bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1-Methylcyclopropene affects the shelf-life quality of controlled atmosphere stored ‘Cold Snap™’ pears
Authors: Flaherty Edward J. , DeEll Jennifer R. , Shelp Barry J. , Bozzo Gale G.
Published: August 2018

1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and a controlled atmosphere (CA; elevated CO2 and low O2 partial pressures) preserve the overall quality of ‘Cold Snap™’ pears during low temperature storage, including minimizing physiological disorders. In two separate years, we determined the impact of 1-MCP (0 or 300 nL L−1), pre-storage conditioning (0, 3, or 7 d at 3 °C), and CA (18 or 2.5 kPa O2, and 2 kPa CO2) on the shelf-life quality of ‘Cold Snap™’ pears following their removal from storage at 0 °C. In both years, 1-MCP effectively reduced rates of ethylene production and limited peel yellowing and fruit softening following the transfer of stored ‘Cold Snap™’ pears to ambient conditions for up to 14 d, regardless of pre-storage conditioning and CA regimen. Moreover, 1-MCP-treated fruit stored under 2.5 kPa O2/2 kPa CO2 developed lower incidences of senescent scald, regardless of the pre-storage conditioning period. In year one, this treatment combination also limited internal breakdown and internal cavity development, whereas the incidence of internal cavities was highest in 1-MCP-treated fruit in year two, regardless of pre-storage conditioning period, O2 partial pressure in the storage atmosphere, and shelf-life duration. Principal component analysis revealed that the occurrence of senescent scald and internal breakdown in ‘Cold Snap™’ pears were associated with high rates of ethylene production, peel yellowing, and softening. Similarly, internal cavity development was correlated with most ripening attributes, although the link with fruit softening was inconsistent across both years of the study.
Temperature, wind, vegetation, and roads influence incubation patterns of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) in the Nebraska Sandhills, USA
Authors: Hoppe Ian R. , Harrison Jocelyn O. , Raynor IV Edward J. , Bomberger Brown Mary , Powell Larkin A. , Tyre Andrew J.
Published: August 2018

Avian incubation involves behavioral decisions that must balance trade-offs between the incubating bird’s survival and current and future reproductive success. We evaluated variation in incubation off-bout duration and frequency among Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus (Brewster, 1885)) in the Nebraska Sandhills, USA. Greater Prairie-Chicken life history favors incubation behaviors that prioritize success of the current breeding attempt over adult survival. Previous observations suggest incubating females make these behavioral decisions based on ambient temperature conditions, their own body condition, and predation risk. We monitored nest attendance by females at 30 Greater Prairie-Chicken nests to identify proximate cues used to make behavioral decisions regarding incubation. We recorded 930 incubation off-bouts. Females took 1.9 ± 0.7 off-bouts/day (mean ± SD), each with a mean (±SD) duration of 43.3 ± 24.1 min. Off-bouts were shorter in duration at higher wind speeds, at lower ambient temperatures, at nests with less cover, and at nests closer to roads. Females were most likely to leave the nest during mid-morning and evening, as are most gallinaceous birds, and incubation off-bouts became less frequent later in the season. We did not observe differences in incubation behavior between nests that failed and those that successfully hatched one or more chicks.
Analyses of multi-bandgap property of a locally resonant plate composed of periodic resonant subsystems
Authors: Qin Qi , Sheng Mei-Ping
Published: August 2018

A locally resonant (LR) plate made up of a thin plate attached with different types of resonators is analyzed in this paper. Each periodic element may consist of one or more spring-mass resonators attached onto one and the same surface of the plate lattice. The correctness of theoretical plane wave expansion (PWE) method adopted in this paper is validated through the comparisons with the classical theory and finite element method (FEM). When composing the LR plate system with two types of periodic resonant subsystems, there will appear two complete bandgaps, while other additional resonators may cause mainly directional gaps, calculated theoretically and numerically. From the comparisons of band-structure curves between a two-resonator-per-unit-element (TR-UE) system and both corresponding one-resonator-per-unit-element (OR-UE) systems, the bandgap width of the TR-UE system are not stacking effects of two OR-UE systems due to resonance interaction of different types of resonators. Moreover, via the deformation contours by FEM, the correspondence between the vibration modes of subsystems and the bandgap frequencies is demonstrated. The finite plate with limited resonators of two periodic types of parameters is modeled to show visually how flexural waves propagate within/without the bandgaps. Further, by adjusting the damping characteristic of both types of resonators, vibration attenuation band can be broadened widely.
Design and Reliability Evaluation of Gamma-Minus Interconnection Network
Authors: Gupta S. , Pahuja G. L.
Published: August 2018

Gamma Interconnection Network (GIN) is characterized as Redundant Multistage Interconnection Network (MIN) which is considered as a potential candidate for use in broadband communications. Several advancements have been made to improve Reliability indices such as Terminal Reliability (TR), Broadcast Reliability (BR) and Network Reliability (NR) of these networks. But inspite of these advancements, there are certain issues which are yet to be explored such as Complexity, Cost, Number of disjoint paths on presumption that source/destination are failure free. Most of the work done in the literature addresses TR only and less work has been done on analysis of BR and NR. In literature networks, [Formula: see text] size has been explored and no attention has been paid to bigger network sizes although reliability of bigger size network is important for parallel processing systems. In this paper, existing class of Gamma Networks has been studied extensively and modifications have been proposed in existing Gamma Network which minimizes or resolves most of the limitations mentioned above. The proposed Gamma-Minus Network has more redundant paths than other networks. Proposed Network has been compared with some recently introduced members of this class. The results show that newly proposed Gamma-Minus Network has better reliability with lowest cost and path length and provides disjoint minimal-path set for [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] network size. The routing used in this paper eliminates the backtracking overhead which minimizes transmission delay.
Ring extensions of length two
Authors: Picavet Gabriel , Picavet-L’Hermitte Martine
Published: August 2018

We characterize extensions of commutative rings [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is minimal for each [Formula: see text]-subalgebra [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. This property is equivalent to [Formula: see text] has length 2. Such extensions are either pointwise minimal or simple. We are able to compute the number of subextensions of [Formula: see text]. Besides commutative algebra considerations, our main result uses the concept of principal subfields of a finite separable field extension, which was recently introduced by van Hoeij et al. As a corollary of this paper, we get that simple extensions of length 2 have FIP.
Rising Sino-U.S. Competition in Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Wang You , Chen Dingding
Published: August 2018

Both China and the United States are international leaders in artificial intelligence (AI). Although there remains a significant gap between them in cutting-edge technologies, and they have adopted different methods of planning and implementation, both countries have been mobilizing national resources and formulating policies to promote AI development, so as to achieve a strategic advantage over the other, especially against the backdrop of ever more intense and complicated strategic competition between them in recent years. As an epitome of their changing relationship, Sino-U.S. competition in AI development is manifested in economic, political, security, technological and other fields. It is expected that artificial intelligence will become an even more important field of competition between China and the United States, and that the trends of AI development and competition will to some extent determine the future dynamics of their bilateral relations.
Saphir
Authors: Chenot Jean-Hugues , Laborelli Louis , Noiré Jean-Étienne
Published: August 2018

The goal of optical playback of analogue audio discs records has been pursued since at least 1929. Several different approaches have been demonstrated to work. But in most cases the playback quality is worse than using mechanical playback. The Saphir process uses a specifically designed colour illuminator that exploits the reflective properties of the disc material to highlight subtle changes in orientation of the groove walls, even at highest frequencies (20kHz). A standard colour camera is used to collect rings of pictures from the disc. Audio signal is extracted from the collected pictures automatically, under user control. When colour signal is not useable, track slope can be used as an alternative. The process is slow—several hours per disc—but has a wide range of operation on recorded and printed discs, from earliest Berliner recordings to recent vinyl records, and its strength is at decoding direct-recording lacquer discs. An Elementary Shortest Path Solver with a reward (negative cost) on the number of turns is used to re-connect all the sub-tracks obtained, allowing to reconstruct, with limited human intervention, the correct playback order. We describe the approach and present the main advantages and drawbacks. The process was used to play back a number of extremely damaged (broken, de-laminated…), physically unplayable records.
The Parameterized Complexity of the
k
-Biclique Problem
Authors: Lin Bingkai
Published: August 2018

Given a graph
G
and an integer
k
, the
k
-B
iclique
problem asks whether
G
contains a complete bipartite subgraph with
k
vertices on each side. Whether there is an
f
(
k
) ċ |
G
|

O
(1)

-time algorithm, solving
k
-B
iclique
for some computable function
f
has been a longstanding open problem.

We show that
k
-B
iclique
is
W[1]
-hard, which implies that such an
f
(
k
) ċ |
G
|

O
(1)

-time algorithm does not exist under the hypothesis
W[1]
≠
FPT
from parameterized complexity theory. To prove this result, we give a reduction which, for every
n
-vertex graph
G
and small integer
k
, constructs a bipartite graph
H
= (
L
⊍
R
,
E
) in time polynomial in
n
such that if
G
contains a clique with
k
vertices, then there are
k
(
k
− 1)/2 vertices in
L
with
n

θ(1/
k
)

common neighbors; otherwise, any
k
(
k
− 1)/2 vertices in
L
have at most (
k
+1)! common neighbors. An additional feature of this reduction is that it creates a gap on the right side of the biclique. Such a gap might have further applications in proving hardness of approximation results.

Assuming a randomized version of Exponential Time Hypothesis, we establish an
f
(
k
) ċ |
G
|

o
(√
k
)

-time lower bound for
k
-
Biclique
for any computable function
f
. Combining our result with the work of Bulatov and Marx [2014], we obtain a dichotomy classification of the parameterized complexity of cardinality constraint satisfaction problems.
Protecting Privacy in Trajectories with a User-Centric Approach
Authors: Romero-Tris Cristina , Megías David
Published: August 2018

The increased use of location-aware devices, such as smartphones, generates a large amount of trajectory data. These data can be useful in several domains, like marketing, path modeling, localization of an epidemic focus, and so on. Nevertheless, since trajectory information contains personal mobility data, improper use or publication of trajectory data can threaten users’ privacy. It may reveal sensitive details like habits of behavior, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences. Therefore, many users might be unwilling to share their trajectory data without a previous anonymization process. Currently, several proposals to address this problem can be found in the literature. These solutions focus on anonymizing data before its publication, i.e., when they are already stored in the server database. Nevertheless, we argue that this approach gives the user no control about the information she shares. For this reason, we propose anonymizing data in the users’ mobile devices, before they are sent to a third party. This article extends our previous work which was, to the best of our knowledge, the first one to anonymize data at the client side, allowing users to select the amount and accuracy of shared data. In this article, we describe an improved version of the protocol, and we include the implementation together with an analysis of the results obtained after the simulation with real trajectory data.
LAPPS
Authors: Kayraklioglu Engin , Ferguson Michael P. , El-Ghazawi Tarek
Published: August 2018

Prefetching is a well-known technique to mitigate scalability challenges in the Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) model. It has been studied as either an automated compiler optimization or a manual programmer optimization. Using the PGAS locality awareness, we define a hybrid tradeoff. Specifically, we introduce locality-aware productive prefetching support for PGAS. Our novel, user-driven approach strikes a balance between the ease-of-use of compiler-based automated prefetching and the high performance of the laborious manual prefetching. Our prototype implementation in Chapel shows that significant scalability and performance improvements can be achieved with minimal effort in common applications.
FrauDetector
+
Authors: Ying Josh Jia-Ching , Zhang Ji , Huang Che-Wei , Chen Kuan-Ta , Tseng Vincent S.
Published: August 2018

In recent years, telecommunication fraud has become more rampant internationally with the development of modern technology and global communication. Because of rapid growth in the volume of call logs, the task of fraudulent phone call detection is confronted with big data issues in real-world implementations. Although our previous work,
FrauDetector
, addressed this problem and achieved some promising results, it can be further enhanced because it focuses only on fraud detection accuracy, whereas the efficiency and scalability are not top priorities. Other known approaches for fraudulent call number detection suffer from long training times or cannot accurately detect fraudulent phone calls in real time. However, the learning process of
FrauDetector
is too time-consuming to support real-world application. Although we have attempted to accelerate the the learning process of
FrauDetector
by parallelization, the parallelized learning process, namely
PFrauDetector
, still cannot afford the computing cost. In this article, we propose a highly efficient incremental graph-mining-based fraudulent phone call detection approach, namely
FrauDetector
+
, which can automatically label fraudulent phone numbers with a “fraud” tag a crucial prerequisite for distinguishing fraudulent phone call numbers from nonfraudulent ones.
FrauDetector
+
initially generates smaller, more manageable subnetworks from original graph and performs a parallelized weighted HITS algorithm for a significant speed increase in the graph learning module. It adopts a novel aggregation approach to generate a trust (or experience) value for each phone number (or user) based on their respective local values. After the initial procedure, we can incrementally update the trust (or experience) value for each phone number (or user) while a new fraud phone number is identified. An efficient fraud-centric hash structure is constructed to support fast real-time detection of fraudulent phone numbers in the detection module. We conduct a comprehensive experimental study based on real datasets collected through an antifraud mobile application called
Whoscall
. The results demonstrate a significantly improved efficiency of our approach compared with
FrauDetector
as well as superior performance against other major classifier-based methods.
Algorithm/Architecture Co-Design for Near-Memory Processing
Authors: Drumond Mario , Daglis Alexandros , Mirzadeh Nooshin , Ustiugov Dmitrii , Picorel Javier , Falsafi Babak , Grot Boris , Pnevmatikatos Dionisios
Published: August 2018

With mainstream technologies to couple logic tightly with memory on the horizon, near-memory processing has re-emerged as a promising approach to improving performance and energy for data-centric computing. DRAM, however, is primarily designed for density and low cost, with a rigid internal organization that favors coarse-grain streaming rather than byte-level random access. This paper makes the case that treating DRAM as a block-oriented streaming device yields significant efficiency and performance benefits, which motivate for algorithm/architecture co-design to favor streaming access patterns, even at the price of a higher order algorithmic complexity. We present the Mondrian Data Engine that drastically improves the runtime and energy efficiency of basic in-memory analytic operators, despite doing more work as compared to traditional CPU-optimized algorithms, which heavily rely on random accesses and deep cache hierarchies
Exhaled NO reference limits in a large population-based sample using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma method
Authors: Jacinto Tiago , Amaral Rita , Malinovschi Andrei , Janson Christer , Fonseca João , Alving Kjell
Published: August 2018

Absolute values are used in the interpretation of the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), but it has been suggested that equations to calculate reference values may be a practical and clinically useful approach. We hypothesize that the application of the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) method may improve FeNO reference equations and their interpretation. Our aims were to develop FeNO reference equations with the LMS method and to describe the difference between this method and the absolute fixed cut-offs of the current recommendations. We utilized the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007–2012 and included healthy individuals with no respiratory diseases and blood eosinophils <300/mm3 ( n = 8,340). Natural log-transformed FeNO was modeled using the LMS method, imbedded in the generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape models. A set of FeNO reference equations was developed. The explanatory variables were sex, age, height, smoking habits, and race/ethnicity. A significant proportion of individuals with normal FeNO given by the equations were classified as having intermediate levels by the current recommendations. Further lower predicted FeNO compared with previous linear models was seen. In conclusion, we suggest a novel model for the prediction of reference FeNO values that can contribute to the interpretation of FeNO in clinical practice. This approach should be further validated in large samples with an objective measurement of atopy and a medical diagnosis of asthma and rhinitis.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Novel reference equations and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)-predicted values to improve interpretation of FeNO in clinical practice are presented. These may increase the accuracy of ruling out airway inflammation in patients with asthma or suspected asthma.
Noninvasive allergic sinus congestion and resolution assessments using microcomputed tomography imaging
Authors: Litvinov Julia , Spear Walter C. , Patrikeev Igor , Motamedi Massoud , Ameredes Bill T.
Published: August 2018

Sinus congestion resultant of allergic rhinosinusitis is associated with development and worsening of asthma and can result in difficulty breathing, headaches, and missed days of school and work. Quantification of sinus congestion is important in the understanding of allergic rhinosinusitis and the development of new drugs for its treatment. Noninvasive microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) was investigated in a guinea pig model of allergic rhinosinusitis to determine its utility to determine accurately the degree of sinus congestion and resolution with anti-inflammatory drug administration. Three-dimensional sinus air-space volume, two-dimensional sinus width, sinus image air-space area, and sinus image sinus perimeter were measured in guinea pigs administered ragweed pollen (RWP), intranasally (i.n.), followed by administration of fluticasone, i.n. To determine their relative accuracy in assessing sinus congestion, the micro-CT image results were compared with the “gold-standard” method of sinus fluid fill-volume (SFFV) measurements. As measured by SFFV method, RWP increased sinus congestion in a RWP concentration-dependent fashion, approaching near-total sinus blockage with concentrations ≥22 µg of RWP. At this level of congestion, fluticasone (25–100 µg) progressively decreased sinus congestion in a concentration-dependent fashion. The noninvasive micro-CT methods were found to accurately determine the amount of sinus congestion and resolution, with patterns of increases and decreases of congestion that were nearly identical to the SFFV method. We conclude that noninvasive micro-CT measurements of allergic sinus congestion can be useful as an investigative tool in the assessment of congestion intensity and the development of new drug therapies for its treatment.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Allergic rhinosinusitis afflicts significant portions of the world population, resulting in loss of work productivity and decreased quality of life. Thus the development of methodological approaches, which incorporate accurate and reproducible noninvasive assessments of sinus congestion, are desirable. Microcomputed tomography of the guinea pig sinuses offers a noninvasive evaluation tool in an animal model of IgE-dependent allergy similar to that in humans, with potential relevance toward development of therapeutics for human sinus diseases.
Design and Simulation Study of a CNT-Based Multisource Cubical CT System for Dynamic Objects
Authors: Gong Changcheng , Zeng Li , Wang Chengxiang , Ran Lei
Published: August 2018

The purpose of this paper is to design and simulate a new computed tomography (CT) system with a high temporal resolution for dynamic objects. We propose a multisource cubical CT (MCCT) system with X-ray tubes and detectors installed on a cube. Carbon nanotube- (CNT-) based X-ray focal spots are distributed on the twelve edges of the cube. The distribution of X-ray focal spots and detectors completely avoids mechanical movements to scan an object under inspection. CNTs are excellent electron field emitters because the use of a “cold” cathode makes it possible to fabricate a cathode with multiple electron emission points, and the CNT-based X-ray focal spots possess little response time and programmable emission. The proposed rotation-free MCCT system can acquire a high scanning speed when using a high frame rate detector. A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction algorithm with tensor framelet-based L0-norm (TF-L0) minimization is developed for the simulation study of the MCCT. Simulation experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of the MCCT system.
Preclinical Evaluation of Nintedanib, a Triple Angiokinase Inhibitor, in Soft-tissue Sarcoma: Potential Therapeutic Implication for Synovial Sarcoma
Authors: Patwardhan Parag P. , Musi Elgilda , Schwartz Gary K.
Published: August 2018

Sarcomas are rare cancers that make up about 1% of all cancers in adults; however, they occur more commonly among children and young adolescents. Sarcomas are genetically complex and are often difficult to treat given the lack of clinical efficacy of any of the currently available therapies. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) such as c-Kit, c-Met, PDGFR, IGF-1R, as well as FGFR have all been reported to be involved in driving tumor development and progression in adult and pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma. These driver kinases often act as critical determinants of tumor cell proliferation and targeting these signal transduction pathways remains an attractive therapeutic approach. Nintedanib, a potent triple angiokinase inhibitor, targets PDGFR, VEGFR, and FGFR pathways critical for tumor angiogenesis and vasculature. In this study, we evaluated the preclinical efficacy of nintedanib in soft-tissue sarcoma cell lines. Nintedanib treatment resulted in significant antiproliferative effect in vitro in cell lines with high expression of RTK drug targets. Furthermore, treatment with nintedanib showed significant downregulation of downstream phosphorylated AKT and ERK1/2. Finally, treatment with nintedanib resulted in significant tumor growth suppression in mouse xenograft model of synovial sarcoma. Notably, both the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of nintedanib was superior to that of imatinib, another multikinase inhibitor, previously tested with minimal success in clinical trials in sarcoma. Overall, the data from this study provide a strong rationale to warrant further clinical exploration of this drug in patients with synovial sarcoma. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(11); 2329–40. ©2018 AACR.
Distinct Roles For ROCK1 and ROCK2 in the Regulation of Oxldl-Mediated Endothelial Dysfunction
Authors: Huang Lei , Dai Fan , Tang Lian , Bao Xiaofeng , Liu Zhaoguo , Huang Chao , Zhang Ting , Yao Wenjuan
Published: August 2018

Background/Aims: This study used Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) isoform-selective suppression or a ROCK inhibitor to analyze the roles of ROCK1 and ROCK2 in regulating endothelial dysfunction triggered by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Methods: ROCK1 or ROCK2 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was suppressed by small interfering RNA (siRNA). HUVECs were pretreated with 30 μM Y27632 (pan ROCK inhibitor) for 30 min before exposure to 200 μg/mL oxLDL for an additional 24 h. Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay, and cell apoptosis was evaluated by the TUNEL assay. Protein expression and phosphorylation were assessed by Western blot analysis. The morphology of total and phosphorylated vimentin (p-vimentin) and the co-localization of vimentin with vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) were detected by the immunofluorescence assay. The adhesion of promonocytic U937 cells to HUVECs was observed by light microscopy. Results: ROCK2 suppression or Y27632 treatment, rather than ROCK1 deletion, effectively reduced endothelial cell apoptosis and preserved cell survival. ROCK2 suppression exhibited improved vimentin and p-vimentin cytoskeleton stability and decreased vimentin cleavage by attenuating caspase-3 activity. In addition, increased p-vimentin expression induced by oxLDL was significantly inhibited by ROCK2 deletion or Y27632 treatment. In contrast, ROCK1 suppression showed no obvious effects on the vimentin cytoskeleton, but significantly regulated the expression of adhesion molecules. Endothelial ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 expression induced by oxLDL was obviously inhibited by ROCK1 suppression or Y27632 treatment. Moreover, the expression of ICAM-1 induced by oxLDL could also be reduced by ROCK2 suppression. Furthermore, ROCK2 deficiency or Y27632 treatment inhibited the redistribution of adhesion molecules and their co-localization with vimentin caused by oxLDL. These effects resulted in the significant inhibition of monocyte-endothelial adhesion induced by oxLDL. Conclusion: The results of this study support the novel concept that ROCK1 is involved in oxLDL-induced cell adhesion by regulating adhesion molecule expression, whereas ROCK2 is required for both endothelial apoptosis and adhesion by regulating both the vimentin cytoskeleton and adhesion molecules. Consequently, ROCK1 and ROCK2 have distinct roles in the regulation of oxLDL-mediated endothelial dysfunction.
Arctigenin Attenuates Ischemia/Reperfusion Induced Ventricular Arrhythmias by Decreasing Oxidative Stress in Rats
Authors: Yang Jing , Yin Hong-shan , Cao Ya-jing , Jiang Zhi-an , Li Yong-jun , Song Mu-chun , Wang Yong-fei , Wang Zhi-hua , Yang Rong , Jiang Yun-fa , Sun Jin-peng , Liu Bo-yi , Wang Chuan
Published: August 2018

Background/Aims: Arctigenin (ATG) has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, immunemodulatory, anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, vasodilatory and anti-platelet aggregation properties. However, the protective role of ATG in prevention of arrhythmias induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-arrhythmia effect of ATG in an ischemia/reperfusion injured rat heart model and explore the related mechanisms. Methods: Rats were randomly exposed to sham operation, myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion (MI/R) alone, ATG+ MI/R, pretreated with ATG in low (12.5 mg/kg/day), medium (50 mg/kg/day) and high dose (200 mg/kg/day), respectively. Ventricular arrhythmias were assessed. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in myocardial tissue were determined by chemical analysis. Results: Compared to MI/R, rats pretreated with ATG in doses of 50 mg/kg/day and 200 mg/kg/day showed significantly reduced incidence and duration of ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular ectopic beat (VEB), and decreased the arrhythmia score during the 30-min ischemia. Incidence and duration of ventricular tachycardia, infarction size and arrhythmia scores in these groups were significantly decreased during the 120-min reperfusion. No ventricular fibrillation occurred during the period of reperfusion. Rats pretreated with ATG in doses of 50 mg/kg/day and 200 mg/kg/ day markedly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px, reduced the level of MDA. No differences were observed between the group pretreated with a low dose of ATG and the sham group. Administration of ATG significantly increased the expression of antioxidant stress protein Nrf2, Trx1 and Nox1. Conclusion: Our data suggested that ATG plays anti-arrhythmia role in ischemia/reperfusion injury, which is probably associated with attenuating oxidative stress by Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Inhibition of Proteasomal Deubiquitinase by Silver Complex Induces Apoptosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Chen Xin , Yang Qianqian , Chen Jinghong , Zhang Peiquan , Huang Qingtian , Zhang Xiaolan , Yang Li , Xu Dacai , Zhao Chong , Wang Xuejun , Liu Jinbao
Published: August 2018

Background/Aims: The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for the degradation of most intracellular proteins, and proteasomal deubiquitinases (DUBs) have recently been highlighted as novel anticancer targets. It is well documented that copper complexes can inhibit UPS function through targeting both 20S proteasome and proteasomal DUBs. The antineoplastic activities of silver complexes have received much attention, but the exact mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, we aim to investigate the effects of a novel silver complex [Ag(S2CN(C2H5)2)]6 (AgDT) on UPS function and its anticancer potential in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Cell viability assay (i.e., the MTS assay) and flow cytometry assay were used to analyze the cell viability and apoptosis. Proteasome inhibition was measured using 20S proteasome activity assay and 19S proteasomal DUBs activity assay. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect protein levels. The in vivo antitumor activity of AgDT was assessed with nude xenografts. Results: Silver ions, alone or in combination with disulfiram (DSF), induced UPS inhibition in NSCLC cells mainly through inhibition of proteasomal DUBs activities. Silver complex AgDT triggered intracellular accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, and prevented the degradation of surrogate substrate GFPu. Mechanistically, AgDT potently inhibited the activities of proteasomal DUBs USP14 and UCHL5, without altering the 20S proteasome peptidases. Moreover, AgDT induced apoptosis in NSCLC cells and significantly inhibited tumor growth in xenografts. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that silver complex AgDT is a novel metal-based proteasomal DUBs inhibitor, and pharmacologic inhibition of USP14 and UCHL5 could prove to be an effective therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.
O “Moderno Príncipe” Gramsciano: Ética e Política
Authors: Andrade Walter
Published: August 2018

Para Gramsci, o tema da “ética” era sempre uma questão de levar até o fi m o processo de “conhece-te a ti mesmo” iniciado pela modernidade. Essa transformação, numa sociedade de massas, só podia ser tarefa de um sujeito transindividual: o “novo” ou “moderno príncipe”. Este ensaio se dedica a ele, ao modo como Gramsci — um intelectual sempre engajado na luta por uma “nova ordem” — o concebeu. Para tal, está divido em quatro partes. A primeira aborda elementos da “fi losofi a da história” gramsciana e de sua “heterodoxia marxista”, que tende a enxergar muitas fendas de caráter preponderantemente “superestrutural” na maciça estrutura capitalista, em vez de aguardar seu espontâneo curto-circuito econômico. A segundo reconstrói a caracterização do novo príncipe, com base em Maquiavel, Notas sobre o Estado e a Política. A terceira se debruça sobre o papel educativo e “esclarecedor” do homem-coletivo socialista, sobretudo no que toca à educação, à cultura, e ao jornalismo. A quarta discorre sobre a luta do “príncipe” contra as forças que bloqueiam seu desenvolvimento, tanto as tradicionais, herdeiras carcomidas do velho poder senhorial e seu interesse pela dispersão das energias nacionais; como as propriamente modernas: os aparelhos privados de hegemonia, fortalezas e casamatas que resguardam o Estado; suas novíssimas trincheiras ideológicas, oriundas da “americanização” e industrialização da vida etc. Este breve ensaio espera despertar em seus leitores uma centelha daquela empatia quase imediata que se sente logo às primeiras páginas dos Cadernos do cárcere...
Ocultação, desocultação e invenção em Bergson
Authors: Peres Felipe Fernandes
Published: August 2018

Este artigo e ensaio procura mostrar como a filosofia de Bergson pode ser interpretada tanto como uma leitura edificante da natureza do Ser como, por outro lado, uma espécie de ocultação do real, pois ela arroga a si um justo olhar privilegiado, capaz de desvelar a realidade — porém, tal olhar tem problemas em sua fundamentação.
Os Sons e as Coisas
Authors: Garcia Rafael Rodrigues
Published: August 2018

Trata-se de investigar a fundamentação da música no renascimento e a transição para o modelo de música do classicismo a partir dos postulados do estruturalismo. Pretende-se, então, mostrar em que medida a música, entendida como um setor da atividade humana ao qual a razão se volta, acompanha os processos da racionalidade ocidental que se desenvolve ao longo do tempo. Dessa maneira, o recorte que aqui é feito para fundamentar a música renascentista e sua posterior transição para o modelo clássico — ou seja, o advento da modernidade no campo da música — serve também como parâmetro para interpretar a evolução do fenômeno musical que se seguiu até os nossos dias.
A Construção Social das Normas Sociais: Uma Análise Habermasiana
Authors: Almeida Marco Antonio Bettine de
Published: August 2018

Este artigo tem como objetivo explicar as categorias habermasianas sistemas e mundo da vida e ilustrar como essas categorias podem ser aplicadas para interpretar a sociedade contemporânea e a constituição de normas sociais. O referencial habermasiano permite compreender o desenvolvimento de uma norma como parte do processo de complexifi cação social e evolução da sociedade. Concluiu-se que a busca do entendimento mútuo, como norte da Teoria da Ação Comunicativa em Habermas, promove a participação dos sujeitos sociais sem que necessariamente haja a transformação do sistema econômico, já que a legitimidade e a participação popular podem ser conquistadas por meio da construção do ordenamento jurídico, quando os sujeitos sociais estão livres de coerção e buscam o consenso.
Profanções - O Erótico no Ocidente
Authors: Racy Gustavo
Published: August 2018

Segundo Michel Foucault, o sexo é um grande produtor de verdade e falsidade. No Oriente, essa verdade se dá no sexo por meio de arte. No Ocidente, ele vem sendo usado como uma ciência, oposta, pela confissão católica, aos segredos e iniciações da arte erótica oriental. No entanto, há possibilidade de se instaurar essa ciência como um discurso poderoso de busca pela verdade. No caso do sexo, de busca pela verdade do prazer. Giorgio Agamben dá seguimento a essa possibilidade, aliando a Foucault o pensamento de Walter Benjamin, traçando a tarefa política das gerações vindouras como a tarefa de profanar o improfanável, de restituir à vida humana aquilo que nos foi destituído: a possibilidade de busca pelas verdades veladas pelos discursos repressores produtores de verdades e mentiras.
Uma Aproximação Tensional Entre Theodor Adorno e Hannah Arendt: Pensamento e Considerações Morais no Interior do Projeto do Esclarecimento
Authors: Menezes Hélio
Published: August 2018

Ainda que não tenham sido efetivamente interlocutores, entre as idéias e trabalhos de Theodor Adorno e Hannah Arendt podemos estabelecer uma série de pontos de contato e tensão. A crítica adorniana versada sobre a dialética do projeto do Esclarecimento, desdobrada sobre a crítica do sujeito moderno, no qual a capacidade crítica vê-se destruída pelo predomínio da razão instrumental, encontra profundos ecos no significado substantivo da idéia arendtiana de banalidade do mal. É, no fundo, o “escândalo da razão” que impele tanto Arendt quanto Adorno em suas respectivas análises acerca do fenômeno da modernidade.
A Economia Solidária ante a globalização: o caso das moedas sociais
Authors: Fobe Nicole Julie
Published: August 2018

Com o advento da globalização, ocorre o aumento das desigualdades sociais e econômicas, culminando no aparecimento de conglomerados poderosos, como as grandes empresas transnacionais, contrapostos a comunidades empobrecidas e carentes. Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar um caso específico de reação ao fenômeno da globalização: as moedas sociais – aliadas ao fortalecimento dos ideais da Economia Solidária – e relacionar esta iniciativa à inserção do Brasil no cenário econômico internacional.
Rupturas e permanências: o Projeto UNESCO em São Paulo e no Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Teodoro Ailton
Published: August 2018

Partindo de uma leitura das pesquisas sobre as relações raciais no Brasil, financiadas pela UNESCO no início da década de 1950, este trabalho procura mostrar como Florestan Fernandes (1920-1995), Roger Bastide (1898-1974) e Luiz de Aguiar Costa Pinto (1920-2002) desconstruíram a noção de relativa ausência de conflito racial no país, tomando como base para seus estudos as zonas de modernização capitalista, isto é, o eixo São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro.
Deleuze e Proust: tempo, signo e pensamento
Authors: Araújo Leonardo
Published: August 2018

O presente texto expõe uma reconstrução da abordagem do filósofo Gilles Deleuze sobre a obra literária de Marcel Proust. Deleuze encontra no texto de Proust temas fundamentais para sua própria filosofia: o signo, o tempo e o pensamento. O atrelamento desses temas forja uma nova concepção do próprio tempo e, principalmente, uma nova imagem do pensamento: não mais baseada no pressuposto de que o pensamento é algo de natural, e sim de que ele necessita de uma força exterior para se ativar. Deleuze tem como uma das principais questões de sua filosofia (e encontra em Proust um aliado) a pergunta pela gênese do pensamento.
A relação entre pintura e natureza em Alberti
Authors: Mineo Fabrício Behrmann
Published: August 2018

No tratado de Alberti sobre pintura, a ideia de natureza desempenha um papel fundamental. Para Alberti, o pintor deve aprender seu ofício através da observação da natureza. Neste artigo, apresentaremos alguns dos principais movimentos dos dois primeiros livros do Da pintura, tendo em vista a relação entre pintura e natureza. Inicialmente, abordaremos os rudimentos da pintura, com ênfase na perspectiva e considerando a concepção de pintura como janela, desenvolvida por Alberti. Em seguida, trataremos das três partes da pintura e suas relações com a natureza. Nesse ponto, a composição (uma das partes da pintura) aponta para uma noção de beleza que, de certo modo, excede a natureza.
Ritornell and Episodic Composition in Empedocles
Authors: Gheerbrant Xavier
Published: August 2018

Empedocles made use of two typical features of hexameter composition: Ritornellkomposition and episodic composition. By repeating lines in non-linear and non-circular patterns, Empedocles organized the episodes that made up his poem and invited his audience to reconstruct the relationship between them. Differences within repeated lines are not just variations but significant linguistic elements that determine the meaning: whereas the notion of repetition is misleading because it is vague and puts too much emphasis on similitude, a model that combines the notion of Ritornell with that of episodic composition allows us to apprehend more fully the meaning of the poetic organization of the material.
The Complexity of Epic Diction
Authors: Kahane Ahuvia
Published: August 2018

This article offers a revised interpretation of the relationship between form and meaning in Greek epic hexameter diction, binding our understanding of traditional language and idiolects as well as patterns and their exception within a single, systematic approach. The article draws on methodological (and underlying philosophical) principles embedded in contemporary cognitive functional linguistics, usage-based grammar, and the study of language as a complex adaptive system (which emerges from the study of complexity in the sciences). Fundamental to work within these fields in recent decades is the rejection of paradigmatic linguistic approaches (such as traditional Greek and Latin grammar, Saussure and his emphasis on langue, Chomskyan transformations) and the polarities of form and content paradigmatic analysis often assumes. Usage-based linguistics place emphasis on signification and symbolic functions, communicative exchange, and contingent historical evolutionary processes as the primary realities of language and language formation. Grammar is regarded, not as an underlying universal structure, but as an epiphenomenal linguistic symptom. The study of complexity in linguistics expands such perspectives to provide a deep, scientific argument that binds rule-based usage and unpredictable exceptions and anomalies within a single, integrated system. Key elements of these perspectives can be extrapolated already from Milman Parry’s early observations on analogy—even as the full implications of these observations could not have been understood within the historical framework of Parry’s methodology. Various examples from the Iliad and the Odyssey, especially the usage of the formula ton d’ apameibomenos, illustrates the argument for the complexity of epic diction.
Penelope as a Tragic Heroine
Authors: Murnaghan Sheila
Published: August 2018

Attention to the ways in which Homeric epic is shaped by its engagement with choral lyric reveals continuities between epic and tragedy that go beyond tragedy’s mythical subject matter and the characteristics of tragic dialogue: both poetic forms rework the circumstances of choral performance into fictional events. This point can be illustrated through the figure of Penelope in the Odyssey who, like many tragic heroines, is in effect a displaced chorus leader. Penelope’s situation and her relations with her serving women, especially with the twelve disloyal maids whose punishment takes the form of a distorted choral dance, anticipate the circumstances of the tragic stage, in which individual characters act and suffer in the constant presence of choral groups.
Challenges of developing and conducting an international study of resilience in migrant adolescents
Authors: Hadfield Kristin , Ungar Michael , Emond Alan , Foster Kim , Gatt Justine M , Mason-Jones Amanda , Reid Steve , Theron Linda , Wouldes Trecia , Wu Qiaobing
Published: August 2018

The sequelae of migration and the effects of local migration policies on children’s physical and mental health are critical to examine, particularly given the historically high numbers of migrants and displaced people. The vulnerability of the study sample and the need to work across cultures and contexts makes research on this group challenging. We outline lessons learned through conducting a pilot study of resilience resources and mental health among migrant youth in six countries. We describe the benefits and challenges, and then provide recommendations and practical advice for social work researchers attempting cross-cultural team research on migrants.
India–ASEAN Relations
Authors: Sundararaman Shankari
Published: August 2018

The terminology of the Indo-Pacific is beginning to gain more relevance in recent times with several countries referring to this term in their official pronouncements. Widely understood to be the region that stretches from the western Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean, this term has come to mean different things to the states that constitute this strategic and geopolitical concept. For India, its foreign policy initiative called the Look East and Act East policy is centred around the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and extends to the countries beyond the ASEAN region to East Asia and the Pacific. This article attempts to understand the Act East policy as the core of India’s engagement eastwards, focusing on four broad themes: first, how do regional states look at the terminology of the Indo-Pacific? Second, what constitutes India’s core understanding of this term, and what are India’s overarching priorities in the region? Third, how does the Act East policy towards the ASEAN form the core of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and in the fourth concluding theme, how does the return of the Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad) implicate the future of India–ASEAN relations?
Multiscale finite-element modelling of the electrical conductivity of polyvinylchloride–nickel composites
Authors: Alghamdi Abdulrahman A , Alharthi Hamzah A
Published: August 2018

The electrical properties of polymer–metal composites are strongly affected by the quantity, distribution, and arrangement of the metal particles in the polymer matrix. The effect of these factors was investigated in a polyvinylchloride–nickel composite by adopting a multiscale finite-element modelling approach. Modelling in the macroscale was used to determine the electrical conductivity of agglomerated particles with varying volume fractions of Ni. The calculated electrical conductivities were then incorporated into calculations on the microscale, using a composite unit cell. The electrical conductivity of the composite unit cell was in good agreement with experimental data.
Can healthy motivated British adults achieve the revised UK government fibre recommendations of 30 g per day? Results from a preliminary study
Authors: O’Connor Áine , Crosswaite Sophie
Published: August 2018

Background:

UK Government recommendations for dietary fibre intakes have recently increased to 30 g per day, well below current population intakes.

Aim:

This study aimed to explore whether the target for dietary fibre intake could be achieved and the effects on markers of cardiometabolic health.

Methods:

In this 4-week high-fibre intervention study, 15 participants were instructed to achieve dietary fibre intakes of 30 g/day.

Results:

Dietary fibre intakes significantly increased post intervention (16.0 ± 8.1 g/day, p < 0.001). No significant changes in glucose and triglyceride concentrations were observed and there was a significant increase in average body weight (0.7 ± 1.2 kg, p = 0.025).

Conclusions:

This study shows that achieving the new dietary fibre recommendations of 30g/day is achievable, in the short term, in a sample of British adults without any observed effect on health markers.