Modeling of Distributed Control Systems in Intelligent Building based on Colored Petri Nets

Distributed control systems consist of sensors, actuators and controllers, interconnected by communication networks and are characterized by a high number of concurrent process. This work presents a proposal for a procedure to model and analyze communication networks for distributed control systems in intelligent building. The approach considered for this purpose is based on the characterization of the control system as a discrete event system and application of coloured Petri net as a formal method for specification, analysis and verification of control solutions. With this approach, we develop the models that compose the communication networks for the control systems of intelligent building, which are considered the relationships between the various buildings systems. This procedure provides a structured development of models, facilitating the process of specifying the control algorithm. An application example is presented in order to illustrate the main features of this approach.

Tumor slices as a model to evaluate doxorubicin in vitro treatment and expression of trios of genes PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and PRSS11, MTSS1, SMYD2 in canine mammary gland cancer

Background: In women with breast cancer submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based in doxorubicin, tumor expression of groups of three genes (PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and PRSS11, MTSS1, SMYD2) have classified them as responsive or resistant. We have investigated whether expression of these trios of genes could predict mammary carcinoma response in dogs and whether tumor slices, which maintain epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, could be used to evaluate drug response in vitro. Methods: Tumors from 38 dogs were sliced and cultured with or without doxorubicin 1 mu M for 24 h. Tumor cells were counted by two observers to establish a percentage variation in cell number, between slices. Based on these results, a reduction in cell number between treated and control samples >= 21.7%, arbitrarily classified samples, as drug responsive. Tumor expression of PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and SMYD2, was evaluated by real time PCR. Relative expression results were then transformed to their natural logarithm values, which were spatially disposed according to the expression of trios of genes, comprising PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and PRSS11, MTSS1, SMYD2. Fisher linear discrimination test was used to generate a separation plane between responsive and non-responsive tumors. Results: Culture of tumor slices for 24 h was feasible. Nine samples were considered responsive and 29 non-responsive to doxorubicin, considering the pre-established cut-off value of cell number reduction = 21.7%, between doxorubicin treated and control samples. Relative gene expression was evaluated and tumor samples were then spatially distributed according to the expression of the trios of genes: PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and PRSS11, MTSS1, SMYD2. A separation plane was generated. However, no clear separation between responsive and non-responsive samples could be observed. Conclusion: Three-dimensional distribution of samples according to the expression of the trios of genes PRSS11, MTSS1, CLPTM1 and PRSS11, MTSS1, SMYD2 could not predict doxorubicin in vitro responsiveness. Short term culture of mammary gland cancer slices may be an interesting model to evaluate chemotherapy activity.

Macro-Fiber Composite Actuators for Flow Control of a Variable Camber Airfoil

This research employs solid-state actuators for delay of flow separation seen in airfoils at low Reynolds numbers. The flow control technique investigated here is aimed for a variable camber airfoil that employs two active surfaces and a single four-bar (box) mechanism as the internal structure. To reduce separation, periodic excitation to the flow around the leading edge of the airfoil is induced by a total of nine piezocomposite actuated clamped-free unimorph benders distributed in the spanwise direction. An electromechanical model is employed to design an actuator capable of high deformations at the desired frequency for lift improvement at post-stall angles. The optimum spanwise distribution of excitation for increasing lift coefficient is identified experimentally in the wind tunnel. A 3D (non-uniform) excitation distribution achieved higher lift enhancement in the post-stall region with lower power consumption when compared to the 2D (uniform) excitation distribution. A lift coefficient increase of 18.4% is achieved with the identified non-uniform excitation mode at the bender resonance frequency of 125 Hz, the flow velocity of 5 m/s and at the reduced frequency of 3.78. The maximum lift (Clmax) is increased 5.2% from the baseline. The total power consumption of the flow control technique is 639 mW(RMS).

Histopathology, humoral and cellular immune response in the murine model of Leishmania (Viannia) shawi

Leishmania (Viannia) shawl was recently characterized and few studies concerning modifications in cellular and humoral immune responses in experimental leishmaniasis have been conducted. In this work, immunopathological changes induced by L. shawl in chronically infected BALB/c mice were investigated. Infected BALB/c mice developed increased lesion size associated with strong inflammatory infiltrate diffusely distributed in the dermis, with highly infected macrophages. The humoral immune response was predominantly directed toward the IgG1 isotype. The functional activity of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells showed significantly increased TNF-alpha mRNA levels associated with reduced IFN-gamma expression by CD4(+) T cells and the double negative (dn) CD4CD8 cell subset. High IL-4 levels expressed by CD8(+) T cells and dnCD4CD8 and TGF-beta by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were detected, while IL-10 was highly expressed by all three cell subpopulations. Taken together, these results show an evident imbalance between TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma that is unfavorable to amastigote replication control. Furthermore, L. shawi seems to regulate different cell populations to express deactivating cytokines to avoid its own destruction. This study indicates BALB/c mice as a potentially good experimental model for further studies on American cutaneous leishmaniosis caused by L. shawi. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of a predictive model for food insecurity estimates in Brazil

In 2004 the National Household Survey (Pesquisa Nacional par Amostras de Domicilios - PNAD) estimated the prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity in Brazil. However, PNAD data cannot be disaggregated at the municipal level. The objective of this study was to build a statistical model to predict severe food insecurity for Brazilian municipalities based on the PNAD dataset. Exclusion criteria were: incomplete food security data (19.30%); informants younger than 18 years old (0.07%); collective households (0.05%); households headed by indigenous persons (0.19%). The modeling was carried out in three stages, beginning with the selection of variables related to food insecurity using univariate logistic regression. The variables chosen to construct the municipal estimates were selected from those included in PNAD as well as the 2000 Census. Multivariate logistic regression was then initiated, removing the non-significant variables with odds ratios adjusted by multiple logistic regression. The Wald Test was applied to check the significance of the coefficients in the logistic equation. The final model included the variables: per capita income; years of schooling; race and gender of the household head; urban or rural residence; access to public water supply; presence of children; total number of household inhabitants and state of residence. The adequacy of the model was tested using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test (p=0.561) and ROC curve (area=0.823). Tests indicated that the model has strong predictive power and can be used to determine household food insecurity in Brazilian municipalities, suggesting that similar predictive models may be useful tools in other Latin American countries.

Exercise improves cardiovascular control in a model of dislipidemia and menopause

The present study investigated the effects of exercise training on arterial pressure, baroreflex sensitivity, cardiovascular autonomic control and metabolic parameters on female LDL-receptor knockout ovariectomized mice. Mice were divided into two groups: sedentary and trained. Trained group was submitted to an exercise training protocol. Blood cholesterol was measured. Arterial pressure (AP) signals were directly recorded in conscious mice. Baroreflex sensitivity was evaluated by tachycardic and bradycardic responses to AP changes. Cardiovascular autonomic modulation was measured in frequency (FFT) and time domains. Maximal exercise capacity was increased in trained as compared to sedentary group. Blood cholesterol was diminished in trained mice (191 +/- 8 mg/dL) when compared to sedentary mice (250 +/- 9 mg/dL, p<0.05). Mean AP and HR were reduced in trained group (101 +/- 3 mmHg and 535 +/- 14 bpm, p<0.05) when compared with sedentary group (125 +/- 3 mmHg and 600 +/- 12 bpm). Exercise training induced improvement in bradycardic reflex response in trained animals (-4.24 +/- 0.62 bpm/mmHg) in relation to sedentary animals (-1.49 +/- 0.15 bpm/mmHg, p<0.01); tachycardic reflex responses were similar between studied groups. Exercise training increased the variance (34 +/- 8 vs. 6.6 +/- 1.5 ms(2) in sedentary, p<0.005) and the high-frequency band (HF) of the pulse interval (IP) (53 +/- 7% vs. 26 +/- 6% in sedentary, p<0.01). It is tempting to speculate that results of this experimental study might represent a rationale for this non-pharmacological intervention in the management of cardiovascular risk factors in dyslipidemic post-menopause women. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bifurcation analysis of a model for biological control

In this paper we study the Lyapunov stability and Hopf bifurcation in a biological system which models the biological control of parasites of orange plantations. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elementary Petri net inside RFID distributed database (PNRD)

Usually, a Petri net is applied as an RFID model tool. This paper, otherwise, presents another approach to the Petri net concerning RFID systems. This approach, called elementary Petri net inside an RFID distributed database, or PNRD, is the first step to improve RFID and control systems integration, based on a formal data structure to identify and update the product state in real-time process execution, allowing automatic discovery of unexpected events during tag data capture. There are two main features in this approach: to use RFID tags as the object process expected database and last product state identification; and to apply Petri net analysis to automatically update the last product state registry during reader data capture. RFID reader data capture can be viewed, in Petri nets, as a direct analysis of locality for a specific transition that holds in a specific workflow. Following this direction, RFID readers storage Petri net control vector list related to each tag id is expected to be perceived. This paper presents PNRD cornerstones and a PNRD implementation example in software called DEMIS Distributed Environment in Manufacturing Information Systems.

Lesion of the subthalamic nucleus reverses motor deficits but not death of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion model of Parkinson's disease

The objective of the present study was to determine whether lesion of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) promoted by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) would rescue nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injection into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Initially, 16 mg 6-OHDA (6-OHDA group) or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid - aCSF; Sham group) was infused into the right MFB of adult male Wistar rats. Fifteen days after surgery, the 6-OHDA and SHAM groups were randomly subdivided and received ipsilateral injection of either 60 mM NMDA or aCSF in the right STN. Additionally, a control group was not submitted to stereotaxic surgery. Five groups of rats were studied: 6-OHDA/NMDA, 6-OHDA/Sham, Sham/NMDA, Sham/Sham, and Control. Fourteen days after injection of 6-OHDA, rats were submitted to the rotational test induced by apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg, ip) and to the open-field test. The same tests were performed again 14 days after NMDA-induced lesion of the STN. The STN lesion reduced the contralateral turns induced by apomorphine and blocked the progression of motor impairment in the open-field test in 6-OHDA-treated rats. However, lesion of the STN did not prevent the reduction of striatal concentrations of dopamine and metabolites or the number of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after 6-OHDA lesion. Therefore, STN lesion is able to reverse motor deficits after severe 6-OHDA-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, but does not protect or rescue dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

Morphological changes in distant muscle fibers following thermal injury in Wistar rats

PURPOSE: Thermal injury causes catabolic processes as the body attempts to repair the damaged area. This study evaluated the effects of a scald injury on the morphology of muscle fibers belonging to a muscle distant from the lesion. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into control (C) and scalded (S) groups. Group S was scalded over 45% of the body surface, standardized by body weight. Rats in both groups were euthanized at four, seven and 14 days following the injury. The middle portions of the medial gastrocnemius muscles were sectioned, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Picrosirius, and submitted to histological analysis. RESULTS: Control group sections exhibited equidistantly distributed polygonal muscle fibers with peripheral nuclei, characteristic of normal muscle. The injured group sections did not consistently show these characteristics; many fibers in these sections exhibited a rounded contour, variable stain intensities, and greater interfiber distances. A substantially increased amount of connective tissue was also observed on the injured group sections. CONCLUSION: This experimental model found a morphological change in muscle distant from the site of thermal injury covering 45% of the body surface.

Simvastatin-induced cardiac autonomic control improvement in fructose-fed female rats

OBJECTIVE: Because autonomic dysfunction has been found to lead to cardiometabolic disorders and because studies have reported that simvastatin treatment has neuroprotective effects, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of simvastatin treatment on cardiovascular and autonomic changes in fructose-fed female rats. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: controls (n=8), fructose (n=8), and fructose+ simvastatin (n=8). Fructose overload was induced by supplementing the drinking water with fructose (100 mg/L, 18 wks). Simvastatin treatment (5 mg/kg/day for 2 wks) was performed by gavage. The arterial pressure was recorded using a data acquisition system. Autonomic control was evaluated by pharmacological blockade. RESULTS: Fructose overload induced an increase in the fasting blood glucose and triglyceride levels and insulin resistance. The constant rate of glucose disappearance during the insulin intolerance test was reduced in the fructose group (3.4+ 0.32%/min) relative to that in the control group (4.4+ 0.29%/min). Fructose+simvastatin rats exhibited increased insulin sensitivity (5.4+0.66%/min). The fructose and fructose+simvastatin groups demonstrated an increase in the mean arterial pressure compared with controls rats (fructose: 124+2 mmHg and fructose+simvastatin: 126 + 3 mmHg vs. controls: 112 + 2 mmHg). The sympathetic effect was enhanced in the fructose group (73 + 7 bpm) compared with that in the control (48 + 7 bpm) and fructose+simvastatin groups (31+8 bpm). The vagal effect was increased in fructose+simvastatin animals (84 + 7 bpm) compared with that in control (49 + 9 bpm) and fructose animals (46+5 bpm). CONCLUSION: Simvastatin treatment improved insulin sensitivity and cardiac autonomic control in an experimental model of metabolic syndrome in female rats. These effects were independent of the improvements in the classical plasma lipid profile and of reductions in arterial pressure. These results support the hypothesis that statins reduce the cardiometabolic risk in females with metabolic syndrome.

Menopausal status: a possible predictive factor for recurrence in women with cancer of the uterine cervix without pelvic lymph node metastasis

Abstract Objectives to evaluate risk factors for recurrence of carcinoma of the uterine cervix among women who had undergone radical hysterectomy without pelvic lymph node metastasis, while taking into consideration not only the classical histopathological factors but also sociodemographic, clinical and treatment-related factors. Study desin This was an exploratory analysis on 233 women with carcinoma of the uterine cervix (stages IB and IIA) who were treated by means of radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy, with free surgical margins and without lymph node metastases on conventional histopathological examination. Women with histologically normal lymph nodes but with micrometastases in the immunohistochemical analysis (AE1/AE3) were excluded. Disease-free survival for sociodemographic, clinical and histopathological variables was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the independent risk factors for recurrence. Twenty-seven recurrences were recorded (11.6%), of which 18 were pelvic, four were distant, four were pelvic + distant and one was of unknown location. The five-year disease-free survival rate among the study population was 88.4%. The independent risk factors for recurrence in the multivariate analysis were: postmenopausal status (HR 14.1; 95% CI: 3.7-53.6; P < 0.001), absence of or slight inflammatory reaction (HR 7.9; 95% CI: 1.7-36.5; P = 0.008) and invasion of the deepest third of the cervix (HR 6.1; 95% CI: 1.3-29.1; P = 0.021). Postoperative radiotherapy was identified as a protective factor against recurrence (HR 0.02; 95% CI: 0.001-0.25; P = 0.003). (To continue) Postmenopausal status is a possible independent risk factor for recurrence even when adjusted for classical prognostic factors (such as tumour size, depth of tumour invasion, capillary embolisation) and treatment-related factors (period of treatment and postoperative radiotherapy status)

Allosteric Control of Gating Mechanisms Revisited: The Large Conductance Ca(2+)-Activated K(+) Channel

Large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (BK) play a fundamental role in modulating membrane potential in many cell types. The gating of BK channels and its modulation by Ca(2+) and voltage has been the subject of intensive research over almost three decades, yielding several of the most complicated kinetic mechanisms ever proposed. A large number of open and closed states disposed, respectively, in two planes, named tiers, characterize these mechanisms. Transitions between states in the same plane are cooperative and modulated by Ca(2+). Transitions across planes are highly concerted and voltage-dependent. Here we reexamine the validity of the two-tiered hypothesis by restricting attention to the modulation by Ca(2+). Large single channel data sets at five Ca(2+) concentrations were simultaneously analyzed from a Bayesian perspective by using hidden Markov models and Markov-chain Monte Carlo stochastic integration techniques. Our results support a dramatic reduction in model complexity, favoring a simple mechanism derived from the Monod-Wyman-Changeux allosteric model for homotetramers, able to explain the Ca(2+) modulation of the gating process. This model differs from the standard Monod-Wyman-Changeux scheme in that one distinguishes when two Ca(2+) ions are bound to adjacent or diagonal subunits of the tetramer.

Immunomodulatory effects of recombinant BCG expressing pertussis toxin on TNF-alpha and IL-10 in a bladder cancer model

Background: Since successful treatment of superficial bladder cancer with BCG requires proper induction of Th1 immunity, we have developed a rBCG-S1PT strain that induced a stronger cellular immune response than BCG. This preclinical study was designed to compare the modulatory effects of BCG and rBCG-S1PT on bladder TNF-alpha and IL-10 expression and to evaluate antitumour activity. Methods: For Experiment I, the MB49 bladder cancer cell line was used in C57BL/6 mice. Chemical cauterization of the bladder was performed to promote intravesical tumor implantation. Mice were treated by intravesical instillation with BCG, rBCG-S1PT or PBS once a week for four weeks. After 35 days the bladders were removed and weighed. TNF-control group. There were increases in TNF-alpha in the BCG-treated group, as well as increases in TNF-alpha and IL-10 mRNA in the rBCG-S1PT group. Conclusion: These data indicate a significant reduction of bladder tumor volume for the rBCG group, compared to the BCG and PBS groups. This suggests that rBCG could be a useful substitute for wild-type BCG and that the potential modulation between TNF-alpha and IL-10 cytokine productions may have therapeutic value.

Decision theory applied to image quality control in radiology

Background: The present work aims at the application of the decision theory to radiological image quality control ( QC) in diagnostic routine. The main problem addressed in the framework of decision theory is to accept or reject a film lot of a radiology service. The probability of each decision of a determined set of variables was obtained from the selected films. Methods: Based on a radiology service routine a decision probability function was determined for each considered group of combination characteristics. These characteristics were related to the film quality control. These parameters were also framed in a set of 8 possibilities, resulting in 256 possible decision rules. In order to determine a general utility application function to access the decision risk, we have used a simple unique parameter called r. The payoffs chosen were: diagnostic's result (correct/incorrect), cost (high/low), and patient satisfaction (yes/no) resulting in eight possible combinations. Results: Depending on the value of r, more or less risk will occur related to the decision-making. The utility function was evaluated in order to determine the probability of a decision. The decision was made with patients or administrators' opinions from a radiology service center. Conclusion: The model is a formal quantitative approach to make a decision related to the medical imaging quality, providing an instrument to discriminate what is really necessary to accept or reject a film or a film lot. The method presented herein can help to access the risk level of an incorrect radiological diagnosis decision.