bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pathogenesis‐related protein 4b interacts with leucine‐rich repeat protein 1 to suppressPR4b‐triggered cell death and defense response in pepper
Authors: Hwang In Sun , Choi Du Seok , Kim Nak Hyun , Kim Dae Sung , Hwang Byung Kook
Published: December 2013

To control defense and cell‐death signaling, plants contain an abundance of pathogen recognition receptors such as leucine‐rich repeat (LRR) proteins. Here we show that pepper (Capsicum annuum)LRR1 interacts with the pepper pathogenesis‐related (PR) protein 4b,PR4b, in yeast andin planta.PR4b is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, interacts withLRR1 in the plasma membrane, and is secreted to the apoplast via the plasma membrane. Binding ofPR4b toLRR1 requires the chitin‐binding domain ofPR4b. PurifiedPR4b protein inhibits spore germination and mycelial growth of plant fungal pathogens. Transient expression ofPR4btriggers hypersensitive cell death. This cell death is compromised by co‐expression ofLRR1as a negative regulator inNicotiana benthamianaleaves.LRR1/PR4bsilencing in pepper andPR4bover‐expression inArabidopsis thalianademonstrated thatLRR1andPR4bare necessary for defense responses toPseudomonas syringaepv.tomatoandHyaloperonospora arabidopsidis(Hpa) infection. The mutant of thePR4bArabidopsis ortholog,pr4, showed enhanced susceptibility toHpainfection. Together, our results suggest thatPR4b functions as a positive modulator of plant cell death and defense responses. However, the activity ofPR4b is suppressed by interaction withLRR1.
Equity in water supply in intermittent water distribution networks
Authors: Gottipati Prasad V. K. S. V. , Nanduri Umamahesh V.
Published: December 2013

Equity in water supply is one of the major problems faced in intermittent water distribution systems. A new index ‘uniformity coefficient’ is introduced to measure the equity in distribution of water within the network, which may be useful for performance evaluation of water distribution networks (WDNs). An iterative head‐driven analysis technique is developed to compute the uniformity coefficient of a network. The effect of various design parameters of WDN on the uniform coefficient is studied. The results indicate that equity in water supply is significantly affected by the location of the tank and layout of the network. The equity in water supply can be improved in an existing network by staggered supply.
The Effect of Compressibility on Turbulent Shear Flow: Direct Numerical Simulation Study
Authors: Hanafi Aicha , Khlifi Hechmi , Lili Taieb
Published: December 2013

The study of the phenomenon of compressibility for modeling to second order has been made by several authors, and they concluded that models of the pressure-strain are not able to predict the structural evolution of the Reynolds stress. In particular studies and Simone Sarkar et al., a wide range of initial values of the parameters of the problem are covered. The observation of Sarkar was confirmed by the study of Simone et al. (1997,“The Effect of Compressibility on Turbulent Shear Flow: A Rapid Distortion Theory and Direct Numerical Simulation Study,” J. Fluid Mech., 330, p. 307;“Etude Théorique et Simulation Numérique de la Turbulence Compressible en Présence de Cisaillement où de Variation de Volume à Grande Échelle” thése, École Centrale de Lyon, France). We will then use the data provided by the direct simulations of Simone to discuss the implications for modeling to second order. The performance of different variants of the modeling results will be compared with DNS results.
Surge Onset in Turbo Heat Pumps
Authors: Song Jieun , Park Jung Chan , Kim Kil Young , Jeong Jinhee , Song Seung Jin
Published: December 2013

A typical turbo heat pump system consists of a centrifugal compressor, expansion valve, and two heat exchangers—a condenser and evaporator. Compared to a gas turbine, a turbo heat pump introduces additional complexities because it is a two-phase closed-loop system with heat exchange using a real gas/liquid (refrigerant) as the working fluid. For the first time, surge onset in such systems has been physically, analytically, and experimentally investigated. This study analytically investigates the physical mechanisms of surge onset in turbo heat pumps. From an existing nonlinear turbo heat pump surge model, the turbo heat pump is viewed as a mass-spring-damper system with two inertias, two dampers, and four springs which is then further simplified to a single degree-of-freedom system. Surge onset occurs when the system damping becomes zero and depends not only the compressor but also on the ducts, heat exchangers, and expansion valve. Alternatively, a new stability model has been developed by applying a linearized small perturbation method to the nonlinear turbo heat pump surge model. When the new linear stability model is applied to a conventional open loop compression system (e.g., a turbocharger), predictions identical to those of Greitzer's model are obtained. In addition, surge onset has been experimentally measured in two turbo heat pumps. A comparison of the predictions and measurements shows that the mass-spring-damper model and the linearized stability model can accurately predict the turbo heat pump surge onset and the mass-spring-damper model can explain the turbo heat pump surge onset mechanisms and parametric trends in turbo heat pumps.
An Insight Into the Nonlinear Touchdown Dynamics of TFC Active Slider
Authors: Chen Gang (Sheng) , Xu Jianfeng , Chang J.-Y.
Published: December 2013

Storage of 10 Tb/in 2 in hard disk drives within the next decade requires a significant change to reduce the physical spacing as little as 0.25 nm at the read-write transducer location. A lot of tribology issues exist to such a low flying height, the touch down and take off instability and hysteresis, the flying height avalanche, the influences of surface topography and morphology, the lubricant modulation and pick-up, robust air bearing surface and suspension design, just to name a few. Understandings of the complex tribo-dynamics issues in the near contact and contact states are very important to further reduce the flying height. At such a small spacing intermittent contact between the slider and disk surface becomes inevitable and the current MEMS-based thermal fly-height control (TFC) technology needs further improvement to satisfy the future needs. How to control the slider to reduce touchdown instability and eventually eliminate bouncing has been a pressing and challenging research topic. Most of existing work on touchdown dynamics applied conventional nonlinear dynamics theory and spectrum as well as harmonics analysis, which could suffer from the assumptions of small nonlinearity and stationary. This study presents a concurrence plot and Lyapunov exponent analysis which could offer an insight to the problem in the context of contemporary nonlinear dynamics theory.
Magnetic Equilibrium Posture of a Multibody Magnetic Microrobot Composed of Spherical Magnets Manipulated by External Magnetic Field
Authors: Jeon S. M. , Jang G. H.
Published: December 2013

Magnetic microrobots wirelessly manipulated by external magnetic field have been widely investigated as possible surgical alternatives for cardiovascular or intraocular surgeries [1, 2]. Since the principle of manipulation is based on the external magnetic field, the microrobot can be effectively simplified and miniaturized for the application in complex environments in the human body. Several researchers have investigated various types of single-body microrobots to achieve different mechanical motions [1, 2]. However, a magnetically coupled multibody magnetic microrobot (MMM) has not been proposed to improve the mechanical and therapeutic maneuverability to navigate through the blood vessels and to treat the diseased area.
Research on the Temperature Compensation Technology of Quasi-Distributed Fiber Bragg Grating
Authors: Dong Huijuan , Yang Shaopeng , He Jun , Zhang Guangyu , Wang Siying , Liu Yuliang , Yang Xiaohui
Published: December 2013

Optical fiber sensor technology is more and more widely applied in the health monitoring testing of the major projects and infrastructure, because its sensing elements possess characteristics like the small size, high durability, absolute measurement and distributed monitoring. With the development of the optical fiber communication technology, several different kinds of passive devices appear continuously. Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG for short) develops continuingly and speedily in the field of optical fiber communication and sensing technology, owing to its good properties, such as low insertion loss, wavelength absolute coding, being independence on polarization, the flexible adjustment of wavelength and bandwidth and easily connect to fiber. But Fiber Bragg Grating is sensitive about two parameters — the changing temperature and the outside strain. Therefore, cross sensitivity becomes the hot issue. This paper will introduce the temperature compensation technology of the strain monitoring system for a quasi-distributed Fiber Bragg Grating.
Thermal Stability of Lubricants for Application in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording
Authors: Pathem Bala Krishna , Guo Xing-Cai , Saito Yoko , Waltman Robert , Burns John , Schreck Erhard , Marchon Bruno
Published: December 2013

In order to meet the demand to increase the areal density of magnetic recording, promising technologies such as heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) are being extensively pursued [1–3]. However, the high transient disk temperature (400–500 °C, nanosecond time scale) required by this recording scheme might dramatically affect the reliability of the head-disk interface. Possible issues include overcoat oxidation and graphitization, both on head and disk, as well as lubricant evaporation, thermodiffusion, and decomposition. Although modeling and experimental studies have been published describing the lubricant film evaporation under thermal exposure, very few studies have been directed toward understanding the mechanisms of lubricant decomposition [4–7].
Modification for the Mechanical Model of Flex Cable in Hard Disk Drives With an External Electric Field
Authors: Chen Ching-Chen , Chang Jen-Yuan (James)
Published: December 2013

The demand of raising recording density for hard disk has increased these years to achieve higher storage capacity of hard disk drive. This promotes the diminution in track size of hard disk nowadays to only hundreds of nanometers. Thus, more precisely-operated and robust actuation system for read/write heads in HDDs has been the research and development focus. Among mechanical contributors, Chang [1] indicated that flexible circuit in HDDs has been found to be a problematic vibration source that can interfere and reduce the operation accuracy of read/write arm. To perfectly eliminate the dynamic responses of flex cable, piezo-electric (PZT) film was adopted by attaching it onto flex cable to achieve the goal of vibration control. When an external electric field is applied to this PZT film, piezoelectricity effect is then taken place which results in induction of mechanical shear force in flex cable. The cable’s vibrations can then be controlled by this mechanism with the additional PZT film on the flex cable. With energized PZT film, this means that flex cable will turn harder and its stiffness will become larger, which makes the dynamic behavior of flex cable becomes an uncertainty. The mechanical model built in previous work [2] then fails to predict the dynamic response of the flex cable. Due to the problems mentioned above, modification for the mechanical model is imperative and it was elaborated by considering the shear effects produced by PZT in this paper. As reported by Kenji Uchino [4], Henno Allik [5] and many other researchers [6–8], finite element methods have been applied to many piezoelectric applications. Piezoelectricity includes electrical and mechanical behaviors of a material. Therefore, the piezoelectric constitutive equations were conducted in this paper to consider this combined electroelastic effects from PZT.
Frictional Heating Effect on Thermal Protrusion in Head Disk Interface
Authors: Li Jianhua , Xu Junguo , Furukawa Masaru
Published: December 2013

For increasing areal density in hard disk drives (HDDs), the physical clearance between the read/write element and the surface of the disk has been continuously decreasing to 1 nm or below [1]. At such a low clearance, the contact between the head and the disk is inevitable to occur, so head wear is becoming a critical issue in the development of HDD. The contact between the head and the disk induces a frictional heating, which may generate an additional thermal protrusion in the contact area of the head, and causes more wear. On the other hand, the target clearance in a HDD is generally determined by pulling back a setting TFC power from the touchdown point, accurately identifying the touchdown point is very significant for the clearance control in hard disk drive. A thermal protrusion is caused by friction-heating in the status of touchdown. Therefore, it is very necessary to quantitatively understand on friction induced thermal protrusion and clearance loss.
Design and Realization of High Resolution (640×480) SWIR Image Acquisition System
Authors: Chao Paul C.-P. , Chen Jian-Ruei , Tsai Che-Hung , Chen Wei-Dar
Published: December 2013

Imaging technology has been in revolutionary progresses in decades with well-developed semiconductor and memory industries. Silicon sensors are used in most of camera and DV, since silicon is the best material for visible light imaging (wavelength from 400nm∼700nm). Short wave infrared (SWIR) requires indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), composed of chemical compounds including indium arsenide (InAs) and gallium arsenide (GaAs), to cover SWIR spectrum. Wavelength of typical SWIR is defined between 0.7um and 2.5um; SWIR cameras focus on wavelength between 0.9um∼1.7um (In0.53Ga0.47As). Unlike Mid-Wave IR and Long-Wave IR, SWIR is reflected and absorbed by objects, which advantages SWIR imaging higher resolution due to better contrast. SWIR also has excellent imaging quality in low illumination environment and moon light or star light are good emitters outdoor at night. Another primary characteristic of SWIR is high penetration, providing effective imaging under hazy conditions. An Example for night vision between SWIR.
An On-Line Digital Optical Bench Tester Based on Conoscopy for Lens Quality Evaluation
Authors: Hsu Wei Hsuan , Chao Paul C.-P. , Chen Wei Dar , Tsai Che-Hung
Published: December 2013

This study aims to develop an on-line tester machine for evaluating the image quality of a camera lens that is used in a lens module in a cell phone. This tester is not only suitable for conventional solid lens, but also applicable to the developing tunable liquid crystal lens by using the conoscopy approach to measure focus length and its quality. On the other hand, the approach using a commercial inspection chart along with a automatic feeding machine is also adopted for a quick estimate on the focusing quality that is primarily based on Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). In addition to the MTF, the proposed tester aims to has other functions of measuring Effect Focal Length (EFL), Back Focal Length (BFL), Field of View (FOV), Field curvature, Distortion, Astigmatism, Lateral/Axial Color, the distribution of index of refraction and phase retardation pattern. The constructed tester is capable of measuring varied optical performance indices for the next-generation tunable lens.
Noise and Vibration Originated From UMF due to Rotor Eccentricity of the HDD Spindle System
Authors: Sung S. J. , Jang G. H. , Kang K. J.
Published: December 2013

Cogging torque and UMF (unbalanced magnetic force) are major excitation sources of acoustic noise and vibration originated from HDD spindle motors. They are generally outer rotor type motors with fluid dynamic bearings (FDBs). The FDBs support and constrain the rotating disk-spindle system in five degrees of freedom except axial rotating direction. Unbalanced mass of the disk-spindle system generates whirling motion and changes the characteristics of UMF. Several researchers have investigated the harmonic contents of cogging torque and UMF by numerical and analytical methods [1]–[3]. Lee and Jang [4] experimentally and numerically investigated the characteristics of the UMF of a HDD spindle motor due to manufacturing errors such as the uneven magnetization of permanent magnet (PM) and the eccentricity of rotor and stator. However, they discussed only the cogging torque and UMF, and did not investigate the effect of the cogging torque and UMF on acoustic noise and vibration of a HDD spindle system.
Colored hard coatings with AlN–TiN multilayer structures
Authors: Hong Lu Jong , Ying Chen Bo
Published: December 2013

AlN–TiN multilayer structures can be used to extend the color gamut of hard coatings while maintaining good hardness and corrosion resistance. This study used reactive magnetron sputtering on a glass substrate to produce coatings with a microhardness of 19 GPa as well as optical reflectance exceeding 80% and controllable saturation (chroma) for various hues of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The authors characterized the complex index of refraction of the TiN films using ellipsometry; the real refractive indices of the AlN films were derived from the reflectance values obtained using photometry. Finally, the colors of the samples were quantified using CIE-1931 chromaticity coordinates in the L*a*b* color space, and the microhardness of the films was measured using a nanoindenter. Simulation results using a multiple-beam-interference recursive method presented good consistency with experimental measurements with regard to the optical reflective spectra of AlN–TiN multilayer thin film samples.
Nonredundant Function of Soluble LTα
3
Produced by Innate Lymphoid Cells in Intestinal Homeostasis
Authors: Kruglov Andrey A. , Grivennikov Sergei I. , Kuprash Dmitry V. , Winsauer Caroline , Prepens Sandra , Seleznik Gitta Maria , Eberl Gerard , Littman Dan R. , Heikenwalder Mathias , Tumanov Alexei V. , Nedospasov Sergei A.
Published: December 2013

Command and Control

Innate lymphoid cells are vital for the development of gut-associated lymphoid tissues, maintenance of the epithelial barrier, and protection against intestinal microbes; their dysfunction can promote immune pathology. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) production is important for maintenance of the gut epithelial barrier and the composition of the gut microbiota. Through the generation of knockout mouse models,

Kruglov
et al.

(p.
1243
) were able to distinguish how soluble and membrane-bound lymphotoxins expressed by innate lymphoid cells in the gut specifically regulate IgA production and thereby control gut microbiota composition.
Low Coseismic Shear Stress on the Tohoku-Oki Megathrust Determined from Laboratory Experiments
Authors: Ujiie Kohtaro , Tanaka Hanae , Saito Tsubasa , Tsutsumi Akito , Mori James J. , Kameda Jun , Brodsky Emily E. , Chester Frederick M. , Eguchi Nobuhisa , Toczko Sean ,   Expedition 343 and 343T Scientists
Published: December 2013

Deep Drilling for Earthquake Clues

The 2011
M
w
9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami were remarkable in many regards, including the rupturing of shallow trench sediments with huge associated slip (see the Perspective by

Wang and Kinoshita

). The Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project rapid response drilling expedition sought to sample and monitor the fault zone directly through a series of boreholes.

Chester
et al.

(p.
1208
) describe the structure and composition of the thin fault zone, which is predominately comprised of weak clay-rich sediments. Using these same fault-zone materials,

Ujiie
et al.

(p.
1211
) performed high-velocity frictional experiments to determine the physical controls on the large slip that occurred during the earthquake. Finally,

Fulton
et al.

(p.
1214
) measured in situ temperature anomalies across the fault zone for 9 months, establishing a baseline for frictional resistance and stress during and following the earthquake.
HCF-1 Is Cleaved in the Active Site of O-GlcNAc Transferase
Authors: Lazarus Michael B. , Jiang Jiaoyang , Kapuria Vaibhav , Bhuiyan Tanja , Janetzko John , Zandberg Wesley F. , Vocadlo David J. , Herr Winship , Walker Suzanne
Published: December 2013

Dual-Duty Active Site

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) catalyzes the addition of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNac) to serine or threonine residues, influencing the localization and function of proteins. Because its activity is sensitive to the nutrient uridine diphosphate (UDP)–GlcNac, OGT has been proposed to regulate cellular responses to nutrient status. Recently, OGT in the presence of UDP-GlcNac was shown to cleave host cell factor–1 (HCF-1), a transcriptional coregulator of human cell-cycle progression. This cleavage is required for HCF-1 maturation. Through a combination of structural, biochemical, and mutagenesis studies,

Lazarus
et al.

(p.
1235
) show that both cleavage and glycosylation of HCF-1 occur in the OGT active site. Cleavage occurs between cysteine and glutamine and converts the glutamine into a serine which can then be glycosylated.
Do T Cells Have a Cilium?
Authors: Le Borgne Marie , Shaw Andrey S.
Published: December 2013

The T cell immunological synapse may function as a surrogate cilium.
Minimal Residual Disease Monitoring with High-Throughput Sequencing of T Cell Receptors in Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Weng Wen-Kai , Armstrong Randall , Arai Sally , Desmarais Cindy , Hoppe Richard , Kim Youn H.
Published: December 2013

TCRB high-throughput sequencing can monitor response to therapy in a skin lymphoma patient population.
Point-of-Care System for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Rifampin Resistance in Sputum Samples
Authors: Castan Pablo , de Pablo Alicia , Fernández-Romero Natalia , Rubio José Miguel , Cobb Benjamin D. , Mingorance Jesús , Toro Carlos
Published: December 2013

Early detection of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex (MTBC) and markers conveying drug resistance can have a beneficial impact on preventive public health actions. We describe here a new molecular point-of-care (POC) system, the Genedrive, which is based on simple sample preparation combined with PCR to detect MTBC and simultaneously detect mutation markers in the
rpoB
gene directly from raw sputum sample. Hybridization probes were used to detect the presence of the key mutations in codons 516, 526, and 531 of the
rpoB
gene. The sensitivities for MTBC and
rpoB
detection from sputum samples were assessed using model samples spiked with known numbers of bacteria prepared from liquid cultures of
M. tuberculosis
. The overall sensitivities were 90.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81, 96.5) for MTBC detection and 72.3% (95% CI, 59.8, 82.7) for
rpoB
detection. For samples containing ≥1,000 CFU/ml, the sensitivities were 100% for MTBC and 85.7% for
rpoB
detection, while for samples containing ≤100 CFU/ml, the sensitivities were 86.4% and 65.9% for MTBC and
rpoB
detection, respectively. The specificity was shown to be 100% (95% CI, 83.2, 100) for MTBC and
rpoB
. The clinical sputum samples were processed using the same protocol and showed good concordance with the data generated from the model. Tuberculosis-infected subjects with smear samples assessed as scanty or negative were detectable by the Genedrive system. In these paucibacillary patients, the performance of the Genedrive system was comparable to that of the GeneXpert assay. The characteristics of the Genedrive platform make it particularly useful for detecting MTBC and rifampin resistance in low-resource settings and for reducing the burden of tuberculosis disease.
PCP: thinking beyond HIV
Authors: Gonzalez-Estrada Alexei , Fernandez James
Published: December 2013

A 40-year-old man with a previous AIDS-defining opportunistic infection and five negative HIV tests presented to our outpatient clinic. The laboratory test was relevant for less than 300 total lymphocytes on two separate occasions. He was diagnosed with idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia and was started on antibiotic prophylaxis forPneumocystis cariniipneumonia andMicobacterium avium-intracellulareinfection (MAI). This case report summarises the importance of further immunological characterisation in patients presenting with opportunistic infections and decreased cellular immunity.
Spontaneous pneumothorax as manifestation of Marfan syndrome
Authors: Viveiro Carolina , Rocha Patricia , Carvalho Cristiana , Zarcos Maria Manuel
Published: December 2013

The authors describe a 16-year-old boy, previously healthy, who was admitted to our hospital for left-sided spontaneous pneumothorax. On physical examination he presented with marfanoid habitus. Pneumothorax was managed conservatively with resolution. Four months later he had a recurrence of left-sided pneumothorax and 1 week after that he presented with contralateral pneumothorax. He underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery twice for bullectomy and pleurodesis. No further recurrence was stated. Additional investigation showed a prolapsed cardiac mitral valve and Marfan syndrome was confirmed genetically.
Copper-catalyzed oxidative trimerization of indoles by using TEMPO to construct quaternary carbon centers: the synthesis of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2,3′-biindolin-3-ones
Authors: Kong Yu-Bo , Zhu Jia-Yi , Chen Zheng-Wang , Liu Liang-Xian
Published: December 2013

A simple, convenient, and efficient synthesis of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2,3′-biindolin-3-one derivatives has been developed by the oxidative trimeric reaction of indoles using the TEMPO/CuCl2 catalyst system under ambient air. This methodology provides an alternative approach for the direct generation of all-carbon quaternary centers at the C-2 position of indoles.
Convective laser filamentation instability in magnetized plasma
Authors: Bawa’aneh M.S. , Assayed Ghada , Said M.R. , Al-Awfi S.
Published: December 2013

The convective amplification of filamentation instability (FI) of electromagnetic waves traveling along the density ramp of a magnetized plasma is investigated. The generalized amplification factor of the instability in the presence of a DC–magnetic field is derived by obtaining the governing equations of the instability and using the slow-coupling technique to obtain an analytical expression for the amplification factor in weakly magnetized plasma. The result shows enhancement of the convective FI gain by the magnetic field, where the enhancement is stronger for lower equilibrium plasma density values.
A LINKING NUMBER DEFINITION OF THE AFFINE INDEX POLYNOMIAL AND APPLICATIONS
Authors: FOLWACZNY LENA C. , KAUFFMAN LOUIS H.
Published: December 2013

This paper gives an alternate definition of the Affine Index Polynomial (called the Wriggle Polynomial) using virtual linking numbers and explores applications of this polynomial. In particular, it proves the Cosmetic Crossing Change Conjecture for odd virtual knots and pure virtual knots. It also demonstrates that the polynomial can detect mutations by positive rotation and proves it cannot detect mutations by positive reflection. Finally it exhibits a pair of mutant knots that can be distinguished by a type 2 vassiliev invariant coming from the polynomial.
MAPPING THE PERCEPTION AND REALITY OF OPEN INNOVATION
Authors: DĄBROWSKA JUSTYNA , FIEGENBAUM IRINA , KUTVONEN ANTERO
Published: December 2013

Open innovation holds great potential for improving the efficiency of companies' innovation processes, but also presents substantial risks. A key issue in innovation management is finding the right balance of openness, i.e., determining how open companies should be in their innovation activities. However, academics and business practitioners hold conflicting notions of what constitutes open innovation practice and of how "open innovation companies" are defined. In this paper, we present three in-depth case studies of global R&D-intensive companies, where we find that the firms' perception of their openness differs from their actual situation (as determined by the innovation practices that they apply), and that each company has a different view as to what constitutes open innovation. We claim that resolving conceptual ambiguity and differentiating between openness (as a philosophical aspect) and open innovation (as a way of structuring the innovation process) in research is critical in order to clarify the current state of open innovation research and enable the communication of results to practitioners.
BIOPHARMACEUTICAL ALLIANCES AND COMPETITION: A REAL OPTIONS GAMES APPROACH
Authors: NIGRO GIOVANNA LO , MORREALE AZZURRA , ROBBA SERENA , ROMA PAOLO
Published: December 2013

The competitive landscape where pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies operate has changed radically due to a scientific/technological progress that has revolutionised the process by which drugs are developed. In fact, pharmaceutical industry more and more relies on advances in biochemistry and molecular biology. As a consequence, the number of partnerships between pharmaceutical and biotech firms has grown significantly. Research contributions addressing the biopharmaceutical alliances design have also focused on the optimal timing to sign a partnership. In this paper, we introduce and analyse the effect of competition in biotechnology industry by modelling the decisions of whether and when ally with a pharmaceutical company through a real options game. We find that the timing decisions depend on the level of the competition, synergies obtained through the alliance and contract terms offered by the pharmaceutical company as well. Also, we show that the first mover might not always pre-empt the follower in partnering with the pharmaceutical company.
Crustal evolution, intra-cratonic architecture and the metallogeny of an Archaean craton
Authors: Mole D. R. , Fiorentini M. L. , Cassidy K. F. , Kirkland C. L. , Thebaud N. , McCuaig T. C. , Doublier M. P. , Duuring P. , Romano S. S. , Maas R. , Belousova E. A. , Barnes S. J. , Miller J.
Published: December 2013

The generation of the Earth's continental crust modified the composition of the mantle and provided a stable, buoyant reservoir capable of capturing mantle material and ultimately preserving ore deposits. Within the continental crust, lithospheric architecture and associated cratonic margins are a first-order control on camp-scale mineralization. Here we show that the evolving crustal architecture of the Archaean Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, played a key role in controlling the localization of camp-scale gold, iron and nickel mineralized systems. The age and source characteristics of Archaean lithosphere are heterogeneous in both space and time and are recorded by the varying Nd isotopic signature of crustal rocks. Spatial and temporal variations in isotopic character document the evolution of an intra-cratonic architecture through time, and in doing so map transient lithospheric discontinuities where gold, nickel and iron mineral systems were concentrated. Komatiite-hosted nickel deposits cluster into camps localized within young, juvenile crust at the isotopic margin with older lithosphere; orogenic gold systems are typically localized along major structures within juvenile crust; and banded iron formation (BIF)-hosted iron deposits are localized at the edge of, and within, older lithospheric blocks. Furthermore, this work shows that crustal evolution plays an important role in the development and localization of favourable sources of nickel, gold and iron by controlling the occurrence of thick BIFs, ultramafic lavas and fertile (juvenile) crust, respectively. Fundamentally, this study demonstrates that the lithospheric architecture of a craton can be effectively imaged by isotopic techniques and used to identify regions prospective for camp-scale mineralization.
Logical relations for a logical framework
Authors: Rabe Florian , Sojakova Kristina
Published: December 2013

Logical relations are a central concept used to study various higher-order type theories and occur frequently in the proofs of a wide variety of meta-theorems. Besides extending the logical relation principle to more general languages, an important research question has been how to represent and thus verify logical relation arguments in logical frameworks.

We formulate a theory of logical relations for Dependent Type Theory (DTT) with β η-equality which guarantees that any valid logical relation satisfies the Basic Lemma. Our definition is syntactic and reflective in the sense that a relation at a type is represented as a DTT type family but also permits expressing certain semantic definitions. We use the Edinburgh Logical Framework (LF) incarnation of DTT and implement our notion of logical relations in the type-checker Twelf. This enables us to formalize and mechanically decide the validity of logical relation arguments. Furthermore, our implementation includes a module system so that logical relations can be built modularly. We validate our approach by formalizing and verifying several syntactic and semantic meta-theorems in Twelf. Moreover, we show how object languages encoded in DTT can inherit a notion of logical relation from the logical framework.
Energy-sensitive regulation of Na+/K+-ATPase by Janus kinase 2
Authors: Bhavsar Shefalee K. , Hosseinzadeh Zohreh , Brenner Dirk , Honisch Sabina , Jilani Kashif , Liu GuoXing , Szteyn Kalina , Sopjani Mentor , Mak Tak W. , Shumilina Ekaterina , Lang Florian
Published: December 2013

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) contributes to intracellular signaling of leptin and erythropoietin, hormones protecting cells during energy depletion. The present study explores whether JAK2 is activated by energy depletion and regulates Na+/K+-ATPase, the major energy-consuming pump. In Jurkat cells, JAK2 activity was determined by radioactive kinase assay, phosphorylated JAK2 detected by Western blotting, ATP levels measured by luciferase assay, as well as Na+/K+-ATPase α1-subunit transcript and protein abundance determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Ouabain-sensitive K+-induced currents ( Ipump) were measured by whole cell patch clamp. Ipump was further determined by dual-electrode voltage clamp in Xenopus oocytes injected with cRNA-encoding JAK2, active V617FJAK2, or inactive K882EJAK2. As a result, in Jurkat T cells, JAK2 activity significantly increased following energy depletion by sodium azide (NaN3) or 2,4- dinitro phenol (DNP). DNP- and NaN3-induced decrease of cellular ATP was significantly augmented by JAK2 inhibitor AG490 and blunted by Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor ouabain. DNP decreased and AG490 enhanced Ipump as well as Na+/K+-ATPase α1-subunit transcript and protein abundance. The α1-subunit transcript levels were also enhanced by signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 inhibitor CAS 285986-31-4. In Xenopus oocytes, Ipump was significantly decreased by expression of JAK2 and V617FJAK2 but not of K882EJAK2, effects again reversed by AG490. In V617FJAK2-expressing Xenopus oocytes, neither DNP nor NaN3 resulted in further decline of Ipump. In Xenopus oocytes, the effect of V617FJAK2 on Ipump was not prevented by inhibition of transcription with actinomycin. In conclusion, JAK2 is a novel energy-sensing kinase that curtails energy consumption by downregulating Na+/K+-ATPase expression and activity.
Tolvaptan as a tool in renal physiology
Authors: Miranda Carlos A. , Lee Jae Wook , Chou Chung-Lin , Knepper Mark A.
Published: December 2013

For decades, the Brattleboro rat has been a useful model in kidney physiology. These animals manifest central diabetes insipidus (lack of circulating vasopressin) due to a mutation in the vasopressin-neurophysin gene. V2 receptor-mediated vasopressin actions in the kidney can be assessed in these animals by infusing the V2-selective vasopressin analog 1-desamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP). However, the major commercial supplier in the United States has ceased production, creating the need for another reliable experimental model of V2 receptor-mediated vasopressin action in rodents. We designed an in vivo protocol to investigate vasopressin responses in the rat kidney using osmotic minipumps loaded with tolvaptan, a nonpeptide competitive inhibitor of the vasopressin V2 receptor. Tolvaptan-infused rats had a mean urinary osmolality of <300 vs. >2,000 mosmol/kgH2O in vehicle-infused rats. The tolvaptan infusion produced large decreases in the renal abundance of aquaporin-2 (AQP2), aquaporin-3 (AQP3), the β-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (β-ENaC), and γ-ENaC that were comparable to the differences seen in vehicle-infused vs. vasopressin-infused Brattleboro rats. Thus we conclude that tolvaptan infusion in rats provides an additional model (besides dDAVP-infusion in the Brattleboro rat) for the assessment of V2 receptor-mediated vasopressin actions in the kidney. We also provide ancillary in vitro data in rat inner-medullary-collecting-duct suspensions showing that tolvaptan can block vasopressin's effects on phosphorylation of the water channel AQP2 in vitro. Specifically, tolvaptan almost completely inhibited the ability of vasopressin to increase AQP2 phosphorylation at Ser256, Ser264, and Ser269, while strongly inhibiting a vasopressin-induced decrease in AQP2 phosphorylation at Ser261.
The Increasing Interest of ANAMMOX Research in China: Bacteria, Process Development, and Application
Authors: Ali Mohammad , Chai Li-Yuan , Tang Chong-Jian , Zheng Ping , Min Xiao-Bo , Yang Zhi-Hui , Xiong Lei , Song Yu-Xia
Published: December 2013

Nitrogen pollution created severe environmental problems and increasingly has become an important issue in China. Since the first discovery of ANAMMOX in the early 1990s, this related technology has become a promising as well as sustainable bioprocess for treating strong nitrogenous wastewater. Many Chinese research groups have concentrated their efforts on the ANAMMOX research including bacteria, process development, and application during the past 20 years. A series of new and outstanding outcomes including the discovery of new ANAMMOX bacterial species (Brocadia sinica), sulfate-dependent ANAMMOX bacteria (Anammoxoglobus sulfate andBacillus benzoevorans), and the highest nitrogen removal performance (74.3–76.7 kg-N/m3/d) in lab scale granule-based UASB reactors around the world were achieved. The characteristics, structure, packing pattern and floatation mechanism of the high-rate ANAMMOX granules in ANAMMOX reactors were also carefully illustrated by native researchers. Nowadays, some pilot and full-scale ANAMMOX reactors were constructed to treat different types of ammonium-rich wastewater including monosodium glutamate wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater, and leachate. The prime objective of the present review is to elucidate the ongoing ANAMMOX research in China from lab scale to full scale applications, comparative analysis, and evaluation of significant findings and to set a design to usher ANAMMOX research in culmination.
A Mathematical Model with Pulse Effect for Three Populations of the Giant Panda and Two Kinds of Bamboo
Authors: Shi Xiang-yun , Song Guo-hua
Published: December 2013

A mathematical model for the relationship between the populations of giant pandas and two kinds of bamboo is established. We use the impulsive perturbations to take into account the effect of a sudden collapse of bamboo as a food source. We show that this system is uniformly bounded. Using the Floquet theory and comparison techniques of impulsive equations, we find conditions for the local and global stabilities of the giant panda‐free periodic solution. Moreover, we obtain sufficient conditions for the system to be permanent. The results provide a theoretical basis for giant panda habitat protection.
Active Object Recognition with a Space-Variant Retina
Authors: Kanan Christopher
Published: December 2013

When independent component analysis (ICA) is applied to color natural images, the representation it learns has
spatiochromatic properties similar to the responses of neurons in primary visual cortex. Existing models of ICA
have only been applied to pixel patches. This does not take into account the space-variant nature of human vision.
To address this, we use the space-variant log-polar transformation to acquire samples from color natural images,
and then we apply ICA to the acquired samples. We analyze the spatiochromatic properties of the learned
ICA filters. Qualitatively, the model matches the receptive field properties of neurons in primary visual cortex, including
exhibiting the same opponent-color structure and a higher density of receptive fields in the foveal region
compared to the periphery. We also adopt the “self-taught learning” paradigm from machine learning to assess the
model’s efficacy at active object and face classification, and the model is competitive with the best approaches in computer vision.
On a Class of Solvable Difference Equations
Authors: Stević Stevo , Alghamdi Mohammed A. , Shahzad Naseer , Maturi Dalal A.
Published: December 2013

A class of difference equations which can be solved in closed form is presented in this paper. Obtained formulas for the solutions are used in the study of the asymptotic behavior of their solutions in a particular case.
Apicotomy as Treatment for Failure of Orthodontic Traction
Authors: Osório Leandro Berni , Ferrazzo Vilmar Antonio , Serpa Geraldo , Ferrazzo Kívia Linhares
Published: December 2013

Objective.The purpose of this study was to present a case report that demonstrated primary failure in a tooth traction that was subsequently treated with apicotomy technique.Case Report.A 10-year-old girl had an impacted upper right canine with increased pericoronal space, which was apparent on a radiographic image. The right maxillary sinus showed an opacity suggesting sinusitis. The presumptive diagnosis was dentigerous cyst associated with maxillary sinus infection. The plan for treatment included treatment of the sinus infection and cystic lesion and orthodontic traction of the canine after surgical exposure and bonding of an orthodontic appliance. The surgical procedure, canine position, root dilaceration, and probably apical ankylosis acted in the primary failure of the orthodontic traction. Surgical apical cut of the displaced teeth was performed, and tooth position in the dental arch was possible, with a positive response to the pulp vitality test.Conclusion.Apicotomy is an effective technique to treat severe canine displacement and primary orthodontic traction failure of palatally displaced canines.
Baseline Obesity Status Modifies Effectiveness of Adapted Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Interventions for Weight Management in Primary Care
Authors: Azar Kristen M. J. , Xiao Lan , Ma Jun
Published: December 2013

Objective. To examine whether baseline obesity severity modifies the effects of two different, primary care-based, technology-enhanced lifestyle interventions among overweight or obese adults with prediabetes and/or metabolic syndrome.Patients and Methods. We compared mean differences in changes from baseline to 15 months in clinical measures of general and central obesity among participants randomized to usual care alone (n=81) or usual care plus a coach-led group (n=79) or self-directed individual (n=81) intervention, stratified by baseline body mass index (BMI) category.Results. Participants with baseline BMI35+had greater reductions in mean BMI, body weight (as percentage change), and waist circumference in the coach-led group intervention, compared to usual care and the self-directed individual intervention (P<0.05for all). In contrast, the self-directed intervention was more effective than usual care only among participants with baseline BMIs between25≤35. Mean weight loss exceeded 5% in the coach-led intervention regardless of baseline BMI category, but this was achieved only among self-directed intervention participants with baseline BMIs<35.Conclusions. Baseline BMI may influence behavioral weight-loss treatment effectiveness. Researchers and clinicians should take an individual’s baseline BMI into account when developing or recommending lifestyle focused treatment strategy. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.govNCT00842426.
A Reliable Transport Protocol with Prediction Mechanism for Urgent Information in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Wei Zhenchun , Feng Lin , Han Jianghong , Xu Xiangwei , Peng Hao
Published: December 2013

A reliable transport protocol with prediction mechanism for urgent information (PMUI) in WSNs is proposed. With PMUI, which is based on RTP-UI, the congestion control mechanism is improved, and the priority control and prediction mechanisms are adopted by taking the current queue length with change rate and expected queue length with remaining length together into consideration. The congestion status of current queue is analyzed and the changing trend of the next cycle of the queue is predicted as well. In order to evaluate the degree of congestion, state machine is adopted. Working states of WSNs are classified into eight states in accordance with different degrees of congestion. According to the change rate of a queue and the expected change rate of a queue, different rate adjustment mechanisms and bandwidth allocation schemes based on different working states are developed. Simulation results show that PMUI is lower than RTP-UI in both packet loss rate and the average delay for reliable transmission of urgent information.
Possible Influence of the Cultivated Land Reclamation on Surface Climate in India: A WRF Model Based Simulation
Authors: Qu Yi , Wu Feng , Yan Haiming , Shu Bangrong , Deng Xiangzheng
Published: December 2013

Land use/cover change (LUCC) has become one of the most important factors for the global climate change. As one of the major types of LUCC, cultivated land reclamation also has impacts on regional climate change. Most of the previous studies focused on the correlation and simulation analysis of historical LUCC and climate change, with few explorations for the impacts of future LUCC on regional climate, especially impacts of the cultivated land reclamation. This study used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to forecast the changes of energy flux and temperature based on the future cultivated land reclamation in India and then analyzed the impacts of cultivated land reclamation on climate change. The results show that cultivated land reclamation will lead to a large amount of land conversions, which will overall result in the increase in latent heat flux of regional surface as well as the decrease in sensible heat flux and further lead to changes of regional average temperature. Furthermore, the impact on climate change is seasonally different. The cultivated land reclamation mainly leads to a temperature decrease in the summer, while it leads to a temperature increase in the winter.
Melatonin Improves Outcomes of Heatstroke in Mice by Reducing Brain Inflammation and Oxidative Damage and Multiple Organ Dysfunction
Authors: Tian Yu-Feng , Lin Cheng-Hsien , Hsu Shu-Fen , Lin Mao-Tsun
Published: December 2013

We report here that when untreated mice underwent heat stress, they displayed thermoregulatory deficit (e.g., animals display hypothermia during room temperature exposure), brain (or hypothalamic) inflammation, ischemia, oxidative damage, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis impairment (e.g., decreased plasma levels of both adrenocorticotrophic hormone and corticosterone during heat stress), multiple organ dysfunction or failure, and lethality. Melatonin therapy significantly reduced the thermoregulatory deficit, brain inflammation, ischemia, oxidative damage, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis impairment, multiple organ dysfunction, and lethality caused by heat stroke. Our data indicate that melatonin may improve outcomes of heat stroke by reducing brain inflammation, oxidative damage, and multiple organ dysfunction.