Combining multiple knowledge bases

Combining knowledge present in multiple knowledge base systems into a single knowledge base is discussed. A knowledge based system can be considered an extension of a deductive database in that it permits function symbols as part of the theory. Alternative knowledge bases that deal with the same subject matter are considered. The authors define the concept of combining knowledge present in a set of knowledge bases and present algorithms to maximally combine them so that the combination is consistent with respect to the integrity constraints associated with the knowledge bases. For this, the authors define the concept of maximality and prove that the algorithms presented combine the knowledge bases to generate a maximal theory. The authors also discuss the relationships between combining multiple knowledge bases and the view update problem     

Reasoning about non-immediate triggers in biological networks

Modeling molecular interactions in signalling networks is important from various perspectives such as predicting side effects of drugs, explaining unusual cellular behavior and drug and therapy design. Various formal languages have been proposed for representing and reasoning about molecular interactions. The interactions are modeled as triggered events in most of the approaches. The triggering of events is assumed to be immediate: once an interaction is triggered, it should occur immediately. Although working well for engineering systems, this assumption poses a serious problem in modeling biological systems. Our knowledge about biological systems is inherently incomplete, thus molecular interactions are constantly elaborated and refined at different granularity of abstraction. The model of immediate triggers can not consistently deal with this refinement. In this paper we propose an action language to address this problem. We show that the language allows for refinements of biological knowledge, although at a higher cost in terms of complexity.      

Targeted Nanoparticle Thermometry: A Method to Measure Local Temperature at the Nanoscale Point Where Water Vapor Nucleation Occurs

An optical nanothermometer technique based on laser trapping, moving and targeted attaching an erbium oxide nanoparticle cluster is developed to measure the local temperature. The authors apply this new nanoscale temperature measuring technique (limited by the size of the nanoparticles) to measure the temperature of vapor nucleation in water. Vapor nucleation is observed after superheating water above the boiling point for degassed and nondegassed water. The average nucleation temperature for water without gas is 560 K but this temperature is lowered by 100 K when gas is introduced into the water. The authors are able to measure the temperature inside the bubble during bubble formation and find that the temperature inside the bubble spikes to over 1000 K because the heat source (optically‐heated nanorods) is no longer connected to liquid water and heat dissipation is greatly reduced.     

Improved impact performance of marine sandwich panels using through-thickness reinforcement: Experimental results

This paper presents results from a test developed to simulate the water impact (slamming) loading of sandwich boat structures. A weighted elastomer ball is dropped from increasing heights onto rigidly supported panels until damage is detected. Results from this test indicate that honeycomb core sandwich panels, the most widely used material for racing yacht hulls, start to damage due to core crushing at impact energies around 550 J. Sandwich panels of the same areal weight and with the same carbon/epoxy facings but using a novel foam core reinforced in the thickness direction with pultruded carbon fibre pins, do not show signs of damage until above 1200 J impact energy. This suggests that these will offer significantly improved resistance to wave impact. Quasi-static test results cannot be used to predict impact resistance here as the crush strength of the pinned foam is more sensitive to loading rate than that of the honeycomb core.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Electrodeposited Ni-SiC-h/BN Composite Coatings

Ni—SiC—h/BN composite materials were prepared by electrodeposition technique with the dispersion of SiC（10 g/L） and h/BN nanosheets（10 g/L） in a nickel sulfamate electrolytic bath.Different ratio of sodium dodecyl sulfate（SDS） and cetyltrymethyl ammonium bromide（CTAB） surfactants were used to evaluate the effect of surfactants on the properties of the electrodeposited composite coatings.The coating samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,Vickers microhardness test,scratch and tribology tests.The results revealed that the co-deposition of nanoparticles was significantly influenced by surfactants during electrodeposition process.Pyramidal or polyhedral nickel crystallites were observed at higher ratio of SDS/CTAB while smaller oval grains with refined surface morphologies were obtained at lower ratio of SDS/CTAB surfactants.In addition,wt%of particles co-deposition was increased,and Vickers microhardness,wear and coefficient of friction of the electrodeposited composite coatings were improved at increased CTAB and decreased SDS contents in the electrolyte during electrodeposition process.     

Simulation and comparative study on analog/RF and linearity performance of III–V semiconductor-based staggered heterojunction and InAs nanowire(nw) Tunnel FET

This paper presents the comparative study on linearity and analog/radio frequency presentation of an III–V staggered hetero-junction nanowire (NW) TFET with Si and InAs based NW TFET of same dimension. The device parameter of analog/RF performance for low power application such as transconductance (g_m), output resistance (R_O), intrinsic gain (g_mR₀), cut-off frequency (f_T), maximum frequency of oscillation (f_max), gain bandwidth product (GBW), VIP₂, VIP₃ as well as 1-dB compression point has been explored. There is a better improvement in analog/radio frequency presentation obtained from heterojunction NW TFET over Si and InAs TFET. The result reveals that heterojunction TFET provides superior intrinsic gain, higher cutoff frequency, higher GBW better linearity performance as compared to Si and InAs TFET.

     

Leptin Induces Apoptotic and Pyroptotic Cell Death via NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Rat Hepatocytes

Leptin, a hormone that is predominantly produced by adipose tissue, is closely associated with various liver diseases. However, there is a lack of understanding as to whether leptin directly induces cytotoxic effects in hepatocytes as well as the mechanisms that are involved. Inflammasomes, which are critical components in the innate immune system, have been recently shown to modulate cell death. In this study, we examined the effect of leptin on the viability of rat hepatocytes and the underlying mechanisms, with a particular focus on the role of inflammasomes activation. Leptin treatment induced cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes, as determined by decreased cell viability, increased caspase-3 activity, and the enhanced release of lactate dehydrogenase. NLRP3 inflammasomes were activated by leptin both in vitro and in vivo, as determined by the maturation of interleukin-1β and caspase-1, and the increased expression of inflammasome components, including NLRP3 and ASC. Mechanistically, leptin-induced inflammasome activation is mediated via the axis of ROS production, ER stress, and autophagy. Notably, the inhibition of inflammasomes by treatment with the NLRP3 inhibitor or the IL-1 receptor antagonist protected the hepatocytes from leptin-induced cell death. Together, these results indicate that leptin exerts cytotoxic effects in hepatocytes, at least in part, via the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes.