Generation of Liapunov functions for time-varying nonlinear systems

A procedure for the generation of Liapunov functions for time-varying nonlinear systems is described. A composite differential one-form is derived from the basic system equations. A line integral of the one-form, withtheld constant, produces the candidate for a Liapunov function. An example is included.     

Transport of L-amino acids by brush border membrane vesicles from bovine small intestine

Amino acid transport was studied using brush border membrane vesicles from bovine small intestine. Initial influxes of L-forms of alanine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, and proline were stimulated by the presence of a Na+ gradient (outside greater than inside). A relatively large proportion of total influx was by diffusion (e.g., as much as 50% of methionine and 62% of phenylalanine). Kinetic analyses indicated a single mediated transport system for alanine influx in the presence of Na+. This system had an apparent affinity for alanine of .67 mM with maximum flux of 129 pmol/mg protein/s. Mutual inhibition experiments indicated proline mediated transport is probably separate from the neutral amino acids. Alanine, methionine, and phenylalanine probably share common transport system(s), but in addition, methionine is also transported by a system(s) independent of alanine and phenylalanine. In general, methionine was a potent inhibitor of influx of other amino acids.     

Ruminal degradation of dried brewers grains, wet brewers grains, and soybean meal

A series of trials was conducted to determine the ruminal degradation of nitrogenous compounds and dry matter of soybean meal, wet brewers grains, and dried brewers grains. In situ and in vitro estimates of degradation were positively correlated but yielded different absolute values for measures of ruminal degradation. Ruminal digestion of protein, predicted from in situ data, was 42, 73, and 83% for brewers dried grains, brewers wet grains, and soybean meal. Drying of wet grains at either 50 or 150 degrees C increased resistance to ruminal digestion equally. Measurements of flow of dry matter and nitrogen of feed origin to the duodenum were made in vivo for diets containing either brewers dried grains or soybean meal. Negative apparent digestibility of nitrogen in the rumen for a 13% crude protein, brewers dried grains ration indicates the potential for using a non-protein nitrogen supplement with this ration. Resistance to digestion of nitrogen from brewers dried grains occurred only in the rumen. Amino acid patterns delivered to the small intestine and digestion of duodenal contents were similar for diets containing brewers dried grains or soybean meal.     

View matching with blob features

This article introduces a new region based feature for object recognition and image matching. In contrast to many other region based features, this one makes use of colour in the feature extraction stage. We perform experiments on the repeatability rate of the features across scale and inclination angle changes, and show that avoiding to merge regions connected by only a few pixels improves the repeatability. We introduce two voting schemes that allow us to find correspondences automatically, and compare them with respect to the number of valid correspondences they give, and their inlier ratios. We also demonstrate how the matching procedure can be applied to colour correction.     

In-vitro heat-generating and apatite-forming abilities of PMMA bone cement containing TiO2 and Fe3O4

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is widely used as a filler for repairing bone defects. To improve the effectiveness of the treatment for bone defects caused by metastatic bone tumours, we propose the formulation of PMMA cement containing titania (TiO₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) that offers high bone affinity, making the cement suitable for use in magnetic hyperthermia. The TiO₂ and Fe₃O₄ contents of the PMMA cement varied from 20 to 45 mass%. The various cement samples were evaluated for their apatite-forming ability and heat-generation characteristics. The samples containing TiO₂ in concentrations of 15 mass% or higher formed apatite on their surfaces within 14 days in a simulated body fluid. The heat-generation characteristics of the samples were evaluated by applying an alternating current (AC) magnetic field under the following conditions: |H| = 40 Oe and f = 600 kHz, or |H| = 100 Oe and f = 100 kHz. The surface temperatures of the samples containing 25 and 30 mass% Fe₃O₄ reached 42.3 and 44.8 °C, respectively, at |H| = 40 Oe and f = 600 kHz. During hyperthermia treatment, cancer cells die at temperatures higher than 42 °C, and the cement samples fabricated in this study could reach this temperature. However, since some degree of heat loss will occur in vivo, it is necessary to ensure that the temperature is higher than 42 °C by varying the AC magnetic field. Nevertheless, the fact that the samples containing Fe₃O₄ concentrations of 25 mass% or higher generated enough heat under the AC magnetic field makes them suitable for clinical use in hyperthermia. Thus, PMMA cement containing 15 mass% or more of TiO₂ and 25 mass% or more of Fe₃O₄ should be investigated as a bioactive bone cement with a strong hyperthermia effect.