bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feasibility and efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma after sorafenib
Authors: Terashima Takeshi , Yamashita Tatsuya , Arai Kuniaki , Sunagozaka Hajime , Kitahara Masaaki , Nakagawa Hidetoshi , Kagaya Takashi , Mizukoshi Eishiro , Honda Masao , Kaneko Shuichi
Published: October 2013

Aim

Sorafenib is the standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, although there is no proven therapeutic procedure following the termination of sorafenib, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) may be a treatment option in advanced HCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility and efficacy of HAIC for patients with advanced HCC as subsequent therapy.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 27 consecutive patients with advanced HCC who were treated with HAIC following sorafenib between June 2009 and December 2012 at our hospital. Cisplatin (20 mg/m2 per day) was administered via the hepatic artery for 10 min, prior to the continuous administration of 5‐fluorouracil (330 mg/m2 per day) over 24 h from days 1–5 and 8–12 and the s.c. administration of pegylated interferon α‐2b (1 μg/kg) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22. A treatment cycle consisted of 28 days of drug administration followed by 14 days of rest.

Results

The toxicity profile showed that hematological toxicities were common, and grade 3/4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were observed (51.9% and 48.1%, respectively). Five patients (18.5%) experienced device‐related complications. No unexpected adverse reactions and no treatment‐related deaths were observed. Partial response was obtained in eight patients (29.6%), and stable disease was noted in nine patients (33.3%). Median progression‐free survival and median survival time from initiation of HAIC were 4.0 and 7.6 months, respectively.

Conclusions

Because HAIC was well tolerated and exhibited moderate antitumor activity, it is a potentially useful treatment procedure in patients with advanced HCC even after failure of sorafenib.
Psycho‐sociological Investigation of Criminal Behaviour within a Prison Sample Using Retrospective Data
Authors: Boduszek Daniel , Adamson Gary , Shevlin Mark , Hyland Philip , Dhingra Katie
Published: October 2013

Previous research indicated a significant role of family variables (parental supervision and attachment) in the study of criminality. Social learning of criminal behaviour suggested that the intensity of criminal acts during adolescence is predicted by exposure to criminal peer groups. Based on a sample of recidivists (n = 312) incarcerated in a high‐security prison, this article investigates the direct and indirect effects of parental attachment, parental supervision, and peer relations on associations with criminal friends and subsequent criminal behaviour. Two alternative models of criminal behaviour were specified and estimated in Mplus 6 with restricted maximum likelihood estimation, using structural equation modelling. Results suggest that parental attachment has a significant, positive direct effect on parental supervision and relationships with peers, and an indirect effect on associations with criminal friends via parental supervision. Results also indicate a direct negative effect of parental supervision on criminal associations and a strong, positive effect of criminal associations with criminal friends on criminal behaviour. The only indirect predictor of criminal behaviour was parental supervision via associations with criminal friends. Further implications in relation to theory and previous studies are discussed.
Diagnostic stifle joint arthroscopy using a needle arthroscope in standing horses
Authors: Frisbie David D. , Barrett Myra F. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Ullmer Jeff
Published: October 2013

Objective

To assess use of an 18 g arthroscope for diagnostic stifle joint examination in the standing horse.

Study Design

Phase 1 used cadaver limbs and simultaneous ultrasonographic assessment. Phase 2 used 6 normal horses where stifles were assessed in both a standing and flexed position. Phase 3 used horses with suspected stifle injury or disease.

Animals

Normal horses (n = 6) to assess ability to perform diagnostic procedure (phase 2) and 3 clinical cases (phase 3).

Methods

Five cadaver limbs were used in phase 1 to assess all stifle joints. Phase 2 used standing sedated and locally anesthetized horses. Routine arthroscopic approaches were used in both weight bearing and flexed nonweight bearing positions. In both phase 1 and 2 simultaneous ultrasonographic and arthroscopic examinations were used to confirm extent of diagnostic examination. The methods developed in phase 2 were used to examine the stifle in 3 horses with suspected stifle disease.

Results

In cadaveric limbs and horses, all intra articular structures that constitute a complete arthroscopic examination were identified; no intra ‐or postoperative morbidity occurred. In phase 3, the needle arthroscope was used in accurate identification of pathologic change and in 1 horse, an osteochondral fragment not detected by ultrasonography and radiography was identified.

Conclusions

This preliminary work indicates that an 18 g arthroscope can be used for diagnostic examination of the equine stifle in standing horses.
Some Surprising Implications of Negative Retributivism
Authors: Lippke Richard L.
Published: October 2013

Negative retributivism is the view that though the primary justifying aim of legal punishment is the reduction of crime, the state's efforts to do so are subject to side‐constraints that forbid punishment of the innocent and disproportionate punishment of the guilty. I contend that insufficient attention has been paid to what the side‐constraints commit us to in constructing a theory of legal punishment, even one primarily oriented toward reducing crime. Specifically, I argue that the side‐constraints limit the kinds of actions that are appropriately criminalised, the kinds of beings who are appropriately liable to legal punishment, and the absolute and comparative severity of sanctions. I also argue that a third retributive constraint is needed, one which I term a ‘non‐degradation constraint’. According to this third constraint, in our efforts to reduce crime, we must avoid treating offenders as non‐moral beings and ensure that punishment does not atrophy or erode the complex capacity for moral responsibility. When this third constraint is combined with the persuasive instrumental case for promoting the moral responsiveness of offenders, the result is an approach to crime reduction that is quite different from ones which emphasise general deterrence and incapacitation. In the closing section, I broach the question whether negative retributivism has been appropriately characterised in the literature on legal punishment.
Bisphosphonates induce the osteogenic gene expression in co‐cultured human endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Ribeiro Viviana , Garcia Mónica , Oliveira Raquel , Gomes Pedro S. , Colaço Bruno , Fernandes Maria Helena
Published: October 2013

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are known to affect bone homeostasis and also to have anti‐angiogenic properties. Because of the intimate relationship between angiogenesis and osteogenesis, this study analysed the effects of Alendronate (AL) and Zoledronate (ZL) in the expression of endothelial and osteogenic genes on interacting endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells, an issue that was not previously addressed. Alendronate and ZL, 10−12–10−6 M, were evaluated in a direct co‐culture system of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) and human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (HMSC), over a period of 14 days. Experiments with the respective monocultures were run in parallel. Alendronate and ZL caused an initial dose‐dependent stimulation in the cell proliferation in the monocultures and co‐cultures, and did not interfere with their cellular organization. In HDMEC monocultures, the expression of the endothelial genes CD31, VE‐cadherin and VEGFR2 was down‐regulated by AL and ZL. In HMSC monocultures, the BPs inhibited VEGF expression, but up‐regulated the expression of the osteogenic genes alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone morphogenic protein‐2 (BMP‐2) and osteocalcin (OC) and, to a greater extent, osteoprotegerin (OPG), a negative regulator of the osteoclastic differentiation, and increased ALP activity. In co‐cultured HDMEC/HMSC, AL and ZL decreased the expression of endothelial genes but elicited an earlier and sustained overexpression of ALP, BMP‐2, OC and OPG, compared with the monocultured cells; they also induced ALP activity. This study showed for the first time that AL and ZL greatly induced the osteogenic gene expression on interacting endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells.
Melanocytic nevi with special features: clinical‐dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopic‐findings
Authors: Larre Borges A. , Zalaudek I. , Longo C. , Dufrechou L. , Argenziano G. , Lallas A. , Piana S. , Moscarella E.
Published: October 2013

Histopathology is considered the ‘gold’ standard for the diagnosis and classification of melanocytic nevi, but the widespread use of in vivo diagnostic technologies such as dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), has enriched profoundly the knowledge regarding the morphological variability in nevi. This is because most morphological observations made via these in vivo tools are closely correlated with features seen in histopathology. Dermoscopy has allowed for a more detailed classification of nevi. As such, dermoscopy identifies four main morphologic groups (i.e. globular, reticular, starburst and structureless blue nevi), one group of nevi located at special body sites (i.e. face, acral, nail) and one group of nevi with special features. This latter category consists of nevi of the former categories, which are typified by peculiar clinical‐histopathological findings. They can be subdivided into ‘melanoma simulators’ including combined nevi, recurrent nevi and sclerosing nevus with pseudomelanomatous features, ‘targetoid’ nevi (i.e. halo, cockade, irritated targetoid haemosiderotic and eczematous nevus) and uncommon histopathological variants such as desmoplastic, white dysplastic or ballon cell nevus. While the dermoscopic and RCM patterns of the former categories have been studied in detail, little is currently known about the clinical morphology of the heterogeneous group of ‘special’ nevi. In this article, we describe the clinical, dermoscopic and RCM features of ‘special’ nevi and review the current literature on this group of melanocytic proliferations.
Turtle origins: insights from phylogenetic retrofitting and molecular scaffolds
Authors: Lee M. S. Y.
Published: October 2013

Adding new taxa to morphological phylogenetic analyses without substantially revising the set of included characters is a common practice, with drawbacks (undersampling of relevant characters) and potential benefits (character selection is not biased by preconceptions over the affinities of the ‘retrofitted’ taxon). Retrofitting turtles (Testudines) and other taxa to recent reptile phylogenies consistently places turtles with anapsid‐grade parareptiles (especially Eunotosaurus and/or pareiasauromorphs), under both Bayesian and parsimony analyses. This morphological evidence for turtle–parareptile affinities appears to contradict the robust genomic evidence that extant (living) turtles are nested within diapsids as sister to extant archosaurs (birds and crocodilians). However, the morphological data are almost equally consistent with a turtle–archosaur clade: enforcing this molecular scaffold onto the morphological data does not greatly increase tree length (parsimony) or reduce likelihood (Bayesian inference). Moreover, under certain analytic conditions, Eunotosaurus groups with turtles and thus also falls within the turtle–archosaur clade. This result raises the possibility that turtles could simultaneously be most closely related to a taxon traditionally considered a parareptile (Eunotosaurus) and still have archosaurs as their closest extant sister group.
Effect of Relative Humidity and Storage Temperature on the Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes on Fresh Vegetables
Authors: Likotrafiti Eleni , Smirniotis Petros , Nastou Aikaterini , Rhoades Jonathan
Published: October 2013

The survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh lettuce (Lactuca sativa), cucumber (Cucumis sativus) epidermis and parsley (Petroselinum sativum) under different relative humidity (RH) conditions and storage temperatures was studied. Inoculated vegetable pieces were stored at 10C for 7 days, 20C for 5 days, and 30C for 24 h, and at 53 and 90% RH. L. monocytogenes was enumerated periodically by plate count. L. monocytogenes did not grow on lettuce or parsley, but either declined in number or remained approximately constant. At cooler temperatures, a negative effect of low humidity on survival was observed. L. monocytogenes grew on cucumber epidermis at all three temperatures, increasing from around 4.0 to around 5.5 log cfu/cm2 when stored at 90% RH. Low RH negatively affected growth, limiting the increase to around 0.5 log cfu/cm2 in most cases.

Practical Applications

Fresh vegetables are increasingly important vehicles of foodborne pathogens. The majority of published studies on growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes on vegetables have been conducted on lettuce leaves and few data are available on the influence of relative humidity (RH). Growth of L. monocytogenes may increase the risk to the consumer of some types of fresh vegetables. Maintaining lower RH during storage can decrease this risk, but may conflict with other product quality requirements. L. monocytogenes does not grow on undamaged leaf surfaces under the conditions tested: when reviewing the literature it is important to differentiate between whole and shredded/cut leaves.
The disutility of tooth loss: A comparison of patient and professional values
Authors: Kay Elizabeth Jane , Nassani Mohammad Zakaria , Aswad Marwan , Abdelkader Rasheed Saleh , Tarakji Bassel
Published: October 2013

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to study how tooth loss affects the utility of the dentition from both patient and professional perspectives and to compare patient and professional utility values.

Methods

One hundred six patients and 118 dentists were asked to read 19 different written scenarios accompanied by visual images and models, describing mouths with missing teeth, and to indicate on a visual analog scale the value of that oral health state.

Results

Both groups of participants attached the greatest utility to missing incisor teeth and disutility of tooth loss decreased as the tooth in question became nearer the back of the mouth. When dentist and patient utility values for the loss of different tooth types were compared, using independent t‐tests, differences were statistically significant for only one tooth loss scenario – the loss of upper canines.

Conclusions

The patient and professional groups valued tooth loss scenarios in a similar way. This finding is contrary to the majority of previous studies comparing patient and professional utilities.
Debate: Seven Ways to be A Realist About Language
Authors: Elder‐Vass Dave
Published: October 2013

There are many differing ways to be a realist about language. This paper seeks to classify some of these and to examine the implications of each for the study of language. The principle of classification it adopts is that we may distinguish between realisms on the basis of what exactly it is that they take to be real. Examining in turn realisms that ascribe reality to the external world in general, to causal mechanisms, to innate capacities, to linguistic signs, to social structures, to language systems, and to linguistic groups, the paper summarises the case for a particular critical realist ontology of language. In the process, it engages briefly with the work of Saussure, Chomsky, Halliday, and more recent explicitly realist thinkers such as Bhaskar, Pateman, Archer, Sealey and Carter. One implication is that language itself is not a phenomenon that separates us from a causally structured world, but rather a part of that world, a part with an identifiable causal structure of its own that is similar to that of other normative phenomena.
Relationship between polymorphisms near the IL28B gene and spontaneous HBsAg seroclearance: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Lee D. H. , Lee J.‐H. , Kim Y. J. , Park N. H. , Cho Y. , Lee Y. B. , Yoo J.‐J. , Lee M. , Cho Y. Y. , Choi W.‐M. , Yu S. J. , Yoon J.‐H. , Kim C. Y. , Lee H.‐S.
Published: October 2013

summary

Polymorphisms near the interleukin (IL) 28B gene have been proposed to be associated with spontaneous clearance of the hepatitis C virus. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between IL28B polymorphisms and the rate of spontaneous hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance by means of meta‐analysis. MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE were utilized to identify relevant studies. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were analysed together to assess the strength of the association. Subgroup analyses were mainly performed according to ethnicity. A total of 4028 cases with persistent chronic hepatitis B and 2327 spontaneously recovered controls were included from 11 studies. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs12979860, had no significant association with HBsAg seroclearance (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.84–1.14 in the dominant model; OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.68–1.46 in the recessive model; and OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.82–1.09 in the allelic model). The SNP, rs12980275, had no significant association either (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.84–1.26 in the dominant model; OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.46–2.96 in the recessive model; and OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.86–1.26 in the allelic model), nor did the SNP, rs8099917 (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.77–1.15 in the dominant model; OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.34–1.62 in the recessive model; and OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.77–1.13 in the allelic model). Similarly, the results of subgroup analyses by ethnicity also showed no association in either the Asian group or non‐Asian group. We concluded that there was no significant association between common IL28B polymorphisms and the rate of spontaneous HBsAg seroclearance.
Dual roles of F123 in protein homodimerization and inhibitor binding to biotin protein ligase from Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Soares da Costa Tatiana P. , Yap Min Y. , Perugini Matthew A. , Wallace John C. , Abell Andrew D. , Wilce Matthew C. J. , Polyak Steven W. , Booker Grant W.
Published: October 2013

Protein biotinylation is catalysed by biotin protein ligase (BPL). The most characterized BPL is from Escherichia coli where it functions as both a biotin ligase and a homodimeric transcriptional repressor. Here we investigated another bifunctional BPL from the clinically important Staphylococcus aureus (SaBPL). Unliganded SaBPL (apo) exists in a dimer‐monomer equilibrium at low micromolar concentrations – a stark contrast to E. coli BPL (EcBPL) that is monomeric under the same conditions. EMSA and SAXS analysis demonstrated that dimeric apo SaBPL adopted a conformation that was competent to bind DNA and necessary for it to function as a transcription factor. The SaBPL dimer‐monomer dissociation constant was 5.8‐fold tighter when binding the inhibitor biotin acetylene, but unchanged with biotin. F123, located in the dimer interface, was critical for homodimerization. Inhibition studies together with surface plasmon resonance analyses revealed a strong correlation between inhibitor potency and slow dissociation kinetics. A 24‐fold difference in Ki values for these two enzymes was explained by differences in enzyme:inhibitor dissociation rates. Substitution of F123 in SaBPL and its equivalent in EcBPL altered both inhibitor potency and dissociation. Hence, F123 in SaBPL has novel roles in both protein dimerization and ligand‐binding that have not been reported in EcBPL.
Three dialogues concerning robots in elder care
Authors: Metzler Theodore A. , Barnes Susan J.
Published: October 2013

The three dialogues in this contribution concern 21st century application of life‐like robots in the care of older adults. They depict conversations set in the near future, involving a philosopher (Dr Phonius) and a nurse (Dr Myloss) who manages care at a large facility for assisted living. In their first dialogue, the speakers discover that their quite different attitudes towards human‐robot interaction parallel fundamental differences separating their respective concepts of consciousness. The second dialogue similarly uncovers deeply contrasting notions of personhood that appear to be associated with respective communities of nursing and robotics. The additional key awareness that arises in their final dialogue links applications of life‐like robots in the care of older adults with potential transformations in our understandings of ourselves – indeed, in our understandings of the nature of our own humanity. This series of dialogues, therefore, appears to address a topic in nursing philosophy that merits our careful attention.
Transposon variation by order during allopolyploidisation between Brassica oleracea and Brassica rapa
Authors: An Z. , Tang Z. , Ma B. , Mason A. S. , Guo Y. , Yin J. , Gao C. , Wei L. , Li J. , Fu D.
Published: October 2013

Although many studies have shown that transposable element (TE) activation is induced by hybridisation and polyploidisation in plants, much less is known on how different types of TE respond to hybridisation, and the impact of TE‐associated sequences on gene function. We investigated the frequency and regularity of putative transposon activation for different types of TE, and determined the impact of TE‐associated sequence variation on the genome during allopolyploidisation. We designed different types of TE primers and adopted the Inter‐Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) method to detect variation in TE‐associated sequences during the process of allopolyploidisation between Brassica rapa (AA) and Brassica oleracea (CC), and in successive generations of self‐pollinated progeny. In addition, fragments with TE insertions were used to perform Blast2GO analysis to characterise the putative functions of the fragments with TE insertions. Ninety‐two primers amplifying 548 loci were used to detect variation in sequences associated with four different orders of TE sequences. TEs could be classed in ascending frequency into LTR‐REs, TIRs, LINEs, SINEs and unknown TEs. The frequency of novel variation (putative activation) detected for the four orders of TEs was highest from the F1 to F2 generations, and lowest from the F2 to F3 generations. Functional annotation of sequences with TE insertions showed that genes with TE insertions were mainly involved in metabolic processes and binding, and preferentially functioned in organelles. TE variation in our study severely disturbed the genetic compositions of the different generations, resulting in inconsistencies in genetic clustering. Different types of TE showed different patterns of variation during the process of allopolyploidisation.
A New Regression Model: Modal Linear Regression
Authors: Yao Weixin , Li Longhai
Published: October 2013

The mode of a distribution provides an important summary of data and is often estimated on the basis of some non‐parametric kernel density estimator. This article develops a new data analysis tool called modal linear regression in order to explore high‐dimensional data. Modal linear regression models the conditional mode of a response Y given a set of predictors x as a linear function of x. Modal linear regression differs from standard linear regression in that standard linear regression models the conditional mean (as opposed to mode) of Y as a linear function of x. We propose an expectation–maximization algorithm in order to estimate the regression coefficients of modal linear regression. We also provide asymptotic properties for the proposed estimator without the symmetric assumption of the error density. Our empirical studies with simulated data and real data demonstrate that the proposed modal regression gives shorter predictive intervals than mean linear regression, median linear regression and MM‐estimators.
Using the prototype willingness model to predict doping in sport
Authors: Whitaker L. , Long J. , Petróczi A. , Backhouse S. H.
Published: October 2013

To enable preventive measures to be designed, it is important to identify modifiable distal and proximal factors underlying doping behavior. This study investigated aspects of the prototype willingness model in relation to doping. A cross‐sectional study was conducted involving 729 competitive athletes. Following ethical approval, athletes (mean age = 28.8 ± 10.1 years; 63% male) completed an online questionnaire, which assessed doping‐related attitudes, norms, prototype perceptions, outcome expectancies, and behavioral willingness. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, 54.4% of the total variance in willingness to dope was explained. Specifically, past doping, attitudes, and favorability of performance enhancing substance user prototypes were the strongest unique predictors of willingness to dope. Athletes appeared most willing to dope if they were to suffer an injury, a dip in performance, or think others are doping and getting away with it. National‐level athletes displayed significantly greater willingness to dope (Kruskal‐Wallis γ2 = 35.9, P < 0.001) and perceived themselves as significantly more similar to a doper (Kruskal‐Wallis γ2 = 13.4, P = 0.004) than athletes competing at any other level. The findings highlight the importance of extending anti‐doping provision beyond elite‐level sport and the need to target athletes' doping‐related perceptions.
Normative geographies and the 1940 Land Transfer Regulations in Palestine
Authors: Orzeck Reecia
Published: October 2013

In recent years, there have been several calls for geographers to engage more closely with the normative in their work. This paper supplements those calls by suggesting that geographers turn their attention to popular understandings of and discourses about justice. In the first part of the paper, I make a case for such scholarship and argue that it should be undergirded by two premises. The first premise is that understandings of justice depend not only on abstract ideas about the just, but on the geographical and historical frames – geographical imaginaries – through which we understand the world; the second is that understandings of justice (including both abstract ideas and geographical imaginaries) are deeply historical and social. In the second part of this paper, I demonstrate the centrality of historical and social geographical imaginaries to assessments of justice by examining the discourse surrounding the controversial 1940 Land Transfer Regulations in Palestine. Put in place at the behest of British Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald, the Regulations restricted the areas in which Jews could buy land in Palestine. While Jews in Palestine condemned the Regulations as racially discriminatory, MacDonald defended them as necessary if the British were to fulfil the British Mandate Government's obligations to the Palestinians as well as to the Jews. A close look at the positions of each side reveals that their differences lay not in their abstract principles of justice but in the geographical imaginaries through which they viewed Palestine and the Palestinians.
Evaluation of potential topical and systemic neuroprotective agents for ocular hypertension‐induced retinal ischemia‐reperfusion injury
Authors: Chen Yi‐Ing , Lee Yih‐Jing , Wilkie David A. , Lin Chung‐Tien
Published: October 2013

Objective

To evaluate for drugs with superior neuroprotective efficacy and investigate their underlying mechanisms related to antioxidation.

Procedures

Brinzolamide (1%), timolol (0.5%), minocycline (22 mg/kg), lidocaine (1.5 mg/kg), and methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) were administered to Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats. The retina was evaluated by electroretinography and histological analysis. The antioxidative capacity of drugs was evaluated to clarify the underlying mechanism. The oxidant/antioxidant profiles of plasma, red blood cells, and retina were analyzed by lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) and by measuring the activities of antioxidants. Proteomic analysis was used to investigate the possible protective mechanisms of the drug against ischemia‐reperfusion injury.

Results

The results suggested that timolol, methylprednisolone, and minocycline protected retinal function. Methylprednisolone and minocycline possessed good antioxidative activity. Brinzolamide and lidocaine preserved the structural integrity of the retina, but not retinal function.

Conclusion

Methylprednisolone, minocycline, and timolol have potential acute or delayed benefit in retinal ischemia‐reperfusion injury. Their neuroprotective actions depend at least partially on the ability to alleviate oxidative stress.
Influence of the nitrogen form on in vitro organogenesis in Equisetum arvense
Authors: Nakatani Keiko , Fujii Yoshiharu
Published: October 2013

The physiological and biochemical mechanisms of organogenesis in Equisetum arvense have not been clarified yet. However, high concentrations of nitrogen have been shown to exert an inhibitory effect on in vitro tuber formation in E. arvense. The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of the form of nitrogen in a medium on in vitro organogenesis in E. arvense. Single‐node segments of E. arvense rhizomes were cultured in the test medium. The NH4‐N and NO3‐N concentrations of the test medium, respectively, were adjusted by adding NH4H2PO4 and KNO3 to the basal medium. The basal medium was a nitrogen‐free, modified form of White's medium. Vegetative shoots were newly formed in the test tubes for concentrations of NO3‐N and NH4‐N that exceeded 56 mg L−1. However, no rhizome was formed at NH4‐N concentrations exceeding 28 mg L−1. The number of newly formed tubers decreased at an NH4‐N concentration of 28 mg L−1 and no tuber was formed at NH4‐N concentrations exceeding 56 mg L−1. In summary, although the presence of NO3‐N in the medium did not inhibit in vitro rhizome or tuber formation in E. arvense, the presence of NH4‐N in the medium exerted a strong inhibitory effect on the in vitro formation of both of these organs.
Seed dormancy, germination, emergence and seed longevity in Galinsoga parviflora and G. quadriradiata
Authors: De Cauwer B , Devos R , Claerhout S , Bulcke R , Reheul D
Published: October 2013

Galinsoga quadriradiata (hairy galinsoga) and Galinsoga parviflora (smallflower galinsoga, gallant soldier) are very troublesome weeds in many vegetable row crops in Europe. To optimise management strategies for Galinsoga spp. control, an in‐depth study of germination biology was performed. Germination experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of light and alternating temperatures on germination of a large set of Galinsoga populations. Seedling emergence was investigated by burying seeds at different depths in a sandy and sandy loam soil. Dormancy of fresh seeds harvested in autumn was evaluated by studying germination response in light at 25/20°C with and without nitrate addition. Seed longevity was investigated in an accelerated ageing experiment by exposing seeds to 45°C and 100% relative humidity. Galinsoga spp. seeds required light for germination; light dependency varied among populations. Seedling emergence decreased drastically with increasing burial depth. Maximum depth of emergence varied between 4 and 10 mm depending on soil type and population. In a sandy soil, emergence percentages were higher and seedlings were able to emerge from greater depths than in a sandy loam soil. Freshly produced G. parviflora seeds, harvested in autumn, showed a varying but high degree of primary dormancy and were less persistent than G. quadriradiata seeds that lack primary dormancy. Lack of primary dormancy of freshly harvested G. quadriradiata seeds and light dependency for germination may be used to optimise and develop Galinsoga management strategies.
Accelerometer-Based Combustion Metrics Reconstruction With Radial Basis Function Neural Network for a 9 L Diesel Engine
Authors: Jia Libin , Naber Jeffrey , Blough Jason , Alireza Zekavat Seyed
Published: October 2013

Accelerometer-based combustion sensing in diesel engines has the potential of providing feedback for combustion control to reduce fuel consumption and engine emissions at a lower cost than in-cylinder pressure sensors. In this work, triaxial block-mounted accelerometers were used to measure the engine vibration, and pressure transducers were installed to measure the in-cylinder pressure. The in-cylinder pressure can be further utilized to compute combustion metrics, including the apparent heat release rate (AHR). Engine tests were conducted for various speeds, torques, and start of injections, on a 9 L in-line six-cylinder diesel engine equipped with a common rail high pressure injection system. The relationship between engine block acceleration and AHR was modeled using a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). By inputting the accelerometer signal to the fixed network, AHR and other combustion metrics were estimated. As the primary concern for radial basis network training is the hidden layer weight vector selection, two algorithms for weight vector selection (modified Gram–Schmidt orthogonalization and principal component analysis) were evaluated by examining the robustness of the resulting network. One-third of the conducted tests were utilized to train the network. The network was then applied to estimate the AHR for the remaining validation tests which were not used to train the network. Comparisons were made based on the combustion metrics estimation results and the selection efficiency among the two weight vector selection methods and the random selection method. Moreover, the capability concerning the network's tolerance for additive noise was also investigated. Results confirmed that the modified Gram–Schmidt method achieved much more accurately estimated combustion metrics with the highest efficiency. On the basis of this study, a real-time closed-loop control strategy was proposed with the feedback provided based on the application of the trained RBFNN.
Great ears: Functional comparisons of land and marine leviathan ears
Authors: Ketten D. R. , Arruda J. , Cramer S. , Yamato M. , O’Malley J. , Manoussaki D. , Dimitriadis E. K. , Shoshani J. , Meng J.
Published: October 2013

Elephants and baleen whales are massive creatures that respond to exceptionally low frequency signals. Although we have many elephant and whale vocalization recordings, little is known about their hearing. Playback experiments suggest hearing in both proboscideans and mysticetes is tuned similarly to low or even infrasonic signals. This raises several interesting issues. First, they emit and perceive signals in two media, air and water, with radically different physical acoustic properties: 4.5-fold differences in sound speed, three-fold magnitude difference in acoustic impedance, and, for common percepts, whales must accommodate 60-fold acoustic pressures. Also, a commonly held tenet is that upper hearing limit is inversely correlated with body mass, implying there should be virtually no whale-elephant hearing overlap given body mass differences. This study analyzed how inner ears in these groups are structured and specialized for low-frequency hearing. Computerized tomography and celloidin histology sections were analyzed in six baleen whale (n=15) and two elephant species (n=7). The data show mysticetes have a substantially greater hearing range than elephants but that coiling and apical cochlear structures are similar, suggesting common mechanical underpinnings for LF hearing, including cochlear radii consistent with the Whispering Gallery propagation effect. [Work supported by ONR, NIH, WHOI OLI, Seaver Foundation.]
Ambient noise and gray whale Eschrichtius robustus behavior
Authors: Ollervides Francisco , Kuester Kristin , Plekon Hannah , Rohrkasse Sarah , Kuester Kristin , Plekon Hannah , Rohrkasse Sarah
Published: October 2013

Between 14 February and 13, April 2006, we conducted 31 recording sessions of ambient noise and behavioral sampling of gray whales within Magdalena Bay, Mexico. This breeding lagoon does not have the same Marine Protected Area status compared to the other breeding lagoons of San Ignacio and Guerrero Negro in the Mexican Pacific coast. Poorly monitored guidelines and increasing boat traffic from whale−watching tourism in this area have the potential to affect the surface behavior of these animals and increase average ambient noise levels. Relative ambient noise levelswererecordedandcomparedtoapreviousstudy[Ollervides,2001]todetermine similarities or differences in the 5−year interval between both data sets. Although results are not comparable in decibel levels, probably due to equipment calibration problems, there was a significant difference between the different regions of the bay Kruskal−Wallis (p=0.0067). Activity levels ranged from 0.005–0.196 behaviors/whale/minute. Ambient noise levels ranged from 35.70–64.32 dB Re: 1 Pa. No correlation was found between the ambient noise levels in the bay and the activity level of gray whales (correlation value=0.0126; log correlation value=0.172). Further acoustic processing is currently underway.
Automated localization of antbirds and their interactions in a Mexican rainforest
Authors: Kirschel Alexander N. G. , Collier Travis C. , Yao Kung , Taylor Charles E.
Published: October 2013

Tropical rainforests contain diverse avian communities incorporating species that compete vocally to propagate their signals to intended receivers. In order to effectively communicate with birds of the same species, birds need to organize their song performance temporally and spatially. An automated identification and localization system can provide information on the spatial and temporal arrangement of songs. Acoustic sensor arrays were tested for the ability to localize the source of songs of antbirds recorded in a Mexican rainforest. Pilot studies with a five-node array arranged in a rough circle with a 20-m diameter located the song of Dusky Antbird (Cercomacra tyrannina) with an error of 73 cm and Mexican Antthrush (Formicarius moniliger) with an error of 65 cm from the location of a source loudspeaker within the array. An additional source 21 m outside was also localized. Results will be presented for experiments and recordings of individuals at the Mexican rainforest site in October 2006. Locations of birds of the same and different species during vocal performance will provide a greater understanding of how individuals interact spatially with each other based on their vocal performance, from which the role of song in ecological interactions can be inferred.
Real-time tissue elasticity system—Development and clinical application
Authors: Matsumura Takeshi , Mitake Tsuyoshi , Tsuyishi Tsuyishi , Yamakawa Makoto , Ueno Ei , Fukunari Nobuhiro , Tanaka Kumi
Published: October 2013

The progress of recent semiconductor technology has a remarkable thing. Thanks to progress of this semiconductor technology, the ultrasound scanner in medicine could come to hold enormousness computing power and has come to realize various complicated processing. At the same time, hardness of human tissue which, as you know, is used by palpation is already the information that is important in a diagnosis. But, we think that it does not have enough objectivity. To increase objectivity by visualizing hardness of tissue, we adopted ECAM (extended combined autocorrelation method), which was developed by Professor Shiina at Tsukuba University in Japan, and succeeded in developing the commercial ultrasound scanner, which could display a strain image in real time. From a clinical point of view, in the breast region, mammography examination is effective in a diagnosis, but a judgment of permeation degree is not superior in ultrasound image. And in a thyroid gland region, we begin to get experience with availability from a diagnosis of papillary cancer and follicular cancer. So, we would like to have the presentation about the development of a strain imaging function and some of our clinical experiences by using the developed system.
Elasticity of perfused tissue
Authors: Beach Kirk W. , Dunmire Barbrina , Kucewicz John C.
Published: October 2013

Elastic imaging intends to measure Young’s modulus (tissue stiffness) or bulk modulus (tissue compressibility) of tissue subjected to an applied strain of several percent. Underlying elastic imaging is the assumption of a linear stress/strain relationship without hysteresis or other time-dependent behavior. Perfused tissue is a composite material comprised of a solid matrix of cells, fibers, interstitial fluid (occupying up to 50% of the tissue volume and varying slowly with time), arterioles (pulsating high-pressure spaces that occupy 0.1% of the tissue volume), capillaries, and venules (low-pressure spaces that occupy up to 3% of the tissue volume varying with respiration). This talk will speculate on the nonlinear, nonstationary stress/strain relationships expected from dependent tissues (legs), pressurized tissues (breast tumors), and other living, perfused tissues. The pressure versus strain curve from each tissue voxel allows the measurement of arteriolar and venular volumes and pressures, and interstitial pressure within the tissues. These volumes and pressures may be key to classifying pathologies.
Simulation of elastic wave scattering in living tissue at the cellular level
Authors: Doyle Timothy E. , Warnick Keith H.
Published: October 2013

Elastic wave scattering in biological tissue has been simulated at the cellular level by incorporating a first-order approximation of the cell structure and multiple scattering between cells. The cells were modeled with a concentric spherical shell-core structure embedded in a medium, with the core, shell, and medium representing the cell nucleus, the cell cytoplasm, and the extracellular matrix, respectively. Using vector multipole expansions and boundary conditions, scattering solutions were derived for a single cell with either solid or fluid properties for each of the cell components. Multiple scattering between cells was simulated using addition theorems to translate the multipole fields from cell to cell and using an iterative process to refine the scattering solutions. Backscattering simulations of single cells demonstrated that changes in the nuclear diameter had the greatest effect on the frequency spectra as compared to changes in cell size, density, and shear modulus. Wave field images and spectra from clusters of up to several hundred cells were also simulated, and they exhibited phenomena such as wave field enhancement at the cell membrane and nuclear envelope due to the scattering processes. Relevant applications for these models include ultrasonic tissue characterization and ultrasound-mediated gene transfection and drug delivery.
Pattern formation in thermoacoustic resonators
Authors: de Valcarcel German J. , Sanchez-Morcillo Victor J. , Perez-Arjona Isabel
Published: October 2013

The phenomenon of pattern formation is ubiquitous in the dynamics of extended nonlinear systems. Patterns arise from the interplay of external forcing, dissipation, nonlinearity, and spatial coupling. These factors are also present in many acoustic systems. However, under usual conditions where the elastic nonlinearity dominates, the development of shock fronts in nonlinear regime strongly limits the possibility of a simple analysis. Viscous media, where thermal nonlinearity dominates over the elastic one and wave distortion is inhibited at short distances, are good candidates for acoustic systems presenting patterns with similar characteristics as those found in other fields, such as hydrodynamics or optics. A model describing the evolution of pressure and temperature variations in a resonator with plane walls containing a viscous medium is presented. The large aspect ratio of the resonator allows the transverse spatial coupling, mediated by sound diffraction and temperature diffusion. The homogeneous solutions show bistability at some values of the parameters, in agreement with experimental results reported in the bibliography. We show by means of linear stability analysis that the homogeneous solutions develop spatial instabilities leading to the spontaneous generation of spatial patterns. The analytical predictions are confirmed by a numerical analysis. [Support from Spanish MEC, Project FIS2005-07931-C03-02/03, is acknowledged.]
Study on a thermoacoustic cooling system to drive the fundamental resonance frequency by connecting a triggered tube
Authors: Yoshida Hideo , Sakamoto Shin-ichi , Watanabe Yoshiaki
Published: October 2013

A thermoacoustic cooling system to drive a looped-tube with the fundamental resonance frequency by connecting a triggered tube is proposed. The heat pump is located in the triggered-tube. The existence of dc flows, which is caused by harmonics in the looped tube, has been pointed out as negative effects. The presented thermoacoustic cooling system, however, connected the triggered-tube is expected to suppress the harmonics and to improve cooling effect, so that the length of the triggered tube is designed to have the fundamental resonance frequency. It is well known that the phase relation between sound pressure and particle velocity is important, and approximately in-phase relation is the best position for cooling effect. In the presented system, the sound energy is supplied from the looped tube. It is important to know the best connecting position where the phase relation is approximately in phase. The sound pressures were observed, then the phase relations were calculated by two-sensor power method. By using results, the best position of the triggered tube was decided. It is confirmed that the presented system can realize the suppression of harmonics and the decrease of outlet temperature. It is also confirmed that the decrease of temperature has the higher effects compared with the looped tube in the same environmental conditions.
Scale model experiments over curved rough surfaces
Authors: Chambers James , Whelan Andrew
Published: October 2013

Previous research has indicated that the propagation of sound over a curved surface can be drastically altered by the presence of continuous small scale roughness that is smaller than the acoustic wavelength. This effect can alter sound levels in the shadow zone from +6 to −20 dB relative to levels past a similar smooth surface depending on the frequency of interest. These findings were originally observed for a single radius of curvature and a limited range of roughness sizes. The work has been revisited for a larger range of radii of curvature and roughness sizes with comparable results. The results for this problem as well as the related one of propagation in an upwardly refracting medium will be discussed. [Work supported by the Army Research Laboratory.]
Complex drag coefficient and complex Nusselt number for oscillatory flow
Authors: Liu Jin , Garrett Steven L.
Published: October 2013

Characterizing and choosing the optimal porous material for efficient heat transfer while minimizing viscous loss is important for improving the efficiency of thermoacoustic machines. The pressure drop for oscillating flow through porous media has both a viscous (real) part and an inertial (imaginary) part, making the drag coefficient for oscillatory flow a complex number [J. Liu, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 115, 2380 (2004)]. Similarly, a phase difference exists between the oscillating pressure and the oscillating temperature. A complex Nusselt number is therefore required to characterize heat transfer for oscillating pressure. For the first time, the complex Nusselt number will be related to the thermoviscous f-function favored by thermoacousticians. This identification also allows the heat transfer coefficient for oscillating flow to be determined experimentally, at sufficiently low amplitudes, without requiring the measurement of temperatures or the use of heat exchangers. At low frequencies, the real part of the complex Nusselt number converges to the steady-state (dc) heat transfer coefficient. At high frequencies, it recovers the results published by other researchers interested in the behavior of heat exchangers used in oscillating flows. [Work supported by the ONR.]