bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlling False-Positive Results Obtained with the Hodge and Masuda Assays for Detection of Class A Carbapenemase in Species of
Enterobacteriaceae
by Incorporating Boronic Acid
Authors: Pasteran Fernando , Mendez Tania , Rapoport Melina , Guerriero Leonor , Corso Alejandra
Published: February 2010

The modified Hodge method (MHT) has been recommended by the CLSI for confirmation of suspected class A carbapenemase production in species of
Enterobacteriaceae
. This test and the Masuda method (MAS) have advantages over traditional phenotypic methods in that they directly analyze carbapenemase activity. In order to identify the potential interferences of these tests, we designed a panel composed of diverse bacterial genera with distinct carbapenem susceptibility patterns (42 carbapenemase producers and 48 nonproducers). About 25% of results among carbapenemase nonproducers, mainly strains harboring CTX-M and AmpC hyperproducers, were observed to be false positive. Subsequently, we developed an optimized approach for more-accurate detection of suspicious isolates of carbapenemase by addition of boronic acid (BA) derivatives (reversible inhibitor of class A carbapenemases and AmpC cephalosporinases) and oxacillin (inhibitor of AmpCs enzymes). The use of the modified BA- and oxacillin-based MHT and MAS resulted in high sensitivity (>90%) and specificity (100%) for class A carbapenemase detection. By use of these methodologies, isolates producing KPCs and GES, Sme, IMI, and NMC-A carbapenemases were successfully distinguished from those producing other classes of ß-lactamases (extended-spectrum β-lactamases [ESBLs], AmpC β-lactamases, metallo-β-lactamases [MBLs], etc.). These methods will provide the fast and useful information needed for targeting of antimicrobial therapy and appropriate infection control.
Prevalence and Characteristics of the O122 Pathogenicity Island in Typical and Atypical Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
Strains
Authors: Vieira Mônica A. M. , Salvador Fábia A. , Silva Rosa M. , Irino Kinue , Vaz Tânia M. I. , Rockstroh Anna C. , Guth Beatriz E. C. , Gomes Tânia A. T.
Published: February 2010

The presence of the pathogenicity island (PAI) O122 genes,
efa1
(
lifA
),
sen
,
pagC
,
nleB
, and
nleE
, in typical and atypical enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(EPEC) strains was investigated. The simultaneous occurrence of all genes was statistically associated with diarrhea due to atypical EPEC. Detection of the complete PAI O122 could aid in the identification of potential pathogenic strains of atypical EPEC.
Identification of
Francisella tularensis
by Whole-Cell Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry: Fast, Reliable, Robust, and Cost-Effective Differentiation on Species and Subspecies Levels
Authors: Seibold E. , Maier T. , Kostrzewa M. , Zeman E. , Splettstoesser W.
Published: February 2010

Francisella tularensis
, the causative agent of tularemia, is a potential agent of bioterrorism. The phenotypic discrimination of closely related, but differently virulent,
Francisella tularensis
subspecies with phenotyping methods is difficult and time-consuming, often producing ambiguous results. As a fast and simple alternative, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was applied to 50 different strains of the genus
Francisella
to assess its ability to identify and discriminate between strains according to their designated species and subspecies. Reference spectra from five representative strains of
Francisella philomiragia
,
Francisella tularensis
subsp.
tularensis
,
Francisella tularensis
subsp.
holarctica
,
Francisella tularensis
subsp.
mediasiatica
, and
Francisella tularensis
subsp.
novicida
were established and evaluated for their capability to correctly identify
Francisella
species and subspecies by matching a collection of spectra from 45 blind-coded
Francisella
strains against a database containing the five reference spectra and 3,287 spectra from other microorganisms. As a reference method for identification of strains from the genus
Francisella
, 23S rRNA gene sequencing was used. All strains were correctly identified, with both methods showing perfect agreement at the species level as well as at the subspecies level. The identification of
Francisella
strains by MALDI-TOF MS and subsequent database matching was reproducible using biological replicates, different culture media, different cultivation times, different serial
in vitro
passages of the same strain, different preparation protocols, and different mass spectrometers.
Performance of a New Chromogenic Medium, BBL CHROMagar MRSA II (BD), for Detection of Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
in Screening Samples
Authors: Van Vaerenbergh Kristien , Cartuyvels Reinoud , Coppens Guy , Frans Johan , Van den Abeele Anne-Marie , De Beenhouwer Hans
Published: February 2010

Two chromogenic media for the detection of MRSA were compared: BBL CHROMagar MRSA II (BD) and MRSA ID agar (bioMérieux). Following overnight nonselective enrichment, 1,919 screening samples were inoculated on both chromogenic agars. After 24 h, the sensitivities of both media were high and comparable. Both media showed an important decrease in specificity after 48 h of incubation (decreases of 8% for MRSA II and 10% for MRSA ID), but MRSA II was significantly more specific at both time points.
Association of Schistosomiasis with False-Positive HIV Test Results in an African Adolescent Population
Authors: Everett Dean B. , Baisely Kathy J. , McNerney Ruth , Hambleton Ian , Chirwa Tobias , Ross David A. , Changalucha John , Watson-Jones Deborah , Helmby Helena , Dunne David W. , Mabey David , Hayes Richard J.
Published: February 2010

This study was designed to investigate the factors associated with the high rate of false-positive test results observed with the 4th-generation Murex HIV Ag/Ab Combination EIA (enzyme immunoassay) within an adolescent and young-adult cohort in northwest Tanzania. (4th-generation assays by definition detect both HIV antigen and antibody.) The clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with false-positive HIV results were analyzed for 6,940 Tanzanian adolescents and young adults. A subsample of 284 Murex assay-negative and 240 false-positive serum samples were analyzed for immunological factors, including IgG antibodies to malaria and schistosoma parasites, heterophile antibodies, and rheumatoid factor (RF) titers. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). False-positive HIV test results were associated with evidence of other infections. False positivity was strongly associated with increasing levels of
Schistosoma haematobium
worm IgG1, with adolescents with optical densities in the top quartile being at the highest risk (adjusted OR = 40.7, 95% CI = 8.5 to 194.2 compared with the risk for those in the bottom quartile). False positivity was also significantly associated with increasing
S. mansoni
egg IgG1 titers and RF titers of ≥80 (adjusted OR = 8.2, 95% CI = 2.8 to 24.3). There was a significant negative association between Murex assay false positivity and the levels of
S. mansoni
worm IgG1 and IgG2 and
Plasmodium falciparum
IgG1 and IgG4. In Africa, endemic infections may affect the specificities of immunoassays for HIV infection. Caution should be used when the results of 4th-generation HIV test results are interpreted for African adolescent populations.
Alternative Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccines Based on Modifications in the Polymerase Genes Protect against Epidemic and Pandemic Flu
Authors: Solórzano Alicia , Ye Jianqiang , Pérez Daniel R.
Published: February 2010

Human influenza is a seasonal disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Influenza vaccination is the most effective means for disease prevention. We have previously shown that mutations in the PB1 and PB2 genes of the live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) from the cold-adapted (ca) influenza virus A/Ann Arbor/6/60 (H2N2) could be transferred to avian influenza viruses and produce partially attenuated viruses. We also demonstrated that avian influenza viruses carrying the PB1 and PB2 mutations could be further attenuated by stably introducing a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope tag in the PB1 gene. In this work, we wanted to determine whether these modifications would also result in attenuation of a so-called triple reassortant (TR) swine influenza virus (SIV). Thus, the TR influenza A/swine/Wisconsin/14094/99 (H3N2) virus was generated by reverse genetics and subsequently mutated in the PB1 and PB2 genes. Here we show that a combination of mutations in this TR backbone results in an attenuated virusin vitroandin vivo. Furthermore, we show the potential of our TR backbone as a vaccine that provides protection against the 2009 swine-origin pandemic influenza H1N1 virus (S-OIV) when carrying the surface of a classical swine strain. We propose that the availability of alternative backbones to the conventionalcaA/Ann Arbor/6/60 LAIV strain could also be useful in epidemic and pandemic influenza and should be considered for influenza vaccine development. In addition, our data provide evidence that the use of these alternative backbones could potentially circumvent the effects of original antigenic sin (OAS) in certain circumstances.
Initiation of Duck Hepatitis B Virus Infection Requires Cleavage by a Furin-Like Protease
Authors: Tong Yupin , Tong Shuping , Zhao Xiaoai , Wang Jianguo , Jun Jenny , Park Joseph , Wands Jack , Li Jisu
Published: February 2010

The entry mechanism of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not been defined, and this impedes development of antiviral therapies aimed at an early step in the viral life cycle. HBV infection has both host and tissue specificities. For the related duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), duck carboxypeptidase D (DCPD) has been proposed as the species-specific docking receptor, while glycine decarboxylase (DGD) may serve as a tissue-specific cofactor or secondary receptor. DGD binds to several truncated versions of the viral large envelope protein but not to the full-length protein, suggesting a need for proteolytic cleavage of the envelope protein by a furin-like proprotein convertase. In the present study, we found that transfected DCPD could confer DHBV binding to non-duck cell lines but that this was followed by rapid virus release from cells. Coexpression of furin led to DCPD cleavage and increased virus retention. Treatment of DHBV particles with endosome prepared from duck liver led to cleavage of the large envelope protein, and such viral preparation could generate a small amount of covalently closed circular DNA in LMH cells, a chicken hepatoma cell line resistant to DHBV infection. A furin inhibitor composed of decanoyl-RVKR-chloromethylketone blocked endosomal cleavage of the large envelope protein
in vitro
and suppressed DHBV infection of primary duck hepatocytes
in vivo
. These findings suggest that furin or a furin-like proprotein convertase facilitates DHBV infection by cleaving both the docking receptor and the viral large envelope protein.
Catching a Virus in the Act of RNA Release: a Novel Poliovirus Uncoating Intermediate Characterized by Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Authors: Levy Hazel C. , Bostina Mihnea , Filman David J. , Hogle James M.
Published: February 2010

Poliovirus infection requires that the particle undergo a series of conformational transitions that lead to cell entry and genome release. In an effort to understand the conformational changes associated with the release of the RNA genome, we have used cryo-electron microscopy to characterize the structure of the 80S “empty” particles of poliovirus that are thought to represent the final product of the cell entry pathway. Using two-dimensional classification methods, we show that preparations of 80S particles contain at least two structures, which might represent snapshots from a continuous series of conformers. Using three-dimensional reconstruction methods, we have solved the structure of two distinct forms at subnanometric resolution, and we have built and refined pseudoatomic models into the reconstructions. The reconstructions and the derived models demonstrate that the two structural forms are both slightly expanded, resulting in partial disruption of interprotomer interfaces near their particle 2-fold axes, which may represent the site where RNA is released. The models demonstrate that each of the two 80S structures has undergone a unique set of movements of the capsid proteins, associated with rearrangement of flexible loops and amino-terminal extensions that participate in contacts between protomers, between pentamers, and with the viral RNA.
The m74 Gene Product of Murine Cytomegalovirus (MCMV) Is a Functional Homolog of Human CMV gO and Determines the Entry Pathway of MCMV
Authors: Scrivano Laura , Esterlechner Jasmina , Mühlbach Hermine , Ettischer Nicole , Hagen Christoph , Grünewald Kay , Mohr Christian A. , Ruzsics Zsolt , Koszinowski Ulrich , Adler Barbara
Published: February 2010

The glycoprotein gO (UL74) of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) forms a complex with gH/gL. Virus mutants with a deletion of gO show a defect in secondary envelopment with the consequence that virus spread is restricted to a cell-associated pathway. Here we report that the positional homolog of HCMV gO, m74 of mouse CMV (MCMV), codes for a glycosylated protein which also forms a complex with gH (M75). m74 knockout mutants of MCMV show the same spread phenotype as gO knockout mutants of HCMV, namely, a shift from supernatant-driven to cell-associated spread. We could show that this phenotype is due to a reduction of infectious virus particles in cell culture supernatants. m74 knockout mutants enter fibroblasts via an energy-dependent and pH-sensitive pathway, whereas in the presence of an intact m74 gene product, entry is neither energy dependent nor pH sensitive. This entry phenotype is shared by HCMV expressing or lacking gO. Our data indicate that the m74 and UL74 gene products both codetermine CMV spread and CMV entry into cells. We postulate that MCMV, like HCMV, expresses alternative gH/gL complexes which govern cell-to-cell spread of the virus.
LIMITS ON THE COUPLING CONSTANT OF HIGHER-DERIVATIVE ELECTROMAGNETISM
Authors: ACCIOLY ANTONIO , SCATENA ESLLEY
Published: February 2010

We investigate a higher-derivative version of QED constructed by adding to the Maxwell's Lagrangian a term containing second-order derivatives of the electromagnetic potentials. The resulting Lagrangian, besides being gauge and Lorentz invariant, gives origin to local field equations that are linear in the field quantities. Two bounds on the coupling constant of this higher-order model are estimated: one of them is found using the measurements obtained on a lab experiment whose principal aim was to test the Coulomb's inverse square law, the other involves the computation of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron in the framework of the aforementioned system. As a by-product of the calculations on the quantum limit, a bound on the Lee–Wick heavy photon mass of the same order of magnitude as the masses of the vectorial bosons found in nature, is obtained as well.
THE INFLUENCE OF A MAGNETIC FIELD ON A LAMINAR VISCOUS FLOW IN A SEMI-POROUS CHANNEL
Authors: RANJBAR A. A. , DOMAIRRY G. , JAVADEIN M. S.
Published: February 2010

In this article, the steady two-dimensional laminar flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a semi-porous channel in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is considered. The homotopy perturbation method (HPM) and variational iteration method (VIM) are employed to compute an approximation to the solution of the system of differential equations governing on the problem. Velocity profiles, streamlines, and the other parameters of flow are determined. Comparisons are made between the numerical method (NM) and the results of our methods. The results reveal that these methods are very effective, simple, and can be applied to other nonlinear problems.
EIGENELEMENTS OF A GENERAL AGGREGATION-FRAGMENTATION MODEL
Authors: DOUMIC JAUFFRET MARIE , GABRIEL PIERRE
Published: February 2010

We consider a linear integro-differential equation which arises to describe both aggregation-fragmentation processes and cell division. We prove the existence of a solution (λ, [Formula: see text], ϕ) to the related eigenproblem. Such eigenelements are useful to study the long-time asymptotic behavior of solutions as well as the steady states when the equation is coupled with an ODE. Our study concerns a non-constant transport term that can vanish at x = 0, since it seems to be relevant to describe some biological processes like proteins aggregation. Non-lower-bounded transport terms bring difficulties to find a priori estimates. All the work of this paper is to solve this problem using weighted-norms.
QUESTION CLASSIFICATION USING PROFILE HIDDEN MARKOV MODELS
Authors: PAN YAN , TANG YONG , LUO YE-MIN , LIN LU-XIAN , WU GUI-BIN
Published: February 2010

Recently, Question Answering has been a hot topic in the research of information retrieval. Question Classification plays a critical role in most Question Answering systems. In this paper, a new approach to classifying questions using Profile Hidden Markov Models (PHMMs) is proposed. The generalization strategies to extract the pattern instances of questions by selective substitution are discussed. Then the classification method with pattern instances' structural features is investigated. Experimental results show that the PHMM based question classifier can reach the accuracy of 92.2% and significantly outperforms most of the state-of-the-art systems.
EPILEPTIC SPIKE DETECTION USING CONTINUOUS WAVELET TRANSFORMS AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: ABIBULLAEV BERDAKH , SEO HEE DON , KIM MIN SOO
Published: February 2010

We propose a new method for detection and classification of noisy recorded epileptic transients in Electroencephalograms (EEG) using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The proposed method consists of a segmentation, feature extraction and classification stage. For the feature extraction stage, we use best basis mother wavelet functions and wavelet thresholding technique. For the classification stage, multilayer perceptron neural networks were implemented according to standard backpropagation learning formulations. We demonstrate the efficiency of our feature extraction method on data to improve the ANN detection performance. As a result, we achieved the accuracy in detection and classification of seizure EEG signals with 94.69%, which is relatively good comparing with the available algorithms at present time.
ROBUST COLOR IMAGE WATERMARKING BASED ON FAN BEAM PROJECTIONS
Authors: DEJEY  , RAJESH R. S.
Published: February 2010

Digital watermarks have been embedded invisibly in digital media to protect copyrights of legal owners. In this paper two new robust digital color image watermarking schemes using fan beam projections are proposed and their imperceptibility, capacity and robustness are analyzed. The approach FBWLC adds a binary watermark to both the luminance and chrominance content of a color image whereas FBWC adds the watermark to the chrominance content of the color image and is based on Fan Beam Transform that takes multiple projections of the image from different angles. It is observed that FBWC scheme is robust to almost all the attacks and FBWLC scheme is more robust and guarantees zero bit error rate (BER) to most of the attacks on color images namely compression, filtering, blurring and sharpening and is compared with an existing approach based on Spatio Chromatic Discrete Fourier Transform (SCDFT). Also, when compared with other works in color image watermarking, these approaches embed a huge amount of data thereby increasing the watermarking capacity while preserving image quality by subjective evaluation.
FUZZY CAUSAL MAPPING (F-CMAP) — A PROPOSAL TO DEVELOP A NEW SYSTEMS BIOLOGY TOOL
Authors: WEINREB GABRIEL , CAO PAUL Y.
Published: February 2010

Biological systems are complex, consisting of many elements of different nature. As a whole, they are robust, and a general system description can be done in a semi-quantitative way when it comes to phenotype behaviors. We used these properties earlier1 to develop a new systems biology method, causal mapping (CMAP). In this paper, we pinpoint some problems with the earlier version of CMAP, and develop it further. CMAP used linguistic variables (LV) to describe the behaviour of biological systems, and here we use the procedure of fuzzyfications to improve CMAP. The numerical methods to calculate the ranges of LV are agreeable to reality in a very intuitive manner. The new version of CMAP reproduced the physical data on cortical oscillations2 in spreading cells with depolymerized microtubules. Further, predictions were made on the dependency of the myosin activity on the period of oscillations.

The presented development lies on the way to a more general approach that should be able to address questions of biological robustness, modularity and hierarchy.
OPTIONS WITH UNDERLYING ASSET DRIVEN BY A FRACTIONAL BROWNIAN MOTION: CROSSING BARRIERS ESTIMATES
Authors: ROTUNDO GIULIA , CERQUETI ROY
Published: February 2010

This paper aims at supplying a decision support system tool to investors having options written on an underlying asset driven by a fractional Brownian motion (fBm). The results presented here rely on the theory of nonlinear transformations of fBm and provide the calculus of the probability estimate that the underlying asset crosses nonlinear barriers. Recent results stating a Black and Scholes-like pricing formula for fBm monitor the expected behaviour of options on the basis of the dynamics of the underlying asset. We rely on the results drawn for plain vanilla options, leaving their extension to barrier options for future work. The theory of speculative bubbles due to endogenous causes provides a useful suggestion for the detection of periods in which these results should be used. The application of the above results is shown through the NASDAQ case study.
Functional characterization of chicken glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors
Authors: Proszkowiec-Weglarz Monika , Porter Tom E.
Published: February 2010

Glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Little is known about the function of GR and MR in avian species. Recently, the chicken homologue of the GR (cGR) gene was cloned, and its tissue-specific expression was characterized, whereas the full-length sequence of the chicken MR (cMR) gene remains unknown. Therefore, the aims of this project were to clone the full-length cMR and to functionally characterize both chicken receptors. Cos-7 cells were transiently transfected with cGR or cMR expression vectors along with a glucocorticoid response element-luciferase (GRE-Luc) reporter construct. Transfected cells were then treated with increasing doses of corticosterone (CORT) or aldosterone (ALDO) alone and with GR or MR antagonists (ZK98299 and spironolactone, respectively). Transactivation of cGR or cMR was evaluated by luciferase assay. CORT and ALDO induced cGR- and cMR-driven transcriptional activity in a dose-dependent manner. Each receptor responded to both steroids, but cMR transcriptional activity was induced by lower levels of CORT and ALDO than cGR. Coexpression of both chicken corticosteroid receptors in Cos-7 cells had no synergistic or additive effect on CORT- or ALDO-induced transcriptional activity. Corticosteroid-dependent transactivation of cGR and cMR was partially blocked by antagonists. ZK98299 showed high specificity to cGR, while spironolactone had agonist properties toward both receptors. Immunocytochemistry was used to assess the cellular localization of both receptors. Corticosteroids induced translocation of both receptors into the nucleus. The functional properties of cGR and cMR determined in this study will be helpful in defining the physiological roles of GR and MR in avian species.
Antennal Lobe Processing Increases Separability of Odor Mixture Representations in the Honeybee
Authors: Deisig Nina , Giurfa Martin , Sandoz Jean Christophe
Published: February 2010

Local networks within the primary olfactory centers reformat odor representations from olfactory receptor neurons to second-order neurons. By studying the rules underlying mixture representation at the input to the antennal lobe (AL), the primary olfactory center of the insect brain, we recently found that mixture representation follows a strict elemental rule in honeybees: the more a component activates the AL when presented alone, the more it is represented in a mixture. We now studied mixture representation at the output of the AL by imaging a population of second-order neurons, which convey AL processed odor information to higher brain centers. We systematically measured odor-evoked activity in 22 identified glomeruli in response to four single odorants and all their possible binary, ternary and quaternary mixtures. By comparing input and output responses, we determined how the AL network reformats mixture representation and what advantage this confers for odor discrimination. We show that increased inhibition within the AL leads to more synthetic, less elemental, mixture representation at the output level than that at the input level. As a result, mixture representations become more separable in the olfactory space, thus allowing better differentiation among floral blends in nature.
Multimodal Sensory Responses of Nucleus Reticularis Gigantocellularis and the Responses' Relation to Cortical and Motor Activation
Authors: Martin Eugene M. , Pavlides Constantine , Pfaff Donald
Published: February 2010

The connectivity of large neurons of the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRGc) in the medullary reticular formation potentially allows both for the integration of stimuli, in several modalities, that would demand immediate action, and for coordinated activation of cortical and motoric activity. We have simultaneously recorded cortical local field potentials, neck muscle electromyograph (EMG), and the neural activity of medullary NRGc neurons in unrestrained, unanesthetized rats to determine whether the activity of the NRGc is consistent with the modulation of general arousal. We observed excitatory responses of individual NRGc neurons to all modalities tested: tactile, visual, auditory, vestibular, and olfactory. Excitation was directly linked to increases in neck muscle EMG amplitude and corresponded with increases in the power of fast oscillations (30 to 80 Hz) of cortical activity and decreases in the power of slow oscillations (2 to 8 Hz). Because these reticular formation neurons can respond to broad ranges of stimuli with increased firing rates associated with the initiation of behavioral responses, we infer that they are part of an elementary “first responder” CNS arousal mechanism.
Coupling Patterns of External Arguments in the Multiple‐Spiral Medallions of the Mandelbrot Set
Authors: Romera M. , Pastor G. , Orue A. B. , Arroyo D. , Montoya F.
Published: February 2010

The multiple‐spiral medallions are beautiful decorations situated in the proximity of the small copies of the Mandelbrot set. They are composed by an infinity of babies Mandelbrot sets that have external arguments with known structure. In this paper we study the coupling patterns of the external arguments of the baby Mandelbrot sets in multiple‐spiral medallions, that is, how these external arguments are grouped in pairs. Based on our experimental data, we obtain that the canonical nonspiral medallions have a nested pairs pattern, the canonical single‐spiral medallions have an adjacent pairs pattern, and we conjecture that the canonical double, triple, quadruple‐spiral medallions have a 1‐nested/adjacent pairs pattern.
Mediators of Inflammation in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Akcay Ali , Nguyen Quocan , Edelstein Charles L.
Published: February 2010

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains to be an independent risk factor for mortality and morbidity. Inflammation is now believed to play a major role in the pathopathophysiology of AKI. It is hypothesized that in ischemia, sepsis and nephrotoxic models that the initial insult results in morphological and/or functional changes in vascular endothelial cells and/or in tubular epithelium. Then, leukocytes including neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells, and lymphocytes infiltrate into the injured kidneys. The injury induces the generation of inflammatory mediators like cytokines and chemokines by tubular and endothelial cells which contribute to the recruiting of leukocytes into the kidneys. Thus, inflammation has an important role in the initiation and extension phases of AKI. This review will focus on the mediators of inflammation contributing to the pathogenesis of AKI.
Diffusion Characteristics of Toluene into Natural Rubber/Linear Low Density Polyethylene Blends
Authors: Obasi Henry C. , Ogbobe Okoro , Igwe Isaac O.
Published: February 2010

The sorption and diffusion of toluene through blends of natural rubber (NR) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) of varying compositions were studied at 35, 55, and65°Cby conventional weight-gain experiments. The effects of blend ratio on the diffusion, sorption, and permeation coefficients were determined. The sorption data were used to estimate the activation energies of diffusion and permeation, parameters which were found to show a decrease when the amount of NR or LLDPE was increased. The transport of toluene through most of the blends was anomalous, althouh at35°C, the transport of toluene through the 60/40 blend was Fickian and at35°C, pseudo-Fickian. The enthalpy of sorption of toluene obtained is positive and suggests a Henry's type sorption.
Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Using Distorted Markers
Authors: Xu Shizhong , Hu Zhiqiu
Published: February 2010

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is usually performed using markers that follow a Mendelian segregation ratio. We developed a new method of QTL mapping that can use markers with segregation distortion (non‐Mendelian markers). An EM (expectation‐maximization) algorithm is used to estimate QTL and SDL (segregation distortion loci) parameters. The joint analysis of QTL and SDL is particularly useful for selective genotyping. Application of the joint analysis is demonstrated using a real life data from a wheat QTL mapping experiment.
TOM1L Is Involved in a Novel Signaling Pathway Important for the IL-2 Production in Jurkat T Cells Stimulated by CD3/CD28 CoLigation
Authors: Elmarghani Ahmed , Abuabaid Hanan , Kjellen Peter
Published: February 2010

TOM1L (target of Myb-1 Like) was identified as a binding partner for the full length and catalytically-active Lck in a yeast 2-hybrid screening assay. Here we show that in Jurkat T cells stimulated by CD3/CD28 coligation where the expression of TOM1L is reduced by lenti virus mediated-siRNA results in a dramatically lower IL-2 production. The production of IL-2 in siRNA treated cells stimulated with PMA/ionomycin was not affected indicating an involvement of TOM1L in a pathway proximal of TCR and CD28. The coexpression of Fyn with TOM1L increased the level of the phosphorylated form of Fyn indicating that TOM1L has the ability to activate Fyn. The ability of TOM1L to activate Fyn was further shown in a kinase assay using angiotensin II as a substrate. By confocal microscopy, we show that the expression of TOM1L in non-treated HeLa and SK-N-SH cells colocalizes with the mitochondrial membrane but not with lysosomal compartments or the trans-Golgi network. Furthermore, we show that the over-expression of TOM1L in Jurkat cells causes an increase of the STAT3 expression . Based on our results, we here propose that TOM1L is involved in a novel signaling pathway that is important for the IL-2 production in T cells.
Sepsis-Related Mortality of Very Low Birth Weight Brazilian Infants: The Role ofPseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Pereira Sylvia Maria Porto , Cardoso Maria Helena Cabral de Almeida , Figuexeds Ana Lucia , Mattos Haroldo , Rozembaum Ronaldo , Ferreira Vanessa Isidoro , Portinho Maria Antonieta , Gonçalves Ana Cristina , da Costa Elaine Sobral
Published: February 2010

The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for sepsis-related mortality in low birth weight (<1500 g) infants. We performed retrospective cohort study to investigate risk factors for sepsis-related mortality in all neonates birth weight <1500 g admitted to Level III neonatal intensive care unit, Brazil, April 2001/September 2004. Of the 203 cases, 71 (35%) had sepsis. Of those, gram-positive was identified in 52/87 blood cultures (59.8%), the most commonCoagulase-negative Staphylococcus(31/87; 35.5%). Gram-negative was present in 29 of the 87 positive blood cultures (33.3%), withPseudomonas aeruginosa(8/87; 9.1%), the most frequent agent. Overall 21 of 71 infants with sepsis (29.6%) died. Risk factors for sepsis-related mortality were gestational age ≤28 weeks, birth weight ≤1000 g (9.6 times more often than birth weight >1000 g), five-minute Apgar ≤7, gram-negative sepsis, mechanical ventilation (6.7 times higher than no use), and intravascular catheter. Sepsis-related mortality was due, mainly, toPseudomonas aeruginosa; birth weight ≤1000 g and mechanical ventilation were strong sepsis-related mortality predictors.
Bilateral Inflammatory Aural Polyps: A Manifestation of Samter's Triad
Authors: Brobst Robert , Suss Nichole , Joe Stephanie , Saadia-Redleaf Miriam
Published: February 2010

We report an unusual case of bilateral inflammatory aural polyps in a patient with Samter's triad. This 52-year-old patient had a history of chronic rhinosinusitis with sinonasal polyps, asthma, and aspirin sensitivity, with progressive right-sided hearing loss, otorrhea, and aural fullness. She was found to have bilateral aural polyps, with the larger obstructing lesion on the right. A computed tomography supported these findings and revealed bilateral opacification of the middle ear cleft and mastoid air cells. An initial right tympanomastoidectomy was performed with the specimen histologically resembling a typical sinonasal polyp. We speculate that this patient's middle ear polyposis is secondary to the inflammatory changes of Samter's triad. This has not been described previously in the literature.
Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Radial Gap and Impeller Blade Exit on Flow‐Induced Vibration at the Blade‐Passing Frequency in a Centrifugal Pump
Authors: Al-Qutub A. , Khalifa A. , Khulief Y.
Published: February 2010

It has been recognized that the pressure pulsation excited by rotor‐stator interaction in large pumps is strongly influenced by the radial gap between impeller and volute diffusers/tongues and the geometry of impeller blade at exit. This fluid‐structure interaction phenomenon, as manifested by the pressure pulsation, is the main cause of flow‐induced vibrations at the blade‐passing frequency. In the present investigation, the effects of the radial gap and flow rate on pressure fluctuations, vibration, and pump performance are investigated experimentally for two different impeller designs. One impeller has a V‐shaped cut at the blade′s exit, while the second has a straight exit (without the V‐cut). The experimental findings showed that the high vibrations at the blade‐passing frequency are primarily raised by high pressure pulsation due to improper gap design. The existence of V‐cut at blades exit produces lower pressure fluctuations inside the pump while maintaining nearly the same performance. The selection of proper radial gap for a given impeller‐volute combination results in an appreciable reduction in vibration levels.
Reorganizing Neural Network System for Two Spirals and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene Copolymer Problems
Authors: Behery G. M. , El-Harby A. A. , El-Bakry Mostafa Y.
Published: February 2010

This paper presents an automatic system of neural networks (NNs) that has the ability to simulate and predict many of applied problems. The system architectures are automatically reorganized and the experimental process starts again, if the required performance is not reached. This processing is continued until the performance obtained. This system is first applied and tested on the two spiral problem; it shows that excellent generalization performance obtained by classifying all points of the two-spirals correctly. After that, it is applied and tested on the shear stress and the pressure drop problem across the short orifice die as a function of shear rate at different mean pressures for linear low-density polyethylene copolymer (LLDPE) at190∘C. The system shows a better agreement with an experimental data of the two cases: shear stress and pressure drop. The proposed system has been also designed to simulate other distributions not presented in the training set (predicted) and matched them effectively.
Hydatid Cyst of the Rib: A New Case and Review of the Literature
Authors: Chafik A. , Benjelloun A. , El Khadir A. , El Barni R. , Achour A. , Ait Benasser M. A.
Published: February 2010

The hydatid cyst is not rare in our country, but bone lesions are less common. The disease often takes the appearance of abscess or malignant lesion. We report a case of a 35-year-old man with a hydatid cyst of the rib complicated with cutaneous fistula. The surgery allowed both diagnosis and treatment. Albendazole was then administered to prevent relapse.
Improved Field Emission Characteristics of Large‐Area Films of Molybdenum Trioxide Microbelt
Authors: Ban Dongmei , Deng Shaozhi , Xu Ningsheng , Chen Jun , She Juncong , Liu Fei
Published: February 2010

We study the field emission characteristics of large‐area films of crystalline MoO3 microbelt grown on silicon substrate by thermal evaporation in air using a commercial infrared sintering furnace. It is found that their turn‐on field, threshold field, resistance to microdischarge and field emission current stability are better than MoO3 nanowires, MoO3 nanobelts and MoO3 nanoflower. In addition, good uniform distribution of field emission sites can be observed. The physical reasons are explained responsible for such improvements on field emission characteristics of MoO3 material. These results indicate that large‐area MoO3 microbelts may be suitable for cold‐cathode electron source application.
A Lie Algebroid on the Wiener Space
Authors: Léandre Rémi
Published: February 2010

We define a Lie algebroid on the space of smooth 1‐forms in the Nualart‐Pardoux sense on the Wiener space associated to the stochastic linear Poisson structure on the Wiener space defined Léandre (2009).
Cellular Stress Responses: Cell Survival and Cell Death
Authors: Fulda Simone , Gorman Adrienne M. , Hori Osamu , Samali Afshin
Published: February 2010

Cells can respond to stress in various ways ranging from the activation of survival pathways to the initiation of cell death that eventually eliminates damaged cells. Whether cells mount a protective or destructive stress response depends to a large extent on the nature and duration of the stress as well as the cell type. Also, there is often the interplay between these responses that ultimately determines the fate of the stressed cell. The mechanism by which a cell dies (i.e., apoptosis, necrosis, pyroptosis, or autophagic cell death) depends on various exogenous factors as well as the cell's ability to handle the stress to which it is exposed. The implications of cellular stress responses to human physiology and diseases are manifold and will be discussed in this review in the context of some major world health issues such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, myocardial infarction, and cancer.
Chlamydophila pneumoniaeInfection and Its Role in Neurological Disorders
Authors: Contini Carlo , Seraceni Silva , Cultrera Rosario , Castellazzi Massimiliano , Granieri Enrico , Fainardi Enrico
Published: February 2010

Chlamydophila pneumoniaeis an intracellular pathogen responsible for a number of different acute and chronic infections. The recent deepening of knowledge on the biology and the use of increasingly more sensitive and specific molecular techniques has allowed demonstration ofC. pneumoniaein a large number of persons suffering from different diseases including cardiovascular (atherosclerosis and stroke) and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Despite this, many important issues remain unanswered with regard to the role thatC. pneumoniaemay play in initiating atheroma or in the progression of the disease. A growing body of evidence concerns the involvement of this pathogen in chronic neurological disorders and particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Monocytes may trafficC. pneumoniaeacross the blood-brain-barrier, shed the organism in the CNS and induce neuroinflammation. The demonstration ofC. pneumoniaeby histopathological, molecular and culture techniques in the late-onset AD dementia has suggested a relationship between CNS infection with C. pneumoniae and the AD neuropathogenesis. In particular subsets of MS patients,C. pneumoniaecould induce a chronic persistent brain infection acting as a cofactor in the development of the disease. The role of Chlamydia in the pathogenesis of mental or neurobehavioral disorders including schizophrenia and autism is uncertain and fragmentary and will require further confirmation.
Simulation of Equatorial von Neumann Measurements on GHZ States Using Nonlocal Resources
Authors: Bancal Jean-Daniel , Branciard Cyril , Gisin Nicolas
Published: February 2010

Reproducing with elementary resources the correlations that arise
when a quantum system is measured (quantum state simulation) allows one to get insight on the operational and computational power of quantum correlations. We propose a family of models that can simulate von Neumann measurements in the x − y
plane of the Bloch sphere on n‐partite GHZ states. For the tripartite and fourpartite states, the models use only bipartite nonlocal boxes; they can be translated into classical communication schemes with finite average communication cost.
Lack of a Y-Chromosomal Complement in the Majority of Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasms
Authors: Yap Kai Lee , Hafez Michael J. , Mao Tsui-Lien , Kurman Robert J. , Murphy Kathleen M. , Shih Ie-Ming
Published: February 2010

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasms (GTNs) are a rare group of neoplastic diseases composed of choriocarcinomas, placental site trophoblastic tumors (PSTTs) and epithelioid trophoblastic tumors (ETTs). Since these tumors are derivatives of fetal trophoblastic tissue, approximately 50% of GTN cases are expected to originate from a male conceptus and carry a Y-chromosomal complement according to a balanced sex ratio. To investigate this hypothesis, we carried out a comprehensive analysis by genotyping a relatively large sample size of 51 GTN cases using three independent sex chromosome genetic markers; Amelogenin, Protein Kinase and Zinc Finger have X and Y homologues that are distinguishable by their PCR product size. We found that all cases contained the X-chromosomal complement while only five (10%) of 51 tumors harbored the Y-chromosomal complement. Specifically, Y-chromosomal signals were detected in one (5%) of 19 choriocarcinomas, one (7%) of 15 PSTTs and three (18%) of 17 ETTs. The histopathological features of those with a Y-chromosome were similar to those without. Our results demonstrate the presence of a Y-chromosomal complement in GTNs, albeit a low 10% of cases. This shortfall of Y-chromosomal complements in GTNs may reinforce the notion that the majority of GTNs are derived from previous molar gestations.
Fast Constructions of Quantum Codes Based on Residues Pauli Block Matrices
Authors: Guo Ying , Zeng Guihu , Lee MoonHo
Published: February 2010

We demonstrate how to fast construct quantum error‐correction codes based on quadratic residues Pauli block transforms. The present quantum codes have an advantage of being fast designed from Abelian groups on the basis of Pauli block matrices that can be yielded from quadratic residues with much efficiency.
Giant Electron-Phonon Anomaly in DopedLa2CuO4and Other Cuprates
Authors: Reznik D.
Published: February 2010

Since conventional superconductivity is mediated by phonons, their role in the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity has been considered very early after the discovery of the cuprates. The initial consensus was that phonons could not produce transition temperatures near 100 K, and the main direction of research focused on nonphononic mechanisms. Subsequent work last reviewed by L. Pintschovius in 2005 showed that electron-phonon coupling in the cuprates is surprisingly strong for some phonons and its role is controversial. Experiments performed since then identified anomalous behavior of certain Cu–O bond-stretching phonons in cuprates as an important phenomenon that is somehow related to the mechanism of superconductivity. A particularly big advance was made in the study of dopedLa2CuO4. This work is reviewed here.
Haptic Perception with Self-Organizing ANNs and an Anthropomorphic Robot Hand
Authors: Johnsson Magnus , Balkenius Christian
Published: February 2010

We have implemented and compared four biologically motivated self-organizing haptic systems based on proprioception. All systems employ a 12-d.o.f. anthropomorphic robot hand, the LUCS Haptic Hand 3. The four systems differ in the kind of self-organizing neural network used for clustering. For the mapping of the explored objects, one system uses a Self-Organizing Map (SOM), one uses a Growing Cell Structure (GCS), one uses a Growing Cell Structure with Deletion of Neurons (GCS-DN), and one uses a Growing Grid (GG). The systems were trained and tested with 10 different objects of different sizes from two different shape categories. The generalization abilities of the systems were tested with 6 new objects. The systems showed good performance with the objects from the training set as well as in the generalization experiments. Thus the systems could discriminate individual objects, and they clustered the activities into small cylinders, large cylinders, small blocks, and large blocks. Moreover, the self-organizing ANNs were also organized according to size. The GCS-DN system also evolved disconnected networks representing the different clusters in the input space (small cylinders, large cylinders, small blocks, large blocks), and the generalization samples activated neurons in a proper subnetwork in all but one case.
Concurrent Calculations on Reconfigurable Logic Devices Applied to the Analysis of Video Images
Authors: Geninatti Sergio R. , Benavides Benítez José Ignacio , Hernández Calviño Manuel , Mata Nicolás Guil
Published: February 2010

This paper presents the design and implementation on FPGA devices of an algorithm for computing similarities between neighboring frames in a video sequence using luminance information. By taking advantage of the well-known flexibility of Reconfigurable Logic Devices, we have designed a hardware implementation of the algorithm used in video segmentation and indexing. The experimental results show the tradeoff between concurrent sequential resources and the functional blocks needed to achieve maximum operational speed while achieving minimum silicon area usage. To evaluate system efficiency, we compare the performance of the hardware solution to that of calculations done via software using general-purpose processors with and without an SIMD instruction set.