bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential Roles of ASK1 and TAK1 in Helicobacter pylori-Induced Cellular Responses
Authors: Hayakawa Yoku , Hirata Yoshihiro , Kinoshita Hiroto , Sakitani Kosuke , Nakagawa Hayato , Nakata Wachiko , Takahashi Ryota , Sakamoto Kei , Maeda Shin , Koike Kazuhiko
Published: October 2013

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway regulates various cellular functions, including those induced by
Helicobacter pylori
. TAK1 is an upstream MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K) required for
H. pylori
-induced MAPK and NF-κB activation, but it remains unclear whether other MAP3Ks are involved in
H. pylori
-induced cellular responses. In this study, we focused on the MAP3K ASK1, which plays a critical role in gastric tumorigenesis. In gastric epithelial cells,
H. pylori
activates ASK1 in a reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and
cag
pathogenicity island-dependent manner, and ASK1 regulates sustained JNK activation and apoptosis induced by
H. pylori
. In contrast, TAK1 regulates
H. pylori
-mediated early JNK activation and cytokine production. We also found reciprocal regulation between ASK1 and TAK1 in
H. pylori
-related responses, whereby inhibition of TAK1 or downstream p38 MAPK activates ASK1 through ROS production, and ASK1 suppresses TAK1 and downstream NF-κB activation. We identified ROS/ASK1/JNK as a new signaling pathway induced by
H. pylori
, which regulates apoptotic cell death. The balance of ASK1-induced apoptosis and TAK1-induced antiapoptotic or inflammatory responses may determine the fate of epithelial cells infected with
H. pylori
and thus be involved in the pathogenesis of gastritis and gastric cancer.
B Cell Activating Factor Inhibition Impairs Bacterial Immunity by Reducing T Cell-Independent IgM Secretion
Authors: Jones Derek D. , Jones Maura , DeIulio Gregory A. , Racine Rachael , MacNamara Katherine C. , Winslow Gary M.
Published: October 2013

B cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF) is an essential survival factor for B cells and has been shown to regulate T cell-independent (TI) IgM production. During
Ehrlichia muris
infection, TI IgM secretion in the spleen was BAFF dependent, and antibody-mediated BAFF neutralization led to an impairment of IgM-mediated host defense. The failure of TI plasmablasts to secrete IgM was not a consequence of alterations in their generation, survival, or early differentiation, since all occurred normally in infected mice following BAFF neutralization. Gene expression characteristic of plasma cell differentiation was also unaffected by BAFF neutralization
in vivo
, and except for CD138, plasmablast cell surface marker expression was unaffected. IgM was produced, since it was detected intracellularly, and impaired secretion was not due to a failure to express the IgM secretory exon. Addition of BAFF to plasmablasts
in vitro
rescued IgM secretion, suggesting that BAFF signaling can directly regulate secretory processes. Our findings indicate that BAFF signaling can modulate TI host defense by acting at a late stage in B cell differentiation, via its regulation of terminal plasmablast differentiation and/or IgM secretion.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Outer Membrane Vesicles Modulate Host Immune Responses by Targeting the Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhao Kelei , Deng Xin , He Chuan , Yue Bisong , Wu Min
Published: October 2013

Bacteria can naturally secrete outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as pathogenic factors, while these vesicles may also serve as immunologic regulators if appropriately prepared. However, it is largely unknown whether
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
OMVs can activate inflammatory responses and whether immunization with OMVs can provide immune protection against subsequent infection. We purified and identified OMVs, which were then used to infect lung epithelial cells
in vitro
as well as C57BL/6J mice to investigate the immune response and the underlying signaling pathway. The results showed that OMVs generated from
P. aeruginosa
wild-type strain PAO1 were more cytotoxic to alveolar epithelial cells than those from quorum-sensing (QS)-deficient strain PAO1-Δ
lasR
. The levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6, increased following OMV infection. Compared with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lysed OMVs in which the membrane structures were broken induced a weak immune response. Furthermore, expression levels of TLR4-mediated responders (i.e., cytokines) were markedly downregulated by the TLR4 inhibitor E5564. Active immunization with OMVs or passive transfer of sera with a high cytokine quantity acquired from OMV-immunized mice could protect healthy mice against subsequent lethal PAO1 challenges (1.5 × 10
11
CFU). Collectively, these findings indicate that naturally secreted
P. aeruginosa
OMVs may trigger significant inflammatory responses via the TLR4 signaling pathway and protect mice against pseudomonal lung infection.
Making faults run backwards: the Wilson Cycle and ore deposits
Authors: Richards Jeremy P.
Published: October 2013

The plate tectonic revolution, culminating with the formulation of the Wilson Cycle, took place over a period of less than a decade in the 1960s and early 1970s. The model provided a framework for understanding the formation of almost every type of mineral deposit then known on Earth, ranging from base and precious metal deposits associated with rifting, to porphyry Cu–Mo and epithermal Au deposits associated with subduction, and collision-related mesothermal Au deposits. By the end of the 1970s, satisfactory tectonic models for most of these deposit types had been established. Modern geological and economic geology research is largely built on these models, which have been expanded in detail but remain largely unchanged in concept and function.
THE Qn,k,m GRAPH: A COMMON GENERALIZATION OF VARIOUS POPULAR INTERCONNECTION NETWORKS
Authors: CHENG EDDIE , SHAWASH NART
Published: October 2013

The star graph and the alternating group graph were introduced as competitive alternatives to the hypercube, and they are indeed superior over the hypercube under many measures. However, they do suffer from scaling issues. To address this, different generalizations, namely, the (n,k)-star graph and the arrangement graph were introduced to address this shortcoming. From another direction, the star graph was recognized as a special case of Cayley graphs whose generators can be associated with a tree. Nevertheless, all these networks appear to be very different and yet share many properties. In this paper, we will solve this mystery by providing a common generalization of all these networks. Moreover, we will show that these networks have strong connectivity properties.
A CLASS OF MODIFIED BFGS METHODS WITH FUNCTION VALUE INFORMATION FOR UNCONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION
Authors: LIU HAO , WANG HAI-JUN , QIAN XIAO-YAN , SHI QING-SHENG
Published: October 2013

Based on some new interpolation conditions, a quadratic interpolation model is constructed to approximate the objective function, and then a class of modified BFGS methods with function value information is presented. The new methods satisfy some new weak secant equations and there is a parameter γ in the update formulae which ranges from zero to one. The global and local superlinear convergence properties of the new modified BFGS methods are proved. Numerical results for standard test problems from CUTE are reported, which indicate that all the methods in the proposed class perform well. Ensuring the sufficient positive definiteness of the updating matrices, an adaptive BFGS quasi-Newton method by dynamically choosing the parameter γ is proposed, which may be competitive with other BFGS modifications.
WIDTH OF QUANTUM HALL TRANSITION REGION IN THE PRESENCE OF LANDAU LEVEL MIXING
Authors: WANG LI , TU TAO , ZHOU CHENG , ZHAO YONG-JIE , GUO GUANG-CAN , GUO GUO-PING
Published: October 2013

In this paper, we have provided a systematic measurement of the longitudinal resistance Rxx of quantum Hall transition in a two-subband two-dimensional electron system. The data shows that the standard scaling behavior with single critical point remains unchanged even with strong Landau level degeneracy. There is no definite evidence to support the recent prediction that the width of transition region becomes finite when extrapolated to zero temperature, resulting from Landau level mixing.
COMMODITY PRICE DYNAMICS AND DERIVATIVE VALUATION: A REVIEW
Authors: BACK JANIS , PROKOPCZUK MARCEL
Published: October 2013

This paper reviews extant research on commodity price dynamics and commodity derivative pricing models. In the first half, we provide an overview of key characteristics of commodity price behavior that have been explored and documented in the theoretical and empirical literature. In the second half, we review existing derivative pricing models and discuss how the peculiarities of commodity markets have been integrated in these models. We conclude the paper with a brief outlook on various important research questions that need to be addressed in the future.
Investigation of the spatio-temporal relationship between normal faulting and arc volcanism on million-year time scales
Authors: Giba M. , Walsh J. J. , Nicol A. , Mouslopoulou V. , Seebeck H.
Published: October 2013

The spatio-temporal evolution of normal faulting and submarine volcanism during the Mid-Miocene to Recent (<16 Ma) in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, provides insights into the processes driving rifting and volcanism. In the Taranaki Basin high sedimentation rates have led to the blanketing and preservation of mainly submarine volcanic edifices and normal faults. Volcanic activity gradually migrated southward along the basin and contrasts with the punctuated migration of normal faulting in the same direction. Gradual southward migration of volcanism since
c
. 16 Ma has been attributed to progressive steepening and SE rollback of the subducting Pacific Plate. Similarly, the location and NE–SW strike of Late Miocene and younger normal faults mainly west of the North Island appear to have been controlled by the location and NE–SW strike of the underlying subducting plate. Stepwise changes in the locus of faulting at
c
. 8, 4 and 2 Ma could have been triggered by increases in the rates of vertical-axis rotation of the North Island associated with changes in plate convergence rates and southward migration of the rotation pole. The disparate spatio-temporal migration histories of subduction-related faulting and volcanism indicate that, over time scales of millions of years and distances of tens of kilometres, neither process controls the timing, location and rates of activity of the other.
FCs-EK: a new sampling of the Fish Canyon Tuff
40
Ar/
39
Ar neutron flux monitor
Authors: Morgan L. E. , Mark D. F. , Imlach J. , Barfod D. , Dymock R.
Published: October 2013

Sanidine from the Fish Canyon Tuff is regularly used as a neutron flux monitor by
40
Ar/
39
Ar geochronologists. A new sampling of the Fish Canyon Tuff (denoted FCs-EK) has yielded sanidine that relative to FC-2 is confirmed here to have an
R
value of 0.9997±0.0100, which is indistinguishable from 1. The new sample will allow for continuity as many
40
Ar/
39
Ar laboratories have exhausted their supplies of FC-2. FCs-EK is now available in significant quantities from the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre.

Supplementary material:

A table of Ar isotopic data is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18632
.
Optimal lower bounds for projective list update algorithms
Authors: Ambühl Christoph , Gärtner Bernd , Stengel Bernhard von
Published: October 2013

The list update problem is a classical online problem, with an optimal competitive ratio that is still open, known to be somewhere between 1.5 and 1.6. An algorithm with competitive ratio 1.6, the smallest known to date, is COMB, a randomized combination of BIT and the TIMESTAMP algorithm TS. This and almost all other list update algorithms, like MTF, are
projective
in the sense that they can be defined by looking only at any pair of list items at a time. Projectivity (also known as “list factoring”) simplifies both the description of the algorithm and its analysis, and so far seems to be the only way to define a good online algorithm for lists of arbitrary length. In this article, we characterize all projective list update algorithms and show that their competitive ratio is never smaller than 1.6 in the partial cost model. Therefore, COMB is a best possible projective algorithm in this model.
On the matrix berlekamp-massey algorithm
Authors: Kaltofen Erich , Yuhasz George
Published: October 2013

We analyze the Matrix Berlekamp/Massey algorithm, which generalizes the Berlekamp/Massey algorithm [Massey 1969] for computing linear generators of scalar sequences. The Matrix Berlekamp/Massey algorithm computes a minimal matrix generator of a linearly generated matrix sequence and has been first introduced by Rissanen [1972a], Dickinson et al. [1974], and Coppersmith [1994]. Our version of the algorithm makes no restrictions on the rank and dimensions of the matrix sequence. We also give new proofs of correctness and complexity for the algorithm, which is based on self-contained loop invariants and includes an explicit termination criterion for a given determinantal degree bound of the minimal matrix generator.
Multicore-based vector coprocessor sharing for performance and energy gains
Authors: Beldianu Spiridon F. , Ziavras Sotirios G.
Published: October 2013

For most of the applications that make use of a dedicated vector coprocessor, its resources are not highly utilized due to the lack of sustained data parallelism which often occurs due to vector-length variations in dynamic environments. The motivation of our work stems from: (a) the mandate for multicore designs to make efficient use of on-chip resources for low power and high performance; (b) the omnipresence of vector operations in high-performance scientific and emerging embedded applications; (c) the need to often handle a variety of vector sizes; and (d) vector kernels in application suites may have diverse computation needs. We present a robust design framework for vector coprocessor sharing in multicore environments that maximizes vector unit utilization and performance at substantially reduced energy costs. For our adaptive vector unit, which is attached to multiple cores, we propose three basic shared working policies that enforce coarse-grain, fine-grain, and vector-lane sharing. We benchmark these vector coprocessor sharing policies for a dual-core system and evaluate them using the floating-point performance, resource utilization, and power/energy consumption metrics. Benchmarking for FIR filtering, FFT, matrix multiplication, and LU factorization shows that these coprocessor sharing policies yield high utilization and performance with low energy costs. The proposed policies provide 1.2--2 speedups and reduce the energy needs by about 50% as compared to a system having a single core with an attached vector coprocessor. With the performance expressed in clock cycles, the sharing policies demonstrate 3.62--7.92 speedups compared to optimized Xeon runs. We also introduce performance and empirical power models that can be used by the runtime system to estimate the effectiveness of each policy in a hybrid system that can simultaneously implement this suite of shared coprocessor policies.
Custom architecture for multicore audio beamforming systems
Authors: Theodoropoulos Dimitris , Kuzmanov Georgi , Gaydadjiev Georgi
Published: October 2013

The audio Beamforming (BF) technique utilizes microphone arrays to extract acoustic sources recorded in a noisy environment. In this article, we propose a new approach for rapid development of multicore BF systems. Research on literature reveals that the majority of such experimental and commercial audio systems are based on desktop PCs, due to their high-level programming support and potential of rapid system development. However, these approaches introduce performance bottlenecks, excessive power consumption, and increased overall cost. Systems based on DSPs require very low power, but their performance is still limited. Custom hardware solutions alleviate the aforementioned drawbacks, however, designers primarily focus on performance optimization without providing a high-level interface for system control and test. In order to address the aforementioned problems, we propose a custom platform-independent architecture for reconfigurable audio BF systems. To evaluate our proposal, we implement our architecture as a heterogeneous multicore reconfigurable processor and map it onto FPGAs. Our approach combines the software flexibility of General-Purpose Processors (GPPs) with the computational power of multicore platforms. In order to evaluate our system we compare it against a BF software application implemented to a low-power Atom 330, a middle-ranged Core2 Duo, and a high-end Core i3. Experimental results suggest that our proposed solution can extract up to 16 audio sources in real time under a 16-microphone setup. In contrast, under the same setup, the Atom 330 cannot extract any audio sources in real time, while the Core2 Duo and the Core i3 can process in real time only up to 4 and 6 sources respectively. Furthermore, a Virtex4-based BF system consumes more than an order less energy compared to the aforementioned GPP-based approaches.
A term-based inverted index partitioning model for efficient distributed query processing
Authors: Cambazoglu B. Barla , Kayaaslan Enver , Jonassen Simon , Aykanat Cevdet
Published: October 2013

In a shared-nothing, distributed text retrieval system, queries are processed over an inverted index that is partitioned among a number of index servers. In practice, the index is either document-based or term-based partitioned. This choice is made depending on the properties of the underlying hardware infrastructure, query traffic distribution, and some performance and availability constraints. In query processing on retrieval systems that adopt a term-based index partitioning strategy, the high communication overhead due to the transfer of large amounts of data from the index servers forms a major performance bottleneck, deteriorating the scalability of the entire distributed retrieval system. In this work, to alleviate this problem, we propose a novel inverted index partitioning model that relies on hypergraph partitioning. In the proposed model, concurrently accessed index entries are assigned to the same index servers, based on the inverted index access patterns extracted from the past query logs. The model aims to minimize the communication overhead that will be incurred by future queries while maintaining the computational load balance among the index servers. We evaluate the performance of the proposed model through extensive experiments using a real-life text collection and a search query sample. Our results show that considerable performance gains can be achieved relative to the term-based index partitioning strategies previously proposed in literature. In most cases, however, the performance remains inferior to that attained by document-based partitioning.
The parallel path framework for entity discovery on the web
Authors: Weninger Tim , Johnston Thomas J. , Han Jiawei
Published: October 2013

It has been a dream of the database and Web communities to reconcile the unstructured nature of the World Wide Web with the neat, structured schemas of the database paradigm. Even though databases are currently used to generate Web content in some sites, the schemas of these databases are rarely consistent across a domain. This makes the comparison and aggregation of information from different domains difficult. We aim to make an important step towards resolving this disparity by using the structural and relational information on the Web to (1) extract Web lists, (2) find entity-pages, (3) map entity-pages to a database, and (4) extract attributes of the entities. Specifically, given a Web site and an entity-page (e.g., university department and faculty member home page) we seek to find all of the entity-pages of the same type (e.g., all faculty members in the department), as well as attributes of the specific entities (e.g., their phone numbers, email addresses, office numbers). To do this, we propose a Web structure mining method which grows
parallel paths
through the Web graph and DOM trees and propagates relevant attribute information forward. We show that by utilizing these parallel paths we can efficiently discover entity-pages and attributes. Finally, we demonstrate the accuracy of our method with a large case study.
Direct Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Myocytes to Reverse Fibrosis
Authors: Muraoka Naoto , Ieda Masaki
Published: October 2013

Heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The low regenerative capacity of adult human hearts has thus far limited the available therapeutic approaches for heart failure. Therefore, new therapies that can regenerate damaged myocardium and improve heart function are urgently needed. Although cell transplantation–based therapies may hold great potential, direct reprogramming of endogenous cardiac fibroblasts, which represent more than half of the cells in the heart, into functional cardiomyocytes in situ may be an alternative strategy by which to regenerate the heart. We and others demonstrated that functional cardiomyocytes can be directly generated from fibroblasts by using several combinations of cardiac-enriched factors in mouse and human. In vivo gene delivery of cardiac reprogramming factors generates new cardiac muscle and improved heart function after myocardial infarction in mouse. This article reviews recent progress in cardiac reprogramming research and discusses the perspectives and challenges of this new technology for future regenerative therapy.
Mycobacterium interjectumLung Infection
Authors: Mirant-Borde M. C. , Alvarez S. , Johnson M. M.
Published: October 2013

A 62-year-old male presented with productive cough, weight loss, and night sweats. CXR revealed a right upper lobe cavitary lesion. Evaluation was negative forMycobacterium tuberculosis, and sputum revealedMycobacterium avium intracellulare(MAI). Since his clinical course was atypical for MAI, further investigations were pursued which identifiedMycobacterium interjectumin lung specimens, a very rarely described etiology of pulmonary disease. Appropriate therapy with rifampin, intravenous amikacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), and ethambutol resulted in clinical and radiographic improvement. This is the third case described over a period of 20 years of destructive lung disease in an immunocompetent adult due toM. interjectum.
Use of Belatacept as Alternative Immunosuppression in Three Renal Transplant Patients withDe NovoDrug-Induced Thrombotic Microangiopathy
Authors: Cicora Federico , Paz Marta , Mos Fernando , Roberti Javier
Published: October 2013

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), a severe complication of renal transplantation, is a pathological process involving microvascular occlusion, thrombocytopenia, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. It generally appears within the first weeks after transplantation, when immunosuppressive drugs are used at high doses.De novoTMA may also be drug-induced when calcineurin inhibitors or proliferation signal inhibitors are used. We report three cases ofde novodrug-induced TMA in renal transplant patients who were managed by replacing calcineurin inhibitors or proliferation signal inhibitors with belatacept, a primary maintenance immunosuppressive drug, which blocks the CD28 costimulation pathway, preventing the activation of T lymphocytes. To identify the cause of TMA, we ruled out HUS, hepatitis C serology, HIV serology, parvovirus B19, cytomegalovirus, anti-HLA antibodies, and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time. We suspect that the TMA was caused by the calcineurin inhibitors or proliferation signal inhibitors. Belatacept treatment was initiated at a dose of 10 mg/kg on days 1, 5, 14, 28, 60, and 90; maintenance treatment was 5 mg/kg once a month for 1 year. Belatacept, in combination with other agents, prevented graft rejection in three patients.
A Robust Finite Element Analysis of the Rail-Wheel Rolling Contact
Authors: Aalami Mohammad Reza , Anari Aras , Shafighfard Torkan , Talatahari Siamak
Published: October 2013

Appraisal of contact stresses, surface cracks, and plastic deformations in rails and wheels has always been an important issue in mechanical and railway engineering because of two main reasons. In the first place, these inappropriate events lead to the reduction of service life of the railway track. Besides, studying railway systems requires both time-consuming analysis methods and expensive experimental works. In this paper, a railway system containing wheel, rail, axle, and pads is modeled and analyzed. Using elastic-plastic materials, mapped meshing, and the rolling motion of the wheel contingent upon the up-to-date international railway systems results in high accuracy in the solutions of this problem. ANSYS software is utilized with the purpose of simulating the system. The contribution of this study is on the basic way of managing Rail-Wheel interaction problems from a finite element method point of view. So, stress distribution, elastic and plastic strains as well as nodal forces are considered, simultaneously. The results obtained from the simulation have suitable agreement with the real life experiences. Another feature of this paper is that it demonstrates essential steps for more realistic 3D solutions to the aforementioned problems.
Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial, DNA Cleavage, and Antioxidant Studies of Some Metal Complexes Derived from Schiff Base Containing Indole and Quinoline Moieties
Authors: Karekal Mahendra Raj , Biradar Vivekanand , Bennikallu Hire Mathada Mruthyunjayaswamy
Published: October 2013

A new Schiff base of 5-chloro-3-phenyl-1H-indole-2-carboxyhydrazide and 3-formyl-2-hydroxy-1H-quinoline (HL), and its Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized in the light of microanalytical, IR,H1NMR, UV-Vis, FAB-mass, ESR, XRD, and TGA spectral studies. The magnetic susceptibility measurements and low conductivity data provide evidence for monomeric and neutral nature of the complexes. On the basis of spectral studies and analytical data, it is evident that the Schiff base acts as tridentate ligand. The Cu(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) complexes were octahedral, whereas Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) complexes were tetrahedral in nature. The redox behavior of the Cu(II) complex was investigated by electrochemical method using cyclic voltammetry. In order to evaluate the effect of metal ions upon chelation, both the ligand and its metal complexes were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The DNA cleavage experiment performed using agarose gel electrophoresis method showed the cleavage of DNA by all the metal complexes. The free radical scavenging activity of newly synthesized compounds has been determined at a different concentration range by means of their interaction with the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).
Cognitive Enrichment in Piglet Rearing: An Approach to Enhance Animal Welfare and to Reduce Aggressive Behaviour
Authors: Sonoda Lilia Thays , Fels Michaela , Rauterberg Sally , Viazzi Stefano , Ismayilova Gunel , Oczak Maciej , Bahr Claudia , Guarino Marcella , Vranken Erik , Berckmans Daniel , Hartung Jörg
Published: October 2013

It is known that pigs raised in enriched environments express less aggressive behaviour. For this reason, a new method of cognitive environmental enrichment was experimented at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany. In the first phase, 78 suckling piglets were trained to learn the link between a sound given by an electronic feeder and a feed reward in the form of chocolate candies during a period of 8 days. In the second phase, the same piglets were used in resident-intruder tests to verify the potential of the feeding system to interrupt aggressive behaviour. The analysis of all training rounds revealed that piglets learned the commands during 8 days of training and the interest of the piglets increased within training days (P<0.05). In the resident-intruder test, 79.5% of aggressive interactions were broken by feeder activation. In interactions where either the aggressor or the receiver reacted, a high number of fights were stopped (96.7% versus 93.1%) indicating that it was not relevant if the aggressor or the receiver responded to the feeder activation. We conclude that the electronic feeding system has the potential to be used as cognitive enrichment for piglets, being suitable for reducing aggressive behaviour in resident-intruder situations.
A Smart Electronic Tagging System Based on Context Awareness and Machine-to-Machine Interworking
Authors: Lee Gil-Yong , Yun Nam-Yeol , Lee Sung-Chul , Park Soo-Hyun
Published: October 2013

The existing electronic tagging system traces the location of a sex offender using triangulation by communicating with Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and mobile phone base stations. The acquired location information is used to prevent the offenders from perpetrating repeat crimes. However, the battery resources of such a system are inadequate as it has to trace the location of the moving target in real time and consumes a large amount of battery power while communicating with GPS satellites and mobile phone base stations. In addition, the systems cannot infer the mental state of the targets or detect their alcohol consumption levels, which may be necessary for the prevention of a repeat crime. The purpose of this study is to connect the Ubiquitous System Network (USN), which consumes little electricity, and Android mobile platforms, which are commonly used for machine-to-machine communication. Thus, this system will legally facilitate the protection of minors by providing information only about the target's approach to certain facilities. In addition, the system uses an Android platform to process data measured by the USN's sensors, which can also detect alcohol intake and infer the mental state of the target, and then initiates the corresponding real-time context-awareness services.
Fibre Contraction Principle with respect to an Iterative Algorithm
Authors: Şerban Marcel-Adrian
Published: October 2013

We apply the fibre contraction principle in the case of a general iterative algorithm to approximate the fixed point of triangular operator using the admissible perturbation. A simple example and an application to a functional equation with parameter are given in order to illustrate the abstract results and to show the role of admissible perturbations.
Differential Bacteriostatic Effects of Sucralose on Various Species of Environmental Bacteria
Authors: Omran Arthur , Baker Ronald , Coughlin Charles
Published: October 2013

Sucralose was developed as a low-cost artificial sweetener that is nonmetabolizable and can withstand changes in pH and temperature. It is not degraded by the wastewater treatment process and thus has been found in waste water, estuaries, rivers and the Gulf Stream. Since the molecule can withstand heat, acidification, and microbial degradation, it is accumulating in the environment. The highest concentration of environmental sucralose detected to date is 300 ng/L. Our lab has isolated six bacterial species from areas that have been exposed to sucralose. We then cultured these isolates in the presence of sucralose looking for potential sucralose metabolism or growth acceleration. Instead we found something very interesting, bacteriostatic effects exhibited on all six isolates. This inhibition was directly proportional to the concentration of sucralose exposure. The efficiency of the growth inhibition seemed to be species specific, with various concentrations inhibiting each organism differently.
Hybrid Ant Algorithm Based Query Processing with Multiagents in Sensor Networks
Authors: Yu Jianping , Zhang Lianming , Chen Ming , Liu Xingting
Published: October 2013

The wireless sensor networks are usually deployed in various application-specific contexts, which can be treated as distributed databases with big data. The event-involved query responses can be obtained by issuing query requests to this kind of database. However, the constraints of the energy and delay have had a great impact on the operation of wireless sensor networks. How to design the query-involved network model and the corresponding query processing algorithms is extremely challenging. This work investigates query processing problem in resource-constrained wireless sensor networks with the two-tier architecture and multiple query agents, where the multiple nodes of query agents are configured in the networks and the corresponding source cluster-heads send collected events to only one optimum query agent. To reduce the energy consumption and shorten the delivery delay, an efficient query processing algorithm inspired by the swarm intelligence of ants is proposed, which takes advantage of the beneficial clustering and routing emerging in a hybrid self-organized way from the positive interaction of ants. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can deliver collected events to the optimum query agents efficiently. Not only is the energy cost reduced but also the delivery delay is shortened significantly when transmitting the named events to the appropriate query agents.
Electroacupuncture for Decorticate Rigidity of the Upper Limbs in a Patient with Anoxic Brain Damage
Authors: Jung WooSang , Kwon SeungWon , Park SeongUk , Moon SangKwan , Park JungMi , Ko ChangNam , Cho KiHo
Published: October 2013

Decorticate rigidity is a type of abnormal posturing that can make it difficult to move a patient and to change the patient’s position to prevent a decubitus ulcer. This condition poses a latent risk of bed sores. To prevent those complications, we used electroacupuncutre for decorticate rigidity of the upper limbs in a patient with anoxic brain damage. A 51-year-old man complained of rigidity of both of the upper and lower extremities due to anoxic brain damage. His rigidity was exhibited as flexed arms and extended legs, which are the typical positions in decorticate rigidity. Prior to electroacupuncture, his decorticate rigidity was treated with dantrolene sodium and baclofen. However, his rigidity had not improved. This patient received total 41 sessions of electroacupuncture. The patient’s Modified Ashworth’s Scale changed from 4 at baseline to 2 after the treatment, indicating an improvement in the rigidity of the upper limbs. Preston’s Hypertonicity Scale and passive ROM of the elbow joints also improved. We report the observed effects of electroacupuncture for decorticate rigidity of the upper limbs in a patient with anoxic brain damage. Further controlled studies are needed to determine whether electroacupuncture is a useful alternative treatment for decorticate rigidity in patients with anoxic brain damage.
The Salivaryβ-HEX A% Index as an Excellent Marker of Periodontitis in Smoking Alcohol-Dependent Persons
Authors: Waszkiewicz Napoleon , Zalewska-Szajda Beata , Chojnowska Sylwia , Szajda Sławomir Dariusz , Zalewska Anna , Konarzewska Beata , Szulc Agata , Wojtulewska-Supron Aleksandra , Kępka Alina , Knaś Małgorzata , Ładny Jerzy Robert , Milewski Robert , Zwierz Krzysztof
Published: October 2013

Background. Severe periodontitis leading to tooth loss is found in 5–15% of most populations worldwide.Aim. The applicability of salivaryβ-hexosaminidase (β-HEX A%, percentage ofβ-HEX A isoenzyme to totalβ-HEX) andβ-HEX B% (β-HEX B/β-HEX) indexes was investigated as a possible marker of periodontitis.Methods. Thirty three alcohol-dependent smokers (AS) and 32 healthy controls (C) were enrolled in the study. The activity ofβ-HEX was measured spectrophotometrically.Results.β-HEX A% was significantly higher andβ-HEX B% was lower in AS than in C group. We found a significant correlation betweenβ-HEX A% and gingival index (GI) and an inverse correlation betweenβ-HEX A% and salivary flow (SF), in all groups. Salivaryβ-HEX A% index in smoking alcoholics at 0.23 had excellent sensitivity (96%) and specificity (91%); the AUC forβ-HEX A% was high (0.937). There were no correlations between amount/duration-time of alcohol drinking/smoking andβ-HEX A% orβ-HEX B%. We found significant correlations between the time period of denture wearing and GI, papilla bleeding index (PBI), and decayed missing filled teeth index (DMFT) and between GI and the amount of smoked cigarettes per day.Conclusion. Bad periodontal state was most likely due to the nicotine dependence. Salivaryβ-HEX A% is a promising excellent marker for the diagnosis of periodontitis.
An Acquired Factor VIII Inhibitor in a Patient with HIV and HCV: A Case Presentation and Literature Review
Authors: Zeichner S. B. , Harris A. , Turner G. , Francavilla M. , Lutzky J.
Published: October 2013

Introduction. Despite its low incidence, acquired factor VIII inhibitor is the most common autoantibody affecting the clotting cascade. The exact mechanism of acquisition remains unclear, but postpartum patients, those with autoimmune conditions or malignancies, and those with exposure to particular drugs appear most susceptible. There have been several case reports describing acquired FVIII inhibitors in patients receiving interferon alpha for HCV treatment and in patients being treated for HIV. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a patient with HCV and HIV who was not actively receiving treatment for either condition.Case Presentation. A 57-year-old Caucasian male with a history of HIV and HCV was admitted to our hospital for a several day history of progressively worsening right thigh bruising and generalized weakness. CTA of the abdominal arteries revealed large bilateral retroperitoneal hematomas. Laboratory studies revealed the presence of a high titer FVIII inhibitor.Conclusion. Our case of a very rare condition highlights the importance of recognizing and understanding the diagnosis of acquired FVIII inhibitor. Laboratory research and clinical data on the role of newer agents are needed in order to better characterize disease pathogenesis, disease associations, genetic markers, and optimal disease management.
Electronic Structure of 2H-Tetraphenylporphyrin at Fe/Si (100) Interface
Authors: Lal Chhagan , Jain I. P.
Published: October 2013

Many recent studies have highlighted the possibility to tailor the physical and chemical properties of porphyrin at the molecular level to design novel catalysts, sensors and devices with applications in electronics, opto-electronics, and so forth. In the present work, we study the electronic properties of 2H-Tetraphenylporphyrin (2H-TPP) on iron (Fe) and iron silicide (Fe3Si) onto Si (100) substrate using X-ray and Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS & UPS). The results revealed that the iron atom is coordinated by TPP molecules on Fe/Si as well as on Fe3Si/Si. XPS results provide evidence of the iron coordination with TPP molecules. The UPS analysis evidenced the fine structure in the electronic spectra related to HOMO states below the Fermi level.
An Inhibitive Enzyme Assay to Detect Mercury and Zinc Using Protease from Coriandrum sativum
Authors: Baskaran Gunasekaran , Masdor Noor Azlina , Syed Mohd Arif , Shukor Mohd Yunus
Published: October 2013

Heavy metals pollution has become a great threat to the world. Since instrumental methods are expensive and need skilled technician, a simple and fast method is needed to determine the presence of heavy metals in the environment. In this study, an inhibitive enzyme assay for heavy metals has been developed using crude proteases from Coriandrum sativum. In this assay, casein was used as a substrate and Coomassie dye was used to denote the completion of casein hydrolysis. In the absence of inhibitors, casein was hydrolysed and the solution became brown, while in the presence of metal ions such as Hg2+ and Zn2+, the hydrolysis of casein was inhibited and the solution remained blue. Both Hg2+ and Zn2+ exhibited one‐phase binding curve with IC50 values of 3.217 mg/L and 0.727 mg/L, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) for Hg were 0.241 and 0.802 mg/L, respectively, while the LOD and LOQ for Zn were 0.228 and 0.761 mg/L, respectively. The enzyme exhibited broad pH ranges for activity. The crude proteases extracted from Coriandrum sativum showed good potential for the development of a rapid, sensitive, and economic inhibitive assay for the biomonitoring of Hg2+ and Zn2+ in the aquatic environments.
Current Practice of Heart Donor Evaluation in Germany: Multivariable Risk Factor Analysis Confirms Practicability of Guidelines
Authors: Zeissig Sylke Ruth , Fischer-Froehlich Carl-Ludwig , Polster Frank , Fruehauf Nils R. , Kirste Guenter , Schmidtmann Irene
Published: October 2013

Background. Organ shortage has liberalised the acceptance criteria of grafts for heart transplantation, but which donor characteristics ultimately influence the decision to perform transplantation? For the first time this was evaluated using real-time donor data from the German organ procurement organization (DSO). Observed associations are discussed with regard to international recommendations and guidelines.Methods. 5291 German donors (2006–2010) were formally eligible for heart donation. In logistic regression models 160 donor parameters were evaluated to assess their influence on using grafts for transplantation (random split of cases: 2/3 study sample, 1/3 validation sample).Results. Successful procurement was determined by low donor age (OR 0.87 per year; 95% CI [0.85–0.89],P<0.0001), large donor height (OR 1.04 per cm; 95% CI [1.02–1.06],P<0.0001), exclusion of impaired left ventricular function or wall motion (OR 0.01; 95% CI [0.002–0.036],P<0.0001), arrhythmia (OR 0.05; 95% CI [0.009–0.260],P=0.0004), and of severe coronary artery disease (OR 0.003; 95% CI [<0.001–0.01],P<0.0001). Donor characteristics differed between cases where the procedure was aborted without and with allocation initiated via Eurotransplant.
An Improved Two-Step Method for Generalized Variational Inequalities
Authors: Chen Haibin
Published: October 2013

We propose an improved two-step extragradient algorithm for pseudomonotone
generalized variational inequalities. It requires two projections at each iteration and
allows one to take different stepsize rules. Moreover, from a geometric point of view, it is
shown that the new method has a long stepsize, and it guarantees that the distance from the
next iterative point to the solution set has a large decrease. Under mild conditions, we show
that the method is globally convergent, and then the R-linearly convergent property of the
method is proven if a projection-type error bound holds locally.
Oncogene‐ and Oxidative Stress‐Induced Cellular Senescence Shows Distinct Expression Patterns of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Vascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Suzuki Etsu , Takahashi Masao , Oba Shigeyoshi , Nishimatsu Hiroaki
Published: October 2013

Senescent cells are metabolically active and produce a variety of proinflammatory cytokines. It was previously reported that atherosclerotic plaques contain senescent cells, suggesting that senescence may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. In this study, we induced cellular senescence in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or an adenovirus that expresses a constitutively active mutant of Ras (AdRas12V) and studied the expression of cytokines. Both H2O2 treatment and AdRas12V infection induced senescence in VECs, as assessed by senescence‐associated β‐Gal activity and the expression of proteins such as p53 and p21CIP1. In addition, both treatments induced the expression of a variety of cytokines, including interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and nerve growth factor (NGF). AdRas12V infection induced IL‐1β expression more significantly than H2O2 treatment, whereas both treatments induced comparable mRNA and protein expression levels of NGF. These results suggest that senescent cells express different patterns of proinflammatory cytokines, depending on the trigger that induced senescence. It is therefore possible that senescent cells can differentially induce inflammation in the surrounding tissues, depending on the cause of senescence.
Solitary Fibrous Tumor of Neck Mimicking Cold Thyroid Nodule in 99m Tc Thyroid Scintigraphy
Authors: Topaloglu Oya , Ucan Bekir , Demirci Taner , Sayki Arslan Muyesser , Saylam Guleser , Onder Evrim , Gultekin Sinan , Dilli Alper , Sahin Mustafa , Cakal Erman , Ozbek Mustafa , Delibasi Tuncay
Published: October 2013

A 68-year-old man had a rapidly growing, painless neck mass, thought to be nodular goiter. Ultrasonography showed a giant, heterogeneous mass occupying the middle and superior poles and protruding outside of the left thyroid lobe. The results of the thyroid function tests were normal. Thyroid scintigraphy revealed a large hypoactive nodule in the left thyroid lobe. Complete surgical removal of tumor was performed and macroscopically demonstrated a well-demarked lesion outside the thyroid gland. Microscopically, the lesion was composed of fibroblast-like spindle cells in a patternless architecture and extensive stromal hyalinization. Immunohistochemistry showed positive reaction for CD34 in spindle cells and diffuse bcl-2 staining. The pathology was confirmed as solitary fibrous tumor. In the follow-up period after surgery, thyroid scintigraphy showed normal left thyroid lobe. Solitary fibrous tumor originated from or associated with thyroid gland is extremely rare. According to our knowledge, this is the first reported solitary fibrous tumor presenting like a cold thyroid nodule. This pathology must be considered for differential diagnosis of neck masses in the thyroid region.
Heart of Lymphoma: Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma with Endomyocardial Involvement
Authors: Rogowitz Elisa , Babiker Hani M. , Krishnadasan Ravitharan , Jokerst Clint , Miller Thomas P. , Bookman Michael
Published: October 2013

Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is an uncommon aggressive subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Although PMBCL frequently spreads locally from the thymus into the pleura or pericardium, it rarely invades directly through the heart. Herein, we report a case of a young Mexican female diagnosed with PMBCL with clear infiltration of lymphoma through the cardiac wall and into the right atrium and tricuspid valve leading to tricuspid regurgitation. This was demonstrated by cardiac MRI and transthoracic echocardiogram. In addition, cardiac MRI and CT scan of the chest revealed the large mediastinal mass completely surrounding and eroding into the superior vena cava (SVC) wall causing a collar of stokes. The cardiac and SVC infiltration created a significant therapeutic challenge as lymphomas are very responsive to chemotherapy, and treatment could potentially lead to vascular wall rupture and hemorrhage. Despite the lack of conclusive data on chemotherapy-induced hemodynamic compromise in such scenarios, her progressive severe SVC syndrome and respiratory distress necessitated urgent intervention. In addition to the unique presentation of this rare lymphoma, our case report highlights the safety of R-CHOP treatment.