Energieoptimierung im vernetzten Eigenheim durch verteilte Wetterdienste im Internet

In this paper we introduce a LonWorks-based heating system which reads the current weather forecast of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (Vienna) from the Internet and, with the help of local weather data, controls the room climate in a way which saves more energy than conventional heatings. Such a heating model needs adequate information processing and controlling structures, which can be realised by concepts of decentralised “intelligence” and by fuzzy control.     

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Matrix assignment with individual weights and selected controller restrictions

The design method of matrix assignment as a generalization of pole assignment is extended with some special features. Overstepping the optimal solution given by the Penrose point could be needed in the case of unstable plants. Individual weighting of the coefficient matrix differences is carried out and oriented on the numerical importance of the settings. Individual restrictions of the controller matrix are also included and are based on the given deterioration of state variables with noise. The paper also addresses minimum values of the controller norm which are located between singular values of the input matrix of the system.     

Herausforderungen der Regulierung im Bereich der Mobilkommunikation

Mobile communications represent an essential economic factor. More than 6 million mobile subscribers had been active in Austria by the end of 2000. The next mobile generation UMTS is expected to become reality in 2002. To make the operation of mobile communication systems possible and to facilitate competition, numerous regulatory measures are necessary. Important areas of regulation are the coordinated utilization of frequency spectrum, the granting of licences and interconnection of telecommunication networks. In this article the essential aspects of regulation in the area of mobile communications will be discussed.     

Influence of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, testosterone, and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-all-trans-retinamide on prostate cancer induction in Wistar-Unilever rats

The influence of chemical carcinogen, hormonal stimulation, and chronic dietary administration of the synthetic retinoid, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-all-trans-retinamide (4-HPR), on the induction of prostate cancer in male Wistar-Unilever rats was determined. Three different tumor induction regimens were used: (a) a single i.v. dose of 50 mg of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) per kg body weight, followed by chronic androgen stimulation via s.c. implantation of two silastic capsules containing 40 mg testosterone each; (b) a single i.v. dose of 50 mg of MNU per kg body weight (no testosterone treatment); and (c) chronic androgen stimulation with implanted testosterone capsules (no MNU treatment). In a fourth series of animals, the incidence of spontaneous prostate tumors was determined in groups of rats receiving neither carcinogen nor hormone stimulation. Within each series, parallel groups of animals were fed a control (vehicle-supplemented) diet or control diet supplemented with 4-HPR beginning 1 day after carcinogen administration; retinoid administration was continuous until termination of the study at 450 days. The incidence of accessory sex gland cancer in rats treated sequentially with MNU + testosterone was >60%, in comparison with cancer incidences of <20% in rats receiving MNU only and <5% in rats treated with testosterone only. No spontaneous accessory sex gland tumors were observed in rats receiving no carcinogen and no testosterone. Tumor induction in the accessory sex glands by MNU + testosterone was relatively specific for the prostate: the incidence of carcinoma of the dorsolateral/anterior prostate was more than 5-fold greater than the incidence of cancer present only in the seminal vesicle. 4-HPR conferred no protection against cancer induction in the prostate by any regimen of MNU and/or testosterone. These results demonstrate the importance of both carcinogen exposure and hormone stimulation on the induction of neoplasia in the prostate of Wistar-Unilever rats.     

Microstructure-induced thermal stresses in pyrolytic carbon matrices at temperatures up to 2900 °C

Carbon/carbon composites produced by chemical vapor infiltration consist of carbon fibers embedded in a pyrolytic carbon matrix with a cylindrically layered structure at the microscale. Each coating layer has a different texture and different mechanical properties that depend on temperature. Stress distributions in such carbon matrices subjected to thermal loading and their possible failure scenarios are analyzed. A two-scale numerical model is developed. At the nanoscale, material properties of each layer are determined using a methodology based on the Eshelby's theory for continuously distributed inclusions. The resulting material parameters for each layer are then used in the finite element modeling at the microscale. Calculations are conducted for composites with different matrix structures for several cases of thermal loading. Calculated stress distributions show zones of maximal stress concentration and provide information on possible failure regions which correspond well with experimentally identified failure regions.     

Preclinical drug development paradigms for chemopreventives

Preclinical screening studies and animal efficacy testing models currently are used by the National Cancer Institute's chemoprevention drug discovery program to assess and identify chemical agents and natural products that may have the potential to prevent human cancer. Identification of potential cancer preventing agents begins by subjecting each compound to a sequential series of short-term, in vitro prescreens of mechanistic, biochemical assays to provide quantitative data to help establish an early indication of chemopreventive efficacy and to assist in prioritizing agents for further evaluation in longer-term, in vitro transformation bioassays and whole animal models. Promising chemical agents or combinations of agents that work through different inhibitory mechanisms subsequently are tested in well-established, chemically induced, animal tumor models, which include models of the lung, bladder, mammaries, prostate, and skin. These preclinical bioassays afford a strategic framework for evaluating agents according to defined criteria, and not only provide evidence of agent efficacy, but also serve to generate valuable dose-response, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic data required prior to phase I clinical safety testing. Based on preclinical efficacy and toxicity screening studies, only the most successful agents considered to have potential as human chemopreventives progress into clinical chemoprevention trials.     

Random versus selective membrane phospholipid oxidation in apoptosis: role of phosphatidylserine

The formation of reactive oxygen species has been associated with apoptosis. To assess the role of lipid peroxidation in apoptosis, we used 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylisovaleronitrile) (AMVN) to generate peroxyl radicals within cellular membranes of HL-60 cells. cis-Parinaric acid (cis-PnA) metabolically integrated into phospholipids of HL-60 cells was used as a probe to assess the extent of lipid peroxidation within specific phospholipid classes. Within 2 h, AMVN (500 microM) randomly oxidized more than 85% of cis-PnA contained in all major classes of phospholipids. AMVN-induced lipid peroxidation was followed by apoptosis as determined by nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, and annexin V binding to externalized phosphatidylserine (PS). Fluorescamine derivatization of external aminophospholipids revealed that PS, but not phosphatidylethanolamine, was externalized. The vitamin E analogue, 6-hydroxy-2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchromane (PMC), inhibited overall oxidation of cis-PnA in phospholipids by more than 85%. Not all phospholipids, however, were equally protected. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, and sphingomyelin were nearly completely protected by PMC, while oxidation of PS was unaffected in whole living cells. The insensitivity of PS to PMC was not an intrinsic property because PMC protected all lipids equally during AMVN oxidation of liposomes prepared from cis-PnA-labeled cells. The potential role for PS oxidation in apoptosis was further suggested by the faithful execution of apoptosis following coexposure of cells to AMVN and PMC.