The heat shock protein 90 inhibitor, 17-allylamino-17- demethoxygeldanamycin, enhances osteoclast formation and potentiates bone metastasis of a human breast cancer cell line

Breast cancer metastasis to the bone occurs frequently, causing numerous complications including severe pain, fracture, hypercalcemia, and paralysis. Despite its prevalence and severity, few effective therapies exist. To address this, we examined whether the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor, 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), would be efficacious in inhibiting breast cancer metastasis to bone. Utilizing the human breast cancer subline, MDA-MB-231SA, previously in vivo selected for its enhanced ability to generate osteolytic bone lesions, we determined that 17-AAG potently inhibited its in vitro proliferation and migration. Moreover, 17-AAG significantly reduced MDA-MB-231SA tumor growth in the mammary-fat pad of nude mice. Despite these findings, 17-AAG enhanced the incidence of bone metastasis and osteolytic lesions following intracardiac inoculation in the nude mouse. Consistent with these findings, 17-AAG enhanced osteoclast formation 2- to 4-fold in mouse bone marrow/osteoblast cocultures, receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (BANKL)-stimulated bone marrow, and RAW264.7 cell models of in vitro osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, the drug enhanced osteoclastogenesis in human cord blood progenitor cells, demonstrating that its effects were not limited to mouse models. In addition to 17-AAG, other Hsp90 inhibitors, such as radicicol and herbimycin A, also enhanced osteoclastogenesis. A pro-osteolytic action of 17-AAG independent of tumor presence was also determined in vivo, in which 17-AAG-treated tumor-naive mice had reduced trabecular bone volume with an associated increase in osteoclast number. Thus, HSP90 inhibitors can stimulate osteoclast formation, which may underlie the increased incidence of osteolysis and skeletal tumor incidence causedby 17-AAG in vivo. These data suggest an important contraindication to the Hsp90 targeted cancer therapy currently undergoing clinical trial.

A new distributed control strategy to coordinate multiple dstatcoms in LV network

Voltage rise is the main issue which limits the capacity of Low Voltage (LV) network to accommodate more Renewable Energy (RE) sources. In addition, voltage drop at peak load period is a significant power quality concern. This paper proposes a new robust voltage support strategy based on distributed coordination of multiple distribution static synchronous compensators (DSTATCOMs). The study focuses on LV networks with PV as the RE source for customers. The proposed approach applied to a typical LV network and its advantages are shown comparing with other voltage control strategies.

Smart resource control in distribution network to improve the integration level of PV

This project was an innovative approach in developing smart coordination of available energy resources to improve the integration level of PV in distribution network. Voltage and loading issues are considered as the main concerns for future electricity grid which need to be avoided using such resources. A distributed control structure was proposed for the resources in distribution network to avoid noted power quality issues.

Heat transfer analysis of viscous incompressible fluid by combined natural convection and radiation in an open cavity

The effect of radiation on natural convection of Newtonian fluid contained in an open cavity is investigated in this study. The governing partial differential equations are solved numerically using the Alternate Direct Implicit method together with the Successive Over Relaxation method. The study is focused on studying the flow pattern and the convective and radiative heat transfer rates are studied for different values of radiation parameters namely, the optical thickness of the fluid, scattering albedo, and the Planck number. It was found that in the optically thin limit, an increase in the optical thickness of the fluid raises the temperature and radiation heat transfer of the fluid. However, a further increase in the optical thickness decreases the radiative heat transfer rate due to increase in the energy level of the fluid, which ultimately reduces the total heat transfer rate within the fluid.

Scrapping the Australia network affects more than the ABC

The termination in the 2014 budget of the ABC’s international television broadcasting contract to run the federal government’s Australia Network service, barely a year into its ten-year term, was hardly a surprise. “Soft power” or “soft diplomacy” initiatives such as the Australia Network and international aid schemes have been hit especially hard in this budget. If, as Treasurer Hockey has repeatedly claimed, this was a budget for the nation, then what do these decisions say about the value this government places on Australia’s international cultural image and internationalism more generally?

Spatial prediction on a river network

This article develops methods for spatially predicting daily change of dissolved oxygen (Dochange) at both sampled locations (134 freshwater sites in 2002 and 2003) and other locations of interest throughout a river network in South East Queensland, Australia. In order to deal with the relative sparseness of the monitoring locations in comparison to the number of locations where one might want to make predictions, we make a classification of the river and stream locations. We then implement optimal spatial prediction (ordinary and constrained kriging) from geostatistics. Because of their directed-tree structure, rivers and streams offer special challenges. A complete approach to spatial prediction on a river network is given, with special attention paid to environmental exceedances. The methodology is used to produce a map of Dochange predictions for 2003. Dochange is one of the variables measured as part of the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program conducted within the Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership.

Effects of wireless sensor network uncertainties on output-only modal analysis employing merged data of multiple tests

The use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) for vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has become a promising approach due to many advantages such as low cost, fast and flexible deployment. However, inherent technical issues such as data asynchronicity and data loss have prevented these distinct systems from being extensively used. Recently, several SHM-oriented WSNs have been proposed and believed to be able to overcome a large number of technical uncertainties. Nevertheless, there is limited research verifying the applicability of those WSNs with respect to demanding SHM applications like modal analysis and damage identification. Based on a brief review, this paper first reveals that Data Synchronization Error (DSE) is the most inherent factor amongst uncertainties of SHM-oriented WSNs. Effects of this factor are then investigated on outcomes and performance of the most robust Output-only Modal Analysis (OMA) techniques when merging data from multiple sensor setups. The two OMA families selected for this investigation are Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) and data-driven Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI-data) due to the fact that they both have been widely applied in the past decade. Accelerations collected by a wired sensory system on a large-scale laboratory bridge model are initially used as benchmark data after being added with a certain level of noise to account for the higher presence of this factor in SHM-oriented WSNs. From this source, a large number of simulations have been made to generate multiple DSE-corrupted datasets to facilitate statistical analyses. The results of this study show the robustness of FDD and the precautions needed for SSI-data family when dealing with DSE at a relaxed level. Finally, the combination of preferred OMA techniques and the use of the channel projection for the time-domain OMA technique to cope with DSE are recommended.

Cryptology and network security

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Cryptology and Network Security, CANS 2012, held in Darmstadt, Germany, in December 2012. The 22 revised full papers, presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 99 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on cryptanalysis; network security; cryptographic protocols; encryption; and s-box theory.

SWIRLnet : portable anemometer network for wind speed measurements of land-falling tropical cyclones

Wind speed measurement systems are sparse in the tropical regions of Australia. Tropical cyclone wind speeds impacting communities are often ‘guestimated’ from analyzing damaged structures. A re-locatable anemometer system is required to enable measurements of wind speeds. This paper discusses design criteria of the tripods and tie down system, proposed deployment of the anemometers, instrumentation, and data logging. Preliminary assessment of the anemometer response indicates a reliable system for 1 second response, however, it is noted that the Australian building code and wind loading standard uses a moving average time of approximately 0.2 seconds for its wind speed design criteria.

Molecular network analysis using reverse phase protein microarrays for patient tailored therapy.

The practice of medicine has always aimed at individualized treatment of disease. The relationship between patient and physician has always been a personal one, and the physician's choice of treatment has been intended to be the best fit for the patient's needs. The necessary pooling/grouping of disease families and their assignment to a number of drugs or treatment methods has, consequently, led to an increase in the number of effective therapies. However, given the heterogeneity of most human diseases, and cancer specifically, it is currently impossible for the treating clinician to effectively predict a patient's response and outcome based on current technologies, much less the idiosyncratic resistances and adverse effects associated with the limited therapeutic options.

Wind speed measurements of land-falling tropical cyclones using SWIRLnet, a portable anemometer network

Wind speed measurement systems are sparse in the tropical regions of Australia. Given this, tropical cyclone wind speeds impacting communities are seldom measured and often only ‘guestimated’ by analysing the extent of damage to structures. In an attempt to overcome this dearth of data, a re-locatable network of anemometers to be deployed prior to tropical cyclone landfall is currently being developed. This paper discusses design criteria of the network’s tripods and tie down system, proposed deployment of the anemometers, instrumentation and data logging. Preliminary assessment of the anemometer response indicates a reliable system for measuring the spectral component of wind with frequencies of approximately 1 Hz. This system limitation highlights an important difference between the capabilities of modern instrumentation and that of the Dines anemometer (around 0.2 seconds) that was used to develop much of the design criteria within the Australian building code and wind loading standard.

Cholesterol regulates Syntaxin 6 trafficking at trans-Golgi network endosomal boundaries.

Inhibition of cholesterol export from late endosomes causes cellular cholesterol imbalance, including cholesterol depletion in the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Here, using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) mutant cell lines and human NPC1 mutant fibroblasts, we show that altered cholesterol levels at the TGN/endosome boundaries trigger Syntaxin 6 (Stx6) accumulation into VAMP3, transferrin, and Rab11-positive recycling endosomes (REs). This increases Stx6/VAMP3 interaction and interferes with the recycling of αVβ3 and α5β1 integrins and cell migration, possibly in a Stx6-dependent manner. In NPC1 mutant cells, restoration of cholesterol levels in the TGN, but not inhibition of VAMP3, restores the steady-state localization of Stx6 in the TGN. Furthermore, elevation of RE cholesterol is associated with increased amounts of Stx6 in RE. Hence, the fine-tuning of cholesterol levels at the TGN-RE boundaries together with a subset of cholesterol-sensitive SNARE proteins may play a regulatory role in cell migration and invasion.

Diagnostics and two-dimensional simulation of low-frequency inductively coupled plasmas with neutral gas heating and electron heat fluxes

This article presents the results on the diagnostics and numerical modeling of low-frequency (∼460 KHz) inductively coupled plasmas generated in a cylindrical metal chamber by an external flat spiral coil. Experimental data on the electron number densities and temperatures, electron energy distribution functions, and optical emission intensities of the abundant plasma species in low/intermediate pressure argon discharges are included. The spatial profiles of the plasma density, electron temperature, and excited argon species are computed, for different rf powers and working gas pressures, using the two-dimensional fluid approach. The model allows one to achieve a reasonable agreement between the computed and experimental data. The effect of the neutral gas temperature on the plasma parameters is also investigated. It is shown that neutral gas heating (at rf powers≥0.55kW) is one of the key factors that control the electron number density and temperature. The dependence of the average rf power loss, per electron-ion pair created, on the working gas pressure shows that the electron heat flux to the walls appears to be a critical factor in the total power loss in the discharge.

Electron-conduction mechanism and specific heat above transition temperature in LaFeAsO and BaFe2As2 superconductors

The ionization energy theory is used to calculate the evolution of the resistivity and specific heat curves with respect to different doping elements in the recently discovered superconducting pnictide materials. Electron-conduction mechanism in the pnictides above the structural transition temperature is explained unambiguously, which is also consistent with other strongly correlated materials, such as cuprates, manganites, titanates and magnetic semiconductors.