Pervasive 2007: It's about the User

Pervasive computing is as much about the user as it is about the technology. So, the Fifth International Conference on Pervasive Computing emphasized desirability rather than just feasibility. Featured themes included user benefits, human-computer interaction, group and social interactions, context awareness, finding and positioning people and objects, and personal privacy.     

Toxicokinetics of 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) in the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)

2,4-Dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA), the major hydroxamic acid present in corn, and its tritiated derivative, were prepared synthetically for use in the determination of the toxicokinetics of this insect deterrent in the European corn borer (ECB),Ostrinia nubilalis. In growth studies with DIMBOA (0, 0.05, 0.2, and 0.5 mg/g diet), the mean time to pupation and adult emergence were significantly lengthened by an increase in concentration. Pupal and adult weights, for both female and male, decreased with an increase in concentration. Increased larval and pupal mortality occurred at the highest concentration of DIMBOA. DIMBOA, at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 mg/g diet, resulted in a decrease in the number of egg masses produced per female, and at 0.5 mg/g diet, in a decrease in the number of eggs per egg mass. Larvae fed from the neonate stage on a diet containing 0.2 mg [³H]- + [¹H]DIMBOA/g diet showed an increase in the content of label from fourth to fifth instar, but levels declined at pupation and emergence. A large amount of the labeled compounds was excreted by the insect in the pupal case. In dose-related studies, both uptake and excretion increased with an increase in concentration of DIMBOA (0.05, 0.2, 0.4 mg/g diet), while a body burden (concentration in the tissues/concentration in the frass) of approximately 0.25 was maintained for all concentrations. At the highest dose of DIMBOA (0.4 mg/g), the ECB increased consumption, possibly to compensate for the toxic effects of the compound. In topical application studies, elimination of the labeled compound in the frass was rapid, reaching 65% by 4 hr and 88% by 48 hr. Accumulation of label in tissues other than hemolymph was low. The results show that the ECB does possess adaptive mechanisms to deal with the effects of this host-derived compound.     

Engineering a mammalian super producer

Mammalian cells are the preferred host for the manufacture of a wide range of biopharmaceuticals, but production costs are high owing to low productivity. A range of rational engineering strategies have been pursued in order to increase volumetric product titres from mammalian cells, such as delaying apoptosis, manipulation of the cell cycle, and improving metabolism and protein processing. Unfortunately, outcomes from these strategies have been mixed, with few instances where significant improvements in product yield have been achieved. This article reviews and contrasts many of the engineering strategies attempted to date, highlighting the variability and context specificity in outcome. The paper argues that this is a reflection of the complexity of mammalian cells, and that a deeper understanding of the biology underpinning protein production for biotechnological purposes is required. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Using databases in history teaching

Abstract In recent years, considerable interest has been shown in the classroom use of historical databases. Several database programs for microcomputers have become available, and as far as history teaching is concerned, they appear to have been mainly used for the analysis of mid-nineteenth century census schedules. At the same time, it is not clear that the curricular issues concerning the use of these programs has been fully explored. The purpose of this article is to raise these issues and to relate them to the use of several database programs currently used in classroom history teaching.     

Effect of Active Raw Material Variability on Tablet Production: Physicochemical, Physiocomechanical and Pilot Plant Studies

Batch-to-batch variation in an active raw material was evaluated following a production process change by the raw material supplier. Physicochemical and physicomechanical tests were applied and indicated that polymorphism or solvate formation was not occurring but changes in crystal properties in terms of size and degree of aggregation were involved. Other more subtle differences in crystal properties were also possible

The deleterious effect of the raw material process change on tablet production was noted and a method of overcoming the problem identified

The necessity for comprehensive? reformulation studies including physicomechanical screening is underlined. Such studies are also necessary if changes in raw material production methods occur to avoid process problems related to the marked hatch-to-batch variation that can occur in these instances     

Gemfibrozil treatment increases low-density lipoprotein particle size in Type 2 diabetes mellitus but does not alter in vitro oxidizability

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the lipid modifying agent gemfibrozil on lipid and coagulation risk factors in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (Type 2 DM). Twenty-six subjects with Type 2 DM and dyslipidaemia were treated for 24 weeks with either gemfibrozil 600 mg orally twice daily or placebo in a double-blind randomized trial. Lipid profiles, fibrinogen, Factor VII, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were measured by routine laboratory methods. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) size was determined by gradient gel electrophoresis and the resistance of LDL to copper-induced oxidation was assessed by measuring absorbance at 234 nm. Gemfibrozil significantly reduced total cholesterol (-0.9 (-0.48, -1.32) mmol l(-1); p < 0.05) and triglycerides (-2.7 (-1.55, -1.35) mmol l(-1); p < 0.001) vs placebo. The fall in triglyceride was reflected by a fall in VLDL cholesterol levels in the gemfibrozil treated group vs placebo (-1.31 mmol l(-1); p < 0.001). LDL-cholesterol level did not change but LDL particle size increased by 0.5 nm (0.01, 0.93); P < 0.02. The increase in particle size was inversely correlated with the change of triglyceride level (r = -0.79, p < 0.0001) but did not result in any reduction of susceptibility to copper-induced oxidation. There were no significant changes in the coagulation parameters studied. Because of its ability to correct the lipid abnormalities associated with Type 2 DM particularly hypertriglyceridaemia, gemfibrozil provides a useful therapeutic option in the management of diabetic dyslipidaemia but it does not alter in vitro oxidizability of LDL.     

Shape effect on weakly nonlinear elliptical composites

The electric field responses of two types of weakly nonlinear dielectric composites consisting of elliptic cylindrical inclusions, one with identical shape and the another with distributed shapes, randomly embedded in the linear host media in the dilute limit are investigated. The dielectric property of the inclusions is that the relation between the displacement (D) and electric (E) fields obey the form D = ?E + χ∣E∣^βE where β is a nonlinear integer exponent and ? ? χ∣E∣^β. By using the decoupling approximation, the effective nonlinear susceptibility (χ_e) is determined and analyzed for varying the aspect ratios and the shape distribution parameters for the composites with identical and distributed inclusion shapes, respectively. In addition, the exact analytic result of χ_e for the elliptical composites with distributed inclusion shapes for the case of β = 2 is derived in this article.     

An efficient systematic approach to model extraction for passivemicrowave circuits

This paper introduces a new systematic approach to equivalent circuit model extraction for linear microwave passive circuits directly from full-wave frequency domain simulation. The devices being modeled may be either lossless or lossy. Adaptive frequency sampling is used to minimize the computational effort of EM simulation while critically assisting in determining the pole locations of an RF circuit. A simple circuit model for lossy RF circuits along with a determined starting point of optimization of lumped element component values is also presented in detail. The overall result is an efficient and accurate means to produce a complete equivalent lumped element model for RF circuits that is suitable for use in conventional SPICE-like simulation software     

Comparative metabolite profiling of raw milk from subclinical and clinical mastitis cows using 1H-NMR combined with chemometric analysis

The objectives of this study were to characterise and compare non-volatile metabolite profiles of raw milk from healthy, subclinical and clinical mastitis cows using a non-targeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) metabolomic approach. A total of 46 metabolites were identified. Multivariate analysis allowed discrimination of milk from healthy and mastitis cows according to their ¹H-NMR metabolite profiles. Significant increases in acetate, formate, lactate, benzoate, hippurate, β-hydroxybutyrate, valerate, alanine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, N-acetylamino acid, phenylalanine, threonine and valine content were associated with extremely high somatic cell count and clinical mastitis status of the cows. Furthermore, significant rises in hippurate, valerate, N-acetylglucosamine, histidine, isoleucine and leucine content could be used as potential biomarker for indicating subclinical mastitis infection of the udders. Beside the existing biomarkers for diagnosing mastitis in literatures, we found additional candidate metabolites, such as alanine, valerate and N-acetylglucosamine, in correlation with mastitis status of Thai crossbred Holstein dairy cows.