A multi-objective model for seasonal personnel reassignment

The focus of this research was the development of a model to address the problem of reassigning summer construction workers to winter snow and ice removal teams in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The model is a multi-objective integer program that can generate the complete and precise trade-off curve between the objectives of minimizing total distance that the reassigned workforce must travel from their respective homes to one of many site locations, and minimizing the maximum distance that any one worker must travel. System constraints include demand requirements for workers at each site and the limited availability of state-owned vehicles that may be issued to workers assigned to remote sites. Details of the model structure and solution procedure are presented together with the results of an actual application.     

The structure of cyclin H: common mode of kinase activation and specific features

The crystal structure of human cyclin H refined at 2.6 A resolution is compared with that of cyclin A. The core of the molecule consists of two repeats containing five helices each and forming the canonical cyclin fold also observed in TFIIB. One hundred and thirty-two out of the 217 C alpha atoms from the cyclin fold can be superposed with a root-mean-square difference of 1.8 A. The structural homology is even higher for the residues at the interface with the kinase, which is of functional significance, as shown by our observation that cyclin H binds to cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (cdk2) and that cyclin A is able to activate cdk7 in the presence of MAT1. Based on this superposition, a new signature sequence for cyclins was found. The specificity of the cyclin H molecule is provided mainly by two long helices which extend the cyclin fold at its N- and C-termini and pack together against the first repeat on the side opposite to the kinase. Deletion mutants show that the terminal helices are required for a functionally active cyclin H.     

Optimum design and operation of batch rectification accompanied by chemical reaction

Batch processes are widespread in the chemical industry. If batch synthesis or separation processes are to run economically, the operating conditions must be optimized and an appropriate arrangement of equipment must be chosen. In this paper, we demonstrate that optimization of operaiong conditions and plant-equipment by simulation during the planning-stages can yield large advantages. In contrast to previous studies, our models include the non-ideal behaviour of multicomponent mixtures and the kinetics of chemical reactions in the column. The results of the calculations are control functions that permit optimum operation to be realized.

As an example, the reactionin a distillation column was optimized. Compared with conventional operation, the calculated control functions give an advantage in capacity of 65% and in energy consumption of 40%. The calculation was confirmed by measurements. A control algorithm is evaluated.     

On deciding subsumption problems

Subsumption is an important redundancy elimination method in automated deduction. A clause D is subsumed by a set C of clauses if there is a clause CC and a substitution such that the literals of C are included in D. In the field of automated model building, subsumption has been modified to an even stronger redundancy elimination method, namely the so-called clausal H-subsumption. Atomic H-subsumption emerges from clausal H-subsumption by restricting D to an atom and C to a set of atoms. Both clausal and atomic H-subsumption play an indispensable key role in automated model building. Moreover, problems equivalent to atomic H-subsumption have been studied with different terminologies in many areas of computer science. Both clausal and atomic H-subsumption are known to be intractable, i.e., ₂ ^p -complete and NP-complete, respectively. In this paper, we present a new approach to deciding (clausal and atomic) H-subsumption that is based on a reduction to QSAT₂ and SAT, respectively.     

Myo-InositolTrisPyroPhosphate treatment leads to HIF-1α suppression and eradication of early hepatoma tumors in rats

Myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP), a synthetic allosteric effector of hemoglobin, increases the regulated oxygen-releasing capacity of red blood cells (RBCs), leading to suppression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and to down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). As a consequence, tumor growth is markedly affected. The effect of weekly intravenous injection of ITPP on an orthotopic, syngenic rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model was compared to that for untreated animals and animals subjected to conventional Doxorubicin chemotherapy. The longitudinal examination of HCC was performed by microCT imaging, and the cellular and molecular changes were evaluated by histology and Western blotting analysis of HIF-1α, VEGF, and caspase-3 gene expression in the tumor and in the surrounding liver. Hematologic impact was evaluated by blood cell-count measurement and determination of P50 (oxygen partial pressure for a 50 % oxygen saturation of hemoglobin). The HCC evaluation by microCT revealed a high potency of ITPP for tumor growth inhibition, thus allowing long-term survival and even cure of almost all the treated animals. The P50 value of hemoglobin in RBCs underwent a shift of 30 % following ITPP injection. Under these conditions, HIF-1α activity was strongly decreased, VEGF expression was down-regulated, and apoptosis was induced in HCC and surrounding liver cells, as indicated by Caspase-3 expression. ITPP did not affect hematologic parameters during treatment. The observations of in vivo tumor eradication suggest a significant clinical potential for ITPP in cancer therapy.     

On-line carbon balance of yeast fermentations using miniaturized optical sensors

Monitoring of microbiological processes using optical sensors and spectrometers has gained in importance over the past few years due to its advantage in enabling non-invasive on-line analysis. Near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometer set-ups in combination with multivariate calibrations have already been successfully employed for the simultaneous determination of different metabolites in microbiological processes. Photometric sensors, in addition to their low price compared to spectrometer set-ups, have the advantage of being compact and are easy to calibrate and operate. In this work, the detection of ethanol and CO(2) in the exhaust gas during aerobic yeast fermentation was performed by two photometric gas analyzers, and dry yeast biomass was monitored using a fiber optic backscatter set-up. The optical sensors could be easily fitted to the bioreactor and exhibited high robustness during measuring. The ethanol content of the fermentation broth was monitored on-line by measuring the ethanol concentration in the fermentation exhaust and applying a conversion factor. The vapor/liquid equilibrium and the associated conversion factor strongly depend on the process parameter temperature but not on aeration and stirring rate. Dry yeast biomass was determined in-line by a backscattering signal applying a linear calibration. An on-line balance with a recovery rate of 95-97% for carbon was achieved with the use of three optical sensors (two infrared gas analyzers and one fiber optic backscatter set-up).     

Pistachio (Pistacia vera var Kerman) from Argentinean cultivars. A natural product with potential to improve human health

The chemical profile, mineral content as well as antioxidant activities of three cultivars of Pistacia vera cv Kerman were investigated. The total phenolic (TP) content flavonoids (FT) and anthocyanins (TA) were measured. Additionally, the profile of polyphenols was analyzed. A slight, not significant, increment was observed in TP content between cultivars with different age (5, 9 and 11 years old). The 9 years old cultivar showed the highest FL value, while the 11 years old cultivar had the higher TA content. Main polyphenols were separated by HPLC and identified by electrospray ionization (ESI) coupled to quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–QTOF–MS). Gallic acid and (+)-catechin were present in higher amounts. The presence of myricetin, isoquercitrin and a dimer of procyanidin are reported for the first time in pistachio. Additionally, K, Ca and Mg were found in high proportion. The highest antioxidant capacity was measured in the 11 years old pistachio cultivar. This work presents the first evidence that Pistacia vera cv Kerman from Argentinean cultivars could be considered as a functional food or ingredient in a diet, with potential to improve human health.