Seismic assessment of steel structures through a cumulative damage

R. Perera,S. Gómez,E. Alarcón 국제구조공학회 2001 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.1 No.3

In the present work a constitutive model is developed which permits the assessment of the structural performance through a criterion based on cumulative damage. For it, a damage index is defined and is evaluated through the application of the Miner’s rule in low-cycle fatigue. However, the damage index is not considered as a posteriori variable since is incorporated explicitly as an internal variable in the constitutive equations which produces a direct coupling between the damage and the structural mechanical behaviour allowing the possibility of considering as a whole different coupled phenomena. For the elaboration of this damage model, the concepts of the mechanics of continuum medium are applied on lumped dissipative models in order to obtain a coupled simplified model. As a result an elastoplastic model coupled with damage and fatigue damage is obtained.

Influence of the Target Molecule on the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Index: A Comparison Between Alizarin Red- and Fluorescein-Based Methodologies

I. Martin,A. Aspée,P. Torres,E. Lissi,C. López-Alarcón 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.6

A comparison of alizarin red (AR) and fluorescein (FL) as target molecules in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)-like methods is reported. Galangin, apigenin, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid decreased AR initial consumption rate, whereas quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, caffeic acid, and sinapic acid inhibited its consumption through an induction time, associated with a repair mechanism. On the other hand, all compounds protected FL with a clear induction time. AR was more selective and provides ORAC-AR values considerably smaller for compounds of low reactivity. The ORAC-AR value for luteolin was nearly 200 times that of coumaric acid. However, the ratio of ORAC-FL values for luteolin and coumaric acid was only 1.2. This different selectivity implies that AR provides ORAC values more related to reactivity than FL. ORAC-AR values of infusions were considerably smaller than the corresponding ORAC-FL values. These differences are interpreted in terms of the capacity of FL to generate induction times, irrespective of the reactivity of the additive. It is proposed that comparison of ORAC-AR and ORAC-FL values could afford a rough estimation of the average reactivity of the antioxidants titrated by the ORAC-FL methodology.

Fully Prime Semirings

Francisco E. Alarcón ... et al KYUNGPOOK UNIVERSITY 2000 Kyungpook mathematical journal Vol.40 No.2

We characterize semirings where every ideal is prime (fully prime semirings) as those having a totally ordered lattice with every ideal idempotents. We provide a characterizaton, in terms of the values of n and i, for the finite semirings B(n, i) that are fully prime. We also provide a characterization of the subtractive ideals in the semirings B(n, i).

Variation in the ICAM1-ICAM4-ICAM5 locus is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility in multiple ancestries.

Kim, Kwangwoo,Brown, Elizabeth E,Choi, Chan-Bum,Alarc?n-Riquelme, Marta E,Kelly, Jennifer A,Glenn, Stuart B,Ojwang, Joshua O,Adler, Adam,Lee, Hye-Soon,Boackle, Susan A,Criswell, Lindsey A,Alarc?n, Gra British Medical Association 2012 Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases Vol.71 No.11

<P>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; OMIM 152700) is a chronic autoimmune disease for which the aetiology includes genetic and environmental factors. ITGAM, integrin α(M) (complement component 3 receptor 3 subunit) encoding a ligand for intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) proteins, is an established SLE susceptibility locus. This study aimed to evaluate the independent and joint effects of genetic variations in the genes that encode ITGAM and ICAM.</P>

Preferential Binding to Elk-1 by SLE-Associated <i>IL10</i> Risk Allele Upregulates <i>IL10</i> Expression

Sakurai, Daisuke,Zhao, Jian,Deng, Yun,Kelly, Jennifer A.,Brown, Elizabeth E.,Harley, John B.,Bae, Sang-Cheol,Alarcό,n-Riquelme, Marta E.,Edberg, Jeffrey C.,Kimberly, Robert P.,Ramsey-Goldman, Ros Public Library of Science 2013 PLoS genetics Vol.9 No.10

<▼1><P>Immunoregulatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) is elevated in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) correlating with disease activity. The established association of <I>IL10</I> with SLE and other autoimmune diseases led us to fine map causal variant(s) and to explore underlying mechanisms. We assessed 19 tag SNPs, covering the <I>IL10</I> gene cluster including <I>IL19</I>, <I>IL20</I> and <I>IL24</I>, for association with SLE in 15,533 case and control subjects from four ancestries. The previously reported <I>IL10</I> variant, rs3024505 located at 1 kb downstream of <I>IL10</I>, exhibited the strongest association signal and was confirmed for association with SLE in European American (EA) (<I>P</I> = 2.7×10<SUP>−8</SUP>, OR = 1.30), but not in non-EA ancestries. SNP imputation conducted in EA dataset identified three additional SLE-associated SNPs tagged by rs3024505 (rs3122605, rs3024493 and rs3024495 located at 9.2 kb upstream, intron 3 and 4 of <I>IL10</I>, respectively), and SLE-risk alleles of these SNPs were dose-dependently associated with elevated levels of <I>IL10</I> mRNA in PBMCs and circulating IL-10 protein in SLE patients and controls. Using nuclear extracts of peripheral blood cells from SLE patients for electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we identified specific binding of transcription factor Elk-1 to oligodeoxynucleotides containing the risk (G) allele of rs3122605, suggesting rs3122605 as the most likely causal variant regulating <I>IL10</I> expression. Elk-1 is known to be activated by phosphorylation and nuclear localization to induce transcription. Of interest, phosphorylated Elk-1 (p-Elk-1) detected only in nuclear extracts of SLE PBMCs appeared to increase with disease activity. Co-expression levels of p-Elk-1 and IL-10 were elevated in SLE T, B cells and monocytes, associated with increased disease activity in SLE B cells, and were best downregulated by ERK inhibitor. Taken together, our data suggest that preferential binding of activated Elk-1 to the <I>IL10</I> rs3122605-G allele upregulates <I>IL10</I> expression and confers increased risk for SLE in European Americans.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author Summary</B></P><P>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a debilitating autoimmune disease characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies, has a strong genetic basis. Variants of the <I>IL10</I> gene, which encodes cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) with known function of promoting B cell hyperactivity and autoantibody production, are associated with SLE and other autoimmune diseases, and serum IL-10 levels are elevated in SLE patients correlating with increased disease activity. In this study, to discover SLE-predisposing causal variant(s), we assessed variants within the genomic region containing <I>IL10</I> and its gene family member <I>IL19</I>, <I>IL20</I> and <I>IL24</I> for association with SLE in case and control subjects from diverse ancestries. We identified SLE-associated SNP rs3122605 located at 9.2 kb upstream of <I>IL10</I> as the most likely causal variant in subjects of European ancestry. The SLE-risk allele of rs3122605 was dose-dependently associated with elevated <I>IL10</I> expression at both mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood samples from SLE patients and controls, which could be explained, at least in part, by its preferential binding to Elk-1, a transcription factor activated in B cells during active disease of SLE patients. Elk-1-mediated IL-10 overexpression could be downregulated by inhibiting activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for SLE.</P></▼2>

Evaluation of <i>TRAF6</i> in a large multiancestral lupus cohort

Namjou, Bahram,Choi, Chan‐,Bum,Harley, Isaac T. W.,Alarcó,n‐,Riquelme, Marta E.,Kelly, Jennifer A.,Glenn, Stuart B.,Ojwang, Joshua O.,Adler, Adam,Kim, Kwangwoo,Gallant, Caroline J.,B Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2012 Vol.64 No.6

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P><B>Objective</B></P><P>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease with significant immune system aberrations resulting from complex heritable genetics as well as environmental factors. We undertook to study the role of <I>TRAF6</I> as a candidate gene for SLE, since it plays a major role in several signaling pathways that are important for immunity and organ development.</P><P><B>Methods</B></P><P>Fifteen single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across <I>TRAF6</I> were evaluated in 7,490 SLE patients and 6,780 control subjects from different ancestries. Population‐based case–control association analyses and meta‐analyses were performed. <I>P</I> values, false discovery rate q values, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>Evidence of associations was detected in multiple SNPs. The best overall <I>P</I> values were obtained for SNPs rs5030437 and rs4755453 (<I>P</I> = 7.85 × 10<SUP>−5</SUP> and <I>P</I> = 4.73 × 10<SUP>−5</SUP>, respectively) without significant heterogeneity among populations (<I>P</I> = 0.67 and <I>P</I> = 0.50, respectively, in Q statistic). In addition, SNP rs540386, which was previously reported to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), was found to be in linkage disequilibrium with these 2 SNPs (r<SUP>2</SUP> = 0.95) and demonstrated evidence of association with SLE in the same direction (meta‐analysis <I>P</I> = 9.15 × 10<SUP>−4</SUP>, OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.83–0.95]). The presence of thrombocytopenia improved the overall results in different populations (meta‐analysis <I>P</I> = 1.99 × 10<SUP>−6</SUP>, OR 0.57 [95% CI 0.45–0.72], for rs5030470). Finally, evidence of family‐based association in 34 African American pedigrees with the presence of thrombocytopenia was detected in 1 available SNP (rs5030437) with a Z score magnitude of 2.28 (<I>P</I> = 0.02) under a dominant model.</P><P><B>Conclusion</B></P><P>Our data indicate the presence of association of <I>TRAF6</I> with SLE, consistent with the previous report of association with RA. These data provide further support for the involvement of <I>TRAF6</I> in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity.</P>

Accumulation of coronary artery disease risk factors over three years: Data from an international inception cohort

Urowitz, M. B.,Gladman, D.,Ibañ,ez, D.,Fortin, P.,Sanchez-Guerrero, J.,Bae, S.,Clarke, A.,Bernatsky, S.,Gordon, C.,Hanly, J.,Wallace, D.,Isenberg, D.,Ginzler, E.,Merrill, J.,Alarcó,n, G. S Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2008 Vol.59 No.2

<B>Objective</B><P>To examine the accumulation of risk factors over 3 years in a multicenter, international inception cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).</P><B>Methods</B><P>The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics registry for atherosclerosis comprises 27 centers from 11 countries. An inception cohort of 935 patients with SLE was assembled, according to a standardized protocol, from 2000 to 2006 to study risk factors for atherosclerosis. Both classic and other coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors were collected at entry and through 3 years of followup. Therapy was documented over the 3 years. The Framingham 10-year risk factor profile was calculated for each patient at year 1 and year 3.</P><B>Results</B><P>A total of 278 patients from the inception cohort were followed for 3 years and constituted the population for this study. At enrollment a substantial number of patients already demonstrated several risk factors for CAD, both classic and other. All risk factors increased from enrollment over the 3 years of followup. Treatment of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia also increased over 3 years, but less so for hypercholesterolemia. The Framingham 10-year CAD risk profile was higher in men than in women both at entry and at 3 years, and remained unchanged over the 3 years. Corticosteroid use increased only slightly over 3 years, but use of antimalarials and immunosuppressive agents increased to a greater extent.</P><B>Conclusion</B><P>Patients with SLE should be monitored for CAD risk factors from the time of diagnosis and appropriate treatment should be instituted early.</P>