Activation/division of lymphocytes results in increased levels of cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein-1: prototype of a new family of proteins.

We purified from activated T lymphocytes a novel, highly conserved, 116-kDa, intracellular protein that occurred at high levels in the large, dividing cells of the thymus, was up-regulated when resting T or B lymphocytes or hemopoietic progenitors were activated, and was down-regulated when a monocytic leukemia, M1, was induced to differentiate. Expression of the protein was highest in the thymus and spleen and lowest in tissues with a low proportion of dividing cells such as kidney or muscle, although expression was high in the brain. The protein was localized to the cytosol and was phosphorylated, which is consistent with a previous report that the Xenopus laevis ortholog was phosphorylated by a mitotically activated kinase (1 ). The cDNA was previously mischaracterized as encoding p137, a 137-kDa GPI-linked membrane protein (2 ). We propose that the authentic protein encoded by this cDNA be called cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein-1 (caprin-1), and show that it is the prototype of a novel family of proteins characterized by two novel protein domains, termed homology regions-1 and -2 (HR-1, HR-2). Although we have found evidence for caprins only in urochordates and vertebrates, two insect proteins exhibit well-conserved HR-1 domains. The HR-1 and HR-2 domains have no known function, although the HR-1 of caprin-1 appeared necessary for formation of multimeric complexes of caprin-1. Overexpression of a fusion protein of enhanced green fluorescent protein and caprin-1 induced a specific, dose-dependent suppression of the proliferation of NIH-3T3 cells, consistent with the notion that caprin-1 plays a role in cellular activation or proliferation.

Allergologie: 2. Mastocytose systémique--nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques [Systemic mastocytosis--new therapeutic strategies].

Systemic mastocytosis is characterized by an excessive proliferation of mast cells and their accumulation in different organs. Avoidance of trigger factors leading to anaphylaxis is a general measure valid for all forms of mastocytosis. A premedication is necessary in case of surgery, anesthesia or administration of radiocontrast agents. Symptomatic treatment comprises antihistamines, anti-leukotrienes, proton pump inhibitors and topical corticosteroids. Indolent mastocytosis with refractory symptoms, the rare cases of aggressive mastocytosis with organ dysfunction and the even rarer mast cell leukemia require cytoreductive therapy. First-line agents are interferon alpha 2b and imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. To date there is no curative treatment.

Combining chromosomal arm status and significantly aberrant genomic locations reveals new cancer subtypes.

Many types of tumors exhibit characteristic chromosomal losses or gains, as well as local amplifications and deletions. Within any given tumor type, sample specific amplifications and deletions are also observed. Typically, a region that is aberrant in more tumors, or whose copy number change is stronger, would be considered as a more promising candidate to be biologically relevant to cancer. We sought for an intuitive method to define such aberrations and prioritize them. We define V, the "volume" associated with an aberration, as the product of three factors: (a) fraction of patients with the aberration, (b) the aberration's length and (c) its amplitude. Our algorithm compares the values of V derived from the real data to a null distribution obtained by permutations, and yields the statistical significance (p-value) of the measured value of V. We detected genetic locations that were significantly aberrant, and combine them with chromosomal arm status (gain/loss) to create a succinct fingerprint of the tumor genome. This genomic fingerprint is used to visualize the tumors, highlighting events that are co-occurring or mutually exclusive. We apply the method on three different public array CGH datasets of Medulloblastoma and Neuroblastoma, and demonstrate its ability to detect chromosomal regions that were known to be altered in the tested cancer types, as well as to suggest new genomic locations to be tested. We identified a potential new subtype of Medulloblastoma, which is analogous to Neuroblastoma type 1.

Biofuel Co-Product Uses for Pavement Geo-Materials Stabilization, TR-582, 2010

The production and use of biofuels has increased in the present context of sustainable development. Biofuel production from plant biomass produces not only biofuel or ethanol but also co-products containing lignin, modified lignin, and lignin derivatives. This research investigated the utilization of lignin-containing biofuel co-products (BCPs) in pavement soil stabilization as a new application area. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance and the moisture susceptibility of two types of BCP-treated soil samples compared to the performance of untreated and traditional stabilizer-treated (fly ash) soil samples. The two types of BCPs investigated were (1) a liquid type with higher lignin content (co-product A) and (b) a powder type with lower lignin content (co-product B). Various additive combinations (co-product A and fly ash, co-products A and B, etc.) were also evaluated as alternatives to stand-alone co-products. Test results indicate that BCPs are effective in stabilizing the Iowa Class 10 soil classified as CL or A-6(8) and have excellent resistance to moisture degradation. Strengths and moisture resistance in comparison to traditional additives (fly ash) could be obtained through the use of combined additives (co-product A + fly ash; co-product A + co-product B). Utilizing BCPs as a soil stabilizer appears to be one of the many viable answers to the profitability of the bio-based products and the bioenergy business. Future research is needed to evaluate the freeze-thaw durability and for resilient modulus characterization of BCP-modified layers for a variety of pavement subgrade and base soil types. In addition, the long-term performance of these BCPs should be evaluated under actual field conditions and traffic loadings. Innovative uses of BCP in pavement-related applications could not only provide additional revenue streams to improve the economics of biorefineries, but could also serve to establish green road infrastructures.

New microsatellite markers developed from an enriched microsatellite common bean library

The objective of this work was to develop new microsatellite markers in common bean. Ninety nine new microsatelitte loci were developed from a microsatellite enriched library for (CT)8 and (GT)8 motifs, from CAL-143 line. The majority of microsatellite sequences (51%) was related to cellular metabolism. The remaining sequences were associated to transcription functions. Only 17.2% of the sequences presented some level of similarity with other plant species genes.

Second-line status epilepticus treatment: comparison of phenytoin, valproate, and levetiracetam.

Purpose:  Phenytoin (PHT), valproic acid (VPA), or levetiracetam (LEV) are commonly used as second-line treatment of status epilepticus (SE), but comparative studies are not available. Methods:  Among 279 adult SE episodes identified prospectively in our tertiary care hospital over 4 years, we retrospectively identified 187 episodes in which PHT, VPA, or LEV were given after benzodiazepines. Patients with postanoxic SE were not included. Demographics, clinical SE features, failure of second-line treatment to control SE, new handicap, and mortality at hospital discharge were assessed. Uni- and multivariable statistical analyses were applied to compare the three agents. Key Findings:  Each compound was used in about one third of SE episodes. VPA failed to control SE in 25.4%, PHT in 41.4%, and LEV in 48.3% of episodes in which these were prescribed. A deadly etiology was more frequent in the VPA group, whereas SE episodes tended to be more severe in the PHT group. After adjustment for these known SE outcome predictors, LEV failed more often than VPA [odds ratio (OR) 2.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-6.08]; 16.8% (95% CI: 6.0-31.4%) of second-line treatment failures could be attributed to LEV. PHT was not statistically different from the other two compounds. Second-line treatment did not seem to influence new handicap and mortality, whereas etiology and the SE Severity Score (STESS) were robust independent predictors. Significance:  Even without significant differences on outcome at discharge, LEV seems less efficient than VPA to control SE after benzodiazepines. A prospective comparative trial is needed to address this potentially concerning finding.

A new disruption vector (pDHO) to obtain heterothallic strains from both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus

Yeasts are responsible for several traits in fermented beverages, including wine and beer, and their genetic manipulation is often necessary to improve the quality of the fermentation product. Improvement of wild-type strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus is difficult due to their homothallic character and variable ploidy level. Homothallism is determined by the HO gene in S. cerevisiae and the Sc-HO gene in S. pastorianus. In this work, we describe the construction of an HO disruption vector (pDHO) containing an HO disruption cassette and discuss its use in generating heterothallic yeast strains from homothallic Saccharomyces species.

New horizons for black holes and branes

We initiate a systematic scan of the landscape of black holes in any spacetime dimension using the recently proposed blackfold effective worldvolume theory. We focus primarily on asymptotically flat stationary vacuum solutions, where we uncover large classes of new black holes. These include helical black strings and black rings, black odd-spheres, for which the horizon is a product of a large and a small sphere, and non-uniform black cylinders. More exotic possibilities are also outlined. The blackfold description recovers correctly the ultraspinning Myers-Perry black holes as ellipsoidal even-ball configurations where the velocity field approaches the speed of light at the boundary of the ball. Helical black ring solutions provide the first instance of asymptotically flat black holes in more than four dimensions with a single spatial U(1) isometry. They also imply infinite rational non-uniqueness in ultraspinning regimes, where they maximize the entropy among all stationary single-horizon solutions. Moreover, static blackfolds are possible with the geometry of minimal surfaces. The absence of compact embedded minimal surfaces in Euclidean space is consistent with the uniqueness theorem of static black holes

On-line desorption of dried blood spots coupled to hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase LC/MS/MS system for the simultaneous analysis of drugs and their polar metabolites.

An assay for the simultaneous analysis of pharmaceutical compounds and their metabolites from micro-whole blood samples (i.e. 5 microL) was developed using an on-line dried blood spot (on-line DBS) device coupled with hydrophilic interaction/reversed-phase (HILIC/RP) LC/MS/MS. Filter paper is directly integrated to the LC device using a homemade inox desorption cell. Without any sample pretreatment, analytes are desorbed from the paper towards an automated system of valves linking a zwitterionic-HILIC column to an RP C18 column. In the same run, the polar fraction is separated by the zwitterionic-HILIC column while the non-polar fraction is eluted on the RP C18. Both fractions are detected by IT-MS operating in full scan mode for the survey scan and in product ion mode for the dependant scan using an ESI source. The procedure was evaluated by the simultaneous qualitative analysis of four probes and their relative phase I and II metabolites spiked in whole blood. In addition, the method was successfully applied to the in vivo monitoring of buprenorphine metabolism after the administration of an intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg on adult female Wistar rat.

Product Perfect Codes and Steganography

A new coding technique to be used in steganography is evaluated. The performanceof this new technique is computed and comparisons with the well-known theoreticalupper bound, Hamming upper bound and basic LSB are established.

Power quality improving with virtual flux-based voltage source line converter

Line converters have become an attractive AC/DC power conversion solution in industrial applications. Line converters are based on controllable semiconductor switches, typically insulated gate bipolar transistors. Compared to the traditional diode bridge-based power converters line converters have many advantageous characteristics, including bidirectional power flow, controllable de-link voltage and power factor and sinusoidal line current. This thesis considers the control of the lineconverter and its application to power quality improving. The line converter control system studied is based on the virtual flux linkage orientation and the direct torque control (DTC) principle. A new DTC-based current control scheme is introduced and analyzed. The overmodulation characteristics of the DTC converter are considered and an analytical equation for the maximum modulation index is derived. The integration of the active filtering features to the line converter isconsidered. Three different active filtering methods are implemented. A frequency-domain method, which is based on selective harmonic sequence elimination, anda time-domain method, which is effective in a wider frequency band, are used inharmonic current compensation. Also, a voltage feedback active filtering method, which mitigates harmonic sequences of the grid voltage, is implemented. The frequency-domain and the voltage feedback active filtering control systems are analyzed and controllers are designed. The designs are verified with practical measurements. The performance and the characteristics of the implemented active filtering methods are compared and the effect of the L- and the LCL-type line filteris discussed. The importance of the correct grid impedance estimate in the voltage feedback active filter control system is discussed and a new measurement-based method to obtain it is proposed. Also, a power conditioning system (PCS) application of the line converter is considered. A new method for correcting the voltage unbalance of the PCS-fed island network is proposed and experimentally validated.

Product costing in SAP environment

Kustannuslaskennan ala on muuttumassa. IT teknologian hämmästyttävän nopea kehitys viime vuosina on luonut kustannuslaskennalle uusia mahdollisuuksia. Toisaalta myös kustannuslaskennalle asetetut vaatimukset ovat muuttuneet. Nykyisin kustannustietoutta tarvitaan erityisesti päätöksenteon tueksi. Kaikesta huolimatta yleisesti käytetyt laskentamenetelmät eivät ole muuttuneet. Työn tavoite on tutkia mahdollisia tapoja tuotekohtaisen kustannuslaskennan toteuttamiseksi SAP toiminnanohjausjärjestelmän avulla. Erityisesti toiminnanohjausjärjestelmien nopea kehitys on mahdollistanut aikaisempaa nopeamman ja tarkemman kustannuslaskennan. On kuitenkin muistettava, että järjestelmät ovat vaintyökaluja. On siis erittäin tärkeää valita tarkoituksenmukainen laskentamenetelmä. Työn perimmäinen tarkoitus onkin valita kyseessä olevaan tilanteeseen sopivin menetelmä.Viime vuosien akateemisessa kirjoittelussa on esitelty useita uusia kustannuslaskentamenetelmiä. Toimintolaskennan uusi versio, Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing, on eräs varteenotettava vaihtoehto tuotekohtaisen kustannuslaskennan toteuttamiseksi SAP-ympäristössä. Toinen hyvin soveltuva menetelmä on Resource Consumption Accounting (RCA), joka soveltuu erityisen hyvin SAP-ympäristöön.Molemmilla menetelmillä on hyvät ja huonot puolet, mutta tässä tapauksessa RCA soveltuu tehtävään paremmin. RCA on joustava ja tarjoaa laaja-alaista tietoa. Tästä syystä Resource Consumption Accounting oli paras vaihtoehto.Työssä rakennettu RCA malli testattiin kolmen erilaisen tuotteen historiallisella datalla. RCA:ntuomia mahdollisuuksia pohdittiin ja ongelmia selvitettiin. RCA on hyvin saman tyyppinen yrityksessä jo käytettävän laskentamenetelmän kanssa. Implementointi ei siis olisi mahdoton tehtävä. RCA kuitenkin tarjoaa mahdollisuuksia, joita nykyisellä menetelmällä ei voida saavuttaa.

La Costa Brava ante los nuevos retos del turismo

The first section of this paper summarises the most relevant charateristics of the contemporary tourist model, also called postfordist or postmodernist. In the second part the traditional tourist model developed in the Costa Brava in the past decades, is reviewed. Emphasising the saturation of tourist facilities on the coast line, expansive urban growth, thanks to a tolerant administration, poor complementary supply and concentrated demand in few markets and the proximity of Barcelona conurbation, stressed by second homes. In the third section, some strategies developed in recent years to readapt the Costa Brava to the new tendencies in tourism, are presented. Incorporation of the inland to the tourist product, new planning policics, lessening urban densities and height, and a change in mind in favour of protected natural areas, diversification of demand with new markets, specially form Eastern Europe (although this might be considered as a continuation ofthe traditional tourist model) and the emergence of local strategies oriented towards the creation of new tourist products based upon natural and cultural resources

Exchange of Product-related Data between a Pulp and Paper Machinery Supplier and Its Partners

Kiihtyvä kilpailu yritysten välillä on tuonut yritykset vaikeidenhaasteiden eteen. Tuotteet pitäisi saada markkinoille nopeammin, uusien tuotteiden pitäisi olla parempia kuin vanhojen ja etenkin parempia kuin kilpailijoiden vastaavat tuotteet. Lisäksi tuotteiden suunnittelu-, valmistus- ja muut kustannukset eivät saisi olla suuria. Näiden haasteiden toteuttamisessa yritetään usein käyttää apuna tuotetietoja, niiden hallintaa ja vaihtamista. Andritzin, kuten muidenkin yritysten, on otettava nämä asiat huomioon pärjätäkseen kilpailussa. Tämä työ on tehty Andritzille, joka on maailman johtavia paperin ja sellun valmistukseen tarkoitettujen laitteiden valmistajia ja huoltopalveluiden tarjoajia. Andritz on ottamassa käyttöön ERP-järjestelmän kaikissa toimipisteissään. Sitä halutaan hyödyntää mahdollisimman tehokkaasti, joten myös tuotetiedot halutaan järjestelmään koko elinkaaren ajalta. Osan tuotetiedoista luo Andritzin kumppanit ja alihankkijat, joten myös tietojen vaihto partnereiden välillä halutaan hoitaasiten, että tiedot saadaan suoraan ERP-järjestelmään. Tämän työn tavoitteena onkin löytää ratkaisu, jonka avulla Andritzin ja sen kumppaneiden välinen tietojenvaihto voidaan hoitaa. Tämä diplomityö esittelee tuotetietojen, niiden hallinnan ja vaihtamisen tarkoituksen ja tärkeyden. Työssä esitellään erilaisia ratkaisuvaihtoehtoja tiedonvaihtojärjestelmän toteuttamiseksi. Osa niistä perustuu yleisiin ja toimialakohtaisiin standardeihin. Myös kaksi kaupallista tuotetta esitellään. Tarkasteltavana onseuraavat standardit: PaperIXI, papiNet, X-OSCO, PSK-standardit sekä RosettaNet. Lisäksi työssä tarkastellaan ERP-järjestelmän toimittajan, SAP:in ratkaisuja tietojenvaihtoon. Näistä vaihtoehdoista parhaimpia tarkastellaan vielä yksityiskohtaisemmin ja lopuksi eri ratkaisuja vertaillaan keskenään, jotta löydettäisiin Andritzin tarpeisiin paras vaihtoehto.

Model for managing non-core ideas to new companies, products and services in a Finnish forest company

Suomalainen metsäteollisuus on muutoksen partaalla. Uutisissa on nähty miten metsäyrityksen sulkevat tehtaita ja paperikoneita. Suomalaisessa metsäteollisuudessa keskitytään tällä hetkellä lähinnä kulujen alentamiseen ja tuottavuuden parantamiseen. Edellytyssille, että suomalainen metsäteollisuus pysyy kilpailukykyisenä, ovat kuitenkinuudet innovaatiot ja toimialojen välinen yhteistyö. Työn tavoitteena oli luoda toimintamalli UPM-Kymmene Oyj:lle, minkä avulla ydinliiketoimintaan kuulumattomat tuote- ja palveluideat saataisiin hyödynnettyä. Aihe on erittäin ajankohtainen, mikäli halutaan pitää tuotanto jatkossakin Suomessa. Luotumalli painottaa pk-sektorin roolia ja potentiaalia kehittää UPM-Kymmeneltä peräisin olevia ja heidän ydinliiketointaan kuulumattomista tuote ja palveluideoistauusia yrityksiä, tuotteita ja palveluita. Malli edustaa uudenlaista ajattelutapaa ja sen käyttöönotto vaatii perinteisen yrityskulttuurin uudistamista UPM-Kymmenessä.