Transport in nanoscale systems: the microcanonical versus grand-canonical picture

We analyse a picture of transport in which two large but finite charged electrodes discharge across a nanoscale junction. We identify a functional whose minimization, within the space of all bound many-body wavefunctions, defines an instantaneous steady state. We also discuss factors that favour the onset of steady-state conduction in such systems, make a connection with the notion of entropy, and suggest a novel source of steady-state noise. Finally, we prove that the true many-body total current in this closed system is given exactly by the one-electron total current, obtained from time-dependent density-functional theory.

Deflation based nonlinear canonical correlation analysis

This paper introduces two new techniques for determining nonlinear canonical correlation coefficients between two variable sets. A genetic strategy is incorporated to determine these coefficients. Compared to existing methods for nonlinear canonical correlation analysis (NLCCA), the benefits here are that the nonlinear mapping requires fewer parameters to be determined, consequently a more parsimonious NLCCA model can be established which is therefore simpler to interpret. A further contribution of the paper is the investigation of a variety of nonlinear deflation procedures for determining the subsequent nonlinear canonical coefficients. The benefits of the new approaches presented are demonstrated by application to an example from the literature and to recorded data from an industrial melter process. These studies show the advantages of the new NLCCA techniques presented and suggest that a nonlinear deflation procedure should be considered. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observation of stable phase jump lines in convection of a twisted nematic liquid crystal

We report observations of stable, localized, linelike structures in the spatially periodic pattern formed by nematic electroconvection, along which the phase of the pattern jumps by pi. With increasing electric voltage, these lines form a gridlike structure that goes over into a structure indistinguishable from the well-known grid pattern. We present theoretical arguments that suggest that the twisted cell geometry we are using is indirectly stabilizing the phase jump lines, and that the phase jump lines lattice is caused by an interaction of phase jump lines and a zig-zag instability of the surrounding pattern.

CTGF/CCN2 activates canonical Wnt signalling in mesangial cells through LRP6: Implications for the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy

We describe the activation of Wnt signalling in mesangial cells by CCN2. CCN2 stimulates phosphorylation of LRP6 and GSK-3 beta resulting in accumulation and nuclear localisation of beta-catenin, TCF/LEF activity and expression of Wnt targets. This is coincident with decreased phosphorylation of beta-catenin on Ser 33/37 and increased phosphorylation on Tyr142. DKK-1 and LRP6 siRNA reversed CCN2's effects. Microarray analyses of diabetic patients identified differentially expressed Wnt components. beta-Catenin is increased in type 1 diabetic and UUO mice and in in vitro models of hyperglycaemia and hypertension. These findings suggest that Wnt/CCN2 signalling plays a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. (C) 2011 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association Analysis of Canonical Wnt Signalling Genes in Diabetic Nephropathy.

Several studies have provided compelling evidence implicating the Wnt signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Gene expression profiles associated with renal fibrosis have been attenuated through Wnt pathway modulation in model systems implicating Wnt pathway members as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. We assessed tag and potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; n = 31) in four key Wnt pathway genes (CTNNB1, AXIN2, LRP5 and LRP6) for association with diabetic nephropathy using a case-control design.

From inconsistency handling to non-canonical requirements management: A logical perspective

As a class of defects in software requirements specification, inconsistency has been widely studied in both requirements engineering and software engineering. It has been increasingly recognized that maintaining consistency alone often results in some other types of non-canonical requirements, including incompleteness of a requirements specification, vague requirements statements, and redundant requirements statements. It is therefore desirable for inconsistency handling to take into account the related non-canonical requirements in requirements engineering. To address this issue, we propose an intuitive generalization of logical techniques for handling inconsistency to those that are suitable for managing non-canonical requirements, which deals with incompleteness and redundancy, in addition to inconsistency. We first argue that measuring non-canonical requirements plays a crucial role in handling them effectively. We then present a measure-driven logic framework for managing non-canonical requirements. The framework consists of five main parts, identifying non-canonical requirements, measuring them, generating candidate proposals for handling them, choosing commonly acceptable proposals, and revising them according to the chosen proposals. This generalization can be considered as an attempt to handle non-canonical requirements along with logic-based inconsistency handling in requirements engineering.

The use of ensemble empirical mode decomposition with canonical correlation analysis as a novel artifact removal technique

Biosignal measurement and processing is increasingly being deployed in ambulatory situations particularly in connected health applications. Such an environment dramatically increases the likelihood of artifacts which can occlude features of interest and reduce the quality of information available in the signal. If multichannel recordings are available for a given signal source, then there are currently a considerable range of methods which can suppress or in some cases remove the distorting effect of such artifacts. There are, however, considerably fewer techniques available if only a single-channel measurement is available and yet single-channel measurements are important where minimal instrumentation complexity is required. This paper describes a novel artifact removal technique for use in such a context. The technique known as ensemble empirical mode decomposition with canonical correlation analysis (EEMD-CCA) is capable of operating on single-channel measurements. The EEMD technique is first used to decompose the single-channel signal into a multidimensional signal. The CCA technique is then employed to isolate the artifact components from the underlying signal using second-order statistics. The new technique is tested against the currently available wavelet denoising and EEMD-ICA techniques using both electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy data and is shown to produce significantly improved results. © 1964-2012 IEEE.

The role of lipid peroxidation products and oxidative stress in activation of the canonical wingless-type MMTV integration site (WNT) pathway in a rat model of diabetic retinopathy

Our recent studies suggest that activation of the wingless-type MMTV integration site (WNT) pathway plays pathogenic roles in diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Here we investigated the causative role of oxidative stress in retinal WNT pathway activation in an experimental model of diabetes.

Equivalent Circuit Model of Twisted Split Ring Frequency Selective Surfaces

This paper proposes a wideband equivalent circuit model for a twisted split ring frequency selective surface (FSS). Such surfaces can be used for modelling and design of polarisation sensitive surfaces such as circularly polarized selective surfaces as well as structures with asymmetric transmission. The proposed model is based extraction of equivalent circuit parameters from a single split ring (SRR) FSS and magnetic coupling from periodic eigenmode analysis of the coupled SRR. The resulting equivalent circuit model demonstrates excellent agreement with full-wave simulations.

CaV channels and cancer: canonical functions indicate benefits of repurposed drugs as cancer therapeutics

The importance of ion channels in the hallmarks of many cancers is increasingly recognised. This article reviews current knowledge of the expression of members of the voltage-gated calcium channel family (CaV) in cancer at the gene and protein level and discusses their potential functional roles. The ten members of the CaV channel family are classified according to expression of their pore-forming α-subunit; moreover, co-expression of accessory α2δ, β and γ confers a spectrum of biophysical characteristics including voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, current amplitude and activation/inactivation kinetics. CaV channels have traditionally been studied in excitable cells including neurones, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle and cardiac cells, and drugs targeting the channels are used in the treatment of hypertension and epilepsy. There is emerging evidence that several CaV channels are differentially expressed in cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, a number of CaV channels also have non-canonical functions and are involved in transcriptional regulation of the expression of other proteins including potassium channels. Pharmacological studies show that CaV canonical function contributes to the fundamental biology of proliferation, cell-cycle progression and apoptosis. This raises the intriguing possibility that calcium channel blockers, approved for the treatment of other conditions, could be repurposed to treat particular cancers. Further research will reveal the full extent of both the canonical and non-canonical functions of CaV channels in cancer and whether calcium channel blockers are beneficial in cancer treatment.