A novel immune genetic algorithm based on quasi secondary response

Combining the advantages of a genetic algorithm and an artificial immune system,a novel genetic algorithm named immune genetic algorithm based on quasi secondary response(IGA-QSR) is proposed. IGA-QSR employs a database to simulate the standard secondary response and the quasi secondary response. Elitist strategy,automatic extinction,clonal propagation,diversity guarantee,and selection based on comprehensive fitness are also used in the process of IGA-QSR.Theoretical analysis,numerical examples of three benchmark mathematical optimization problems and a traveling salesman problem all demonstrate that IGA-QSR is more effective not only on convergence speed but also on convergence probability than a simple genetic algorithm with the elitist strategy (SGA-ES). Besides,IGA-QSR allows the designers to stop and restart the optimization process freely without losing the best results that have already been obtained.These properties make IGA-QSR be a feasible,effective and robust search algorithm for complex engineering problems.     

无直流电抗器的新型串级调速系统

本文介绍一种转子侧采用晶闸管整流器、直流回路无电抗器的新型串级调速系统，系统的操作顺序控制和各种联锁保护用可编程序控制器实现。通过对７８０ｋｗ水泵电动机的实际运行试验，取得了理想的效果。     

Ozone and the immune system

This review focuses on the effect on health of changes in the immune system secondary to ozone exposure and on various mechanistic hypotheses put forward. Beyond the problems related to the variability of study criteria (e.g. age, sex, concentration and duration of different types of exposure, the slightly volatile nature of ozone and the complexity of the immune system), ozone may induce immunostimulation as shown by intensified allergic phenomena or immunosuppression expressed by increased sensitivity to bacterial infections. Different functions of the immune response (for example macrophage and polynuclear phagocytic and bactericidal activity, NK activity, cytokine and antibody production ...) are affected. In terms of risk, the consequences of these changes depend on their intensity, their perennial nature and their association with particular genetic characteristics or other forms of external aggression, for example infection. The effect of exposure to a mixture of pollutants with unknown interactions should also be taken into consideration. Finally, the problem of normal but possibly exaggerated immune response to a compound whose allergenicity may have been modified by ozone must also be taken into account.     

Sports and the immune system

Acute exercise is followed by a mobilization of white blood cells, mainly induced by increased levels of catecholamines and cortisol. NK-cells react the most intensive, they can increase fivefold after intensive exercise. Additionally a weak acute-phase reaction occurs. Most of these changes normalize during twenty-four hours. Parameters of the humoral immune system may be different from the pre-exercise levels up to seventy-two hours. Repeated physical exercise, which is typical for sports, is followed only by small changes of immunologic parameters under conditions of rest. Epidemiological studies give clues that the rate of upper respiratory tract infections in athletes can be described by a j-shaped curve. Moderately active subjects have the lowest rate of infection. For this influence of exercise on health mainly functional changes seem to be important. Especially after excentric exercise immunological cells can be seen in the muscle tissue, which remove destructed tissue. Not very much is known about the role of the immune system in the regeneration of tendons and other bradytrophic tissues.     

Nutrition and the immune system

Synthesis of S- and N-arylpiperazinylalkyl derivatives of ethyl 2-thio-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro- and 2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrido [2,3-d] pyrimidine-5-carboxylate is described. Some of the obtained compounds are pharmacologically active.     

新型PEG基粘结剂的开发

研究了一种新型PEG基粘结剂,新型PEG基粘结剂由HDPE,PEC,聚合物W,SA,DOP等组成,各组元之间具有一定的相互作用,使粘结剂体系具有较好的部分相容性,新型PEG基粘结剂与Fe-2Ni粉具有较强的相互作用,混合均匀性好,且粉末装载量高,喂料注射成形性好,用新型PEG基粘结剂和Fe-2Ni粉所制备的喂料具有良好的流变性能,是一种假塑性流体,粘结剂各组元用量及粉末装载量影响喂料流变性能,新型PEG基粘结剂用乙醇溶剂脱脂,速度快、缺陷少、维形能力强,且可避免环境污染问题。     

A novel peptide-grafted liposomal delivery system targeted to macrophages

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) is highly expressed during hepatocarcinogenesis (P. Schirmacher et al., Cancer Res., 52: 2549-2556, 1992; B. C. Park et al., J. Hepatol., 22: 286-294, 1995). However, the mechanism of its enhanced expression is largely unknown. In this study, we show that IGF-II mRNA levels are increased within six h of exposing human hepatoma cell cultures to hypoxia, suggesting that hypoxia may be a strong stimulus for the induction of IGF-II expression in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. This finding and the fact that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical hypervascular tumor (M. Mise et al., Hepatology, 23: 455-464, 1996) imply that IGF-II may play an important role in the development of neovascularization of HCC. Here we demonstrate that IGF-II substantially increases vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA and protein levels in a time-dependent manner in human hepatoma cells. The induction of VEGF by IGF-II was additively increased by hypoxia. Moreover, the direct angiogenic activity of IGF-II was observed in the quantitative chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (M. Nguyen et al., Microvasc. Res., 47: 31-40, 1994). These data suggest that IGF-II may be a hypoxia-inducible angiogenic factor in HCC.     

A novel herpesvirus amplicon system for in vivo gene delivery

For gene therapy approaches to succeed, improved vector systems are needed that combine a large carrying capacity with high transduction efficiency in vivo. Towards this goal, we have developed a novel herpes simplex virus (HSV) amplicon vector, pHE, which contains an HSV-1 replication origin (ori S) and packaging sequence that permit vector replication and packaging into HSV-1 capsids. The vector also contains the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) unique latent replication origin (ori P) sequence and a modified EBNA-1 gene to allow the vector to be maintained as an episome in transfected E5 helper cells. This system allows for efficient packaging of high-titer vector since the E5 cells are first selected for the presence of the pHE vector before helper virus infection. The infectious pHE vector has efficient transgene expression in a variety of human cell lines in vitro. Stereotactic injection of pHE vector supernatant into the rat brain resulted in high, localized reporter gene expression. Finally, the pHE vector could carry a stable 21 kb DNA payload into HSV virions. This pHE vector system should have a broad range of gene transfer applications.     

A novel protein modification pathway related to the ubiquitin system

Ubiquitin conjugation is known to target protein substrates primarily to degradation by the proteasome or via the endocytic route. Here we describe a novel protein modification pathway in yeast which mediates the conjugation of RUB1, a ubiquitin-like protein displaying 53% amino acid identity to ubiquitin. We show that RUB1 conjugation requires at least three proteins in vivo. ULA1 and UBA3 are related to the N- and C-terminal domains of the E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme, respectively, and together fulfil E1-like functions for RUB1 activation. RUB1 conjugation also requires UBC12, a protein related to E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, which functions analogously to E2 enzymes in RUB1-protein conjugate formation. Conjugation of RUB1 is not essential for normal cell growth and appears to be selective for a small set of substrates. Remarkably, CDC53/cullin, a common subunit of the multifunctional SCF ubiquitin ligase, was found to be a major substrate for RUB1 conjugation. This suggests that the RUB1 conjugation pathway is functionally affiliated to the ubiquitin-proteasome system and may play a regulatory role.     

A novel Haar wavelet-based precoded BPSK-OFDM system with reduced PAPR

The performance of OFDM systems may be degraded when intersymbol interference (ISI) chan- nels have spectral nulls. Recently, the precoded OFDM was proposed to combat this problem. How- ever, due to inserting (M-K) zeros between each two sets of K consecutive information symbols, the average transmitting power of the precoded OFDM system reduces by 10log10 (M/K) dB com- pared with the conventional OFDM system. Under the same points inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT), the precoded OFDM system has a higher peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) compared with the conventional OFDM system. This paper proposes a novel precoded BPSK-OFDM system based on Haar wavelet transformation. The Haar wavelet transformation operating decomposition over the vector information symbols produced by a precoder shows that half of the information symbols are zeros and the rest are either √2 or -√2.Then ,we have the peak power and PAPR reduced by 10log102≈3dB at most compared with the precoded OFDM system. Finally, we compare PAPR of the proposed OFDM system with the precoded OFDM and the conventional OFDM system.     

Changes in the aging immune system

We describe a solid-state, silicon integrated, bidirectional flow sensor for respiratory applications. The sensor is a thermal vector sensor. The electronic circuitry for obtaining bidirectional sensitivity is presented together with actual application to a healthy volunteer put on mechanical ventilation. The sensor's input flow range is from -60 to +60 L/min, and its rise-time is < or = 40 ms and fall-time is < or = 60 ms. The effect of changes in gas composition as used in mechanically ventilated patients on the sensor output signal are estimated to be less than 2%. The temperature sensitivity is about -1.5% per degree Celsius.     

Cell adhesion in the immune system

Cell adhesion molecules have an important role to play in many facets of the immune system. At a recent meeting their role in leukocyte migration, inflammation, cancer metastasis and lymphocyte development was discussed.     

Psychological interventions and the immune system: A meta-analytic review and critique.

This article reviews evidence for the hypothesis that psychological interventions can modulate the inumme response in humans and presents a series of models depicting the psychobiological pathways through which this might occur. Although more than 85 trials have been conducted, meta-analyses reveal only in modest evidence that interventions can reliably alter immune parameters. The most consistent evidence emerges from hypnosis and conditioning trials. Disclosure and stress management show scattered evidence of success. Relaxation demonstrates little capacity to elicit immune change. Although these data provide only modest evidence of successful immune modulation, it would be premature to conclude that the immune system is unresponsive to psychological interventions. This literature has important conceptual and methodological issues that need to be resolved before any definitive conclusions can be reached. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A novel system for the rapid generation of precise DNA deletions

To generate DNA deletions, a tandem array of class IIS restriction enzyme recognition sites was cloned into a plasmid. The recognition sites were arranged so that each enzyme cleaves at a different site within an adjacent target sequence. Digestion with both enzymes followed by end repair and ligation resulted in the deletion of DNA between the two sites of cleavage. Because both recognition sites are preserved following deletion, it was found that sequential deletions could be generated using cycles of restriction enzyme digestion, end repair and ligation. Therefore, this system represents a valuable tool in the definition of functional DNA sequences.