bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stenting of acute and subacute intracranial vertebrobasilar arterial occlusive lesions
Authors: Kansara Amit , Pandey Paritosh , Tiwari Ambooj , Rayes Mahmoud , Narayanan Sandra , Xavier Andrew R
Published: June 2011

Background and objective

The outcome of failed recanalization in patients with acutely symptomatic intracranial vertebrobasilar (VB) artery occlusive disease is poor. This paper reports the recanalization rate and safety of VB artery stenting in acutely symptomatic patients presenting >8 h after onset of symptoms.

Methods

A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of stent-supported endovascular treatment of intracranial circulation was carried out to identify patients with VB artery occlusive disease who were acutely revascularized >8 h after symptom onset.

Results

Of 12 patients (mean age 61 years), nine had acute stroke and three had recurrent transient ischemic attacks. The median time to intervention was 59 h (range 8–80). The median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score was 11.5 (range 1–40). Angiography showed thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 0 flow in six patients and TIMI 1 flow in the other six. Stents were placed in the basilar artery in six and at the VB junction in the other six. Mechanical and/or intra-arterial thrombolysis was used in three patients before stenting. Nine patients had self-expanding stents and three had balloon-expandable stents. The recanalization rate was 100%. Procedure-related and 3-month mortality was zero. Two patients had asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. At 3-month follow-up a favorable outcome with a modified Rankin score ≤2 was achieved in eight. A follow-up angiogram in eight patients showed mild re-stenosis in three.

Conclusion

Stent-supported VB artery revascularization can be a viable option with an acceptable safety profile in acute VB occlusion or unstable intracranial atherosclerotic arterial disease (ICAD) in carefully selected patients.
Patterns of ‘leakage’ in the utilisation of clinical guidelines: a systematic review
Authors: Mickan Sharon , Burls Amanda , Glasziou Paul
Published: June 2011

Background

Research evidence is insufficient to change physicians' behaviour. In 1996, Pathman developed a four step model: that physicians need to be aware of, agree with, adopt, and adhere to guidelines.

Objective

To review evidence in different settings on the patterns of ‘leakage’ in the utilisation of clinical guidelines using Pathman’s awareness-to-adherence model.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted in June 2010. Primary studies were included if they reported on rates of awareness and agreement and adoption and/or adherence.

Results

11 primary studies were identified, reporting on 29 recommendations. Descriptive analyses of patterns and causes of leakage were tabulated and graphed. Leakage was progressive across all four steps. Median adherence from all recommendations was 34%, suggesting that potential benefits for patients from health research may be lost. There was considerable variation across different types of guidelines. Recommendations for drug interventions, vaccination and health promotion activities showed high rates of awareness. Leakage was most pronounced between adoption and adherence for drug recommendations and between awareness and agreement for medical management recommendations. Barriers were reported differentially for all steps of the model.

Conclusion

Leakage from research publication to guideline utilisation occurs in a wide variety of clinical settings and at all steps of the awareness-to-adherence pathway. This review confirms that clinical guidelines are insufficient to implement research and suggests there may be different factors influencing clinicians at each step of this pathway. Recommendations to improve guideline adherence need to be tailored to each step.
ELECTRON TRANSPORT IN A NANOSTRUCTURE PERIODICALLY MODULATED BY FERROMAGNETIC AND SCHOTTKY METAL STRIPES
Authors: LU JIAN-DUO , LIU HONG-YU , LI YUN-BAO , YUN MEI-JUAN , ZHENG WEI
Published: June 2011

The spin-dependent electron transport is theoretically investigated in a two-dimensional electron gas, which is periodically modulated by ferromagnetic and Schottky metal (SM) stripes. We find that the spin-dependent transmission and conductance as well as polarization strongly depend on the number of periods. We also find that the transmission and the polarization of transmitted beams periodically change with increasing the width of the SM stripe.
ON DESIGNING FUZZY RULE-BASED MULTICLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS BY COMBINING FURIA WITH BAGGING AND FEATURE SELECTION
Authors: TRAWIŃSKI KRZYSZTOF , CORDÓN OSCAR , QUIRIN ARNAUD
Published: June 2011

In this work, we conduct a study considering a fuzzy rule-based multiclassification system design framework based on Fuzzy Unordered Rule Induction Algorithm (FURIA). This advanced method serves as the fuzzy classification rule learning algorithm to derive the component classifiers considering bagging and feature selection. We develop an exhaustive study on the potential of bagging and feature selection to design a final FURIA-based fuzzy multiclassifier dealing with high dimensional data. Several parameter settings for the global approach are tested when applied to twenty one popular UCI datasets. The results obtained show that FURIA-based fuzzy multiclassifiers outperform the single FURIA classifier and are competitive with C4.5 multiclassifiers and random forests.
INTERVAL METHODS IN KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION
Authors: Kreinovich Vladik
Published: June 2011

Please send your abstracts (or copies of papers that you want to see reviewed here) to vladik@utep.edu, or by regular mail to Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
SWELLING-INDUCED INSTABILITY OF SUBSTRATE-ATTACHED HYDROGEL LINES
Authors: KANG MIN KYOO , HUANG RUI
Published: June 2011

Micro- and nano-scale hydrogel lines can be fabricated on substrates by top-down approaches such as lithography and micro/nano-imprint. When in contact with a solvent, the hydrogel lines swell under the constraint of the substrate, often resulting in distorted shapes or instability patterns. In this paper, using a nonlinear finite element method, the effects of material and geometry on swell-induced instability of substrate-attached hydrogel lines are studied. Firstly, with a two-dimensional plane-strain model, we show that crease-like surface instability occurs in hydrogel lines with the width-to-height aspect ratio greater than a critical value. Next, for relative low aspect ratios, we show that a global buckling instability occurs. In both cases, the critical conditions depend on the material parameters that characterize the elastic stiffness of the polymer network and the chemical interaction between solvent and polymer in the hydrogel.
PHENOMENOLOGICAL MODEL FOR COUPLED ALCOHOL AND TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE HYDROGELS
Authors: KURNIA JUNDIKA CANDRA , BIRGERSSON ERIK , MUJUMDAR ARUN S. , TAY SOCK PENG , YEW YONG KIN , LI HUA
Published: June 2011

A mathematical model for stimuli-sensitive hydrogels in a water-alcohol solution is presented and analyzed, in which a new polymer-solvent interaction parameter is proposed to capture the deformation of the hydrogel due to changes in the external alcohol content and temperature. The nature of this parameter is determined in the limit of pure dilatation for poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels immersed in tempered water-methanol and -ethanol solutions. Overall, good agreement between the resulting model predictions and experiments is achieved; the transition temperatures and "re-entrant phenomenon" are also captured reasonably well. The herein derived expression for the polymer-solvent interaction parameter can be introduced into more generic transient models that also account for fluxes of the relevant field variables.
MULTIPHYSICS MODELING OF SELF-OSCILLATIONS OF IONIC POLYMER GEL ACTUATORS
Authors: LI HUIBIAO , ZHOU JINXIONG , LI MEIE
Published: June 2011

When the electrocatalyst, platinum, was coated on polyelectrolyte gel surfaces and was immersed into an acidic formaldehyde (HCHO) solution, an input direct current (DC) current would produce oscillatory voltages on the surfaces of the ionic-polymer-metal-composites (IPMC) actuator. The oscillatory voltages on the two electrodes caused the concurrent migration of counter-ion clusters, and ultimately a self-oscillatory bending of the gel actuator was realized. To model the complex multiphysics processes involved in this gel actuator with a typical large length-to-height ratio, the electrochemical processes occurred along each cross section through the height were regarded identically as a one-dimensional process, and the mechanical deformation of the actuator was simplified as the bending of a beam. Motivated by the development of micro-grippers and tactile sensors, self-oscillations of gel actuator with variable cross sections and subject to a spring constraint were simulated for the first time. The procedure outlined herein presents a versatile framework for the design, analysis and optimization of self-oscillating gel actuators.
Exercise reduces appetite and traffics excess nutrients away from energetically efficient pathways of lipid deposition during the early stages of weight regain
Authors: Steig Amy J. , Jackman Matthew R. , Giles Erin D. , Higgins Janine A. , Johnson Ginger C. , Mahan Chad , Melanson Edward L. , Wyatt Holly R. , Eckel Robert H. , Hill James O. , MacLean Paul S.
Published: June 2011

The impact of regular exercise on energy balance, fuel utilization, and nutrient availability, during weight regain was studied in obese rats, which had lost 17% of their weight by a calorie-restricted, low-fat diet. Weight reduced rats were maintained for 6 wk with and without regular treadmill exercise (1 h/day, 6 days/wk, 15 m/min). In vivo tracers and indirect calorimetry were then used in combination to examine nutrient metabolism during weight maintenance (in energy balance) and during the first day of relapse when allowed to eat ad libitum (relapse). An additional group of relapsing, sedentary rats were provided just enough calories to create the same positive energy imbalance as the relapsing, exercised rats. Exercise attenuated the energy imbalance by 50%, reducing appetite and increasing energy requirements. Expenditure increased beyond the energetic cost of the exercise bout, as exercised rats expended more energy to store the same nutrient excess in sedentary rats with the matched energy imbalance. Compared with sedentary rats with the same energy imbalance, exercised rats exhibited the trafficking of dietary fat toward oxidation and away from storage in adipose tissue, as well as a higher net retention of fuel via de novo lipogenesis in adipose tissue. These metabolic changes in relapse were preceded by an increase in the skeletal muscle expression of genes involved in lipid uptake, mobilization, and oxidation. Our observations reveal a favorable shift in fuel utilization with regular exercise that increases the energetic cost of storing excess nutrients during relapse and alterations in circulating nutrients that may affect appetite. The attenuation of the biological drive to regain weight, involving both central and peripheral aspects of energy homeostasis, may explain, in part, the utility of regular exercise in preventing weight regain after weight loss.
Oral atorvastatin therapy increases nitric oxide-dependent cutaneous vasodilation in humans by decreasing ascorbate-sensitive oxidants
Authors: Holowatz Lacy A. , Kenney W. Larry
Published: June 2011

Elevated low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are associated with cutaneous microvascular dysfunction partially mediated by increased arginase activity, which is decreased following a systemic atorvastatin therapy. We hypothesized that increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidant stress, partially mediated through uncoupled nitric oxide synthase (NOS) induced by upregulated arginase, contributes to cutaneous microvascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic (HC) humans. Four microdialysis fibers were placed in the skin of nine HC (LDL = 177 ± 6 mg/dl) men and women before and after 3 mo of a systemic atorvastatin intervention and at baseline in nine normocholesterolemic (NC) (LDL = 95 ± 4 mg/dl) subjects. Sites served as control, NOS inhibited, L-ascorbate, and arginase-inhibited+L-ascorbate. Skin blood flow was measured while local skin heating (42°C) induced NO-dependent vasodilation. After the established plateau in all sites, 20 mM ≪ngname≫ was infused to quantify NO-dependent vasodilation. Data were normalized to maximum cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) (sodium nitroprusside + 43°C). The plateau in vasodilation during local heating (HC: 78 ± 4 vs. NC: 96 ± 2% CVCmax, P < 0.01) and NO-dependent vasodilation (HC: 40 ± 4 vs. NC: 54 ± 4% CVCmax, P < 0.01) was reduced in the HC group. Acute L-ascorbate alone (91 ± 5% CVCmax, P < 0.001) or combined with arginase inhibition (96 ± 3% CVCmax, P < 0.001) augmented the plateau in vasodilation in the HC group but not the NC group (ascorbate: 96 ± 2; combo: 93 ± 4% CVCmax, both P > 0.05). After the atorvastatin intervention NO-dependent vasodilation was augmented in the HC group (HC postatorvastatin: 64 ± 4% CVCmax, P < 0.01), and there was no further effect of ascorbate alone (58 ± 4% CVCmax,P > 0.05) or combined with arginase inhibition (67 ± 4% CVCmax,P > 0.05). Increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidants contribute to hypercholesteromic associated cutaneous microvascular dysfunction which is partially reversed with atorvastatin therapy.
Phase sensitivities, excitatory summation fields, and silent suppressive receptive fields of single neurons in the parastriate cortex of the cat
Authors: Romo Phillip A. , Wang Chun , Zeater Natalie , Solomon Samuel G. , Dreher Bogdan
Published: June 2011

We have recorded single-neuron activity from cytoarchitectonic area 18 of anesthetized (0.4–0.7% isoflurane in 65% N2O-35% O2 gaseous mixture) domestic cats. Neurons were identified as simple or complex on the basis of the ratios between the phase-variant (F1) component and the mean firing rate (F0) of spike responses to optimized (orientation, direction, spatial and temporal frequencies, size) high-contrast, luminance-modulated, sine-wave drifting gratings (simple: F1/F0 spike-response ratios > 1; complex: F1/F0 spike-response ratios < 1). The predominance (∼80%) of simple cells among the neurons recorded from the principal thalamorecipient layers supports the idea that most simple cells in area 18 might constitute a putative early stage in the visual information processing. Apart from the “spike-generating” regions (the classical receptive fields, CRFs), the receptive fields of three-quarters of area 18 neurons contain silent, extraclassical suppressive regions (ECRFs). The spatial extent of summation areas of excitatory responses was negatively correlated with the strength of the ECRF-induced suppression of spike responses. Lowering the stimulus contrast resulted in an expansion of the summation areas of excitatory responses accompanied by a reduction in the strength of the ECRF-induced suppression. The spatial and temporal frequency and orientation tunings of the ECRFs were much broader than those of the CRFs. Hence, the ECRFs of area 18 neurons appear to be largely “inherited” from their dorsal thalamic inputs. In most area 18 cells, costimulation of CRFs and ECRFs resulted in significant increases in F1/F0 spike-response ratios, and thus there was a contextually modulated functional continuum between the simple and complex cells.
CDI Scores in Pediatric Psychiatric Inpatients: A Brief Retrospective Static Group Comparison
Authors: Friedberg Robert D. , Sinderman Steven A.
Published: June 2011

The Children's Depression Inventory is a widely researched and clinically useful measurement tool. However, research on the CDI is limited by an overreliance on outpatient samples. This is unfortunate because the CDI holds potential for use in inpatient settings.Method. This retrospective static group comparison examined the CDI total scores contained in 69 pediatric psychiatric inpatients treated at a large academic medical center. Patients were sorted into static groups (depressive spectrum, nondepressive spectrum) based on their diagnoses at admission.Results. Independentt-tests revealed that the CDI total scores discriminated between patients presenting with depressive spectrum disorders and youngsters admitted with non-depressive disorders.Conclusion. The results suggested that the CDI is a rather dimensional measure, which reflects broad negative affectivity as well as particular depressive symptoms in pediatric psychiatric inpatients.
Time Effects on Morphology and Bonding Ability in Mercerized Natural Fibers for Composite Reinforcement
Authors: Williams T. , Hosur M. , Theodore M. , Netravali A. , Rangari V. , Jeelani S.
Published: June 2011

Properties of cellulose-derived fibers are extremely sensitive to surface treatment. Many studies have investigated the effects of varying surface treatment parameters in natural fibers to improve fiber-matrix bonding; however, work is still needed to assist with developing better quality control methods to use these fibers in more load-bearing composites. Kenaf fibers were alkali treated, and the surface and morphology were analyzed to determine how treatment time affected the bonding sites in natural fibers. The mechanical behavior was also characterized, and tensile testing reported a 61% increase in strength and a 25% increase in modulus in fibers treated for 16 hours. The increase in tensile properties was assumed to result from increased intermolecular interaction and increased crystallinity in cellulose, which was supported by XRD. On the other hand, FTIR spectroscopy and XPS showed that the amount of hydroxyl groups needed for fiber-matrix bonding decreased at longer treatment times.
Alloantibodies and Drug-Induced Immune Hemolytic Anemia in Liver Transplantation
Authors: Allanki Surekha Devi
Published: June 2011

Red blood cell alloantibodies can cause severe delayed hemolysis, despite immunosuppression which they receive posttransplantation. A female patient with Hepatitis C-related chronic liver disease reported to our center for liver transplantation. During preoperative evaluation, she was found to have significant red blood cell alloantibodies which gave rise to problems during pre transfusion compatibility test. Stringent measures were taken by the transplant team to minimize blood loss during surgery. It was decided to have lower transfusion trigger for red cell transfusion, and blood conservation was done by intraoperative red cell salvage and use of antifibrinolytic agent. During immediate postoperative period, she developed drug-related immune hemolytic anemia. Presence of both warm autoantibodies and alloantibodies posed a big challenge for us to get cross-match compatible blood. She received 22 units of crossmatch compatible red cell transfusions during her hospital stay, which was uneventful. Hence, we reported this case.
Desktop Software for Patch-Clamp Raw Binary Data Conversion and Preprocessing
Authors: Zhang Ning , Tian Yutao , Zhang Lei , Yang Zhuo , Zhang Tao , Ruan Jishou
Published: June 2011

Since raw data recorded by patch-clamp systems are always stored in binary format, electrophysiologists may experience difficulties with patch clamp data preprocessing especially when they want to analyze by custom-designed algorithms. In this study, we present desktop software, called PCDReader, which could be an effective and convenient solution for patch clamp data preprocessing for daily laboratory use. We designed a novel class module, called clsPulseData, to directly read the raw data along with the parameters recorded from HEKA instruments without any other program support. By a graphical user interface, raw binary data files can be converted into several kinds of ASCII text files for further analysis, with several preprocessing options. And the parameters can also be viewed, modified and exported into ASCII files by a user-friendly Explorer style window. The real-time data loading technique and optimized memory management programming makes PCDReader a fast and efficient tool. The compiled software along with the source code of the clsPulseData class module is freely available to academic and nonprofit users.
BVS: A Lightweight Forward and Backward Secure Scheme for PMU Communications in Smart Grid
Authors: Ren Wei , Song Jun , Lei Min , Ren Yi
Published: June 2011

In smart grid, phaser measurement units (PMUs) can upload readings to utility centers via supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) or energy management system (EMS) to enable intelligent controlling and scheduling. It is critical to maintain the secrecy of readings so as to protect customers' privacy, together with integrity and source authentication for the reliability and stability of power scheduling. In particular, appealing security scheme needs to perform well in PMUs that usually have computational resource constraints, thus designed security protocols have to remain lightweight in terms of computation and storage. In this paper, we propose a family of schemes to solve this problem. They are public key based scheme (PKS), password based scheme (PWS) and billed value-based scheme (BVS). BVS can achieve forward and backward security and only relies on hash functions. Security analysis justifies that the proposed schemes, especially BVS, can attain the security goals with low computation and storage cost.
Efficiency of a Small Size Screening Instrument in Identifying Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Large Population of Twins
Authors: Nordenbæk Claudia , Kyvik Kirsten Ohm , Skytthe Axel , Bilenberg Niels
Published: June 2011

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a short scale in screening for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and documented the prevalence of ASD in twins born in 1988–2000 as registered in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Registry (DPCRR). Five child behaviour checklist (CBCL) items were used in a first-phase screening of all twins born 1988–2000, recruited from the Danish Twin Registry. In Denmark, nearly all psychiatric diagnoses are reported to DPCRR, and the two registers were linked for validation purposes. Parents of >16,000 twins responded (68.4%); among the twins, 108 were registered with ASD. The optimal cut-off score of two out of ten yielded a sensitivity of 79.6% and a specificity of 81.4%. The registry linkage identified 176 twins with ASD (point prevalence = 0.72%). This study demonstrates that it is feasible to screen large populations for ASD with a 5-item questionnaire. The prevalence of registered ASD in twins corresponds to recent population-based studies in singletons.
A Case Report of Urinary Bladder Carcinosarcoma and Review of the Literature
Authors: Zachariadis Christos , Efthimiou Ioannis , Giannakopoulos Stylianos , Bantis Athanasios , Giatromanolaki Alexandra , Sivridis Efthimios , Touloupidis Stavros
Published: June 2011

Carcinosarcoma of the bladder is an unusual tumour characterized by a combination of malignant epithelial and soft tissue elements. Most of the reported cases have been case reports or small series. Optimal treatment is uncertain. We herein report our experience in such a case treated with transurethral resection followed by radiotherapy with adverse final outcome. Treatment of bladder carcinosarcomas should be aggressive and multimodal but optional treatment is still unknown. Radiotherapy alone is insufficient as a treatment option of these aggressive tumors.
Experimental Wing Damage Affects Foraging Effort and Foraging Distance in HoneybeesApis mellifera
Authors: Higginson Andrew D. , Barnard Christopher J. , Tofilski Adam , Medina Luis , Ratnieks Francis
Published: June 2011

Bees acquire wing damage as they age, and loss of wing area affects longevity and behaviour. This may influence colony performance via effects on worker behaviour. The effects of experimental wing damage were studied in worker honeybees in observation hives by recording survivorship, how often and for how long bees foraged, and by decoding waggle dances. Mortality rate increased with both age and wing damage. Damaged bees carried out shorter and/or less frequent foraging trips, foraged closer to the hive, and reported the profitability of flower patches to be lower than did controls. These results suggest that wing damage caused a reduction in foraging ability, and that damaged bees adjusted their foraging behaviour accordingly. Furthermore, the results suggest that wing damage affects the profitability of nectar sources. These results have implications for the colony dynamics and foraging efficiency in honeybees.
Broadband Printed Cross-Dipole Element with Four Polarization Reconfigurations for Mobile Base Station Array Antenna Applications
Authors: Eom Soon-Young , Hong Ic-Pyo , Kim Jong-Myeon
Published: June 2011

This paper describes a broadband printed cross-dipole element with four polarization reconfigurations (BPCDE_PR). The BPCDE_PR can configure two linear and two circular polarizations in the operating band of 1.7–2.5 GHz. To implement the broadband polarization reconfigurations, switched network type broadband phase shifters are proposed and designed. The fabricated BPCDE_PR prototype with switched network including broadband phase shifters shows good electrical performances and the desired polarization reconfigurable functions in the operating band.
Gaussian Pulse-Based Two-Threshold Parallel Scaling Tone Reservation for PAPR Reduction of OFDM Signals
Authors: Guan Lei , Zhu Anding
Published: June 2011

Tone Reservation (TR) is a technique proposed to combat the high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) problem of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signals. However conventional TR suffers from high computational cost due to the difficulties in finding an effective cancellation signal in the time domain by using only a few tones in the frequency domain. It also suffers from a high cost of hardware implementation and long handling time delay issues due to the need to conduct multiple iterations to cancel multiple high signal peaks. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach, calledtwo-threshold parallel scaling,for implementing a previously proposed Gaussian pulse-based Tone Reservation algorithm. Compared to conventional approaches, this technique significantly reduces the hardware implementation complexity and cost, while also reducing signal processing time delay by using just two iterations. Experimental results show that the proposed technique can effectively reduce the PAPR of OFDM signals with only a very small number of reserved tones and with limited usage of hardware resources. This technique is suitable for any OFDM-based communication systems, especially for Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) systems employing large IFFT/FFT transforms.
TheCandida albicansDse1 Protein Is Essential and Plays a Role in Cell Wall Rigidity, Biofilm Formation, and Virulence
Authors: Daher Jalil Y. , Koussa Joseph , Younes Samer , Khalaf Roy A.
Published: June 2011

The fungal pathogenCandida albicansis one of the leading causative agents of death in immunocompromised individuals. It harbors an arsenal of cell wall anchored factors that are implicated in virulence such as filamentation inducing factors, adhesins, lipases, proteases, and superoxide dismutases. Dse1 is a cell wall protein involved in cell wall metabolism. The purpose of this study is to characterize the role Dse1 plays in virulence. Dse1 appears to be an essential gene as no homozygous null mutant was possible. The heterozygote mutant exhibited increased susceptibility to calcofluor white, a cell wall disrupting agent, with a subsequent reduction in cell wall chitin content, decreased oxidative stress tolerance, a 30% reduction in biofilm formation, and a delay in adhesion that was mirrored by a reduction in virulence in a mouse model of infection. Dse1 thus appears to be an important protein involved in cell wall integrity and rigidity.
Variables and Strategies in Development of Therapeutic Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing Agents
Authors: Sullivan Jack M. , Yau Edwin H. , Kolniak Tiffany A. , Sheflin Lowell G. , Taggart R. Thomas , Abdelmaksoud Heba E.
Published: June 2011

Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) agents such as ribozymes, RNAi and antisense have substantial potential for gene therapy of human retinal degenerations. These technologies are used to knockdown a specific target RNA and its cognate protein. The disease target mRNA may be a mutant mRNA causing an autosomal dominant retinal degeneration or a normal mRNA that is overexpressed in certain diseases. All PTGS technologies depend upon the initial critical annealing event of the PTGS ligand to the target RNA. This event requires that the PTGS agent is in a conformational state able to support hybridization and that the target have a large and accessible single-stranded platform to allow rapid annealing, although such platforms are rare. We address the biocomplexity that currently limits PTGS therapeutic development with particular emphasis on biophysical variables that influence cellular performance. We address the different strategies that can be used for development of PTGS agents intended for therapeutic translation. These issues apply generally to the development of PTGS agents for retinal, ocular, or systemic diseases. This review should assist the interested reader to rapidly appreciate critical variables in PTGS development and facilitate initial design and testing of such agents against new targets of clinical interest.
GamTox: A Low-Cost Multimetric Ecotoxicity Test withGammarusspp. forInandEx SituApplication
Authors: Gerhardt Almut
Published: June 2011

Gammarusspp. represent an important taxon in running water ecosystems concerning both structural and functional aspects.Gammarusspp. are also part of several macrozoobenthos indices for assessing biological water quality. However, in ecotoxicological water quality assessment, this taxon has been used much less thanDaphniaspp. A new user-friendly and low-cost test protocol forGammarusspp. has been developed, constituting the “ecotoxicological module ”of an integrated multimetric triad-based concept for water quality assessment. The GamTox test is based on several test parameters: behavior (especially locomotion and feeding) depicts rapid and sensitive early warning indicators, survival displays an indicator of severe acute stress, and biochemical biomarkers, esp. AChE inhibition, is a sensitive marker of neurotoxic xenobiotic stress. GamTox can be performed bothin situandex situ, based either on visual or automatical recording.
Disease Resistance of Wheat Varieties: Can Private Varieties Withstand the Pressure?
Authors: Lesser William , Kolady Deepthi Elizabeth
Published: June 2011

US wheat varieties are examined for differential disease resistance between public and private varieties, an issue for critics of plant intellectual property. Analysis using disease resistance rankings of wheat varieties from Kansas and Texas indicate that private varieties are as or more resistant. This finding was further confirmed with two years of Texas data. Thus, the results from the study reject the criticism of private breeding activities that they are more susceptible to disease compared to public varieties. However, private varieties resistance is incorporated from public offerings so that productive private wheat breeding is partly derivative.
Development and Control of a 5-Axis Reconfigurable Machine Tool
Authors: Bi Z. M.
Published: June 2011

The development of a hybrid reconfigurable machine tool has been introduced. The machine tool consists of a tripod-based parallel kinematic machine (PKM) module with three degrees of freedom (DOF) and a serial linear table with two DOF. The PKM is installed on a gantry system which is capable of reconfiguring its position and orientation. In the design of tripod-based parallel mechanism, a passive link is used to enhance the stiffness and increase the working load. To avoid the buildup of the heat of the extensive actuation, three joints are actuated via the actuators with a constant length. The geometries of the PKM have been optimized for the best and highest accuracy. In this paper, its control system and the prototyping development are focused. An open architecture is applied, the control methodologies are developed and validated, and the corresponding software tools have been implemented for the software reconfiguration of the control system.
Finite Element Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Corrosion Subjected to Shear
Authors: Potisuk Tanarat , Higgins Christopher C. , Miller Thomas H. , Yim Solomon C.
Published: June 2011

Finite element (FE) modeling techniques were developed to isolate the different contributions of corrosion damage to structural response of experimental reinforced concrete beams with shear-dominated behavior. Corrosion-damage parameters included concrete cover spalling due to the expansion of corrosion products; uniform stirrup cross-sectional loss from corrosion; localized stirrup cross-sectional loss due to pitting; debonding of corrosion-damaged stirrups from the concrete. FE analyses were performed including both individual and combined damages. The FE results matched experimental results well and quantitatively estimated capacity reduction of the experimental specimens.
Growth of Photosynthetic Biofilms and Fe, Pb, Cu, and Zn Speciation in Unsaturated Columns with Calcareous Mine Tailings from Arid Zones
Authors: García-Meza J. V. , Contreras-Aganza M. I. , Castro-Larragoitia J. , Lara R. H.
Published: June 2011

Mine tailing remediation aims to reduce the rate of sulfide mineral oxidation. Earlier studies showed that photosynthetic biofilms may act as a physical barrier against oxygen diffusion. Currently, a long-term assay (6 months) is required to evaluate the solid phase redistribution of the Pb, Fe, Cu, and Zn originally present in historic and calcareous mine tailing samples (in our case from a semiarid region in North-Central Mexico). The presence of biofilms may provide chemical gradients and physical conditions that shift the proportion of Fe, Cu, and Zn originally associated with oxides to carbonates and organic matter/sulfide fractions.
A‐Sequence Spaces in 2‐Normed Space Defined by Ideal Convergence and an Orlicz Function
Authors: Savaş E.
Published: June 2011

We study some new A‐sequence spaces using ideal convergence and an Orlicz function in 2‐normed space and we give some relations
related to these sequence spaces.
Different Pathological Roles of Toll-Like Receptor 9 on Mucosal B Cells and Dendritic Cells in Murine IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Kajiyama Tadahiro , Suzuki Yusuke , Kihara Masao , Suzuki Hitoshi , Horikoshi Satoshi , Tomino Yasuhiko
Published: June 2011

Although pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is still obscure, pathological contribution of mucosal immunity including production of nephritogenic IgA and IgA immune complex (IC) has been discussed. We have reported that mucosal toll-like receptor (TLR)-9 is involved in the pathogenesis of human and murine IgAN. However, cell-type expressing TLR9 in mucosa remains unclear. To address this, we nasally challenged cell-specific CpG DNA ((i): dendritic cell: (DC), (ii): B cell, (iii): both), known as ligand for TLR9, to IgAN prone mice and analyzed disease phenotype of each group. After 8 times of the weekly administration, every group showed deterioration of glomerular damage. However, CpG-A-group showed clear extension of mesangial proliferative lesions with increase of serum IgA-IgG2a IC and its glomerular depositions, while CpG-B-group showed extent of glomerular sclerotic lesions with increase of serum and glomerular IgA and M2 macrophage infiltration. Present results indicate that mucosal TLR9 on B cells and DC may differently contribute to the progression of this disease via induction of nephritogenic IgA or IgA-IgG IC, respectively. This picture is suggestive for the pathological difference between child and adult IgAN.
Asthma in the Elderly: Can We Distinguish It from COPD?
Authors: Tzortzaki Eleni G. , Proklou Athanasia , Siafakas Nikolaos M.
Published: June 2011

Asthma in older adults affects quality of life and results in a higher hospitalization rate and mortality. In common clinical practice, asthma in the elderly is underdiagnosed and undertreated or overdiagnosed and mistreated. The age-related reduction in perception of shortness of breath and the high incidence of comorbidities make the diagnosis and management more difficult and challenging for the physicians. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is usually easy to distinguish from asthma, but sometimes the distinction from late-onset asthma in older patients, particularly in cigarette smokers, is difficult and may be impossible. Both diseases are characterized by the presence of airflow obstruction but have distinct pathogenesis, inflammatory pattern, and prognosis. The distinction between Asthma and COPD based simply on spirometric parameters is difficult especially in the elderly asthmatics. The combination of lung function testing, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and atopy status, HRCT scans, and the newly developed biological techniques, allowing the assessment of biomarker profiles, could facilitate the distinction between these diseases.
Miliary Tuberculosis Presenting as Puerperial Fever
Authors: Agarwal A.
Published: June 2011

Miliary tuberculosis as a cause of puerperial fever is extremely rare. It is a serious illness with nonspecific clinical manifestations and typical chest radiographic findings may not be seen until late in the course of the disease. It is often associated with maternal immunocompromised status. Here, we report a case of miliary tuberculosis in a nonimmunocompromised mother presenting as fever of unknown origin in immediate puerperium. Prolonged workup of eight weeks led to the diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis as the cause of postpartum fever that responded well to antituberculous drugs.
Review of Environmental and Geological Microgravity Applications and Feasibility of Its Employment at Archaeological Sites in Israel
Authors: Eppelbaum Lev V.
Published: June 2011

Microgravity investigations are widely applied at present for solving various environmental and geological problems. Unfortunately, microgravity survey is comparatively rarely used for searching for hidden ancient targets. It is caused mainly by small geometric size of the desired archaeological objects and various types of noise complicating the observed useful signal. At the same time, development of modern generation of field gravimetric equipment allows to register promptly and digitally microGal (10-8 m/s2) anomalies that offer a new challenge in this direction. An advanced methodology of gravity anomalies analysis and modern 3D modeling, intended for ancient targets delineation, is briefly presented. It is supposed to apply in archaeological microgravity the developed original methods for the surrounding terrain relief computing. Calculating second and third derivatives of gravity potential are useful for revealing some closed peculiarities of the different Physical-Archaeological Models (PAMs). It is underlined that physical measurement of vertical gravity derivatives in archaeological studying has a significant importance and cannot be replaced by any transformation methods. Archaeological targets in Israel have been ranged by their density/geometrical characteristics in several groups. The performed model computations indicate that microgravity investigations might be successfully applied at least in 20–25% of archaeological sites in Israel.
Radiolabeling of Cramoll 1,4: Evaluation of the Biodistribution
Authors: Ferreira de Carvalho Patricio Beatriz , Lima-Ribeiro Maria Helena Madruga , Correia Maria Tereza dos Santos , Carneiro-Leão Ana Maria dos Anjos , Albernaz Marta de Souza , Barboza Thiago , de Souza Sergio Augusto Lopes , Santos-Oliveira Ralph
Published: June 2011

The cramoll 1,4 is a well-studied lectin. However, few studies about its biodistribution have been done before. In this study, we radiolabeled the cramol 1,4 with Tc-99m and analyzed the biodistribution. The results showed that the cramol has an abnormal uptake by the bowel with reflections on its clearance mechanism.
Application of Diaminium Iodides in Binary Ionic Liquid Electrolytes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Yang Yanzhen , Sun Renjie , Shi Chengwu , Wu Yucheng , Xia Mei
Published: June 2011

N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminium iodides (HEEDAIs) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazinium iodides (HEPIs) were synthesized, and their thermal properties were analysed. The influence of HEEDAI and HEPI onI3-/I-redox behavior in binary ionic liquid was investigated. The result revealed that HEEDAI can suppress the recombination betweenI3-and the injected electrons in TiO2conduction band and be used as the alternative of 4-tert-butylpyridine in the electrolyte of dye-sensitized solar cells. The electrolyte C, 0.15 mol⋅L−1I2, HEEDAI and MPII with mass ratio of 1 : 4, gave the short-circuit photocurrent density of 9.36 mA⋅cm−2, open-circuit photovoltage of 0.67 V, fill factor of 0.52, and the corresponding photoelectric conversion efficiency of 3.24% at the illumination (air mass 1.5, 100 mW⋅cm−2, active area 0.25 cm2).
RoboTable: An Infrastructure for Intuitive Interaction with Mobile Robots in a Mixed-Reality Environment
Authors: Mi Haipeng , Krzywinski Aleksander , Fujita Tomoki , Sugimoto Masanori
Published: June 2011

This paper presents the design, development, and testing of a tabletop interface called RoboTable, which is an infrastructure supporting intuitive interaction with both mobile robots and virtual components in a mixed-reality environment. With a flexible software toolkit and specifically developed robots, the platform enables various modes of interaction with mobile robots. Using this platform, prototype applications are developed for two different application domains:RoboPonginvestigates the efficiency of the RoboTable system in game applications, andExploreRobotexplores the possibility of using robots and intuitive interaction to enhance learning.
Maximal T Cell–Mediated Antitumor Responses Rely upon CCR5 Expression in Both CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells
Authors: González-Martín Alicia , Gómez Lucio , Lustgarten Joseph , Mira Emilia , Mañes Santos
Published: June 2011

Immune responses against cancer rely upon leukocyte trafficking patterns that are coordinated by chemokines. CCR5, the receptor for chemotactic chemokines MIP1alpha, MIP1beta, and RANTES (CCL3, CCL4, CCL5), exerts major regulatory effects on CD4+- and CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity. Although CCR5 and its ligands participate in the response to various pathogens, its relevance to tumoral immune control has been debated. Here, we report that CCR5 has a specific, ligand-dependent role in optimizing antitumor responses. In adoptive transfer studies, efficient tumor rejection required CCR5 expression by both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. CCR5 activation in CD4+ cells resulted in CD40L upregulation, leading to full maturation of antigen-presenting cells and enhanced CD8+ T-cell crosspriming and tumor infiltration. CCR5 reduced chemical-induced fibrosarcoma incidence and growth, but did not affect the onset or progression of spontaneous breast cancers in tolerogenic Tg(MMTV-neu) mice. However, CCR5 was required for TLR9-mediated reactivation of antineu responses in these mice. Our results indicate that CCR5 boosts T-cell responses to tumors by modulating helper-dependent CD8+ T-cell activation. Cancer Res; 71(16); 5455–66. ©2011 AACR.
Effects of Zinc and Fluoride on the Remineralisation of Artificial Carious Lesions under Simulated Plaque Fluid Conditions
Authors: Lynch R.J.M. , Churchley D. , Butler A. , Kearns S. , Thomas G.V. , Badrock T.C. , Cooper L. , Higham S.M.
Published: June 2011

The aim was to study the effects of zinc (Zn) and fluoride (F) on remineralisation at plaque fluid concentrations. Artificial carious lesions were created in 2 acid-gel demineralising systems (initially infinitely undersaturated and partially saturated with respect to enamel) giving lesions with different mineral distribution characteristics (high and low R values, respectively) but similar integrated mineral loss values. Lesions of both types were assigned to 1 of 4 groups and remineralised for 5 days at 37°C. Zn and F were added, based on plaque fluid concentrations 1 h after application, to give 4 treatments: 231 µmol/l Zn, 10.5 µmol/l F, Zn/F combined and an unmodified control solution (non-F/non-Zn). Subsequently remineralisation was measured using microradiography. High-R lesions were analysed for calcium, phosphorus, F and Zn using electron probe micro-analysis. All lesions underwent statistically significant remineralisation. For low-R lesions, remineralisation was in the order Fa < non-F/non-Zna < Zna, b < Zn/Fb, and for high-R lesions Fa < non-F/non-Znb < Znb < Zn/Fc (treatments with the same superscript letter not significantly different, at p < 0.05). Qualitatively, remineralisation occurred throughout non-F/non-Zn and Zn groups, predominantly at the surface zone (F) and within the lesion body (Zn/F). Electron probe micro-analysis revealed Zn in relatively large amounts in the outer regions (Zn, Zn/F). F was abundant not only at the surface (F), but also in the lesion body (Zn/F). Calcium:phosphate ratios were similar to hydroxyapatite (all). To conclude, under static remineralising conditions simulating plaque fluid, Zn/F treatment gave significantly greater remineralisation than did F treatment, possibly because Zn in the Zn/F group maintained greater surface zone porosity compared with F, facilitating greater lesion body remineralisation.
Priming with a Combination of Proangiogenic Growth Factors Enhances Wound Healing in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Mice
Authors: Ackermann Maximilian , Wolloscheck Tanja , Wellmann Axel , Li Vincent W. , Li William W. , Konerding Moritz A.
Published: June 2011

Background: Numerous proangiogenic growth factors have been shown to improve impaired wound healing. This study evaluated the effects of subcutaneous pretreatment with a combination of proangiogenic growth factors on wound closure, mechanical properties, vessel density, and morphology. Methods: Thirty-six Balb/c mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were divided into 3 groups. A mixture of VEGF (35.0 µg), bFGF (2.5 µg), and PDGF (3.5 µg) was administered subcutaneously 3, 5, and 7 days prior to wounding in the first group, whereas the second group received three doses of 3.5 µg PDGF. Wound sizes were assessed daily and the repaired tissues were harvested 7 days after wound closure. Results: Complete closure (≧95% healing of initial wound area) was reached in all proangiogenic pretreated animals by day 17, whereas the PDGF monotherapy group needed up to 20 days for complete closure. By the time of tissue harvesting on day 24, complete closure was not reached in all control animals. Punch biopsy material revealed 1.6-fold higher vessel densities in the proangiogenic combination-pretreated group than in the controls. Conclusions: Proangiogenic priming revealed several significant effects on diabetic wound healing: faster time to closure, a higher vessel density, and improved functional outcome.
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms and Tooth Wear in Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome
Authors: Wan Nik W.N.N. , Banerjee A. , Moazzez R.
Published: June 2011

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) symptoms and tooth wear in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) compared with matched controls. GORD symptoms were assessed for 33 SS patients and 20 age- and sex-matched controls. Tooth wear was assessed in all patients and controls. The results were further analysed in two subgroups of SS patients and controls with and without GORD symptoms (SS patients without GORD symptoms: n = 11, controls without GORD symptoms: n = 18). A higher proportion of SS patients reported suffering from heartburn and regurgitation than controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively). SS patients without GORD symptoms had a statistically significantly higher percentage of surfaces with tooth wear affecting dentine than controls (p < 0.001).