Association between Insertion-Deletion Polymorphism of the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene and Treatment Response to Antipsychotic Medications: A Study of Antipsychotic-Naïve First-Episode Psychosis Patients and Nonadherent Chronic Psychosis Patients

We investigated whether a functional insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) influenced antipsychotic treatment. At baseline, and after 8 weeks of treatment with various antipsychotic medications, we assessed patients’ Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores, PANSS factors, and metabolic-syndrome-related parameters (fasting plasma lipid and glucose levels, and body mass index). A total of 186 antipsychotic-naïve first-episode psychosis patients or nonadherent chronic psychosis individuals (99 males and 87 females) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The ACE-I/D polymorphism was significantly associated with changes in PANSS psychopathology only (p < 0.05). Compared to ACE-II homozygous males, ACE-DD homozygous and ACE-ID heterozygous males manifested significantly greater decreases in PANSS positive score, PANSS excitement factor, and PANSS cognitive factor. ACE-DD homozygous females manifested higher decreases in PANSS depression factor compared to ACE-II homozygous and ACE-ID heterozygous females. The polymorphism’s effect size was estimated as moderate to strong, while its contribution to the PANSS psychopathology ranged from ~5.4 to 8.7%, with the lowest contribution observed for PANSS positive score changes and the highest for PANSS depressive factor changes. Our results indicate that ACE-I/D polymorphism had a statistically significant but weak gender-specific impact on psychopathology data, and showed no association between ACE-I/D polymorphism and metabolic-syndrome-related parameters.     

Application of Structured and Directional Residuals for Fault Detection and Isolation on Permanent‐Magnet DC Motor with Amplifier

Sensors and actuators are physical components often subjected to non‐permissible or unexpected deviations from nominal operating conditions. This paper discusses the application of additive fault detection and isolation (FDI) methods developed for linear and stationary systems on a nonlinear non‐stationary system consisting of an electronic amplifier with a DC motor. A temperature‐dependent viscous friction coefficient, as well as the non‐linearity induced by dry friction, makes the system nonlinear. Residuals were designed using two fundamental residual‐enhancement approaches: synthesis of structured residuals and synthesis of directional residuals. A comparative analysis of the results was performed applying four different techniques for residual transformation synthesis. The paper proposes suitable filtering and translation of the structured and directional residuals that enhance FDI, performance. A limiting factor in the application of directional residuals, relating to the number of different faults, which may have independent directions during FDI, is illustrated. The entire procedure is demonstrated on a simple model of a permanent‐magnet DC motor with a suitable amplifier. This laboratory system is often encountered in electrical engineering laboratories, and accordingly, the results can be used as useful educational material for student training in FDI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Complex order fractional derivatives in viscoelasticity

We introduce complex order fractional derivatives in models that describe viscoelastic materials. This cannot be carried out unrestrictedly, and therefore we derive, for the first time, real valued compatibility constraints, as well as physical constraints that lead to acceptable models. As a result, we introduce a new form of complex order fractional derivative. Also, we consider a fractional differential equation with complex derivatives, and study its solvability. Results obtained for stress relaxation and creep are illustrated by several numerical examples.     

Carborane Analogues of Fenoprofen Exhibit Improved Antitumor Activity

Fenoprofen is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) against rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease, ankylosing spondylitis and gout. Like other NSAIDs, fenoprofen inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandins by blocking both cyclooxygenase (COX) isoforms, COX-1 the “house-keeping” enzyme and COX-2 the induced isoform from pathological stimuli. Unselective inhibition of both COX isoforms results in many side effects, but off-target effects have also been reported. The steric modifications of the drugs could afford the desired COX-2 selectivity. Furthermore, NSAIDs have shown promising cytotoxic properties. The structural modification of fenoprofen using bulky dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) (carborane) clusters and the biological evaluation of the carborane analogues for COX inhibition and antitumor potential showed that the carborane analogues exhibit stronger antitumor potential compared to their respective aryl-based compounds.     

In Vivo Biocompatibility Investigation of an Injectable Calcium Carbonate (Vaterite) as a Bone Substitute including Compositional Analysis via SEM-EDX Technology

Injectable bone substitutes (IBS) are increasingly being used in the fields of orthopedics and maxillofacial/oral surgery. The rheological properties of IBS allow for proper and less invasive filling of bony defects. Vaterite is the most unstable crystalline polymorph of calcium carbonate and is known to be able to transform into hydroxyapatite upon contact with an organic fluid (e.g., interstitial body fluid). Two different concentrations of hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol)-acetal-dimethacrylat (PEG-a-DMA), i.e., 8% (w/v) (VH-A) or 10% (w/v) (VH-B), were combined with vaterite nanoparticles and implanted in subcutaneous pockets of BALB/c mice for 15 and 30 days. Explants were prepared for histochemical staining and immunohistochemical detection methods to determine macrophage polarization, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) to analyze elemental composition was used for the analysis. The histopathological analysis revealed a comparable moderate tissue reaction to the hydrogels mainly involving macrophages. Moreover, the hydrogels underwent a slow cellular infiltration, revealing a different degradation behavior compared to other IBS. The immunohistochemical detection showed that M1 macrophages were mainly found at the material surfaces being involved in the cell-mediated degradation and tissue integration, while M2 macrophages were predominantly found within the reactive connective tissue. Furthermore, the histomorphometrical analysis revealed balanced numbers of pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophages, demonstrating that both hydrogels are favorable materials for bone tissue regeneration. Finally, the EDX analysis showed a stepwise transformation of the vaterite particle into hydroxyapatite. Overall, the results of the present study demonstrate that hydrogels including nano-vaterite particles are biocompatible and suitable for bone tissue regeneration applications.     

A Service-Oriented Middleware for Building Collaborative UAVs

For a while, Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs) use was limited to military applications, however recently UAVs are also used for a wide range of civilian applications. Some of these UAV applications may involve multiple UAVs that must cooperate to achieve a common goal. This kind of applications is termed collaborative UAV applications. This paper investigates the collaborative aspects and challenges of multiple UAV systems. One of the main issues for multiple UAV systems is developing an effective framework to enable the development of software systems for collaborative UAV operations. One possible approach is to rely on service-oriented computing and service-oriented middleware technologies to simplify the development and operations of such applications. This paper discusses how the service-oriented middleware approach can help resolve some of the challenges of developing collaborative UAVs. The paper also proposes a service-oriented middleware architecture that can satisfy the development and operations of such applications.     

Synthesis and antioxidant activity of selected 4-methylcoumarins

A series of selected 4-methylcoumarins (4-methyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-ones) were synthesised and tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, and for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric to ferrous cation. All studied compounds showed activity comparable to Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid), an already known antioxidant, which is used as standard in most of the testing methods. Observations from the study were made with regard to structural features that regulated the behaviour of the compounds. The antioxidant activity of some 4-methylcoumarin representatives is presented here for the first time and extends our knowledge of the range of valuable biological activities and possible roles in therapy and for food preservation associated with this group of compounds.     

A numerical investigation of the refrigerant maldistribution from a header towards parallel channels in an evaporator of automotive air conditioning system

Evaporators in automotive air conditioning are designed as compact heat exchangers with the aim to cool outside air for the widest possible range of weather conditions. Under low operating loads a non-uniformity of the refrigerant liquid and gas phase distribution from the evaporator headers towards the evaporating channels leads to a decrease of the evaporator efficiency and a temperature stratification in the exit stream of cooled air. This malfunction is investigated by numerical simulations and analyses with the Computational Multi-Fluid Dynamic code. The applied numerical approach is validated for available experimental conditions. In order to eliminate the air exit temperature stratification, numerical experiments are performed with design changes of the evaporator header and the effectiveness of applied measures is demonstrated.     

Comparison of soil properties measurements in pipeline corrosion estimation

Soil corrosion is a hazardous electrochemical process that affects buried metals in contact with soil. Corrosion in soils resembles atmospheric corrosion with corrosion rates usually higher and depending on the soil type. There are numerous properties of soil and thus soils can be classified in many different ways. Soil resistivity is one of the main indicators of soil corrosivity and thus of the hazardous impact the soil has on metal materials in the soil environment, although it is not the only parameter affecting the risk of corrosion damage. In this study on‐site measurements and laboratory measurements of soil characteristics are performed and compared. On‐site measurements include measuring the redox potential and soil resistivity by Wenner 4‐pin method, while the measurements in the laboratory include measuring soil conductivity, as well as moisture content, pH, content of sulphates, chlorides, and sulfides and polarization measurements, which give the most accurate results. The measurements have shown that if the Wenner 4‐pin method is performed in a convenient way the obtained results are not precise but can give an indicative picture of the corrosivity of the observed soil.