Factor XIII B Subunit Polymorphisms and the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

The aim of the case-control study was to explore the effect of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) B subunit (FXIII-B) polymorphisms on the risk of coronary artery disease, and on FXIII levels. In the study, 687 patients admitted for coronary angiography to investigate suspected coronary artery disease and 994 individuals representing the Hungarian population were enrolled. The patients were classified according to the presence of significant coronary atherosclerosis (CAS) and history of myocardial infarction (MI). The F13B gene was genotyped for p.His95Arg and for intron K nt29756 C>G polymorphisms; the latter results in the replacement of 10 C-terminal amino acids by 25 novel amino acids. The p.His95Arg polymorphism did not influence the risk of CAS or MI. The FXIII-B intron K nt29756 G allele provided significant protection against CAS and MI in patients with a fibrinogen level in the upper tertile. However, this effect prevailed only in the presence of the FXIII-A Leu34 allele, and a synergism between the two polymorphisms was revealed. Carriers of the intron K nt29756 G allele had significantly lower FXIII levels, and FXIII levels in the lower tertile provided significant protection against MI. It is suggested that the protective effect of the combined polymorphisms is related to decreased FXIII levels.     

Spatiotemporal Patterns on a Ring Network of Oscillatory Electrochemical Reaction with Negative Global Feedback

The formation of spatiotemporal patterns in chemical systems can often be attributed to local and global interactions with the nonlinear kinetics, e. g., due to diffusion or an external constraint, respectively. We investigate the dynamics of an oscillatory chemical reaction on a ring of discrete elements, where the positive local coupling and negative global feedback can be varied independently to observe the emerging spatiotemporal patterns. With local coupling, the oscillations exhibit nearly in-phase synchronization. When increasing the global negative feedback, a transition is seen from nearly sinusoidal phase profile oscillations through rotating and standing waves to amplitude death behavior. The experimental studies are interpreted with a kinetic model of nickel electrodissolution. The results demonstrate the presence of rich spatiotemporal patterns that can be obtained in a network with positive local and negative global interactions.     

Prediction models for performance,power, and energy efficiency of software executed on heterogeneous hardware

The Journal of Supercomputing - Heterogeneous computer environments are becoming commonplace so it is increasingly important to understand how and where we could execute a given algorithm the most...     

Examination of biogenic amines in grapevine musts originating from vineyards treated with different viticultural practices

Viticultural practices as defoliation (DF) and cluster tipping (CT) (hereinafter referred to as the abbreviation) are often used for crop regulation to enhance quality. Reduced yield can be accompanied not only with more favourable sugar-acid composition but also with changes of other chemical compounds in the berries, for example, biogenic amines as well. The latter play a significant role in human health. The experiment has been carried out at three different growing sites of Hungary in 2014. DF was done at full bloom, CT occurred when the berry reached pea size. Berry sampling for biogenic amine analysis was carried out several times during the ripening period. In our trial, we examined the effect of the above-mentioned treatments, the sites and the sampling dates on the amount of berries’ biogenic amine content. We concluded that DF and CT changed the amount of each type of amines in the berries. According to our measurements the treatments and the site did affect the amount and composition of biogenic amines, but the sampling time not. The treatments were most effective in the case of histamine which is crucial for triggering allergic reactions.     

Outflow properties of silos: The effect of arching

Engineers working on the field of agriculture, food- or pharmaceutical industry or in the architecture frequently meet problems arising from the special properties of granular assemblies. Storing large amount of particulate raw materials is mostly made by using large containers, called silos. The design of such large silos is far not an easy problem. The outflow properties are one of the most important parameters of silo design. The constant discharge rate of silos differs from the discharge rate of containers filled with liquids. In case of fluids, the flowing velocity and discharge rate changes with fluid level. In case of granular materials, the velocity is constant (independent of the filling level of silo). There are methods used for the determination of silo discharge rate, but these are mostly experimental without physical explanation of the phenomenon. In this paper we demonstrate that the constant discharge rate is caused by the formation and collapse of arches in the bin. Based on this assumption, we derive an equation for determining the discharge rate. Using the same arching hypothesis we derive the equations describing the velocity distribution at silo outlets. The usability of our new approach is demonstrated by experimental investigations.     

Comparison of directly compressed vitamin B12 tablets prepared from micronized rotary-spun microfibers and cast films

Fiber-based dosage forms are potential alternatives of conventional dosage forms from the point of the improved extent and rate of drug dissolution. Rotary-spun polymer fibers and cast films were prepared and micronized in order to direct compress after homogenization with tabletting excipients. Particle size distribution of powder mixtures of micronized fibers and films homogenized with tabletting excipients were determined by laser scattering particle size distribution analyzer. Powder rheological behavior of the mixtures containing micronized fibers and cast films was also compared. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was applied for the microstructural characterization of micronized fibers and films. The water-soluble vitamin B₁₂ release from the compressed tablets was determined. It was confirmed that the rotary spinning method resulted in homogeneous supramolecularly ordered powder mixture, which was successfully compressed after homogenization with conventional tabletting excipients. The obtained directly compressed tablets showed uniform drug release of low variations. The results highlight the novel application of micronized rotary-spun fibers as intermediate for further processing reserving the original favorable powder characteristics of fibrous systems.     

β-Tricalcium phosphate silica aerogel as an alternative bioactive ceramic for the potential use in dentistry

ABSTRACT

In this study, a mesoporous silica aerogel with β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP-AE) was manufactured. The effect of β-TCP-AE on gene expressions (BMP2, BMP7, Runx2 and OSX) of SAOS-2 cells was tested. For the in vivo evaluation, the ‘calvaria critical-size defect’ model was used: following 1 and 3 months of the artificial surgical bone defects filled with β-TCP-AE, histopathological analyses were performed. Gene expression studies demonstrated a mild osteoblastic differentiation of the SAOS-2 cells triggered after seven days of β-TCP-AE treatment. Digital histology of rat’s calvarial bone defects reconstructed with β-TCP-AE showed that after 1 month, calcifications and early ossifications developed with the presence of capillary-rich fibrous inflammation and remnants of exogenous compounds which nearly disappeared by the third month, and replaced with multiple newly formed bone islets mediated by osteoblasts. Based on our results, this bioceramic compound appears to have favourable properties for the use as a scaffold in the reconstructive medical practice.     

The Form of Sulfur Impurity in Neutron Irradiated Commercial C60

Abstract

By using SEM, SAED, HRTEM and XPD it was found that the unexpectedly high sulphur impurity in some commercial C₆₀ product readily reacts with C₆₀, during neutron irradiation producing the compound C₆₀S₁₆ ⁽³⁾ that can be regarded as a stable collecting form of the original undefined sulphur impurities.     

Identification and dynamic inversion-based control of a pressurizer at the Paks NPP

The paper presents the design of a pressure controlling tank located in the primary circuit of a Nuclear Power Plant. All steps from modeling through control design to implementation are detailed. Based on first engineering principles a second-order Wiener model is formulated and its unknown parameters are identified. The control design is based on a dynamic inversion method. The performance of the designed closed-loop system is tuned by an error feedback. The implemented controller is of a distributed structure including measurement and control PLCs, a continuous power controller and a special supervisor module. The nominal stability of the controller in the networked environment is analyzed by using the maximum allowable transmit interval. The hardware and software design and implementation obey the safety-critical requirements imposed by the special nature of the plant.