Architecture of a Cyberphysical Avatar

REACTION 2012. 1st International workshop on Real-time and distributed computing in emerging applications. December 4th, 2012, San Juan, Puerto Rico.This paper introduces the concept of a cyberphysical avatar which is defined to be a semi-autonomous robotic system that adjusts to an unstructured environment and performs physical tasks subject to critical timing constraints while under human supervision. Cyberphysical avatar integrates the recent advance in three technologies: body-compliant control in robotics, neuroevolution in machine learning and QoS guarantees in realtime communication. Body-compliant control is essential for operator safety since cyberphysical avatars perform cooperative tasks in close proximity to humans. Neuroevolution technique is essential for ”programming” cyberphysical avatars inasmuch as they are to be used by non-experts for a large array of tasks, some unforeseen, in an unstructured environment. QoS-guaranteed realtime communication is essential to provide predictable, boundedtime response in human-avatar interaction. By integrating these technologies, we have built a prototype cyberphysical avatar testbed

Novel Combined Freeze-Drying and Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Drying for Restructured Carrot-Potato Chips: Optimized by Response Surface Method

Combined freeze-drying and instant controlled pressure drop process (FD-DIC) for restructured carrot-potato chips was developed and its processing conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) with the purpose of improving the quality of products and reducing energy consumption. Three critical variables including the amount of carrot, the moisture content of the partially dried product before DIC treatment, and equilibrium temperature of DIC for the restructured chips were considered. Response parameters such as the final moisture content, color value (L, a, and b), and texture properties of restructured carrot-potato chips were investigated. The results showed that the graphical optimal ranges of FD-DIC drying process were as follows: the amount of carrot was 46–54% w/w, the moisture content of the partially dried product before DIC treatment was 0.20–0.35 g/g, and the equilibrium temperature of DIC was 85–95°C. Furthermore, the numerical optimization suggested that conditions were 47.43% w/w, 0.29 g/g, and 90.57°C, respectively. It could be concluded that the combined drying method of FD-DIC provided the restructured carrot-potato chips with higher quality, as compared to the freeze-dried chips. Considering the relatively high production cost of FD, this novel FD-DIC could be an alternative method for obtaining desirable restructured fruit and vegetable chips

Case report: Identification of atypical mantle cell lymphoma with CCND3 rearrangement by next-generation sequencing

The t(11;14) (q13;q32) translocation resulting in overexpression of cyclin D1 is the major oncogenic mechanism in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Most MCLs can be diagnosed based on morphological features, cyclin D1 expression, and IGH/CCND1 rearrangement. However, in some atypical cases where conventional FISH studies fail to detect IGH/CCND1 rearrangement or immunohistochemistry for cyclin D1 is negative, the diagnosis of the disease can be difficult. Hence, next-generation sequencing (NGS) may allow the identification of molecular alterations and assist in the diagnosis of atypical MCL. In this study, we reported a case of a patient diagnosed as asymptomatic MCL who presented with lymphadenopathy during the initial assessment. A lymph node biopsy was performed and the results revealed a high Ki67 index. However, initial diagnosis of aggressive MCL was difficult since the IGH/CCND1 rearrangement result was negative. Ultimately, by the aid of NGS we identified a rare CCND3 rearrangement in the patient, which lead to overexpression of cyclin D3, thereby facilitating the diagnosis of MCL

Dysregulation of Cell Survival in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of lymphoma worldwide, representing 30–40% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and is clinically aggressive. Although more than half of patients with DLBCL are cured by using standard first-line immunochemotherapy, the remaining patients are refractory to the first-line therapy or relapse after complete remission and these patients require novel therapeutic approaches. Understanding the pathogenesis of DLBCL is essential for identifying therapeutic targets to tackle this disease. Cell survival dysregulation, a hallmark of cancer, is a characteristic feature of DLBCL. Intrinsic signaling aberrations, tumor microenvironment dysfunction, and viral factors can all contribute to the cell survival dysregulation in DLBCL. In recent years, several novel drugs that target abnormal cell survival pathways, have been developed and tested in clinical trials of patients with DLBCL. In this review, we discuss cell survival dysregulation, the underlying mechanisms, and how to target abnormal cell survival therapeutically in DLBCL patients

Operation Optimization of Multi-District Integrated Energy System Considering Flexible Demand Response of Electric and Thermal Loads

Multi-district integrated energy system (IES) can make full use of the complementary characteristics of district power and thermal system, and loads in different districts. It can improve the flexibility and economy of system operation, which has a good development prospect. Firstly, based on the general energy transfer model of the district heating network (DHN), the DHN system is described by the basic equations of the heating network and nodes considering the characteristics of the transmission time delay and heat loss in pipelines. A coupling model of DHN and multi-district IES is established. Secondly, the flexible demand response (FDR) model of electric and thermal loads is established. The load characteristics of each district in IES are studied. A shiftable load model based on the electric quantity balance is constructed. Considering the flexibility of the heat demand, a thermal load adjustment model based on the comfort constraint is constructed to make the thermal load elastic and controllable in time and space. Finally, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for operation optimization of multi-district IES with the DHN considering the FDR of electric and thermal loads is established based on the supply and demand sides. The result shows that the proposed model makes full use of the complementary characteristics of electric and thermal loads in different districts. It realizes the coordinated distribution of thermal energy among different districts and improves the efficiency of thermal energy utilization through the DHN. FDR effectively reduces the peak-valley difference of loads. It further reduces the total operating cost by the coordinated operation of the DHN and multi-district IES. Document type: Articl

Identification of blood biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis by transcript profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the rat collagen-induced arthritis model

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic debilitating autoimmune disease that results in joint destruction and subsequent loss of function. To better understand its pathogenesis and to facilitate the search for novel RA therapeutics, we profiled the rat model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) to discover and characterize blood biomarkers for RA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were purified using a Ficoll gradient at various time points after type II collagen immunization for RNA preparation. Total RNA was processed for a microarray analysis using Affymetrix GeneChip technology. Statistical comparison analyses identified differentially expressed genes that distinguished CIA from control rats. Clustering analyses indicated that gene expression patterns correlated with laboratory indices of disease progression. A set of 28 probe sets showed significant differences in expression between blood from arthritic rats and that from controls at the earliest time after induction, and the difference persisted for the entire time course. Gene Ontology comparison of the present study with previous published murine microarray studies showed conserved Biological Processes during disease induction between the local joint and PBMC responses. Genes known to be involved in autoimmune response and arthritis, such as those encoding Galectin-3, Versican, and Socs3, were identified and validated by quantitative TaqMan RT-PCR analysis using independent blood samples. Finally, immunoblot analysis confirmed that Galectin-3 was secreted over time in plasma as well as in supernatant of cultured tissue synoviocytes of the arthritic rats, which is consistent with disease progression. Our data indicate that gene expression in PBMCs from the CIA model can be utilized to identify candidate blood biomarkers for RA

Comparative Analysis of Patients’ Characteristics, Treatment, and Survival Outcomes in CLL from China and the US

Abstract: Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is considerably more common in Americans compared with Asians. The bases for these differences and implications for therapy outcomes are controversial and mostly unknown. Methods: We compared baseline co-variates, therapies and outcomes from two databases, Flatiron Health database in the United States (N=15,786) and Tianjin CAMS database from China (N=2,996). Results: Chinese subjects had younger age at diagnosis, more advanced Rai stage and an increased prevalence of lymphadenoma, thrombocytopenia and increased β2-microglobulin. Americans had higher rates of unmutated IGHV, TP53 deletion and cytogenetic abnormalities. These differences persisted after adjusting for age, Rai stage and IGHV mutation state. There were also substantial differences in therapy patterns between the cohorts. Median survival in Chinese was 9.7 versus 7.5 years in Americans (P<0.001). In sub-group analyses Chinese CLL had better 5-year survivals with chemotherapy (69% [95% CI, 66, 72%] versus 49% [47, 52%]; P<0.001), immune therapies (67% [63, 72%] versus 65% [64, 66%]; P=0.041) and targeted therapies (85% [81, 88%] versus 65% [64, 67%]; P<0.001). These advantages were pronounced among older patients and those with early stage, mutated IGHV and without TP53 deletion. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study identifies significant clinical and treatment outcome disparities in CLL between Eastern and Western populations, attributed to distinct genetic and molecular profiles

Holocentromeres can consist of merely a few megabase-sized satellite arrays

The centromere is the chromosome region where microtubules attach during cell division. In contrast to monocentric chromosomes with one centromere, holocentric species usually distribute hundreds of centromere units along the entire chromatid. We assembled the chromosome-scale reference genome and analyzed the holocentromere and (epi)genome organization of the lilioid Chionographis japonica. Remarkably, each of its holocentric chromatids consists of only 7 to 11 evenly spacedmegabase-sized centromere-specific histone H3-positive units. These units contain satellite arrays of 23 and 28 bp-long monomers capable of forming palindromic structures. Like monocentric species, C. japonica forms clustered centromeres in chromocenters at interphase. In addition, the large-scale eu- and heterochromatin arrangement differs between C. japonica and other known holocentric species. Finally, using polymer simulations, we model the formation of prometaphase line-like holocentromeres from interphase centromere clusters. Our findings broaden the knowledge about centromere diversity, showing that holocentricity is not restricted to species with numerous and small centromere units