Design of a 3-tier smart middleware system for ubiquitous sensor networks

As ubiquitous sensor networks (USN) technologies and its middleware are still at its early stages, the system of the USN relies on the middleware and applications. The past sensor networks are assumed to be designed for specific applications, having data communication protocols tightly coupled to applications. To avoid these problems, several kinds of USN middleware have been researched and developed. However, most middleware of USN are still restricted by its own infrastructure so far. This paper proposes appropriate 3 tier Smart Middleware System (3SMS) for USN.     

Diversity of IL-17-producing T lymphocytes

Interleukin (IL)-17 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays critical roles in host defense against extracellular bacteria and fungi and also in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. While CD4+ TCRαβ+ T helper (Th) 17 cells are the best-described cellular source of IL-17, many innate-like T cells are in fact potent producers of IL-17. Given the increasing interest in therapeutic modulation of the IL-17 axis, it is crucial to better understand the cellular origins of IL-17 in various infection and diseases settings. While the diverse population of IL-17-producing T cells share many common characteristics, notable differences also exist. In this review, we discuss the heterogeneity of IL-17-producing T cell types focusing on their development, regulation, and function.     

Mapping mammalian synaptic connectivity

Mapping mammalian synaptic connectivity has long been an important goal of neuroscientists since it is considered crucial for explaining human perception and behavior. Yet, despite enormous efforts, the overwhelming complexity of the neural circuitry and the lack of appropriate techniques to unravel it have limited the success of efforts to map connectivity. However, recent technological advances designed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods for connectivity mapping may bring about a turning point. Here, we address the promises and pitfalls of these new mapping technologies.     

A renormalization group approach to crowd psychology and inter-group coupling in social many-body systems

By adopting majority rule within a renormalization group approach, we can show that the strength of inter-group interaction in a social system either grows or shrinks monotonically with increasing group size, depending on the initial coupling strength of individuals in the group. This contrasts with the findings of previous studies in which the strength of the interaction grows with group size regardless of the initial strength. Our approach clearly demonstrates that the phenomena of crowd psychology, such as an extreme anti-reaction between different ethnic or ideological groups, could be a consequence of the many-particle nature of social systems when the initial strength of the interaction is larger than a critical value. The effect of neutral opinion holders is critically examined using the spin-one Ising model. The critical size of the population of neutral opinion holders, that can prevent crowd polarization, depends on the block spin rule.     

Forecasting Hourly Peak Call Volume for a Rural Electric Cooperative Call Center

This research forecasts peak call volume of a centralized after‐hours call center for rural electric cooperatives to help the call center determine staffing levels. A Gaussian copula is used to capture the dependence among non‐normal distributions. Using a centralized call center reduces costs by approximately 75% compared to having individual call centers at each cooperative. Adding cooperatives to the centralized call center is projected to further decrease costs per member. An out‐of‐sample forecasting exercise after the call center expanded validated the model's forecast that additional cooperatives could be added without a proportional increase in the peak number of calls. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural differences between a ras oncogene protein and the normal protein

One of the most commonly found transforming ras oncogenes in human tumours has a valine codon replacing the glycine codon at position 12 of the normal c-Ha-ras gene. To understand the structural reasons behind cell transformation arising from this single amino acid substitution, we have determined the crystal structure of the GDP-bound form of the mutant protein, p21(Val-12), encoded by this oncogene. We report here the overall structure of p21(Val-12) at 2.2 A resolution and compare it with the structure of the normal c-Ha-ras protein. One of the major differences is that the loop of the transforming ras protein that binds the beta-phosphate of the guanine nucleotide is enlarged. Such a change in the 'catalytic site' conformation could explain the reduced GTPase activity of the mutant, which keeps the protein in the GTP bound 'signal on' state for a prolonged period time, ultimately causing cell transformation.     

Effects of thyroidectomy on monoamine oxidase activities toward tyramine and serotonin in the circumventricular nuclei of the rat.

Following thyroidectomy, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities toward tyramine decreased significantly by 20% in the nucleus periventricularis and the nucleus arcuatus among the 3 hypothalamic nuclei of the rat, while MAO activity toward serotonin decreased significantly by 10% only in the nucleus periventricularis. It is suggested that thyroidectomy induced selective changes on the multiple forms of MAO in the discrete circumventricular nuclei.