Quantitative microstructural characterisation of Fe–30Ni alloy after martensitic transformations by means of stereological and magnetic methods

In the Fe–30Ni alloy investigated a martensitic transformation can occur both during quenching or plastic deformation. Martensite formed during plastic deformation, depending on the thermo-mechanical treatment applied, exhibits a different morphology from that achieved during quenching and forms the so-called composite-like structure. The morphology and volume fraction of martensite depends both on strain and temperature. In the present studies Fe–30Ni alloy was deformed by monotonic rolling in one path and perpendicular rolling in the temperature range M_D–M_S. The aim of the investigations was a determination of martensite volume fraction depending on the strain and temperature. To examine the influence of strain, the alloy was deformed by rolling in one path or perpendicular rolling at a temperature of − 30 °C, in the strain range of 10–30%. The dependence of temperature was investigated by rolling with 30% strain in a temperature range from − 30 °C to − 80 °C. The variants of thermo-mechanical treatment performed enabled us to achieve different martensite morphologies and volume fractions. Microstructural analysis was performed by means of light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results of quantitative microstructural analysis of martensite and retained austenite volume fractions formed in different thermo-mechanical treatments were compared with those obtained by magnetic measurements. The fraction of deformation-induced martensite determined varied from 2% to 86%. The partial volume fractions V_V^MF of martensite formed in different deformation directions were also determined. It was found that the influence of the temperature on the martensite volume fraction is more pronounced than the influence of strain.     

Quattor: Tools and Techniques for the Configuration,Installation and Management of Large-Scale Grid Computing Fabrics

This paper describes the quattor tool suite, a new system for the installation, configuration, and management of operating systems and application software for computing fabrics. At present Unix derivatives such as Linux and Solaris are supported. Quattor is a powerful, portable and modular open source solution that has been shown to scale to thousands of computing nodes and offers a significant reduction in management costs for large computing fabrics. The quattor tool suite includes innovations compared to existing solutions which make it very useful for computing fabrics integrated into grid environments. Evaluations of the tool suite in current large scale computing environments are presented.     

Formulation of Presliding Domain Non-local Memory Hysteretic Loops Based Upon Modified Maxwell Slip Model

In this paper, we investigate formulation of non-local memory effect hysteretic loops in presliding domain of friction by examining the dynamic responses of a single-degree-of-freedom friction oscillator. We modify the Maxwell slip model introducing characteristic features of asperities and perform detailed examination of the system from two perspectives. The first one, termed by us as microscale, presents contribution of each individual asperity to the total friction force, whereas the second one, termed by us as macroscale, concerns friction force behaviour of the whole model treated as the unity, with a special emphasis on non-local memory effect hysteretic loops formulation, complemented by time responses.     

New method for the on-line signature verification based on horizontal partitioning

Verification of identity based on the analysis of dynamic signatures is an important problem of biometrics. The effectiveness of the verification significantly increases when the dynamic characteristics of signature (e.g. velocity of the pen) are considered. These characteristics are individual for each user and difficult to imitate. The effectiveness of the verification can be further improved by using partitioning. In this paper we propose a new method which uses partitioning. In our method partitions represent areas of high and low speed of signature and high and low pen?s pressure. All selected partitions are used by our algorithm, but more important in the classification process are these partitions, in which the signatures of the user acquired during training phase are more stable. Moreover, final classification is interpretable. In this paper we present the simulation results of the proposed method for the two databases: SVC2004 and BioSecure Database.     

The effect of beta-carotene and vitamins A, D3 and E on some reproductive parameters in cows

Five groups of winter-housed cows (n = 10 per group) that calved in the winter were used to assess the effect of beta-carotene supplementation on postpartum reproductive performance. Near parturition and immediately after calving the beta-carotene concentrations of the blood plasma were decreased and no differences could be found between the control and the supplemented groups. The results obtained at postpartum day 60 suggest that supplementation of the daily winter ration with 300 mg of synthetic beta-carotene with or without vitamins A, D3 and E exerts the most favourable effect on reproduction, as judged not only from B-carotene and vitamin A contents of the blood plasma, colostrum and milk but also from the improved fertility indices. The number of inseminations per cow was reduced and the conception rate was significantly higher in cows supplied additionally with 300 mg of synthetic beta-carotene with or without vitamins A, D3 and E. It can be concluded that beta-carotene is an important factor in bovine reproduction and that its specific role cannot be taken over by vitamin A.     

Oligomerization of Human Cystatin C—An Amyloidogenic Protein: An Analysis of Small Oligomeric Subspecies

Human cystatin C (HCC), an amyloidogenic protein, forms dimers and higher oligomers (trimers, tetramers and donut like large oligomers) via a domain-swapping mechanism. The aim of this study was the characterization of the HCC oligomeric states observed within the pH range from 2.2 to 10.0 and also in conditions promoting oligomerization. The HCC oligomeric forms obtained in different conditions were characterized using size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering. The marked ability of HCC to form tetramers at low pH (2.3 or 3.0) and dimers at pH 4.0–5.0 was observed. HCC remains monomeric at pH levels above 6.0. Based on the SAXS data, the structure of the HCC tetramer was proposed. Changes in the environment (from acid to neutral) induced a breakdown of the HCC tetramers to dimers. The tetrameric forms of human cystatin C are formed by the association of the dimers without a domain-swapping mechanism. These observations were confirmed by their dissociation to dimers at pH 7.4.     

Preliminary Evidence of the Potent and Selective Adenosine A2B Receptor Antagonist PSB-603 in Reducing Obesity and Some of Its Associated Metabolic Disorders in Mice

The adenosine A_2A and A_2B receptors are promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of obesity and diabetes since the agonists and antagonists of these receptors have the potential to positively affect metabolic disorders. The present study investigated the link between body weight reduction, glucose homeostasis, and anti-inflammatory activity induced by a highly potent and specific adenosine A_2B receptor antagonist, compound PSB-603. Mice were fed a high-fat diet for 14 weeks, and after 12 weeks, they were treated for 14 days intraperitoneally with the test compound. The A₁/A_2A/A_2B receptor antagonist theophylline was used as a reference. Following two weeks of treatment, different biochemical parameters were determined, including total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, TNF-α, and IL-6 blood levels, as well as glucose and insulin tolerance. To avoid false positive results, mouse locomotor and spontaneous activities were assessed. Both theophylline and PSB-603 significantly reduced body weight in obese mice. Both compounds had no effects on glucose levels in the obese state; however, PSB-603, contrary to theophylline, significantly reduced triglycerides and total cholesterol blood levels. Thus, our observations showed that selective A_2B adenosine receptor blockade has a more favourable effect on the lipid profile than nonselective inhibition.     

Boron Clusters as Enhancers of RNase H Activity in the Smart Strategy of Gene Silencing by Antisense Oligonucleotides

Boron cluster-conjugated antisense oligonucleotides (B-ASOs) have already been developed as therapeutic agents with “two faces”, namely as potential antisense inhibitors of gene expression and as boron carriers for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The previously observed high antisense activity of some B-ASOs targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) could not be rationally assigned to the positioning of the boron cluster unit: 1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (0), [(3,3′-Iron-1,2,1′,2′-dicarbollide) (1-), FESAN], and dodecaborate (2-) in the ASO chain and its structure or charge. For further understanding of this observation, we performed systematic studies on the efficiency of RNase H against a series of B-ASOs models. The results of kinetic analysis showed that pyrimidine-enriched B-ASO oligomers activated RNase H more efficiently than non-modified ASO. The presence of a single FESAN unit at a specific position of the B-ASO increased the kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis of complementary RNA more than 30-fold compared with unmodified duplex ASO/RNA. Moreover, the rate of RNA hydrolysis enhanced with the increase in the negative charge of the boron cluster in the B-ASO chain. In conclusion, a “smart” strategy using ASOs conjugated with boron clusters is a milestone for the development of more efficient antisense therapeutic nucleic acids as inhibitors of gene expression.