bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
OPTIMAL SOLUTION STRUCTURE FOR MULTI-PERIOD PRODUCTION PLANNING WITH RETURNED PRODUCTS REMANUFACTURING
Authors: LI YONGJIAN , ZHANG JIHONG , CHEN JIAN , CAI XIAOQIANG
Published: November 2010

Environmental legislation and customer expectations increasingly force manufacturers to take recovery of used products into account in their production and inventory management. One of the areas concerned is production planning with returned products remanufacturing. In this paper, we discuss the optimal decision for a joint manufacturing and remanufacturing system in a multi-period horizon, including manufacturing decision, remanufacturing and disposal decisions of the returned product. Setup costs are considered for the manufacturing and disposal activities. For an n-period model, we derive an optimal solution structure for the three activities, where the solution parameters can be computed by dynamic programming approach.
MEASUREMENT OF ICE PACKING FACTOR OF AQUEOUS SOLUTION WITH ICE SLURRY USING REFRACTIVE INDEX
Authors: PECK JONG HYEON , KANG CHAEDONG , HONG HIKI
Published: November 2010

In the present work, a new method is proposed for the measurement of the ice packing factor (IPF) of an ice slurry using the index of refraction. The purpose of the new method is to improve the resolution of the measurement and to increase its resistance to electric noise as compared to the standard IPF measurement technique that relies on the measurement of the freezing temperature. These two methods are similar in that they both obtain a concentration of aqueous solution from the measured physical quantities and calculate the IPF using the relationship between concentration and IPF. Both methods were also compared with the results from the calorimeter method obtaining the IPF directly. The two methods are in good agreement (within 5%), which demonstrate the validity of the newly proposed method.
AN EVALUATION OF CONSTITUENT CORRELATIONS FOR PREDICTING REFRIGERANT CHARACTERISTICS IN ADIABATIC CAPILLARY TUBES
Authors: SARKER DEBASISH , KIM LYUN-SU , SON KI-DONG , JEONG JI HWAN , CHANG KEUN SUN
Published: November 2010

Capillary tubes are widely used as a refrigerant flow control device in small refrigeration systems. Since the flow behavior inside the capillary tube is complex, many physical models are necessary to predict the characteristics of the refrigerant flow in a capillary tube. In the present paper, refrigerant flow characteristics inside the capillary tube have been studied to find out recommended empirical correlations of influential parameters. A numerical capillary model is developed to predict the refrigerant characteristics. Various empirical correlations regarding single-phase friction factor, two-phase viscosity, two-phase frictional multiplier and metastable flow are examined using this numerical capillary model. Calculated results are compared with experimental data to examine the accuracy in terms of required capillary tube length and mass flow rate. Based on the comparison, recommended correlations are selected to be used for capillary flow analysis.
FIRST AND SECOND LAW ANALYSIS OF A LABORATORY AMMONIA/WATER ABSORPTION HEAT PUMP
Authors: MOSER HARALD , RIEBERER RENÉ
Published: November 2010

At the Institute of Thermal Engineering, a small-capacity ammonia/water absorption heat pumping unit with about 5 kW cooling capacity has been constructed and tested in the laboratory. For all heat exchangers, standard plate heat exchangers have been used. The heat pump has been designed to operate in a wide operating range in order to enable different temperature levels for ice production, residential cooling, and heating applications.

To identify potential for improvements, a thermodynamic analysis using both the first and the second law of thermodynamics has been carried out in order to locate irreversibilities associated with inefficient processes and to calculate the exergy loss of each component. Therefore the exergy losses of the main components have been separated into one part which is caused by the heat transfer and another part which originates from internal irreversibilities, e.g., from mixing processes. Furthermore, sensitivity calculations have been performed by varying the temperature levels of the heat sources and the heat sink in order to investigate the different component losses at different operating conditions.

The results show that the component exergy losses depend particular on the temperature level of both the heat sources and the heat sink. At low temperature lifts, the exergy losses of the absorber and generator are dominant and with increasing temperature lift, the exergy losses of the dephlegmator and the rectification column become considerable.
PageRank without hyperlinks
Authors: Kurland Oren , Lee Lillian
Published: November 2010

The ad hoc retrieval task is to find documents in a corpus that are relevant to a query. Inspired by the PageRank and HITS (hubs and authorities) algorithms for Web search, we propose a structural reranking approach to ad-hoc retrieval that applies to settings with no hyperlink information. We reorder the documents in an initially retrieved set by exploiting implicit asymmetric relationships among them. We considergeneration links, which indicate that the language model induced from one document assigns high probability to the text of another. We study a number of reranking criteria based on measures of centrality in the graphs formed by generation links, and show that integrating centrality into standard language-model-based retrieval is quite effective at improving precision at top ranks; the best resultant performance is comparable, and often superior, to that of a state-of-the-art pseudo-feedback-based retrieval approach. In addition, we demonstrate the merits of our language-model-based method for inducing interdocument links by comparing it to previously suggested notions of interdocument similarities (e.g., cosines within the vector-space model).We also show that ourmethods for inducing centrality are substantially more effective than approaches based on document-specific characteristics, several of which are novel to this study.
An information-theoretic framework for semantic-multimedia retrieval
Authors: Magalhães João , Rüger Stefan
Published: November 2010

This article is set in the context of searching text and image repositories by keyword. We develop a unified probabilistic framework for text, image, and combined text and image retrieval that is based on the detection of keywords (concepts) using automated image annotation technology. Our framework is deeply rooted in information theory and lends itself to use with other media types.

We estimate a statistical model in a multimodal feature space for each possible query keyword. The key element of our framework is to identify feature space transformations that make them comparable in complexity and density. We select the optimal multimodal feature space with a minimum description length criterion from a set of candidate feature spaces that are computed with the average-mutual-information criterion for the text part and hierarchical expectation maximization for the visual part of the data. We evaluate our approach in three retrieval experiments (only text retrieval, only image retrieval, and text combined with image retrieval), verify the framework's low computational complexity, and compare with existing state-of-the-art ad-hoc models.
The coming African tsunami of information insecurity
Authors: Goodman Seymour , Harris Andrew
Published: November 2010

As the affordability and use of mobile phones in Africa increase, so too will security vulnerabilities.
QIP = PSPACE
Authors: Jain Rahul , Ji Zhengfeng , Upadhyay Sarvagya , Watrous John
Published: November 2010

The interactive proof system model of computation has been studied extensively in computational complexity theory and theoretical cryptography for more than 25 years, and has driven the development of interesting new techniques and insights in those fields. This work considers the quantum interactive proof system model, which is the classical model's natural quantum computational analog. An exact characterization of the expressive power of quantum interactive proof systems is obtained: the collection of computational problems having quantum interactive proof systems consists precisely of those problems solvable with an ordinary classical computer using at most a polynomial amount of memory (or QIP = PSPACE in complexity-theoretic terminology). One striking implication of this characterization is that it implies quantum computing provides no increase in computational power whatsoever over classical computing in the context of interactive proof systems.
Puzzled
Authors: Winkler Peter
Published: November 2010

It's amazing how little we know about the simple, ordinary, axis-aligned rectangle. Last month (p. 112) we posted a trio of brainteasers, including one as yet unsolved, concerning rectangles galore. Here, we offer solutions to at least two of them. How did you do?
Future Tense
Authors: Rumilisoun
Published: November 2010

Future Tense, one of the revolving features on this page, presents stories and essays from the intersection of computational science and technological speculation, their boundaries limited only by our ability to imagine what will and could be.

Build a digital library of pioneering virtual worlds as a living laboratory of history and social science.
Multimedia sensor fusion for retrieving identity in biometric access control systems
Authors: Chetty Girija , White Matthew
Published: November 2010

In this article, we propose a novel multimedia sensor fusion approach based on heterogeneous sensors for biometric access control applications. The proposed fusion technique uses multiple acoustic and visual sensors for extracting dominant biometric cues, and combines them with nondominant cues. The performance evaluation of the proposed fusion protocol and a novel cascaded authentication approach using a 3D stereovision database shows a significant improvement in performance and robustness, with equal error rates of 42.9% (audio only), 32% (audio + 3D face + 2D lip features), 15% (audio + 3D face + 2D eye features), and 7.3% (audio-3D face + 2D lip + 2D eye-eyebrows) respectively.
Autonomous vehicle coordination with wireless sensor and actuator networks
Authors: Marin-Perianu Mihai , Bosch Stephan , Marin-Perianu Raluca , Scholten Hans , Havinga Paul
Published: November 2010

A coordinated team of mobile wireless sensor and actuator nodes can bring numerous benefits for various applications in the field of cooperative surveillance, mapping unknown areas, disaster management, automated highway and space exploration. This article explores the idea of mobile nodes using vehicles on wheels, augmented with wireless, sensing, and control capabilities. One of the vehicles acts as aleader, being remotely driven by the user, the others represent thefollowers. Each vehicle has a low-power wireless sensor node attached, featuring a 3D accelerometer and a magnetic compass. Speed and orientation are computed in real time using inertial navigation techniques. The leader periodically transmits these measures to the followers, which implement a lightweight fuzzy logic controller for imitating the leader's movement pattern. We report in detail on all development phases, covering design, simulation, controller tuning, inertial sensor evaluation, calibration, scheduling, fixed-point computation, debugging, benchmarking, field experiments, and lessons learned.
A self-organization mechanism based on cross-entropy method for P2P-like applications
Authors: Chen Gang , Sarrafzadeh Abdolhossein , Low Chor Ping , Zhang Liang
Published: November 2010

P2P-like applications are quickly gaining popularity in the Internet. Such applications are commonly modeled as graphs with nodes and edges. Usually nodes represent running processes that exchange information with each other through communication channels as represented by the edges. They often need to autonomously determine their suitable working mode or local status for the purpose of improving performance, reducing operation cost, or achieving system-level design goals. In order to achieve this objective, the concept of status configuration is introduced in this article and a mathematical correspondence is further established between status configuration and an optimization index (
OI
), which serves as a unified abstraction of any system design goals. Guided by this correspondence and inspired by the cross-entropy algorithm, a cross-entropy-driven self-organization mechanism (CESM) is proposed in this article. CESM exhibits the self-organization property since desirable status configurations that lead to high
OI
values will quickly emerge from purely localized interactions. Both theoretical and experimental analysis have been performed. The results strongly indicate that CESM is a simple yet effective technique which is potentially suitable for many P2P-like applications.
Cell-Probe Proofs
Authors: Yin Yitong
Published: November 2010

We study the nondeterministic cell-probe complexity of static data structures. We introduce
cell-probe proofs
(CPP), a proof system for the cell-probe model, which describes verification instead of computation in the cell-probe model. We present a combinatorial characterization of CPP. With this novel tool, we prove the following lower bounds for the nondeterministic cell-probe complexity of static data structures.

–There exists a data structure problem with high nondeterministic cell-probe complexity.

–For the exact nearest neighbor search (NNS) problem or the partial match problem in high dimensional Hamming space, for any data structure with Poly(
n
) cells, each of which contains
O
(
n
C
) bits where
C
 < 1, the nondeterministic cell-probe complexity is at least Ω(log(
d
/log
n
)), where
d
is the dimension and
n
is the number of points in the data set.

–For the polynomial evaluation problem of
d
-degree polynomial over finite field of size 2
k
where
d
 ≤ 2
k
, for any data structure with
s
cells, each of which contains
b
bits, the nondeterministic cell-probe complexity is at least min ((
k
/
b
(
d
 − 1)), (
k
−log(
d
−1)/log
s
)).
How to Create a Podcast for e-Learning
Authors: Duffy Jill
Published: November 2010

In our era of ubiquitous and almost free publishing, those who want to teach and learn now have almost limitless resources. However, this wealth of information brings a whole new perspective on literacy. As Howard Rheingold suggests, we, which includes educators and learners alike, might now have to deal with not one, but six literacies.
Stay-in-Touch Marketing
Authors: Richman Hal S.
Published: November 2010

"Stay in touch" marketing is a key strategy for promoting an e-learning consulting practice. In this article, Hal S. Richman shares 5 tips for what has worked (and not) for him over the past 15 years of sending his own newsletters to promote his businesses.
How does a hopping kangaroo breathe?
Authors: Giuliodori Mauricio J. , Lujan Heidi L. , Janbaih Hussein , DiCarlo Stephen E.
Published: November 2010

We developed a model to demonstrate how a hopping kangaroo breathes. Interestingly, a kangaroo uses less energy to breathe while hopping than while standing still. This occurs, in part, because rather than using muscle power to move air into and out of the lungs, air is pulled into (inspiration) and pushed out of (expiration) the lungs as the abdominal organs “flop” within the kangaroo's body. Specifically, as the kangaroo hops upward, the abdominal organs lag behind, and the insertion of the diaphragm is pulled toward its origin, flattening the dome and increasing the vertical dimension of the thoracic cavity (the thoracic cavity and lungs enlarge). Increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity reduces alveolar pressure below atmospheric pressure (barometric pressure), and air moves into the alveoli by bulk flow. In contrast, the impact of the organs against the diaphragm at each landing causes expiration. Specifically, upon landing, the abdominal organs flop into the diaphragm, causing it to return to its dome shape and decreasing the vertical dimension of the thoracic cavity. This compresses the alveolar gas volume and elevates alveolar pressure above barometric pressure, so air is expelled. To demonstrate this phenomenon, the plunger of a syringe model of the respiratory system was inserted through a compression spring. Holding the syringe and pressing the plunger firmly against a hard surface expels air from the lungs (the balloon within the syringe deflates) and compresses the spring. This models the kangaroo landing after a hop forward. Subsequently, the compression spring provides the energy for the “kangaroo” to “hop” forward upon the release of the syringe, and air enters the lungs (the balloon within the syringe inflates). The model accurately reflects how a hopping kangaroo breathes. A model was chosen to demonstrate this phenomenon because models engage and inspire students as well as significantly enhance student understanding.
Explorations in statistics: correlation
Authors: Curran-Everett Douglas
Published: November 2010

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This sixth installment of Explorations in Statistics explores correlation, a familiar technique that estimates the magnitude of a straight-line relationship between two variables. Correlation is meaningful only when the two variables are true random variables: for example, if we restrict in some way the variability of one variable, then the magnitude of the correlation will decrease. Correlation cannot help us decide if changes in one variable result in changes in the second variable, if changes in the second variable result in changes in the first variable, or if changes in a third variable result in concurrent changes in the first two variables. Correlation can help provide us with evidence that study of the nature of the relationship between x and y may be warranted in an actual experiment in which one of them is controlled.
Can learning style predict student satisfaction with different instruction methods and academic achievement in medical education?
Authors: Gurpinar Erol , Alimoglu Mustafa Kemal , Mamakli Sumer , Aktekin Mehmet
Published: November 2010

The curriculum of our medical school has a hybrid structure including both traditional training (lectures) and problem-based learning (PBL) applications. The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of our medical students and investigate the relation of learning styles with each of satisfaction with different instruction methods and academic achievement in them. This study was carried out with the participation of 170 first-year medical students (the participation rate was 91.4%). The researchers prepared sociodemographic and satisfaction questionnaires to determine the characteristics of the participants and their satisfaction levels with traditional training and PBL. The Kolb learning styles inventory was used to explore the learning styles of the study group. The participants completed all forms at the end of the first year of medical education. Indicators of academic achievement were scores of five theoretical block exams and five PBL exams performed throughout the academic year of 2008–2009. The majority of the participants took part in the “diverging” ( n = 84, 47.7%) and “assimilating” ( n = 73, 41.5%) groups. Numbers of students in the “converging” and “accommodating” groups were 11 (6.3%) and 8 (4.5%), respectively. In all learning style groups, PBL satisfaction scores were significantly higher than those of traditional training. Exam scores for “PBL and traditional training” did not differ among the four learning styles. In logistic regression analysis, learning style (assimilating) predicted student satisfaction with traditional training and success in theoretical block exams. Nothing predicted PBL satisfaction and success. This is the first study conducted among medical students evaluating the relation of learning style with student satisfaction and academic achievement. More research with larger groups is needed to generalize our results. Some learning styles may relate to satisfaction with and achievement in some instruction methods.
Di-μ-fluoro-bis[aqua-(dimethyl sulfoxide)-trifluorozirconium(IV)]
Authors: Gao Y. , Le Bail A.
Published: November 2010

[Zr2F8(dmso)2(H2O)2], a dehydration product of [ZrF4(dmso)(H2O)2]⋅2H2O, crystallizes in the orthorhombic symmetry [space group Cmca, a=7.8266(3) Å, b=13.5847(5) Å, c=15.6119(6) Å, and Z=4]. The structure, solved ab initio in direct space from X-ray powder diffraction data, is built up from [Zr2F8O4] bipolyhedra formed by edge sharing of [ZrF5O2] pentagonal bipyramids (condensed from isolated [ZrF4O3] pentagonal bipyramids in the precursor). Difficulties associated with a fortuitous hexagonal pseudosymmetry were surmounted. The dmso departure at 220 °C leads to an amorphous phase.
Anomalous phase composition in the two-phase region of DyFe3−xAlx (x≤1.0)
Authors: Chen Y. Q. , Liang J. K. , Luo J. , Li J. B. , Rao G. H.
Published: November 2010

The structure transitions and phase relationships of DyFe3−xAlx compounds have been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction. Our XRD results show that each of the compounds with x≤0.45 crystallizes in the rhombohedral PuNi3-type structure with space group R3¯m and Z=9; for the 0.8≤x<1.0 compounds, each has a hexagonal structure of the CeNi3 type with space group P63/mmc and Z=6; and each of the samples with 0.45<x<0.8 is a two-phase mixture of the PuNi3- and CeNi3-type structures. The calculated XRD intensities of the DyFe3−xAlx compounds with x=0.2, 0.33, 0.4, and 0.45 indicate that Dy occupies the 3a and 6c sites, Fe and Al distribute randomly on the 18h site, and the 3b and 6c sites are exclusively occupied by Fe, which agrees well with those of our experimental XRD patterns. The XRD intensities of the DyFe3−xAlx compounds with x=0.8 and 1.0 have also been calculated and found to agree with the experimental results with Dy on the 2c and 4f sites, Fe and Al at the 12k site, and Fe at the 2a, 2b, and 2d sites. In the two-phase region with x=0.45–0.8, the values of unit-cell parameters and phase compositions are linearly dependent on the value of x, indicating that the two phases are constituted by the same composition x with different stacking arrangements. This abnormal two-phase equilibrium is further confirmed by the structural analysis of the DyFe2.33Al0.67 (or x=0.67) sample. The samples with x=1.1 and 1.2 were also analyzed, and each found to be a mixture of more than two phases.
Endogenous Versus Tumor-Specific Host Response to Breast Carcinoma: A Study of Stromal Response in Synchronous Breast Primaries and Biopsy Site Changes
Authors: Wu Julie M. , Beck Andrew H. , Pate Lisa L. , Witten Daniela , Zhu Shirley X. , Montgomery Kelli D. , Allison Kimberly H. , van de Rijn Matt , West Robert B.
Published: November 2010

Purpose: We recently described two types of stromal response in breast cancer derived from gene expression studies of tenosynovial giant cell tumors and fibromatosis. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the basis of this stromal response—whether they are elicited by individual tumors or whether they represent an endogenous host reaction produced by the patient.

Experimental Design: Stromal signatures from patients with synchronous dual primaries were analyzed by immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray (n = 26 pairs) to evaluate the similarity of stromal responses in different tumors within the same patient. We also characterized the extent to which the stromal signatures were conserved between stromal response to injury compared to the stromal response to carcinoma using gene expression profiling and tissue microarray immunohistochemistry.

Results: The two stromal response signatures showed divergent associations in synchronous primaries: the DTF fibroblast response is more likely to be similar in a patient with multiple breast primaries (permutation analysis P = 0.0027), whereas CSF1 macrophage response shows no significant concordance in separate tumors within a given patient. The DTF fibroblast signature showed more concordance across normal, cancer, and biopsy site samples from within a patient, than across normal, cancer, and biopsy site samples from a random group of patients, whereas the CSF1 macrophage response did not.

Conclusions: The results suggest that the DTF fibroblast response is host-specific, whereas the CSF1 response may be tumor-elicited. Our findings provide further insight into stromal response and may facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies to target particular stromal subtypes. Clin Cancer Res; 17(3); 437–46. ©2010 AACR.
Therapeutic Treatment with Sustained-Release Platelet-Rich Plasma Restores Blood Perfusion by Augmenting Ischemia-Induced Angiogenesis and Arteriogenesis in Diabetic Mice
Authors: Bir Shyamal Chandra , Esaki Jiro , Marui Akira , Sakaguchi Hisashi , Kevil Christopher G. , Ikeda Tadashi , Komeda Masashi , Tabata Yasuhiko , Sakata Ryuzo
Published: November 2010

Objective: The objective of this investigation was to establish the effectiveness of sustained-release platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on perfusion and neovascularization in diabetic murine hind limb ischemia. Methods: After surgery in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, the mice were randomly assigned to the following 4 experimental groups: control (C), 100 µl of the sustained-release form of platelet-poor plasma (PPP), 100 µl of the solution form of PRP (PRP-sol), and 100 µl of the sustained-release form of PRP (PRP-sr). Endpoint evaluations were: blood perfusion by laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI), vascular density by anti-vWF, and mature vessel density by anti-smooth muscle actin antibody. Results: This study demonstrated that a sustained release of PRP increases the perfusion of ischemic tissue as measured by LDPI (57 ± 12; 56 ± 9; 72 ± 7, and 98 ± 4 for the C, PPP, PRP-sol, and PRP-sr groups, respectively; p < 0.05), capillary density (151 ± 16; 158 ± 12; 189 ± 39, and 276 ± 39 for groups C, PPP, PRP-sol, and PRP-sr, respectively; p < 0.05), and mature vessel density (28 ± 2; 31 ± 3; 52 ± 10, and 85 ± 13 for the C, PPP, PRP-sol, and PRP-sr groups, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusion: A sustained release of PRP containing potent angiogenic growth factors restores blood perfusion by stimulating angiogenesis and arteriogenesis.
Aortic Adventitial Fibroblasts Participate in Angiotensin-Induced Vascular Wall Inflammation and Remodeling
Authors: Tieu Brian C. , Ju Xiaoxi , Lee Chang , Sun Hong , Lejeune Wanda , Recinos, III Adrian , Brasier Allan R. , Tilton Ronald G.
Published: November 2010

Background/Aims: The role of adventitial fibroblasts in the vascular inflammation observed in the adventitia of large vessels in numerous cardiovascular diseases remains unclear. Our objective was to explore the contribution of these cells to angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced aortic inflammation and adventitial expansion. Methods: Cytokine production by primary human aortic adventitial fibroblasts (AoAF) in tissue culture was detected using multiplex ELISA, and increases in cytokine mRNA following Ang II stimulation were quantitated by real-time PCR. The ability of AoAF-derived MCP-1 to attract monocytes was studied in vitro using Boyden assays, and the resulting effect of the monocyte-AoAF interaction on fibroblast proliferation was measured in vitro using proliferation and 3H-thymidine incorporation assays. Ang II-induced fibroblast proliferation was measured in vivo using aortic digestion of single cells followed by flow cytometric quantification of fibroblast numbers as well as fibroblast and PCNA immunostaining. The ability of monocytes to induce AoAF proliferation was demonstrated in vivo using CCR2+/+ wild-type monocyte adoptive transfer into Ang II-stimulated CCR2-null mice which can produce MCP-1 but have cells lacking the MCP-1 receptor – CCR2. Results: AoAF constitutively secreted numerous proinflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6 and MCP-1, whose gene expressions were further upregulated in response to Ang II stimulation. AoAF-derived MCP-1 was potent in recruiting THP-1 monocytes in vitro, and these monocytes stimulated AoAF proliferation based on a flow cytometric assessment of cell number and 3H-thymidine incorporation in tissue culture. In vivo, Ang II induced fibroblast proliferation, increased fibroblast and PCNA adventitial staining, and blunted inflammatory responses in the CCR2–/– background. Injection of CCR2+/+ monocytes into Ang II-treated CCR2–/– mice restored adventitial thickening which resulted in increased fibrosis secondary to adventitial fibroblast proliferation. Conclusions: Our results suggest that Ang II-stimulates AoAF to recruit monocytes via fibroblast-derived MCP-1, and the recruited monocytes further activate fibroblast proliferation, adventitial thickening, and additional cytokine production. This fibroblast-monocyte amplification loop may critically mediate hallmarks of adventitial inflammation common to many cardiovascular diseases.
A Role for All-Trans-Retinoic Acid in the Early Steps of Lymphatic Vasculature Development
Authors: Marino Daniela , Dabouras Vasilios , Brändli André W. , Detmar Michael
Published: November 2010

The molecular mechanisms that regulate the earliest steps of lymphatic vascular system development are unknown. To identify regulators of lymphatic competence and commitment, we used an in vitro vascular assay with mouse embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs). We found that incubation with retinoic acid (RA) and, more potently, with RA in combination with cAMP, induced the expression of the lymphatic competence marker LYVE-1 in the vascular structures of the EBs. This effect was dependent on RA receptor (RAR)-α and protein kinase A signaling. RA-cAMP incubation also promoted the development of CD31+/LYVE-1+/Prox1+ cell clusters. In situ studies revealed that RAR-α is expressed by endothelial cells of the cardinal vein in ED 9.5–11.5 mouse embryos. Timed exposure of mouse and Xenopus embryos to excess of RA upregulated LYVE-1 and VEGFR-3 on embryonic veins and increased formation of Prox1-positive lymphatic progenitors. These findings indicate that RA signaling mediates the earliest steps of lymphatic vasculature development.
Venous Hypoxia: A Poorly Studied Etiological Factor of Varicose Veins
Authors: Lim C.S. , Gohel M.S. , Shepherd A.C. , Paleolog E. , Davies A.H.
Published: November 2010

Venous hypoxia has long been postulated as a potential cause of varicosity formation. This article aimed to review the development of this hypothesis, including evidence supporting and controversies surrounding it. Vein wall oxygenation is achieved by oxygen diffusing from luminal blood and vasa vasorum. The whole media of varicosities is oxygenated by vasa vasorum as compared to only the outer two-thirds of media of normal veins. There was no evidence that differences exist between oxygen content of blood from varicose and non-varicose veins, although the former demonstrated larger fluctuations with postural changes. Studies using cell culture and ex vivo explants demonstrated that hypoxia activated leucocytes and endothelium which released mediators regulating vein wall remodelling similar to those observed in varicosities. Venoactive drugs may improve venous oxygenation, and inhibit hypoxia activation of leucocytes and endothelium. The evidence for hypoxia as a causative factor in varicosities remains inconclusive, mainly due to heterogeneity and poor design of published in vivostudies. However, molecular studies have shown that hypoxia was able to cause inflammatory changes and vein wall remodelling similar to those observed in varicosities. Further studies are needed to improve our understanding of the role of hypoxia and help identify potential therapeutic targets.
Individualized Assessment of Radiation Dose in Patients Undergoing Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography With 256-Slice Scanning
Authors: Perisinakis Kostas , Seimenis Ioannis , Tzedakis Antonis , Papadakis Antonios E. , Damilakis John
Published: November 2010

Background—

Available data on the radiation burden from coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA) are mostly limited to effective dose estimates. This study provides individualized estimates of doses and associated life attributable risks of radiation-induced cancer in a clinical patient population undergoing 256-slice CCTA.

Methods and Results—

Typical retrospectively and prospectively ECG-gated CCTA exposures in a 256-slice CT scanner were simulated on 52 patient-specific voxelized phantoms. Dose images depicting the dose deposition on the exposed region were generated, and normalized organ doses for all primarily irradiated radiosensitive organs were derived and correlated to patient body habitus. Lung, breast, and esophagus absorbed doses were then determined in 136 consecutive patients subjected to CCTA. Projected life attributable risks of radiation-induced cancer were estimated through the use of appropriate sex-, age- and organ-specific cancer risk factors and compared with corresponding nominal cancer risks. The total projected life attributable risk of radiogenic cancer after CCTA decreases steeply with age at exposure, and lung cancer constitutes the most probable detriment for both sexes. The relative risks of lung cancer associated with prospectively ECG-gated CCTA were 1.0032 and 1.0008 for women and men, respectively. The mean total projected life attributable risks were estimated to be 24.9±7.4 and 71.5±30.0 per 100 000 women undergoing prospectively and retrospectively ECG-gated CCTA, respectively. The corresponding values for men were 7.3±1.3 and 31.4±5.0 per 100 000 patients.

Conclusions—

The mean projected life attributable risks of radiation-induced cancer in a typical clinical patient cohort undergoing standard prospectively ECG-gated CCTA with a 256-slice scanner were found to inconsequentially increase the natural cancer incidence rates.
Differentiation of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induces Immunogenicity and Limits Their Long-Term Benefits for Myocardial Repair
Authors: Huang Xi-Ping , Sun Zhuo , Miyagi Yasuo , McDonald Kinkaid Heather , Zhang Li , Weisel Richard D. , Li Ren-Ke
Published: November 2010

Background—

Cardiac cell therapy for older patients who experience a myocardial infarction may require highly regenerative cells from young, healthy (allogeneic) donors. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently under clinical investigation because they can induce cardiac repair and may also be immunoprivileged (suitable for allogeneic applications). However, it is unclear whether allogeneic MSCs retain their immunoprivilege or functional efficacy late after myocardial implantation. We evaluated the effects of MSC differentiation on the immune characteristics of cells in vitro and in vivo and monitored cardiac function for 6 months after post–myocardial infarction MSC therapy.

Methods and Results—

In the in vitro experiments, inducing MSCs to acquire myogenic, endothelial, or smooth muscle characteristics (via 5-azacytidine or cytokine treatment) increased major histocompatibility complex-Ia and -II (immunogenic) expression and reduced major histocompatibility complex-Ib (immunosuppressive) expression, in association with increased cytotoxicity in coculture with allogeneic leukocytes. In the in vivo experiments, we implanted allogeneic or syngeneic MSCs into infarcted rat myocardia. We measured cell differentiation and survival (immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction) and cardiac function (echocardiography, pressure-volume catheter) for 6 months. MSCs (versus media) significantly improved ventricular function for at least 3 months after implantation. Allogeneic (but not syngeneic) cells were eliminated from the heart by 5 weeks after implantation, and their functional benefits were lost within 5 months.

Conclusions—

The long-term ability of allogeneic MSCs to preserve function in the infarcted heart is limited by a biphasic immune response whereby they transition from an immunoprivileged to an immunogenic state after differentiation, which is associated with an alteration in major histocompatibility complex–immune antigen profile.
MicroRNA-328 Contributes to Adverse Electrical Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Lu Yanjie , Zhang Ying , Wang Ning , Pan Zhenwei , Gao Xu , Zhang Fengmin , Zhang Yong , Shan Hongli , Luo Xiaobin , Bai Yunlong , Sun Lihua , Song Wuqi , Xu Chaoqian , Wang Zhiguo , Yang Baofeng
Published: November 2010

Background—

A characteristic of both clinical and experimental atrial fibrillation (AF) is atrial electric remodeling associated with profound reduction of L-type Ca
2+
current and shortening of the action potential duration. The possibility that microRNAs (miRNAs) may be involved in this process has not been tested. Accordingly, we assessed the potential role of miRNAs in regulating experimental AF.

Methods and Results—

The miRNA transcriptome was analyzed by microarray and verified by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction with left atrial samples from dogs with AF established by right atrial tachypacing for 8 weeks and from human atrial samples from AF patients with rheumatic heart disease. miR-223, miR-328, and miR-664 were found to be upregulated by >2 fold, whereas miR-101, miR-320, and miR-499 were downregulated by at least 50%. In particular, miR-328 level was elevated by 3.9-fold in AF dogs and 3.5-fold in AF patients relative to non-AF subjects. Computational prediction identified
CACNA1C
and
CACNB1
, which encode cardiac L-type Ca
2+
channel α1c- and β1 subunits, respectively, as potential targets for miR-328. Forced expression of miR-328 through adenovirus infection in canine atrium and transgenic approach in mice recapitulated the phenotypes of AF, exemplified by enhanced AF vulnerability, diminished L-type Ca
2+
current, and shortened atrial action potential duration. Normalization of miR-328 level with antagomiR reversed the conditions, and genetic knockdown of endogenous miR-328 dampened AF vulnerability.
CACNA1C
and
CACNB1
as the cognate target genes for miR-328 were confirmed by Western blot and luciferase activity assay showing the reciprocal relationship between the levels of miR-328 and L-type Ca
2+
channel protein subunits.

Conclusions—

miR-328 contributes to the adverse atrial electric remodeling in AF through targeting L-type Ca
2+
channel genes. The study therefore uncovered a novel molecular mechanism for AF and indicated miR-328 as a potential therapeutic target for AF.
Warning Information in a Preconvection Environment from the Geostationary Advanced Infrared Sounding System—A Simulation Study Using the IHOP Case
Authors: Li Jun , Li Jinlong , Otkin Jason , Schmit Timothy J. , Liu Chian-Yi
Published: November 2010

In this paper, a convective initiation event from the International H2O Project (IHOP) field experiment is used to demonstrate the potential utility of a future geostationary advanced infrared (IR) sounder for severe storm nowcasting applications. An advanced IR sounder would provide detailed stability information (e.g., lifted index and other parameters) with high temporal resolution useful for determining favorable locations for convective initiation. Atmospheric data from a high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model simulation was used to generate simulated Hyperspectral Environmental Suite (HES) and Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) stability products. Comparison of these products shows that the ABI [or the current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Sounder] provides limited stability information before the storm development as a result of the limited spectral IR information for temperature and moisture profiling. The high spatial and temporal geostationary advanced IR sounder, however, can provide critical information about the destabilization much earlier than the current GOES Sounder or ABI.
Objective evaluation of artificial furs for tactile comfort
Authors: Tanaka Yukari , Sugamori Teruyuki , Sukigara Sachiko
Published: November 2010

The resistance of piles when fingers move on artificial furs is important for tactile comfort. To evaluate the resistance of piles, a simple device for measuring the horizontal force FH of artificial furs was developed and attached to a KES-SE surface tester. The horizontal force (FH) generated when a bar moves on the surface was measured at different vertical displacements from the base for samples with different pile lengths. A hand evaluation test was carried out to find the relationship between FH and subjective parameters, namely, smoothness, comfort and ‘shittori’. Subjective hand evaluations showed that fur mobility was directly related to the sensations of smoothness and comfort. The average horizontal force included the interfiber friction force caused by changing the pile density during bar movement. FH is related to fur mobility and is one of the useful indicators of the tactile comfort of furs.
On the Production and Ramification of Cooperation: The Cooperation Afforder with Framing Hypothesis
Authors: Kimbrough Steven O.
Published: November 2010

This article presents a new proposal for understanding the establishment and maintenance of cooperation: the cooperation afforder with framing hypothesis, producing what can be called cooperation from afforder-framing. Three key moves are present. First, a special variety of the Stag Hunt game, the Cooperation Afforder game, will reliably produce mutualistic cooperation through an evolutionary process. Second, cognitive framing is a credible candidate mechanism to meet the special conditions and requirements of the Cooperation Afforder game. Third, once mutualistic cooperation is established in this way, it will plausibly lead to broader forms of cooperation, even to limited forms of altruism.
A Commonwealth of Freedom: Response to Beltrán
Authors: Boyte Harry C.
Published: November 2010

This response to Cristina Beltrán’s essay “Going Public” endorses Beltrán’s effort to sustain a concept of politics as free action by unique agents against the grain of a technicized, marketized world. Beltrán illuminates the “festive anger” of undocumented workers coming out of the shadows of invisibility to assert their humanity in the demonstrations of 2006. Yet, building on aspects of Hannah Arendt (but neglecting others), Beltrán mistakenly sunders public actions from the organizing work which led up to them. Her argument about labor is confounded by theory and practice of civic agency in broad-based organizations and elsewhere, which teaches the power, freedom, and civic authority to be gained from affirming that people co-create the common world, the commonwealth, through their work, even if not under conditions of their choosing.
Transparency in Academic Recruitment: A Problematic Tool for Gender Equality?
Authors: van den Brink Marieke , Benschop Yvonne , Jansen Willy
Published: November 2010

Gender research has made a call for more transparency and accountability in academic recruitment and selection in order to overcome the inequality practices that have led to an underrepresentation of women among full professors. This paper provides insight into the multiple ways in which the notions of transparency and accountability are put into practice in academic recruitment and selection, and how this has enhanced — or hindered — gender equality. The methods employed consist of a qualitative content analysis of seven recruitment and selection protocols, interviews with 64 committee members, and an analysis of 971 appointment reports of full professors in the Netherlands. Our analysis contributes to the study of organizations in three respects. First, it shows that recruitment and selection processes are characterized by bounded transparency and limited accountability at best. Second, it explains that the protocols that should ensure transparency and accountability remain paper tigresses, because of the micropolitics and gender practices that are part and parcel of recruitment and selection. Third, it contributes to gender equality theory in organization theory by showing how a myriad of gender practices simultaneously increases and counteracts gender equality measures in academia.
Marital idealization as an enduring buffer to distress among spouses of persons with Alzheimer disease
Authors: O'Rourke Norm , Claxton Amy , Kupferschmidt Anthony L. , Smith JuliAnna Z. , Beattie B. Lynn
Published: November 2010

Few disease processes affect the dynamics of marital relationships like neurodegenerative disorders. Illnesses such as Alzheimer disease strip older adults of a lifetime of memories and, in the latter stages, even the ability to recognize one’s spouse and children. In cross-sectional research, marital idealization (or the propensity to idealize one’s spouse and relationship) has emerged as significantly associated with the absence of distress among those caring for a spouse with Alzheimer disease. To extend prior findings, multilevel models were computed for the current study to demonstrate that marital idealization predicts both life satisfaction and the relative absence of caregiver burden one year later; moreover, change in marital idealization reflects a corresponding change in the psychological well-being of spouses over this same period ( N = 90). Results of this study are discussed relative to the distinct demands of caring for a spouse with a dementing disorder, the health benefits of positive illusions, and demographic trends suggesting that family caregiving will become increasingly prevalent in coming years.
Photic EEG-driving responses related to ictal phases and trigger sensitivity in migraine: A longitudinal, controlled study
Authors: Bjørk M , Hagen K , Stovner Lj , Sand T
Published: November 2010

Introduction

Photic driving is believed to be increased in migraineurs and has been interpreted as a sign of cortical hyperexcitability. However, most previous studies have included patients in various phases of the migraine cycle. The results are, therefore, difficult to interpret as neurophysiological abnormalities tend to accumulate close to the attack in migraineurs.

Subjects and Methods

We recorded steady state visual evoked EEG-responses (SSVEPs) for 6, 12, 18 and 24 Hz flash stimuli from 33 migraineurs without aura, eight migraineurs with aura and 32 healthy controls. Interictal recordings were compared pair-wise with recordings before, during and after attack, as well as with EEGs from healthy controls. Driving power was also correlated with sensory hypersensitivity and severity of migraine.

Results

Between attacks, driving responses to 18 Hz and 24 Hz were attenuated in migraineurs without aura. Driving power of 12 Hz increased before the attack. Attack trigger sensitivity, photophobia, pain intensity and a family history of migraine were related to decreased and/or symmetric photic driving.

Conclusions

Earlier results may have overestimated the driving response in migraine due to inclusion of recordings during the preictal interval and/or habituation among controls. Abnormal photic driving may be related to the pathophysiology of clinical sensory hypersensitivity.
Acute Postinfectious Movement and Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Mink Jonathan , Kurlan Roger
Published: November 2010

The authors report 4 children and adolescents who had the acute onset of a movement and psychiatric disorder after a febrile illness. The differential diagnosis includes poststreptococcal syndromes (Sydenham chorea, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection [PANDAS], acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) and other postinfectious conditions. Their cases illustrate difficulties in making an accurate diagnosis and determining proper therapy and they recommend a standard diagnostic approach. More research is needed to clarify the nature, causes, and appropriate treatment of these types of disorders.