A note on the local power of the LR, Wald, score and gradient tests

This paper examines the local power of the likelihood ratio, Wald, score and gradient tests under the presence of a scalar parameter, phi say, that is orthogonal to the remaining parameters. We show that some of the coefficients that define the local powers remain unchanged regardless of whether phi is known or needs to be estimated, where as the others can be written as the sum of two terms, the first of which being the corresponding term obtained as if phi were known, and the second, an additional term yielded by the fact that phi is unknown. The contribution of each set of parameters on the local powers of the tests can then be examined. Various implications of our main result are stated and discussed. Several examples are presented for illustrative purposes

Muscle reorganisation through local injection of stem cells in the diaphragm of mdx mice

Background: The diaphragm is the major respiratory muscle affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and is responsible for causing 80% of deaths. The use of mechanical forces that act on the body or intermittent pressure on the airways improves the quality of life of patients but does not prevent the progression of respiratory failure. Thus, diseases that require tissue repair, such as DMD, represent a group of pathologies that have great potential for cell therapy. The application of stem cells directly into the diaphragm instead of systemic application can reduce cell migration to other affected areas and increase the chances of muscle reorganisation. The mdx mouse is a suitable animal model for this research because its diaphragmatic phenotype is similar to human DMD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the potential cell implantation in the diaphragm muscle after the xenotransplantation of stem cells. Methods: A total of 9 mice, including 3 control BALB/Cmice, 3 5-month-old mdx mice without stem cell injections and 3 mdx mice injected with stem cells, were used. The animals injected with stem cells underwent laparoscopy so that stem cells from GFP-labelled rabbit olfactory epithelium could be locally injected into the diaphragm muscle. After 8 days, all animals were euthanised, and the diaphragm muscle was dissected and subjected to histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Both the fresh diaphragm tissue and immunohistochemical analyses showed immunopositive GFP labelling of some of the cells and immunonegativity of myoblast bundles. In the histological analysis, we observed a reduction in the inflammatory infiltrate as well as the presence of a few peripheral nuclei and myoblast bundles. Conclusion: We were able to implant stem cells into the diaphragm via local injection, which promoted moderate muscle reorganisation. The presence of myoblast bundles cannot be attributed to stem cell incorporation because there was no immunopositive labelling in this structure. It is believed that the formation of the bundles may have been stimulated by cellular signalling mechanisms that have not yet been elucidated.

GROUND STATE AND NON-GROUND STATE SOLUTIONS OF SOME STRONGLY COUPLED ELLIPTIC SYSTEMS

We study an elliptic system of the form Lu = vertical bar v vertical bar(p-1) v and Lv = vertical bar u vertical bar(q-1) u in Omega with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition, where Lu := -Delta u in the case of a bounded domain and Lu := -Delta u + u in the cases of an exterior domain or the whole space R-N. We analyze the existence, uniqueness, sign and radial symmetry of ground state solutions and also look for sign changing solutions of the system. More general non-linearities are also considered.

Invariant Solutions of Richards' Equation for Water Movement in Dissimilar Soils

Scaling methods allow a single solution to Richards' equation (RE) to suffice for numerous specific cases of water flow in unsaturated soils. During the past half-century, many such methods were developed for similar soils. In this paper, a new method is proposed for scaling RE for a wide range of dissimilar soils. Exponential-power (EP) functions are used to reduce the dependence of the scaled RE on the soil hydraulic properties. To evaluate the proposed method, the scaled RE was solved numerically considering two test cases: infiltration into relatively dry soils having initially uniform water content distributions, and gravity-dominant drainage occurring from initially wet soil profiles. Although the results for four texturally different soils ranging from sand to heavy clay (adopted from the UNSODA database) showed that the scaled solution were invariant for a wide range of flow conditions, slight deviations were observed when the soil profile was initially wet in the infiltration case or deeply wet in the drainage case. The invariance of the scaled RE makes it possible to generalize a single solution of RE to many dissimilar soils and conditions. Such a procedure reduces the numerical calculations and provides additional opportunities for solving the highly nonlinear RE for unsaturated water flow in soils.

Local Injections of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Modulate Inflammation and Increase Angiogenesis Ameliorating the Dystrophic Phenotype in Dystrophin-Deficient Skeletal Muscle

The effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) transplantation on degeneration, regeneration and skeletal muscle function were investigated in dystrophin-deficient mice (24-week-old). ADMSC transplantation improved muscle strength and, resistance to fatigue. An increase in fiber cross-sectional area and in the number of fibers with centralized nuclei and augment of myogenin content were observed. In ADMSC-treated muscles a decrease in muscle content of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and oxidative stress measured by Amplex(A (R)) reagent were observed. The level of TGF-beta 1 was lowered whereas that of VEGF, IL-10 and IL-4 were increased by ADMSC treatment. An increase in markers of macrophage M1 (CD11 and F4-80) and a decrease in T lymphocyte marker (CD3) and arginase-1 were also observed in ADMSCs-treated dystrophic muscle. No change was observed in iNOS expression. Increased phosphorylation of Akt, p70S6k and 4E-BP1 was found in dystrophic muscles treated with ADMSC. These results suggest that ADMSC transplantation modulates inflammation and improves muscle tissue regeneration, ameliorating the dystrophic phenotype in dystrophin-deficient mice.

Exact cosmological solutions of models with an interacting dark sector

In this work we extend the first order formalism for cosmological models that present an interaction between a fermionic and a scalar field. Cosmological exact solutions describing universes filled with interacting dark energy and dark matter have been obtained. Viable cosmological solutions with an early period of decelerated expansion followed by late acceleration have been found, notably one which presents a dark matter component dominating in the past and a dark energy component dominating in the future. In another one, the dark energy alone is the responsible for both periods, similar to a Chaplygin gas case. Exclusively accelerating solutions have also been obtained.

Cardiovascular effects of partial sleep deprivation in healthy volunteers

Dettoni JL, Consolim-Colombo FM, Drager LF, Rubira MC, de Souza SB, Irigoyen MC, Mostarda C, Borile S, Krieger EM, Moreno H Jr, Lorenzi-Filho G. Cardiovascular effects of partial sleep deprivation in healthy volunteers. J Appl Physiol 113: 232-236, 2012. First published April 26, 2012; doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01604.2011.-Sleep deprivation is common in Western societies and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in epidemiological studies. However, the effects of partial sleep deprivation on the cardiovascular system are poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated 13 healthy male volunteers (age: 31 +/- 2 yr) monitoring sleep diary and wrist actigraphy during their daily routine for 12 nights. The subjects were randomized and crossover to 5 nights of control sleep (>7 h) or 5 nights of partial sleep deprivation (<5 h), interposed by 2 nights of unrestricted sleep. At the end of control and partial sleep deprivation periods, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV), serum norepinephrine, and venous endothelial function (dorsal hand vein technique) were measured at rest in a supine position. The subjects slept 8.0 +/- 0.5 and 4.5 +/- 0.3 h during control and partial sleep deprivation periods, respectively (P < 0.01). Compared with control, sleep deprivation caused significant increase in sympathetic activity as evidenced by increase in percent low-frequency (50 +/- 15 vs. 59 +/- 8) and a decrease in percent high-frequency (50 +/- 10 vs. 41 +/- 8) components of HRV, increase in low-frequency band of BPV, and increase in serum norepinephrine (119 +/- 46 vs. 162 +/- 58 ng/ml), as well as a reduction in maximum endothelial dependent venodilatation (100 +/- 22 vs. 41 +/- 20%; P < 0.05 for all comparisons). In conclusion, 5 nights of partial sleep deprivation is sufficient to cause significant increase in sympathetic activity and venous endothelial dysfunction. These results may help to explain the association between short sleep and increased cardiovascular risk in epidemiological studies.

Effect of partial preferential orientation and distortions in octahedral clusters on the photoluminescence properties of FeWO4 nanocrystals

This communication is a report of our initial research to obtain iron tungstate (FeWO4) nanocrystals by the microwave-hydrothermal method at 170 degrees C for 45 min. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the FeWO4 nanocrystals prepared with polyethylene glycol-200 have a partial preferential orientation in the (011) plane in relation to other nanocrystals prepared with sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and water. Rietveld refinement data indicates that all nanocrystals are monophasic with wolframite-type monoclinic structures and exhibit different distortions on octahedral [FeO6]/[WO6] clusters. High resolution transmission electron microcopy revealed an oriented attachment mechanism for the growth of aggregated FeWO4 nanocrystals. Finally, we observed that the photoluminescence properties of these nanocrystals are affected by partial preferential orientation in the (011) plane and distortions on [FeO6]/[WO6] clusters.

A new local variety of Crepidomanes minutum (Hymenophyllaceae) in the Mascarene Archipelago (Indian Ocean) and a new record for Mauritius

Crepidomanes minutum (Hymenophyllaceae) is here identified and recorded from Mauritius for the first time. The Mauritian specimens, in addition to those of La Reunion observed at low to middle elevations, are easily distinguished from populations observed outside the Mascarene Archipelago by their dwarfed size and rarity of the stipe proliferation that usually characterizes this species. We thus describe a new variety in this species for the Mascarene Islands.

Dental pulp stem cells express proteins involved in the local invasiveness of odontogenic myxoma

Little is known about the histogenesis of the odontogenic myxoma (OM). Dental pulp stem cells could be candidate precursors of OM because both OM and the dental pulp share the same embryological origin: the dental papilla. For the purpose of comparing OM and stem cells, this study analyzed the expression of two proteins related to OM invasiveness (MMP-2 and hyaluronic acid) in human immature dental pulp stern cells (hIDPSCs). Three lineages of hIDPSCs from deciduous and permanent teeth were used in this study. Immunofluorescence revealed positive reactions for MMP-2 and hyaluronic acid (HA) in all hIDPSCs. MMP-2 appeared as dots throughout the cytoplasm, whereas HA appeared either as diffuse and irregular dots or as short fibrils throughout the cytoplasm and outside the cell bodies. The gene expression profile of each cell lineage was evaluated using RT-PCR analysis, and HA was expressed more intensively than MMP-2. HA expression was similar among the three hIDPSCs lineages, whereas MMP-2 expression was higher in DL-1 than in the other cell lines. The expression of proteins related to OM invasiveness in hIDPSCs could indicate that OM originates from dental pulp stem cells.

Retinol binding protein 4 and retinol in steatotic and nonsteatotic rat livers in the setting of partial hepatectomy under ischemia/reperfusion

Steatotic livers show increased hepatic damage and impaired regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) under ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), which is commonly applied in clinical practice to reduce bleeding. The known function of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is to transport retinol in the circulation. We examined whether modulating RBP4 and/or retinol could protect steatotic and nonsteatotic livers in the setting of PH under I/R. Steatotic and nonsteatotic livers from Zucker rats were subjected to PH (70%) with 60 minutes of ischemia. RBP4 and retinol levels were measured and altered pharmacologically, and their effects on hepatic damage and regeneration were studied after reperfusion. Decreased RBP4 levels were observed in both liver types, whereas retinol levels were reduced only in steatotic livers. RBP4 administration exacerbated the negative consequences of liver surgery with respect to damage and liver regeneration in both liver types. RBP4 affected the mobilization of retinol from steatotic livers, and this revealed actions of RBP4 independent of simple retinol transport. The injurious effects of RBP4 were not due to changes in retinol levels. Treatment with retinol was effective only for steatotic livers. Indeed, retinol increased hepatic injury and impaired liver regeneration in nonsteatotic livers. In steatotic livers, retinol reduced damage and improved regeneration after surgery. These benefits of retinol were associated with a reduced accumulation of hepatocellular fat. Thus, strategies based on modulating RBP4 could be ineffective and possibly even harmful in both liver types in the setting of PH under I/R. In terms of clinical applications, a retinol pretreatment might open new avenues for liver surgery that specifically benefit the steatotic liver. Liver Transpl 18:1198-1208, 2012. (c) 2012 AASLD.

The local environment of Co2+ ions intercalated in vanadium oxide/hexadecylamine nanotubes

Vanadium oxide nanotubes constitute promising materials for applications in nanoelectronics as cathode materials, in sensor technology and in catalysis. In this work we present a study on hybrid vanadium oxide/hexadecylamine multiwall nanotubes doped with Co ions using state of the art x-ray diffraction and absorption techniques, to address the issue of the dopant location within the nanotubes' structure. The x-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis shows that the Co ions in the nanotubes are in the 2+ oxidation state, while extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy reveals the local environment of the Co2+ ions. Results indicate that Co atoms are exchanged at the interface between the vanadium oxide's layers and the hexadecylamines, reducing the amount of amine chains and therefore the interlayer distance, but preserving the tubular shape. The findings in this work are important for describing Co2+ interaction with vanadium oxide nanotubes at the molecular level and will help to improve the understanding of their physicochemical behavior, which is desired in view of their promising applications.

STUDY BY MASS SPECTROMETRY OF SOLUTIONS OF [HYDROXY(TOSYLOXY)IODO]BENZENE: PROPOSED DISPROPORTIONATION MECHANISMS

STUDY BY MASS SPECTROMETRY OF SOLUTIONS OF [HYDROXY(TOSYLOXY)IODO]BENZENE: PROPOSED DISPROPORTIONATION MECHANISMS. Solutions of [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene (HTIB or Koser's reagent) in acetonitrile were analyzed using high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) under different conditions. Several species were characterized in these analyses. Based on these data, mechanisms were proposed for the disproportionation of the iodine(III) compounds in iodine(V) and iodine(I) species.

The local power of the gradient test

The asymptotic expansion of the distribution of the gradient test statistic is derived for a composite hypothesis under a sequence of Pitman alternative hypotheses converging to the null hypothesis at rate n(-1/2), n being the sample size. Comparisons of the local powers of the gradient, likelihood ratio, Wald and score tests reveal no uniform superiority property. The power performance of all four criteria in one-parameter exponential family is examined.

Detection of partial discharges at field in SF6 insulated equipments

This paper presents the results of research aiming to develop partial discharge detection techniques in high voltage equipment, at substation environment. Measurements of high frequency components of leakage current, at equipments' grounding conductor, were performed. This procedure was performed with the equipment energized and without disconnecting it from the system. The partial discharge generated current pulse is picked up by a high frequency CT, and is detected by an oscilloscope. The partial discharge identification was made considering previously obtained laboratory results, where partial discharges were characterized by means of its time domain signatures. This paper focuses measurements in SF6 circuit breakers. Encouraging results were obtained, showing the feasibility of detecting partial discharges in energized equipment in the laboratory and in the field, in a substation environment, using this method.