bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of unique sensitizing targets for anti‐inflammatory CDDO‐Me in metastatic melanoma by a large‐scale synthetic lethal RNAi screening
Authors: Qin Yong , Deng Wuguo , Ekmekcioglu Suhendan , Grimm Elizabeth A.
Published: October 2012

CDDO‐Me has been shown to exert potent anti‐inflammatory activity for chronic kidney disease and antitumor activity for several tumors, including melanoma, in early clinical trials. To improve CDDO‐Me response in melanoma, we utilized a large‐scale synthetic lethal RNAi screen targeting 6000 human druggable genes to identify targets that would sensitize melanoma cells to CDDO‐Me. Based on screening results, five unique genes (GNPAT, SUMO1, SPINT2, FLI1, and SSX1) significantly potentiated the growth inhibitory effects of CDDO‐Me and induced apoptosis in A375, a BRAF mutated melanoma line (P < 0.001). These five genes were then individually validated as targets to potentiate CDDO‐Me activity, and related downstream signaling pathways of these genes were analyzed. In addition, the levels of phosphorylated Erk1/2, Akt, GSK‐2, and PRAS40 were dramatically decreased by downregulating each of these five genes separately, suggesting a set of common mediators. Our findings indicate that GNPAT, SUMO1, SPINT2, FLI1, and SSX1 play critical roles in synergy with inflammation pathways in modulating melanoma cell survival and could serve as sensitizing targets to enhance CDDO‐Me efficacy in melanoma growth control.
Grb14 mRNA Levels During Follicular Deviation in Cattle are Higher in Granulosa Cells of Subordinate Compared to Dominant Follicles
Authors: Bohrer RC , Rosa PRA , Ferreira R , Bordignon V , Oliveira JFC , Gonçalves PBD
Published: October 2012

Contents

The growth factor receptor‐bound protein 14 (Grb14) is a cellular adapter protein belonging to the Grb7 family of proteins. Studies with human and rodent cells have demonstrated that Grb14 acts as a negative regulator of tyrosine kinase receptor signalling through the MAPK and PI3K pathways. In cattle, tyrosine kinase receptors are activated during follicular development but the role of Grb14 in this process has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize Grb14 mRNA expression in ovarian somatic cells during follicular growth and deviation in cattle. We found Grb14 mRNA expressed in both granulosa and theca cells derived from follicles at different stages of development (3–5 , 6–8, >8 mm in diameter). The abundance of mRNA for Grb14 was higher in granulosa cells of subordinate compared with those from dominant follicles at days 3 and 4 of the follicular wave (p < 0.05). Further, there was a negative correlation between the abundance of mRNA for Grb14 and P450Arom in granulosa cells (R2 = 0.367; p < 0.05) and between the abundance of mRNA for Grb14 in granulosa cells and concentration of oestradiol in follicular fluid (R2 = 0.545; p < 0.05). In theca cells, the expression of Grb14 mRNA did not differ between dominant and subordinate follicles (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that Grb14 may play a regulatory role in granulosa cells during follicular deviation in cattle.
The Synergy of ‐260T T CD14 and ‐308GG TNF‐α Genotypes in Survival of Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Fallavena P. R. V. , de Jesus Borges T. , Paskulin D. D. , Thurow H. S. , de Oliveira Paludo F. J. , dos Santos Froes C. , Graebin P. , Dias F. S. , de Toledo Nóbrega O. , Alho C. S.
Published: October 2012

Literature suggests that the analysis of several polymorphic genetic markers is more informative than the analysis of a single polymorphism. In this study, we tested whether the shared inheritance of TLR2 and TLR4 and TNF‐α allelic variants may act in synergy with ‐260C>T CD14 SNP on the outcome from critical conditions. We monitored 524 critically ill patients from South Brazilian, daily from the ICU admission to their discharge from hospital, or death. Our results revealed that TLR2, TLR4 or TNF‐α SNPs alone did not show a significant role in the outcome from critical illness. However, when we performed a combined analysis with the CD14 inheritance, we detected a significant higher survivor rate in ‐260TT CD14/‐308GG TNF‐α individuals (P = 0.037). In the adjusted analysis including the main clinical predictors to mortality, we observed that ‐260TT/‐308GG double‐genotype was a significant protective factor towards survival (P = 0.046). An increased probability for survival of ‐260TT/‐308GG was also observed by ‘pathway genetic load’ analysis (unweighted: P = 0.041; weighted: P = 0.036). When we applied a hazard function analysis with the ‐260TT/‐308GG variable as a discriminating factor, ‐260TT/‐308GG patients group had, in fact, a higher survivor rate (P = 0.024). Connected to the beneficial effect of ‐260TT CD14, the ‐308GG TNF‐α genotype was protective against the reported over expression of TNF‐α caused by ‐308A rare allele. Results support the hypothesis that the interaction between ‐260C>T CD14 and ‐308G>A TNF‐α functional SNPs may be synergistically influencing the outcome of critically ill patients.
Alacrity of Cells Engaged in the Immune Response
Authors: Lefkovits I.
Published: October 2012

A hypothesis is postulated and experimental findings are given that a special kind of cell heterogeneity exists that renders cells differentially sensitive to the epitopal stimulus with the consequence that only a portion of ligand‐specific cells engages in the response. The differential sensitivity is based on epigenetically driven cell‐to‐cell variations in the expressed gene products, such that every cell becomes unique in its molecular profile, and will preserve its individuality in ‘sensing’ the boundary conditions of the response milieu. The readiness of cells to engage in the response will be termed alacrity. High‐alacrity cells are ready to respond under given conditions because their molecular expression pattern – both in qualitative and in quantitative terms – matches the response milieu. This heterogeneity has little to do with the BCR and TCR specificity, that is, not all antigen‐specific cells respond to a stimulus, and cells failing to respond do so because their overall molecular pattern is inadequate to the conditions of the response milieu. The corollary to this proposition is that whatever physiological conditions prevail, some ligand‐specific cells will likely be ready to engage in the response, because their uniqueness makes them differentially reactive to external signals. Although the pool of cells available for any response is restricted under any given boundary condition, some idle cells are saved to be ‘in reserve’. Experiments are described that are compatible with this proposition, and approaches are suggested to elucidate the mechanism of developing and maintaining alacrity. This paper is a contribution to the Centennial conference in honour of Niels Kaj Jerne, held in Lisbon November 2011.
Clinical and Molecular Characterization of Thai Patients with Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome
Authors: Amarinthnukrowh P. , Ittiporn S. , Tongkobpetch S. , Chatchatee P. , Sosothikul D. , Shotelersuk V. , Suphapeetiporn K.
Published: October 2012

Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X‐linked recessive primary immunodeficiency disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding the WAS protein (WASP). Classic WAS is characterized by thrombocytopenia with small‐sized platelets, recurrent infections, eczema and increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and haematologic malignancies. Here, we reported on seven unrelated Thai individuals with classic WAS. In addition to clinical and immunologic characterization, mutation analysis by PCR‐sequencing the entire coding region of WASP was performed. Recurrent and novel mutations were successfully identified. A nonsense mutation, the c.55C>T (p.Q19X), has not been previously described, expanding the mutational spectrum of WASP. The patient with this newly described mutation developed cow's milk allergy manifesting as angioedema and urticaria and had cytomegalovirus infection that was successfully treated with long‐term ganciclovir. This study reported long‐term follow‐up of seven patients with molecular confirmation of WAS and infrequent features in the patient with classic WAS carrying the novel nonsense mutation.
The HLA‐B gene and Hashimoto disease in Han Chinese children: a case‐control and family‐based study
Authors: Huang C.‐Y. , Chang T.‐Y. , Chu C.‐C. , Lo F.‐S. , Ting W.‐H. , Lin C.‐H. , Wu Y.‐L. , Chu S.‐Y. , Chang S.‐C. , Chen W.‐F. , Lin C.‐L. , Lin W.‐S. , Lee Y.‐J.
Published: October 2012

Hashimoto disease (HD) is an autoimmune thyroid disease resulting from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene has been established to be involved in the susceptibility to HD. We aim to investigate the associations between HLA‐B alleles and Han Chinese children with HD by both case‐control and family‐based studies. A total of 108 unrelated children with HD, 380 unrelated healthy controls, 58 trios of affected patients and their parents, and 75 trios of unaffected siblings and their parents were recruited. HLA‐B genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction and detected with a sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probes system. We found that B*46:01 allele (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.60–3.34, Pc = 9.99 × 10−5) and carrier (OR = 3.28, 95% CI 2.10–5.11, Pc = 1.35 × 10−6) were associated with HD risk. Transmission/disequilibrium test further confirmed an overtransmission of the B*46:01 (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.36–6.10, P = 6.5 × 10−3). The findings were similar in females when stratified by gender. In conclusion, our results clearly identify that HLA‐B*46:01 confers susceptibility to HD in Han Chinese children. Further studies with larger children cohort are required to confirm the role of B*46:01 in the development of HD.
HLA‐A*02:335 and HLA‐A*02:370 were identified by polymerase chain reaction sequence‐based typing in Chinese individuals
Authors: Tao S.‐D. , Zhang W. , He J. , Zhu F.‐M. , Lv H.‐J.
Published: October 2012

HLA‐A*02:335 shows one nucleotide different from HLA‐A*02:07:01 at position 173T>A and HLA‐A*02:370 has a single nucleotide polymorphism at position 886 C>G compared with HLA‐A*02:03:01.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DPB1*140:01 allele identified by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Deng Z.‐H. , Xu Y.‐P. , Wang D.‐M.
Published: October 2012

The novel HLA‐DPB1*140:01 variant allele differs from the closest allele DPB1*05:01:01 by single nucleotide change at genomic nt 4898G>C in exon 2.
Tracheal occlusion conditioning causes stress, anxiety and neural state changes in conscious rats
Authors: Pate K. M. , Davenport P. W.
Published: October 2012

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Airway obstructions appear to evoke stress and to cause compensatory behaviours; individuals with respiratory obstructive diseases experience affective disorders. Respiratory patterns can be conditioned, but it is unknown whether healthy animals develop stress or anxiety following respiratory occlusion conditioning and whether persistent neural changes are involved in that development.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Respiratory occlusion conditioning caused both stress and anxiety in healthy rats, which were accompanied by increased basal neural activity in important respiratory, stress and discriminative and affective sensory processing centres. Affective disorders may follow the development of a respiratory obstructive disease through the modulation of basal activity in specific neural regions.

Evidence from human and animal studies indicates that mechanical loads to breathing are stressful stimuli and evoke compensatory behaviours. Conditioning of stressful stimuli is known to cause changes in basal stress levels and behaviour. Individuals with respiratory obstructive diseases repeatedly experience bouts of airway obstruction, which may act as a form of conditioning, and often have affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression. It is unknown whether the development of affective disorders in these individuals results from the unexpected recurring respiratory perturbations. To investigate this possibility, we developed a model to elicit tracheal occlusion (TO) in conscious rats and exposed them to 10 days of TO conditioning. We hypothesized that healthy, conscious animals exposed to TO conditioning would develop stress and anxiety and would have modulated neural activity in respiratory, stress, discriminative and affective neural regions. Following TO conditioning, rats had increased basal corticosterone levels, greater adrenal weights and elevated anxiety levels compared with animals not receiving TO. Significant increases in cytochrome oxidase staining were found in brainstem respiratory nuclei, periaqueductal grey, dorsal raphe, thalamus and insular cortex. These results suggest that healthy animals develop stress and anxiety responses to respiratory load conditioning via inescapable tracheal occlusions, which may be mediated through state changes in specific brain nuclei.
Double Diffusive Magneto-Convection Fluid Flow in a Strong Cross Magnetic Field With Uniform Surface Heat and Mass Flux
Authors: Siddiqa Sadia , Hossain Md. Anwar , Saha Suvash C.
Published: October 2012

In this study, magnetohydrodynamic natural convection boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting and viscous incompressible fluid along a heated vertical flat plate with uniform heat and mass flux in the presence of strong cross magnetic field has been investigated. Asymptotic solutions are obtained for small (≪1) and large (≫1) values of local Hartmann parameter, ξ, through regular perturbation method and matched asymptotic expansion technique, respectively. However, for all values of ξ the boundary layer equations are transformed to a suitable form by using the free variable formulation (FVF) as well as the stream function formulation (SFF). The equations obtained through FVF are integrated via direct finite difference method together with Gaussian elimination technique while the others obtained through SFF are integrated numerically via Thomas algorithm. Discussion is carried out for fluids having small Pr ≪1. The results obtained for small, large and all ξ regimes are examined in terms of shear stress, τw, rate of heat transfer, qw, and rate of mass transfer, mw, for important physical parameter. Attention has been given to the influence of Schmidt number, Sc, buoyancy ratio parameter, N and local Hartmann parameter, ξ on velocity, temperature and concentration distributions and noted that velocity and temperature of the fluid achieve their asymptotic profiles for Sc ≥ 10.0.
Heat Transfer Enhancement From a Blade Tip-Cap Using Metal Foams
Authors: Sengstock Owen , Hooman Kamel
Published: October 2012

3D numerical results are presented to compare the heat transfer augmentation from a plate by using pin fins and metal foams. It is observed that maximizing the inlet velocity and pores per inch maximizes the overall heat transfer rate. The thickness of the foam layer has minimal effect on overall rates of heat transfer, but great effect on the maximum plate temperature. It has been shown that an optimum thickness exists which minimizes the hot spot temperature. Hot spots are generally located in the corners where velocities are the lowest. While the pressure drop remains almost unaltered, the heat transfer increases by 146% and 12% compared with a smooth channel and the optimal pin-fin data available in the literature, respectively. Interestingly, the additional mass of the foams, to achieve this performance, is approximately one-quarter of the best pin-fin sink quoted above.
On The Nonlinear Dynamics of Two Types of Backup Bearings — Theoretical and Experimental Aspects
Authors: Lahriri Said , Santos Ilmar F. , Weber Hans I. , Hartmann Henning
Published: October 2012

The possible contact between rotor and stator can for some cases be considered a serious malfunction that may lead to catastrophic failure. Rotor rub is considered a secondary phenomenon caused by a primary source that leads to a disruption of the normal operational condition. It arises from sudden mass unbalance, instabilities generated by aerodynamic and hydrodynamic forces in seals and bearings among others. The contact event gives rise to normal and friction forces exerted on the rotor at impact events. The friction force plays a significant role by transferring some rotational energy of the rotor to lateral motion, impacting the stator. This event results in persistent coupled lateral vibration of the rotor and stator. This paper proposes a new unconventional backup bearing design in order to reduce the rub related severity in friction. The idea is to utilize pin connections that center the rotor during impacts. In this way, the rotor is forced to the center and the lateral motion is mitigated. The four pins are passively adjustable, which allows the clearance to be customized. A mathematical model has been developed to capture phenomena arising from impact for the conventional backup bearing (annular guide) and for the new disk-pin backup bearing. For the conventional annular guide setup, it is reasonable to superpose an impact condition to the rub, where the rotor spin energy can be fully transformed into rotor lateral movements. Using a nonideal drive, i.e., an electric motor without any kind of velocity feedback control, it is even possible to almost stop the rotor spin under rubbing conditions. All the rotational energy will be transformed in a kind of “self-excited” rotor lateral vibration with repeated impacts against the housing. The vibration of the housing is coupled through the interaction force. The experimental and numerical analysis shows that for the conventional annular guide setup, the rotational energy is fully transformed into lateral motion and the rotor spin is stopped. However, by employing the new disk-pin design the analysis shows that the rotor at impact is forced to the center of the backup bearing and the lateral motion is mitigated. As a result of this, the rotor spin is kept constant.
Short-Pulse Laser-Based System for Detection of Tumors: Administration of Gold Nanoparticles Enhances Contrast
Authors: Sajjadi A. Y. , Suratkar A. , Mitra K. , Grace M. S.
Published: October 2012

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of gold nanoparticles, which accumulate in tumors due to the leakiness of tumor vasculature, as contrast agents for enhanced imaging in a time-resolved optical tomography system using short-pulse lasers for skin cancer detection in mouse model. It is found that intravenously administrated spherical gold nanoparticles broadened the temporal profile of reflected optical signals and enhanced the contrast between surrounding normal tissue and tumors. These results show that gold nanoparticles tuned to the wavelength of the laser can enhance the resolution and precision of laser-based cancer detection system.
Comparison of Partially Averaged Navier–Stokes and Large-Eddy Simulations of the Flow Around a Cuboid Influenced by Crosswind
Authors: Krajnović Siniša , Ringqvist Per , Basara Branislav
Published: October 2012

The paper presents a partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS) simulation of the flow around a cuboid influenced by crosswind. The results of the PANS prediction are validated against experimental data and results of a large-eddy simulation (LES) made using the same numerical conditions as PANS. The PANS shows good agreement with the experimental data. The prediction of PANS was found to be better than that of the LES in flow regions where simulations suffered from poor near-wall resolution.
Flow Visualization and Frequency Characteristics of Velocity Fluctuations of Complex Turbulent Flow in a Short Elbow Piping Under High Reynolds Number Condition
Authors: Takamura Hiroyuki , Ebara Shinji , Hashizume Hidetoshi , Aizawa Kosuke , Yamano Hidemasa
Published: October 2012

Flow visualization was performed on a single short elbow piping by means of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry. The piping was designed as a 1/7-scale model of a section of the cold-leg piping of a Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor. This study characterized the periodic motions and flow structures that appeared in and downstream of the elbow and potentially affected flow-induced vibrations. The flow field that related flow separation and frequency characteristics of the flow velocity fluctuation were explored for Reynolds number from 0.3 × 106 to 1.0 × 106, which belonged to the post-critical regime. Experimental results show that flow structures are not strongly dependent on Reynolds number in this range. Frequency analysis for the velocity fluctuation in terms of Strouhal number (St) reveals that there exist not only two kinds of vortices with different shedding periods, but also one periodic flow in the circumferential direction. In the flow separation region, vortices are periodically emitted with St ≈ 0.5, while those with about 1.0 are shed in a shear flow region located between the separation region and the pipe center. Moreover, a periodic motion with St ≈ 0.5 appeared in the circumferential direction in the vicinity near the separation region. These values of St were not strongly dependent on Reynolds number in this study.
A Numerical Investigation on Dynamics and Breakup of Liquid Sheet
Authors: Ali Mohammad , Umemura Akira , Islam M. Quamrul
Published: October 2012

The details on dynamics and breakup processes of liquid sheets are numerically investigated by considering two liquid sheet arrangements: the contraction of liquid sheet in a still quiescent gas medium, and a moving liquid sheet in a gas medium of much higher velocity compared with the liquid sheet. The first part of the study reveals that the surface tension forms the capillary wave on the liquid sheet surface. By extensive calculation, it is conformed that only surface tension force cannot disintegrate the liquid sheet. The dragging of liquid by co-flowing gas is very important for the occurrence of sheet breakup. To prove this concept, the second part of the investigation is performed, which reveals the details of breakup processes. Two effects are observed: the aerodynamic effect and the surface tension effect. The main function of the aerodynamic effect is to stretch the liquid sheet by drag force and create the steps on the sheet surface which is then followed by a pair of vortices and stagnation point prior to the end of every step. When the thickness of the sheet becomes thin enough, the dragging of liquid by the gas flow at the upstream of the neck part of the bulbous tip causes formation of a pair of vortices and stagnation point on the thin portion of the liquid sheet restricts the liquid flow and eventually the breakup occurs.
Robust Design for Profit Maximization With Aversion to Downside Risk From Parametric Uncertainty in Consumer Choice Models
Authors: Resende Camilo B. , Grace Heckmann C. , Michalek Jeremy J.
Published: October 2012

In new product design, risk averse firms must consider downside risk in addition to expected profitability, since some designs are associated with greater market uncertainty than others. We propose an approach to robust optimal product design for profit maximization by introducing an α-profit metric to manage expected profitability vs. downside risk due to uncertainty in market share predictions. Our goal is to maximize profit at a firm-specified level of risk tolerance. Specifically, we find the design that maximizes the α-profit: the value that the firm has a (1 − α) chance of exceeding, given the distribution of possible outcomes. The parameter α ∈ (0,1) is set by the firm to reflect sensitivity to downside risk (or upside gain), and parametric study of α reveals the sensitivity of optimal design choices to firm risk preference. We account here only for uncertainty of choice model parameter estimates due to finite data sampling when the choice model is assumed to be correctly specified (no misspecification error). We apply the delta method to estimate the mapping from uncertainty in discrete choice model parameters to uncertainty of profit outcomes and identify the estimated α-profit as a closed-form function of decision variables for the multinomial logit model. An example demonstrates implementation of the method to find the optimal design characteristics of a dial-readout scale using conjoint data.
An Information-Theoretic Metric of System Complexity With Application to Engineering System Design
Authors: Allaire Douglas , He Qinxian , Deyst John , Willcox Karen
Published: October 2012

System complexity is considered a key driver of the inability of current system design practices to at times not recognize performance, cost, and schedule risks as they emerge. We present here a definition of system complexity and a quantitative metric for measuring that complexity based on information theory. We also derive sensitivity indices that indicate the fraction of complexity that can be reduced if more about certain factors of a system can become known. This information can be used as part of a resource allocation procedure aimed at reducing system complexity. Our methods incorporate Gaussian process emulators of expensive computer simulation models and account for both model inadequacy and code uncertainty. We demonstrate our methodology on a candidate design of an infantry fighting vehicle.
Time-Dependent Ultrasound Echo Changes Occur in Tendon During Viscoelastic Testing
Authors: Duenwald-Kuehl Sarah , Kobayashi Hirohito , Lakes Roderic , Vanderby Ray
Published: October 2012

The viscoelastic behavior of tendons has been extensively studied in vitro. A noninvasive method by which to acquire mechanical data would be highly beneficial, as it could lead to the collection of viscoelastic data in vivo. Our lab has previously presented acoustoelasticity as an alternative ultrasound-based method of measuring tendon stress and strain by reporting a relationship between ultrasonic echo intensity (B mode ultrasound image brightness) and mechanical behavior of tendon under pseudoelastic in vitro conditions [Duenwald, S., Kobayashi, H., Frisch, K., Lakes, R., and Vanderby Jr, R., 2011, “Ultrasound Echo is Related to Stress and Strain in Tendon,” J. Biomech., 44(3), pp. 424–429]. Viscoelastic properties of the tendons were not examined in that study, so the presence of time-dependent echo intensity changes has not been verified. In this study, porcine flexor tendons were subjected to relaxation and cyclic testing while ultrasonic echo response was recorded. We report that time- and strain history-dependent mechanical properties during viscoelastic testing are manifested in ultrasonic echo intensity changes. We also report that the patterns of the echo intensity changes do not directly mimic the patterns of viscoelastic load changes, but the intensity changed in a repeatable (and therefore predictable) fashion. Although mechanisms need further elucidation, viscoelastic behavior can be anticipated from echo intensity changes. This phenomenon could potentially lead to a more extensive characterization of in vivo tissue behavior.
Optimization of surface pretreatment for single GaN nanowire devices
Authors: Herrero Andrew M. , Bertness Kris A.
Published: October 2012

The correlation of residual contamination with void formation at the contact/SiO2 interface for single GaN nanowire (NW) devices was investigated. The morphology of the metal/SiO2 interface was studied by removing annealed Ni/Au films from the SiO2 surface with carbon tape, mounting the films for scanning electron microscopy and imaging. Formation of voids at the metal/SiO2 interface, which can negatively affect device performance, was shown to occur during annealing of Ni/Au contacts to NWs on SiO2. It was discovered that residual contamination, both from the NW solution and from photolithographic processes on the NW-SiO2 surface prior to metal deposition, can cause significant increases in the number of voids observed at the metal/SiO2 interface. Various predeposition cleaning methods were investigated in order to minimize the amount of void formation associated with residual contamination. The degree of void formation at the metal/SiO2 interface is used to evaluate the effectiveness of each cleaning method. It was determined that the most effective cleaning method for removing residual contamination from the NW-SiO2 surface was an ultraviolet ozone treatment followed by a dilute HCl bath, immediately preceding contact deposition.
Quasi-phase-matched backward second-harmonic generation by complementary media in nonlinear metamaterials
Authors: Quan Li , Liu Xiaozhou , Gong Xiufen
Published: October 2012

High efficiency of the second-harmonic and sum-frequency generation can be obtained in optical superlattice by using the conventional quasi-phase-matched (QPM) method. Although this trick can be played on the acoustic wave, the media with negative nonlinear parameters are not common in acoustics. Furthermore, the QPM method used in acoustic metamaterials has been less studied. In this work, a protocol is provided to realize the QPM method by using nonlinear complementary media in acoustic metamaterials in order to obtain large backward second-harmonic generation. Compared with the conventional method, the method gains a broader bandwidth and can be used in both acoustic and electromagnetic waves.
Variability in the relationships among voice quality, harmonic amplitudes, open quotient, and glottal area waveform shape in sustained phonation
Authors: Kreiman Jody , Shue Yen-Liang , Chen Gang , Iseli Markus , Gerratt Bruce R. , Neubauer Juergen , Alwan Abeer
Published: October 2012

Increases in open quotient are widely assumed to cause changes in the amplitude of the first harmonic relative to the second (H1*–H2*), which in turn correspond to increases in perceived vocal breathiness. Empirical support for these assumptions is rather limited, and reported relationships among these three descriptive levels have been variable. This study examined the empirical relationship among H1*–H2*, the glottal open quotient (OQ), and glottal area waveform skewness, measured synchronously from audio recordings and high-speed video images of the larynges of six phonetically knowledgeable, vocally healthy speakers who varied fundamental frequency and voice qualities quasi-orthogonally. Across speakers and voice qualities, OQ, the asymmetry coefficient, and fundamental frequency accounted for an average of 74% of the variance in H1*–H2*. However, analyses of individual speakers showed large differences in the strategies used to produce the same intended voice qualities. Thus, H1*–H2* can be predicted with good overall accuracy, but its relationship to phonatory characteristics appears to be speaker dependent.
The separation between music and speech: Evidence from the perception of Cantonese tones
Authors: Mok P. K. Peggy , Zuo Donghui
Published: October 2012

This study investigates the relationship between music and speech, testing whether musical training has any facilitatory effects on native tone language speakers. Some Cantonese tone pairs are merging in recent years. The merging subjects have poorer general lexical tone perception than the control subjects. Previous studies showed that musical training facilitates lexical tone perception of nontone language speakers, but it is unclear if the same is true for tone language speakers. Three groups of listeners (standard Cantonese, merging Cantonese, nontone) with and without musical training participated in AX discrimination tasks of Cantonese monosyllables and pure tones resynthesized from Cantonese lexical tones. Results show that while musical training enhances lexical tone perception of nontone listeners, it has little influence on Cantonese listeners. The findings suggest that the linguistic use of tones is more fundamental and more robust than musical tones. Our results are compatible with the idea that linguistic and musical mechanisms belong to separate but overlapping domains.
Circadian Rhythms of Glucocorticoid Hormone Actions in Target Tissues: Potential Clinical ImplicationsA Presentation from the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) New Inroads to Child Health (NICHe) Conference on Stress Response and Child Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 18 to 20 May 2012.
Authors: Kino Tomoshige
Published: October 2012

The circadian clock cooperates with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to control tissue sensitivity to diurnally fluctuating circulating glucocorticoids.
Expression of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 [FeFe]-Hydrogenase Genes in Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120
Authors: Gärtner Katrin , Lechno-Yossef Sigal , Cornish Adam J. , Wolk C. Peter , Hegg Eric L.
Published: October 2012

H
2
generated from renewable resources holds promise as an environmentally innocuous fuel that releases only energy and water when consumed. In biotechnology, photoautotrophic oxygenic diazotrophs could produce H
2
from water and sunlight using the cells' endogenous nitrogenases. However, nitrogenases have low turnover numbers and require large amounts of ATP. [FeFe]-hydrogenases found in other organisms can have 1,000-fold higher turnover numbers and no specific requirement for ATP but are very O
2
sensitive. Certain filamentous cyanobacteria protect nitrogenase from O
2
by sequestering the enzyme within internally micro-oxic, differentiated cells called heterocysts. We heterologously expressed the [FeFe]-hydrogenase operon from
Shewanella oneidensis
MR-1 in
Anabaena
sp. strain PCC 7120 using the heterocyst-specific promoter P

hetN

. Active [FeFe]-hydrogenase was detected in and could be purified from aerobically grown
Anabaena
sp. strain PCC 7120, but only when the organism was grown under nitrate-depleted conditions that elicited heterocyst formation. These results suggest that the heterocysts protected the [FeFe]-hydrogenase against inactivation by O
2
.
Response of the Soil Microbial Community to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Ecosystem
Authors: Cregger Melissa A. , Schadt Christopher W. , McDowell Nate G. , Pockman William T. , Classen Aimée T.
Published: October 2012

Microbial communities regulate many belowground carbon cycling processes; thus, the impact of climate change on the structure and function of soil microbial communities could, in turn, impact the release or storage of carbon in soils. Here we used a large-scale precipitation manipulation (+18%, −50%, or ambient) in a piñon-juniper woodland (
Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma
) to investigate how changes in precipitation amounts altered soil microbial communities as well as what role seasonal variation in rainfall and plant composition played in the microbial community response. Seasonal variability in precipitation had a larger role in determining the composition of soil microbial communities in 2008 than the direct effect of the experimental precipitation treatments. Bacterial and fungal communities in the dry, relatively moisture-limited premonsoon season were compositionally distinct from communities in the monsoon season, when soil moisture levels and periodicity varied more widely across treatments. Fungal abundance in the drought plots during the dry premonsoon season was particularly low and was 4.7 times greater upon soil wet-up in the monsoon season, suggesting that soil fungi were water limited in the driest plots, which may result in a decrease in fungal degradation of carbon substrates. Additionally, we found that both bacterial and fungal communities beneath piñon pine and juniper were distinct, suggesting that microbial functions beneath these trees are different. We conclude that predicting the response of microbial communities to climate change is highly dependent on seasonal dynamics, background climatic variability, and the composition of the associated aboveground community.
Premature ovarian failure 3 years after menarche in a 16-year-old girl following human papillomavirus vaccination
Authors: Little Deirdre Therese , Ward Harvey Rodrick Grenville
Published: October 2012

Premature ovarian failure in a well adolescent is a rare event. Its occurrence raises important questions about causation, which may signal other systemic concerns. This patient presented with amenorrhoea after identifying a change from her regular cycle to irregular and scant periods following vaccinations against human papillomavirus. She declined the oral contraceptives initially prescribed for amenorrhoea. The diagnostic tasks were to determine the reason for her secondary amenorrhoea and then to investigate for possible causes of the premature ovarian failure identified. Although the cause is unknown in 90% of cases, the remaining chief identifiable causes of this condition were excluded. Premature ovarian failure was then notified as a possible adverse event following this vaccination. The young woman was counselled regarding preservation of bone density, reproductive implications and relevant follow-up. This event could hold potential implications for population health and prompts further inquiry.
Multidisciplinary efforts toward sustained road safety benefits: Integrating place-based and people-based safety analyses
Authors: Loo Becky P Y , Chow C B , Leung M , Kwong T H J , Lai S F A , Chau Y H
Published: October 2012

Relevant local injury epidemiology

In Hong Kong, there were, on average, about 19 596 traffic crashes involving 157 deaths and 21 106 injured persons each year between 2006 and 2011. Scientific analyses were conducted by geographers and engineers primarily using the police crash database. Medical professionals have been analysing road traffic injury data from hospital discharge summaries. Moreover, community leaders have been trying to promote local safe communities.

Best practices

This paper describes the effort of a multidisciplinary team to address road safety problems and to sustain road safety benefits through a public health approach. The multidisciplinary team comprised a geographer, an engineer, medical professionals and community leaders. The project covered four tasks, namely data integration, identification of hazardous road locations, crash analysis and engineering study, and knowledge exchange through various activities involving a WHO-designated local safe community.

Implementation

The crash and hospital databases for a district in Hong Kong with 500 000 population were integrated. Based on the integrated database, the public health and people-based approach was adopted to identify hazardous road locations—hot zones—using geographical information systems. Specific hot zones having strong patterns of common factors were considered as treatable locations with a combination of low-cost remedial measures. The benefits of the project are sustained through various activities engaging the general public and major stakeholders.

Research agenda

More research should be conducted on how institutional support, scientific research and community involvement can be fruitfully combined to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained road safety benefits for people at the community level.
Three common beliefs that are impediments to injury prevention
Authors: Hemenway David
Published: October 2012

Three common beliefs that are impediments to injury prevention are: (1) the optimistic belief that nothing bad is going to happen, especially to me (‘it will never happen to me’); (2) the fatalistic belief that, if something bad does happen, nothing could have been done to prevent it (‘accidents happen’); and (3) the moralistic belief that if the injury happens to someone else (eg, you), you probably deserved it—so do not blame me or expect that I should have done anything to help prevent it (‘blaming the victim’). On-line blogs and comments are used to illustrate these beliefs. Counter-arguments are discussed.
DEVELOPMENT OF WAVELENGTH-DISPERSIVE MICRO-IBIL FOR THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF MICROMETER-SIZED PARTICLES
Authors: KADA WATARU , YOKOYAMA AKIHITO , KOKA MASASHI , SATOH TAKAHIRO , KAMIYA TOMIHIRO
Published: October 2012

Ion-Beam-Induced Luminescence (IBIL) spectra and images for the chemical states and crystal structures of micrometer-sized mineral targets were obtained by wavelength-dispersive IBIL analysis. A wavelength resolution of approximately 2 nm was achieved with a remote-controlled compact monochromator installed on an IBIL analysis system using a 3 MeV H+ microbeam. Several particulate mineral targets and aerosol samples were prepared on a carbon-plate sample holder that was selected to reduce the background noise and achieve a high S/N ratio in both the IBIL and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analyses. The chemical composition of small targets that could not be well determined using micro-PIXE analysis was successfully visualized by the proposed IBIL analysis.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE DETECTION EFFICIENCY OF THE IN-AIR SUBMILLI-PIXE CAMERA FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
Authors: SUGAI H. , FUJIKI K. , ISHII K. , MATSUYAMA S. , TERAKAWA A. , KIKUCHI Y. , FUJIWARA M. , HATORI Y. , HAMADA N. , ITOH Y. , HIRAISHI S. , MIURA Y. , FUKAYA A. , YAMAZAKI H. , TADA T. , SAKURAI E.
Published: October 2012

The detection efficiency of the submilli-PIXE camera was improved by installing a new X-ray detector with a smaller distance from specimens. The distortion of elemental images caused by position dependent detection efficiency was corrected by estimating the detection efficiency based on the geometrical configuration of the detection system. The detection efficiency of characteristic X-rays from heavy elements such as iron and bromine became from 11 to 23 times higher than the previous system. The signal to noise ratios was improved from 1.8 to 2.5 times higher and detection limit was also decreased from 1/8 to 1/6 compared to the previous system. The in-air submilli-PIXE camera with improved detection system can be useful to biological applications.
AIR PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION IN ULAANBAATAR CITY, MONGOLIA
Authors: GUNCHIN GERELMAA , SEREETER LODOYSAMBA , DAGVA SHAGJJAMBA , TSENDDAVAA AMARTAIVAN , DAVY PERRY K. , MARKWITZ ANDREAS , TROMPETTER WILLIAM J.
Published: October 2012

Due to increased energy demands from its rapidly growing economy and population, ambient air in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia contains some of the highest reported air particulate matter (APM) concentrations in the world. The purpose of this study is to identify major APM sources. Source apportionment is an elegant and effective way to establish baseline data for mitigation strategies that focus on reducing APM pollution. The Nuclear Research Centre at the National University of Mongolia has been conducting APM pollution studies in Ulaanbaatar since 2004. Results presented here are based on a sampling campaign from June 2008 to May 2009 at two sites in Ulaanbaatar. APM samples were collected on polycarbonate filter, in two size fractions, fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particulate matter. Ion beam analysis provided the elemental concentration values and receptor modeling was used to determine the sources contributing to the particulate matter pollution. The results show that the main sources of PM pollution are soil, motor vehicles, coal and wood combustion, with varying contributing amounts at each site. Source contributions to PM2.5 at a residential site were found to be: soil 47%, coal combustion 35%, motor vehicles/road dust 13% and biomass burning 4%. At the residential site it was found that the primary source contributors to PM10-2.5 were soil 71%, coal combustion 10%, and motor vehicles/road dust 19%.Source contributions to PM2.5 at a non-residential site were found to be: coal combustion 92%, motor vehicles/road dust 3%, soil 3% and biomass burning 2%. At the non-residential site it was found that the primary source contributors to PM10-2.5 were: soil 92%, motor vehicle/road dust 5% and coal combustion 3%.
GAUGE-INVARIANT VARIABLES IN GENERAL-RELATIVISTIC PERTURBATIONS: GLOBALIZATION AND ZERO-MODE PROBLEM
Authors: NAKAMURA KOUJI
Published: October 2012

An outline of a proof of the local decomposition of linear metric perturbations into gauge-invariant and gauge-variant parts on an arbitrary background spacetime is briefly explained. We explicitly construct the gauge-invariant and gauge-variant parts of the linear metric perturbations based on some assumptions. We also point out the zero-mode problem is an essential problem to globalize of this decomposition of linear metric perturbations. The resolution of this zero-mode problem implies the possibility of the development of the higher-order gauge-invariant perturbation theory on an arbitrary background spacetime in a global sense.
A FAMILY OF FINITE DE MORGAN AND KLEENE ALGEBRAS
Authors: WALKER CAROL L. , WALKER ELBERT A.
Published: October 2012

The algebra of truth values for fuzzy sets of type-2 consists of all mappings from the unit interval into itself, with operations certain convolutions of these mappings with respect to pointwise max and min. This algebra generalizes the truth-value algebras of both type-1 and of interval-valued fuzzy sets, and has been studied rather extensively both from a theoretical and applied point of view. This paper addresses the situation when the unit interval is replaced by two finite chains. Most of the basic theory goes through, but there are several special circumstances of interest. These algebras are of interest on two counts, both as special cases of bases for fuzzy theories, and as mathematical entities per se.
EXISTENCE RESULTS FOR FLOWS OF SLIGHTLY COMPRESSIBLE VISCOELASTIC FLUIDS IN A BOUNDED DOMAIN WITH CORNERS
Authors: GUILLOPÉ COLETTE , SALLOUM ZAYNAB , TALHOUK RAAFAT
Published: October 2012

Steady flows of slightly compressible viscoelastic fluids of Oldroyd's type with zero boundary conditions are considered on a bounded two-dimensional domain with an isolated corner point. We prove the existence and the uniqueness of the solution for small data in weighted Sobolev spaces [Formula: see text], where the index ξ characterizes the power growth of the solution near the angular point. The proof follows from an analysis of a linearized problem through the fixed point theory. We use a method of decomposition for such linearized equations: the velocity field u is split into a non-homogeneous incompressible part v and a compressible part ∇φ.
OPTIMAL DESIGN FOR MULTIMATERIALS
Authors: PEDREGAL PABLO , ZHANG YUAN
Published: October 2012

We explore how some ideas that have been used before for optimal design problems with two materials through a variational approach, can be extended to cover three or more materials. In particular, we focus on two paradigmatic situations where we consider a linear-in-the-gradient cost functional, and a typical quadratic situation. In both cases, we are able to formulate, quite explicitly, a full relaxation of the problem through which optimal microstructures for the original non-convex problem can be understood.