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Research on longitudinal motion control has so far mainly focused on high level planning and control techniques in high speed situations, for example highway driving, and the worst case scenarios there. Low level acceleration control is found only rarely in literature. With the development of automated vehicles, the controllers need to be able to handle the worst case scenarios at low velocities, such as traversing obstacles carefully. In this paper we present a novel approach for a low level acceleration controller that uses its knowledge of the road profile ahead to control engine and brakes proactively. The main contribution is the introduction of a suitable model predictive controller and its implementation in a real vehicle. In addition, the proposed control loop can be easily enhanced by employing existing control approaches. We present simulated data as well as experimental results for a state-of-the-art literature approach and our model predictive controller. Our data clearly shows that the control performance is significantly improved by our predictive solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is already known about this subject? NPY serves as a potent orexigenic signal and plays an important role in body weight regulation. Recently, evidence for the impact of NPY gene variation on body weight regulation and risk of obesity was provided., Research has indicated that genetic influences on some traits such as BMI change with age, with often showing a stronger effect as children mature., What this study adds? We show first evidence from a longitudinal study, demonstrating an association between NPY rs16147 genotype and BMI development from infancy into young adulthood., The NPY effect appears to increase with age, being more pronounced in older age groups than in younger ones., Objective To investigate the association of the neuropeptide Y ( NPY) promoter polymorphism rs16147 with body mass index ( BMI) during the course of development from infancy to adulthood. Design Longitudinal, prospective study of a German community sample. Subjects n = 306 young adults (139 males, 167 females). Measurements Participants' body weight and height were assessed at the ages of 3 months and 2, 4.5, 8, 11, 15 and 19 years. NPY rs16147 was genotyped. Results Controlling for a number of possible confounders, homozygote carriers of the rs16147 C allele exhibited significantly lower BMI scores when compared with individuals carrying the T allele. In addition, a significant genotype by age interaction emerged, indicating that the genotype effect increased during the course of development. Conclusions This is the first longitudinal study to report an association between rs16147 and BMI during childhood and adolescence. The finding that this effect increased during the course of development may either be due to age-dependent alterations in gene expression or to maturation processes within the weight regulation circuits of the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both, the activity of transcription factors as well as epigenetic alterations in defined DNA regions regulate cellular differentiation processes. Hence, neuronal differentiation from neural progenitor cells is promoted by the transcription factor all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA). VPA has also been shown to be involved in differentiation of tumor cells and to greatly improve the reprogramming of human somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. Here we have investigated the impact of ATRA and VPA on the differentiation of megakaryoctes and platelets from the megakaryocyte progenitor cell line MEG-01. Our results show that treatment with ATRA (10−11 M) and VPA (2 × 10−3 M) induces megakaryopoiesis of MEG-01 cells as estimated by polyploidy, formation of characteristic proplatelets and elevated expression of the megakaryocytic markers CD41 and CD61. The resulting megakaryocytes stayed viable for more than 3 weeks and shed platelet-like particles positive for CD41, CD61 and CD42b into the supernatant. Platelet-like particles responded to thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP-6) with increased externalization of P-selectin. Thus, ATRA and VPA proved to be efficient agents for the gentle induction of megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis of MEG-01 cells providing the possibility to study molecular events underlying megakaryopoiesis and human platelet production over longer time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummarySex ratios at birth are known to change during wars or shortly after. This study investigated changes in sex ratios during the civil war that occurred in Tajikistan after the dismantling of the Soviet Union. This civil war was particularly bloody and long lasting, and had many demographic consequences. According to vital registration data, some 27,000 persons died in excess of previous trends during the civil war period (1992-1997), and total mortality was sometimes estimated to be three times higher by independent observers. Birth rates dropped markedly during the war, and sex ratios at birth increased significantly from 104.6 before the war to 106.9 during the war, to return to baseline values afterwards. The change in sex ratio is investigated according to demographic evidence (migration, delayed marriage, spouse separation), substantiated with qualitative evidence (difficulties with food supply), and compared with patterns found in Europe during World War II, as well as with recent wars in the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the numerical simulation of the vaporisation of an unsteady fuel spray at high ambient temperature and pressure solving the appropriate conservation equations. The extended droplet vaporisation model accounts for the effects of non-ideal droplet evaporation and gas solubility including the diffusion of heat and species within fuel droplets. To account for high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, the fuel properties and the phase boundary conditions are calculated by an equation of state and the liquid/vapour equilibrium is estimated from fugacities. Calculations for an unsteady diesel-like spray were performed for a gas temperature of 800 K and a pressure of 5 MPa and compared to experimental results for droplet velocities and diameter distribution. The spray model is based on an Eulerian/Lagrangian approach. The comparison shows that the differences between the various spray models are pronounced for single droplets. For droplet sprays the droplet diameter distribution is more influenced by secondary break-up and droplet coagulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Identify variation in the duration of use of prophylactic antibiotics in knee replacement surgery by hospitals and surgeons. Methods This is a retrospective cross sectional study in which Vizient's clinical database/resource manager(CDB/RM™) was used to identify elective knee replacement surgery patients whose procedures were performed on an inpatient basis. Conclusions There is significant variation in duration of antibiotic prophylaxis for knee replacement surgery by hospital and surgeon taking into account patient length of stay across elective patients that were infection-free. [Extracted from the article]

Fresh algal culture is a major bottleneck in the aquaculture industry. Substitutes that are cost-effective and simplify hatchery procedures, such as algae concentrates need to be evaluated. Four species of alga –Chaetoceros muelleri , C. calcitrans , a tropical Skeletonema sp. and Thalassiosira pseudonana – were concentrated by flocculation, stored for 6 weeks at 4 °C and then compared with their fresh counterparts as feeds for Penaeus monodon larvae. The algae were fed at either high or low cell densities with no supplements. Fresh C. muelleri promoted the highest survival, greatest weight gain and fastest development to mysis 1. Larvae fed this diet were twice as heavy as those fed most of the other diets. Concentrated C. muelleri or T. pseudonana promoted similar survival rates to that of larvae fed fresh C. muelleri although development rates were slower. Larvae fed fresh C. calcitrans had high survival and intermediate development, but those fed the concentrate had very poor survival and development. Skeletonema sp., whether in the fresh or concentrated form, was a poor diet for prawn larvae: it resulted in high mortality and slow development. Cell density did not affect survival or dry weight of larvae but did affect development in some cases. Flocculated algal concentrates show promise as replacement feeds for fresh algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite sizeable short-term effects of neurofeedback (NF) therapy on attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), longer-term clinical, comorbidity and self-regulation outcomes are less systematically studied. The aim of this largest NF follow-up to date was to evaluate these outcomes 6 months after NF compared to a semi-active control to disentangle specific from unspecific sustained effects. We performed a multicenter, randomized, parallel, controlled, clinical, superiority trial in five German university outpatient departments. Participants were eligible if they fulfilled DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD and were aged from 7 to 9 years. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1-ratio) to 25 sessions of slow cortical potential (SCP)-NF or electromyogram biofeedback (EMG-BF). Participants were not blinded, since they received instructions according to each treatment setting. Primary outcomes were parent ratings of ADHD. The trial was registered, number ISRCTN761871859. Both groups showed improvement of ADHD symptoms compared to baseline at 6-months follow-up with large effect sizes for SCP-NF (d = 1.04) and EMG-BF (d = 0.85), but without group differences. When analyzing all assessments (pre-test, post-test-1, post-test-2 and follow-up), a group-by-time interaction emerged (p = 0.0062), with SCP-NF showing stable improvement following treatment but EMG-BF showing a relapse from post-test-1 to post-test-2, and subsequent remission at follow-up. Six months after the end of treatment, improvement after SCP-NF remained large and stable. However, the lack of group differences at follow-up suggests shared specific and unspecific effects contributing to this clinical outcome. Our correlational results indicate specificity of SCP-NF for selected subscales after training, but not at follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently described respiratory strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae KOY.TM6*P is, to our knowledge, the only reported strain of S. cerevisiae which completely redirects the flux of glucose from ethanol fermentation to respiration, even at high external glucose concentrations (27). In the KOY.TM6*P strain, portions of the genes encoding the predominant hexose transporter proteins, Hxt1 and Hxt7, were fused within the regions encoding transmembrane (TM) domain 6. The resulting chimeric gene, TM6*, encoded a chimera composed of the amino-terminal half of Hxt1 and the carboxy-terminal half of Hxt7. It was subsequently integrated into the genome of an hxt null strain. In this study, we have demonstrated the transferability of this respiratory phenotype to the VS hxt1-7Δ strain, a derivative of a strain used in enology. We also show by using this mutant that it is not necessary to transform a complete hxt null strain with the TM6* construct to obtain a non- ethanol-producing phenotype. The resulting V5.TM6*P strain, obtained by transformation of the V5 hxt1-7Δ strain with the TM6* chimeric gene, produced only minor amounts of ethanol when cultured on external glucose concentrations as high as 5%. Despite the fact that glucose flux was reduced to 30% in the V5.TM6*P strain compared with that of its parental strain, the V5.TM6*P strain produced biomass at a specific rate as high as 85% that of the V5 wild-type strain. Even more relevant for the potential use of such a strain for the production of heterologous proteins and also of low-alcohol beverages is the observation that the biomass yield increased 50% with the mutant compared to its parental strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the results of a collaboration between the engine manufacturer MTU and the German aerospace research center DLR on the nitrous oxide reduction potential of conventional combustors. Isothermal investigations of the mixing inside the combustor; Investigations of the optically accessible rectangular combustor sector at 6 and 15 bars; Description of the test rig and the combustion chamber; Measurement techniques; Experimental results with and without combustion.

Introduction: Anxiety is a core symptom of schizophrenia which elicits significant subjective burden of disease and contributes to treatment resistance in schizophrenia. Anxious syndromes might be attributed to incompletely remitted delusions, the negative syndrome, depressive episodes, panic attacks, social phobia, avoidance after hospitalization and down-tapering of benzodiazepine medication. Previous treatment attempts involved several strategies of combination and augmentation. Objective: Pregabalin, an antagonist at the α2δ-subunit of voltage-gated Ca2+-channels, modulates several neurotransmitter systems and was found able to alleviate anxiety in depression and other mental disorders. Aim: In schizophrenia, this treatment option has not been evaluated before. Method: Here, we report a case series of 11 schizophrenic patients who suffered from treatment-resistant anxiety and received augmentation with pregabalin. Results: This observational investigation reveals that augmentation with pregabalin was able to significantly reduce scores on the Hamilton anxiety scale; furthermore, we observed improvements of psychotic positive and negative symptoms and mood as assessed by PANSS, SANS and CDSS. After augmentation, both a complete discontinuation of concomitant benzodiazepine (BZD) treatment as well as a dose reduction of antipsychotics could be achieved. We did not observe pharmacokinetic interactions or adverse events. Conclusions: These observations suggest that treating anxious syndromes in schizophrenia with pregabalin can be effective and tolerable. Further investigations should differentiate schizophrenic sub-syndromes of anxiety and evaluate benefits and risks of pregabalin in comparison to placebo and active competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]