bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CHIRAL LATTICE GAUGE THEORIES VIA MIRROR–FERMION DECOUPLING: A MISSION (IM)POSSIBLE?
Authors: POPPITZ ERICH , SHANG YANWEN
Published: June 2010

This is a review of the status and outstanding issues in attempts to construct chiral lattice gauge theories by decoupling the mirror fermions from a vectorlike theory. In the first half, we explain why studying nonperturbative chiral gauge dynamics may be of interest, enumerate the problems that a lattice formulation of chiral gauge theories must overcome, and briefly review our current knowledge. We then discuss the motivation and idea of mirror–fermion decoupling and illustrate the desired features of the decoupling dynamics by a simple solvable toy model. The role of exact chiral symmetries and matching of 't Hooft anomalies on the lattice is also explained. The second, more technical, half of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the known and unknown features of mirror-decoupling dynamics formulated with Ginsparg–Wilson fermions. We end by pointing out possible directions for future studies.
Efficient k-nearest neighbor searching in nonordered discrete data spaces
Authors: Kolbe Dashiell , Zhu Qiang , Pramanik Sakti
Published: June 2010

Numerous techniques have been proposed in the past for supporting efficient
k
-nearest neighbor (
k
-NN) queries in continuous data spaces. Limited work has been reported in the literature for
k
-NN queries in a nonordered discrete data space (NDDS). Performing
k
-NN queries in an NDDS raises new challenges. The Hamming distance is usually used to measure the distance between two vectors (objects) in an NDDS. Due to the coarse granularity of the Hamming distance, a
k
-NN query in an NDDS may lead to a high degree of nondeterminism for the query result. We propose a new distance measure, called Granularity-Enhanced Hamming (GEH) distance, which effectively reduces the number of candidate solutions for a query. We have also implemented
k
-NN queries using multidimensional database indexing in NDDSs. Further, we use the properties of our multidimensional NDDS index to derive the probability of encountering valid neighbors within specific regions of the index. This probability is used to develop a new search ordering heuristic. Our experiments on synthetic and genomic data sets demonstrate that our index-based
k
-NN algorithm is efficient in finding
k
-NNs in both uniform and nonuniform data sets in NDDSs and that our heuristics are effective in improving the performance of such queries.
Exploiting neighborhood knowledge for single document summarization and keyphrase extraction
Authors: Wan Xiaojun , Xiao Jianguo
Published: June 2010

Document summarization and keyphrase extraction are two related tasks in the IR and NLP fields, and both of them aim at extracting condensed representations from a single text document. Existing methods for single document summarization and keyphrase extraction usually make use of only the information contained in the specified document. This article proposes using a small number of nearest neighbor documents to improve document summarization and keyphrase extraction for the specified document, under the assumption that the neighbor documents could provide additional knowledge and more clues. The specified document is expanded to a small document set by adding a few neighbor documents close to the document, and the graph-based ranking algorithm is then applied on the expanded document set to make use of both the local information in the specified document and the global information in the neighbor documents. Experimental results on the Document Understanding Conference (DUC) benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed approaches. The cross-document sentence relationships in the expanded document set are validated to be beneficial to single document summarization, and the word cooccurrence relationships in the neighbor documents are validated to be very helpful to single document keyphrase extraction.
Effects of position and number of relevant documents retrieved on users' evaluations of system performance
Authors: Kelly Diane , Fu Xin , Shah Chirag
Published: June 2010

Information retrieval research has demonstrated that system performance does not always correlate positively with user performance, and that users often assign positive evaluation scores to search systems even when they are unable to complete tasks successfully. This research investigated the relationship between objective measures of system performance and users' perceptions of that performance. In this study, subjects evaluated the performance of four search systems whose search results were manipulated systematically to produce different orderings and numbers of relevant documents. Three laboratory studies were conducted with a total of eighty-one subjects. The first two studies investigated the effect of the order of five relevant and five nonrelevant documents in a search results list containing ten results on subjects' evaluations. The third study investigated the effect of varying the number of relevant documents in a search results list containing ten results on subjects' evaluations. Results demonstrate linear relationships between subjects' evaluations and the position of relevant documents in a search results list and the total number of relevant documents retrieved. Of the two, number of relevant documents retrieved was a stronger predictor of subjects' evaluation ratings and resulted in subjects using a greater range of evaluation scores.
Low-power TinyOS tuned processor platform for wireless sensor network motes
Authors: Raval R. K. , Fernandez C. H. , Bleakley C. J.
Published: June 2010

In this article we describe a low-power processor platform for use in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) nodes (motes). WSN motes are small, battery-powered devices comprised of a processor, sensors, and a radio frequency transceiver. It is expected that WSNs consisting of large numbers of motes will offer long-term, distributed monitoring, and control of real-world equipment and phenomena. A key requirement for these applications is long battery life. We investigate a processor platform architecture based on an application-specific programmable processor core, System-On-Chip bus, and a hardware accelerator. The architecture improves on the energy consumption of a conventional microprocessor design by tuning the architecture for a suite of TinyOS-based WSN applications. The tuning method used minimizes changes to the instruction set architecture facilitating rapid software migration to the new platform. The processor platform was implemented and validated in an FPGA-based WSN mote. The benefits of the approach in terms of energy consumption are estimated to be a reduction of 48% for ASIC implementation relative to a conventional programmable processor for a typical TinyOS application suite without use of voltage scaling.
Logic synthesis and circuit customization using extensive external don't-cares
Authors: Chang Kai-Hui , Bertacco Valeria , Markov Igor L. , Mishchenko Alan
Published: June 2010

Traditional digital circuit synthesis flows start from an HDL behavioral definition and assume that circuit functions are almost completely defined, making don't-care conditions rare. However, recent design methodologies do not always satisfy these assumptions. For instance, third-party IP blocks used in a system-on-chip are often overdesigned for the requirements at hand. By focusing only on the input combinations occurring in a specific application, one could resynthesize the system to greatly reduce its area and power consumption. Therefore we extend modern digital synthesis with a novel technique, called SWEDE, that makes use of extensive external don't-cares. In addition, we utilize such don't-cares present implicitly in existing simulation-based verification environments for circuit customization. Experiments indicate that SWEDE scales to large ICs with half-million input vectors and handles practical cases well.
GUESSTIMATE
Authors: Rajan Kaushik , Rajamani Sriram , Yaduvanshi Shashank
Published: June 2010

We present a new programming model GUEESSTIMATE for developing collaborative distributed systems. The model allows atomic, isolated operations that transform a system from consistent state to consistent state, and provides a shared transactional store for a collection of such operations executed by various machines in a distributed system. In addition to "committed state" which is identical in all machines in the distributed system, GUESSTIMATE allows each machine to have a replicated local copy of the state (called "guesstimated state") so that operations on shared state can be executed locally without any blocking, while also guaranteeing that eventually all machines agree on the sequences of operations executed. Thus, each operation is executed multiple times, once at the time of issue when it updates the guesstimated state of the issuing machine, once when the operation is committed (atomically) to the committed state of all machines, and several times in between as the guesstimated state converges toward the committed state. While we expect the results of these executions of the operation to be identical most of the time in the class of applications we study, it is possible for an operation to succeed the first time when it is executed on the guesstimated state, and fail when it is committed. GUESSTIMATE provides facilities that allow the programmer to deal with this potential discrepancy. This paper presents our programming model, its operational semantics, its realization as an API in C#, and our experience building collaborative distributed applications with this model.
The reachability-bound problem
Authors: Gulwani Sumit , Zuleger Florian
Published: June 2010

We define the
reachability-bound problem
to be the problem of finding a symbolic worst-case bound on the number of times a given control location inside a procedure is visited in terms of the inputs to that procedure. This has applications in bounding resources consumed by a program such as time, memory, network-traffic, power, as well as estimating quantitative properties (as opposed to boolean properties) of data in programs, such as information leakage or uncertainty propagation. Our approach to solving the reachability-bound problem brings together two different techniques for reasoning about loops in an effective manner. One of these techniques is an abstract-interpretation based iterative technique for computing precise disjunctive invariants (to summarize nested loops). The other technique is a non-iterative proof-rules based technique (for loop bound computation) that takes over the role of doing inductive reasoning, while deriving its power from the use of SMT solvers to reason about abstract loop-free fragments.

Our solution to the reachability-bound problem allows us to compute precise symbolic complexity bounds for several loops in .Net base-class libraries for which earlier techniques fail. We also illustrate the precision of our algorithm for disjunctive invariant computation (which has a more general applicability beyond the reachability-bound problem) on a set of benchmark examples.
Inferable object-oriented typed assembly language
Authors: Tate Ross , Chen Juan , Hawblitzel Chris
Published: June 2010

A certifying compiler preserves type information through compilation to assembly language programs, producing typed assembly language (TAL) programs that can be verified for safety independently so that the compiler does not need to be trusted. There are two challenges for adopting certifying compilation in practice. First, requiring every compiler transformation and optimization to preserve types is a large burden on compilers, especially when adopting certifying compilation into existing optimizing non-certifying compilers. Second, type annotations significantly increase the size of assembly language programs.

This paper proposes an alternative to traditional certifying compilers. It presents iTalX, the first inferable TAL type system that supports existential types, arrays, interfaces, and stacks. We have proved our inference algorithm is complete, meaning if an assembly language program is typeable with iTalX then our algorithm will infer an iTalX typing for that program. Furthermore, our algorithm is guaranteed to terminate even if the assembly language program is untypeable. We demonstrate that it is practical to infer such an expressive TAL by showing a prototype implementation of type inference for code compiled by Bartok, an optimizing C# compiler. Our prototype implementation infers complete type annotations for 98% of functions in a suite of realistic C# benchmarks. The type-inference time is about 8% of the compilation time. We needed to change only 2.5% of the compiler code, mostly adding new code for defining types and for writing types to object files. Most transformations are untouched. Type-annotation size is only 17% of the size of pure code and data, reducing type annotations in our previous certifying compiler [4] by 60%. The compiler needs to preserve only essential type information such as method signatures, object-layout information, and types for static data and external labels. Even non-certifying compilers have most of this information available.
Traceable data types for self-adjusting computation
Authors: Acar Umut A. , Blelloch Guy , Ley-Wild Ruy , Tangwongsan Kanat , Turkoglu Duru
Published: June 2010

Self-adjusting computation provides an evaluation model where computations can respond automatically to modifications to their data by using a mechanism for propagating modifications through the computation. Current approaches to self-adjusting computation guarantee correctness by recording dependencies in a trace at the granularity of individual memory operations. Tracing at the granularity of memory operations, however, has some limitations: it can be asymptotically inefficient (\eg, compared to optimal solutions) because it cannot take advantage of problem-specific structure, it requires keeping a large computation trace (often proportional to the runtime of the program on the current input), and it introduces moderately large constant factors in practice.

In this paper, we extend dependence-tracing to work at the granularity of the query and update operations of arbitrary (abstract) data types, instead of just reads and writes on memory cells. This can significantly reduce the number of dependencies that need to be kept in the trace and followed during an update. We define an interface for supporting a traceable version of a data type, which reports the earliest query that depends on (is changed by) revising operations back in time, and implement several such structures, including priority queues, queues, dictionaries, and counters. We develop a semantics for tracing, extend an existing self-adjusting language, ΔML, and its implementation to support traceable data types, and present an experimental evaluation by considering a number of benchmarks. Our experiments show dramatic improvements on space and time, sometimes by as much as two orders of magnitude.
Collecting Counters
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: June 2010

Over the past month I’ve been trying to figure out a problem that occurs on our systems when the network is under heavy load. After about two weeks I was able to narrow down the problem from "the network is broken" (a phrase that my coworkers use mostly to annoy me), to being something that is going wrong on the network interfaces in our systems.
A note on a Badly Nondeterministic automaton
Authors: Reeker L.
Published: June 2010

A "Badly Nondeterministic" (BN) n-state acceptor is a machine for which any deterministic finite state acceptor for the same language requires 2
n
states. A family of such machines, attributed to G. Ott, was described in (1). Taking liberties with the notation of that paper, we will call the family {R
n
}n>0 (see figure below). Another family of BN automata, which we will call {B
n
}n>0, was described in (2). These latter BN automata are the subject of this note.
The geometric mean distance
Authors: Yuval G.
Published: June 2010

Given N points in K-space, the O(N
2
) distances between them may be characterized by their minimum[1, 2], maximum [3], mean[4, 5, 6], or median [7]; since these problems are geometrical, it may be Interesting to consider the
geometric
mean - or, which is equivalent, the product - of the distances between all pairs.
The Interconnection between the Coordinate Distribution of Mueller-Matrixes Images Characteristic Values of Biological Liquid Crystals Net and the Pathological Changes of Human Tissues
Authors: Angelsky Oleg V. , Ushenko Yuriy A. , Dubolazov Alexander V. , Telenha Olha Yu.
Published: June 2010

We have theoretically grounded conceptions of characteristic points observed in coordinate distributions of Mueller matrix elements for a network of human tissue biological crystals. The interrelation between polarization singularities of laser images inherent to these biological crystals and characteristic values of above matrix elements is found. We have determined the criteria for statistical diagnostics of pathological changes in the birefringent structure of biological crystal network by using myometrium tissue as an example.
e-SCP-ECG+Protocol: An Expansion on SCP-ECG Protocol for Health Telemonitoring—Pilot Implementation
Authors: Mandellos George J. , Koukias Michael N. , Styliadis Ioannis St. , Lymberopoulos Dimitrios K.
Published: June 2010

Standard Communication Protocol for Computer-assisted Electrocardiography (SCP-ECG) provides standardized communication among different ECG devices and medical information systems. This paper extends the use of this protocol in order to be included in health monitoring systems. It introduces new sections into SCP-ECG structure for transferring data for positioning, allergies, and five additional biosignals: noninvasive blood pressure (NiBP), body temperature (Temp), Carbon dioxide (CO2), blood oxygen saturation (SPO2), and pulse rate. It also introduces new tags in existing sections for transferring comprehensive demographic data. The proposed enhanced version is referred to as e-SCP-ECG+protocol. This paper also considers the pilot implementation of the new protocol as a software component in a Health Telemonitoring System.
Maximality Principle and General Results of Ekeland and Caristi Types without Lower Semicontinuity Assumptions in Cone Uniform Spaces with Generalized Pseudodistances
Authors: Włodarczyk Kazimierz , Plebaniak Robert
Published: June 2010

Our aim is twofold: first, we want to introduce a partial quasiordering in cone uniform spaces with generalized pseudodistances for giving the general maximality principle in these spaces. Second, we want to show how this maximality principle can be used to obtain new and general results of Ekeland and Caristi types without lower semicontinuity assumptions, which was not done in the previous publications on this subject.
A Tutorial on Nonlinear Time‐Series Data Mining in Engineering Asset Health and Reliability Prediction: Concepts, Models, and Algorithms
Authors: Dong Ming
Published: June 2010

The primary objective of engineering asset management is to optimize assets service delivery potential and to minimize the related risks and costs over their entire life through the development and application of asset health and usage management in which the health and reliability prediction plays an important role. In real‐life situations where an engineering asset operates under dynamic operational and environmental conditions, the lifetime of an engineering asset is generally described as monitored nonlinear time‐series data and subject to high levels of uncertainty and unpredictability. It has been proved that application of data mining techniques is very useful for extracting relevant features which can be used as parameters for assets diagnosis and prognosis. In this paper, a tutorial on nonlinear time‐series data mining in engineering asset health and reliability prediction is given. Besides that an overview on health and reliability prediction techniques for engineering assets is covered, this tutorial will focus on concepts, models, algorithms, and applications of hidden Markov models (HMMs) and hidden semi‐Markov models (HSMMs) in engineering asset health prognosis, which are representatives of recent engineering asset health prediction techniques.
Prevention of H-Aggregates Formation in Cy5 Labeled Macromolecules
Authors: Kang Jing , Kaczmarek Oliver , Liebscher Jürgen , Dähne Lars
Published: June 2010

H-aggregates of the cyanine dye Cy5 are formed during covalent linkage to the cationic macromolecule Poly(allylamine) (PAH). The nonfluorescent H-aggregates strongly restrict the usage of the dye for analytical purposes and prevent a quantitative determination of the labeled macromolecules. The behavior of the H-aggregates has been studied by investigation of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the dye polymer in dependence on solvent, label degree and additional sulfonate groups. H-aggregate formation is caused by an inhomogeneous distribution of the Cy5 molecules on the polymer chain. The H-aggregates can be destroyed by conformational changes of the PAH induced by interactions with polyanions or in organic solvents. It has been found that the polymer labeling process in high content of organic solvents can prevent the formation of H-aggregates. The results offer a better understanding and improvement of the use of the Cy5 dye for labeling purposes in fluorescence detection of macromolecules.
Cardiac Troponin Mutations and Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Parvatiyar Michelle S. , Pinto Jose Renato , Dweck David , Potter James D.
Published: June 2010

Mutations in sarcomeric proteins have recently been established as heritable causes of Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM). RCM is clinically characterized as a defect in cardiac diastolic function, such as, impaired ventricular relaxation, reduced diastolic volume and increased end-diastolic pressure. To date, mutations have been identified in the cardiac genes for desmin,α-actin, troponin I and troponin T. Functional studies in skinned muscle fibers reconstituted with troponin mutants have established phenotypes consistent with the clinical findings which include an increase in myofilamentCa2+sensitivity and basal force. Moreover, when RCM mutants are incorporated into reconstituted myofilaments, the ability to inhibit the ATPase activity is reduced. A majority of the mutations cluster in specific regions of cardiac troponin and appear to be mutational “hot spots”. This paper highlights the functional and clinical characteristics of RCM linked mutations within the troponin complex.
Bosonic Spectral Function and the Electron-Phonon Interaction in HTSC Cuprates
Authors: Maksimov E. G. , Kulić M. L. , Dolgov O. V.
Published: June 2010

In this paper we discuss experimental evidence related to the structure and origin of the bosonic spectral function in high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates at and near optimal doping. Global properties of , such as number and positions of peaks, are extracted by combining optics, neutron scattering, ARPES and tunnelling measurements. These methods give evidence for strong electron-phonon interaction (EPI) with in cuprates near optimal doping. We clarify how these results are in favor of the modified Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) theory for HTSC cuprates near optimal doping. In Section 2 we discuss theoretical ingredients—such as strong EPI, strong correlations—which are necessary to explain the mechanism of d-wave pairing in optimally doped cuprates. These comprise the ME theory for EPI in strongly correlated systems which give rise to the forward scattering peak. The latter is supported by the long-range part of EPI due to the weakly screened Madelung interaction in the ionic-metallic structure of layered HTSC cuprates. In this approach EPI is responsible for the strength of pairing while the residual Coulomb interaction and spin fluctuations trigger the d-wave pairing.
Collaborative Spectrum Sensing Optimisation Algorithms for Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Arshad Kamran , Imran Muhammad Ali , Moessner Klaus
Published: June 2010

The main challenge for a cognitive radio is to detect the existence of primary users reliably in order to minimise the interference to licensed communications. Hence, spectrum sensing is a most important requirement of a cognitive radio. However, due to the channel uncertainties, local observations are not reliable and collaboration among users is required. Selection of fusion rule at a common receiver has a direct impact on the overall spectrum sensing performance. In this paper, optimisation of collaborative spectrum sensing in terms of optimum decision fusion is studied for hard and soft decision combining. It is concluded that for optimum fusion, the fusion centre must incorporate signal-to-noise ratio values of cognitive users and the channel conditions. A genetic algorithm-based weighted optimisation strategy is presented for the case of soft decision combining. Numerical results show that the proposed optimised collaborative spectrum sensing schemes give better spectrum sensing performance.
Septic Pulmonary Embolism Case Report: Optimal Outcome after Insertion of an Inferior Vena Cava Filter in a Patient withStaphylococcus aureusBacteraemia
Authors: Esteves Isabel , Castro Sofia Vidal , Abecasis Francisco , Camilo Cristina , Vieira Marisa , Gama Dinis da , Correia Manuela
Published: June 2010

A 14-year-old patient presented with bilateral pneumonia and pleural effusions, septic arthritis of the hip, deep venous thrombosis, and pulmonary thromboembolism. Methicillin-sensitiveStaphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) containing the Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) genes was isolated. Contraindication to anticoagulation prompted inferior vena cava filter placement. He completed 4 weeks of treatment with flucloxacillin, with good clinical outcome.S. aureuscontaining PVL genes should be sought in cases of necrotizing pneumonia as it seems to increase the risk of severe multifocal infection and thrombotic complications. There are few reports of placement of filters duringS. aureussepsis and bacteraemia. This case highlights that when anticoagulation is not feasible, an inferior vena cava filter can be inserted safely, even in patients with active sepsis and high risk for seeding of the filter. Long-term follow-up confirmed a successful outcome with sterilization of the septic thrombosis with no further pulmonary embolism or additional sepsis episodes.
Development of a Novel Bioinformatics Tool for In Silico Validation of Protein Interactions
Authors: Barbarini Nicola , Simonelli Luca , Azzalin Alberto , Comincini Sergio , Bellazzi Riccardo
Published: June 2010

Protein interactions are crucial in most biological processes. Several in silico methods have been recently developed to predict them. This paper describes a bioinformatics method that combines sequence similarity and structural information to support experimental studies on protein interactions. Given a target protein, the approach selects the most likely interactors among the candidates revealed by experimental techniques, but not yet in vivo validated. The sequence and the structural information of the in vivo confirmed proteins and complexes are exploited to evaluate the candidate interactors. Finally, a score is calculated to suggest the most likely interactors of the target protein. As an example, we searched for GRB2 interactors. We ranked a set of 46 candidate interactors by the presented method. These candidates were then reduced to 21, through a score threshold chosen by means of a cross-validation strategy. Among them, the isoform 1 of MAPK14 was in silico confirmed as a GRB2 interactor. Finally, given a set of already confirmed interactors of GRB2, the accuracy and the precision of the approach were 75% and 86%, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method can be conveniently exploited to select the proteins to be experimentally investigated within a set of potential interactors.
PPARs in the Renal Regulation of Systemic Blood Pressure
Authors: Rőszer Tamás , Ricote Mercedes
Published: June 2010

Recent research has revealed roles for the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) family of transcription factors in blood pressure regulation, expanding the possible therapeutic use of PPAR ligands. PPARαand PPARγmodulate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), a major regulator of systemic blood pressure and interstitial fluid volume by transcriptional control of renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT-R1). Blockade of RAAS is an important therapeutic target in hypertension management and attenuates microvascular damage, glomerular inflammation and left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients and also show antidiabetic effects. The mechanisms underlying the benefits of RAAS inhibition appear to involve PPARγ-regulated pathways. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of PPARs in the transcriptional control of the RAAS and the possible use of PPAR ligands in the treatment of RAAS dependent hypertension.
The Psychosocial Impact of Self-Reported Morning Allergy Symptoms: Findings from an Australian Internet-Based Survey
Authors: Sharp Timothy J. , Seeto Celina
Published: June 2010

Background. Allergies can substantially impact health-related quality of life (HRQL). We investigated the psychosocial impact of morning symptoms amongst Australian adults with self-reported allergic rhinitis (AR). Method. An online survey comprising 24 questions was conducted in August 2008. Inclusion criteria were age (20–49 years) and self-reported moderate to severe symptoms of AR. Results. One thousand sixty respondents met the inclusion criteria. Amongst consumers with self-reported AR, symptoms were more severe in the morning in 597 (56%) and affected mood in 1025 (97%). Nine hundred seventy (91%) indicated that their symptoms had some impact on their day ahead and 868 (82%) reported a negative impact on relationships. Morning symptoms in particular had a substantial affect on mood for the day. HRQL impact was more pronounced in those who reported severe symptoms and in females. Discussion. Encouraging consumers with self-diagnosed AR to seek formal diagnosis and offering appropriate treatment strategies, such as those offering sustained effectiveness over 24-hours, may aid in negating the negative impact of morning symptoms.
Enhancing Fatigue Performance of Sandwich Composites with Nanophased Core
Authors: Zainuddin S. , Mahfuz H. , Jeelani S.
Published: June 2010

We report fatigue performance of sandwich composites with nanophased core under shear load. Nanophased core was made from polyurethane foam dispersed with carbon nanofiber (CNF). CNFs were dispersed into part‐A of liquid polyurethane through a sonication process and the loading of nanoparticles was 1.0 wt%. After dispersion, part‐A was mixed with part‐B, cast into a mold, and allowed to cure. Nanophased foam was then used to fabricate sandwich composites. Static shear tests revealed that strength and modulus of nanophased foams were 33% and 19% higher than those of unreinforced (neat) foams. Next, shear fatigue tests were conducted at a frequency of 3 Hz and stress ratio (R) of 0.1. S‐N curves were generated and fatigue performances were compared. Number of cycles to failure for nanophased sandwich was significantly higher than that of the neat ones. For example, at 57% of ultimate shear strength, nanophased sandwich would survive 400,000 cycles more than its neat counterpart. SEM micrographs indicated stronger cell structures with nanophased foams. These stronger cells strengthened the sub‐interface zones underneath the actual core‐skin interface. High toughness of the sub‐interface layer delayed initiation of fatigue cracks and thereby increased the fatigue life of nanophased sandwich composites.
Thermal Characterizations of Exponential Fin Systems
Authors: Khaled A.-R. A.
Published: June 2010

Exponential fins are mathematically analyzed in this paper. Two types are considered: (i) straight exponential fins and (ii) pin exponential fins. The possibility of having increasing or decreasing cross‐sectional areas is considered. Different thermal performance indicators are derived. The maximum ratio between the thermal efficiency of the exponential straight fin to that of the rectangular fin is found to be 1.58 at an effective thermal length of 2.0. This ratio is even larger when exponential fins are compared with triangular and parabolic straight fins. Moreover, the maximum ratio between the thermal efficiency of the exponential pin fin to that of the rectangular pin fin is found to be 1.17 at an effective thermal length of 1.5. However, exponential pin fins thermal efficiencies are found to be lower than those of triangular and parabolic pin fins. Moreover, exponential joint‐fins may transfer more heat than rectangular joint‐fins especially when differences between their senders and receivers portions dimensionless indices are very large. Finally, it is found that increasing the joint‐fin exponential index may cause straight exponential joint‐fins to transfer more heat than rectangular joint‐fins.
Evolving Neural Network Controllers for a Team of Self-Organizing Robots
Authors: Fehérvári István , Elmenreich Wilfried
Published: June 2010

Self-organizing systems obtain a global system behavior via typically simple local interactions among a number of components or agents, respectively. The emergent service often displays properties like adaptability, robustness, and scalability, which makes the self-organizing paradigm interesting for technical applications like cooperative autonomous robots. The behavior for the local interactions is usually simple, but it is often difficult to define the right set of interaction rules in order to achieve a desired global behavior. In this paper, we describe a novel design approach using an evolutionary algorithm and artificial neural networks to automatize the part of the design process that requires most of the effort. A simulated robot soccer game was implemented to test and evaluate the proposed method. A new approach in evolving competitive behavior is also introduced using Swiss System instead of the full tournament to cut down the number of necessary simulations.
Prediction of Patients with Acute Cholecystitis Requiring Emergent Cholecystectomy: A Simple Score
Authors: Yacoub Wael N. , Petrosyan Mikael , Sehgal Indu , Ma Yanling , Chandrasoma Parakrama , Mason Rodney J.
Published: June 2010

The objective was to develop a score, to stratify patients with acute cholecystitis into high, intermediate, or low probability of gangrenous cholecystitis. The probability of gangrenous cholecystitis (score) was derived from a logistic regression of a clinical and pathological review of 245 patients undergoing urgent cholecystectomy. Sixty-eight patients had gangrenous inflammation, 132 acute, and 45 no inflammation. The score comprised of: age > 45 years (1 point), heart rate > 90 beats/min (1 point), male (2 points), Leucocytosis > 13,000/mm3(1.5 points), and ultrasound gallbladder wall thickness>4.5 mm (1 point). The prevalence of gangrenous cholecystitis was 13% in the low-probability (0–2 points), 33% in the intermediate-probability (2–4.5 points), and 87% in the high probability category (>4.5 points). A cutoff score of 2 identified 31 (69%) patients with no acute inflammation (PPV 90%). This scoring system can prioritize patients for emergent cholecystectomy based on their expected pathology.
Proteomic Analysis ofPichindé virusInfection Identifies Differential Expression of Prothymosin-α
Authors: Bowick Gavin C. , Soman Kizhake V. , Wang He , Aronson Judith F. , Luxon Bruce A. , Lomas Lee O. , Gorenstein David G. , Herzog Norbert K.
Published: June 2010

The arenaviruses include a number of important pathogens includingLassa virusandJunin virus. Presently, the only treatment is supportive care and the antiviral Ribavirin. In the event of an epidemic, patient triage may be required to more effectively manage resources; the development of prognostic biomarker signatures, correlating with disease severity, would allow rational triage. Using a pair of arenaviruses, which cause mild or severe disease, we analyzed extracts from infected cells using SELDI mass spectrometry to characterize potential biomarker profiles. EDGE analysis was used to analyze longitudinal expression differences. Extracts from infected guinea pigs revealed protein peaks which could discriminate between mild or severe infection and between times post-infection. Tandem mass-spectrometry identified several peaks, including the transcriptional regulator prothymosin-α. Further investigation revealed differences in secretion of this peptide. These data show proof of concept that proteomic profiling of host markers could be used as prognostic markers of infectious disease.
Synthesis, Characterization, DNA Binding, and Photocleavage Activity of Oxorhenium (V) Complexes with α‐Diimine and Quinoxaline Ligands
Authors: Mitsopoulou Christiana A. , Dagas Constantinos
Published: June 2010

The complex [ReOCl3pq] (1) (where pq = 2‐(2′pyridyl)quinoxaline) has been synthesized and fully characterized by UV‐Vis, FTIR, 1 and 2D NMR, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The DNA‐binding properties of the complex 1 as well as of the compounds [ReOCl3bpy] (2), [ReOCl3phen] (3), and pq (4) were investigated by UV‐spectrophotometric (melting curves), CV (cyclic voltammetry), and viscosity measurements. Experimental data suggest that complex 1 intercalates into the DNA base pairs. Upon irradiation, complex 1 was found to promote the cleavage of plasmid pBR 322 DNA from supercoiled form I to nicked form II. The mechanism of the DNA cleavage by complex 1 was also investigated.
Anti-MUC1 Antibodies and Ovarian Cancer Risk: Prospective Data from the Nurses' Health Studies
Authors: Pinheiro Simone P. , Hankinson Susan E. , Tworoger Shelley S. , Rosner Bernard A. , McKolanis John R. , Finn Olivera J. , Cramer Daniel W.
Published: June 2010

Background: The surface epithelial glycoprotein MUC1 becomes overexpressed and hypoglycosylated in adenocarcinomas; similar changes occur during nonmalignant inflammatory events. Antibodies developed against tumor-like MUC1 in response to such events could be one way through which ovarian cancer risk factors operate.

Methods: We evaluated the association between anti-MUC1 antibodies and risk of ovarian cancer in a prospective nested case-control study in the Nurses' Health Studies. We used an ELISA to measure plasma anti-MUC1 antibodies in 117 ovarian cancer cases collected at least 3 years before diagnosis and 339 matched controls.

Results: In controls, younger women (P-trend = 0.03), those with a tubal ligation (P = 0.03), and those with fewer ovulatory cycles (P-trend = 0.04) had higher antibody levels. In cases, women with late-stage disease (P = 0.04) and those whose specimen was >11 years remote from diagnosis (P = 0.01) had higher antibody levels. Overall, increasing anti-MUC1 antibody levels were associated with a nonsignificant trend for lower risk for ovarian cancer, but there was highly significant heterogeneity by age (P-heterogeneity = 0.005). In women <64 years, the antibody level in quartiles 2 to 4 versus quartile 1 were associated with reduced risk (relative risk = 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.93; P-trend = 0.03), whereas in women ≥64 years, the corresponding relative risk was 2.11 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-6.04); P-trend = 0.05).

Conclusion: Anti-MUC1 antibodies evaluated several years before diagnosis may be associated with lower risk of subsequent ovarian cancer in women <64 years old at assessment.

Impact: Key elements of an “immune model” to explain ovarian cancer risk factors are confirmed and should be evaluated in larger prospective studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1595–601. ©2010 AACR.
Effect of Differing Levels of Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines in Cigarette Smoke on the Levels of Biomarkers in Smokers
Authors: Ashley David L. , O'Connor Richard J. , Bernert John T. , Watson Clifford H. , Polzin Gregory M. , Jain Ram B. , Hammond David , Hatsukami Dorothy K. , Giovino Gary A. , Cummings K. Michael , McNeill Ann , Shahab Lion , King Bill , Fong Geoffrey T. , Zhang Liqin , Xia Yang , Yan Xizheng , McCraw Joan M.
Published: June 2010

Background: Smokers are exposed to significant doses of carcinogens, including tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). Previous studies have shown significant global differences in the levels of TSNAs in cigarette smoke because of the variation in tobacco blending and curing practices around the world.

Methods: Mouth-level exposure to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) measured in cigarette butts and urinary concentrations of its major metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) were examined among 126 daily smokers in four countries over a 24-hour study period.

Results: As mouth-level exposure of NNK increased, the urinary NNAL increased even after adjustment for other covariates (β = 0.46, P = 0.004). The relationship between mouth-level exposure to nicotine and its salivary metabolite, cotinine, was not statistically significant (β = 0.29, P = 0.057), likely because of the very limited range of differences in mouth-level nicotine exposure in this population.

Conclusions: We have shown a direct association between the 24-hour mouth-level exposure of NNK resulting from cigarette smoking and the concentration of its primary metabolite, NNAL, in the urine of smokers. Internal dose concentrations of urinary NNAL are significantly lower in smokers in countries that have lower TSNA levels in cigarettes such as Canada and Australia in contrast to countries that have high levels of these carcinogens in cigarettes, such as the United States.

Impact: Lowering the levels of NNK in the mainstream smoke of cigarettes through the use of specific tobacco types and known curing practices can significantly affect the exposure of smokers to this known carcinogen. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1389–98. ©2010 AACR.
Urinary Biomarkers of Oxidative Status in a Clinical Model of Oxidative Assault
Authors: Il'yasova Dora , Spasojevic Ivan , Wang Frances , Tolun Adviye A. , Base Karel , Young Sarah P. , Marcom P. Kelly , Marks Jeffrey , Mixon Gabriel , DiGiulio Richard , Millington David S.
Published: June 2010

Background: We used doxorubicin-based chemotherapy as a clinical model of oxidative assault in humans.

Methods: The study recruited newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (n = 23). Urine samples were collected immediately before (T0) and at 1 hour (T1) and 24 hours (T24) after i.v. administration of treatment. Measurements included allantoin and the isoprostanes iPF(2α)-III, iPF(2α)-VI, and 8,12-iso-iPF(2α)-VI along with the prostaglandin 2,3-dinor-iPF(2α)-III, a metabolite of iPF(2α)-III. All biomarkers were quantified using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Results: In all subjects, the levels of the biomarkers increased at T1: allantoin by 22% (P = 0.06), iPF(2α)-III by 62% (P < 0.05), iPF(2α)-VI by 41% (P < 0.05), 8,12-iso-iPF(2α)-VI by 58% (P < 0.05), and 2,3-dinor-iPF(2α)-III by 52% (P < 0.05). At T24, the F2-isoprostanes returned to their baseline levels; the levels of allantoin continued to increase, although the T24-T0 difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: These results indicate that urinary F2-isoprostanes are valid biomarkers and allantoin is a promising biomarker of oxidative status in humans.

Impact: The levels of biomarkers change quickly in response to oxidative assault and can be used to monitor oxidative status in humans in response to treatments related either to generation of free radicals (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) or to antioxidants (inborn metabolic diseases and Down syndrome). Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(6); 1506–10. ©2010 AACR.
Phosphoglycerate Mutase Is a Highly Efficient Enzyme without Flux Control in Lactococcus lactis
Authors: Solem Christian , Petranovic Dina , Koebmann Brian , Mijakovic Ivan , Jensen Peter Ruhdal
Published: June 2010

The glycolytic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM), which catalyzes the conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate to 2-phosphoglycerate, was examined in Lactococcus lactis with respect to its function, kinetics and glycolytic flux control. A library of strains with PGM activities ranging between 15–465% of the wild-type level was constructed by replacing the native promoter of pgm with synthetic promoters of varying strengths. The specific growth rate and glucose flux were found to be maximal at the wild-type level at which PGM had no flux control. Low flux control of PGM was found on mixed acid fluxes at highly reduced PGM activities. At the wild-type level PGM operated very far from Vmax. Consequently, in a strain with only 15% PGM activity, the catalytic rate of PGM was almost six times higher than in the wild-type. Kmof PGM for 3-phosphoglycerate was 1.0 mM and kcatwas 3,200 s–1. The L. lactis PGM was dependent on 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid for activity, which showed that the enzyme is of the dPGM type in accordance with its predicted homology to dPGM enzymes from other organisms. In conclusion, PGM from L. lactis is a highly efficient catalyst, which partially explains why this enzyme has limited control in wild-type L. lactis.
Proteinase B Disruption Is Required for High Level Production of Human Mechano-Growth Factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Morozkina Elena V. , Marchenko Alexey N. , Keruchenko Jan S. , Keruchenko Irina D. , Khotchenkov Vyacheslav P. , Popov Vladimir O. , Benevolensky Sergei V.
Published: June 2010

Mechano-growth factor (MGF) is a product of a unique muscle-specific splice variant of the insulin-like growth factor I gene. Potential use of MGF to improve regenerative capability of skeletal muscle as well as to prevent neuronal damage has been widely discussed. Human MGF was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but the yield of the recombinant protein was low due to its rapid degradation. The proteinase B was identified as the enzyme responsible for MGF processing. A yeast strain with Δprb1 deletion was created resulting in a fivefold increase of MGF yield that reached 50 mg/l. The biological activity of recombinant MGF was verified in a proliferation assay employing human postnatal myoblasts.