Role-based access to facilities lifecycle information on RFID tags

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based systems have been used in different applications in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator (AECOO) industry. Applications are mainly designed for specific lifecycle stage of the facility and serve the needs of only one of the stakeholders. This would increase the cost and the labor for adding and removing tags and eliminate the chance of using shared resources. In this paper, the usage of tags permanently attached to components is proposed where the memory of the tags is used during the lifecycle by different stakeholders for data storage and handover. A Building Information Model (BIM) database is used for tackling the interoperability issues allowing different users to access and share the data. To securely and efficiently store data on RFID tags in ifcXML format, multi-level encryption together with role-based access control is applied on the data stored on RFID tags. Each user is assigned a certain role and can only access the part of data for which he has authorization according to a predefined role and the Access Control Policy. To explore the technical feasibility of the proposed approach, a case study considering both facilities management and emergency management has been implemented and tested at Concordia University.     

Combining docking, scoring and molecular field analyses to probe influenza neuraminidase-ligand interactions

In this project, several docking conditions, scoring functions and corresponding protein-aligned molecular field analysis (CoMFA) models were evaluated for a diverse set of neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors. To this end, a group of inhibitors were docked into the active site of NA. The docked structures were utilized to construct a corresponding protein-aligned CoMFA models by employing probe-based (H+, OH, CH3) energy grids and genetic partial least squares (G/PLS) statistical analysis. A total of 16 different docking configurations were evaluated, of which some succeeded in producing self-consistent and predictive CoMFA models. However, the best model coincided with docking the ionized ligands into the hydrated form of the binding site via PLP1 scoring function (r2LOO=0.735, r2PRESS against 24 test compounds=0.828). The highest-ranking CoMFA models were employed to probe NA-ligand interactions. Further validation by comparison with a co-crystallized ligand-NA crystallographic structure was performed. This combination of docking/scoring/CoMFA modeling provided interesting insights into the binding of different NA inhibitors.     

Age effects on social cognition: Faces tell a different story.

The authors administered social cognition tasks to younger and older adults to investigate age-related differences in social and emotional processing. Although slower, older adults were as accurate as younger adults in identifying the emotional valence (i.e., positive, negative, or neutral) of facial expressions. However, the age difference in reaction time was largest for negative faces. Older adults were significantly less accurate at identifying specific facial expressions of fear and sadness. No age differences specific to social function were found on tasks of self-reference, identifying emotional words, or theory of mind. Performance on the social tasks in older adults was independent of performance on general cognitive tasks (e.g., working memory) but was related to personality traits and emotional awareness. Older adults also showed more intercorrelations among the social tasks than did the younger adults. These findings suggest that age differences in social cognition are limited to the processing of facial emotion. Nevertheless, with age there appears to be increasing reliance on a common resource to perform social tasks, but one that is not shared with other cognitive domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identification of Bacterial Membrane Selectivity of Romo1-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide AMPR-22 via Molecular Dynamics

The abuse or misuse of antibiotics has caused the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria, rendering most antibiotics ineffective and increasing the mortality rate of patients with bacteremia or sepsis. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are proposed to overcome this problem; however, many AMPs have attenuated antimicrobial activities with hemolytic toxicity in blood. Recently, AMPR-11 and its optimized derivative, AMPR-22, were reported to be potential candidates for the treatment of sepsis with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and low hemolytic toxicity. Here, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to clarify the mechanism of lower hemolytic toxicity and higher efficacy of AMPR-22 at an atomic level. We found four polar residues in AMPR-11 bound to a model mimicking the bacterial inner/outer membranes preferentially over eukaryotic plasma membrane. AMPR-22 whose polar residues were replaced by lysine showed a 2-fold enhanced binding affinity to the bacterial membrane by interacting with bacterial specific lipids (lipid A or cardiolipin) via hydrogen bonds. The MD simulations were confirmed experimentally in models that partially mimic bacteremia conditions in vitro and ex vivo. The present study demonstrates why AMPR-22 showed low hemolytic toxicity and this approach using an MD simulation would be helpful in the development of AMPs.     

CDDO-Me Attenuates Clasmatodendrosis in CA1 Astrocyte by Inhibiting HSP25-AKT Mediated DRP1-S637 Phosphorylation in Chronic Epilepsy Rats

Clasmatodendrosis is one of the irreversible astroglial degeneration, which is involved in seizure duration and its progression in the epileptic hippocampus. Although sustained heat shock protein 25 (HSP25) induction leads to this autophagic astroglial death, dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics (aberrant mitochondrial elongation) is also involved in the pathogenesis in clasmatodendrosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of accumulation of elongated mitochondria in clasmatodendritic astrocytes are elusive. In the present study, we found that clasmatodendritic astrocytes showed up-regulations of HSP25 expression, AKT serine (S) 473 and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) S637 phosphorylations in the hippocampus of chronic epilepsy rats. 2-Cyano-3,12-dioxo-oleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid methyl ester (CDDO-Me; bardoxolone methyl or RTA 402) abrogated abnormal mitochondrial elongation by reducing HSP25 upregulation, AKT S473- and DRP1 S637 phosphorylations. Furthermore, HSP25 siRNA and 3-chloroacetyl-indole (3CAI, an AKT inhibitor) abolished AKT-DRP1-mediated mitochondrial elongation and attenuated clasmatodendrosis in CA1 astrocytes. These findings indicate that HSP25-AKT-mediated DRP1 S637 hyper-phosphorylation may lead to aberrant mitochondrial elongation, which may result in autophagic astroglial degeneration. Therefore, our findings suggest that the dysregulation of HSP25-AKT-DRP1-mediated mitochondrial dynamics may play an important role in clasmatodendrosis, which would have implications for the development of novel therapies against various neurological diseases related to astroglial degeneration.     

A Composite Formation Route to Well‐Crystalline Manganese Oxide Nanocrystals: High Catalytic Activity of Manganate–Alumina Nanocomposites

Manganese oxide nanocrystals are combined with aluminum oxide nanocrystals to improve their crystallinity via calcination without a significant increase of crystal size. A nanocomposite, consisting of two metal oxides, can be synthesized by the reaction between permanganate anions and aluminum oxyhydroxide keggin cations. The as‐prepared manganese oxide–aluminum oxide nanocomposite is X‐ray amorphous whereas heat‐treatment gives rise to the crystallization of an α‐MnO₂ phase at 600 °C and Mn₃O₄/Mn₂O₃ and γ‐Al₂O₃ phases at 800 °C. Electron microscopy and N₂ adsorption‐desorption‐isotherm analysis clearly demonstrate that the as‐prepared nanocomposite is composed of a porous assembly of monodisperse primary particles with a size of ～20 nm and a surface area of >410 m² g^?1. Of particular interest is that the small particle size of the as‐prepared nanocomposite is well‐maintained up to 600 °C, a result of the prevention of the growth of manganate grains through nanoscale mixing with alumina grains. The calcined nanocomposite shows very‐high catalytic activity for the oxidation of cyclohexene with an extremely high conversion efficiency of >95% within 15 min. The present results show that the improvement of the crystallinity without significant crystal growth is very crucial for optimizing the catalytic activity of manganese oxide nanocrystals.     

Human reliability in maintenance task

Maintenance management requirements have another dimension in the present as in the past. Looking for the optimal tools of decision processing is hard. The current concepts have represented the integration of theoretical, technical, and management tools whose applications need actual modification. Technical measurements are expensive and take a long time/term, and it is hard to estimate the economical returns. This paper presents the concept of a maintenance management task and its function in preventing major accidents. The importance of considering the reliability of maintenance tasks and the method to reach it are also discussed in this paper.     

Anticonvulsive Effects and Pharmacokinetic Profile of Cannabidiol (CBD) in the Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) or N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) Models of Seizures in Infantile Rats

In spite of use of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, in pediatric patients with epilepsy, preclinical studies on its effects in immature animals are very limited. In the present study we investigated anti-seizure activity of CBD (10 and 60 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally) in two models of chemically induced seizures in infantile (12-days old) rats. Seizures were induced either with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). In parallel, brain and plasma levels of CBD and possible motor adverse effects were assessed in the righting reflex and the bar holding tests. CBD was ineffective against NMDA-induced seizures, but in a dose 60 mg/kg abolished the tonic phase of PTZ-induced generalized seizures. Plasma and brain levels of CBD were determined up to 24 h after administration. Peak CBD levels in the brain (996 ± 128 and 5689 ± 150 ng/g after the 10- and 60-mg/kg doses, respectively) were reached 1–2 h after administration and were still detectable 24 h later (120 ± 12 and 904 ± 63 ng/g, respectively). None of the doses negatively affected motor performance within 1 h after administration, but CBD in both doses blocked improvement in the bar holding test with repeated exposure to this task. Taken together, anti-seizure activity of CBD in infantile animals is dose and model dependent, and at therapeutic doses CBD does not cause motor impairment. The potential risk of CBD for motor learning seen in repeated motor tests has to be further examined.     

Steady-state multiplicity phenomena during the electrochemical promotion of NO reduction by C2H4 in presence of O2 on thin Rh and Pt catalyst-electrodes in a monolithic electropromoted reactor

The electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) was used to promote the selective reduction of NO by hydrocarbons in presence of oxygen using thin (40 nm) porous Rh and Pt catalyst layers sputtered on the opposite surfaces of thin (0.25 mm) solid electrolyte (YSZ) plates serving as electrocatalytic elements of a monolithic electrochemically promoted reactor (MEPR). Using 22 Rh/YSZ/Pt type cells it was found that the reduction of NO in presence of 1.1 kPa O₂ and 0.36 kPa C₂H₄ can be efficiently electropromoted with 340% rate enhancement, reaching 95% NO conversion with 100% selectivity to N₂ in the temperature range from 280 to 340 °C. The apparent Faradaic efficiency is larger than unity for both the NO reduction and the C₂H₄ oxidation reaction.At elevated temperatures (≥300 °C) and high reactant conversions it was found that after current interruption, the catalytic rates do not return to their initial values but remain in a new highly active steady state. It appears that this highly active state is not a genuine intrinsic permanent NEMCA state but is manifestation of steady-state multiplicity in the monolithic reactor resulting from near complete gaseous O₂ consumption. Thus the low and high activity steady states corresponding to zero applied potential appear to correspond to high and low average P_O2 in the reactor. The latter is the result of the near complete reactant conversion under the preceding electropromoted operation. These highly active permanent NEMCA states may be quite useful for practical applications.