bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Design of Experiments to Analyze the Connecting Rod Big-End Bearing Behavior
Authors: Francisco Arthur , Fatu Aurelian , Bonneau Dominique
Published: December 2008

Reducing the frictional loss in internal combustion engines (ICE) represents a challenge, in which all car manufacturers are involved. This concern has two origins. The first one is the fuel cost, which increases over the years. The second is strongly linked to ecology: people feel more and more concerned by the greenhouse effect, partly resulting from fuel consumption. Many projects involving several laboratories and lead by car manufacturers have this particular point as main subject, with the goal to reduce the ICE fuel consumption by decreasing the friction power loss. This aim can be partly achieved with a better knowledge of the connecting rod big-end bearing functioning. A lot of theoretical and experimental studies have been carried out, resulting in efficient models for numerical simulations, but at the time, no known ambitious parametric study has been planned, to determine the most influent parameters and to quantify their effects on power loss. The present work is a first step to bridge the gap between the potential of recent numerical simulations and the need for a better understanding of the connecting rod big-end bearing functioning. To plan the numerical simulations, it will be taken advantage of design of experiment techniques, which provide an efficient way of preparing the series of experiments with a minimum of runs. Thus, these techniques are illustrated through the variable combination run, test results generated, and interpretations made to identify the dominate factors impacting the responses of interest.
A Three-Dimensional Deterministic Model for Rough Surface Line-Contact EHL Problems
Authors: Ren Ning , Zhu Dong , Chen W. Wayne , Liu Yuchuan , Wang Q. Jane
Published: December 2008

This paper reports the development of a novel three-dimensional (3D) deterministic model (3D L-EHL) for rough surface line-contact mixed-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) problems. This model is highly demanded because line contacts are found between many mechanical components, such as various gears, roller and needle bearings, cams and followers, and work rolls and backup rolls in metal-forming equipment. The macro aspects of a line-contact problem can be simplified into a two-dimensional (2D) model; however, the topography of contacting rough surfaces, microasperity contacts, and lubricant flows around asperities are often three-dimensional. The present model is based on Hu and Zhu’s unified 3D mixed-EHL model (Hu and Zhu, 2000, “Full Numerical Solution to the Mixed Lubrication in Point Contacts,” ASME J. Tribol., 122(1), pp. 1–9) originally developed for point contacts and the mixed fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based approach for deformation calculation formulated by Chen et al. (2008, “Fast Fourier Transform Based Numerical Methods for Elasto-Plastic Contacts With Normally Flat Surface,” ASME J. Appl. Mech., 75(1), 011022-1-11). It is numerically verified through comparisons with results from the line-contact Hertzian theory and the conventional 2D line-contact smooth-surface EHL formulas. Numerical examples involving 3D sinusoidal and digitized machined surfaces are also analyzed. Sample cases indicate that transverse roughness may yield greater film thickness than longitudinal roughness. This observation is qualitatively in agreement with the trend predicted by Patir and Cheng’s stochastic model (1978, “Effect of Surface Roughness on the Central Film Thickness in EHL Contacts,” Proceedings of the Fifth Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology, London, pp. 15–21). However, the roughness orientation effect does not appear to be quantitatively as great as that shown in the work of Patir and Cheng for the same range of λ ratio.
Dynamic Analysis of Cage Stress in Tapered Roller Bearings Using Component-Mode-Synthesis Method
Authors: Sakaguchi Tomoya , Harada Kazuyoshi
Published: December 2008

In order to investigate cage stress in tapered roller bearings, a dynamic analysis tool considering both the six degrees of freedom of motion of the rollers and cage and the elastic deformation of the cage was developed. Cage elastic deformation is equipped using a component-mode-synthesis (CMS) method. Contact forces on the elastically deforming surfaces of the cage pocket are calculated at all node points of finite-elements on it. The location and pattern of the boundary points required for the component-mode-synthesis method were examined by comparing cage stresses in a static condition of pocket forces and constraints calculated by using the finite-element and the CMS methods. These results indicated that one boundary point lying at the center on each bar is appropriate for the effective dynamic analysis model focusing on the cage stress, especially at the pocket corners of the cages, which are actually broken. A behavior measurement of a polyamide cage in a tapered roller bearing was conducted for validating the analysis model. It was confirmed in both the experiment and analysis that the cage whirled under a large axial load condition and the cage center oscillated in a small amplitude under a small axial load condition. In the analysis, the authors discussed the four models including elastic bodies having a normal eigenmode of 0, 8 or 22, and rigid-body. There were small differences among the cage center loci of the four models. These two cages having normal eigenmodes of 0 and rigid-body whirled with imperceptible fluctuations. At least approximately 8 normal eigenmodes of cages should be introduced to conduct a more accurate dynamic analysis although the effect of the number of normal eigenmodes on the stresses at the pocket corners was insignificant. From the above, it was concluded to be appropriate to introduce one boundary point lying at the center on each pocket bar of cages and approximately 8 normal eigenmodes to effectively introduce the cage elastic deformations into a dynamic analysis model.
Full EHL Simulations Using the Actual Ree–Eyring Model for Shear-Thinning Lubricants
Authors: Kumar Punit , Khonsari M. M. , Bair Scott
Published: December 2008

The Eyring sinh law, which is the most widely used model to describe the shear-thinning behavior of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) lubricants, fails to replicate the experimentally measured flow curves for shear-thinning lubricants. Interestingly, this law was rejected by Eyring for shear-thinning fluids and, in fact, it was found useful only for fluids thought to exhibit thixotropy. The “actual Ree–Eyring model” for shear-thinning involves multiple flow units with appropriate relaxation times. This paper presents an extensive set of full EHL line and point contact simulations to investigate the usefulness of the actual Ree–Eyring model in EHL applications with shear-thinning lubricants. Comparisons with published experimental data establish the validity of the actual Ree–Eyring model. Also presented is the application of an appropriate shifting rule expected to improve the agreement between simulations and experiments.
Plastic Yield Conditions for Adhesive Contacts Between a Rigid Sphere and an Elastic Half-Space
Authors: Wu Yu-Chiao , Adams George G.
Published: December 2008

Hertz contact theory allows the onset of yielding to be predicted for those contacts in which the effect of adhesion can be neglected. However, in microscale contacts, such as those that occur in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), yielding will occur for lower loads than those predicted by Hertz. For such cases, the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR), Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT), and Greenwood–Johnson (GJ) theories extend the Hertz theory to include the effect of adhesion. The present study gives yield conditions for the JKR, DMT, and Greenwood–Johnson theories of adhesion. Attention is first focused on the initiation of yield along the axis of symmetry of an elastic half-space contacted by a rigid sphere. The results show that the critical loads for the three adhesion theories are close together, but differ significantly from that predicted by Hertz. In fact, it is possible for yielding to occur due to adhesion alone, without an external load. A curve-fit formula is given for the yield load as a function of an adhesion parameter for different Poisson’s ratios. Results are then obtained for the onset of plastic deformation away from the axis of symmetry using the Greenwood–Johnson theory of adhesion.
Three‐dimensional linear system analysis for breast tomosynthesis
Authors: Zhao Bo , Zhao Wei
Published: December 2008

The optimization of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) geometry and reconstruction is crucial for the clinical translation of this exciting new imaging technique. In the present work, the authors developed a three‐dimensional (3D) cascaded linear system model for DBT to investigate the effects of detector performance, imaging geometry, and image reconstruction algorithm on the reconstructed image quality. The characteristics of a prototype DBT system equipped with an amorphous selenium flat‐panel detector and filtered backprojection reconstruction were used as an example in the implementation of the linear system model. The propagation of signal and noise in the frequency domain was divided into six cascaded stages incorporating the detector performance, imaging geometry, and reconstruction filters. The reconstructed tomosynthesis imaging quality was characterized by spatial frequency dependent presampling modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) in 3D. The results showed that both MTF and NPS were affected by the angular range of the tomosynthesis scan and the reconstruction filters. For image planes parallel to the detector (in‐plane), MTF at low frequencies was improved with increase in angular range. The shape of the NPS was affected by the reconstruction filters. Noise aliasing in 3D could be introduced by insufficient voxel sampling, especially in the (slice‐thickness) direction where the sampling distance (slice thickness) could be more than ten times that for in‐plane images. Aliasing increases the noise at high frequencies, which causes degradation in DQE. Application of a reconstruction filter that limits the frequency components beyond the Nyquist frequency in the direction, referred to as the slice thickness filter, eliminates noise aliasing and improves 3D DQE. The focal spot blur, which arises from continuous tube travel during tomosynthesis acquisition, could degrade DQE significantly because it introduces correlation in signal only, not NPS.
Planning and delivery of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy
Authors: Yu Cedric X. , Amies Christopher J. , Svatos Michelle
Published: December 2008

Intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) is an advanced form of external beam radiation therapy. IMRT offers an additional dimension of freedom as compared with field shaping in three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy because the radiation intensities within a radiation field can be varied according to the preferences of locations within a given beam direction from which the radiation is directed to the tumor. This added freedom allows the treatment planning system to better shape the radiation doses to conform to the target volume while sparing surrounding normal structures. The resulting dosimetric advantage has shown to translate into clinical advantages of improving local and regional tumor control. It also offers a valuable mechanism for dose escalation to tumors while simultaneously reducing radiation toxicities to the surrounding normal tissue and sensitive structures. In less than a decade, IMRT has become common practice in radiation oncology. Looking forward, the authors wonder if IMRT has matured to such a point that the room for further improvement has diminished and so it is pertinent to ask what the future will hold for IMRT. This article attempts to look from the perspective of the current state of the technology to predict the immediate trends and the future directions. This article will (1) review the clinical experience of IMRT; (2) review what we learned in IMRT planning; (3) review different treatment delivery techniques; and finally, (4) predict the areas of advancements in the years to come.
Correlative feature analysis on FFDM
Authors: Yuan Yading , Giger Maryellen L. , Li Hui , Sennett Charlene
Published: December 2008

Identifying the corresponding images of a lesion in different views is an essential step in improving the diagnostic ability of both radiologists and computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) systems. Because of the nonrigidity of the breasts and the 2D projective property of mammograms, this task is not trivial. In this pilot study, we present a computerized framework that differentiates between corresponding images of the same lesion in different views and noncorresponding images, i.e., images of different lesions. A dual‐stage segmentation method, which employs an initial radial gradient index (RGI) based segmentation and an active contour model, is applied to extract mass lesions from the surrounding parenchyma. Then various lesion features are automatically extracted from each of the two views of each lesion to quantify the characteristics of density, size, texture and the neighborhood of the lesion, as well as its distance to the nipple. A two‐step scheme is employed to estimate the probability that the two lesion images from different mammographic views are of the same physical lesion. In the first step, a correspondence metric for each pairwise feature is estimated by a Bayesian artificial neural network (BANN). Then, these pairwise correspondence metrics are combined using another BANN to yield an overall probability of correspondence. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the individual features and the selected feature subset in the task of distinguishing corresponding pairs from noncorresponding pairs. Using a FFDM database with 123 corresponding image pairs and 82 noncorresponding pairs, thedistancefeature yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) ofwith leave‐one‐out (by physical lesion) evaluation, and the feature metric subset, which includeddistance, gradient texture, and ROI‐basedcorrelation, yielded an AUC of. The improvement by using multiple feature metrics was statistically significant compared to single feature performance.
Prospects of photoacoustic tomography
Authors: Wang Lihong V.
Published: December 2008

Commercially available high‐resolution three‐dimensional optical imaging modalities—including confocal microscopy, two‐photon microscopy, and optical coherence tomography—have fundamentally impacted biomedicine. Unfortunately, such tools cannot penetrate biological tissue deeper than the optical transport mean free path( in the skin). Photoacoustic tomography, which combines strong optical contrast and high ultrasonic resolution in a single modality, has broken through this fundamental depth limitation and achieved superdepth high‐resolution optical imaging. In parallel, radio frequency‐or microwave‐induced thermoacoustic tomography is being actively developed to combine radio frequency or microwave contrast with ultrasonic resolution. In this Vision article, the prospects of photoacoustic tomography are envisaged in the following aspects: (1) photoacoustic microscopy of optical absorption emerging as a mainstream technology, (2) melanoma detection using photoacoustic microscopy, (3) photoacoustic endoscopy, (4) simultaneous functional and molecular photoacoustic tomography, (5) photoacoustic tomography of gene expression, (6) Doppler photoacoustic tomography for flow measurement, (7) photoacoustic tomography of metabolic rate of oxygen, (8) photoacoustic mapping of sentinel lymph nodes, (9) multiscale photoacoustic imaging in vivo with common signal origins, (10) simultaneous photoacoustic and thermoacoustic tomography of the breast, (11) photoacoustic and thermoacoustic tomography of the brain, and (12) low‐background thermoacoustic molecular imaging.
A novel method to calibrate DOI function of a PET detector with a dual‐ended‐scintillator readout
Authors: Shao Yiping , Yao Rutao , Ma Tianyu
Published: December 2008

The detection of depth‐of‐interaction (DOI) is a critical detector capability to improve the PET spatial resolution uniformity across the field‐of‐view and will significantly enhance, in particular, small bore system performance for brain, breast, and small animal imaging. One promising technique of DOI detection is to use dual‐ended‐scintillator readout that uses two photon sensors to detect scintillation light from both ends of a scintillator array and estimate DOI based on the ratio of signals (similar to Anger logic). This approach needs a careful DOI function calibration to establish accurate relationship between DOI and signal ratios, and to recalibrate if the detection condition is shifted due to the drift of sensor gain, bias variations, or degraded optical coupling, etc. However, the current calibration method that uses coincident events to locate interaction positions inside a single scintillator crystal has severe drawbacks, such as complicated setup, long and repetitive measurements, and being prone to errors from various possible misalignments among the source and detector components. This method is also not practically suitable to calibrate multiple DOI functions of a crystal array. To solve these problems, a new method has been developed that requires only a uniform flood source to irradiate a crystal array without the need to locate the interaction positions, and calculates DOI functions based solely on the uniform probability distribution of interactions over DOI positions without knowledge or assumption of detector responses. Simulation and experiment have been studied to validate the new method, and the results show that the new method, with a simple setup and one single measurement, can provide consistent and accurate DOI functions for the entire array of multiple scintillator crystals. This will enable an accurate, simple, and practical DOI function calibration for the PET detectors based on the design of dual‐ended‐scintillator readout. In addition, the new method can be generally applied to calibrating other types of detectors that use the similar dual‐ended readout to acquire the radiation interaction position.
Comment on "Phytoplankton Calcification in a High-CO
2
World"
Authors: Riebesell Ulf , Bellerby Richard G. J. , Engel Anja , Fabry Victoria J. , Hutchins David A. , Reusch Thorsten B. H. , Schulz Kai G. , Morel François M. M.
Published: December 2008

Iglesias-Rodriguez
et al
. (Research Articles, 18 April 2008, p. 336) reported that the coccolithophore
Emiliania huxleyi
doubles its organic matter production and calcification in response to high carbon dioxide partial pressures, contrary to previous laboratory and field studies. We argue that shortcomings in their experimental protocol compromise the interpretation of their data and the resulting conclusions.
Attosecond Ionization and Tunneling Delay Time Measurements in Helium
Authors: Eckle P. , Pfeiffer A. N. , Cirelli C. , Staudte A. , Dörner R. , Muller H. G. , Büttiker M. , Keller U.
Published: December 2008

It is well established that electrons can escape from atoms through tunneling under the influence of strong laser fields, but the timing of the process has been controversial and far too rapid to probe in detail. We used attosecond angular streaking to place an upper limit of 34 attoseconds and an intensity-averaged upper limit of 12 attoseconds on the tunneling delay time in strong field ionization of a helium atom. The ionization field derives from 5.5-femtosecond-long near-infrared laser pulses with peak intensities ranging from 2.3 × 10
14
to 3.5 × 10
14
watts per square centimeter (corresponding to a Keldysh parameter variation from 1.45 to 1.17, associated with the onset of efficient tunneling). The technique relies on establishing an absolute reference point in the laboratory frame by elliptical polarization of the laser pulse, from which field-induced momentum shifts of the emergent electron can be assigned to a temporal delay on the basis of the known oscillation of the field vector.
Metallic and Insulating Phases of Repulsively Interacting Fermions in a 3D Optical Lattice
Authors: Schneider U. , Hackermüller L. , Will S. , Best Th. , Bloch I. , Costi T. A. , Helmes R. W. , Rasch D. , Rosch A.
Published: December 2008

The fermionic Hubbard model plays a fundamental role in the description of strongly correlated materials. We have realized this Hamiltonian in a repulsively interacting spin mixture of ultracold
40
K atoms in a three-dimensional (3D) optical lattice. Using in situ imaging and independent control of external confinement and lattice depth, we were able to directly measure the compressibility of the quantum gas in the trap. Together with a comparison to ab initio dynamical mean field theory calculations, we show how the system evolves for increasing confinement from a compressible dilute metal over a strongly interacting Fermi liquid into a band-insulating state. For strong interactions, we find evidence for an emergent incompressible Mott insulating phase. This demonstrates the potential to model interacting condensed-matter systems using ultracold fermionic atoms.
Association ofEscherichia coliJ5-Specific Serum Antibody Responses with Clinical Mastitis Outcome for J5 Vaccinate and Control Dairy Cattle
Authors: Wilson David J. , Mallard Bonnie A. , Burton Jeanne L. , Schukken Ynte H. , Grohn Yrjo T.
Published: December 2008

Dairy cattle in two commercial Holstein herds were randomly selected to be vaccinated twice with J5, at approximately 60 days and 28 days before the expected calving date, or to be untreated controls. Based on whether milk production changed following clinical mastitis or whether cows were culled or died within 30 days after onset, 51 mastitis cases were classified as severe or mild. J5-specific antibody responses were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of all 32 severe and 19 mild cases. The amounts of J5-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies in sera from the 27 J5 vaccinates were compared with those of the 24 controls. At drying off (before J5 vaccination), all cows had similar amounts of J5-specific antibody. Immediately after calving (approximately 28 days after the second vaccination), J5 vaccinates had significantly higher production of J5-specific IgG1 and IgG2 than controls. When cows were tested following clinical mastitis, none of the three antibody classes differed significantly between the controls and the vaccinates. Vaccinates that contractedEscherichia colimastitis had 75% less milk loss than controls. The cows that contracted clinical mastitis later in lactation, the unvaccinated controls, and those infected withE. colihad more milk loss following mastitis. The hazards of being culled for all reasons and of being culled for mastitis were significantly lower for J5 vaccinates. Vaccination with J5 was associated with protection against milk production loss and culling following clinical mastitis, and it was also significantly associated with changes in J5-specific IgM, IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies in sera of vaccinated cows.
Transmission of Coccidioidomycosis to a Human via a Cat Bite
Authors: Gaidici Adriana , Saubolle Michael A.
Published: December 2008

We report an unusual case of coccidioidomycosis in the arm of a veterinary assistant without pulmonary symptoms. The patient had been bitten on the hand by a cat which was later diagnosed with disseminated disease. The patient responded to fluconazole therapy and remained asymptomatic at 2 months after cessation of therapy.
Vaccinia Virus Protein F12 Associates with Intracellular Enveloped Virions through an Interaction with A36
Authors: Johnston Sara C. , Ward Brian M.
Published: December 2008

Vaccinia virus is the prototypical member of the family
Poxviridae
. Three morphologically distinct forms are produced during infection: intracellular mature virions (IMV), intracellular enveloped virions (IEV), and extracellular enveloped virions (EEV). Two viral proteins, F12 and A36, are found exclusively on IEV but not on IMV and EEV. Analysis of membranes from infected cells showed that F12 was only associated with membranes and is not an integral membrane protein. A yeast two-hybrid assay revealed an interaction between amino acids 351 to 458 of F12 and amino acids 91 to 111 of A36. We generated a recombinant vaccinia virus that expresses an F12, which lacks residues 351 to 458. Characterization of this recombinant revealed a small-plaque phenotype and a subsequent defect in virus release similar to a recombinant virus that had F12L deleted. In addition, F12 lacking residues 351 to 458 was unable to associate with membranes in infected cells. These results suggest that F12 associates with IEV through an interaction with A36 and that this interaction is critical for the function of F12 during viral egress.
Exercising with reserve: evidence that the central nervous system regulates prolonged exercise performance
Authors: Swart J , Lamberts R P , Lambert M I , St Clair Gibson A , Lambert E V , Skowno J , Noakes T D
Published: December 2008

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of an amphetamine (methylphenidate) on exercise performance at a fixed rating of perceived exertion of 16.

Methods:

Eight elite cyclists ingested 10 mg methylphenidate in a randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial.

Results:

Compared with placebo, subjects receiving methylphenidate cycled for approximately 32% longer before power output fell to 70% of the starting value. At the equivalent time at which the placebo trial terminated, subjects receiving methylphenidate had significantly higher power outputs, oxygen consumptions, heart rates, ventilatory volumes and blood lactate concentrations although electromyographic activity remained unchanged. The ingestion of a centrally acting stimulant thus allowed subjects to exercise for longer at higher cardiorespiratory and metabolic stress indicating the presence of a muscular reserve in the natural state.

Conclusions:

This suggests that endurance performance is not only “limited” by mechanical failure of the exercising muscles (“peripheral fatigue”). Rather performance during prolonged endurance exercise under normal conditions is highly regulated by the central nervous system to ensure that whole-body homeostasis is protected and an emergency reserve is always present.
Public attitudes to laws for smoke-free private vehicles: a brief review
Authors: Thomson G , Wilson N
Published: December 2008

As smoke-free car policy is a frontier domain for tobacco control, attitudes to smoke-free private car laws are briefly reviewed. Medline and Google Scholar searches for the period up to mid-November 2008, from English language sources, were undertaken. Studies were included that contained data from national and subnational populations (eg, in states and provinces), but not for smaller administrative units, eg, cities or councils. Jurisdiction, sample size and survey questions were assessed. One reviewer conducted the data extraction and both authors conducted assessments.

A total of 15 relevant studies (from 1988) were identified, set in North America, the UK and Australasia. The available data indicates that, for the jurisdictions with data, there is majority public support for laws requiring cars that contain children to be smoke free. There appears to be an increase over time in this support. In five surveys in 2005 or since (in California, New Zealand and Australia), the support from smokers was 77% or more.

The high levels of public (and smoker) support for smoke-free car laws found in the studies to date suggest that this can be a relatively non-controversial tobacco control intervention. Survey series on attitudes to such laws are needed, and surveys in jurisdictions where the issue has not been investigated to date.
SPECTRAL SIGNATURES OF ACETONE VAPOR FROM ULTRAVIOLET TO MILLIMETER WAVELENGTHS
Authors: PEALE R. E. , MURAVJOV A. V. , FREDRICKSEN C. J. , BOREMAN G. D. , SAXENA H. , BRAUNSTEIN G. , VAKS V. L. , MASLOVSKY A. V. , NIKIFIROV S. D.
Published: December 2008

This paper presents comparative analysis of different wavelength ranges for the spectroscopic detection of acetone vapor. We collected and analyzed original absorption line spectra arising from electronic transitions in the ultraviolet, near-infrared vibrational overtones, mid-infrared fundamentals, THz torsional modes, and mm-wave rotational transitions. Peak absorption cross sections of prominent spectral features are determined. The relative merit of each spectral range for sensing is considered, taking into account the absorption strength, available technology, and possible interferences.
THE STANDOFF AEROSOL ACTIVE SIGNATURE TESTBED (SAAST) AT MIT LINCOLN LABORATORY
Authors: RICHARDSON JONATHAN M. , ALDRIDGE JOHN C.
Published: December 2008

Standoff LIDAR detection of BW agents depends on accurate knowledge of the infrared and ultraviolet optical elastic scatter (ES) and ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF) signatures of bio-agents and interferents. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has developed the Standoff Aerosol Active Signature Testbed (SAAST) for measuring polarization-dependent ES cross sections from aerosol samples at all angles including 180° (direct backscatter) [1]. Measurements of interest include the dependence of the ES and UVF signatures on several spore production parameters including growth medium, sporulation protocol, washing protocol, fluidizing additives, and degree of aggregation. Using SAAST, we have made measurements of the polarization-dependent ES signature of Bacillus globigii (atropheaus, Bg) spores grown under different growth methods. We have also investigated one common interferent (Arizona Test Dust). Future samples will include pollen and diesel exhaust. This paper presents the details of the apparatus along with the results of recent measurements.
PERFORMANCE ESTIMATION TOOLS FOR: DECOUPLING BY FILTERING OF TEMPERATURE AND EMISSIVITY (DEFILTE), AN ALGORITHM FOR THERMAL HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE PROCESSING
Authors: LAHAIE PIERRE
Published: December 2008

The construction of very good hyperspectral sensors operating in the thermal infrared bands from 8 to 12 microns arouses much interest for the development of data exploitation tools. Temperature emissivity separation (TES) algorithms are very important components of a future toolbox, because they make it possible to extract these two fundamental targets’ parameters. The emissivity relies on the nature of the target's surface materials, while the temperature gives information related to their use and relationship with the environment. The TES technique presented in this paper is based on iteration on temperature principle, where a total square error criterion is used to estimate the temperature. The complete procedure is described in the paper. Its sensitivity to noise is studied and a mathematical behavior model is provided. The model is validated through a Monte-Carlo simulation of the technique's operation.
DENSE MATRIX-VECTOR MULTIPLICATION ON THE CUDA ARCHITECTURE
Authors: FUJIMOTO NORIYUKI
Published: December 2008

Recently GPUs have acquired the ability to perform fast general purpose computation by running thousands of threads concurrently. This paper presents a new algorithm for dense matrix-vector multiplication on the NVIDIA CUDA architecture. The experiments are conducted on a PC with GeForce 8800GTX and 2.0 GHz Intel Xeon E5335 CPU. The results show that the proposed algorithm runs a maximum of 11.19 times faster than NVIDIA's BLAS library CUBLAS 1.1 on the GPU and 35.15 times faster than the Intel Math Kernel Library 9.1 on a single core x86 with SSE3 SIMD instructions. The performance of Jacobi's iterative method for solving linear equations, which includes the data transfer time between CPU and GPU, shows that the proposed algorithm is practical for real applications.
GPU ACCELERATION OF NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION
Authors: MICHALAKES JOHN , VACHHARAJANI MANISH
Published: December 2008

Weather and climate prediction software has enjoyed the benefits of exponentially increasing processor power for almost 50 years. Even with the advent of large-scale parallelism in weather models, much of the performance increase has come from increasing processor speed rather than increased parallelism. This free ride is nearly over. Recent results also indicate that simply increasing the use of large-scale parallelism will prove ineffective for many scenarios where strong scaling is required. We present an alternative method of scaling model performance by exploiting emerging architectures using the fine-grain parallelism once used in vector machines. The paper shows the promise of this approach by demonstrating a nearly 10 × speedup for a computationally intensive portion of the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model on a variety of NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units (GPU). This change alone speeds up the whole weather model by 1.23×.
A NONLINEAR PARABOLIC APPROXIMATION OF THE EULER EQUATIONS FOR ISOTHERMAL GAS FLOWS
Authors: KONDO CEZAR , SHELUKHIN VLADIMIR
Published: December 2008

A notion of entropy quasisolution is introduced for the Euler equations of isothermal gas flows. Such a solution is obtained by means of nonlinear parabolic approximation with a small parameter ε. Compensated compactness argument is applied to justify the passage to limit as ε → 0 for the case when the mass density is strictly positive. It is verified that smooth entropy quasisolution is necessarily a classic solution. An example of entropy solution with a shock front is constructed to reveal that it is not an entropy quasisolution. The study is motivated by the explosion physics experiments in which the mass conservation law may be violated at a shock front passing through the gas.
THE ZERO DIFFUSION LIMIT FOR NONLINEAR HYPERBOLIC SYSTEM WITH DAMPING AND DIFFUSION
Authors: CHEN KAIMAO , ZHU CHANGJIANG
Published: December 2008

We consider the Cauchy problem for a nonlinear hyperbolic system with damping and diffusion. Thanks to a suitably constructed corrector function, we can eliminate the layer at infinity and by using the energy method we establish the global existence of solutions if the initial data is a small perturbation around the corresponding linear diffusion waves. Furthermore, we study the zero diffusion limit and, precisely, we show that the sequence of solutions converges to the corresponding hyperbolic system as the diffusion parameter tends to zero.
Risks to the public
Authors: Neumann Peter G.
Published: December 2008

Edited by Peter G. Neumann (Risks Forum Moderator and Chairman of the ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy), plus personal contributions by others, as indicated. Opinions expressed are individual rather than organizational, and all of the usual disclaimers apply. We address problems relating to software, hardware, people, and other circumstances relevant to computer systems. To economize on space, we include pointers to items in the online Risks Forum: (R i j) denotes RISKS vol i number j. Cited RISKS items generally identify contributors and sources, together with URLs. Official RISKS archives are available at www.risks.org (which redirects to Newcastle and gets you nice html formatting and a search engine courtesy of Lindsay Marshall; http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/i.j.html gets you (R i j)) and at ftp://www.sri.com/risks.
The GSwERC initiative
Authors: Riehle Richard
Published: December 2008

Article 5 ID: 1449608 DOI: 10.1145/1449603.1449608 It has long been recognized that there is a need for a comprehensive model for graduate software engineering education in the U.S. and worldwide. This article describes such an initiative and invites interested parties to participate.
DEPLOY
Authors: Romanovsky Alexander
Published: December 2008

The work of the new
FP7 ICT
DEPLOY Integrated Project (February 2008 -- January 2012) [1] is driven by the tasks of achieving and evaluating industrial take-up, initially by DEPLOY industrial partners, of DEPLOY methods and tools, together with the necessary further research on methods and tools.
DynaMetrics
Authors: Singh Paramvir , Singh Hardeep
Published: December 2008

Many Runtime/Dynamic metric suites for object-oriented software systems have been devised over the past decade. This paper introduces a new dynamic metric-based evaluation and analysis tool for Java and C++ software called DynaMetrics that is capable of evaluating and analyzing all the major dynamic metrics known till date. DynaMetrics also compares them with their static counterparts in order to find the usefulness of individual metric. The paper is part of our ongoing research on runtime/dynamic metrics for object-oriented software systems.
Inhibition of the KCa3.1 channels by AMP-activated protein kinase in human airway epithelial cells
Authors: Klein Hélène , Garneau Line , Trinh Nguyen Thu Ngan , Privé Anik , Dionne François , Goupil Eugénie , Thuringer Dominique , Parent Lucie , Brochiero Emmanuelle , Sauvé Rémy
Published: December 2008

The vectorial transport of ions and water across epithelial cells depends to a large extent on the coordination of the apical and basolateral ion fluxes with energy supply. In this work we provide the first evidence for a regulation by the 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) of the calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 expressed at the basolateral membrane of a large variety of epithelial cells. Inside-out patch-clamp experiments performed on human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells stably transfected with KCa3.1 first revealed a decrease in KCa3.1 activity following the internal addition of AMP at a fixed ATP concentration. This effect was dose dependent with half inhibition at 140 μM AMP in 1 mM ATP. Evidence for an interaction between the COOH-terminal region of KCa3.1 and the γ1-subunit of AMPK was next obtained by two-hybrid screening and pull-down experiments. Our two-hybrid analysis confirmed in addition that the amino acids extending from Asp380to Ala400in COOH-terminal were essential for the interaction AMPK-γ1/KCa3.1. Inside-out experiments on cells coexpressing KCa3.1 with the dominant negative AMPK-γ1-R299G mutant showed a reduced sensitivity of KCa3.1 to AMP, arguing for a functional link between KCa3.1 and the γ1-subunit of AMPK. More importantly, coimmunoprecipitation experiments carried out on bronchial epithelial NuLi cells provided direct evidence for the formation of a KCa3.1/AMPK-γ1 complex at endogenous AMPK and KCa3.1 expression levels. Finally, treating NuLi monolayers with the membrane permeant AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) caused a significant decrease of the KCa3.1-mediated short-circuit currents, an effect reversible by coincubation with the AMPK inhibitor Compound C. These observations argue for a regulation of KCa3.1 by AMPK in a functional epithelium through protein/protein interactions involving the γ1-subunit of AMPK.
BLX-1002, a novel thiazolidinedione with no PPAR affinity, stimulates AMP-activated protein kinase activity, raises cytosolic Ca2+, and enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in a PI3K-dependent manner
Authors: Zhang Fan , Dey Deben , Bränström Robert , Forsberg Lars , Lu Ming , Zhang Qimin , Sjöholm Åke
Published: December 2008

BLX-1002 is a novel small thiazolidinedione with no apparent affinity to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) that has been shown to reduce glycemia in type 2 diabetes without adipogenic effects. Its precise mechanisms of action, however, remain elusive, and no studies have been done with respect to possible effects of BLX-1002 on pancreatic β-cells. We have investigated the influence of the drug on β-cell function in mouse islets in vitro. BLX-1002 enhanced insulin secretion stimulated by high, but not low or intermediate, glucose concentrations. BLX-1002 also augmented cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) at high glucose, an effect that was abolished by pretreatment with the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin. In contrast, BLX-1002 did not interfere with voltage-gated Ca2+ channel or ATP-sensitive K+ channel activities. In addition, cellular NAD(P)H stimulated by glucose was not affected by the drug. The stimulatory effect of BLX-1002 on insulin secretion at high glucose was completely abolished by treatment with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin or LY-294002. Stimulation of the β-cells with BLX-1002 also induced activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) at high glucose. Our study suggests that BLX-1002 potentiates insulin secretion only at high glucose in β-cells in a PI3K-dependent manner. This effect of BLX-1002 is associated with an increased [Ca2+]i mediated through Ca2+ mobilization, and an enhanced activation of AMPK. The glucose-sensitive stimulatory impact of BLX-1002 on β-cell function may translate into substantial clinical benefits of the drug in the management of type 2 diabetes, by avoidance of hypoglycemia.
Defects in the regulatory clearance mechanisms favor the breakdown of self-tolerance during spontaneous autoimmune orchitis
Authors: Pelletier R.-Marc , Yoon Suk Ran , Akpovi Casimir D. , Silvas Emil , Vitale María Leiza
Published: December 2008

We identified aberrations leading to spontaneous autoimmune orchitis (AIO) in mink, a seasonal breeder and natural model for autoimmunity. This study provides evidence favoring the view that a malfunction of the clearance mechanisms for apoptotic cell debris arising from imbalances in phagocyte receptors or cytokines acting on Sertoli cells constitutes a major factor leading to breakdown of self-tolerance during spontaneous AIO. Serum anti-sperm antibody titers measured by ELISA reflected spermatogenic activity without causing immune inflammatory responses. Orchitic mink showed excess antibody production accompanied by spermatogenic arrest, testicular leukocyte infiltration, and infertility. AIO serum labeled the postacrosomal region, the mid and end piece of mink sperm, whereas normal mink serum did not. Normal serum labeled plasma membranes, whereas AIO serum reacted with germ cell nuclei. Western blot analyses revealed that AIO serum reacted specifically to a 23- and 50-kDa protein. The number of apostain-labeled apoptotic cells was significantly higher in orchitic compared with normal tubules. However, apoptosis levels measured by ELISA in seminiferous tubular fractions (STf) were not significantly different in normal and orchitic tubules. The levels of CD36, TNF-α, TNF-α RI, IL-6, and Fas but not Fas-ligand (L), and ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCA1 were changed in AIO STf. TNF-α and IL-6 serum levels were increased during AIO. Fas localized to germ cells, Sertoli cells, and the lamina propria of the tubules and Fas-L, to germ cells. Fas colocalized with Fas-L in residual bodies in normal testis and in giant cells and infiltrating leukocytes in orchitic tubules.
A lipid-protein hybrid model for tight junction
Authors: Lee David B. N. , Jamgotchian Nora , Allen Suni G. , Abeles Michael B. , Ward Harry J.
Published: December 2008

The epithelial tight junction (TJ) was first described ultrastructurally as a fusion of the outer lipid leaflets of the adjoining cell membrane bilayers (hemifusion). The discovery of an increasing number of integral TJ and TJ-associated proteins has eclipsed the original lipid-based model with the wide acceptance of a protein-centric model for the TJ. In this review, we stress the importance of lipids in TJ structure and function. A lipid-protein hybrid model accommodates a large body of information supporting the lipidic characteristics of the TJ, harmonizes with the accumulating evidence supporting the TJ as an assembly of lipid rafts, and focuses on an important, but relatively unexplored, field of lipid-protein interactions in the morphology, physiology, and pathophysiology of the TJ.
Inducing Any Virtual Two-Dimensional Movement in Humans by Applying Muscle Tendon Vibration
Authors: Roll Jean-Pierre , Albert Frédéric , Thyrion Chloé , Ribot-Ciscar Edith , Bergenheim Mikael , Mattei Benjamin
Published: December 2008

In humans, tendon vibration evokes illusory sensation of movement. We developed a model mimicking the muscle afferent patterns corresponding to any two-dimensional movement and checked its validity by inducing writing illusory movements through specific sets of muscle vibrators. Three kinds of illusory movements were compared. The first was induced by vibration patterns copying the responses of muscle spindle afferents previously recorded by microneurography during imposed ankle movements. The two others were generated by the model. Sixteen different vibratory patterns were applied to 20 motionless volunteers in the absence of vision. After each vibration sequence, the participants were asked to name the corresponding graphic symbol and then to reproduce the illusory movement perceived. Results showed that the afferent patterns generated by the model were very similar to those recorded microneurographically during actual ankle movements ( r = 0.82). The model was also very efficient for generating afferent response patterns at the wrist level, if the preferred sensory directions of the wrist muscle groups were first specified. Using recorded and modeled proprioceptive patterns to pilot sets of vibrators placed at the ankle or wrist levels evoked similar illusory movements, which were correctly identified by the participants in three quarters of the trials. Our proprioceptive model, based on neurosensory data recorded in behaving humans, should then be a useful tool in fields of research such as sensorimotor learning, rehabilitation, and virtual reality.
BCR-ABLalternative splicing as a common mechanism for imatinib resistance: evidence from molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Lee Tai-Sung , Ma Wanlong , Zhang Xi , Giles Francis , Cortes Jorge , Kantarjian Hagop , Albitar Maher
Published: December 2008

Rare cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) express high levels of alternatively spliced BCR-ABL mRNA with a 35-bp insertion (35INS) between ABL kinase domain exons 8 and 9. This insertion results in a frameshift leading to the addition of 10 residues and truncation of 653 residues due to early termination. Sensitive PCR-based testing showed that 32 of 52 (62%) imatinib-resistant CML patients in chronic phase and 8 of 38 (21%) in accelerated or blast crisis expressed varying levels of the alternatively spliced BCR-ABL mRNA. A three-dimensional structural model of the 35INS ABL kinase domain complexed with imatinib was built using homology modeling, followed by molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation results showed that the new residues cause a significant global conformational change, altering imatinib binding in a way similar to that of the T315I mutation and, therefore, providing resistance to imatinib that depends on the level of expression. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(12):3834–41]
Essential Knowledge Domains Underlying Effective Rehabilitation Counseling Practice
Authors: Leahy Michael J. , Muenzen Patricia , Saunders Jodi L. , Strauser David
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the major knowledge domains required for rehabilitation counseling practice across settings in today's rapidly changing practice environment. Data obtained and analyzed from a recent national study by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) is reported and reviewed in detail. Specific implications for knowledge translation of the study's finding for practitioner certification and academic program accreditation are identified.