Synchronous averaging is one of the most powerful techniques for the extraction of periodic signals from a composite signal. It is based on averaging periodic sections, necessitating an a-priori ...knowledge of the period sought. It is one of the most effective signal processing tools applied to rotating machinery, and has been known and used for decades.It will be shown that synchronous average is actually just one of the many possible "synchronous filters" which could be used to extract the above periodic components performance. A novel signal analysis, geared to periodic signals will be introduced, with the potential of extracting more complex phenomena typical of some rotating machinery.
Examples given are based on periodic oscillating transients, with various additive interferences. The possibility of additional signal processing approaches is also discussed.
Absolute temperature is usually bound to be positive. Under special conditions, however, negative temperatures—in which high-energy states are more occupied than low-energy states—are also possible. ...Such states have been demonstrated in localized systems with finite, discrete spectra. Here, we prepared a negative temperature state for motional degrees of freedom. By tailoring the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, we created an attractively interacting ensemble of ultracold bosons at negative temperature that is stable against collapse for arbitrary atom numbers. The quasimomentum distribution develops sharp peaks at the upper band edge, revealing thermal equilibrium and bosonic coherence over several lattice sites. Negative temperatures imply negative pressures and open up new parameter regimes for cold atoms, enabling fundamentally new many-body states.
We experimentally and numerically investigate the expansion of initially localized ultracold bosons in homogeneous one- and two-dimensional optical lattices. We find that both dimensionality and ...interaction strength crucially influence these nonequilibrium dynamics. While the atoms expand ballistically in all integrable limits, deviations from these limits dramatically suppress the expansion and lead to the appearance of almost bimodal cloud shapes, indicating diffusive dynamics in the center surrounded by ballistic wings. For strongly interacting bosons, we observe a dimensional crossover of the dynamics from ballistic in the one-dimensional hard-core case to diffusive in two dimensions, as well as a similar crossover when higher occupancies are introduced into the system.
Ras proteins are critical nodes in cellular signaling that integrate inputs from activated cell surface receptors and other stimuli to modulate cell fate through a complex network of effector ...pathways. Oncogenic RAS mutations are found in ∼ 25% of human cancers and are highly prevalent in hematopoietic malignancies. Because of their structural and biochemical properties, oncogenic Ras proteins are exceedingly difficult targets for rational drug discovery, and no mechanism-based therapies exist for cancers with RAS mutations. This article reviews the properties of normal and oncogenic Ras proteins, the prevalence and likely pathogenic role of NRAS, KRAS, and NF1 mutations in hematopoietic malignancies, relevant animal models of these cancers, and implications for drug discovery. Because hematologic malignancies are experimentally tractable, they are especially valuable platforms for addressing the fundamental question of how to reverse the adverse biochemical output of oncogenic Ras in cancer.
In the neoadjuvant GeparSixto study, adding carboplatin to taxane- and anthracycline-based chemotherapy improved pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with triple-negative breast ...cancer (TNBC). Here, we present survival data and the potential prognostic and predictive role of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD).
Patients were randomized to paclitaxel plus nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet®) (PM) or PM plus carboplatin (PMCb). The secondary study end points disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Median follow-up was 47.3 months. HRD was among the exploratory analyses in GeparSixto and was successfully measured in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples of 193/315 (61.3%) participants with TNBC. Homologous recombination (HR) deficiency was defined as HRD score ≥42 and/or presence of tumor BRCA mutations (tmBRCA).
A significantly better DFS (hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.93; P = 0.022) was observed in patients with TNBC when treated with PMCb. The improvement of OS with PMCb was not statistically significant. Additional carboplatin did not improve DFS or OS in patients with HER2-positive tumors. HR deficiency was detected in 136 (70.5%) of 193 triple-negative tumors, of which 82 (60.3%) showed high HRD score without tmBRCA. HR deficiency independently predicted pCR (ypT0 ypN0) odds ratio (OR) 2.60, 95% CI 1.26–5.37, P = 0.008. Adding carboplatin to PM significantly increased the pCR rate from 33.9% to 63.5% in HR deficient tumors (P = 0.001), but only marginally in HR nondeficient tumors (from 20.0% to 29.6%, P = 0.540; test for interaction P = 0.327). pCR rates with carboplatin were also higher (63.2%) than without carboplatin (31.7%; OR 3.69, 1.46–9.37, P = 0.005) in patients with high HRD score but no tmBRCA. DFS rates were improved with addition of carboplatin, both in HR nondeficient (hazard ratio 0.44, 0.17–1.17, P = 0.086) and HR deficient tumors (hazard ratio 0.49, 0.23–1.04, P = 0.059).
The addition of carboplatin to neoadjuvant PM improved DFS significantly in TNBC. Long-term survival analyses support the neoadjuvant use of carboplatin in TNBC. HR deficiency in TNBC and HRD score in non-tmBRCA TNBC are predictors of response. HRD does not predict for carboplatin benefit.
The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission was selected by NASA as part of the Earth Venture-Instrument (EVI-3) ...program. The overarching goal for TROPICS is to provide nearly all-weather observations of 3D temperature and humidity, as well as cloud ice and precipitation horizontal structure, at high temporal resolution to conduct high-value science investigations of tropical cyclones. TROPICS will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements (median refresh rate better than 60 min for the baseline mission) which can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm life cycle. TROPICS comprises six Cube-Sats in three low-Earth orbital planes. Each CubeSat will host a high-performance radiometer to provide temperature profiles using seven channels near the 118.75 GHz oxygen absorption line, water vapour profiles using three channels near the 183 GHz water vapour absorption line, imagery in a single channel near 90 GHz for precipitation measurements (when combined with higher-resolution water vapour channels), and a single channel near 205 GHz which is more sensitive to precipitation-sized ice particles. This observing system offers an unprecedented combination of horizontal and temporal resolution to measure environmental and inner-core conditions for tropical cyclones on a nearly global scale and is a major leap forward in the temporal resolution of several key parameters needed for assimilation into advanced data assimilation systems capable of utilizing rapid-update radiance or retrieval data.Launch readiness is currently projected for late 2019.
Results of recent in vitro experiments suggest that essential oils (EO) may not only influence ruminal fermentation but also modulate the absorption of cations like Na+, Ca2+ and NH4
+ across ruminal ...epithelia of cattle and sheep through direct interaction with epithelial transport proteins, such as those of the transient receptor potential family. The aim of the current study was to examine this hypothesis by testing the effect of a blend of essential oils (BEO) on cation status and feed efficiency in lactating dairy cows. In the experiment, 72 dairy cows in mid-to-end lactation were divided into two groups of 36 animals each and fed the same mixed ration with or without addition of BEO in a 2×2 cross-over design. Feed intake, milk yield and composition, plasma and urine samples were monitored. Feeding BEO elevated milk yield, milk fat and protein yield as well as feed efficiency, whereas urea levels in plasma and milk decreased. In addition, plasma calcium levels increased significantly upon BEO supplementation, supporting the hypothesis that enhanced cation absorption might contribute to the beneficial effects of these EO.
Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) in the mammalian brain retain the ability to generate new neurones throughout life in discrete brain regions, through a process called adult neurogenesis. Adult ...neurogenesis, a dramatic form of adult brain circuitry plasticity, has been implicated in physiological brain function and appears to be of pivotal importance for certain forms of learning and memory. In addition, failing or altered neurogenesis has been associated with a variety of brain diseases such as major depression, epilepsy and age‐related cognitive decline. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of the basic biology underlying the neurogenic process in the adult brain, focusing on mechanisms that regulate quiescence, proliferation and differentiation of NSPCs. In addition, we discuss how neurogenesis influences normal brain function, and in particular its role in memory formation, as well as its contribution to neuropsychiatric diseases. Finally, we evaluate the potential of targeting endogenous NSPCs for brain repair.
Aims
In response to a request from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), the objective of this study was to develop a harmonized method for broth microdilution susceptibility ...testing of Bordetella (B.) avium, the major causative agent of infectious coryza in poultry.
Methods and Results
To find a suitable test medium, growth curves with four epidemiologically unrelated B. avium isolates were created in cation‐adjusted Mueller‐Hinton broth (CAMHB), CAMHB + 2.5% lysed horse blood and veterinary fastidious medium. All isolates showed good growth in CAMHB, therefore MIC values were determined using this medium and the homogeneity of the values was determined. An essential MIC agreement of 99.7% was calculated. Testing of a larger strain collection (n = 49) for their susceptibility to 24 antimicrobials confirmed the suitability of the tested method and revealed some isolates with elevated MICs of florfenicol (n = 1), streptomycin (n = 2), tetracyclines (n = 5), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (n = 6). PCR assays detected the resistance genes aadA1, dfrB1, floR, sul1, sul2 and tet(A).
Conclusions
The method used enables easy reading and a good reproducibility of MIC values for B. avium.
Significance and Impact of Study
Application of the tested method allows harmonized resistance testing of B. avium and identification of isolates with elevated MIC values.
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