A class of valued constraint satisfaction problems (VCSPs) is characterised by a valued constraint language, a fixed set of cost functions on a finite domain. An instance of the problem is specified by a sum of cost functions from the language with the goal to minimise the sum. We study which classes of finite-valued languages can be solved exactly by the basic linear programming relaxation (BL...

In this paper, we describe, for the first time, the genetic organization of the blpU-like cassette in Streptococcus salivarius24SMBc by entire genome sequencing. This strain has recently been found useful and widely applied as an oral probiotic in the prevention of recurrent otitis media. The 24SMBc blpU-like cassette  is 8,023 bp in length, organized in 11 orfs,of which orf8 encodes for the po...

The demand of electric power has increased in alarming rate in recent years owing to rapid growth of human development index across the countries in modern world. It is to be mentioned here that the main supply source of electric energy is thermal power plant, where fossil-fuel used as main power generation resource, discharges emissions to earth’s environment. The thermal power generation prob...

Berry, Levinsohn and Pakes (1995), or BLP, introduce a widely-used estimator that handles market-level demand shocks and price endogeneity in structural discrete choice demand models. This estimator is necessary to work with demand data from differentiated products industries. The estimator is computationally intensive and difficult to program, largely because a system of market share equations...

A 63-year-old fisherman presented for a chronic and progressive eruption, beginning on his right hand extending up arm over the past 8 years. He reported that he spent time in forests handled raw fish without gloves frequently; also recalled an inoculation injury while forest. The patient denied previous exposure to halogens. On examination, had multiple edematous verrucous plaques with crust e...

Bacterial lipoproteins (BLP) induce innate immune responses in mammals by activating heterodimeric receptor complexes containing Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). TLR2 signaling results in nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB)-dependent upregulation of anti-apoptotic factors, anti-oxidants and cytokines, all of which have been implicated in radiation protection. Here we demonstrate that synthetic lipopeptid...

Sepsis is a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria. Despite effective antibiotic treatment, the mortality of septic shock remains high. In this study, we examined a potential usage of paeoniflorin, anti-inflammatory component for the treatment of sepsis. We established an inflammatory cell line by stimulating human THP-1 cell line with bacterial lipoprotein (BLP), wh...

We have previously reported that the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1α can up-regulate functional Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression in primary-cultured murine hepatocytes, and bacterial lipopeptide (BLP) is capable of signaling through TLR2 to induce serum amyloid A (SAA) expression in hepatocytes. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the anti-inflammatory cytokin...

Extensive trial-to-trial variability is a hallmark of most behavioral, cognitive, and physiological processes. Spontaneous brain activity (SBA), a ubiquitous phenomenon that coordinates levels and patterns of neuronal activity throughout the brain, may contribute to this variability by dynamically altering neuronal excitability. In freely-behaving male rats, we observed extensive variability of...