Genetic and Epigenomic Modifiers of Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy (DN), the most common chronic and progressive complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), strongly affects patients’ quality of life. DN could be present as peripheral, autonomous or, clinically also relevant, uremic neuropathy. The etiopathogenesis of DN is multifactorial, and genetic components play a role both in its occurrence and clinical course. A number of gene polymorphisms in candidate genes have been assessed as susceptibility factors for DN, and most of them are linked to mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species production, neurovascular impairments and modified protein glycosylation, as well as immunomodulation and inflammation. Different epigenomic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA action have been studied in DN, which also underline the importance of “metabolic memory” in DN appearance and progression. In this review, we summarize most of the relevant data in the field of genetics and epigenomics of DN, hoping they will become significant for diagnosis, therapy and prevention of DN.     

Performance of ultra wide band system using nonlinear receiver in the presence of interference

The performance of a time hopping combined with pulse position modulation ultra wide band system with a nonlinear receiver using an adaptive filter and a soft-limiter in the presence of narrowband interference has been considered. This system brings a significant performance improvement compared with the system that uses an adaptive filter and a linear receiver, particularly in the case of high-interference power where its absence leads to the reception loss. Also, the proposed receiver has much better interference rejection performance compared with minimal mean-square error interference rejection, in case of high-interference power (interference to signal ratios from 30 to 65 dB).     

Preparation of Crystalline Aluminum Phosphate by the Reaction Using Boron Phosphate

The use of BPO₄ in the synthesis of crystalline AlPO⁴ has been investigated. The best results are obtained if BPO₄ and hydrated alumina are heated in molten KCl: at 1050°C the conversion degree of BPO₄ into AlPO⁴ is >90% (in 4 h). The product consists of the tridymite AlPO⁴ form.     

CAD based shape optimization for gas turbine component design

In order to improve product characteristics, engineering design makes increasing use of Robust Design and Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation. Common to both methodologies is the need to vary the object’s shape and to assess the resulting change in performance, both executed within an automatic loop. This shape change can be realised by modifying the parameter values of a suitably parameterised Computer Aided Design (CAD) model. This paper presents the adopted methodology and the achieved results when performing optimisation of a gas turbine disk. Our approach to hierarchical modelling employing design tables is presented, with methods to ensure satisfactory geometry variation by commercial CAD systems. The conducted studies included stochastic and probabilistic design optimisation. To solve the multi-objective optimisation problem, a Pareto optimum criterion was used. The results demonstrate that CAD centric approach enables significant progress towards automating the entire process while achieving a higher quality product with the reduced susceptibility to manufacturing imperfections.     

Flight deck disturbance management: a simulator study of diagnosis and recovery from breakdowns in pilot-automation coordination

OBJECTIVE: To examine operator strategies for diagnosing and recovering from errors and disturbances as well as the impact of automation design and time pressure on these processes. BACKGROUND: Considerable efforts have been directed at error prevention through training and design. However, because errors cannot be eliminated completely, their detection, diagnosis, and recovery must also be supported. Research has focused almost exclusively on error detection. Little is known about error diagnosis and recovery, especially in the context of event-driven tasks and domains. METHOD: With a confederate pilot, 12 airline pilots flew a 1-hr simulator scenario that involved three challenging automation-related tasks and events that were likely to produce erroneous actions or assessments. Behavioral data were compared with a canonical path to examine pilots' error and disturbance management strategies. Debriefings were conducted to probe pilots' system knowledge. RESULTS: Pilots seldom followed the canonical path to cope with the scenario events. Detection of a disturbance was often delayed. Diagnostic episodes were rare because of pilots' knowledge gaps and time criticality. In many cases, generic inefficient recovery strategies were observed, and pilots relied on high levels of automation to manage the consequences of an error. CONCLUSION: Our findings describe and explain the nature and shortcomings of pilots' error management activities. They highlight the need for improved automation training and design to achieve more timely detection, accurate explanation, and effective recovery from errors and disturbances. APPLICATION: Our findings can inform the design of tools and techniques that support disturbance management in various complex, event-driven environments.     

Nanoscale Magnetic Behavior of C60 Thin Films in Earth Magnetic Field under Polarization Light Influences

Magnetic behavior of C₆₀ thin films in the Earth's magnetic field under polarization light influence is presented. Transformation of magnetic field for two fullerene thin films of different thickness is investigated. Two proton magnetometers were used for these measurements. Samples of 30 nm and 250 nm thickness illustrate a significant change of magnetic field intensity under the influence of polarization light, in range from 3.4 to 12.9 nT, for 200 measurement data per sample.     

Ultrastructural changes in the cemento‐enamel junction caused by acidic beverages: An in vitro study

The present in vitro study was aimed at evaluating the morphological changes in the cemento‐enamel junction (CEJ) after exposure to acidic beverages using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The initial pH and titratable acidity (TA) was analyzed from follow groups: (I) Coca cola, (II) orange juice, (III) Cedevita, (IV) Red Bull, (V) Somersby cider, and (VI) white wine. The CEJ samples (n = 64), obtained from unerupted third molars, were allocated to one control (artificial saliva, n = 16) and six experimental groups (n = 8). The experimental samples were immersed in beverages (50 ml) for 15 min, three times daily, 10 days, and in artificial saliva between immersions. SEM analysis was performed in a blind manner, according to scoring scale. One‐way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests, as well as Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U test used for statistical analysis. The pH values of the acidic beverages ranged from 2.65 (Coca cola) to 3.73 (orange juice), and TA ranged from 1.90 ml (Coca cola) to 5.70 ml (orange juice) of NaOH to reach pH 7.0. The SEM analysis indicated statistically significant differences between the control samples and those immersed in acidic beverages. The Groups IV, I, and II, showed the highest CEJ damage grade while those of the Group VI were the lowest. All the tested acidic beverages caused morphological changes in the CEJ with a smaller or larger exposure of dentine surface, and were not always related to the pH or TA of acidic beverages.     

Adaptation of Oxidative Phosphorylation Machinery Compensates for Hepatic Lipotoxicity in Early Stages of MAFLD

Alterations in mitochondrial function are an important control variable in the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), while also noted by increased de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and hepatic insulin resistance. We hypothesized that the organization and function of a mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) in this pathologic condition is a consequence of shifted substrate availability. We addressed this question using a transgenic mouse model with increased hepatic insulin resistance and DNL due to constitutively active human SREBP-1c. The abundance of ETC complex subunits and components of key metabolic pathways are regulated in the liver of these animals. Further omics approaches combined with functional assays in isolated liver mitochondria and primary hepatocytes revealed that the SREBP-1c-forced fatty liver induced a substrate limitation for oxidative phosphorylation, inducing enhanced complex II activity. The observed increased expression of mitochondrial genes may have indicated a counteraction. In conclusion, a shift of available substrates directed toward activated DNL results in increased electron flows, mainly through complex II, to compensate for the increased energy demand of the cell. The reorganization of key compounds in energy metabolism observed in the SREBP-1c animal model might explain the initial increase in mitochondrial function observed in the early stages of human MAFLD.     

Analysis of switched quantizer based on the quadratic spline functions

In this paper, an approximation of the optimal compressor function using the quadratic spline functions with 2L?=?8 segments is described. Since the quadratic spline with 2L?=?8 segments provides better approximation of the optimal compression function than quadratic spline with 2L?=?4 segments, capitalizing on the benefits of the obtained spline approximation, quantizer designing process is firstly performed for the so assumed number of segments and the Laplacian source of a unit variance. Then, to enhance the usability of the proposed model, the switched quantization technique is applied and a beneficial analysis is derived, providing insight in the robustness of the proposed quantizer performances with respect to the mismatch in designed for and applied to variances. Reached quality has been compared to another model from the literature, and it has been shown that the proposed model outperforms the previous model by almost 1.3?dB.