Effect of immunosuppression on composition of quasispecies population of hepatitis C virus in patients with chronic hepatitis C coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To study the effects of the immunosuppression caused by the reduction of CD4 activity on the composition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) populations, we analyzed the number of HCV quasispecies clones and the nucleotide diversity of the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of HCV in 37 patients with hemophilia with persistent HCV infection, with or without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS: The numbers of HCV quasispecies clones were measured by fluorescence single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. Direct sequencing was used to analyze the degree of diversity of HVR1. We compared these values according to coinfection with HIV, and CD4 counts of patients. RESULTS: There were no differences in either the number of HCV clones or the diversity between patients with and without HIV coinfection. In HIV coinfected patients the diversity decreased in association with the decrease in CD4 count while the number of HCV clones did not. The diversity of HVR1 was 3.64 +/- 5.03% in patients with a CD4 count < 50/microliters and 14.92 +/- 6.03% in patients with a CD4 count > or = 50/microliters; it was significantly lower in the former (p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: A severe reduction in the CD4 count, which is considered to cause a decline in the activity of helper T-lymphocytes, induced changes in the composition of HCV populations; one or a few quasispecies clones are predominant in the HCV population in the serum of individual patients.     

Power swing analysis in a future metropolitan electric power system on a contingent trip of cryogenic high-power cables

A cryogenic power cable is expected to be capable of carrying bulk power as a main transmission line in a future metropolitan electric power system. It is important to establish a strategy of how to sustain power supply when such a highly densified power supply route trips from the network due to contingency. It is proposed here that the bulk power transmitted by the cryogenic cable could be distributed into the parallel conventional transmission lines by suitable circuit breaker operations in the system. In this process, power-flow routes are forced to be changed with a remarkable modification in the system configuration. In this paper, the power swings associated with the large power-flow change following contingent faults are analyzed by means of a transient network analyzer. It is found that the proposed system modification could be realized without any harmful power swing if the parameters in generators as well as in control devices have conventional magnitudes. It is shown also by simulations that the margin to occurrence in an unstable power swing is left sufficient even if the parameters deviate somewhat from the present magnitudes.     

A Fuzzy Expert System for Damage Assessment Using Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks

Abstract: An efficient knowledge-acquisition support method is required for improvement and maintenance of the knowledge base in durability evaluation of an RC bridge deck. Such a method is proposed in this paper to automatically acquire fuzzy production rules. This method makes joint use of genetic algorithms and a neural network. Using a neural network as a subsystem, the evaluation function of genetic algorithms can be provided with the weights of the neural network. Introducing a neural network into genetic algorithms, it is possible to acquire new knowledge so that the method is useful when it is difficult to acquire knowledge in the field.     

Three-dimensional pin power reconstruction for the axially heterogeneous region in BWR

A three-dimensional pin power reconstruction method was proposed and verified by applying to the axially heterogeneous region problem of the BWR core calculation. Because the production assembly calculation has been carried out by two-dimensional deterministic calculation methods like current coupling collision probability or the method of characteristics, it has been difficult to predict the detailed three-dimensional heterogeneous pin power distribution of the axially heterogeneous region. Consequently, only radial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have been considered, and axial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have not been considered in the estimation of linear-heat-generation-ratio at common BWR core calculations.     

Diffusion-controlled size-selective chloride ion sensing in the presence of bromide ion using a thin, nanoporous, plasma-polymerized coating on an Ag/AgCl electrode

We have developed a diffusion-controlled size-selective method for sensing chloride ion in the presence of bromide ion, based on a thin, nanoporous, plasma-polymerized coating of hexamethyldisiloxane on an Ag/AgCl electrode. Sub-nanometer-sized pores responsible for a highly cross-linked polymer network in the plasma-polymerized coating allowed diffusion-controlled permeation of chloride ion while blocking the larger bromide ion. An electrode coating of thickness greater than 70 nm enabled chloride detection in the concentration range 1-10 mM in the presence of 0.63 mM bromide ion. Advantages of this approach are: (1) simple design compared with ionophore-based strategies and (2) compatibility with microfabrication and mass production processes.     

Observation of cold-rolling texture and partially recrystallized texture in polycrystalline 3 pct Si-Fe by high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction

Cold-rolling texture and partially recrystallized texture of polycrystalline 3 pct Si-Fe were investigated using high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) method. From the measurement on a deformed grain with {211}〈011〉∼{111}〈011〉 orientations, deformation bands with {12 4 1}〈014〉 orientation were found. It turned out that the orientation rotation relationship between deformation bands and surrounding deformed grain can be explained by the activation of the slip system, which has a common slip plane with an adjacent grain. Oriented nucleation of recrystallized grains with {12 4 1}〈014〉 orientation was observed in a deformed grain with {211}〈011〉∼{111}〈011〉 orientation. Exactly the same orientation relationship that was observed between deformed grain and the deformation bands was also observed between the deformed grain and the recrystallized grain. A hypothesis that recrystallization nuclei are generated directly from the deformation bands formed by an activation of the slip system that has a common slip plane of neighboring deformed grains was proposed from the present experimental results.     

Control of Wind-Induced Self-Excited Oscillations by Transfer of Internal Energy to Higher Modes of Vibration. II: Application to Taut Cables

In Part I of this paper, a theoretical basis is presented using a two-degrees-of-freedom model. In this second part of the study, the passive control and the two types of semiactive controls introduced in Part I are examined numerically for a taut cable experiencing wind-induced galloping motion. The passive and the semiactive control schemes for taut cables show a good similarity with the results obtained for the two-degrees-of-freedom model. The potential of using these control schemes in practical applications to flexible structures is demonstrated.     

Monte Carlo simulation of hydrogen absorption in palladium and palladium–silver alloys

A modified Monte Carlo (MC) simulation was performed to investigate the hydrogen absorption behavior in Pd and Pd–Ag alloys of the composition Pd_xAg_1−x (x=0.7–0.8) under H₂ pressure (0.1 MPa) at different temperatures. The present method employed can consider the dissociative adsorption of hydrogen molecule and the subsequent absorption of hydrogen atom by formalizing the relationship between the pressure of hydrogen molecule and hydrogen atom. The potential parameters were determined to reproduce the solution enthalpy of hydrogen in pure metals. The results are in good agreement with experimental findings as well as previous theoretical studies. We confirmed that our method is useful to simulate the absorption of hydrogen in metals and alloys.     

Preparation of micrometer‐sized,monodisperse, magnetic polymer particles

Micrometer‐sized, monodisperse, magnetic composite particles were prepared by heating micrometer‐sized, monodisperse, hollow polystyrene/polydivinylbenzene composite polymer particles at 200°C for 4 h (particles had been dipped in pentacarbonyliron) and then washed in 12 N HCl and water. The hollow polymer particles were produced by seeded polymerization by the dynamic swelling method that was proposed by authors. The magnetic composite particles contained Fe₃O₄, the content of which was 49% based on total weight, and were attracted easily in water by a 1650 G magnet. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 428–433, 2003     

Microscopic fatigue processes in a plain-weave glass-fibre composite

This paper focuses on the microscopic damage and progressive failure of a composite reinforced by plain-weave glass cloth under tensile fatigue loading. The fatigue process was divided into three stages like that of multi-directional laminates. It was found that the internal damage at each stage (matrix cracks, debonds in the weft, successive debonds in the warp and ‘metadelaminations’ between warps and wefts) occurred near the cross-over point of the fabric. The modulus decay mechanism was explained by considering the progression of this internal damage. From the end of the first stage to the beginning of the middle stage, a characteristic damage state (CDS) (called a ‘meta-CDS’) was observed. It was found that woven composites have a unit area of damage accumulation (called a ‘unit cell’) and the damage of each unit cell and its distribution control the total fatigue damage of the material.