Improved Dijkstra Algorithm for Mobile Robot Path Planning and Obstacle Avoidance

Optimal path planning avoiding obstacles is among the most attractive applications of mobile robots(MRs)in both research and education.In this paper,an optimal collision-free algorithm is designed and implemented practically based on an improved Dijkstra algorithm.To achieve this research objectives,first,the MR obstacle-free environment is modeled as a diagraph including nodes,edges and weights.Second,Dijkstra algorithm is used offline to generate the shortest path driving the MR from a starting point to a target point.During its movement,the robot should follow the previously obtained path and stop at each node to test if there is an obstacle between the current node and the immediately following node.For this aim,the MR was equipped with an ultrasonic sensor used as obstacle detector.If an obstacle is found,the MR updates its diagraph by excluding the corresponding node.Then,Dijkstra algorithm runs on the modified diagraph.This procedure is repeated until reaching the target point.To verify the efficiency of the proposed approach,a simulation was carried out on a hand-made MR and an environment including 9 nodes,19 edges and 2 obstacles.The obtained optimal path avoiding obstacles has been transferred into motion control and implemented practically using line tracking sensors.This study has shown that the improved Dijkstra algorithm can efficiently solve optimal path planning in environments including obstacles and that STEAM-based MRs are efficient cost-effective tools to practically implement the designed algorithm.

Atmospheric Corrosion Studies of Ductile Iron and Austenitic Stainless Steel in an Extreme Marine Environment

This paper presents the corrosion characteristics and the accompanying changes in the microstructure of unalloyed duc-tile iron (DI) and austenitic stainless steel (ASS) in table salt medium representing an upper limit in an extreme marine environment. The individual corrosion rates of DI and ASS was evaluated for the maximum time period of 1200 hr. Using the immersion test technique, the corrosion rate of DI was evaluated and found to be four-orders of magnitude greater than that of ASS. The corrosion product morphologies of the DI showed that the nodular matrix was gradually covered up as immersion time progressed while the corrosion channels and volume of pits that initially formed in ASS respectively deepened and increased with increased exposure time. This work is important as a reference point for the quantification of the corrosion effectiveness of alloying DI. The microstructures of the corroded samples showed corro-sion initiation and gradual accumulation of corrosion products.

Changes of water chemistry from rainfall to stream flow in Obagbile Catchment, Southwest Nigeria

Water chemistry changes when it flows through different pathways.This study aims to characterize the differences of water(including rainwater,overland flow,soil water,groundwater,and stream water)chemistry of five kinds of water in Obagbile Catchment in Southwest Nigeria,determine the changes in water chemistry that occur as the water moves from one pathway to another,and identify the factors responsible for the water chemistry changes.To do these,we collected 50 water samples from 10 heavy storms that received equal to or more than 10 mm of rain within an hour to test the changes of water chemical properties across various pathways in this study.The results show that overland flow had the highest p H and electrical conductivity(EC)and rainwater had the lowest values of the two parameters.Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),Cl^(ˉ),and HCOO^(ˉ) were found to have their highest concentrations in stream water;meanwhile,NO_(3)^(–),NH_(4)^(+),and SO_(4)^(2–) were found to have almost the same low concentrations in all the water samples.K+was only dominant in stream water;while dissolved organic carbon(DOC)was lowest in rainwater,same in overland flow,soil water,and groundwater samples,and highest in stream flow.Principal component analysis(PCA)showed that for all the water samples from different pathways,two factors mainly accounted for the total variances.The two factors were related to the crustal and anthropogenic sources in rainwater,suggesting that the high loadings of major cations(e.g.,Ca^(2+) and Mg^(2+)) in rainwater samples are soil-derived.The PCA for the overland flow and soil water showed strong correlations among pH,EC,and the concentrations of Na^(+),Mg^(2+),HCOO^(-),and CH_(3)COO^(-),while the high loadings of all the parameters and the strong correlations among each other were evident in the stream water.In conclusion,the chemical constituents found in water are also the components of pathways through which the water flows.The major factors responsible for the change in the chemical properties of water in Obagbile Catchment are weathering and anthropogenic activities.

Analytical investigation of bidirectional ductile diaphragms in multi-span bridges

In the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Seismic Bridge Design Provisions,ductile diaphragms are identified as Permissible Earthquake-Resisting Elements（EREs）,designed to help resist seismic loads applied in the transverse direction of bridges.When adding longitudinal ductile diaphragms,a bidirectional ductile diaphragm system is created that can address seismic excitations acting along both the bridge’s longitudinal and transverse axes.This paper investigates bidirectional ductile diaphragms with Buckling Restrained Braces（BRBs）in straight multi-span bridge with simply supported floating spans.The flexibility of the substructures in the transverse and longitudinal direction of the bridge is considered.Design procedures for the bidirectional ductile diaphragms are first proposed.An analytical model of the example bridge with bidirectional ductile diaphragms,designed based on the proposed methodology,is then built in SAP2000.Pushover and nonlinear time history analyses are performed on the bridge model,and corresponding results are presented.The effect of changing the longitudinal stiffness of the bidirectional ductile diaphragms in the end spans connecting to the abutment is also investigated,in order to better understand the impact on the bridge’s dynamic performance.

Territorial Planning for Coastal Zones in Chile:The Need for Geographical-Environmental and Natural Risk Indicators for Spatial Decision Support Systems

Coastal zones are very dynamic and fragile environments, constituting a landscape ever more heterogeneous, fragmented and with increasing levels of complexity due to the changing relationship between man and nature. Integrated coastal zone management therefore requires detailed knowledge of the system and its components, based—to a large extent—on technical and scientific information. However, the information generated must be in line with the political requirements necessary for decision-making and planning. Thus the use of indicators to give a simplified view of the many components of the territory, and at the same time to provide important information about patterns or trends, becomes a tool of the utmost importance. These indicators can be understood as measurable characteristics of the environment, which facilitate comprehension of the processes occurring at different scales and serve as a reference to inform the population and support decision-making. The aim of the present note is to demonstrate briefly the need to develop geographical-environmental and natural risk indicators to facilitate comprehension of the dynamic of spatial and temporal landscape patterns, particularly in coastal environments. This approach offers an historical summary of the natural, socio-economic and political processes which currently make up the territory, and which without doubt will continue to influence it in the future. At the same time, it is proposed that information should be integrated on the basis of this framework with a view to generating spatial decision support systems in a context of planning and integrated management of the coastal zones of Chile.

Global comparisons of beta diversity among mammals,birds,reptiles,and amphibians across spatial scales and taxonomic ranks

Beta diversity is the change in species composition among areas in a geographic region. The proportion of species shared between two areas often decreases when the distance separating them increases, leading to an increase in beta diversity. This study compares beta diversity among four classes of terrestrial vertebrates （mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians） at both regional （biogeographic realm） and global extents, using the same sets of faunal sample units for all four groups in each comparison. Beta diversity is lower for the two endothermic taxa （birds and mammals） than for the two ectothermic taxa （reptiles and amphibians） in all six biogeographic realms examined. When the four taxa in the six biogeographic realms are combined, beta diversity at the species rank is higher than that of the genus rank by a factor of 1.24, and is higher than that of the family rank by a factor of 1.85. The ratio of beta diversity at the genus rank to that at the family rank is 1.50. Beta diversity is slightly higher for ecoregions of 5000-99,999 km^2 than for ecoregions of 100,000-5,000,000 km^2.

Rock-like behavior of biocemented sand treated under non-sterile environment and various treatment conditions

Microbially induced calcite precipitation(MICP)is a recently developed technique for microbiological ground improvement that has been applied for mitigating various geotechnical challenges.However,the major challenges,such as calcite precipitation uniformity,presence of different bacteria,cementation solution optimization for cost reduction,and implementation under non-sterile and uncontrolled field environment are still not fully explored and require detailed investigation before field application.This study aims to address these challenges of MICP to improve the geotechnical properties of sandy soils.Several series of experiments were conducted using poorly graded Narmada River(India)sand,which were subjected to various biotreatment schemes and tested for unconfined compressive strength(UCS),split tensile strength(STS),ultrasonic pulse velocity(UPV),hydraulic conductivity(after 6 d,12 d,and 18 d of treatment),and calcite content.The microstructure of sand was examined through a scanning electron microscope(SEM).Initially,the sand was individually augmented with two non-pathogenic bacterial strains,i.e.Sporosarcina(S.)pasteurii and Bacillus(B.)sphaericus.The stopped-flow injection method was adopted to provide cementation solutions at three different durations(treatment cycle)of 12 h,24 h,and 48 h and three different pore volumes(PVs)of 1,0.75,and 0.5.The pore volume here refers to the porosity which is expressed as a ratio,i.e.a porosity of 50%was used as 0.5.The results showed rock-like behaviors of biocemented sand with the UCS,STS,and UPV enhancement up to 2333 kPa,437 kPa,and 2670 m/s,respectively.The hydraulic conductivity reduction of 96.6%was achieved by 12%of calcite formation after 18 d of treatment using Sporosarcina pasteurii,12-h treatment cycle,and one pore volume of cementation media in each cycle.Overall,a 24-h treatment cycle and 0.5-pore volume cementation solution were found to be the optimal treatment which was effective and economical to achieve heavily cemented,rock-type biocemented sand using both bacteria.

Residual feed intake divergence during the preweaning period is associated with unique hindgut microbiome and metabolome profiles in neonatal Holstein heifer calves

Background:Recent studies underscored that divergence in residual feed intake(RFI)in mature beef and dairy cattle is associated with changes in ruminal microbiome and metabolome profiles which may contribute,at least in part,to better feed efficiency.Because the rumen in neonatal calves during the preweaning period is underdeveloped until close to weaning,they rely on hindgut microbial fermentation to breakdown undigested diet components.This leads to production of key metabolites such as volatile fatty acids(VFA),amino acids,and vitamins that could potentially be absorbed in the hind-gut and help drive growth and development.Whether RFI divergence in neonatal calves is associated with changes in hindgut microbial communities and metabolites is largely unknown.Therefore,the objective of the current study was to determine differences in hindgut microbiome and metabolome in neonatal Holstein heifer calves retrospectively-grouped based on feed efficiency as mostefficient(M-eff)or least-efficient(L-eff)calves using RFI divergence during the preweaning period.Methods:Twenty-six Holstein heifer calves received 3.8 L of first-milking colostrum from their respective dams within 6 h after birth.Calves were housed in individual outdoor hutches bedded with straw,fed twice daily with a milk replacer,and had ad libitum access to a starter grain mix from birth to weaning at 42 d of age.Calves were classified into M-eff[n=13;RFI coefficient=−5.72±0.94 kg DMI(milk replacer+starter grain)/d]and L-eff[n=13;RFI coefficient=5.61±0.94 kg DMI(milk replacer+starter grain)/d]based on a linear regression model including the combined starter grain mix and milk replacer DMI,average daily gain(ADG),and metabolic body weight(MBW).A deep sterile rectal swab exposed only to the rectum was collected immediately at birth before colostrum feeding(i.e.,d 0),and fecal samples at d 14,28,and 42(prior to weaning)for microbiome and untargeted metabolome analyses using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and LC-MS.Microbiome data were analyzed with the QIIME 2 platform and metabolome data with the MetaboAnalyst 4.0 pipeline.Results:No differences(P>0.05)in body measurements including body weight(BW),body length(BL),hip height(HH),hip width(HW),and wither height(WH)were detected between M-eff and L-eff calves at birth and during preweaning.Although milk replacer intake did not differ between groups,compared with L-eff,M-eff heifers had lower starter intake(P<0.01)between d 18 to 42 of age,whereas no differences(P>0.05)for ADG,cumulative BWG,or body measurements were observed between RFI groups during the preweaning period.Microbiome and metabolome profiles through the first 42 d of age indicated greater hindgut capacity for the production of energy-generating substrates(butyrate and propionate)and essential nutrients(vitamins and amino acids)in heifers with greater estimated feed efficiency.Conclusion:Despite consuming approximately 54.6%less solid feed(cumulative intake,10.90 vs.19.98±1.66 kg)from birth to weaning,the microbiome-metabolome changes in the hindgut of most-efficient heifers might have helped them maintain the same level of growth as the least-efficient heifers.

RNA interference-mediated gene silencing of vascular endothelial growth factor in colon cancer cells

瞄准：由 RNA 干扰(RNAi ) 在结肠癌房间线禁止脉管的内皮生长因素(VEGF ) 的表示。方法：跟随了 E-RNAi 的服务，我们设计了并且构造了二种 shRNA 表示向量瞄准 VEGF 基因，然后 transfected 他们进由 lipofectamineTM 的结肠癌 HT29 房间 2000。VEGF mRNA 的水平被 RT-PCR 并且北弄污调查。VEGF 的蛋白质表示被 immunofluoresence 染色并且西方的弄污观察。结果：我们得到了能高效地在 HT29 房间禁止 VEGF 的表示的二种 VEGF 特定的 shRNA 表示向量。RT-PCR，北弄污， immunofluoresence 染色并且西方的弄污证明为 VEGF 表示的那抑制率分别地直到 42% ， 89% ， 73% 和 82% 。结论：VEGF 的表示能被 RNA 干扰在 HT29 房间禁止。

Effects of supplements differing in fatty acid profile to late gestational beef cows on cow performance,calf growth performance,and mRNA expression of genes associated with myogenesis and adipogenesis

Background:Maternal nutrition during gestation affects fetal development,which has long-term programming effects on offspring postnatal growth performance.With a critical role in protein and lipid metabolism,essential fatty acids can influence the development of muscle and adipose tissue.The experiment investigated the effects of late gestation supplements(77 d prepartum),either rich in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids(CON;155 g/cow/d EnerGII)or polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA;80 g/cow/d Strata and 80 g/cow/d Prequel),on cow performance and subsequent calf growth performance as well as mRNA expression in longissimus muscle(LM)and subcutaneous adipose tissue at birth and weaning.Results:There was no difference(P≥0.34)in cow body weight(BW)or body condition score from presupplementation through weaning.Relative concentrations of C18:3n-3 and C20:4n-6 decreased(P≤0.05)to a greater extent from mid-supplementation to calving for PUFA compared with CON cows.Cow plasma C20:0,C20:5n-3,and C22:6n-3 were increased(P≤0.01)in PUFA during supplementation period.At birth,PUFA steers had greater(P=0.01)plasma C20:5n-3.No differences(P≥0.33)were detected in steer birth BW or dam milk production,however,CON steers tended(P=0.06)to have greater pre-weaning average daily gain and had greater(P=0.05)weaning BW compared with PUFA.For mRNA expression in steers:MYH7 and C/EBPβin LM increased(P≤0.04)to a greater extent from birth to weaning for PUFA compared with CON;MYF5 in LM and C/EBPβin adipose tissue tended(P≤0.08)to decrease more from birth to weaning for CON compared with PUFA;SCD in PUFA adipose tissue tended(P=0.08)to decrease to a greater extent from birth to weaning than CON.In addition,maternal PUFA supplementation tended(P=0.08)to decrease MYOG mRNA expression in LM and decreased(P=0.02)ZFP423 in adipose tissue during the pre-weaning stage.Conclusions:Late gestation PUFA supplementation decreased pre-weaning growth performance of the subsequent steer progeny compared with CON supplementation,which could have been a result of downregulated mRNA expression of myogenic genes during pre-weaning period.

Prepartum dietary energy intake alters adipose tissue transcriptome profiles during the periparturient period in Holstein dairy cows

Background:The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of energy overfeeding during the dry period on adipose tissue transcriptome profiles during the periparturient period in dairy cows.Methods:Fourteen primiparous Holstein cows from a larger cohort receiving a higher-energy diet(1.62 Mcal of net energy for lactation/kg of dry matter;15%crude protein)for ad libitum intake to supply 150%(OVR)or 100%(CTR)of energy requirements from dry off until parturition were used.After calving,all cows received the same lactation diet.Subcutaneous adipose tissue(SAT)biopsies were collected at−14,1,and 14d fromparturition(d)and used for transcriptome profiling using a bovine oligonucleotide microarray.Data mining of differentially expressed genes(DEG)between treatments and due to sampling time was performed using the Dynamic Impact Approach(DIA)and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis(IPA).Results:There was a strong effect of over-feeding energy on DEG with 2434(False discovery rate-corrected P<0.05)between OVR and CTR at−14 d,and only 340 and 538 at 1 and 14 d.The most-impacted and activated pathways in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)database that were highlighted by DIA analysis at−14 d in OVR vs.CTR included 9 associated with carbohydrate metabolism,with‘Pyruvate metabolism’,‘Glycolysis/gluconeogenesis’,and‘Pentose phosphate pathway’among the most-activated.Not surprisingly,OVR led to marked activation of lipid metabolism(e.g.‘Fatty acid biosynthesis’and‘Glycerolipid metabolism’).Unexpected metabolic pathways that were activated at−14 d in OVR included several related to metabolism of amino acids(e.g.branched chain)and of cofactors and vitamins(thiamin).Among endocrine and immune system pathways,at−14 d OVR led to marked activation of‘PPAR signalling’and‘Antigen processing and presentation’.Among key pathways affected over time in OVR,a number were related to translation(e.g.mTOR signaling),endocrine/immune signaling(CXCR4 and IGF1),and lipid metabolism(oxidative phosphorylation)with greater activation in OVR vs.CTR specifically at−14 d.Although statistical differences for several pathways in OVR vs.CTR nearly disappeared at 1 and 14 vs.−14 d,despite the well-known catabolic state of adipose depots after calving,the bioinformatics analyses suggested important roles for a number of signaling mechanisms at−14 vs.14 than 1 vs.-14 d.This was particularly evident in cows fed to meet predicted energy requirements during the dry period(CTR).Conclusions:Data underscored a strong activation by overfeeding energy of anabolic processes in the SAT exclusively prepartum.The study confirmed that higher-energy diets prepartum drive a transcriptional cascade of events orchestrated in part by the activation of PPARγthat regulate preadipocyte differentiation and lipid storage in SAT.Novel aspects of SAT biology to energy overfeeding or change in physiologic state also were uncovered,including the role of amino acid metabolism,mTOR signaling,and the immune system.

RNA Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

OBJECTIVE To inhibit the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by RNA interference, and to observe the effect in different cells line. METHODS Using the services of E-RNAi, we designed and constructed two kinds of shRNAs expression vectors which were aimed at the VEGF gene. These vectors were then transfected into HEK293, colon cancer HT29, Hela and HepG2 cells by LipofectamineTM 2000. The level of VEGF mRNA was determined by RT-PCR and Northern blotting and the VEGF expression was examined by immunofluoresence staining. RESULTS The two kinds of VEGF specific shRNAs expression vectors were found to efficiently inhibit the expression of VEGF in HEK293 and HT29 cells by RT-PCR analysis, with inhibition rates of 72% and 42%, respectively; but the inhibition rates were reduced to 28% in Hela cells and 13% in HepG2 cells. Northern blotting showed that the inhibition rates of VEGF mRNA expression were 88% and 89% in HEK293 and HT29 cells, respectively. The inhibition rate of VEGF protein expression in HT29 cells was 73% based on immunofluoresence staining. CONCLUSION The expression of VEGF was inhibited by RNA interference, but differed with various cells lines, showing that RNA interference was cell-line dependent.

Qualitative reappraisal of perspectives,prevalence,and management of family violence among the Yoruba people:a study of representatives of some Yoruba ethnic subgroups from Ile Ife

Objective:The analysis of changing definitions and perspectives of violating behaviors within cultural contexts will inform the responses and interventions that will mostly reduce the occurrences of family violence.Methods:This study used focus group discussions of purposively selected participants to generate data that were analyzed using content with themes of definition,perspectives,prevalent forms,persons mostly affected,perpetrators,and management strategies among the Yoruba people.Results:There were multiple words and descriptions in the local Yoruba language for abuse and violence,but no single word for either of the two concepts.Common forms of family violence identified were verbal assaults from parents to children,among couples,siblings,physical assault of children by parents,physical assault of parents by children,neglect of children,parents,spouses mostly wives,sexual harassment,and sexual violence.Neglect of wives and children was perceived to be increasing,occurring in one in four houses.Sexual harassment and sexual violence were perceived to be rare,but the latter not an issue in marriage.A variant of sexual“touching”said to be tolerated with unmarried young people was identified as common among this ethnic group.Age and gender were dominant factors in the use of common forms of violence.Informal approaches were methods of management of family violence but perceived inadequate.Conclusions:This study concluded that family violence is a common phenomenon occurring among family members.Hence,formal acceptable interventions that will be appropriate for this ethnic subgroup are required.

"17% at or above the 95th percentile"——What is wrong with this statement?

When reporting the prevalence of childhood obesity in the USA a few years ago,the magazine U.S.News & World Report stated: "...some 17 percent of kids are now obese,which means they’re at or above the 95th percentile for weight in relation to height for their age;an additional 17 percent are overweight, or at or over the 85th percentile." Anyone with some basic training in measurement or statistics will realize that this statement is incorrect.This is because the percentile is defined as the value below which a certain percent of observations fall in a population.For example,the

Facile synthesis of zinc-based organic framework for aqueous Hg (Ⅱ) removal: Adsorption performance and mechanism

Mercury(Hg)ions can lead to a serious impact on the environment;therefore,it was necessary to find an effective method for absorbing these toxic Hg ions.Here,the adsorbent(Zn-AHMT)was synthesized from zinc nitrate and 4-amino 3-hydrazine-5 mercapto-1,2,4-triazole(AHMT)by one-step method and,characterized the microstruc-ture and absorption performance by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Brunauer-Emmett Teller(BET),Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer(TGA)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).Through a plethora of measurements,we found that the maximum adsorption capacity was 802.8 mg/g when the optimal pH of Zn-AHMT was 3.0.The isothermal and kinetic experiments confirm that the reaction process of Zn-AHMT was chemisorption,while the adsorption process conforms to the Hill model and pseudo second order kinetic model.Thermodynamic experiments showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic.Selective experiments were performed in the simulated wastewater containing Mn,Mg,Cr,Al,Co,Ni,Hg ions.Our results showed that the Zn-AHMT has a stronger affinity for Hg ions.The removal rate of Zn-AHMT remained above 98%,indicating that the Zn-AHMT had a good stability validated by three adsorption-desorption repeatable tests.According to the XPS results,the adsorption reaction of Zn-AHMT was mainly attributed to the chelation and ion exchange.This was further explained by both density functional theory(DFT)calculation and frontier molecular orbital theory.We therefore propose the adsorption mechanism of Zn-AHMT.The adsorption reaction facilitates via the synergistic action of S and N atoms.Moreover,the bonding between the adsorbent and the N atom has been proved to be more stable.Our study demonstrated that Zn-AHMT had a promising application prospect in mercury removal.

ANALYSIS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL EDGE CRACKS UNDER TENSILE LOADING

Three-dimensional edge cracks are analyzed using the Self-SimilarCrack Expansion (SSCE)method with a boundary integral equationtechnique. The boundary integral equations for surface cracks in ahalf space are presented based on a half space Green'sfunction(Mindlin, 1936). By using the SSCe method, the stressintensity factors are determined by crack-opening displacement overthe crack surface. In discrete boundary integral equations, theregular and singular integrals on the crack sur- face elements areevaluated by an analytical method, and the closed form expressions ofthe integrals are given for subsurface cracks and edge cracks.

ACTIVITY PROFILES OF ANTIMUTAGENS

The short-term tests (STT) that have been usedsuccessfully to identify mutagens and potentialcarcinogens increasingly are being used to identifyantimutagens and potential anticarcinogens.Theconcept of activity profiles,already appliedsuccessfully to the display of mutagenicity

Patient Centered Real-Time Mobile Health Monitoring System

In this paper, we introduce a system architecture for a patient centered mobile health monitoring (PCMHM) system that deploys different sensors to determine patients’ activities, medical conditions, and the cause of an emergency event. This system combines and analyzes sensor data to produce the patients’ detailed health information in real-time. A central computational node with data analyzing capability is used for sensor data integration and analysis. In addition to medical sensors, surrounding environmental sensors are also utilized to enhance the interpretation of the data and to improve medical diagnosis. The PCMHM system has the ability to provide on-demand health information of patients via the Internet, track real-time daily activities and patients’ health condition. This system also includes the capability for assessing patients’ posture and fall detection.

Dietary plant extracts modulate gene expression profiles in alveolar macrophages of pigs experimentally infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Background: Our previous study showed that 3 plant extracts enhanced the immune responses and growth efficiency of weaned pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV), which is one of the most economically important disease in swine industry. However, each plant extract differently effected on growth efficiency and immune responses. Therefore, the objective of this study was conducted to characterize the effects and investigate the potential underlying mechanisms of 3 plant extracts on gene expression of alveolar macrophages in weaned pigs experimentally infected with PRRSV.Results: PRRSV infection altered(P < 0.05) the expression of 1,352 genes in pigs fed the control(CON;755 up, 597 down). Compared with the infected CON, feeding capsicum(CAP), garlic botanical(GAR), or turmeric oleoresin(TUR) altered the expression of 46 genes(24 up, 22 down), 134 genes(59 up, 75 down), or 98 genes(55 up, 43 down) in alveolar macrophages of PRRSV-infected pigs, respectively. PRRSV infection up-regulated(P < 0.05) the expression of genes related to cell apoptosis, immune system process, and response to stimulus, but downregulated(P < 0.05) the expression of genes involved in signaling transduction and innate immune response.Compared with the infected CON, feeding TUR or GAR reduced(P < 0.05) the expression of genes associated with antigen processing and presentation, feeding CAP up-regulated(P < 0.05) the expression of genes involved in antigen processing and presentation. Supplementation of CAP, GAR, or TUR also enhanced(P < 0.05) the expression of several genes related to amino acid metabolism, steroid hormone synthesis, or RNA degradation, respectively.Conclusions: The results suggest that 3 plant extracts differently regulated the expression of genes in alveolar macrophages of PRRSV-infected pigs, especially altering genes involved in immunity.

Bilevel Architecture for High—Thronghput Computing

We have prototyped and analyzed design of a novel approach for the high throughput computing-a core element for the emerging HENP computational grid.Independent event processing in HENP is well suted for computing in parallel.The prototype facilitateds use of inexpensive mass-market components by poviding fault tolerant resilienece (instead of the expensive total system reliablity) via highly scalable management components. The ability to handle both hardware and software failures on a large dedicated HENP facility limits the need for user intervention.A robust data management is especially important in HENP computing since large data-flows occur before and /or atfer each processing task.The architecture of our active object object coordination schema implements a multi-level hierarchical agent model,It provides fault tolerance by splitting a large overall task into independent atomic processes,performed by lower level agents synchronizing each other via a local database.Necessary control function performed by higher level agents interact with the same database thus managing distributed data production.The system has been tested in production environment for simulations in the STAR experiment at RHIC.Our architectural prototype controlled processes on more than a hundred processors at a time and has run for extended periods of time.Twenty terabytes of simulated data hava been produced.The generic nature of our two level architectural solution fault tolerance in distributed environment has been demonstrated by ist successful test for the grid file replication services between BNL and LBNL.