bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Small actions, big costs: the behavioural energetics of a commercially important invertebrate
Authors: Robson Anthony A. , Chauvaud Laurent , Wilson Rory P. , Halsey Lewis G.
Published: January 2012

Anthropogenic disturbance of farmed animals can be detrimental by adversely affecting behaviours and metabolic rate, potentially reducing their commercial value. However, relatively little is known about the normal behavioural time budgets and associated metabolism of many such species, particularly for example pectinid bivalves, which use anaerobic metabolism during periods of short-burst activity. In the present study, we used the accelerometry technique to measure scallop overall dynamic body acceleration in combination with respirometry in order to obtain and compare the behavioural time budgets and associated metabolism of 10 scallops,Pecten maximus, in an aquaculture hatchery and 10 in the wild. Scallops in the wild typically spent only 0.1 per cent of the time moving (less than 2 min d−1), yet, on average, the estimated metabolism of such movement represented 16.8 per cent of daily energy expenditure. Furthermore, owing to their reliance on anaerobic pathways during such activity, movement resulted in the wild scallops having a raised metabolic rate for, on average, an estimated 7.8 per cent of the time, during which oxygen debts accumulated during movement were paid off. Hatchery scallops also typically spent only 0.1 per cent of the time moving but estimated metabolism of such movement represented 41.8 per cent of daily energy expenditure. Estimated mean daily metabolism of scallops in the hatchery was significantly higher than scallops in the wild (169.1 versus 120.7 mg O2d−1) because anthropogenic disturbance in the hatchery caused energetically costly non-feeding behaviours. Consequently, hatchery scallops also spent a far greater amount of time with a raised metabolic rate (an estimated 26.6% of the time) than wild scallops. While short-term bursts of movement in pectinid bivalves may appear innocuous, they result in large expenditures of energy and an oxygen debt that is paid off over long periods of time that together limit further movement. These findings have implications for the farming industry; mitigating anthropogenic disturbances to farmed colonies may minimize non-feeding behaviours and hence maximize growth rates by reducing the costs of such movements and increasing the opportunity to feed.
Lateralization of face processing in the human brain
Authors: Meng Ming , Cherian Tharian , Singal Gaurav , Sinha Pawan
Published: January 2012

Are visual face processing mechanisms the same in the left and right cerebral hemispheres? The possibility of such ‘duplicated processing’ seems puzzling in terms of neural resource usage, and we currently lack a precise characterization of the lateral differences in face processing. To address this need, we have undertaken a three-pronged approach. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we assessed cortical sensitivity to facial semblance, the modulatory effects of context and temporal response dynamics. Results on all three fronts revealed systematic hemispheric differences. We found that: (i) activation patterns in the left fusiform gyrus correlate with image-level face-semblance, while those in the right correlate with categorical face/non-face judgements. (ii) Context exerts significant excitatory/inhibitory influence in the left, but has limited effect on the right. (iii) Face-selectivity persists in the right even after activity on the left has returned to baseline. These results provide important clues regarding the functional architecture of face processing, suggesting that the left hemisphere is involved in processing ‘low-level’ face semblance, and perhaps is a precursor to categorical ‘deep’ analyses on the right.
Stability of detonation in a circular pipe with porous walls
Authors: Chiquete Carlos , Tumin Anatoli
Published: January 2012

A stability analysis is carried out taking into account slightly porous walls in an idealized detonation confined to a circular pipe. The analysis is carried out using the normal-mode approach and corrections are obtained to the underlying impenetrable wall case results to account for the effect of the slight porosity. The porous walls are modelled by an acoustic boundary condition for the perturbations linking the normal velocity and the pressure components and thus replacing the conventional no-penetration boundary condition at the wall. This new boundary condition necessarily complicates the derivation of the stability problem with respect to the impenetrable wall case. However, exploiting the expressly slight porosity, the modified temporal stability can be determined as a two-point boundary value problem similar to the case of a non-porous wall.
Some observations on the initiation and onset of detonation
Authors: Thomas Geraint
Published: January 2012

The results of experimental studies during which transition to detonation events occurred are presented. These observations and their interpretation are then discussed, and the conditions for the onset of detonation are described, with particular attention paid to the nature of the phenomena of deflagration-to-detonation transition. The resulting implications for predicting detonation evolution using computational fluid dynamic methods in practical applications are also discussed.
The DNA Replication Stress Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Yurov Yuri B. , Vorsanova Svetlana G. , Iourov Ivan Y.
Published: January 2012

A well-recognized theory of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis suggests ectopic cell cycle events to mediate neurodegeneration. Vulnerable neurons of the AD brain exhibit biomarkers of cell cycle progression and DNA replication suggesting a reentry into the cell cycle. Chromosome reduplication without proper cell cycle completion and mitotic division probably causes neuronal cell dysfunction and death. However, this theory seems to require some inputs in accordance with the generally recognized amyloid cascade theory as well as to explain causes and consequences of genomic instability (aneuploidy) in the AD brain. We propose that unscheduled and incomplete DNA replication (replication stress) destabilizes (epi)genomic landscape in the brain and leads to DNA replication “catastrophe” causing cell death during the S phase (replicative cell death). DNA replication stress can be a key element of the pathogenetic cascade explaining the interplay between ectopic cell cycle events and genetic instabilities in the AD brain. Abnormal cell cycle reentry and somatic genome variations can be used for updating the cell cycle theory introducing replication stress as a missing link between cell genetics and neurobiology of AD.
Association between plasma 25‐OH vitamin D and testosterone levels in men
Authors: Nimptsch Katharina , Platz Elizabeth A. , Willett Walter C. , Giovannucci Edward
Published: January 2012

Objective  A small randomized controlled trial suggested that vitamin D might increase the production of testosterone in men, which is supported by experimental studies in animals and a cross‐sectional study showing positive associations between plasma 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and testosterone and concordant seasonal variation of both biomarkers.

Design and Measurements  We investigated the cross‐sectional association of plasma 25(OH)D levels and total and free testosterone measured by immunoassay in 1362 male participants of the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study who were selected for a nested case–control study on prostate cancer using multivariate‐adjusted linear and restricted cubic spline regression models.

Results  25(OH)D was positively associated with total and free testosterone levels. From the lowest to the highest 25(OH)D quintile, multivariate‐adjusted means (95% confidence interval) were 18·5 (17·7; 19·4), 19·4 (18·6; 20·2), 19·6 (18·8; 20·4), 20·1 (19·3; 20·9) and 20·0 (19·1; 20·8; P‐trend = 0·003) for total testosterone and 97·7 (93·9; 101·5), 98·2 (94·1; 102·2), 99·2 (95·2; 103·2), 100·7 (96·9; 104·5) and 101·5 (97·6; 105·4; P‐trend = 0·03) for free testosterone. The shapes of the dose–response curves indicate that the association between 25(OH)D and total and free testosterone is linear at lower levels of 25(OH)D (below approximately 75–85 nmol/l), reaching a plateau at higher levels. Unlike for 25(OH)D, we did not observe any seasonal variation of testosterone concentrations.

Conclusion  This study supports previously reported positive associations between vitamin D and testosterone although we did not observe parallel seasonal variation patterns. Possible causality and direction of the vitamin D–testosterone association deserve further scientific investigation.
Improved Knowledge About Conception Rates Influences the Decision to Stop Insemination in Dairy Cows
Authors: Inchaisri C , De Vries A , Jorritsma R , Hogeveen H
Published: January 2012

Contents

The conception rate in dairy cows is dependent on a number of cow factors such as days in milk and insemination number. Unfortunately, some of these factors were not accounted for in optimal insemination and replacement decision models. By using wrong estimates of the conception rate, the calculated optimal insemination and replacement policy might differ from the real optimal insemination and replacement policy. The objective of this study was to evaluate different sets of conception rates with an increasing level of accuracy to determine the insemination policy. An existing dynamic program for optimal insemination and replacement was used to compare three different scenarios in the estimation of conception rates, based on the reproductive performance of Dutch dairy cattle: (i) constant conception rate throughout lactation, (ii) conception rate dependent on parity and months in milk, and (iii) conception rate dependent on parity, months in milk and insemination number. The time step of the model was 30.4 days (1 month). The discounted future cash flow of culling a cow at each time step (replace a heifer immediately) was compared with keeping that cow under optimal future decisions. The difference between immediate culling and optimal decisions is defined as the retention pay‐off. The insemination value was calculated as the difference between the future cash flow between immediate insemination of a cow and waiting one time‐step. The results show that the difference in the insemination values and the optimal time to stop insemination depend on parity, lactation stage and the relative milk yield. In older cows with equal milk yields and at the same months in milk, the insemination value was lower than in younger cows. Within a parity, the insemination value was higher for cows with a higher milk yield. On individual cow level, using more accurate conception rate as input in the optimal insemination and replacement model might reduce miscalculation of the economic consequences for at least of €20–€38 per cow per year. Basing insemination decisions on less accurate input of the probabilities of conception, however, did not have an economic consequence at the herd level. In conclusion, using the appropriate conception rate as input in the optimal insemination and replacement model would increase the precise decision for the optimal time to stop insemination and hence improve the reproductive management efficacy.
Effect of deception and expected exercise duration on psychological and physiological variables during treadmill running and cycling
Authors: Eston Roger , Stansfield Ralph , Westoby Paul , Parfitt Gaynor
Published: January 2012

Effects of deception and expected duration on the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), affect, and heart rate (HR) were examined during treadmill (n = 12) and cycling (n = 8) exercise. Participants completed three conditions: (1) 20 MIN—exercise for 20 min, stop after 20 min; (2) 10 MIN—exercise for 10 min, in 10th min be told to exercise for 10 min more; and (3) UNKNOWN—no information about duration. Intensities were set at 70% and 65% of peak oxygen uptake for treadmill and cycling, respectively. RPE increased (treadmill) and affect decreased (treadmill and cycling) in the absence of changes in HR and oxygen uptake in the 10 MIN conditions. These changes suggest a disruption to a feed‐forward/feedback system. The lower HR in the UNKNOWN conditions suggests a subconscious attempt to conserve energy when the duration of the exercise task is unknown.
Large animal induced pluripotent stem cells as pre‐clinical models for studying human disease
Authors: Plews Jordan R. , Gu Mingxia , Longaker Michael T. , Wu Joseph C.
Published: January 2012

The path to induced pluripotency

Discovery of a pan‐species pluripotency network

Animal iPSCs and disease modelling

Issues with large animal iPSCs

Conclusions

The derivation of human embryonic stem cells and subsequently human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has energized regenerative medicine research and enabled seemingly limitless applications. Although small animal models, such as mouse models, have played an important role in the progression of the field, typically, they are poor representations of the human disease phenotype. As an alternative, large animal models should be explored as a potentially better approach for clinical translation of cellular therapies. However, only fragmented information regarding the derivation, characterization and clinical usefulness of pluripotent large animal cells is currently available. Here, we briefly review the latest advances regarding the derivation and use of large animal iPSCs.
An outbreak of the 2009 influenza a (H1N1) virus in a children’s hospital
Authors: Bearden Allison , Friedrich Thomas C. , Goldberg Tony L. , Byrne Barbara , Spiegel Carol , Schult Peter , Safdar Nasia
Published: January 2012

Please cite this paper as: Bearden et al. (2012) An outbreak of the 2009 influenza a (H1N1) virus in a children’s hospital. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(5), 374–379.

Context  Preventing nosocomial transmission of influenza is essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this infection. In October 2009, an outbreak of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus occurred in a hematology ward of a children’s hospital over a 21‐day period and involved two patients and four healthcare workers.

Objective  To investigate nosocomial transmission of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus in patients and healthcare workers.

Design, setting, and participants  An outbreak investigation was initiated in response to suspected nosocomial transmission of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus during the peak of the 2009 pandemic. Cases were confirmed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test specific for the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus. Viruses isolated from nasopharyngeal swabs were genetically characterized using Sanger sequencing of uncloned “bulk” PCR products.

Main outcome measures  Virus sequencing to investigate nosocomial transmission.

Results  Two immunocompromised patients and four healthcare workers were found to be part of a nosocomial outbreak of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus. One immunocompromised patient had a second episode of clinical influenza infection after isolation precautions had been discontinued, resulting in additional exposures. Strain‐specific PCR showed that all cases were caused by infection of the 2009 H1N1 virus. Sequencing of viral genes encoding hemagglutinin and polymerase basic subunit 2 (PB2) revealed that all viruses isolated were genetically identical at these loci, including the two episodes occurring in the same immunocompromised patient.

Conclusions  Prompt institution of isolation precautions is essential in preventing nosocomial outbreaks of the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. Our data suggest that isolation precautions may need to be continued for a prolonged period of time in immunocompromised patients with influenza infection.
Adaptive Dynamic Surface Based Nonsingular Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control for Semistrict Feedback System
Authors: Li Hao , Dou Lihua , Su Zhong
Published: January 2012

This paper focuses on an adaptive dynamic surface based nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control (ADS-NFTSMC) for a class of nth-order uncertain nonlinear systems in semistrict feedback form. A simple and effective controller has been obtained by introducing dynamic surface control (DSC) technique on the basis of second-order filters that the “explosion of terms” problem caused by backstepping method can be avoided. The nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control is adopted in the last step of the controller design, and the error convergence rate is improved. An composite adaptive law is used to gain fast and accurate parameter estimation. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Cyclic voltammetry of natural flavonoids on MWNT-modified electrode and their determination in pharmaceuticals
Authors: Ziyatdinova Guzel , Aytuganova Ilmira , Nizamova Alfiya , Morozov Mikhail , Budnikov Herman
Published: January 2012

The determination of rutin, quercetin and taxifolin in pharmaceutical dosage forms using cyclic voltammetry on multi-walled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode (MWNT-GCE) has been developed. The surface of the electrode created has been characterized by atomic force microscopy. Electrode modification with MWNT increases the surface average roughness (190-fold) and structures it. There are two oxidation steps at 0.22 and 0.80, 0.23 and 0.80, 0.26 and 0.86 V on cyclic voltammograms of taxifolin, quercetin and rutin, respectively, in phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.4. The linear dynamic range is 1.4–28 and 28–210, 2.0–220 and 0.52–210 μM with detection limits of 0.71, 1.0 and 0.26 μM for rutin, quercetin and taxifolin, respectively. The relative standard deviation of flavonoids determination in pharmaceuticals does not exceed of 7%. The data obtained are in good agreement with coulometric determination.
Electrochemical oxidation of atorvastatin and its adsorptive stripping determination in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological fluids
Authors: Eskiköy Dilek , Durmuş Zehra , Kiliç Esma
Published: January 2012

Electrochemical behavior of atorvastatin (AT) and optimum conditions to its quantitative determination were investigated using voltammetric methods. Some electrochemical parameters such as diffusion coefficient, surface coverage of adsorbed molecules, electron transfer coefficient, standard rate constant and number of electrons were calculated using the results of cyclic voltammetry. A tentative mechanism for the oxidation for AT has been suggested. The oxidation signal of AT molecule was used to develop fully validated, new, rapid, selective and simple square-wave anodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric (AdsSWV) and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric (AdsDPV) methods to direct determination of AT in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples. For the AdsDPV and AdsSWV techniques, linear working ranges were found to be 1.0 × 10–7–5.0 × 10–6and 3.0 × 10–7–5.0 × 10–6mol l–1, respectively. The detection limits obtained from AdsDPV and AdsSWV were calculated to be 6.55 × 10–8and 1.53 × 10–7mol l–1, respectively. The methods were successfully applied to assay the drug in tablets, human blood serum and human urine.
ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK WITH REGULAR GRAPH FOR MAXIMUM AIR TEMPERATURE FORECASTING: THE EFFECT OF DECREASE IN NODES DEGREE ON LEARNING
Authors: GHADERI A. H. , DAROONEH A. H.
Published: January 2012

The behavior of nonlinear systems can be analyzed by artificial neural networks. Air temperature change is one example of the nonlinear systems. In this work, a new neural network method is proposed for forecasting maximum air temperature in two cities. In this method, the regular graph concept is used to construct some partially connected neural networks that have regular structures. The learning results of fully connected ANN and networks with proposed method are compared. In some case, the proposed method has the better result than conventional ANN. After specifying the best network, the effect of input pattern numbers on the prediction is studied and the results show that the increase of input patterns has a direct effect on the prediction accuracy.
PRECISE STRUCTURE ANALYSES OF ADVANCED MATERIALS UNDER HIGH-PRESSURE AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE
Authors: YOSHIASA AKIRA , MURAI KEI-ICHIRO , ARIMA HIROSHI , KATAYAMA YOSHINORI
Published: January 2012

Precise structure analyses of advanced materials under pressure were performed using each advantage of X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and diffraction methods. Measurements were performed in-situ under pressure and temperature using a large-volume multi-anvil pressure apparatus and synchrotron radiation. XAFS spectra are useful for phase study under high temperature and high pressure. The XAFS Debye Waller factor provides anharmonic effective pair potential with a pressure-dependent and temperature-independent shape. The phonon energies and anharmonicity are affected largely by the change in local structure and bonding character.
ELECTRICAL, TRANSPARENCE AND WETTING PROPERTIES OF DIAMOND LIKE CARBON FILMS
Authors: KIM TAE GYU , KIM JIN KON , CHO HYUN , YOON SU JONG , KIM HYE SUNG
Published: January 2012

In this study, we have developed the method for obtaining a conductive DLC layer on glass substrate of 30×30mm size by adding Nitrogen or Silane gas during CVD(Chemical Vapor Deposition) growth. The growth rate and electrical conductivity were investigated under different plasma deposition condition. In addition, we measured the optical transmittance spectra of the films. From the measurements of optical transmittance in range of 300 to 1150 nm wavelength, an optical transmittance is obtained from 80% to 90% from the DLC films grown with lower gas flow rates. The characteristic of DLC films were evaluated by various techniques including alpha step surface profiler, micro Raman spectroscope, X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Nano- indentation.
POLYETHYLENE OXIDE-CU COMPOSITE THICK FILMS FOR LPG SENSING
Authors: MORE P. S. , KHOLLAM Y. B. , KOINKAR PANKAJ , SALI N. D. , SHELKE P. N. , BORWAR S. S.
Published: January 2012

The LPG gas sensing response of polyethylene oxide ( PEO )- Cu ( Cu = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0 wt. %) composite thick films prepared on alumina substrates by using novel screen printing technique are reported in present paper. The gas sensing responses of films were tested at 1000 ppm of LPG by using home-built static gas sensing system [between room temperature - 50 °C]. A very high value of SF = 1400 was obtained at an optimum temperature of 47 °C for a film with Cu = 0.7 wt.%. Further, better LPG sensing response, SF = 700 was obtained at low operating temperature = 36 °C for a film with Cu = 0.2 wt. %. The LPG sensing responses of the films were found to be strongly influenced by concentration level of Cu additive.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MICRO-VOID CREATION BY IMPURITY IN COMPOSITE MATERIALS DURING VARTM PROCESS
Authors: Kim Yun-Hae , Moon Kyung-Man , Lee Byeong-Woo , Kim Joon-Young , Yang Dong-Hun , Yoon Sung-Won , An Hee-Beom , An Seung-Jun
Published: January 2012

The effects of impurities on the generation of voids in composites fabricated by vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding was investigated to help reduce mechanical weakening in large structures. Impurities were intentionally inserted into laminates, which were then observed optically. Internal voids were generated in specimens with impurities of 2 – 3mm thickness. The voids grew as the impurities' thicknesses increased to 4 – 5 mm. The voids' diameters were proportional to the thickness of the impurity. Void generation was shown to depend on the thickness of impurities. Environmental control during vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding was shown to be important for ensuring the quality of the resulting composites.
FATIGUE ANALYSIS ON THE END COUPLING OF THE ALUMINUM HOT ROLLING EQUIPMENT
Authors: LEE HYUN-SEUNG , LEE JANG-WON , LEE YOUNG-SHIN
Published: January 2012

The End Coupling is the main component of the aluminum hot rolling equipment. The End Coupling is used for transmission of rotational power with heavy-duty load. Fracture of the End Coupling causes serious economic losses because an End Coupling is a very expensive component and it takes a long time to repair it. Therefore, preventing the destruction of the End Coupling is essential for ensuring a long mechanical life cycle. In this paper, a parameter study on the End Coupling was performed in order to minimize maximum stress of the End Coupling under static loads. As a result of an optimum design for life extension on the End Coupling, the maximum stress of the modified End Coupling was lower than that of the initial model by 29%. The fatigue analysis for fatigue life prediction of the modified End Coupling was performed using the commercial finite element method. In the results of the fatigue life analysis, the safety factor of the modified End Coupling was 1.123. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the modified End Coupling has infinite life.
PHASE RELATIONS AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF La-Fe-Si ALLOYS UNDER DIFFERENT SOLIDIFICATION CONDITIONS
Authors: GAO JIANRONG , CAO HUI , ZHANG YIKUN , DONG ZHONGQI
Published: January 2012

Phase relations and microstructure of LaFe 13- x Si x alloys ( x = 0.5 to 3.0) were investigated. In induction-melted alloys, α-( Fe , Si ) and LaFe 2 Si 2 crystallized primarily in sequence of increasing x . In arc-melted alloys, α-( Fe , Si ) and the tetragonal La ( Fe , Si )13 compound crystallized primarily instead. The cubic La ( Fe , Si )13 compound was found to crystallize as a peritectic phase following primary α-( Fe , Si ) formation in some of the alloys. The results were discussed with respect to phase formation during rapid solidification of the La ( Fe , Si )13 material for magnetic refrigeration.
SOLID STATE NMR STUDY ON MICROBIAL POLY(ε-L-LYSINE)/CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE BLENDS
Authors: MAEDA SHIRO , KATO KUMIKO , TAKAGI KEN , KOBAYASHI MINA , KUNIMOTO KO-KI
Published: January 2012

The miscibility of microbial poly(ε- L -lysine)/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (ε-PL/CMC) blends was investigated by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance methods. 1 H spin-lattice relaxation time in the laboratory frame T1, and in the rotating frame, T1ρ measurements indicate that the blends are miscible at all compositions on a scale of 2–5 nm. Formation of carbamates and its reversibility were examined. ε-PL/CMC hydrogel was formed by bubbling carbon dioxide gas into ε-PL and CMC aqueous solution mixture.
AIRCRAFT CLASSIFICATION USING IMAGE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: KARACOR ADIL GURSEL , TORUN ERDAL , ABAY RASIT
Published: January 2012

Identifying the type of an approaching aircraft, should it be a helicopter, a fighter jet or a passenger plane, is an important task in both military and civilian practices. The task in question is normally done by using radar or RF signals. In this study, we suggest an alternative method that introduces the use of a still image instead of RF or radar data. The image was transformed to a binary black and white image, using a Matlab script which utilizes Image Processing Toolbox commands of Matlab, in order to extract the necessary features. The extracted image data of four different types of aircraft was fed into a three-layered feed forward artificial neural network for classification. Satisfactory results were achieved as the rate of successful classification turned out to be 97% on average.
MODIFIED PRINCIPAL CURVES BASED FINGERPRINT MINUTIAE EXTRACTION AND PSEUDO MINUTIAE DETECTION
Authors: ZHANG HONGYUN , MIAO DUOQIAN , ZHONG CAIMING
Published: January 2012

It is difficult but crucial for minutiae extraction and pseudo minutiae deletion of low quality fingerprint images in auto fingerprint identification systems. Traditional methods based on thinning images or gray-level images are, however, susceptible to noise. Reference 14 indicated that principal curves based fingerprint minutiae extraction was feasible to overcome the drawback, but the extended polygonal line (EPL) principal curves algorithm used in the paper extracted the principal curves ineffectively. As the fingerprint data sets are usually large, the original EPL principal curves algorithm is time-consuming. Meanwhile, scattered fingerprint data lead to the deviation of fingerprint skeleton. In this paper, the algorithm is modified, and a fingerprint minutiae extraction and pseudo minutiae detection method based on principal curves is proposed. Experimental results show that the modified EPL principal curves algorithm outperforms the original EPL algorithm both in efficiency and quality, and the proposed minutiae extraction method outperforms the methods proposed by Miao under noise conditions.
A SIMPLE SCALAR COUPLED MAP LATTICE MODEL FOR EXCITABLE MEDIA
Authors: GUO YUZHU , ZHAO YIFAN , COCA DANIEL , BILLINGS S. A.
Published: January 2012

A simple scalar coupled map lattice (sCML) model for excitable media is derived in this paper. The new model, which has a simple structure, is shown to be closely related to the observed phenomena in excitable media. Properties of the sCML model are also investigated. Illustrative examples show that this kind of model is capable of reproducing the behavior of excitable media and of generating complex spatiotemporal patterns.
MEMRISTIVE EXCITABLE CELLULAR AUTOMATA
Authors: ADAMATZKY ANDREW , CHUA LEON
Published: January 2012

The memristor is a device whose resistance changes depending on the polarity and magnitude of a voltage applied to the device's terminals. We design a minimalistic model of a regular network of memristors using structurally-dynamic cellular automata. Each cell gets info about states of its closest neighbors via incoming links. A link can be "conductive" or "nonconductive". States of every link are updated depending on the states of cells the link connects. Every cell of a memristive automaton assumes three states: resting, excited (analog of positive polarity) and refractory (analog of negative polarity). A cell updates its state depending on states of its closest neighbors which are connected to the cell via "conductive" links. We study behavior of memristive automata in response to point-wise and spatially extended perturbations, structure of localized excitations coupled with topological defects, interfacial mobile excitations and growth of information pathways.
TIME-DEPENDENT BACKGROUNDS OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL STRING THEORY FROM THE c = 1 MATRIX MODEL
Authors: SADEGHI J. , POURHASSAN B.
Published: January 2012

The aim of this paper is to use correspondence between solutions in the c = 1 matrix model collective field theory and coupled dilaton-gravity to a massless scalar field. First, we obtain the incoming and outgoing fluctuations for the time-dependent backgrounds with the lightlike and spacelike boundaries. In the case of spacelike boundaries, we have done here for the first time. Then by using the leg-pole transformations we find the corresponding tachyon field in the two-dimensional string theory for the lightlikes and spacelikes boundary.
EXTENSION OF THE OLKIN AND RUBIN CHARACTERIZATION TO THE WISHART DISTRIBUTION ON HOMOGENEOUS CONES
Authors: BOUTOURIA I. , HASSAIRI A. , MASSAM H.
Published: January 2012

The Wishart distribution on a homogeneous cone is a generalization of the Riesz distribution on a symmetric cone which corresponds to a given graph. The paper extends to this distribution, the famous Olkin and Rubin characterization of the ordinary Wishart distribution on symmetric matrices.
EXISTENCE AND APPROXIMATION OF HUNT PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH GENERALIZED DIRICHLET FORMS
Authors: PEIL VITALI , TRUTNAU GERALD
Published: January 2012

We show that any strictly quasi-regular generalized Dirichlet form that satisfies the mild structural condition D3 is associated to a Hunt process, and that the associated Hunt process can be approximated by a sequence of multivariate Poisson processes. This also gives a new proof for the existence of a Hunt process associated to a strictly quasi-regular generalized Dirichlet form that satisfies SD3 and extends all previous results.
MOMENTS AND q-COMMUTATORS OF NONCOMMUTATIVE RANDOM VECTORS
Authors: DROŻDŻEWICZ KRZYSZTOF , MATYSIAK WOJCIECH
Published: January 2012

A method for computing the mixed moments of (not necessarily commutative) random vectors from the first-order moments, the q-commutators between the annihilation and creation operators, and the q-commutators between the annihilation and preservation operators, is presented. The method is illustrated by a relevant characterization of q-Gaussian vectors.
ADJUSTED GEOMETRIC-MEAN: A NOVEL PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR IMBALANCED BIOINFORMATICS DATASETS LEARNING
Authors: BATUWITA RUKSHAN , PALADE VASILE
Published: January 2012

One common and challenging problem faced by many bioinformatics applications, such as promoter recognition, splice site prediction, RNA gene prediction, drug discovery and protein classification, is the imbalance of the available datasets. In most of these applications, the positive data examples are largely outnumbered by the negative data examples, which often leads to the development of sub-optimal prediction models having high negative recognition rate (Specificity = SP) and low positive recognition rate (Sensitivity = SE). When class imbalance learning methods are applied, usually, the SE is increased at the expense of reducing some amount of the SP. In this paper, we point out that in these data-imbalanced bioinformatics applications, the goal of applying class imbalance learning methods would be to increase the SE as high as possible by keeping the reduction of SP as low as possible. We explain that the existing performance measures used in class imbalance learning can still produce sub-optimal models with respect to this classification goal. In order to overcome these problems, we introduce a new performance measure called Adjusted Geometric-mean (AGm). The experimental results obtained on ten real-world imbalanced bioinformatics datasets demonstrates that the AGm metric can achieve a lower rate of reduction of SP than the existing performance metrics, when increasing the SE through class imbalance learning methods. This characteristic of AGm metric makes it more suitable for achieving the proposed classification goal in imbalanced bioinformatics datasets learning.
A SEARCH-BASED APPROACH TO RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK ALLOCATION PROBLEMS
Authors: OTSUKI TOMOSHI , AISU HIDEYUKI , TANAKA TOSHIAKI
Published: January 2012

Experts working for railway operators still have to devote much time and effort to creating plans for rolling stock allocation. In this paper, we formulate the railway rolling stock allocation problem as a set partitioning multi-commodity flow (SPMCF) problem and propose a search-based heuristic approach for SPMCF. We show that our approach can obtain an approximate solution near the optimum in shorter time than CPLEX for real-life problems. Since our approach deals with a wide variety of constraint expressions, it would be applicable to automatic development of practical plans for many railway operators.
The obliquity-controlled early Pleistocene terrace sequence of the Gediz River, western Turkey: a revised correlation and chronology
Authors: Maddy Darrel , Demir Tuncer , Veldkamp Antonie , Bridgland David R. , Stemerdink Chris , Van Der schriek Tim , Schreve Danielle
Published: January 2012

The buried Early Pleistocene river terrace record of the Gediz River, around Kula, western Turkey has previously been considered to span the time interval equivalent to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 58–37 (
c
. 1.6–1.2 Ma), with the frequency of terrace formation mirroring obliquity-driven climate change. Whereas progressive Pleistocene incision of the Gediz River is seen as a response to regional uplift, the timing of fluvial incision, leading to terrace formation and subsequent new floodplain development, is believed to be climate-controlled with incision–deposition cycles resulting from varying sediment–discharge conditions, a direct consequence of changing climate and related vegetation change. New outcrop observations downstream of the original field area, alongside recently published geochronological data and improved understanding of the volcanic sequence, all now suggest that the previously published interpretation is incorrect. Here we present a revised stratigraphy based upon terrace gradients of
c
. 0.004–0.005 (previously 0.001), in which 11 terraces are identified but only terraces GT11 (the oldest) to GT6 (pre-lava incursion) predate volcanism. The available geochronology suggests that terraces GT6 (post-first lava incursion) to GT1 relate to the time interval MIS38–28 (
c
. 1.26–1 Ma). However, despite penecontemporaneous volcanism terrace formation continues to reflect sediment–discharge changes predominantly controlled by regional climate change.
12/15-Lipoxygenase signaling in the endoplasmic reticulum stress response
Authors: Cole Banumathi K. , Kuhn Norine S. , Green-Mitchell Shamina M. , Leone Kendall A. , Raab Rebekah M. , Nadler Jerry L. , Chakrabarti Swarup K.
Published: January 2012

Central obesity is associated with chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The 12/15-lipoxygenase enzyme (12/15-LO) promotes inflammation and insulin resistance in adipose and peripheral tissues. Given that obesity is associated with ER stress and 12/15-LO is expressed in adipose tissue, we determined whether 12/15-LO could mediate ER stress signals. Addition of 12/15-LO lipid products 12(S)-HETE and 12(S)-HPETE to differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes induced expression and activation of ER stress markers, including BiP, XBP-1, p-PERK, and p-IRE1α. The ER stress inducer, tunicamycin, upregulated ER stress markers in adipocytes with concomitant 12/15-LO activation. Addition of a 12/15-LO inhibitor, CDC, to tunicamycin-treated adipocytes attenuated the ER stress response. Furthermore, 12/15-LO-deficient adipocytes exhibited significantly decreased tunicamycin-induced ER stress. 12/15-LO action involves upregulation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) expression. Tunicamycin significantly upregulated IL-12p40 expression in adipocytes, and IL-12 addition increased ER stress gene expression; conversely, LSF, an IL-12 signaling inhibitor, and an IL-12p40-neutralizing antibody attenuated tunicamycin-induced ER stress. Isolated adipocytes and liver from 12/15-LO-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet revealed a decrease in spliced XBP-1 expression compared with wild-type C57BL/6 mice on a high-fat diet. Furthermore, pancreatic islets from 12/15-LO-deficient mice showed reduced high-fat diet-induced ER stress genes compared with wild-type mice. These data suggest that 12/15-LO activity participates in ER stress in adipocytes, pancreatic islets, and liver. Therefore, reduction of 12/15-LO activity or expression could provide a new therapeutic target to reduce ER stress and downstream inflammation linked to obesity.
Oscillation of Third‐Order Neutral Delay Differential Equations
Authors: Li Tongxing , Zhang Chenghui , Xing Guojing
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this paper is to examine oscillatory properties of the third‐order neutral delay differential equation [a(t)(b(t)(x(t) + p(t)x(σ(t)))′)′]′ + q(t)x(τ(t)) = 0. Some oscillatory and asymptotic criteria are presented. These criteria improve and complement those results in the literature. Moreover, some examples are given to illustrate the main results.
Leptin: A Novel Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's Disease?
Authors: Beccano-Kelly Dayne , Harvey Jenni
Published: January 2012

It is well established that the hormone leptin circulates in the plasma in amounts proportional to body fat content and it regulates food intake and body weight via its actions in the hypothalamus. However, numerous studies have shown that leptin receptors are widely expressed throughout the CNS and evidence is growing that leptin plays a role in modulating a variety of neuronal processes. In particular, recent studies have highlighted a potential cognitive enhancing role for leptin as it regulates diverse aspects of hippocampal synaptic function that are thought to underlie learning and memory processes including glutamate receptor trafficking, dendritic morphology, and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Characterisation of the novel actions of leptin in limbic brain regions is providing valuable insights into leptin’s role in higher cognitive functions in health and disease.
Cellular Dysfunction in Diabetes as Maladaptive Response to Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress
Authors: Naudi Alba , Jove Mariona , Ayala Victoria , Cassanye Anna , Serrano Jose , Gonzalo Hugo , Boada Jordi , Prat Joan , Portero-Otin Manuel , Pamplona Reinald
Published: January 2012

Oxidative stress has been implicated in diabetes long-term complications. In this paper, we summarize the growing evidence suggesting that hyperglycemia-induced overproduction of superoxide by mitochondrial electron transport chain triggers a maladaptive response by affecting several metabolic and signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of cellular dysfunction and diabetic complications. In particular, it is our goal to describe physiological mechanisms underlying the mitochondrial free radical production and regulation to explain the oxidative stress derived from a high intracellular glucose concentration and the resulting maladaptive response that leads to a cellular dysfunction and pathological state. Finally, we outline potential therapies for diabetes focused to the prevention of mitochondrial oxidative damage.
Linear Decision Fusion under the Control of Constrained PSO for WSNs
Authors: Jiang Sisi , Zhao Zhiwen , Mou Sheng , Wu Zushun , Luo Yi
Published: January 2012

A major application of a distributed WSN (wireless sensor network) is to monitor a specific area for detecting some events such as disasters and enemies. In order to achieve this objective, each sensor in the network is required to collect local observations which are probably corrupted by noise, make a local decision regarding the presence or absence of an event, and then send its local decision to a fusion center. After that, the fusion center makes the final decision depending on these local decisions and a decision fusion rule, so an efficient decision fusion rule is extremely critical. It is obvious that the decision-making capability of each node is different owing to the dissimilar signal noise ratios and some other factors, so it is easy to understand that a specific sensor contribution to the global decision should be constrained by this sensor decision-making capability, and, based on this idea, we establish a novel linear decision fusion model for WSNs. Moreover, the constrained particle swarm optimization (constrained PSO) algorithm is creatively employed to control the parameters of this model in this paper and we also apply the typical penalty function to solve the constrained PSO problem. The emulation results indicate that our design is capable of achieving very high accuracy.
Reducing HPV-Associated Cancer Globally
Authors: Lowy Douglas R. , Schiller John T.
Published: January 2012

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers are a major worldwide public health concern. Virtually all cervical cancer is HPV related, with 70% caused by HPV16 and -18. Variable proportions of certain noncervical cancers (e.g., anal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal) are HPV related; more than 90% of the HPV-related ones are caused by HPV16, -18. The HPV-related cancers are dominated by cervical cancer in the developing world, where cervical cancer screening is limited. In this setting, widespread uptake of current HPV vaccines by adolescent girls could reduce this cancer's incidence and mortality by approximately two-thirds, with cost-effective screening programs of adult women having the potential to reduce mortality more rapidly. In the industrialized world, some noncervical HPV-related cancers, especially oropharyngeal, are rapidly increasing, and now rival the incidence of cervical cancer, whose rates continue to decline thanks to established cervical screening programs. Therefore, reducing HPV-associated noncervical cancers with HPV vaccination has greater importance in the industrialized world, especially because there are no approved screening programs for these cancers. Preventing the substantial number of noncervical HPV cancers in men will require either “herd” immunity through high-vaccination rates in females or male vaccination. Current HPV vaccination can complement cervical screening in protecting against cervical cancer and may permit the safe reduction of screening intensity in industrialized countries. Second-generation HPV vaccines (active against a broader array of cervical cancer–related HPV types) could prevent an even higher proportion of cervical precancer and cancer and might permit further reductions in screening intensity. Cancer Prev Res; 5(1); 18–23. ©2012 AACR.
Measuring Tongue Shapes and Positions with Ultrasound Imaging: A Validation Experiment Using an Articulatory Model
Authors: Ménard Lucie , Aubin Jérôme , Thibeault Mélanie , Richard Gabrielle
Published: January 2012

Objective: The goal of this paper is to assess the validity of various metrics developed to characterize tongue shapes and positions collected through ultrasound imaging in experimental setups where the probe is not constrained relative to the subject’s head. Patients and Methods: Midsagittal contours were generated using an articulatory-acoustic model of the vocal tract. Sections of the tongue were extracted to simulate ultrasound imaging. Various transformations were applied to the tongue contours in order to simulate ultrasound probe displacements: vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, and rotation. The proposed data analysis method reshapes tongue contours into triangles and then extracts measures of angles, x and y coordinates of the highest point of the tongue, curvature degree, and curvature position. Results: Parameters related to the absolute tongue position (tongue height and front/back position) are more sensitive to horizontal and vertical displacements of the probe, whereas parameters related to tongue curvature are less sensitive to such displacements. Conclusion: Because of their robustness to probe displacements, parameters related to tongue shape (especially curvature) are particularly well suited to cases where the transducer is not constrained relative to the head (studies with clinical populations or children).
Erosive Bladder Perforation as a Complication of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt with Extrusion from the Urethral Meatus: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Pohlman Garrett D. , Wilcox Duncan T. , Hankinson Todd C.
Published: January 2012

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery is the most common technique used in the treatment of hydrocephalus. Erosive bladder perforation is an extremely rare complication of VP shunt surgery. Only 2 cases of erosive bladder perforation by a peritoneal catheter have been reported in the English literature. The authors present the case of a 14-year-old male with a history of cerebral palsy, severe developmental delay and hydrocephalus who presented with VP shunt tubing protruding from his urethral meatus. The patient had no evidence of neurological change. The VP shunt had been last revised over 11 years prior to admission. Imaging demonstrated the VP shunt to be intact, but displaced inferiorly, with the ventricular catheter in the extracranial soft tissue of the neck and the peritoneal catheter passing into the abdomen, bladder, and out through the urethra. Shunt removal was achieved through a multidisciplinary approach, involving both neurosurgery and urology teams. The authors discuss other reported cases of perforation by a VP shunt, potential mechanisms, and considerations for management of this rare complication.