Components Of Resistance Research Articles

THE POLYMORPHISM -308 G/A OF THE TNF GENE AND METABOLIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common form of liver disease, is now recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. Tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α), a member of the TNF/TNFR cytokine family, is an intercellular transmission molecule that has been reported in a wide range of human noninfection diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the circulating levels of TNF-α and the nature of its relationships with the components of insulin resistance, both metabolic and hormonal, in patients with type 2 diabetes; and establishing the nature of cardiovascular complications (taking into account TNF-α gene polymorphism) in the presence and absence of NAFLD. Materials and methods. Case-control study included information about 50 practically healthy people from the city of Kharkiv and the region. The examined population (except control subjects) consisted exclusively of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with a long-term existence of the disease against the background of metabolic syndrome, with varying degrees of glycemic control and violations of liver homeostasis in the absence of renal failure. 117 people were selected for analysis: 63 of them with type 2 diabetes in the presence of NAFLD and 54 patients with type 2 diabetes without NAFLD. Genotyping for single nucleotide polymorphism -308 G>A of the TNF-α was performed by the method of polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers and NcoI endonuclease. Testing of statistical hypotheses was carried out using the odds ratio and χ2 criteria at the significance level of P≤0.05. Results. The contribution of the genetic component to the formation of the predisposition to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the single-nucleotide polymorphism -308 G>A of the TNFα gene was determined, which makes it possible to consider the carrier of the A allele as a factor of increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. No association of the studied polymorphism with the risk of developing NAFLD was found. The obtained data make it possible to assume that the studied polymorphism -308 G>A of the TNFα gene is more associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the occurrence or progression of NAFLD primarily depends on metabolic imbalance, and not on the contribution of the studied polymorphism. Conclusions. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is closely related to hormonal and metabolic risk factors and markers of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and may increase the risk of developing and progressing cardiovascular complications. The contribution of the genetic component to the formation of the predisposition to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the single-nucleotide polymorphism -308 G>A of the TNFα gene was determined, which makes it possible to consider the carrier of the A allele as a factor of increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Justification of the soil dem-model parameters for predicting the plow body resistance forces during plowing

The discrete element method has recently become a popular tool for developing soil models to be used for modelling the tillage process, which involves using working tools. The research aims to evaluate the parameters of the contact model particles when modelling tillage with large–sized working tools using the discrete element method. The paper presents the results of calibration of the physico-mechanical parameters of the particles of the soil environment model described using the discrete element method. The model is used for modelling the tillage process using moldboard plow. The parameters of the simulated particles to be studied are the Poisson's ratio, coefficients of static and dynamic friction of particles, Young's modulus, surface energy, particles' diameter, coefficients of static and dynamic metal friction of particles. Calibration was carried out according to the horizontal, vertical and transverse components of the traction resistance of the plow body. The obtained dependences of the components of the plow body traction resistance on soil moisture and surface energy help select parameters for the Hertz-Mindlin contact model while modelling the behavior of the soil environment when interacting with the working tools of tillage and sowing machines.

Temperature Dependence of the Channel and Drift Resistance of SiC Power MOSFETs Extracted from I-V and C-V Measurements

SiC power MOSFETs show very promising electrical performance for efficient and reliable high temperature operation. This work presents a novel approach for the determination of the temperature dependence of SiC power MOSFET’s channel and drift resistance components in the on-state, which are extracted based on current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements without the need of data extrapolation. The results show that the channel resistance has weak, whereas the drift resistance has strong temperature dependence.

Systematic characterization for RF small-signal parameter extraction of 28 nm FDSOI MOSFETs up to 110 GHz

A systematic RF characterization and small-signal parameter extraction for 28 nm fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) MOSFETs is presented in this paper. Two-step and hybrid de-embedding methodologies have been applied and compared for the accurate de-embedding of the on-chip RF test pads and access interconnect line elements. To avoid the accumulated error from the de-embedding for the small signal model of the FDSOI MOSFET, an error check criterion is adopted and utilized. Then, the complete extrinsic and intrinsic small-signal parameters of the device were extracted at multi-bias points based on the combination of direct extraction and linear regression approaches. For the extrinsic parameter extraction, the substrate-related parasitic elements and the extrinsic resistance components have been extracted. For the intrinsic small-signal parameter extraction, a complete model is presented and applied for direct extraction of the small-signal parameters. To verify the validity of the proposed modeling approach and the employed small-signal model, the S-parameters of a 28 nm FDSOI NMOS device with a 16 × 1 μm gate width were measured and characterized. From the comparison of the measured and modeled data, it is found that the proposed de-embedding and small-signal model provide an accurate characterization of RF parameter extraction for the FDSOI MOSFETs up to 110 GHz.

Plateau Pressure and Driving Pressure in Volume- and Pressure-Controlled Ventilation: Comparison of Frictional and Viscoelastic Resistive Components in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

To examine frictional, viscoelastic, and elastic resistive components, as well threshold pressures, during volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) in pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prospective cohort study. Seven-bed PICU, Hospital El Carmen de Maipú, Chile. Eighteen mechanically ventilated patients less than or equal to 15 years old undergoing neuromuscular blockade as part of management for ARDS. None. All patients were in VCV mode during measurement of pulmonary mechanics, including: the first pressure drop (P1) upon reaching zero flow during the inspiratory hold, peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), plateau pressure (P PLAT ), and total positive end-expiratory pressure (tPEEP). We calculated the components of the working pressure, as defined by the following: frictional resistive = PIP-P1; viscoelastic resistive = P1-P PLAT ; purely elastic = driving pressure (ΔP) = P PLAT -tPEEP; and threshold = intrinsic PEEP. The procedures and calculations were repeated on PCV, keeping the same tidal volume and inspiratory time. Measurements in VCV were considered the gold standard. We performed Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman analysis. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) for patient age was 5 months (2-17 mo). Tidal volume was 5.7 mL/kg (5.3-6.1 mL/kg), PIP cm H 2 O 26 (23-27 cm H 2 O), P1 23 cm H 2 O (21-26 cm H 2 O), P PLAT 19 cm H 2 O (17-22 cm H 2 O), tPEEP 9 cm H 2 O (8-9 cm H 2 O), and ΔP 11 cm H 2 O (9-13 cm H 2 O) in VCV mode at baseline. There was a robust correlation (rho > 0.8) and agreement between frictional resistive, elastic, and threshold components of working pressure in both modes but not for the viscoelastic resistive component. The purely frictional resistive component was negligible. Median peak inspiratory flow with decelerating-flow was 21 (IQR, 15-26) and squared-shaped flow was 7 L/min (IQR, 6-10 L/min) ( p < 0.001). P PLAT , ΔP, and tPEEP can guide clinical decisions independent of the ventilatory mode. The modest purely frictional resistive component emphasizes the relevance of maintaining the same safety limits, regardless of the selected ventilatory mode. Therefore, peak inspiratory flow should be studied as a mechanism of ventilator-induced lung injury in pediatric ARDS.

A Study of the Resistance Components of Planing Hull Using Interceptors

The extreme motions created a negative effect on planing hull. Otherwise, interceptors enable the improvement of hydrodynamic characteristics of the highspeed craft. The total drag of the ship can be divided into two components: pressure and shear forces. This project specifically aims to predict the drag component based on CFD simulation with and without an interceptor based on resistance components. The volume of fluid is used in a compound with a RANS solver to determine drag and trim in calm water conditions. SIMPLE algorithm using overset mesh and DFBI was modeled free in heave and pitch to simulate the rigid body motion as a response to shear and pressure drag exerted by the fluid. A grid independence study has been used to predict uncertainties using time-step and grid spacing. Additionally, to guarantee to proceed with the simulation, ITTC recommendations had been followed. The benchmark study was undertaken as an experimental comparison by Park et al. In general, ship performance was controlled by pressure force in the displacement phase and planing phase, the shear and pressure forces are balanced. The interceptor can decrease the pressure force by 5% in the hump region and planing phase.

Distributed Power Sharing Control Based on Adaptive Virtual Impedance in Seaport Microgrids With Cold Ironing

In a seaport microgrid (SMG), power sharing among distributed generation (DG) units is hindered by power coupling, line changes as well as frequent power fluctuations caused by ship charging and discharging through cold ironing, which in turn threatens system stability and inverter security. This paper proposes a delay-tolerant distributed adaptive virtual impedance control strategy for assigned active and reactive power sharing, so as to suppress the circulating current among DGs. Firstly, the nonlinear impedance-power droop equations (IPDEs) are derived to actively update the resistive and inductive components of virtual impedance, which can accommodate changes in line structure and output power. Secondly, by means of low-bandwidth communication with quantized data and time delay, the desired power terms derived from practical consensus protocols are fed into the IPDEs, for which the proposed scheme gives a quantitative maximum tolerable communication delay with respect to power sharing accuracy. Thirdly, considering the voltage drop caused by virtual impedance, inspired by traditional synchronous generators, we design a virtual impedance loop based on virtual damping and inertia to preserve voltage dynamics. Finally, an SMG containing four DG units is simulated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy on both active and reactive power sharing.

Impedance models for single and two degree of freedom linings with an improved data base and local non-linearity

Previously developed predictive models for impedance of single-degree-of-freedom and two-degree-of-freedom acoustic linings driven by a broad band acoustic source are reexamined. Two issues are addressed, the first being improvement of the conventional perforate face sheet impedance model. Data correlations based on flow bench measurements of steady flow pressure drop are reevaluated with emphasis on low flow velocity to improve the consistency of the prediction of linear resistance. In addition, for two-degree-of-freedom linings, face sheet mass reactance is modified to account for the presence of the septum. The second issue addresses the implication that for a non-linear lining, with impedance a function of the local sound pressure level, the installed performance of the lining depends on the local impedance, as opposed to impedance based on the source sound pressure level. This is investigated in the benchmarking of the impedance models by comparison of the acoustic transfer function predicted by a propagation code with the imbedded impedance model and transfer function measurements made in a grazing flow duct test facility. The propagation code is extended to make the non-linear behavior of the lining model dependent on the local acoustic spectrum, introducing an additional level of non-linearity and an iterative application of the propagation code. A principal conclusion is that with no grazing flow both the lining model and grazing flow duct transfer function measurements show a significant effect of local variation of the acoustic spectrum. With increasing grazing flow Mach number, this effect is reduced and effectively disappears at the highest Mach number. With increasing grazing flow Mach number the grazing flow contribution to face sheet resistance dominates and tends to mask the non-linear behavior of the component of resistance not related to grazing flow.

Pan-cancer analysis of IDO1 transcriptome expression and its impact on outcome in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

2614 Background: The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) is a major component of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Tryptophan catabolism is recognized as a metabolic pathway leading to immunosuppression and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), an enzyme catabolizing tryptophan to kynurenine, has been investigated as a potential target. Analyzing the association of IDO1 and immune molecules in the TME could better elucidate the role of IDO1 as an immunotherapeutic strategy. Thus, we performed pan-cancer transcriptome analysis of IDO1 according to cancer types and immune molecules in the TME and evaluated survival outcomes in patients treated with ICIs based on IDO1 expression levels. Methods: Comprehensive transcriptome analysis of IDO1 and selected immune molecules in 514 patients with advanced solid tumors at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California San Diego was performed. The rate of “High” (75-100 percentile), “Intermediate” (25-74), and “Low” (0-24) IDO1 RNA expression in each cancer type was calculated (rank compared to 735 controls). Univariate and multivariate analyses of the odds ratio (OR) for high IDO1 expression based on factors such as immune checkpoints, cancer types, microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutational burden (TMB) were conducted. Additionally, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from the time of ICI therapy based on IDO1 expression was compared by the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analysis of survival outcomes was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Overall, 91 of 514 patients (17.7%) were classified into “High”, 228 (44.4%) into “Intermediate”, and 195 (37.9%) into “Low” IDO1 RNA expression. High IDO1 expression was seen in uterine (54.2%), ovarian (37.2%), and lung cancer (25.0%). In multivariate analysis, high STAT1 and CD40 expression, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer were correlated with high IDO1 expression. In patients treated with ICIs (N = 217), “High” IDO1 expression (N = 49) was associated with better PFS (HR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.40-0.83, p = 0.003) and OS (HR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.47-0.83, p = 0.006) than “Intermediate/Low” IDO1 expression (N = 168). Multivariate analysis incorporating age, sex, IDO1, PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, CTLA-4, LAG3, cancer types, TMB, and MSI revealed that IDO1 (HR = 0.28, 95%CI: 0.11-0.69, p = 0.006) and PD-1 (HR = 0.24, 95%CI: 0.09-0.65, p = 0.005) are independent predictive factors for longer OS. Conclusions: IDO1 RNA levels are high in &gt;25% of uterine, ovarian, and lung cancers but differ from patient to patient between and within tumor types. High IDO1 levels correspond with longer PFS and OS from start of ICI therapy. These results suggest the importance of patient selection through pan-cancer molecular analysis and the potential role of IDO1 as a predictive marker for ICI therapy.

Safety and feasibility of a randomized controlled trial testing a personalized exercise program in patients with cancer: The CHOiCE trial.

e24045 Background: Growing evidence suggests that physical exercise (EX) may reduce mortality and recurrence risk in patients (pts) with cancer, as well as help in managing cancer treatment side effects and improve quality of life (QoL). Despite these well-recognized benefits, most pts are insufficiently active, and compliance with the EX intervention is often challenging. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a 3-month EX-intervention in pts with cancer. Methods: A pilot, two-center randomized controlled trial was conducted on pts with different cancers at early stages. Pts allocated in the 3-month EX intervention participated in bi-weekly aerobic and resistance training tailored to the patient's baseline condition and preferences. The duration of aerobic training progressively increased over weeks, whereas the resistance component consisted of body weight or elastic-bands exercises performed in 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. EX intensity was moderate and monitored using the 10-point Borg Rating of the Perceived Exertion Scale. Pts randomized to control received usual care. Primary study endpoints were safety, monitored through the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (AEs), and feasibility, evaluated through recruitment rate, adherence, and withdrawals. Secondary endpoints included functional capacity, using the Six minutes walking test, and muscle strength, with the handgrip and leg press test. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life and Core Questionnaire (EORTC- QLQ-C30) was used to assess the QoL. Descriptive statistics was applied, and repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate within- and between-group differences. Results: With a 38% recruitment rate, 57 pts were randomized (56 years; 68% breast, 14% colorectal) to the EX-intervention (n = 37) and controls (n = 20). Five dropouts occurred, n = 3 in the EX-group (leukemia onset n = 1, psychiatric disorder n = 1, gonarthrosis n = 1), and n = 2 in the controls (lack of interest n = 2). Adherence to EX-sessions was high, 93%. Concerning safety, three AEs were reported: worsening in the lymphedema, Grade 1 (n = 2), and elbow inflammation, Grade 1. Compared to the controls, EX-group reported a significant increase in functional capacity (within group, p &lt; 0.01), and lower limb strength (within and between group, p &lt; 0.01). Regarding QoL, EX produced enhancements in social function (within group, p &lt; 0.05), fatigue (within group, p &lt; 0.05), nausea and vomiting (within group p &lt; 0.01), dyspnea (within group, p &lt; 0.05), insomnia (within group, p &lt; 0.05), and loss of appetite (within group, p &lt; 0.01). Conclusions: Preliminary findings support the feasibility of a combined aerobic and resistance EX in pts with cancer with minimal AEs. Moreover, improvements in physical parameters and some domains of QoL were detected. Clinical trial information: NCT04226508 .

THU-452 - Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 levels increase across the spectrum of liver disease and are associated with insuline resistant components in subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

THU-452 - Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 levels increase across the spectrum of liver disease and are associated with insuline resistant components in subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Viscous interference analysis of trimaran vessel using computational fluid dynamic

Multihull vessels such as trimaran have been well known to have better transverse stability and can provide wider deck area and have been found to be quite successful when operated as passenger carriers. Trimaran has also been known to produce lower resistance, and hence lower power and less fuel consumption, compared to monohulls. The current research investigates the viscous interference hull of a displacement trimaran at various spacing configuration (up to S/L = 0.5) and Froude numbers (up to 0.27). Due to viscous interference between trimaran hulls, the viscous form greatly affects trimaran ship resistance. The trimaran's hull form ratio affects viscous drag more than velocity or hull clearance. Increases in hull distance (S/L) minimize interference and enhance viscous resistance by 1.57%. This study will present the interference effect of trimaran ship models' viscous resistance components, which can be used directly in the resistance calculation used to determine trimarans' engine power at the design stage.

Association between metabolically healthy obesity and kidney stones: results from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The risk of kidney stones in metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) individuals is largely unexplored. This study using percent body fat (%BF) to categorize obesity, to investigate the association between MHO as well as other metabolic syndrome-obesity combined phenotypes and kidney stones in a national representative population. This cross-sectional study included 4,287 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2018. Metabolically healthy status was defined as not having any component of metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. Obesity was identified by %BF, which was measured and assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Participants were cross-classified by metabolic health and obesity status. The outcome was self-report kidney stones. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the association between MHO and kidney stones. A total of 358 participants had kidney stones [weighted prevalence (SE): 8.61% (0.56%)]. The weighted prevalence (SE) of kidney stones in MHN, MHOW, and MHO groups was 3.13% (1.10%), 4.97% (1.36%), and 8.55% (2.09%), respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, daily water intake, CKD stage 3-5, and hyperuricemia, MHO individuals (OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.18, 7.0) had a significantly higher risk of kidney stones than those with metabolically healthy normal weight. In metabolically healthy participants, a 5% increment in %BF was associated with a significantly higher risk of kidney stones (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.14). Furthermore, a nonlinear dose-response relationship between %BF and the kidney stones was observed in metabolically healthy participants (P for non-linearity = 0.046). Using %BF to define obesity, MHO phenotype was significantly associated with higher risks of kidney stones, suggesting that obesity can independently contribute to kidney stones in the absence of metabolic abnormalities and insulin resistance. Regarding kidney stones prevention, MHO individuals might still benefit from lifestyle interventions aimed at healthy body composition maintenance.

Regularities of Changes in the Motion Resistance of Wheeled Vehicles along a Curvilinear Trajectory

The value of the motion resistance is one of the important characteristics that determines the technical and operational properties of the vehicle, in particular its fuel economy under operating conditions. This article summarizes the approaches to determining the rolling resistance of a wheeled vehicle in straight motion, which is a separate case from curved motion. The value of this parameter is one of the vehicle components of the motion resistance along a curved path. The regularities of changes in the motion resistance of a two-axle wheeled vehicle along a curvilinear trajectory are determined based on the determination of the motion resistance of individual wheels, which considers resistance to rectilinear motion and additional resistance along a curved path caused by the twisting and lateral displacement of the wheel disc relative to the tire patch. Analytical dependences of changes in the motion resistance along a curvilinear trajectory of two-axle vehicles with the design features of transmission, placement of tires, and their characteristics were obtained. It was found that reducing the radius of curvature of the trajectory to the minimum turning radius increases the motion resistance coefficient for the investigated vehicles by 1.68−2.04 times in relation to the rolling resistance coefficient in straight motion.

Progress of the Evaluation and Analysis Methods for Durability of SOFC Stacks

Recent progress in the development of R&D for the evaluation and analytical methods of SOFC stack durability is reported under the NEDO Japanese national project. The goal of this project is the following two points: (1) to develop the advanced evaluation and analytical methods for the cell stacks which show a lifetime over 15 years (130 kh) with high efficiency of over 65% LHV, and (2) to develop the evaluation and analytical methods for dynamic operation mode such as rapid start-stop and load cycling. Three practical stacks (one flat tube and two types of planar) were supplied by the stack developers and tested over 10,000 hours with high fuel utilization (Uf~85%). It was found that the same evaluation methods can be applied to the stack resistance component determination between normal Uf (=75%) and high Uf (85%) conditions. Relatively stable performances were reported for these stacks and degradation factors were considered taking into account the degradation mechanisms at cells and stacks. Under high Uf conditions, some specific degradation mechanisms are now analyzed in the cells. For rapid starts of stacks, evaluation protocols are considered taking into account the mechanical stress arising from the thermal distribution in the cells. Simulation methods are considered for the evaluation of performance after 15 years of operation in the stacks.

Differential Response of Olive Cultivars to Leaf Spot Disease (Fusicladium oleagineum) under Climate Warming Conditions in Morocco

Olive leaf spot (OLS), also called olive scab and peacock eye, caused by Fusicladium oleagineum, is a major disease that causes significant damage to olive trees. However, we still lack information about how cultivar and environmental factors influence disease development. In this study, evaluation of the incidence and severity on twenty olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.), maintained in an ex situ collection in Morocco, was carried out monthly during the period from March to July 2021. Biochemical parameters were also evaluated for each cultivar including leaf chlorophyll, polyphenols and flavonoid contents. Results revealed that the OLS incidence was highly correlated with severity (r = 0.94) and found to be related to climatic conditions and cultivars. The studied cultivars were classified into four major groups, i.e., susceptible, moderately susceptible, moderately resistant and resistant. Finally, our investigations revealed a partial relationship between resistance to the OLS disease and phenolic and flavonoid leaf contents, supporting the assumption of the potential involvement of such components in cultivar resistance to the disease. Overall, our work highlights the importance of characterizing olive cultivar resistance to OLS in driving the choice of the best varieties for an effective control of the disease in specific warming regions such as Morocco.

Determination of Sustainable Critical Flux through a Long-Term Membrane Resistance Model.

A long-term membrane resistance model (LMR) was established to determine the sustainable critical flux, which developed and simulated polymer film fouling successfully in a lab-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) in this study. The total polymer film fouling resistance in the model was decomposed into the individual components of pore fouling resistance, sludge cake accumulation and cake layer compression resistance. The model effectively simulated the fouling phenomenon in the MBR at different fluxes. Considering the influence of temperature, the model was calibrated by temperature coefficient τ, and a good result was achieved to simulate the polymer film fouling at 25 and 15 °C. The relationship between flux and operation time was simulated and discussed through the model. The results indicated that there was an exponential correlation between flux and operation time, and the exponential curve could be divided into two parts. By fitting the two parts to two straight lines, respectively, the intersection of the two straight lines was regarded as the sustainable critical flux value. The sustainable critical flux obtained in this study was just 67% of the critical flux. The model in this study was proven to be in good agreement with the measurements under different fluxes and different temperatures. In addition, the sustainable critical flux was first proposed and calculated in this study, and it was shown that the model could be used to predict the sustainable operation time and sustainable critical flux, which provide more practical information for designing MBRs. This study is applicable to polymer films used in a wide variety of applications, and it is helpful for maintaining the long-term stable operation of polymer film modules and improving the efficiency of polymer film modules.

Full Copper Resistance in Cupriavidus metallidurans Requires the Interplay of Many Resistance Systems.

The metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans uses its copper resistance components to survive the synergistic toxicity of copper ions and gold complexes in auriferous soils. The cup, cop, cus, and gig determinants encode as central component the Cu(I)-exporting PIB1-type ATPase CupA, the periplasmic Cu(I)-oxidase CopA, the transenvelope efflux system CusCBA, and the Gig system with unknown function, respectively. The interplay of these systems with each other and with glutathione (GSH) was analyzed. Copper resistance in single and multiple mutants up to the quintuple mutant was characterized in dose-response curves, Live/Dead-staining, and atomic copper and glutathione content of the cells. The regulation of the cus and gig determinants was studied using reporter gene fusions and in case of gig also RT-PCR studies, which verified the operon structure of gigPABT. All five systems contributed to copper resistance in the order of importance: Cup, Cop, Cus, GSH, and Gig. Only Cup was able to increase copper resistance of the Δcop Δcup Δcus Δgig ΔgshA quintuple mutant but the other systems were required to increase copper resistance of the Δcop Δcus Δgig ΔgshA quadruple mutant to the parent level. Removal of the Cop system resulted in a clear decrease of copper resistance in most strain backgrounds. Cus cooperated with and partially substituted Cop. Gig and GSH cooperated with Cop, Cus, and Cup. Copper resistance is thus the result of an interplay of many systems. IMPORTANCE The ability of bacteria to maintain homeostasis of the essential-but-toxic "Janus"-faced element copper is important for their survival in many natural environments but also in case of pathogenic bacteria in their respective host. The most important contributors to copper homeostasis have been identified in the last decades and comprise PIB1-type ATPases, periplasmic copper- and oxygen-dependent copper oxidases, transenvelope efflux systems, and glutathione; however, it is not known how all these players interact. This publication investigates this interplay and describes copper homeostasis as a trait emerging from a network of interacting resistance systems.

The use of a set of artificial neural networks to predict added resistance in head waves at the parametric ship design stage

During the parametric ship design stage, added ship resistance, a component of total ship resistance is analysed to estimate the required propulsive power. The determination of added resistance at this design stage is problematic because the added resistance is calculated using hull shape, which is unknown at this stage. At the parametric design stage, only basic ship parameters, such as length, breadth, draught, block coefficient and Froude number are defined and known. Therefore, the focus of this research was to develop an effective tool to solve this problem. The article presents a set of five Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to predict added resistance using basic design parameters. Only model test data was used to train the ANNs in order to obtain reliable results. The research showed that using an ANN set consisting of five ANNs developed using different segregated data resulted in slightly more reliable and accurate estimates than using an individual ANN. To facilitate implementation, the developed ANNs were provided in the form of mathematical functions and open source software code from the Mendeley Data repository. A practical example of how an ANN set can be used to solve a design task was demonstrated in this article.

Genetic resources and breeding of maize for Striga resistance: a review.

The potential yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and other major crops is curtailed by several biotic, abiotic, and socio-economic constraints. Parasitic weeds, Striga spp., are major constraints to cereal and legume crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yield losses reaching 100% are reported in maize under severe Striga infestation. Breeding for Striga resistance has been shown to be the most economical, feasible, and sustainable approach for resource-poor farmers and for being environmentally friendly. Knowledge of the genetic and genomic resources and components of Striga resistance is vital to guide genetic analysis and precision breeding of maize varieties with desirable product profiles under Striga infestation. This review aims to present the genetic and genomic resources, research progress, and opportunities in the genetic analysis of Striga resistance and yield components in maize for breeding. The paper outlines the vital genetic resources of maize for Striga resistance, including landraces, wild relatives, mutants, and synthetic varieties, followed by breeding technologies and genomic resources. Integrating conventional breeding, mutation breeding, and genomic-assisted breeding [i.e., marker-assisted selection, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, next-generation sequencing, and genome editing] will enhance genetic gains in Striga resistance breeding programs. This review may guide new variety designs for Striga-resistance and desirable product profiles in maize.