| 671. |
- Bukovinszky, Tibor, et al.
(författare)
-
Combined effects of patch size and plant nutritional quality on local densities of insect herbivores
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Basic and Applied Ecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1439-1791 .- 1618-0089. ; 11:5, s. 396-405
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant-insect interactions occur in spatially heterogeneous habitats. Understanding how such interactions shape density distributions of herbivores requires knowledge on how variation in plant traits (e.g. nutritional quality) affects herbivore abundance through, for example, affecting movement rates and aggregation behaviour. We studied the effects of plant patch size and herbivore-induced differences in plant nutritional quality on local densities of insect herbivores for two Brassica oleracea cultivars, i.e. white cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Early season herbivory as a treatment resulted in measurable differences in glucosinolate concentrations in both cultivars throughout the season. Herbivore induction and patch size both influenced community composition of herbivores in both cultivars, but the effects differed between species. Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) were more abundant in large than in small patches, and this patch response was more pronounced on white cabbage than on Brussels sprouts. Herbivore-induction increased densities in all patches. Thrips tabaci was also more abundant in large patches and densities of this species were higher on Brussels sprouts than on white cabbage. Thrips densities were lower on induced than on control plants of both cultivars and this negative effect of induction tended to be more pronounced in large than in small patches. Densities of the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) were lower on Brussels sprouts than on white cabbage and lower on herbivore-induced than on uninduced plants, with no effect of patch size. No clear effects of patch size and induction were found for aphids. This study shows that constitutive and herbivore-induced differences in plant traits interact with patch responses of insect herbivores.
|
|
| 672. |
- Carthy, Jon M., et al.
(författare)
-
Tamoxifen Inhibits TGF-beta-Mediated Activation of Myofibroblasts by Blocking Non-Smad Signaling Through ERK1/2
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Journal of Cellular Physiology. - : Wiley. - 0021-9541 .- 1097-4652. ; 230:12, s. 3084-3092
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional cytokine which stimulates the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts are critical for normal wound healing, but also accumulate pathologically in a number of chronic inflammatory conditions where they are key contributors to aberrant tissue remodeling and fibrosis, and in cancer stroma. In the current study, we identified a role for tamoxifen as a potent inhibitor of the TGF-beta-mediated activation of primary human skin and breast fibroblasts. Our data indicate that tamoxifen does not interfere with canonical Smad signaling downstream of TGF-beta but rather blocks non-Smad signaling through ERK1/2 MAP-kinase and the AP-1 transcription factor FRA2. We further demonstrate by siRNA-mediated knockdown that FRA2 is critical for the induced expression of myogenic proteins in response to TGF-beta. Functionally, TGF-beta-stimulated fibroblast-mediated contraction of collagen gels was impaired in the presence of tamoxifen. Altogether, these data demonstrate that tamoxifen prevents myofibroblast differentiation and, therefore, may provide therapeutic benefits to patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions or cancer.
|
|
| 673. |
- Chemaly, Melody, et al.
(författare)
-
Biliverdin Reductase B Is a Plasma Biomarker for Intraplaque Hemorrhage and a Predictor of Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Symptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Biomolecules. - : MDPI AG. - 2218-273X. ; 13:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) is a hallmark of atherosclerotic plaque instability. Biliverdin reductase B (BLVRB) is enriched in plasma and plaques from patients with symptomatic carotid atherosclerosis and functionally associated with IPH. Objective: We explored the biomarker potential of plasma BLVRB through (1) its correlation with IPH in carotid plaques assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and with recurrent ischemic stroke, and (2) its use for monitoring pharmacotherapy targeting IPH in a preclinical setting. Methods: Plasma BLVRB levels were measured in patients with symptomatic carotid atherosclerosis from the PARISK study (n = 177, 5 year follow-up) with and without IPH as indicated by MRI. Plasma BLVRB levels were also measured in a mouse vein graft model of IPH at baseline and following antiangiogenic therapy targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Results: Plasma BLVRB levels were significantly higher in patients with IPH (737.32 & PLUSMN; 693.21 vs. 520.94 & PLUSMN; 499.43 mean fluorescent intensity (MFI), p = 0.033), but had no association with baseline clinical and biological parameters. Plasma BLVRB levels were also significantly higher in patients who developed recurrent ischemic stroke (1099.34 & PLUSMN; 928.49 vs. 582.07 & PLUSMN; 545.34 MFI, HR = 1.600, CI [1.092-2.344]; p = 0.016). Plasma BLVRB levels were significantly reduced following prevention of IPH by anti-VEGFR-2 therapy in mouse vein grafts (1189 & PLUSMN; 258.73 vs. 1752 & PLUSMN; 366.84 MFI; p = 0.004). Conclusions: Plasma BLVRB was associated with IPH and increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with symptomatic low- to moderate-grade carotid stenosis, indicating the capacity to monitor the efficacy of IPH-preventive pharmacotherapy in an animal model. Together, these results suggest the utility of plasma BLVRB as a biomarker for atherosclerotic plaque instability.
|
|
| 674. |
- Cohen, M., et al.
(författare)
-
A data symmetry reduction technique for temporal-epistemic logic
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Automated Technology for Verification and Analysis. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 3642047602 - 9783642047602 ; , s. 69-83
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a data symmetry reduction approach for model checking temporal-epistemic logic. The technique abstracts the epistemic indistinguishably relation for the knowledge operators, and is shown to preserve temporal-epistemic formulae. We show a method for statically detecting data symmetry in an ISPL program, the input to the temporal-epistemic model checker MCMAS. The experiments we report show an exponential saving in verification time and space while verifying security properties of the NSPK protocol.
|
|
| 675. |
- Cohen, M, et al.
(författare)
-
A symmetry reduction technique for model checking temporal epistemic logic
- 2009
-
Ingår i: 21ST INTERNATIONAL JOINT CONFERENCE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (IJCAI-09), PROCEEDINGS. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ; , s. 721-726
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We introduce a symmetry reduction technique for model checking temporal-epistemic properties of multi-agent systems defined in the mainstream interpreted systems framework. The technique, based on counterpart semantics, aims to reduce the set of initial states that need to be considered in a model. We present theoretical results establishing that there are neither false positives nor false negatives in the reduced model. We evaluate the technique by presenting the results of an implementation tested against two well known applications of epistemic logic, the muddy children and the dining cryptographers. The experimental results obtained confirm that the reduction in model checking time can be dramatic, thereby allowing for the verification of hitherto intractable systems.
|
|
| 676. |
- Cohen, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Abstraction in Model Checking Multi-agent Systems
- 2009
-
Ingår i: AAMAS '09 Proceedings of The 8th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems. - : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781615673346 ; , s. 710-717
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an abstraction technique for multi-agent, systems preserving temporal-epistcrnic specifications. We abstract a multi-agent system, defined in the interpreted systems framework, by collapsing the local states and actions of each agent in the system. We show that the resulting abstract system simulates the concrete system, from which we obtain a preservation theorem: If a temporal-epistemic specification holds on the abstract system, the specification also holds on the concrete one. In principle this permits us to model check the abstract system rather than the concrete one, thereby saving time and space in the verification step. We illustrate the abstraction technique with two examples. The first example, a card game, illustrates the potential savings in the cost of model checking a typical MAS scenario. In the second example, the abstraction technique is used to verify a communication protocol with an arbitrarily large data domain.
|
|
| 677. |
- Dam, B., et al.
(författare)
-
Chromogenic Materials and Devices
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - 0927-0248 .- 1879-3398. ; 143, s. 591-640
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
|
|
| 678. |
- Dam, B, et al.
(författare)
-
Preface
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - 0927-0248 .- 1879-3398. ; 143, s. 591-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
|
|
| 679. |
|
|
| 680. |
- de Jong, Wibe A, et al.
(författare)
-
Utilizing high performance computing for chemistry : parallel computational chemistry
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 12:26, s. 6896-6920
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parallel hardware has become readily available to the computational chemistry research community. This perspective will review the current state of parallel computational chemistry software utilizing high-performance parallel computing platforms. Hardware and software trends and their effect on quantum chemistry methodologies, algorithms, and software development will also be discussed.
|
|
