bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization and Quantification of Anthocyanins in Grape Juices Obtained from the Grapes Cultivated in Korea by HPLC/DAD, HPLC/MS, and HPLC/MS/MS
Authors: Oh Y.S. , Lee J.H. , Yoon S.H. , Oh C.H. , Choi D.‐S. , Choe E. , Jung M.Y.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  The characterization and quantification of anthocyanins in grape cultivars of Oll‐Meoru (Vitis coignetiae×Vitis labrusca), Neut‐Meoru (Vitis coignetiae×Vitis labrusca), Muscal Bailey A. (Vitis labruscana), and Campbell Early (Vitis labrusca×V. vinifera) cultivated in Korea were carried out by partial purification through XAD‐7 column chromatography followed by C‐18 HPLC/diode array detector (DAD), HPLC/MS, and HPLC/MS/MS analyses. The column oven temperature during the reverse phase C‐18 HPLC greatly affected the separation of individual anthocyanins. The result showed that the optimum column oven temperature was 35 °C. Sixteen different anthocyanins (11 nonacylated and 5 acylated anthocyanins) were identified in the grape juices. Oll‐Meoru, Neut‐Meoru, and Muscat Bailey A (MBA) grape juices contained only nonacylated anthocyanins. Oll‐Meoru and Neut‐Meoru grape juices had same anthocyanins, but their proportions were considerably different. Peonidin 3,5‐diglucoside and malvidin 3,5‐diglucoside were the major anthocyanins in Oll‐Meoru grape juice. Delphinidin 3‐glucoside was, however, the major anthocyanin in Neut‐Meoru grape juice. Peonidin 3‐glucoside and malvidin 3‐glucoside were the most abundant anthocyanins in Muscal Bailey A grape juice. Campbell Early grape juice contained both nonacylated and acylated anthocyanins. Cyanidin 3‐(p‐coumaroyl)glucoside‐5‐glucoside and peonidin 3‐(p‐coumaroyl)glucoside‐5‐glucoside were the most abundant anthocyanins in Campbell Early grape juice. Total anthocyanin contents were greatly different in different grape jucies, with the highest in Neut‐Meoru juice (1043.5 μg/mL), followed by Oll‐Meoru (997.7 μg/mL), MBA (390.2 μg/mL), and Campbell Early (183.9 μg/mL) juices. The total anthocyanin content in Neut‐Meoru grape juice was 5.67 times higher than that in Campbell Early grape juice. This represents the 1st report on the systematic characterization and quantification of anthocyanins in the juices of these grapes cultivated in Korea.
Carbon Monoxide Treatments to Impart and Retain Muscle Color in Tilapia Fillets
Authors: Mantilla D. , Kristinsson H.G. , Balaban M.O. , Otwell W.S. , Chapman F.A. , Raghavan S.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  Carbon monoxide (CO) has been used for improving the color of muscle foods. In the current study, we compared the postmortem treatment of tilapia fillets with 100% CO and euthanasia of live tilapia with CO for their ability to stabilize the color of white and red muscle of tilapia fillets. Both postmortem CO treatment and CO euthanasia were effective in increasing the redness (a* value) and lightness (L* value) of tilapia white and red muscle. Fillets obtained from CO‐euthanized tilapia showed significantly higher a* and L* values during 1 mo of frozen storage at –20 °C and subsequent thawing and storage at 4 °C for 18 d. The amount of CO present in the red and white muscles decreased during the 18 d of storage at 4 °C. There was no significant difference in the pH, drip, or thaw loss of CO‐treated tilapia fillets compared to the untreated fillets.
Effect of Transglutaminase on Some Properties of Cake Enriched with Various Protein Sources
Authors: Alp H. , Bilgiçli N.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  The effect of transglutaminase (TG) enzyme addition (0% and 0.09%) on batter and cake properties, prepared with different protein sources (nonfat dry milk [NFDM], soy flour, and soymilk) and flour types (type A with 11.4% protein and type B with 8.6% protein), was investigated. Specific gravity and pH of cake batters were determined, and physical and chemical analysis of the cake samples was performed. Soy products improved cake weight, volume, softness, protein, and fat contents. NFDM increased the crust redness and crumb lightness more than the other protein sources. TG enzyme addition affected the volume, softness, crust, and crumb color of the cake samples significantly (P < 0.05). The combination of TG enzyme and flour B with lower protein gave more puffed, symmetrical, and softer cake samples. TG had a potential application with different protein sources in cake production. Especially interactions between TG with soy flour and TG and wheat flour with high protein content were important in cake formulations due to the softening effect on crumb.
In Vitro Activities of Tigecycline against Clinical Isolates of
Aeromonas
,
Vibrio
, and
Salmonella
Species in Taiwan
Authors: Liu Chia-Ying , Huang Yu-Tsung , Liao Chun-Hsing , Hsueh Po-Ren
Published: May 2008

All 198
Salmonella
isolates (58.6% of isolates were resistant to tetracycline), 92
Vibrio
isolates (4.4% of isolates were resistant to tetracycline), and 200 of 201
Aeromonas
isolates (39.3% of isolates were resistant to tetracycline; 1
A. caviae
isolate had a tigecycline MIC of 4 μg/ml) in our study were susceptible to tigecycline, by U. S. Food and Drug Administration criteria for
Enterobacteriaceae
.
Long-Term Suppression of Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Short Hairpin RNA Expression Using the Scaffold/Matrix Attachment Region-Based Replicating Vector System pEPI-1
Authors: Jenke Andreas C. W. , Wilhelm Andreas D. , Orth Valerie , Lipps Hans Joachim , Protzer Ulrike , Wirth Stefan
Published: May 2008

Since the emergence of viral resistance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) during treatment is becoming an important issue even with newer drugs, there is a need for alternative treatment options such as, for example, RNA interference (RNAi) technology. While short-term suppression of HBV replication is easily achieved with small interfering RNA oligonucleotides, this is not the case for long-term suppression due to the lack of an optimal vector system. Based on the nonviral scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR)-based vector system pEPI-1, which is free of common side effects and is stably retained as an episome even in the absence of selection, we designed a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector called pEPI-RNAi for HBV suppression. HBV-replicating HepG2.2.15 cells were transfected with pEPI-RNAi, and the intracellular status of the plasmid was followed by PCR and Southern analysis. HBV replication was measured on the DNA, RNA, and protein level. HBV RNA expression was reduced by almost 85% 3 months posttransfection with pEPI-RNAi. At 8 months posttransfection in the absence of antibiotic selection pressure, the suppression level was still 70% and the vector was retained as an episome. The reduction of total intracellular HBV DNA at this point was 77%, showing a marked suppression of HBV DNA replication. At a comparable level, secretion of viral antigens, as well as progeny HBV virions, was inhibited. The S/MAR-based vector system pEPI-1 allows long-term suppression of HBV replication by the expression of suitable shRNAs. Due to its unique properties compared to commonly used vectors, it provides an interesting option for the treatment of chronically HBV-infected individuals.
Accumulation of
99m
Tc-Ciprofloxacin in
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Sierra J. M. , Rodriguez-Puig D. , Soriano A. , Mensa J. , Piera C. , Vila J.
Published: May 2008

The use of radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis of infection is increasing due to their ability to distinguish between septic and aseptic inflammation. The aim of this study was to analyze the intracellular accumulation of technetium-99m-ciprofloxacin in strains of
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
harboring an overexpression of NorA and MexAB-OprM, respectively.
Addition of Rifampin to Standard Therapy for Treatment of Native Valve Infective Endocarditis Caused byStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Riedel David J. , Weekes Elizabeth , Forrest Graeme N.
Published: May 2008

Staphylococcus aureusis a common cause of native valve infective endocarditis (IE). Rifampin is often added to traditional therapy for the management of seriousS. aureusinfections. There are no large, prospective studies documenting the safety and efficacy of adjunctive therapy with rifampin for treatment of native valveS. aureusIE. We reviewed all cases of definite native valveS. aureusIE confirmed by modified Duke criteria in a large urban hospital between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005. A retrospective cohort analysis was used to assess the impact of the addition of rifampin to standard therapy. There were 42 cases ofS. aureusIE treated with the addition of rifampin and 42 controls. Cases received a median of 20 days of rifampin (range, 14 to 48 days). Rifampin-resistantS. aureusisolates developed in nine cases who received rifampin before clearance of bacteremia (56%), while significant hepatic transaminase elevations also occurred in nine cases, all of whom had hepatitis C infection. Unrecognized significant drug-drug interactions with rifampin occurred frequently (52%). Cases were more likely to have a longer duration of bacteremia (5.2 versus 2.1 days; P < 0.001) and were less likely to survive (79% versus 95%;P= 0.048) than controls. Our results suggest that the potential for hepatotoxicity, drug-drug interactions, and the emergence of resistantS. aureusisolates warrants a careful risk-benefit assessment before adding rifampin to standard antibiotic treatment of native valveS. aureusIE until further clinical studies are performed.
Resistance and Virulence of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Clinical Strains Overproducing the MexCD-OprJ Efflux Pump
Authors: Jeannot Katy , Elsen Sylvie , Köhler Thilo , Attree Ina , van Delden Christian , Plésiat Patrick
Published: May 2008

Since their initial description 2 decades ago, MexCD-OprJ-overproducing efflux mutants of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(also called
nfxB
mutants) have rarely been described in the clinical setting. Screening of 110 nonreplicate clinical isolates showing moderate resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC from 0.5 μg/ml to 4 μg/ml) yielded only four mutants (3.6%) of that type harboring various alterations in the repressor gene
nfxB
. MexCD-OprJ upregulation correlated with an increased resistance to ciprofloxacin, cefepime, and chloramphenicol in most of the clinical strains, concomitant with a higher susceptibility to ticarcillin, aztreonam, imipenem, and aminoglycosides. Evidence was obtained that this increased susceptibility to aminoglycosides results from the impaired activity of efflux pump MexXY-OprM. Furthermore, MexCD-OprJ upregulation was found to impair bacterial growth and to have a strain-specific, variable impact on rhamnolipid, elastase, phospholipase C, and pyocyanin production. Review of patient files indicated that the four
nfxB
mutants were responsible for confirmed cases of infection and emerged during long-term therapy with ciprofloxacin. Taken together, these data show that, while rather infrequent among
P. aeruginosa
strains with low-level resistance to ciprofloxacin, MexCD-OprJ-overproducing mutants may be isolated after single therapy with fluoroquinolones and may be pathogenic.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Integration: a Potential Target for Microbicides To Prevent Cell-Free or Cell-Associated HIV-1 Infection
Authors: Terrazas-Aranda Katty , Van Herrewege Yven , Hazuda Daria , Lewi Paul , Costi Roberta , Di Santo Roberto , Cara Andrea , Vanham Guido
Published: May 2008

Conceptually, blocking human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration is the last possibility for preventing irreversible cellular infection. Using cocultures of monocyte-derived dendritic cells and CD4
+
T cells, which represent primary targets in sexual transmission, we demonstrated that blocking integration with integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InSTIs), particularly L-870812, could consistently block cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 infection. In a pretreatment setting in which the compound was present before and during infection and was afterwards gradually diluted during the culture period, the naphthyridine carboxamide L-870812 blocked infection with the cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 Ba-L strain at concentrations of, respectively, 1,000 and 10,000 nM. The potency of L-870812 was similar to that of the nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor
R
-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl) adenine (PMPA) but one or two orders of magnitude lower than those of the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors UC781 and TMC120. In contrast, the diketo acid RDS derivative InSTIs showed clear-cut but weaker antiviral activity than L-870812. Moreover, L-870812 completely blocked subtype C and CRFO2_AG primary isolates, which are prevalent in the African heterosexual epidemic. Furthermore, the addition of micromolar concentrations of L-870812 even 24 h after infection could still block both cell-free and cell-associated Ba-L, opening the prospect of postexposure prophylaxis. Finally, an evaluation of the combined activity of L-870812 with either T20, zidovudine, PMPA, UC781, or TMC120 against replication-deficient HIV-1 Ba-L (
env
) pseudovirus suggested synergistic activity for all combinations. Importantly, compounds selected for the study by using the coculture model were devoid of acute or delayed cytotoxic effects at HIV-blocking concentrations. Therefore, these findings provide evidence supporting consideration of HIV-1 integration as a target for microbicide development.
Presence of Wild-Type and Attenuated
Salmonella enterica
Strains in Brain Tissues following Inoculation of Mice by Different Routes
Authors: Bollen Wendy S. , Gunn Bronwyn M. , Mo Hua , Lay Margarita K. , Curtiss Roy
Published: May 2008

Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhi and Typhimurium vaccine candidates elicit significant immune responses in mice by intranasal (i.n.) immunization. Because of the proximity of the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone, we were concerned that
Salmonella
bacteria delivered i.n. might access the brain. Accordingly, wild-type and attenuated (by single and double mutations) strains of
S. enterica
serovars Typhimurium and Typhi were recovered at low numbers initially from the olfactory lobe and then from the brain for 3 to 4 days after i.n. immunization. This was independent of
invA
gene function. Although the presence of bacteria in blood 1 to 3 h after i.n. inoculation was sometimes observed, this was infrequent compared to the frequency of bacteria detected in brain tissues. In confirmation of recent observations by Wickham et al. (M. E. Wickham, N. F. Brown, J. Provias, B. B. Finlay, and B. K. Coombes, BMC Infect. Dis.
7:
65, 2007) that oral inoculation with wild-type
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium strains lead to bacteria in blood with subsequent colonization of brain tissues with neurological symptoms of disease, we found similar results by using the i.n. and intraperitoneal (i.p.) routes of inoculation for wild-type but not for attenuated strains of
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium. In contrast, a highly modified attenuated
S. enterica
serovar Typhimurium strain was not present in brain tissues when administered at higher doses by the oral, i.n., and i.p. routes than the wild-type strain even though the presence of bacteria in blood was detectable 1 to 3 h after inoculation by each of the three routes. Our results indicate that i.n. and possibly even oral delivery of live
Salmonella
vaccines may be unsafe although it is possible to reduce this risk by appropriate genetic modifications.
Common Strategies To Prevent and Modulate Experimental Cerebral Malaria in Mouse Strains with Different Susceptibilities
Authors: Randall Louise M. , Amante Fiona H. , McSweeney Karli A. , Zhou Yonghong , Stanley Amanda C. , Haque Ashraful , Jones Malcolm K. , Hill Geoff R. , Boyle Glen M. , Engwerda Christian R.
Published: May 2008

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication ofPlasmodium falciparuminfection, predominantly experienced by children and nonimmune adults, which results in significant mortality and long-term sequelae. Previous studies have reported distinct susceptibility gene loci in CBA/CaH (CBA) and C57BL/6 (B6) mice with experimental CM (ECM) caused by infection withPlasmodium bergheiANKA. Here we present an analysis of genome-wide expression profiles in brain tissue taken from B6 and CBA mice with ECM and report significant heterogeneity between the two mouse strains. Upon comparison of the leukocyte composition of ECM brain tissue, microglia were expanded in B6 mice but not CBA mice. Furthermore, circulating levels of gamma interferon, interleukin-10, and interleukin-6 were significantly higher in the serum of B6 mice than in that of CBA mice with ECM. Two therapeutic strategies were applied to B6 and CBA mice, i.e., (i) depletion of regulatory T (Treg) cells prior to infection and (ii) depletion of CD8+T cells after the establishment of ECM. Despite the described differences between susceptible mouse strains, depletion of Treg cells before infection attenuated ECM in both B6 and CBA mice. In addition, the depletion of CD8+T cells when ECM symptoms are apparent leads to abrogation of ECM in B6 mice and a lack of progression of ECM in CBA mice. These results may have important implications for the development of effective treatments for human CM.
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and Interleukin-8 Produced by Gastric Epithelial Cells during
Helicobacter pylori
Exposure Induce Expression and Activation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
Authors: Beswick Ellen J. , Reyes Victor E.
Published: May 2008

While a link between
Helicobacter pylori
exposure and gastric cancer has been established, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
H. pylori
induces a chronic inflammatory response in infected individuals. A link between chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis has long been suggested but never elucidated. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling plays an important role in both proinflammatory and procarcinogenic mechanisms and is upregulated on gastric epithelial cells (GECs) during
H. pylori
exposure. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of two important proinflammatory cytokines released during
H. pylori
infection, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), on the expression and transactivation of EGFR and on the proliferation of GECs during
H. pylori
exposure. The expression of EGFR by GECs was increased by exposure to either
H. pylori
, recombinant MIF, or recombinant IL-8. However,
cag
pathogenicity island knockout strains of
H. pylori
had very little effect on expression. MIF and IL-8 also induced phosphorylation of EGFR, signaling events, and proliferation during
H. pylori
exposure, all of which were decreased when they were neutralized by these cytokines or were blocked from their receptors. The overall role of EGFR in these responses to
H. pylori
exposure was assessed by knocking down EGFR expression by small interfering RNA.
ON PROJECTIVELY RELATED RANDERS METRICS
Authors: SHEN YIBING , YU YAOYONG
Published: May 2008

In this paper, we prove that two Randers metrics are pointwise projectively related if and only if they have the same Douglas tensors and the corresponding Riemannian metrics are projectively related. Moreover, Randers metrics of constant flag curvature and Einstein–Randers metrics are considered.
TRAIN AGGREGATION IN A RAILWAY SUBSYSTEM BY MARKOV APPROACH
Authors: LIN BO-LIANG , LI JUN-WEI , HUANG YONG-CHANG
Published: May 2008

We study the train aggregation behavior in a railway subsystem using the Markov approach. This approach is different from the queue theory, which is a main method to design some railway subsystems in the literature. With some simple assumptions, we solve the corresponding master equation describing the train aggregation behavior. Using the least square trigonometric approximation, we construct a continuous rate function for a real example, and show the evolution of the size of train cluster with time. Also the variance and relative error of the train aggregation are calculated.
SELF-ORGANIZING, TWO-TEMPERATURE ISING MODEL DESCRIBING HUMAN SEGREGATION
Authors: ÓDOR GÉZA
Published: May 2008

A two-temperature Ising-Schelling model is introduced and studied for describing human segregation. The self-organized Ising model with Glauber kinetics simulated by Müller et al. exhibits a phase transition between segregated and mixed phases mimicking the change of tolerance (local temperature) of individuals. The effect of external noise is considered here as a second temperature added to the decision of individuals who consider a change of accommodation. A numerical evidence is presented for a discontinuous phase transition of the magnetization.
MODEL OF WORLD: HER CITIES, LANGUAGES AND COUNTRIES
Authors: TUNCAY ÇAĞLAR
Published: May 2008

The time evolution of Earth with her cities, languages and countries is considered in terms of the multiplicative noise1 and the fragmentation processes, where the related families, size distributions, lifetimes, bilinguals, etc. are studied. Earlier we treated the cities and the languages differently (and as connected; languages split since cities split, etc.). Hence, two distributions are obtained in the same computation at the same time. The same approach is followed here and Pareto–Zipf law for the distribution of the cities, log-normal for the languages, decreasing exponential for the city families (countries) in the rank order over population, and power law -2 for the language families over the number of languages in rank order are obtained theoretically in this combination for the first time (up to our knowledge) in the literature; all of which are in good agreement with the present empirical data.
STATEFINDER DIAGNOSTIC FOR COUPLED TACHYON DARK ENERGY MODEL
Authors: SHAO YING , ZHONG HAIYANG
Published: May 2008

In this paper we study the statefinder parameters for the coupled tachyon dark energy model which has two types of stable scaling solutions. It is found that the evolving trajectories of the solutions are different in the statefinder parameters plane. These trajectories lie in the two regions r > 1, s < 0 and r < 1, s > 0, and pass through the LCDM fixed point. So, through the statefinder diagnostic, we not only characterize the properties of the coupled tachyon dark energy model, but also show the difference from other dark energy model.
SUPERSYMMETRIC QUANTUM MECHANICAL GENERALIZED MIC–KEPLER SYSTEM
Authors: GIRI PULAK RANJAN
Published: May 2008

We construct supersymmetric (SUSY) generalized MIC–Kepler system and show that the systems with half integral Dirac quantization condition [Formula: see text] belong to an SUSY family (hierarchy of Hamiltonian) with same spectrum between the respective partner Hamiltonians except for the ground state. Similarly, the systems with integral Dirac quantization condition μ=±1,±2,±3,… belong to another family. We show that, it is necessary to introduce additional potential to MIC–Kepler system in order to unify the two families into one. We also reproduce the results of the (supersymmetric) Hydrogenic problem in our study.
POSSIBLY LARGE CORRECTIONS TO THE INFLATIONARY OBSERVABLES
Authors: BARTOLO N. , RIOTTO A.
Published: May 2008

We point out that the theoretical predictions for the inflationary observables may be generically altered by the presence of fields which are heavier than the Hubble rate during inflation and whose dynamics is usually neglected. They introduce corrections which may be easily larger than both the second-order contributions in the slow-roll parameters and the accuracy expected in the forthcoming experiments.
THE ROLE OF ENERGY–MOMENTUM CONSERVATION IN EMISSION OF CHERENKOV GLUONS
Authors: DREMIN I. M.
Published: May 2008

The famous formula for the emission angle of Cherenkov radiation should be modified when applied to hadronic reactions because of recoil effects and the color nature of the participants. They impose an upper limit on the energy of the gluon emitted at a given angle. Also, it leads to essential corrections to the nuclear refractive index value as determined from the angular position of Cherenkov rings.
NONITERATIVE 3D FACE RECONSTRUCTION BASED ON PHOTOMETRIC STEREO
Authors: LEE SANG-WOONG , WANG PATRICK S. P. , YANUSHKEVICH SVETLANA N. , LEE SEONG-WHAN
Published: May 2008

3D face reconstruction is a popular area within the computer vision domain. 3D face reconstruction should ideally be achieved easily and cost-effectively, without requiring specialized equipment to estimate 3D shapes. As a result of this, many techniques for retrieving 3D shapes from 2D images have been proposed. In this paper, a novel method for 3D face reconstruction based on photometric stereo, which estimates the surface normal from shading information in multiple images, hence recovering the 3D shape of a face, is proposed. In order to overcome the problems of previous approaches related to prior-knowledge regarding lighting conditions and iterative algorithms, the exemplar is synthesized with known lighting conditions from at least three images, under arbitrary lighting conditions and using an illumination reference. Experiments in 3D face reconstruction were made by verifying the proposed approach using the illumination subset of the Max-Planck Institute face database and Yale face database B. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for 3D shape reconstruction of faces from 2D images.
PERFORMANCE COMPARISONS OF FACIAL EXPRESSION RECOGNITION IN JAFFE DATABASE
Authors: SHIH FRANK Y. , CHUANG CHAO-FA , WANG PATRICK S. P.
Published: May 2008

Facial expression provides an important behavioral measure for studies of emotion, cognitive processes, and social interaction. Facial expression recognition has recently become a promising research area. Its applications include human-computer interfaces, human emotion analysis, and medical care and cure. In this paper, we investigate various feature representation and expression classification schemes to recognize seven different facial expressions, such as happy, neutral, angry, disgust, sad, fear and surprise, in the JAFFE database. Experimental results show that the method of combining 2D-LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis) and SVM (Support Vector Machine) outperforms others. The recognition rate of this method is 95.71% by using leave-one-out strategy and 94.13% by using cross-validation strategy. It takes only 0.0357 second to process one image of size 256 × 256.
MULTIMODAL BIOMETRICS BY FACE AND HAND IMAGES TAKEN BY A CELL PHONE CAMERA
Authors: ROKITA JOANNA , KRZYŻAK ADAM , SUEN CHING Y.
Published: May 2008

This paper presents a multimodal approach for a biometrics verification system. It is based on face and hand images captured by a cell phone. The algorithm includes all parts that are required for face and hand verification, such as feature extraction, classification and authentication. To find local facial features, such as eyes, mouth and nose, we apply a point distribution model and active shape models. We use the same system to find distinctive points in hand geometry. The face feature vector is constructed by applying a Gabor filter to the image and extracting the key points found by an active shape model. The palm feature vector contains characteristics of the hand geometry features. A support vector machine (SVM) is applied to verify the identity of the user. One SVM machine is built for each person in the database to distinguish that person from others. To test the algorithm we built our own database containing face and hand images taken by a cell phone camera. The database contains 480 frontal face images and 120 hand images of 30 persons (16 face images and 4 hand images per person).
COMPARISON OF ROC AND LIKELIHOOD DECISION METHODS IN AUTOMATIC FINGERPRINT VERIFICATION
Authors: SRIHARI SARGUR N. , SRINIVASAN HARISH
Published: May 2008

The biometric verification task is to determine whether or not an input and a template belong to the same individual. In the context of automatic fingerprint verification the task consists of three steps: feature extraction, where features (typically minutiae) are extracted from each fingerprint, scoring, where the degree of match between the two sets of features is determined, and decision, where the score is used to accept or reject the hypothesis that the input and template belong to the same individual. The paper focuses on the final decision step, which is a binary classification problem involving a single score variable. The commonly used decision method is to learn a score threshold from a labeled set of inputs and templates, by first determining the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of the task. The ROC method works well when there is a well-registered fingerprint image. The paper shows that when there is uncertainty due to fingerprint quality, e.g. the input is a latent print or a partial print, the decision method can be improved by using the likelihood ratio of match/non match. The likelihood ratio is obtained by modeling the distributions of same finger and different finger scores using parametric distributions. The parametric forms considered are Gaussian and Gamma distributions whose parameters are learnt from labeled training samples. The performances of the likelihood and ROC methods are compared for varying numbers of minutiae points available for verification. Using either Gaussian or Gamma parametric distributions, the likelihood method has a lower error rate than the ROC method when few minutiae points are available. Likelihood and ROC methods converge to the same accuracy as more minutiae points are available.
INFLUENCES OF THE ISOSPIN-DEPENDENCE OF IN-MEDIUM NUCLEON–NUCLEON CROSS-SECTION AND MOMENTUM DEPENDENT INTERACTION ON ISOSCALING PARAMETER
Authors: LIU J. Y. , HAO HUAN FENG , XING YONG ZHONG , ZUO WEI , LEE XI GUO
Published: May 2008

Influences of the isospin-dependent in-medium nucleon–nucleon cross-section [Formula: see text] and momentum-dependent interaction (MDI) on the isoscaling parameter α are investigated for two central collisions 40 Ca + 40 Ca and 60 Ca + 60 Ca . These collisions are with isospin dependent quantum molecular dynamics in the beam energy region from 40 to 60 MeV/nucleon. The isotope yield ratio R21(N, Z) for the above two central collisions depends exponentially on the neutron number N and proton number Z of isotopes, with an isoscaling. In particular, the isospin-dependent [Formula: see text] and MDI induce an obvious decrease of the isoscaling parameter α. The mechanism of the decreases of α by both [Formula: see text] and MDI are studied respectively.
CONTRIBUTION OF E2 AND E1-E2 INTERFERENCE IN THE COULOMB BREAKUP OF 11Be
Authors: KHARAB RAJESH , SINGH PARDEEP , KUMAR RAVINDER , SHARMA H. C.
Published: May 2008

We have analyzed the longitudinal momentum distribution and the polar and azimuthal angular distributions of relative momentum of 10 Be coming out from the coulomb breakup reactions 208 U (11 Be , 10 Be + n )208 U and 238 Pb (11 Be , 10 Be + n )238 Pb at 63 AMeV and 72 AMeV beam energies respectively within the framework of the eikonal approximation approach. The effects of higher order multipole transitions, in particular E2 and E1-E2 interference, on these observables have been investigated. The inclusion of higher order transition effects reproduces the shape as well as the width of the measured longitudinal momentum distribution. The azimuthal angular distribution has also been reproduced more accurately by incorporating the E2 effects. The polar angular distribution, however, is found to be insensitive to these effects.
MULTIFRACTAL STRUCTURE IN MULTIPLICITY DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICLES PRODUCED IN RELATIVISTIC NUCLEAR COLLISIONS
Authors: AHMAD N. , SHAKEEL A. , KHAN M. M. , KAMAL A. , KHAN A. R.
Published: May 2008

Analysis of the experimental data on 14.5A GeV/c 28 Si -nucleus interactions yields a linear relationship between ln 〈nq〉 and ln 〈n〉, for q = 2, 3, 4 and 5 and also between [Formula: see text] and ln 〈n〉, where n is the multiplicity in a given psedorapiodity bin. Generalized dimensions, Dq are also determined from the slopes of the linear variations of ln 〈nq〉 with ln 〈n〉. These results are supported reasonably well by the predictions of the Lund Model of nuclear collisions, FRITIOF.
FOLDING MODEL ANALYSIS OF 6He + 12C ELASTIC SCATTERING
Authors: EL-AZAB FARID M. , NOSSAIR A. M. A. , IBRAHEEM AWAD A.
Published: May 2008

Elastic scattering of the two-neutron halo nucleus, 6 He , on 12 C target at 38.3 and 41.6 MeV/nucleon has been analyzed in the framework of the double-folding optical model. Real double-folded potentials based on the realistic density-dependent DDM3Y and JLM effective nucleon–nucleon interactions are generated using different forms of the nuclear matter density distribution of 6 He . The imaginary optical potentials are taken in the conventional Woods–Saxon form. The bare (unnormalized) real folded potentials derived from the JLM interaction are more successful in reproducing the data at both energies than those derived from the DDM3Y interaction. The effect of contribution of the dynamic polarization potential is also studied. A semimicroscopic approximation is proposed to simulate this potential by introducing a repulsive real part extracted from the generated folded potential. Fits to data have been slightly improved by considering this approximation.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE CHINESE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) SYSTEM
Authors: YANG SHANSHAN
Published: May 2008

This article was initiated by findings that public participation in the Chinese Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system has not been effectively carried out. The article first introduces the research rationale and theoretical basis. It then reviews and analyses public participation in the Chinese EIA system, including its history, legal and institutional requirements and problems. Thirdly it puts forward suggestions for promoting public participation in the Chinese EIA system taking into account Chinese legal requirements and international experience, including strengthening current legal requirements, adapting institutional arrangements, establishing guidelines and carrying out education programmes and training for public participation in EIA.
ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF A REGION IN THE LIGHT OF COMPOSITE INDICATORS
Authors: HASSAN OSAMA A. B.
Published: May 2008

In this paper, an attempt is made to present a method to assess the sustainable development of a region. The method is based on adapting the multi-attribute utility theory to the concept of "composite indicator" of the region under concern; a composite indicator represents a weighted number of components or sub-indicators. Comparisons are made with the standard method of ranking and the axiomatic multi-criteria method. It is shown that the suggested method is more practical and feasible as it allows the studying of the potential improvement that can be performed in order to heighten the status of the sustainable development of a region, in the long and short run. Finally, a tentative quantitative index to evaluate the sustainability of a region is proposed.
Long-Term Follow-Up and Survival after UltraflexTM Stent Insertion in the Management of Complex Malignant Airway Stenoses
Authors: Breitenbücher Albrecht , Chhajed Prashant N. , Brutsche Martin H. , Mordasini Carlo , Schilter Daniel , Tamm Michael
Published: May 2008

Background: Despite being commercially available for a few years now, the literature regarding the outcome of UltraflexTM stent insertion in complex malignant airway stenoses is sparse. Objectives: To assess long-term complications and survival in patients with complex malignant airway stenoses treated with insertion of nitinol stents. Methods: 60 consecutive patients with UltraflexTM stent insertion for malignant airway stenoses were included. Follow-up was obtained in all patients. Results: 62 UltraflexTM stents (covered = 51, uncovered = 11) were implanted in 60 patients. Diagnoses were bronchial carcinoma (n = 50), esophageal carcinoma (n = 3) and metastases (n = 7). Stents were inserted in the trachea (n = 5), main bronchi/intermediate bronchus (n = 22), from main bronchi/intermediate bronchus to lobar bronchi (n = 28) or in the lobar bronchi themselves (n = 7). Successful reopening of the stenoses and relief were achieved in all patients. There was no procedure-related mortality. Complications included mucous plugging in 8%, stenosing granulation tissue in 5%, tumor ingrowth in 5% and stent migration in 5% of patients. Using Kaplan-Meier estimates, the overall mean survival was 160 days (standard error: 30). Median survival was 91 days. The overall 3- and 6-month survival were 52 and 20%, respectively. Death (n = 59, 98%) was attributed mainly to disease progression with cachexia and metastases, pneumonia (n = 5, 10%), and hemoptysis (n = 1, 2%). Conclusion: UltraflexTM stents have a low complication rate and can be effectively used in complex malignant airway stenoseswith marked asymmetry or irregularity, angulation or changing diameters.
GABA and Histamine Interaction in the Basolateral Amygdala of Rats in the Plus-Maze Test of Anxiety-Like Behaviors
Authors: Hajizadeh Moghaddam Akbar , Roohbakhsh Ali , Rostami Parvin , Heidary-Davishani Ahmad , Zarrindast Mohammad-Reza
Published: May 2008

In the present study, we have investigated the effects and the interaction of the GABAergic and histaminergic systems in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of rats using the plus-maze test of anxiety-like behaviors. Unilateral injection of different doses of muscimol (GABAA receptor selective agonist; 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 µg/rat) into the BLA (intra-BLA) increased the percentage of open arm time (%OAT) and open arm entries (%OAE) at the doses of 0.05 and 0.1 µg/rat that are representative of an anxiolytic response. Intra-BLA injection of bicuculline (GABAA receptor selective antagonist; 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 µg/rat) decreased %OAT and %OAE at the doses of 0.1 and 0.5 µg/rat showing an anxiogenic-like effect. Intra-BLA administration of histamine (0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 µg/rat) also showed anxiogenic-like effects at the doses of 0.1 and 0.5 µg/rat while intra-BLA administration of pyrilamine (an H1 receptor selective antagonist; 5, 10 and 20 µg/rat) induced anxiolytic effects at the dose of 20 µg/rat. Coadministration of histamine (0.1 µg/rat) with muscimol reversed the anxiolytic effect of muscimol at the dose of 0.1 µg/rat while coadministration of histamine (0.1 µg/rat) with bicuculline increased the anxiogenic effect of bicuculline at the dose of 0.05 µg/rat. On the other hand, coadministration of pyrilamine (10 µg/rat) with bicuculline decreased anxiety-like behaviors of bicuculline at the dose of 0.5 µg/rat while pyrilamine could not affect the anxiolytic effect of muscimol. In conclusion, it seems that both GABAergic and histaminergic systems not only play a part in the modulation of anxiety-like behaviors in the BLA of rats but may also have opposite effects in this brain region.
Optimization of Postoperative Computerized Tomographic Imaging in Patients with the Implanted Responsive Neurostimulation System™
Authors: Waziri Allen , Mehta Hasit , Goodman Robert R.
Published: May 2008

The Responsive Neurostimulation System™ is currently under investigation as a neurosurgical option for medically refractory epilepsy. The device produces significant metallic artifact on conventional axial CT scans, resulting in limited diagnostic imaging options for implanted patients. We have developed a strategy to overcome this technical difficulty utilizing optimized patient positioning, thin-slice image acquisition, and postprocessing image reconstruction with commercially available software. Significant improvements were noted in the severity of device-related metallic streak artifact on reconstructed axial images. In addition, thin-section data were successfully used to generate detailed three-dimensional reconstructions, providing for improved visualization of the stimulator and the intracranial position of attached electrodes.
Low-Frequency Bilateral Hypothalamic Stimulation for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Aggressiveness in a Young Man with Mental Retardation
Authors: Hernando Virgilio , Pastor Jesus , Pedrosa Manuel , Peña Esteban , Sola R.G.
Published: May 2008

Stereotactic bilateral electrode implantation in the medial portion of the posterior hypothalamus was performed on a 22-year-old male with drug-resistant aggressiveness. To localize the targets during implantation, microrecording was performed, and the clinical and electroencephalographic responses to intraoperative stimulation were monitored. The patient had an improved response to low-frequency stimulation that was sustained 18 months later at a follow-up examination.
Cerebral Substrates Related to Impaired Performance in the Clock-Drawing Test in Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Authors: Nagahama Yasuhiro , Okina Tomoko , Suzuki Norio , Matsuda Minoru
Published: May 2008

Aims: To identify the neural correlates of impaired performance in the clock-drawing test (CDT) in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Methods: Cerebral blood flow was measured by single photon emission computed tomography in patients with clinically diagnosed DLB, and was compared between impaired CDT (n = 30) and normal CDT (n = 30) subgroups. Results: DLB patients with impaired CDT performance showed significantly lower cerebral blood flow in the bilateral frontal eye fields, supplementary eye fields, right posterior putamen and the right ventrolateral part of the thalamus relative to the normal CDT subgroup. Performance in other visuospatial/attentional tasks (trail making test part A, copying a cube, semantic fluency, and block design) was also poorer in the impaired CDT group than the normal CDT group. Conclusions: This study indicates that impaired performances on the CDT and some visuospatial/attentional tasks by DLB patients are closely related to dysfunctions of the frontal-subcortical network relevant to control of visuospatial attention and arousal, involving the frontal eye fields, supplementary eye fields and the thalamus. Our findings provide evidence that cognitive performance in DLB reflects the pathological involvement of both cortical and subcortical regions, and suggest that the neurophysiological basis underlying impaired CDT in DLB may be different from that in Alzheimer disease.
Disodium Disuccinate Astaxanthin Prevents Carotid Artery Rethrombosis and ex vivo Platelet Activation
Authors: Lauver D. Adam , Driscoll Edward M. , Lucchesi Benedict R.
Published: May 2008

Background/Aims:The disodium disuccinate derivative of astaxanthin (DDA) is a carotenoid antioxidant under development for the treatment of ischemic cardiovascular events. Recent evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in platelet activation. This study seeks to investigate the effects of a reactive oxygen species quencher, DDA, in a canine model of carotid artery thrombosis. Methods:After formation of an occlusive carotid thrombus, dogs were administered recombinant tissue plasminogen activator intra-arterially to achieve thrombolysis in the presence of either 0.9% NaCl solution or DDA (10–50 mg/kg i.v. infusion). Ex vivo platelet aggregation and tongue bleeding times were measured before and after drug administration. Residual thrombus mass was analyzed at the end of each experiment. Results:The data indicated a dose- dependent reduction in the incidence of carotid artery rethrombosis. In addition, platelet aggregation and thrombus weights were dose-dependently inhibited by DDA. No change was recorded in tongue bleeding time among the treatment groups. Conclusions:The data demonstrate that at the doses used in this study, DDA significantly reduced the incidence of secondary thrombosis while maintaining normal hemostasis. The results suggest that upon further study, DDA may one day find utility in revascularization procedures.
Biweekly Carboplatin/Gemcitabine in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Cancer Who Are Unfit for Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy: Report of Efficacy, Quality of Life and Geriatric Assessment
Authors: Bamias Aristotle , Lainakis George , Kastritis Efstathios , Antoniou Nikos , Alivizatos Gerassimos , Koureas Andreas , Chrisofos Michael , Skolarikos Andreas , Karayiotis Evangelos , Dimopoulos Meletios A.
Published: May 2008

Objective: We evaluated safety and efficacy of first-line gemcitabine/carboplatin in unfit-for-cisplatin patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma and the effect on the quality of life and functional status of elderly patients (aged >70). Methods: Unfit patients had ECOG performance status (PS) ≧2, creatinine clearance <50 ml/min or comorbidities precluding cisplatin administration. Carboplatin at area under the curve of 2.5 and gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2 were administered biweekly. Elderly patients were stratified into group 1 (no activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental ADL dependency and no comorbidities), group 2 (instrumental ADL dependency or 1–2 comorbidities) and group 3 (ADL dependency or ≧2 comorbidities). Results: Thirty-four patients were enrolled: 68% had PS 2–3, 69% a creatinine clearance <50 ml/min and 65% had 1 or more comorbidities. There were 3 cases of grade 3 toxicity (9%). Response rate was 24% [95% confidence interval (CI) 11–41]. Median follow-up was 8 months, median progression-free survival 4.4 months (95% CI 1.03–7.75) and median overall survival 9.8 months (95% CI 4.7–14.9). Patients in geriatric assessment groups 1 and 2 had a significantly longer median progression-free survival compared to group 3 [6.9 months (95% CI 1.3–12.4) vs. 1.9 months (95% CI 0.5–3.2); p = 0.005]. Conclusion: First-line gemcitabine/carboplatin combination is active in unfit-for-cisplatin patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. Pretreatment quality of life and geriatric assessment may be useful in selecting patients likely to benefit from this treatment.
Genome size and constitutive heterochromatin in Hylobates muelleriand Symphalangus syndactylusand in their viable hybrid
Authors: Pellicciari C. , Formenti D. , Zuccotti M. , Stanyon R. , Romanini Manfredi
Published: May 2008

Genome size was measured as the amount of Feul-gen-stained DNA in six species of the family Hylobatidae and in a hybrid of the gibbon (Hylobates muelleri) and siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus). The family, on the whole, exhibits a wider range of genome sizes than pongids; in particular, the siamang has about 15% more DNA than the 44-chromosome Hylobates species of the “lar” group. Quantitative analysis of C-heterochromatin in hybrid metaphases showed that the difference in genome size of the parental species correlates with the amount of C-band-positive material. Hylobatids are the only group of primates in which karyotype diversification has taken place with a massive quantitative change in constitutive heterochromatin.
Differential ribosomal gene responsiveness to human growth hormone is visualized by selective silver staining
Authors: Baldini A. , Felli M.P. , Ravenna L. , Camaioni A. , deCapoa A. , Spadoni GL. , Cianfarani S. , Boscherini B.
Published: May 2008

Differential activity of rRNA gene clusters following growth-hormone administration has been demonstrated in cultured lymphocytes from subjects with different genetic backgrounds, i.e., with or without in vivo peripheral responsiveness to the hormone. The influence of different culture conditions on ribosomal gene responsiveness was also tested. Ribosomal geneactivity was evaluated by selective silver staining of nucleolus organizing regions. The results show that hormone-induced enhancement of transcriptional activity requires both genetically determined cell responsiveness and environmentally determined permissive factors.