovered strain of archaebacteria, VC-16, the only archaebacterium known to reduce sulfate, suggest that VC-16 might represent a transitional form between an anaerobic thermophilic sulfur-based type of metabolism and methanogenesis. It is shown here, using a matrix of evolutionary distances derived from an alignment of various archaebacterial 16S rRNAs and the phylogenetic tree derived from these evolutionary distances, that the lineage represented by strain VC-16 arises from the archaebacterial tree precisely where such an interpretation would predict that it would, between the Methanococcus lineage and that of Thermococcus.

Evaluation of the Variable Reluctance Transducer/Carrier Amplifier Method of Measuring Low Pneumatic Pressures in Aerodynamic and Propulsion Testing.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

in ZT position, adjust Rx and VT to give the following conditions simul taneously: a) Vc to be specifiied value * RMS Volts. b) VRX Vz. 3. Record: RX...conditions simultaneously: a) V to be specified value as before.c b) VRX Vc. 2. Record: Rx = Q_ ; VT = ; VR =Vc (Volts). C. CALCULATE VOLTAGE AND...2 _V2 cos 8 = cos (180-,) = VRX V2 . VT 2VRX* V Z =R (cos + isino) = Rz + JWTLZ (OHMS) VT x10 (MILLIAMPERES) E(Rx+Rz)2 + LZ2 󈧏 2 • =TLz COIL "Q

Carbon Textile Decorated with Pseudocapacitive VC/Vx Oy for High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Van Lam, Do; Shim, Hyung Cheoul; Kim, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Hak-Joo; Lee, Seung-Mo

2017-11-01

It is demonstrated that, via V 2 O 5 coating by low temperature atomic layer deposition and subsequent pyrolysis, ubiquitous cotton textile can readily turn into high-surface-area carbon textile fully decorated with pseudocapacitive V x O y /VC widely usable as electrodes of high-performance supercapacitor. It is found that carbothermic reduction of V 2 O 5 (C + V 2 O 5 → C' + VC + CO/CO 2 (g)) leads to chemical/mechanical activation of carbon textile, thereby producing high-surface-area conductive carbon textile. In addition, sequential phase transformation and carbide formation (V 2 O 5 → V x O y → VC) occurred by carbothermic reduction trigger decoration of the carbon textile with redox-active V x O y /VC. Thanks to the synergistic effect of electrical double layer and pseudocapacitance, the supercapacitors made of the hybrid carbon textile exhibit far better energy density (over 30-fold increase) with excellent cycling stability than the carbon textile simply undergone pyrolysis. The method can open up a promising and facile way to synthesize hybrid electrode materials for electrochemical energy storages possessing advantages of both electrical double layer and pseudocapacitive material. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Vermicompost and biochar as bio-conditioners to immobilize heavy metal and improve soil fertility on cadmium contaminated soil under acid rain stress.

PubMed

Wang, Ying; Xu, YongAn; Li, Dan; Tang, BiCong; Man, ShuLei; Jia, YiFan; Xu, Heng

2018-04-15

This experiment was conducted to investigate the remediation effects of bio-conditioners vermicompost (VC) and biochar (BC) on cadmium contaminated soil under the threat of acid rain, individually and associatively. With the application of soil conditioners, the percentages of HOAc-extractable Cd decreased 5.2-6.8%, 9.0-13.5% and 7.9-12.1% in the groups amended with VC, BC and VC combined BC, respectively. When the pH of rain decreased from 7.0 to 4.0, the activity of acid phosphatase decreased 2.0%, 12.3%, 3.2%, 14.8% in VC, BC, VC combined BC and control groups, individually. This study affirmed that with the application of soil conditioners, the threat of heavy metal along with bioavailability of Cd was depressed, and the properties of soil biochemical indictors were enhanced. Oppositely, the bioavailability of Cd was promoted, and soil microbial viability as well as nutrient contents was inhibited with the spraying of acid rain. The findings indicated that acid deposition played a restrain effect on soil remediation process. Meanwhile, soil conditioners showed potentials to improve soil fertilities and alleviate the stress of acid rain. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

XFM demonstrates preferential accumulation of a vanadyl-based MRI contrast agent in murine colonic tumors

PubMed Central

Mustafi, Devkumar; Ward, Jesse; Dougherty, Urszula; Bissonnette, Marc; Hart, John; Vogt, Stefan; Karczmar, Gregory S.

2016-01-01

Contrast agents that specifically enhance cancers on MRI would allow earlier detection. Vanadyl-based chelates (VCs) selectively enhance rodent cancers on MRI, suggesting selective uptake of VCs by cancers. Here we report X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) of VC uptake by murine colon cancer. Colonic tumors in mice treated with azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium were identified by MRI. Then a gadolinium-based contrast agent and a VC were injected I.V.; mice were sacrificed and colons sectioned. VC distribution was sampled at 120 minutes after injection to evaluate the long term accumulation. Gadolinium distribution was sampled at 10 minutes after injection due to its rapid washout. XFM was performed on 72 regions of normal and cancerous colon from 5 normal mice and 4 cancer-bearing mice. XFM showed that all gadolinium was extracellular with similar concentrations in colon cancers and normal colon. In contrast, the average VC concentration was 2-fold higher in cancers vs. normal tissue (p<0.002). Cancers also contained numerous ‘hot spots’ with intracellular VC concentrations 6-fold higher than the concentration in normal colon (p<0.0001). No ‘hot spots’ were detected in normal colon. This is the first direct demonstration that VCs selectively accumulate in cancer cells, and thus may improve cancer detection. PMID:25813904

Conductive heat flux in VC-1 and the thermal regime of Valles caldera, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sass, J.H.; Morgan, P.

1988-01-01

Over 5% of heat in the western USA is lost through Quaternary silicic volcanic centers, including the Valles caldera in N central New Mexico. These centers are the sites of major hydrothermal activity and upper crustal metamorphism, metasomatism, and mineralization, producing associated geothermal resources. Presents new heat flow data from Valles caldera core hole 1 (VC-1), drilled in the SW margin of the Valles caldera. Thermal conductivities were measured on 55 segments of core from VC-1, waxed and wrapped to preserve fluids. These values were combined with temperature gradient data to calculate heat flow. Above 335 m, which is probably unsaturated, heat flow is 247 + or - 16 mW m-2. Inteprets the shallow thermal gradient data and the thermal regime at VC-1 to indicate a long-lived hydrothermal (and magmatic) system in the southwestern Valles caldera that has been maintained through the generation of shallow magma bodies during the long postcollapse history of the caldera. High heat flow at the VC-1 site is interpreted to result from hot water circulating below the base of the core hole, and we attribute the lower heat flow in the unsaturated zone is attributed to hydrologic recharge. -from Authors

Microstructure and properties of Fe-based composite coating by laser cladding Fe-Ti-V-Cr-C-CeO2 powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hui; Zou, Yong; Zou, Zengda; Wu, Dongting

2015-01-01

In situ TiC-VC reinforced Fe-based cladding layer was obtained on low carbon steel surface by laser cladding with Fe-Ti-V-Cr-C-CeO2 alloy powder. The microstructure, phases and properties of the cladding layer were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), potentio-dynamic polarization and electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed Fe-Ti-V-Cr-C-CeO2 alloy powder formed a good cladding layer without defects such as cracks and pores. The phases of the cladding layer were α-Fe, γ-Fe, TiC, VC and TiVC2. The microstructures of the cladding layer matrix were lath martensite and retained austenite. The carbides were polygonal blocks with a size of 0.5-2 μm and distributed uniformly in the cladding layer. High resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the carbide was a complex matter composed of nano TiC, VC and TiVC2. The cladding layer with a hardness of 1030 HV0.2 possessed good wear and corrosion resistance, which was about 16.85 and 9.06 times than that of the substrate respectively.

Tolerance of Volume Control Noninvasive Ventilation in Subjects With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

PubMed

Martínez, Daniel; Sancho, Jesús; Servera, Emilio; Marín, Julio

2015-12-01

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) tolerance has been identified as an independent predictor of survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Volume control continuous mandatory ventilation (VC-CMV) NIV has been associated with poor tolerance. The aim of this study was to determine the tolerance of subjects with ALS to VC-CMV NIV. This was a prospective study involving subjects with ALS who were treated with VC-CMV NIV. Respiratory and functional parameters were recorded when the subjects began ventilatory support. NIV tolerance was evaluated after 3 months. Eighty-seven subjects with ALS were included. After 3 months, 80 subjects (92%) remained tolerant of NIV. Tolerant subjects presented greater survival (median 22.0 months, 95% CI 14.78-29.21) than intolerant subjects (median 6.0 months, 95% CI 0.86-11.13) (P = .03). The variables that best predicted NIV tolerance were mechanically assisted cough peak flow (P = .01) and percentage of time spent with SpO2 < 90% at night while on NIV (P = .03) CONCLUSIONS: VC-CMV NIV provides high rates of NIV tolerance in subjects with ALS. Mechanically assisted cough peak flow and percentage of time spent with SpO2 < 90% at night while using NIV are the 2 factors associated with tolerance of VC-CMV NIV in subjects with ALS. Copyright © 2015 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Optimizing the Calculation of DM,CO and VC via the Single Breath Single Oxygen Tension DLCO/NO Method

PubMed Central

Coffman, Kirsten E.; Taylor, Bryan J.; Carlson, Alex R.; Wentz, Robert J.; Johnson, Bruce D.

2015-01-01

Alveolar-capillary membrane conductance (DM,CO) and pulmonary-capillary blood volume (VC) are calculated via lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and nitric oxide (DLNO) using the single breath, single oxygen tension (single-FiO2) method. However, two calculation parameters, the reaction rate of carbon monoxide with blood (θCO) and the DM,NO/DM,CO ratio (α-ratio), are controversial. This study systematically determined optimal θCO and α-ratio values to be used in the single-FiO2 method that yielded the most similar DM,CO and VC values compared to the ‘gold-standard’ multiple-FiO2 method. Eleven healthy subjects performed single breath DLCO/DLNO maneuvers at rest and during exercise. DM,CO and VC were calculated via the single-FiO2 and multiple-FiO2 methods by implementing seven θCO equations and a range of previously reported α-ratios. The RP θCO equation (Reeves and Park, Respiration physiology 88:1–21, 1992.) and an α-ratio of 4.0–4.4 yielded DM,CO and VC values that were most similar between methods. The RP θCO equation and an experimental α-ratio should be used in future studies. PMID:26521031

Advanced topical drug delivery system for the management of vaginal candidiasis.

PubMed

Johal, Himmat Singh; Garg, Tarun; Rath, Goutam; Goyal, Amit Kumar

2016-01-01

Vaginal candidiasis or vulvovaginal candidiasis (VC) is a common mucosal infection of vagina, mainly caused by Candida species. The major symptoms of VC are dyspareunia, pruritis, itching, soreness, vagina as well as vulvar erythema and edema. Most common risk factors that lead to the imbalance in the vaginal micro biota are the use of antibiotics, pregnancy, diabetes mellitus, immuno suppression as in AIDS or HIV patients, frequent sexual intercourse, spermicide and intra-uterine devices and vaginal douching. Various anti-fungal drugs are available for effective treatment of VC. Different conventional vaginal formulations (creams, gels, suppositories, powder, ointment, etc.) for VC are available today but have limited efficacy because of lesser residence time on vaginal epithelium due to self-cleansing action of vagina. So to overcome this problem, an extended and intimate contact with vaginal mucosa is desired; which can be accomplished by utilizing mucoadhesive polymers. Mucoadhesive polymers have an excellent binding capacity to mucosal tissues for considerable period of time. This unique property of these polymers significantly enhances retention time of different formulations on mucosal tissues. Currently, various novel formulations such as liposomes, nano- and microparticles, micro-emulsions, bio-adhesive gel and tablets are used to control and treat VC. In this review, we focused on current status of vaginal candidiasis, conventional and nanotechnology inspired formulation approaches.

Enhanced FCGR2A and FCGR3A signaling by HIV viremic controller IgG

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Raymond A.; Maestre, Ana M.; Durham, Natasha D.; Barria, Maria Ines; Ishii-Watabe, Akiko; Tada, Minoru; Hotta, Mathew T.; Rodriguez-Caprio, Gabriela; Fierer, Daniel S.; Fernandez-Sesma, Ana; Simon, Viviana; Chen, Benjamin K.

2017-01-01

HIV-1 viremic controllers (VC) spontaneously control infection without antiretroviral treatment. Several studies indicate that IgG Abs from VCs induce enhanced responses from immune effector cells. Since signaling through Fc-γ receptors (FCGRs) modulate these Ab-driven responses, here we examine if enhanced FCGR activation is a common feature of IgG from VCs. Using an infected cell–based system, we observed that VC IgG stimulated greater FCGR2A and FCGR3A activation as compared with noncontrollers, independent of the magnitude of HIV-specific Ab binding or virus neutralization activities. Multivariate regression analysis showed that enhanced FCGR signaling was a significant predictor of VC status as compared with chronically infected patients (CIP) on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of patient IgG functions primarily grouped VC IgG profiles by enhanced FCGR2A, FCGR3A, or dual signaling activity. Our findings demonstrate that enhanced FCGR signaling is a common and significant predictive feature of VC IgG, with VCs displaying a distinct spectrum of FCGR activation profiles. Thus, profiling FCGR activation may provide a useful method for screening and distinguishing protective anti-HIV IgG responses in HIV-infected patients and in monitoring HIV vaccination regimens. PMID:28239647

Cryptographic robustness of practical quantum cryptography: BB84 key distribution protocol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Molotkov, S. N.

2008-07-15

In real fiber-optic quantum cryptography systems, the avalanche photodiodes are not perfect, the source of quantum states is not a single-photon one, and the communication channel is lossy. For these reasons, key distribution is impossible under certain conditions for the system parameters. A simple analysis is performed to find relations between the parameters of real cryptography systems and the length of the quantum channel that guarantee secure quantum key distribution when the eavesdropper's capabilities are limited only by fundamental laws of quantum mechanics while the devices employed by the legitimate users are based on current technologies. Critical values are determinedmore » for the rate of secure real-time key generation that can be reached under the current technology level. Calculations show that the upper bound on channel length can be as high as 300 km for imperfect photodetectors (avalanche photodiodes) with present-day quantum efficiency ({eta} {approx} 20%) and dark count probability (p{sub dark} {approx} 10{sup -7})« less

One-Time Pad as a nonlinear dynamical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagaraj, Nithin

2012-11-01

The One-Time Pad (OTP) is the only known unbreakable cipher, proved mathematically by Shannon in 1949. In spite of several practical drawbacks of using the OTP, it continues to be used in quantum cryptography, DNA cryptography and even in classical cryptography when the highest form of security is desired (other popular algorithms like RSA, ECC, AES are not even proven to be computationally secure). In this work, we prove that the OTP encryption and decryption is equivalent to finding the initial condition on a pair of binary maps (Bernoulli shift). The binary map belongs to a family of 1D nonlinear chaotic and ergodic dynamical systems known as Generalized Luröth Series (GLS). Having established these interesting connections, we construct other perfect secrecy systems on the GLS that are equivalent to the One-Time Pad, generalizing for larger alphabets. We further show that OTP encryption is related to Randomized Arithmetic Coding - a scheme for joint compression and encryption.

Cryptographic robustness of practical quantum cryptography: BB84 key distribution protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molotkov, S. N.

2008-07-01

In real fiber-optic quantum cryptography systems, the avalanche photodiodes are not perfect, the source of quantum states is not a single-photon one, and the communication channel is lossy. For these reasons, key distribution is impossible under certain conditions for the system parameters. A simple analysis is performed to find relations between the parameters of real cryptography systems and the length of the quantum channel that guarantee secure quantum key distribution when the eavesdropper’s capabilities are limited only by fundamental laws of quantum mechanics while the devices employed by the legitimate users are based on current technologies. Critical values are determined for the rate of secure real-time key generation that can be reached under the current technology level. Calculations show that the upper bound on channel length can be as high as 300 km for imperfect photodetectors (avalanche photodiodes) with present-day quantum efficiency (η ≈ 20%) and dark count probability ( p dark ˜ 10-7).

Quantum Cryptography for Secure Communications to Low-Earth Orbit Satellites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hughes, R.J.; Buttler, W.T.; Kwiat, P.G.

1999-06-03

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Quantum cryptography is an emerging technology in which two parties may simultaneously generate shared, secret cryptographic key material using the transmission of quantum states of light. The security of these transmissions is based on the inviolability of the laws of quantum mechanics. An adversary can neither successfully tap the quantum transmissions, nor evade detection. Key material is built up using the transmission of a single-photon per bit. We have developed an experimental quantum cryptography system based on the transmissionmore » of non-orthogonal single-photon polarization states to generate shared key material over line-of-sight optical links. Our results provide strong evidence that cryptographic key material could be generated on demand between a ground station and a satellite (or between two satellites), allowing a satellite to be securely re-keyed on in orbit.« less

Economic interrelationships and impacts of the aviation/aerospace industry in the state of Florida using input-output analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whealan George, Kelly

The study provided a detailed description of the interrelatedness of the aviation and aerospace industry with principal industries in Florida and Volusia County (VC) using Input-Output (IO) analysis. Additionally, this research provided an economic impact analysis of the creation of a university research park in Daytona Beach (DB). The economic impact measures included not only direct economic output and industry employment descriptions but also described the multiplier effects in the form of indirect and induced impacts using data for 2012. This research concluded the average labor income of the aviation and aerospace industry was higher than average labor income in Florida and VC. A substantive difference between the Florida and VC average labor income for the aviation and aerospace industry existed because VC's aerospace sector was only concentrated in the search, detection, and navigation instruments manufacturing sector. VC's transport by air sector was one-fifth the size of Florida's. Differences in the aviation and aerospace industry composition between Florida and VC are important because the economic impacts from a shock to the entire aviation and aerospace industry will be distributed differently. Since the aviation and aerospace average labor income is higher than the average labor income in Florida and VC, it would be a positive move for Florida's economy to attract and grow the aviation and aerospace industry. It would be highly unlikely that the entirety of newly created jobs would be resourced from the local population. Nonetheless, growing the aviation and aerospace industry jobs would have a positive influence on the region's economy and tax revenues. It would be a desirable course of action to spur the growth of this sector, as its direct effect would culminate with additional jobs in Florida that would bring higher wage jobs to the state. The interdependencies of the aviation and aerospace industry in Florida and VC with other industries had a positive indirect and induced effect in the economy providing almost a two-fold indirect and induced effect. However, the benefits were not equal. Florida's average labor income of the most sensitive non-aviation and aerospace industry was 15% lower than the average Florida labor income. The average labor income in VC of the most sensitive non-aviation and aerospace industry was significantly higher than the average VC labor income. Industry interdependencies also presented risk. If the aviation and aerospace industry experiences a contraction, then through the interdependencies of the industries, the region would contract twice as much as the aviation and aerospace industry. The overall impact of a university research park would benefit Florida's economy. Since the research park project is currently funded partially by public state money, 14 sectors of the economy experienced negative impacts. While the net result was an increase in additional labor income, the employment growth was characterized by gaining more lower-paying jobs while losing less higher-paying jobs. The most expected outcome, an expansion of the aviation and aerospace industry, was not evidenced by the model results.

Device-independent two-party cryptography secure against sequential attacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaniewski, Jędrzej; Wehner, Stephanie

2016-05-01

The goal of two-party cryptography is to enable two parties, Alice and Bob, to solve common tasks without the need for mutual trust. Examples of such tasks are private access to a database, and secure identification. Quantum communication enables security for all of these problems in the noisy-storage model by sending more signals than the adversary can store in a certain time frame. Here, we initiate the study of device-independent (DI) protocols for two-party cryptography in the noisy-storage model. Specifically, we present a relatively easy to implement protocol for a cryptographic building block known as weak string erasure and prove its security even if the devices used in the protocol are prepared by the dishonest party. DI two-party cryptography is made challenging by the fact that Alice and Bob do not trust each other, which requires new techniques to establish security. We fully analyse the case of memoryless devices (for which sequential attacks are optimal) and the case of sequential attacks for arbitrary devices. The key ingredient of the proof, which might be of independent interest, is an explicit (and tight) relation between the violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality observed by Alice and Bob and uncertainty generated by Alice against Bob who is forced to measure his system before finding out Alice’s setting (guessing with postmeasurement information). In particular, we show that security is possible for arbitrarily small violation.

Reduction in membrane component of diffusing capacity is associated with the extent of acute pulmonary embolism

PubMed Central

Piirilä, Päivi; Laiho, Mia; Mustonen, Pirjo; Graner, Marit; Piilonen, Anneli; Raade, Merja; Sarna, Seppo; Harjola, Veli-Pekka; Sovijärvi, Anssi

2011-01-01

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) often decreases pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL,CO), but data on the mechanisms involved are inconsistent. We wanted to investigate whether reduction in diffusing capacity of alveolo-capillary membrane (DM) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) is associated with the extent of PE or the presence and severity of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) induced by PE and how the possible changes are corrected after 7-month follow-up. Forty-seven patients with acute non-massive PE in spiral computed tomography (CT) were included. The extent of PE was assessed by scoring mass of embolism. DL,CO, Vc, DM and alveolar volume (VA) were measured by using a single breath method with carbon monoxide and oxygen both at the acute phase and 7 months later. RVD was evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography and electrocardiogram. Fifteen healthy subjects were included as controls. DL,CO, DL, CO/VA, DM, vital capacity (VC) and VA were significantly lower in the patients with acute PE than in healthy controls (P<0·001). DM/Vc relation was significantly lower in patients with RVD than in healthy controls (P = 0·004). DM correlated inversely with central mass of embolism (r = −0·312; P = 0·047) whereas Vc did not. DM, DL,CO, VC and VA improved significantly within 7 months. In all patients (P = 0·001, P = 0·001) and persistent RVD (P = 0·020, P = 0·012), DM and DL,CO remained significantly lower than in healthy controls in the follow-up. DM was inversely related to central mass of embolism. Reduction in DM mainly explains the sustained decrease in DL,CO in PE after 7 months despite modern treatment of PE. PMID:21143754

Emergence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus in the North American Great Lakes region is associated with low viral genetic diversity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, T.M.; Batts, W.N.; Faisal, M.; Bowser, P.; Casey, J.W.; Phillips, K.; Garver, K.A.; Winton, J.; Kurath, G.

2011-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is a fish rhabdovirus that causes disease in a broad range of marine and freshwater hosts. The known geographic range includes the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and recently it has invaded the Great Lakes region of North Ame­rica. The goal of this work was to characterize genetic diversity of Great Lakes VHSV isolates at the early stage of this viral emergence by comparing a partial glycoprotein (G) gene sequence (669 nt) of 108 isolates collected from 2003 to 2009 from 31 species and at 37 sites. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolates fell into sub-lineage IVb within the major VHSV genetic group IV. Among these 108 isolates, genetic diversity was low, with a maximum of 1.05% within the 669 nt region. There were 11 unique sequences, designated vcG001 to vcG011. Two dominant sequence types, vcG001 and vcG002, accounted for 90% (97 of 108) of the isolates. The vcG001 isolates were most widespread. We saw no apparent association of sequence type with host or year of isolation, but we did note a spatial pattern, in which vcG002 isolates were more prevalent in the easternmost sub-regions, including inland New York state and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Different sequence types were found among isolates from single disease outbreaks, and mixtures of types were evident within 2 isolates from ­individual fish. Overall, the genetic diversity of VHSV in the Great Lakes region was found to be extremely low, consistent with an introduction of a new virus into a geographic region with ­previously naïve host populations.

Kinetics of lung lesion development and pro-inflammatory cytokine response in pigs with vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease induced by challenge with pandemic (2009) A/H1N1 influenza virus.

PubMed

Gauger, P C; Vincent, A L; Loving, C L; Henningson, J N; Lager, K M; Janke, B H; Kehrli, M E; Roth, J A

2012-11-01

The objective of this report was to characterize the enhanced clinical disease and lung lesions observed in pigs vaccinated with inactivated H1N2 swine δ-cluster influenza A virus and challenged with pandemic 2009 A/H1N1 human influenza virus. Eighty-four, 6-week-old, cross-bred pigs were randomly allocated into 3 groups of 28 pigs to represent vaccinated/challenged (V/C), non-vaccinated/challenged (NV/C), and non-vaccinated/non-challenged (NV/NC) control groups. Pigs were intratracheally inoculated with pH1N1 and euthanized at 1, 2, 5, and 21 days post inoculation (dpi). Macroscopically, V/C pigs demonstrated greater percentages of pneumonia compared to NV/C pigs. Histologically, V/C pigs demonstrated severe bronchointerstitial pneumonia with necrotizing bronchiolitis accompanied by interlobular and alveolar edema and hemorrhage at 1 and 2 dpi. The magnitude of peribronchiolar lymphocytic cuffing was greater in V/C pigs by 5 dpi. Microscopic lung lesion scores were significantly higher in the V/C pigs at 2 and 5 dpi compared to NV/C and NV/NC pigs. Elevated TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at all time points in V/C pigs compared to NV/C pigs. These data suggest H1 inactivated vaccines followed by heterologous challenge resulted in potentiated clinical signs and enhanced pulmonary lesions and correlated with an elevated proinflammatory cytokine response in the lung. The lung alterations and host immune response are consistent with the vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD) clinical outcome observed reproducibly in this swine model.

Estimation of lung vital capacity before and after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a comparison of incentive spirometer and ventilometry.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Areli Cunha; Novais, Michelli Christina Magalhães; Neto, Mansueto Gomes; Rodrigues, Marcus Vinicius Herbst; de Souza Rodrigues, Erenaldo; Aras, Roque; Carvalho, Vitor Oliveira

2011-05-12

Measurement of vital capacity (VC) by spirometry is the most widely used technique for lung function evaluation, however, this form of assessment is costly and further investigation of other reliable methods at lower cost is necessary. To analyze the correlation between direct vital capacity measured with ventilometer and with incentive inspirometer in patients in pre and post cardiac surgery. Cross-sectional comparative study with patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Respiratory parameters were evaluated through the measurement of VC performed by ventilometer and inspirometer. To analyze data normality the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied, for correlation the Pearson correlation coefficient was used and for comparison of variables in pre and post operative period Student's t test was adopted. We established a level of ignificance of 5%. Data was presented as an average, standard deviation and relative frequency when needed. The significance level was set at 5%. We studied 52 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, 20 patients in preoperative with VC-ventilometer: 32.95 ± 11.4 ml/kg and VC-inspirometer: 28.9 ± 11 ml/Kg, r = 0.7 p < 0.001. In the post operatory, 32 patients were evaluated with VC-ventilometer: 28.27 ± 12.48 ml/kg and VC-inspirometer: 26.98 ± 11 ml/Kg, r = 0.95 p < 0.001. Presenting a very high correlation between the evaluation forms studied. There was a high correlation between DVC measures with ventilometer and incentive spirometer in pre and post CABG surgery. Despite this, arises the necessity of further studies to evaluate the repercussion of this method in lowering costs at hospitals.

Estimation of lung vital capacity before and after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a comparison of incentive spirometer and ventilometry

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Measurement of vital capacity (VC) by spirometry is the most widely used technique for lung function evaluation, however, this form of assessment is costly and further investigation of other reliable methods at lower cost is necessary. Objective: To analyze the correlation between direct vital capacity measured with ventilometer and with incentive inspirometer in patients in pre and post cardiac surgery. Methodology Cross-sectional comparative study with patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Respiratory parameters were evaluated through the measurement of VC performed by ventilometer and inspirometer. To analyze data normality the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied, for correlation the Pearson correlation coefficient was used and for comparison of variables in pre and post operative period Student's t test was adopted. We established a level of ignificance of 5%. Data was presented as an average, standard deviation and relative frequency when needed. The significance level was set at 5%. Results We studied 52 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, 20 patients in preoperative with VC-ventilometer: 32.95 ± 11.4 ml/kg and VC-inspirometer: 28.9 ± 11 ml/Kg, r = 0.7 p < 0.001. In the post operatory, 32 patients were evaluated with VC-ventilometer: 28.27 ± 12.48 ml/kg and VC-inspirometer: 26.98 ± 11 ml/Kg, r = 0.95 p < 0.001. Presenting a very high correlation between the evaluation forms studied. Conclusion There was a high correlation between DVC measures with ventilometer and incentive spirometer in pre and post CABG surgery. Despite this, arises the necessity of further studies to evaluate the repercussion of this method in lowering costs at hospitals. PMID:21569437

Colour compatibility between teeth and dental shade guides in Quinquagenarians and Septuagenarians.

PubMed

Cocking, C; Cevirgen, E; Helling, S; Oswald, M; Corcodel, N; Rammelsberg, P; Reinelt, G; Hassel, A J

2009-11-01

The aim of this investigation was to determine colour compatibility between dental shade guides, namely, VITA Classical (VC) and VITA 3D-Master (3D), and human teeth in quinquagenarians and septuagenarians. Tooth colour, described in terms of L*a*b* values of the middle third of facial tooth surface of 1391 teeth, was measured using VITA Easyshade in 195 subjects (48% female). These were compared with the colours (L*a*b* values) of the shade tabs of VC and 3D. The mean coverage error and the percentage of tooth colours being within a given colour difference (DeltaE(ab)) from the tabs of VC and 3D were calculated. For comparison, hypothetical, optimized, population-specific shade guides were additionally calculated based on discrete optimization techniques for optimizing coverage. Mean coverage error was DeltaE(ab) = 3.51 for VC and DeltaE(ab) = 2.96 for 3D. Coverage of tooth colours by the tabs of VC and 3D within DeltaE(ab) = 2 was 23% and 24%, respectively, (DeltaE(ab)

Emergence of Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus in the North American Great Lakes region is associated with low viral genetic diversity.

PubMed

Thompson, Tarin M; Batts, William N; Faisal, Mohamed; Bowser, Paul; Casey, James W; Phillips, Kenneth; Garver, Kyle A; Winton, James; Kurath, Gael

2011-08-29

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is a fish rhabdovirus that causes disease in a broad range of marine and freshwater hosts. The known geographic range includes the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and recently it has invaded the Great Lakes region of North America. The goal of this work was to characterize genetic diversity of Great Lakes VHSV isolates at the early stage of this viral emergence by comparing a partial glycoprotein (G) gene sequence (669 nt) of 108 isolates collected from 2003 to 2009 from 31 species and at 37 sites. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolates fell into sub-lineage IVb within the major VHSV genetic group IV. Among these 108 isolates, genetic diversity was low, with a maximum of 1.05% within the 669 nt region. There were 11 unique sequences, designated vcG001 to vcG011. Two dominant sequence types, vcG001 and vcG002, accounted for 90% (97 of 108) of the isolates. The vcG001 isolates were most widespread. We saw no apparent association of sequence type with host or year of isolation, but we did note a spatial pattern, in which vcG002 isolates were more prevalent in the easternmost sub-regions, including inland New York state and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Different sequence types were found among isolates from single disease outbreaks, and mixtures of types were evident within 2 isolates from individual fish. Overall, the genetic diversity of VHSV in the Great Lakes region was found to be extremely low, consistent with an introduction of a new virus into a geographic region with previously naive host populations.

Association between vascular calcification scores on plain radiographs and fatty acid contents of erythrocyte membrane in hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Son, Young K; Lee, Su M; Kim, Seong E; Kim, Ki H; Lee, Seon Y; Bae, Hae R; Han, Jin Y; Park, Yongsoon; An, Won S

2012-01-01

Vascular calcification (VC) scores determined by using simple plain radiographic films are known to be associated with coronary artery disease and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Omega-3 fatty acid (FA) has been shown to reduce ectopic calcifications in an animal model, and it has also been shown that erythrocyte membrane omega-3 FA content is an independent discriminator of coronary artery disease. The present study was designed to demonstrate relations between VC scores and erythrocyte membrane FA contents in patients undergoing HD. A cross-sectional study was carried out. The study was carried out at an outpatient hemodialysis unit at Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea. A total of 31 patients undergoing HD were recruited. Patients with significant malnutrition, a short duration of dialysis (<12 months), a history of recent infection, malignancy, or liver disease were excluded. Plain radiographic films of the feet, hands, pelvis, and lateral lumbar spine were examined and VC scores were determined using previously reported methods. Erythrocyte membrane FA contents were analyzed by gas chromatography. The erythrocyte membrane contents of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were not found to be related with VC on simple plain radiographic films. However, erythrocyte membrane contents of oleic acid and total monounsaturated FA (MUFA) were significantly higher in patients with significant VC scores. Furthermore, erythrocyte membrane contents of MUFA and oleic acid were found to be negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and positively associated with triglyceride level. Erythrocyte membrane contents of MUFA and oleic acid were found to be associated with VC scores determined using plain radiographs and with dyslipidemia in patients undergoing HD. Copyright © 2012 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of the influence of surfactants on the transfer of gases into liquids by inverse gas chromatography.

PubMed

Atta, Khan Rashid; Gavril, Dimitrios; Loukopoulos, Vassilios; Karaiskakis, George

2004-01-16

The experimental technique of the reversed-flow version of inverse gas chromatography was applied for the study of effects of surfactants in reducing air-water exchange rates. The vinyl chloride (VC)-water system was used as a model, which is of great importance in environmental chemistry. Using suitable mathematical analysis, various physicochemical quantities were calculated, among which the most significant are: Partition coefficients of the VC gas between the surfactant interface and the carrier gas nitrogen, as well as between the bulk of the water + surfactant solution and the carrier gas nitrogen, overall mass transfer coefficients of VC in the liquid (water + surfactant) and the gas (nitrogen) phases, water and surfactant film transfer coefficients, nitrogen, water and surfactant phase resistances for the transfer of VC into the water solution, relative resistance of surfactant in the transfer of VC into the bulk of solution, exchange velocity of VC between nitrogen and the liquid solution, and finally the thickness of the surfactant stagnant film in the liquid phase, according to the three phase resistance model. From the variation of the above parameters with the surfactant's concentration, important conclusions concerning the effects of surfactants on the transfer of a gas at the air-liquid interface, as well as to the bulk of the liquid were extracted. An interesting finding of this work was also that by successive addition of surfactant, the critical micelle concentration of surfactant was obtained, after which follows a steady-state for the transfer of the gas into the water body, which could be attributed to the transition from mono- to multi-layer state.

Relationship between Voice Complaints and Subjective and Objective Measures of Vocal Function in Iranian Female Teachers.

PubMed

Faham, Maryam; Jalilevand, Nahid; Torabinezhad, Farhad; Silverman, Erin Pearson; Ahmadi, Akram; Anaraki, Zahra Ghayoumi; Jafari, Narges

2017-07-01

Teachers are at high risk of developing voice problems because of the excessive vocal demands necessitated by their profession. Teachers' self-assessment of vocal complaints, combined with subjective and objective measures of voice, may enable better therapeutic decision-making. This investigation compared audio-perceptual assessment and acoustic variables in teachers with and without voice complaints. Ninety-nine teachers completed this cross-sectional study and were assigned to one of two groups: those "with voice complaint (VC)" and those "without voice complaint (W-VC)." Voice samples were collected during reading, counting, and vowel prolongation tasks. Teachers were also asked to document any voice symptoms they experienced. Voice samples were analyzed using Dr. Speech program (4th version; Tiger Ltd., USA), and labeled "normal" or "abnormal" according to the "grade" dimension "G" from GRBAS scale. Twenty-one teachers were assigned to the VC group based on self-assessment data. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups with regard to self-reported voice symptoms of hoarseness, breathiness, pitch breaks, and vocal fatigue (P < 0.05). Fourteen participants in the VC group and 40 from the W-VC group were determined to demonstrate "abnormal" vocal quality on perceptual assessment. Only harmonic-to-noise ratio was significantly higher for the W-VC group (ES = 0.55). Teachers with and without voice complaints differed in the incidence, but not type of voice symptoms. Teachers' voice complaints did not correspond to perceptual and acoustic measures. This suggests a potential unmet need for teachers to receive further education on voice disorders. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. All rights reserved.

Haplotype-Based Association Analysis via Variance-Components Score Test

PubMed Central

Tzeng, Jung-Ying ; Zhang, Daowen 

2007-01-01

Haplotypes provide a more informative format of polymorphisms for genetic association analysis than do individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms. However, the practical efficacy of haplotype-based association analysis is challenged by a trade-off between the benefits of modeling abundant variation and the cost of the extra degrees of freedom. To reduce the degrees of freedom, several strategies have been considered in the literature. They include (1) clustering evolutionarily close haplotypes, (2) modeling the level of haplotype sharing, and (3) smoothing haplotype effects by introducing a correlation structure for haplotype effects and studying the variance components (VC) for association. Although the first two strategies enjoy a fair extent of power gain, empirical evidence showed that VC methods may exhibit only similar or less power than the standard haplotype regression method, even in cases of many haplotypes. In this study, we report possible reasons that cause the underpowered phenomenon and show how the power of the VC strategy can be improved. We construct a score test based on the restricted maximum likelihood or the marginal likelihood function of the VC and identify its nontypical limiting distribution. Through simulation, we demonstrate the validity of the test and investigate the power performance of the VC approach and that of the standard haplotype regression approach. With suitable choices for the correlation structure, the proposed method can be directly applied to unphased genotypic data. Our method is applicable to a wide-ranging class of models and is computationally efficient and easy to implement. The broad coverage and the fast and easy implementation of this method make the VC strategy an effective tool for haplotype analysis, even in modern genomewide association studies. PMID:17924336

Dried fruit extract from Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae) protects Wistar albino rats from adverse effects of whole body radiation.

PubMed

Adaramoye, Oluwatosin A; Okiti, Osume O; Farombi, E Olatunde

2011-11-01

The effect of dried fruit extract from Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae) (XA) and vitamin C (VC) against γ-radiation-induced liver and kidney damage was studied in male Wistar rats. XA and VC were given orally at a dose of 250 mg/kg, orally for 6 weeks prior to and 8 weeks after radiation (5 Gy). The rats were sacrificed after 1 and 8 weeks of single exposure to radiation. Results showed that all animals in un-irradiated group survived (100%), while 83.3% and 66.7% survived in XA- and VC-treated groups, respectively, and 50% survived in irradiated group. The levels of serum, liver and kidney lipid peroxidation (LPO) were elevated by 88%, 102% and 73% after 1 week of exposure, and by 152%, 221% and 178%, after 8 weeks of exposure, respectively. Treatment with XA and VC significantly (p<0.05) decreased the levels of LPO in the irradiated animals. Also, γ-radiation caused significant decreases (p<0.05) in the levels of liver glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), kidney GSH and SOD by 41%, 60%, 81%, 79%, 72% and 58% after 1 week of exposure. Similarly, γ-radiation caused significant increases (p<0.05) in the levels of serum alanine (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferases (AST) after 8 weeks of exposure. Precisely, ALT and AST levels were increased by 69% and 82%, respectively. These changes were significantly (p<0.05) attenuated in irradiated animals treated with XA and VC. These results suggest that XA and VC could increase the antioxidant defence systems in the liver and kidney of irradiated animals, and may protect from adverse effects of whole body radiation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The induction of apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells by combined treatment with vitamin C and polysaccharides extracted from Grifola frondosa.

PubMed

Zhao, Fei; Zhao, Jin; Song, Lei; Zhang, Ya-Qing; Guo, Zhong; Yang, Ke-Hu

2017-11-01

Polysaccharides extracted from the mushroom Grifola frondosa (GFP) are a potential anticancer agent. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of GFP and vitamin C (VC) alone and in combination on the viability of human hepatocarcinoma SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. Studies designed to detect cell apoptosis and autophagy were also conducted to investigate the mechanism. Results from the cell viability assay indicated that a combination of GFP (0.2 or 0.25 mg/mL) and VC (0.3 mmol/L) (GFP/VC) led to 52.73 and 53.93% reduction in cell viability of SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells separately after 24 h. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that GFP/VC treatment induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and apoptosis occurred in approximately 43.62 and 42.46% of the SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells separately. Moreover, results of Hoechst33258 and monodansylcadaverine staining, and transmission electron microscopy, showed that GFP/VC induced apoptosis and autophagy in SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis showed changes in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins [upregulation of BAX and caspase-3, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase] and autophagy protein markers (upregulation of beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain-3). We also demonstrated that the expression of both Akt and p-Akt was enhanced, suggesting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway might not be involved in this process. Our study shows that the combined application of GFP and VC induced cell apoptosis and autophagy in vitro, and might have antitumor activity in vivo.

The effect of cutting parameters on the performance of ZTA-MgO cutting tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, A. M.; Hamidon, N. E.; Zaki, N. K. M.; Mokhtar, S.; Azhar, A. Z. A.; Bahar, R.; Ahmad, Z. A.

2018-01-01

The effect of cutting parameters on the performances of ZTA-MgO ceramic cutting tool investigated. The aim of this project is to discover the effect of cutting speed and feedrate on the performance of the ZTA-MgO cutting tool via wear and surface roughness measurement. CNC turning machining performed using the cutting speed, Vc range from 354 to 471 m/min and the feed rate, f 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mm/rev while the depth of cut, d is kept constant at 0.2 mm. The flank wear, crater wear, and chipping were measured accordingly using optical microscope, Matlab programming and SEM. Surface roughness of machined stainless steel 316L surface were measured using the surface roughness tester (Mitutoyo MTR097-8. The result showing the increment trend of flank wear with increment of cutting speed and feed rate with the lowest value of flank wear, 0.061 mm achieved at Vc = 354 m/min and f = 0.1 mm/rev while the highest flank wear is 0.480 mm at Vc = 471 m/min and f = 0.5 mm/rev. The increasing pattern also observed in the crater wear results. The lowest area of crater wear is 2.2736 mm2 at Vc = 354 m/min and f = 0.1 mm/rev while the highest value is 4.8524 mm2 at Vc = 471 m/min and f = 0.5 mm/rev. As for the surface roughness, the higher the cutting speed, the lower the average roughness (Ra) value. Cutting speed, Vc = 471 m/min with f = 0.1 mm/rev has the lowest value of Ra which is 0.72µm.

Perceived Health-Related Quality of Life in Women With Vulvar Neoplasia: A Cross Sectional Study.

PubMed

Kobleder, Andrea; Nikolic, Nataša; Hechinger, Mareike; Denhaerynck, Kris; Hampl, Monika; Mueller, Michael D; Senn, Beate

2016-09-01

The aim of the study was to determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of women with surgically treated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) and vulvar cancer (VC) during the first week after hospital discharge. Further objectives were to investigate differences between women with VIN and VC as well as to examine whether correlations exist between women's symptom experience and HRQoL. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 8 hospitals in Germany and Switzerland. Women with VIN and VC rated HRQoL with the validated German Short-Form 36. Differences between HRQoL in women with VIN and VC were tested with Wilcoxon rank-sum score. The WOMen with vulvAr Neoplasia (WOMAN) - Patient reported Outcome (PRO) self-report instrument was used to measure women's symptom experience. Correlations between symptoms and HRQoL were calculated using Spearman correlation coefficient. Women with VIN and VC (n = 65) reported lower HRQoL in physical aspects (Physical Component Summary [PCS], 34.9) than that in mental aspects (Mental Component Summary, 40.5). Women with VC had lower HRQoL than women with VIN, as manifested by significant differences concerning the dimensions of "physical functioning" and "role-physical." "Difficulties in daily life" as a distressing symptom correlated with MCS and PCS. Wound-related symptoms correlated with PCS and psychosocial symptoms/issues with MCS. Analysis showed that women with vulvar neoplasia reported lower HRQoL in the physical and mental dimensions 1 week after discharge than comparable studies referring to months or years after surgery. Health-related quality of life is influenced by physical impairment because physical symptoms are prevalent 1 week after discharge. Patient education should focus on symptom management in an early postsurgical phase to enhance women's HRQoL.

Comparison of haematology, coagulation and clinical chemistry parameters in blood samples from the sublingual vein and vena cava in Sprague-Dawley rats.

PubMed

Seibel, J; Bodié, K; Weber, S; Bury, D; Kron, M; Blaich, G

2010-10-01

The investigation of clinical pathology parameters (haematology, clinical chemistry and coagulation) is an important part of the preclinical evaluation of drug safety. However, the blood sampling method employed should avoid or minimize stress and injury in laboratory animals. In the present study, we compared the clinical pathology results from blood samples collected terminally from the vena cava (VC) immediately before necropsy with samples taken from the sublingual vein (VS) also prior to necropsy in order to determine whether the sampling method has an influence on clinical pathology parameters. Forty-six 12-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to two groups (VC or VS; n = 23 each). All rats were anaesthetized with isoflurane prior to sampling. In the VC group, blood was withdrawn from the inferior VC. For VS sampling, the tongue was gently pulled out and the VS was punctured. The haematology, coagulation and clinical chemistry parameters were compared. Equivalence was established for 13 parameters, such as mean corpuscular volume, white blood cells and calcium. No equivalence was found for the remaining 26 parameters, although they were considered to be similar when compared with the historical data and normal ranges. The most conspicuous finding was that activated prothrombin time was 30.3% less in blood taken from the VC (16.6 ± 0.89 s) than that in the VS samples (23.8 ± 1.58 s). Summing up, blood sampling from the inferior VC prior to necropsy appears to be a suitable and reliable method for terminal blood sampling that reduces stress and injury to laboratory rats in preclinical drug safety studies.

Fixed dynamometry is more sensitive than vital capacity or ALS rating scale.

PubMed

Andres, Patricia L; Allred, Margaret Peggy; Stephens, Helen E; Proffitt Bunnell, Mary; Siener, Catherine; Macklin, Eric A; Haines, Travis; English, Robert A; Fetterman, Katherine A; Kasarskis, Edward J; Florence, Julaine; Simmons, Zachary; Cudkowicz, Merit E

2017-10-01

Improved outcome measures are essential to efficiently screen the growing number of potential amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) therapies. This longitudinal study of 100 (70 male) participants with ALS compared Accurate Test of Limb Isometric Strength (ATLIS), using a fixed, wireless load cell, with ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) and vital capacity (VC). Participants enrolled at 5 U.S. sites. Data were analyzed from 66 participants with complete ATLIS, ALSFRS-R, and VC data over at least 3 visits. Change in ATLIS was less variable both within- and among-person than change in ALSFRS-R or VC. Additionally, participants who had normal ALSFRS-R arm and leg function averaged 12 to 32% below expected strength values measured by ATLIS. ATLIS was more sensitive to change than ALSFRS-R or VC and could decrease sample size requirements by approximately one-third. The ability of ATLIS to detect prefunctional change has potential value in early trials. Muscle Nerve 56: 710-715, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

GLUT-1 immunoexpression in oral epithelial dysplasia, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and verrucous carcinoma.

PubMed

Angadi, Vidya C; Angadi, Punnya V

2015-06-01

Glucose transporters, such as GLUT-1, mediate the important mechanisms involved in cellular glucose influx, allowing cells to proliferate and survive. The significance of GLUT-1 expression in oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been less explored, and no study has investigated it in relation to verrucous carcinoma (VC). We evaluated 30 cases each of OED, OSCC, and VC, graded further on the basis of their differentiation, immunohistochemically for GLUT-1 expression, along with 10 specimens of normal oral mucosa (NOM) as controls. In OSCC, GLUT-1 expression increased with the degree of dysplasia and increasing grade (P < 0.001). The expression in VC was predominantly membranous and intense, resembling well differentiated OSCC. This increase of GLUT-1 expression in OSCC along with the degree of dysplasia and the histologic grade reflects the expanding glycolytic response to hypoxia. This is the first study to have revealed prominent GLUT-1 expression in VC, highlighting its inherent metabolic capacity.

[Impaired lung function in patients with moderate chronic obstructive bronchitis].

PubMed

Nefedov, V B; Popova, L A; Shergina, E A

2004-01-01

VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, TLC, TGV, RV, Raw, Rin, Rex, DLCO-SS, paO2 and paCO2 were determined in 22 patients with moderate chronic obstructive bronchitis (FEV1, 79-50% of the normal value). All the patients were found to have impaired bronchial patency, 90.9% of the patients had lung volume and capacity changes; pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction was present in 72.7%. Bronchial patency impairments were manifested by a decrease in FEV1, FEV1/VC%, PEF, MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, and an increase in Raw, Rin, Rex. Changes in the lung volumes and capacities appeared as higher RV, TGV, TLC, lower VC and FVC. Pulmonary gas exchange dysfunction showed up as a reduction in pO2 and DLCO-SS a reduction and an increase in paCO2. The magnitude of the functional changes observed in most patients was low. Significant and pronounced disorders were seen in one third of the patients.

Muscle Contraction Velocity: A Suitable Approach to Analyze the Functional Adaptations in Elite Soccer Players

PubMed Central

Loturco, Irineu; Pereira, Lucas A.; Kobal, Ronaldo; Kitamura, Katia; Ramírez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Zanetti, Vinicius; Abad, Cesar C. Cal; Nakamura, Fabio Y.

2016-01-01

Tensiomyography (TMG) has been used as a simple and non-invasive tool to assess the mechanical properties of skeletal muscles. The TMG-derived velocity of contraction (Vc), which can be calculated from the ratio between maximal radial displacement and the sum of contraction time and delay time, has been proposed for evaluating athletes. However, its sensitivity to training effects and possible relation with changes in soccer players’ neuromuscular performance have not yet been addressed. To test this possibility, twenty-two male Brazilian elite soccer players were assessed using TMG-derived Vc, unloaded squat jump, countermovement jump and drop jump at 45 cm, loaded jump squat and linear (20 m) and change of direction (COD) sprint tests, prior to and after an 8-week period, between two consecutive official tournaments, during which the concurrency between endurance and strength-power training commonly impairs neuromuscular capacities. Magnitude-based inference was used to detect meaningful training effects. From pre- to post-tests, it was observed likely to almost certainly improvements in all modes of jumping tests. In addition, we could verify decrements in the 20-m and COD sprint performances, which were rated as very likely and almost certainly, respectively. Finally, both rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles presented a likely reduction in Vc. Therefore, chronic decreases in sprinting speed are possibly accompanied by a reduced TMG-derived Vc. From a practical standpoint, the TMG-derived Vc can be used to monitor negative specific-soccer training effects related to potential impairments in maximum speed. Key points Tensiomyography (TMG) can be considered a useful technology for coaches and sport scientists seeking for non-invasive and practical tools to assess the muscle function of elite athletes; Velocity of contraction (Vc) is a single index able to integrate several of the reliable mechanical outcomes provided by TMG, which was shown to be sensitive to detect neuromuscular impairments in professional soccer players; After 8 weeks of specific soccer training, the changes in the Vc seem to occur in the same direction as the reductions in maximal sprint ability and COD speed. PMID:27803627

Anomalous Orthopyroxene Cell Volumes from Unshocked Equilibrated H Chondrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folco, L.; Mellini, M.; Pillinger, C. T.

1995-09-01

Thirteen orthopyroxenes were extracted from eight unshocked equilibrated H-chondrites representatives of the petrographic types 4 to 6 [1] for crystal-chemical analyses. Chemical compositions were determined through a WDS JEOL JX 8600 electron microprobe. Three to six spot analyses were run on each crystal and no significant chemical variation was detected. High quality single crystal X-ray diffraction data were obtained by a SIEMENS P4 diffractometer using MoK alpha radiation, and site occupancies by least squares structure refinements. Figure 1a shows a significant cell volume (Vc) increase with petrographic type, and a _1.5 Angstrom^3 spread within each petrographic type. In solid solutions, Vc is expected to mainly vary with the chemical composition: the higher the proportion of the large ions present, the larger the Vc. In particular, as shown by [2], Vc variations in orthopyroxenes are essentially linear with Fe/(Fe+Mg), and our data fall within this general trend. However, no such a correlation exists at the scale of our values (Fig.1b), rather, each petrographic type plots along a different roughly negative trend. Furthermore, as experimentally obtained by [3], the decrease of the Fe-Mg ordering between the M1 and M2 sites in orthopyroxenes (a temperature-time-dependent process), causes significant Vc increase due to the displacement of the large Fe2+ ions from the larger M2 to the smaller M1 sites. Again, in the Vc versus kD (i.e., the intracrystalline Fe-Mg distribution coefficient) diagram (Fig.1c), we observe no such a correlation. Contrary to the most immediate expectations, our data suggest that the net increase in Vc from H4 to H6 does not significantly depend upon chemical composition and degree of ordering, and demands that another as yet unidentified parameter accounts for the observed trends. Acknowledgments: We thank EUROMET for the Frontier Mt. samples, and PNRA for supporting this study. References: [1] Folco L. et al., this volume. [2] Sykes-Nord J. A. and Molin G. M. (1993) Am. Mineral., 78, 921-931. [3] Domeneghetti M. C. et al. (1985). Am. Mineral., 70, 987-995.

Interaction of oxygen with ZrC(001) and VC(001): Photoemission and first-principles studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez, J.A.; Liu, P.; Gomes, J.

2005-08-15

High-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional calculations were used to study the interaction of oxygen with ZrC(001) and VC(001) surfaces. Atomic oxygen is present on the carbide substrates after small doses of O{sub 2} at room temperature. At 500 K, the oxidation of the surfaces is fast and clear features for ZrO{sub x} or VO{sub x} are seen in the O(1s), Zr(3d), and V(2p{sub 3/2}) core levels spectra, with an increase in the metal/carbon ratio of the samples. A big positive shift (1.3-1.6 eV) was detected for the C 1s core level in O/ZrC(001), indicating the existence of strong O{r_reversible}C ormore » C{r_reversible}C interactions. A phenomenon corroborated by the results of first-principles calculations, which show a CZrZr hollow as the most stable site for the adsorption of O. Furthermore, the calculations also show that a C{r_reversible}O exchange is exothermic on ZrC(001), and the displaced C atoms bond to CZrZr sites. In the O/ZrC(001) interface, the surface C atoms play a major role in determining the behavior of the system. In contrast, the adsorption of oxygen induces very minor changes in the C(1s) spectrum of VC(001). The O{r_reversible}V interactions are stronger than the O{r_reversible}Zr interactions, and O{r_reversible}C interactions do not play a dominant role in the O/VC(001) interface. In this system, C{r_reversible}O exchange is endothermic. VC(001) has a larger density of metal d states near the Fermi level than ZrC(001), but the rate of oxidation of VC(001) is slower. Therefore the O/ZrC(001) and O/VC(001) systems illustrate two different types of pathways for the oxidation of carbide surfaces.« less

Protective effects of aspirin and vitamin C against corn syrup consumption-induced cardiac damage through sirtuin-1 and HIF-1α pathway.

PubMed

Aşcı, Halil; Saygın, Mustafa; Yeşilot, Şükriye; Topsakal, Şenay; Cankara, Fatma Nihan; Özmen, Özlem; Savran, Mehtap

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of aspirin (AS) and vitamin C (VC) against cardiac damage induced by chronic corn syrup (CS) consumption via a mechanism involving sirtuin-1 (ST-1), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and the caspase-3 pathway in rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats (14-16 weeks) that weighed 250-300 g were randomly distributed into 5 groups, each containing 8 rats: control group, CS+AS group, CS+VC group, CS+AS+VC group, and CS group. AS (10 mg/kg/day) and VC (200 mg/kg/day) were orally given to the rats. F30 (30% fructose syrup solution) was given to the rats in drinking water for 6 weeks. The rats were sacrificed by exsanguination 24 h after the last administration. Blood samples and tissue were collected for biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test used for the parameters without normal distribution and ANOVA and post-hoc LSD tests were used for parameters with a normal distribution to compare groups. Uric acid, creatine kinase (CKMB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were increased in the CS group compared with the control group (1.45±0.39 and p=0.011; 3225.64±598.25 and p=0.004; 3906.83±1064.22 and p=0.002, respectively) and decreased in all the treatment groups. In addition, increased levels of MDA and decreased activity of CAT in the CS group (0.172±0.03 and p=0.000; 0.070±0.005 and p=0.007, respectively) were reversed with AS and VC therapy. A decrease in ST-1 activity and increases in caspase-3 and HIF-1 activities corrected by VC and AS therapy were observed. AS and VC, which display antioxidant and antiapoptotic activities, ameliorated cardiac damage induced by chronic fructose consumption by increasing the levels of ST-1 and decreasing the levels of HIF-1α and caspase-3.

Employee and family assistance video counseling program: a post launch retrospective comparison with in-person counseling outcomes.

PubMed

Veder, Barbara; Pope, Stan; Mani, Michèle; Beaudoin, Kelly; Ritchie, Janice

2014-01-01

Access to technologically mediated information and services under the umbrella of mental and physical health has become increasingly available to clients via Internet modalities, according to a recent study. In May 2010, video counseling was added to the counseling services offered through the Employee and Family Assistance Program at Shepell·fgi as a pilot project with a full operational launch in September 2011. The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective post launch examination of the video counseling service through an analysis of the reported clinical outcomes of video and in-person counseling modalities. A chronological sample of 68 video counseling (VC) cases and 68 in-person (IP) cases were collected from a pool of client clinical files closed in 2012. To minimize the variables impacting the study and maintain as much clinical continuity as possible, the IP and the VC clients must have attended clinical sessions with any one of six counselors who provided both the VC and the IP services. The study compared the two counseling modalities along the following data points (see glossary of terms): (1) client demographic profiles (eg, age, gender, whether the sessions involved individuals or conjoint sessions with couples or families, etc), (2) presenting issue, (3) average session hours, (4) client rating of session helpfulness, (5) rates of goal completion, (6) client withdrawal rates, (7) no show and late cancellation rates, and (8) pre/post client self-assessment. Specific to VC, we examined client geographic location. Data analysis demonstrates that the VC and the IP showed a similar representation of presenting issues with nearly identical outcomes for client ratings of session helpfulness, rates of goal completion, pre/post client self-assessment, average session duration, and client geographic location. There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of withdrawal from counseling, no shows, and late cancellations between the VC and the IP counseling. The statistical analysis of the data was done on SPSS statistical software using 2-sample and pairwise comparison t tests at a 95% level of significance. Based on the study, VC and IP show similar outcomes in terms of client rating of session and goal attainment.

A Revised Similarity Law in Botanic Describes the Genesis of the Vulnerability Curve Shape in Vascular Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mrad, A.; Domec, J. C.; Huang, C. W.; Katul, G. G.

2017-12-01

Xylem tissues are specialized in offering the least possible resistance to water flow. However, this is not guaranteed when ascending sap reaches large negative pressures during periods of water stress when embolism within the xylem occurs, an inevitable step toward potential drought-induced mortality. Ongoing research into changing forest patterns and plant survival due to droughts rarely dispute the significance of Vulnerability Curves (VCs), plots that feature loss in relative conductance with declining liquid pressure (ψ). While Earth-Systems models routinely employ various VC functions, the theoretical underpinnings describing their shape remains lacking. VCs are the outcome of microscopic phenomena describing embolism formation, bubble-scale xylem properties allowing embolism spread, and hydraulic processes that dictate the water potential along the flow path. The work here explores how the upscaled version of these gives rise to popular mathematical shapes used to describe VC measurements: The Logistic and Weibull exceedance equations. Each of these two captures a distinct type of embolism spread: The Logistic VC arises when the probability that embolized vessels interact with intact ones describe embolism spread as water pressure decreases (labeled as a similarity law in botanic [1]). The Weibull VC arises when the aforementioned description includes the effects of ψ explicitly. Variability in xylem properties along the flow path is explored analytically using novel approaches borrowed from `super-statistics' and numerical simulations. The numerical simulations intend to single out which xylem network property is significant in describing the VC shape. The model results corroborate previous research (experimental and 3-dimensional high-resolution simulations) on the effect of vessel size and network topology. It is shown that (i) initial embolism locations alter air-seeding pressure and VC slope; (ii) redundancy and size variations decrease bubble propagation probability with decreasing ψ; and (iii) varying network properties spatially along the flow path delays total loss of conductance. The implications of these findings to linking VC shape to plant traits and the on-going debate about `r' vs `s' shape VCs are highlighted.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Highly Alloyed FeCrMoVC Steel Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Seung-Jin; Jun, Joong-Hwan; Lee, Min-Ha; Shon, In-Jin; Lee, Seok-Jae

2018-05-01

In this study, we successfully fabricated highly alloyed FeCrMoVC specimens within 2 min by using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. The densities of the sintered specimens were almost identical to their theoretical values. Fine (Mo, V)-rich carbides with lamellar structure were precipitated along the grain boundaries of the as-sintered specimen, whereas relatively large carbides were formed additionally in the transgranular region during the tempering treatment. Compared with the specimen produced by a conventional casting method, the FeCrMoVC specimens from SPS showed smaller grain size with finer carbides and higher hardness values.

Good Prognosis Went Badly: Fulminant Evolution of a 29-Year-Old Patient with Verrucous Carcinoma of the Cervix.

PubMed

Anghel, Rodica M; Trifanescu, Oana G; Mitrica, Radu I; Curea, Fabiana G; Botnariuc, Inga; Herghelegiu, Catalin G; Orlov, Cristina M; Ilie, Silvia M

2017-09-01

Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a very rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, difficult to point out in histology because of its benign appearance. We present the case of a 29-year-old woman with a locally advanced cervical VC who underwent radiotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy. After local relapse and despite pelvic exenteration, her condition deteriorated. Treatment of choice in VC is surgery, because of the risk of anaplastic transformation under irradiation, raising the chances of distant spread and converting this rather benign-like type of cancer to an aggressive cancer.

A Critical Review of Videoconferencing Software to Support School Consultation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Aaron J.; Schultz, Brandon K.; Collier-Meek, Melissa A.; Zoder-Martell, Kimberly A.; Erchul, William P.

2018-01-01

With recent advances in technology, several viable options now exist for school consultants to communicate with teachers via synchronous online videoconferencing (VC) without the need for specialized equipment. Unfortunately, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of school consultation through VC, so practitioners are provided little…

Crucial roles of Pox neuro in the developing ellipsoid body and antennal lobes of the Drosophila brain

PubMed Central

Minocha, Shilpi; Boll, Werner

2017-01-01

The paired box gene Pox neuro (Poxn) is expressed in two bilaterally symmetric neuronal clusters of the developing adult Drosophila brain, a protocerebral dorsal cluster (DC) and a deutocerebral ventral cluster (VC). We show that all cells that express Poxn in the developing brain are postmitotic neurons. During embryogenesis, the DC and VC consist of only 20 and 12 neurons that express Poxn, designated embryonic Poxn-neurons. The number of Poxn-neurons increases only during the third larval instar, when the DC and VC increase dramatically to about 242 and 109 Poxn-neurons, respectively, virtually all of which survive to the adult stage, while no new Poxn-neurons are added during metamorphosis. Although the vast majority of Poxn-neurons express Poxn only during third instar, about half of them are born by the end of embryogenesis, as demonstrated by the absence of BrdU incorporation during larval stages. At late third instar, embryonic Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn during embryogenesis, can be easily distinguished from embryonic-born and larval-born Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn only during third instar, (i) by the absence of Pros, (ii) their overt differentiation of axons and neurites, and (iii) the strikingly larger diameter of their cell bodies still apparent in the adult brain. The embryonic Poxn-neurons are primary neurons that lay out the pioneering tracts for the secondary Poxn-neurons, which differentiate projections and axons that follow those of the primary neurons during metamorphosis. The DC and the VC participate only in two neuropils of the adult brain. The DC forms most, if not all, of the neurons that connect the bulb (lateral triangle) with the ellipsoid body, a prominent neuropil of the central complex, while the VC forms most of the ventral projection neurons of the antennal lobe, which connect it ipsilaterally to the lateral horn, bypassing the mushroom bodies. In addition, Poxn-neurons of the VC are ventral local interneurons of the antennal lobe. In the absence of Poxn protein in the developing brain, embryonic Poxn-neurons stall their projections and cannot find their proper target neuropils, the bulb and ellipsoid body in the case of the DC, or the antennal lobe and lateral horn in the case of the VC, whereby the absence of the ellipsoid body neuropil is particularly striking. Poxn is thus crucial for pathfinding both in the DC and VC. Additional implications of our results are discussed. PMID:28441464

Comparison of bedside assessed arm and leg fluid filtration determined by venous congestion plethysmography in perioperative cancer patients

PubMed Central

Hunsicker, Oliver; Heinig, Sandra; Dathe, Jana-Jennifer; Krannich, Alexander; Spies, Claudia; Feldheiser, Aarne

2017-01-01

Abstract In recent years, pathophysiology and clinical impact of microvascular fluid filtration has regained interest. As the latest data in surgical patients have been published almost 20 years ago, there is need for further research to better understand fluid filtration during the perioperative period. Venous congestion plethysmography (VCP) provides a rapid and noninvasive method, which has been shown suitable for the assessment of fluid filtration in limbs. Fluid filtration assessed by VCP can be obtained from forearm and calf measurement sites, while in many clinical situations a reduced access to the patient often restricts the measurements to patient's forearm. We aimed to investigate if fluid filtration obtained from forearm and calf measurement site is interchangeable in nonsedated perioperative patients. Fluid filtration by VCP was obtained simultaneously from forearm and calf in patients with ovarian cancer at 4 time points during the perioperative course and assessed by the difference of volume changes of the limb between third and sixth minutes (VC6-3min) during venous congestion. VC6-3min obtained from forearm and calf measurement sites was compared with respect to agreement and evaluated regarding the association with the presence of leg edema. A total of 74 paired measurements were analyzed in 29 patients. Forearm VC6-3min was significantly higher than calf VC6-3min (median [25th; 75th quartile], 0.6 (0.4; 0.9) vs 0.4 [0.3; 0.6] %, P = 0.008). Bland–Altman and Polar analysis revealed a poor agreement between forearm and calf VC6-3min at predefined time points and changes of VC6-3min during the perioperative course (bias +0.23%, limits of agreement [LOA] −1.1% to 1.6%; angular bias −2.5°, radial LOA −82° to +77°). Forearm VC6-3min was significantly increased in patients with presence of leg edema (0.7 (0.5; 1.0) vs 0.5 (0.4; 0.6) %, P < 0.001) while calf VC6-3min did not differ in patients with and without edema. This study indicates that forearm and calf measurement sites are not interchangeable when bedside assessing fluid filtration by VCP in nonsedated perioperative patients. Considering that only forearm fluid filtration was related to the presence of edema, forearm measurement site should be chosen as a primary site for assessing fluid filtration. PMID:28248863

Microscale optical cryptography using a subdiffraction-limit optical key

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogura, Yusuke; Aino, Masahiko; Tanida, Jun

2018-04-01

We present microscale optical cryptography using a subdiffraction-limit optical pattern, which is finer than the diffraction-limit size of the decrypting optical system, as a key and a substrate with a reflectance distribution as an encrypted image. Because of the subdiffraction-limit spatial coding, this method enables us to construct a secret image with the diffraction-limit resolution. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, that the secret image becomes recognizable when and only when the substrate is illuminated with the designed key pattern.

Quantum cryptography using entangled photons in energy-time bell states

PubMed

Tittel; Brendel; Zbinden; Gisin

2000-05-15

We present a setup for quantum cryptography based on photon pairs in energy-time Bell states and show its feasibility in a laboratory experiment. Our scheme combines the advantages of using photon pairs instead of faint laser pulses and the possibility to preserve energy-time entanglement over long distances. Moreover, using four-dimensional energy-time states, no fast random change of bases is required in our setup: Nature itself decides whether to measure in the energy or in the time base, thus rendering eavesdropper attacks based on "photon number splitting" less efficient.

Quantum Information in Non-physics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westmoreland, Michael

2012-02-01

Quantum information and quantum computing have changed our thinking about the basic concepts of quantum physics. These fields have also introduced exciting new applications of quantum mechanics such as quantum cryptography and non-interactive measurement. It is standard to teach such topics only to advanced physics majors who have completed coursework in quantum mechanics. Recent encounters with teaching quantum cryptography to non-majors and a bout of textbook-writing suggest strategies for teaching this interesting material to those without the standard quantum mechanics background. This talk will share some of those strategies.

Cryptography; An Introductory Bibliography of Books and Periodical Articles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-05

Martin’s H25 Pr., c1976. D810 Johnson, Brian. The Secret War, N.Y., NY: Methuen, c1978. $2J6 D810 Jones, Reginald Victor. The Wizard War: British...Park Pr., c1976. UB290 Langie, Andre. Cryptography, London, Eng.: Constable & L3 Co., Ltd., c1922. D810 Lawson, Don. The Secret World War II, N.Y., NY...Writing, N.Y., NY: W.W. Norton & Co., c1943. Z6724 Smith, Myron J., Jr. The Secret Wars, Vol. 1: Intelligence, I7 Propaganda and Psychological Warfare

Secure quantum key distribution using continuous variables of single photons.

PubMed

Zhang, Lijian; Silberhorn, Christine; Walmsley, Ian A

2008-03-21

We analyze the distribution of secure keys using quantum cryptography based on the continuous variable degree of freedom of entangled photon pairs. We derive the information capacity of a scheme based on the spatial entanglement of photons from a realistic source, and show that the standard measures of security known for quadrature-based continuous variable quantum cryptography (CV-QKD) are inadequate. A specific simple eavesdropping attack is analyzed to illuminate how secret information may be distilled well beyond the bounds of the usual CV-QKD measures.

Public classical communication in quantum cryptography: Error correction, integrity, and authentication

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Timofeev, A. V.; Pomozov, D. I.; Makkaveev, A. P.

2007-05-15

Quantum cryptography systems combine two communication channels: a quantum and a classical one. (They can be physically implemented in the same fiber-optic link, which is employed as a quantum channel when one-photon states are transmitted and as a classical one when it carries classical data traffic.) Both channels are supposed to be insecure and accessible to an eavesdropper. Error correction in raw keys, interferometer balancing, and other procedures are performed by using the public classical channel. A discussion of the requirements to be met by the classical channel is presented.

One-way entangled-photon autocompensating quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walton, Zachary D.; Abouraddy, Ayman F.; Sergienko, Alexander V.

2003-06-01

A quantum cryptography implementation is presented that uses entanglement to combine one-way operation with an autocompensating feature that has hitherto only been available in implementations that require the signal to make a round trip between the users. Using the concept of advanced waves, it is shown that this proposed implementation is related to the round-trip implementation in the same way that Ekert's two-particle scheme is related to the original one-particle scheme of Bennett and Brassard. The practical advantages and disadvantages of the proposed implementation are discussed in the context of existing schemes.

Cooperating attackers in neural cryptography.

PubMed

Shacham, Lanir N; Klein, Einat; Mislovaty, Rachel; Kanter, Ido; Kinzel, Wolfgang

2004-06-01

A successful attack strategy in neural cryptography is presented. The neural cryptosystem, based on synchronization of neural networks by mutual learning, has been recently shown to be secure under different attack strategies. The success of the advanced attacker presented here, called the "majority-flipping attacker," does not decay with the parameters of the model. This attacker's outstanding success is due to its using a group of attackers which cooperate throughout the synchronization process, unlike any other attack strategy known. An analytical description of this attack is also presented, and fits the results of simulations.

Surface segregation on Fe3%Si0.04%VC(100) single crystal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uebing, C.; Viefhaus, H.

1990-10-01

Surface segregation phenomena on (100) oriented single crystal surfaces of the ferritic Fe-3%Si-0.04%V-C alloy were investigated by AES and LEED. At temperatures below 635 °C vanadium and carbon cosegregation is observed after prolonged heating. At thermodynamic equilibrium the substrate surface is saturated with the binary surface compound VC. The two-dimensional VC is epitaxially arranged on the substrate surface as indicated by LEED investigations. Its structure corresponds to the (100) plane of the three-dimensional VC with rocksalt structure. Sharp above 635 °C the surface compound VC is dissolved into the bulk. At higher temperatures the substrate surface is covered with segregated silicon forming a c(2 × 2) structure. This surface phase transition is reversible. Because of the low concentration and slow diffusion of vanadium, non-equilibrium surface states are formed as intermediates upon segregation of silicon and carbon. Below 500 °C a disordered graphite layer with a characteristical asymmetrical C Auger peak is observed on the substrate surface. Above 500 °C carbon segregation leads to the formation of an ordered c(2 × 2) structure with a symmetrical C Auger peak being characteristic for carbidic or atomically adsorbed species. At increasing temperatures silicon segregation takes place leading to a c(2 × 2) structure. Between silicon and carbon site competition is effective.