bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE INFLUENCE OF SOME HORMONAL, DIETARY, AND TUMOR FACTORS ON LIVER CATALASE ACTIVITY IN RATS
Authors: Begg R. W. , Dickinson T. E. , White A. V.
Published: December 2017

Liver catalase activity can be reduced by the administration of cortisone or stilboestrol and by the production of anemia, as well as by the presence of a tumor in the host. All of these factors cause a disturbance of body growth. However, interference with growth produced by adrenalectomy or low protein diet is not associated with loss of liver catalase activity. The loss of liver catalase activity in tumor-bearing rats is associated frequently with an increase in liver size. But rats with large tumors may have small livers and still demonstrate the drop in catalase activity. It is suggested that the loss of liver catalase activity in tumor-bearing rats is not due to body growth disturbance or liver hypertrophy, and is produced in excess of such nonspecific factors as adrenal stimulation.
A COMPARISON OF THE METHOD OF FLAME PHOTOMETRY WITH THE CHEMICAL METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CATIONS IN TISSUES
Authors: Barlow J. S. , Manery J. F.
Published: December 2017

A procedure has been described whereby the Perkin-Elmer flame photometer, Model 52A, can be used to analyze 10 ml. of a solution of ashed biological materials, the solution containing 0.5 m.e. of sodium or potassium per liter. The lithium concentration used for the internal standard, the optimal rate of flow through the atomizer, the air and gas pressures, and cation interferences are discussed. Applying the modifications and precautions adopted in this laboratory the results of photometer analyses of tissues and serum were shown to compare favorably with those obtained from well-established chemical methods. The merits and demerits of both procedures are outlined.
PARALLEL STUDIES OF COMPLEMENT AND BLOOD COAGULATION IX. THE EFFECT OF METHIONINE, CHOLINE, AND CYSTINE ON THE CHANGES INDUCED BY ETHIONINE
Authors: Rice Christine E. , Boulanger Paul , Plummer P. J. G. , Annau E.
Published: December 2017

Fatty livers were produced in guinea pigs by the repeated feeding or injection of ethionine; the acinar cells of the pancreas were also affected in some of the animals. Marked changes in plasma coagulability always occurred as well as a definite reduction in complement titer in which two or more of the major complement components were involved. Methionine displayed some protective effect against the fatty liver induced by the ethionine and was partially effective in controlling the coagulative changes and the decline in complement titer. In some animals, choline likewise ameliorated these conditions, whereas cystine tended to aggravate them. A combination of cystine and choline was more effective than choline alone.
SLIDE CULTURE OF TUBERCLE BACILLI I. MEDIA AND METHODS
Authors: Reed Roger W.
Published: December 2017

A modified slide culture technique is described for the cultivation of tubercle bacilli from untreated sputum specimens. Cultures are examined for growth under the low power after 6 and 14 days' incubation. Nearly 200 cultures of sputum from sanatorium patients were positive either on slide culture or on Herrold's egg-yolk agar. Sixty-seven per cent were positive by both methods. However, 87% were positive by slide culture while only 80% were positive on Herrold's. The greater sensitivity of the slide method was confirmed by quantitative studies. Slide cultures were positive in an average of 10 days, Herrold's agar cultures in 31 days. It is suggested that because of its technical simplicity and the rapid development of positive cultures, the slide culture method warrants further trial as a diagnostic procedure.
ON RAT SERUM AMYLASE I. STUDIES IN THE NORMAL AND THE ALLOXAN DIABETIC ANIMAL
Authors: Tuba Jules , Wiberg G. Stuart
Published: December 2017

A dextrinogenic micromethod was used to establish serum amylase levels in adult male and female rats which were maintained on a standard laboratory diet. A highly significant difference was found to exist between the activities of the enzyme in the male and female rats. The effect of fasting, and of limiting food consumption, indicated a highly significant correlation between daily food intake and serum amylase levels. The polyphagia manifested by alloxan diabetic rats was not reflected in abnormally high amylase activity, as might be expected, but there was a departure from the normal response to the levels of food ingested each day. Oestradiol dipropionate and testosterone propionate were injected into normal male and female rats for seven days. Treatment with male hormone produced no significant variation in food consumption or serum amylase activity in either sex. Injections with oestradiol resulted in significantly lowered food intake in both sexes, but only in the case of males was there an accompanying fall in enzyme levels. On the basis of the experiments described in this paper it is seen that rat serum amylase consists of two fractions, and that the major portion may be considered to be of an adaptive nature. This adaptive portion appears to a large measure to be a reflection of the total daily food intake, which may be influenced by certain factors, such as sex hormones and alloxan diabetes.
A METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON THE PAIN THRESHOLD OF HUMAN SUBJECTS
Authors: Deneau G. A. , Waud R. A. , Gowdey C. W.
Published: December 2017

A method is presented for determining the effects of analgesic agents upon the pain thresholds of human subjects. The method consists of inducing a sharp pain in the calf muscles by applying pressure with a sphygmomanometer cuff; the pressure required to induce pain is taken as a measure of the pain threshold. By controlling a few variables in the procedure, the normal threshold can be determined with an accuracy of ±10 mm. Hg pressure. With placebos, a maximum increase of 4% over the normal pain threshold occurred one hour after administration. Acetylsalicylic acid produced an increase of approximately 20% at the same period; this was significantly greater than placebo effects. The effect of mild narcotic agents, given orally, upon the pain threshold was also measured. Codeine phosphate and pethidine hydrochloride both produced a significant increase in the pain threshold. The method presented permits the use of untrained human subjects and is sufficiently sensitive to measure the effects of the antipyretic analgesics.
NUCLEASES IN THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID I. RIBONUCLEASE IN NORMAL, NEUROLOGICALLY NORMAL, AND IN PATHOLOGICAL CSF'S
Authors: Kovacs Ernest
Published: December 2017

Ribonuclease (RNA-ase) was investigated in 800 individual CSF samples. The uranylacetate precipitation technique of MacFadyen was used, followed by total acid soluble phosphorus determinations (King) before and after incubation. Normal and neurologically normal CSF's showed low RNA-ase activity. The values ranged under 20% substrate depolymerized in 24 hr. A few exceptions showing high values were encountered: one specimen each of acute nasopharyngitis, 25%; infectious mononucleosis, 28%; and myositis, 30%. The meningitis CSF's showed a wide range of RNA-ase activity, 0-50%. Poliomyelitis specimens exhibited uniformly the highest values, 15-52%. This high RNA-ase activity paralleled chronologically the chromatolysis of the motoneurons and is of special significance. In the syphilis group only the neurosyphilis samples presented moderately high activity, but rarely attained the levels observed in meningitis and in poliomyelitis. In miscellaneous neurological conditions the highest activity was found in a specimen from a case of genuine epilepsy. The findings are discussed in detail.
ON THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO CALCIFICATION
Authors: Allen Thelma , MacLeod Ada V. , Young E. Gordon
Published: December 2017

Two nutritional surveys have been carried out on 158 children of one to six years in Halifax, including dietary records, anthropometric measurements, roentgenograms of the bones of the hand, and laboratory tests. Observations were repeated after six months. Deficiencies in calories, calcium, and vitamin D occurred most frequently on the basis of the Canadian dietary standard. Seventy-eight per cent of the children received less than 1 gm. of calcium per day. The ratio Ca : P averaged 0.77. The consumption of vitamin D varied widely and was less than 400 I.U. in 47% in the first survey and 84% in the second. The average intake was less than 200 I.U. per day. From data of repetitions it was apparent that half of the children showed adequate growth and calcification on substandard diets while 30% did not. It was evident that normal maturation of bone could take place on intakes of vitamin D of 25 to 150 I.U. and of calcium of less than 1 gm. Calcium was adequate at 0.2 to 0.7 gm. per day in some cases but not in others.
THE ISOLATION OF BACTERIOPHAGES FOR MYCOBACTERIA WITH REFERENCE TO PHAGE TYPING OF THE GENUS
Authors: Hnatko Stephen I.
Published: December 2017

Two hundred and eight acid-fast microorganisms were used in this investigation. ' Methods of isolating bacteriophages from soil, positive sputa, stool specimens, and from lysogenic strains are described. Eleven phages isolated from soil, their adaptation to other strains, and their characteristics are presented. Classification of these phages by plaque type and size, range of activity, cross-resistance tests, serological grouping, and morphology (some) are dealt with in detail. The phage preparations showed activity for 22 (44%) of 50 saprophytic strains tested. None were active against 120 human, 14 bovine, and eight avian tubercle bacilli. Though phage adsorption occurred onto some pathogenic strains it was not followed by phage multiplication and liberation. A tentative phage typing scheme is presented and discussed.
FURTHER STUDIES ON LIPOTROPISM IN THE DOMESTIC DUCK (White Pekin)
Authors: Duchesne Denyse D. , Bernard Richard
Published: December 2017

On choline-free diets containing 10, 18, and 28% casein, the total liver lipids of ducklings were found to be 34.8, 25.0, and 13.8% respectively. Supplementation of the 10% casein diet with 0.5% methionine increased the liver lipids. The same amino acid has no effect at the intermediate level of casein while it is lipotropic at the 28% casein level. In similar experiments with a purified soybean protein (low in methionine) fed at levels of 12, 21.7, and 27.9%, the liver lipids were 31.8, 26.6, and 27.6% respectively. These values do not differ significantly from each other. Methionine was found to be lipotropic at any of these three levels of soybean protein, and more so as the level of the soybean protein increased in the diet. From these results, it is concluded that the purified soybean protein used is a nonlipotropic protein, while casein is definitely lipotropic in ducklings. The lipotropic activity of methionine is closely related to the quality and quantity of the protein in the diet. On high fat diets containing 22, 32, and 42% fat, choline had no lipotropic effect. The average liver lipids for all groups ranged from 11 to 15%. High fat diets are less inducive of fatty livers than high carbohydrate diets. Ducklings fed a fat-free, choline-free basal diet presented livers with an average total lipids of 18%. Supplementing the basal diet with 1% cholesterol increased the liver lipids to 22%. Inositol is lipotropic either in the presence or absence of cholesterol, but choline was much more effective under similar conditions. The two lipotropic factors have a synergistic action and the reduction of the liver lipids is primarily on the glyceride fraction. Cholesteryl ester was at its lowest value in the group fed the basal diet supplemented with inositol only.
THE ANTIBACTERIAL SPECTRUM OF USTILAGIC ACID
Authors: Reed R. W. , Holder M. A.
Published: December 2017

Ustilagic acid is shown to be relatively inactive against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria and against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Serum and urine levels in rabbits following oral administration are much lower than the concentration required for in vitro inhibition of most bacteria tested. Human serum depresses the antibacterial effect of ustilagic acid in vitro. The drug had no effect on the course of experimental infection in mice.
Rational cuspidal curves in projective surfaces. Topological versus algebraic obstructions
Authors: Borodzik Maciej
Published: December 2017

We study rational cuspidal curves in projective surfaces. We specify two criteria obstructing possible configurations of singular points that may occur on such curves. One criterion generalizes the result of Fernandez de Bobadilla, Luengo, Melle–Hernandez and Némethi and is based on the Bézout theorem. The other one is a generalization of the result obtained by Livingston and the author and relies on Ozsváth–Szabó inequalities for [Formula: see text]-invariants in Heegaard Floer homology. We show by means of explicit calculations that the two approaches give very similar obstructions.
Nilpotent symmetries and Curci–Ferrari-type restrictions in 2D non-Abelian gauge theory: Superfield approach
Authors: Srinivas N. , Malik R. P.
Published: December 2017

We derive the off-shell nilpotent symmetries of the two [Formula: see text]-dimensional (2D) non-Abelian 1-form gauge theory by using the theoretical techniques of the geometrical superfield approach to Becchi–Rouet–Stora–Tyutin (BRST) formalism. For this purpose, we exploit the augmented version of superfield approach (AVSA) and derive theoretically useful nilpotent (anti-)BRST, (anti-)co-BRST symmetries and Curci–Ferrari (CF)-type restrictions for the self-interacting 2D non-Abelian 1-form gauge theory (where there is no interaction with matter fields). The derivation of the (anti-)co-BRST symmetries and all possible CF-type restrictions are completely novel results within the framework of AVSA to BRST formalism where the ordinary 2D non-Abelian theory is generalized onto an appropriately chosen [Formula: see text]-dimensional supermanifold. The latter is parametrized by the superspace coordinates [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] (with [Formula: see text]) are the bosonic coordinates and a pair of Grassmannian variables [Formula: see text] obey the relationships: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. The topological nature of our 2D theory allows the existence of a tower of CF-type restrictions.
Fragmentation of ω and ϕ mesons in e+e− and pp collisions at NLO
Authors: Saveetha H. , Indumathi D.
Published: December 2017

A combined analysis of both [Formula: see text] (LEP, SLD) and [Formula: see text] (RHIC-PHENIX and LHC-ALICE) hadroproduction processes are done for the first time for the vector meson nonet at the next-to-leading order (NLO) using a model with broken SU(3) symmetry. The transverse momentum ([Formula: see text]) and rapidity ([Formula: see text]) dependence of the differential cross-section for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons of the [Formula: see text] data are also discussed. The input universal quark (valence and singlet) fragmentation functions at a starting scale of [Formula: see text], after evolution, have values that are consistent with the earlier analysis for [Formula: see text] at NLO. However, the universal gluon fragmentation function is now well determined from this study with significantly smaller error bars, as the [Formula: see text] hadroproduction cross-section is particularly sensitive to the gluon fragmentation since it occurs at the same order as the quark fragmentation, in contrast to the [Formula: see text] hadroproduction process. Additional parameters involved in describing the strangeness and sea suppression and octet–singlet mixing are found to be close to the earlier analysis; in addition, a new relation between the gluon and sea suppression in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] hadroproduction has been observed.
Could GRB170817A be really correlated to an NS–NS merging?
Authors: Fargion D. , Khlopov M. Yu. , Oliva P.
Published: December 2017

The exciting development of gravitational wave (GW) astronomy in the correlation of LIGO and VIRGO detection of GW signals makes possible to expect registration of effects of not only binary black hole (BH) coalescence but also binary neutron star (NS) merging accompanied by electromagnetic (gamma ray burst; GRB) signal. Here we consider the possibility that an NS, merging in an NS–NS or NS–BH system might be (soon) observed in correlation with any LIGO–VIRGO GWs detection. We analyze as an example the recent case of the short GRB170817A observed by Fermi and integral. The associated optical transient (OT) source in NGC4993 implies a rare near source, a consequent averaged large rate of such events (almost) compatible with expected NS–NS merging rate. However the expected beamed GRB (or short GRB) may be mostly aligned to a different direction than ours. Therefore, even soft GRB photons, spread more than hard ones, might be hardly able to shower to us. Nevertheless, a prompt spiraling electron turbine jet in largest magnetic fields, at the base of the NS–NS collapse, might shine by its tangential synchrotron radiation in spread way with its skimming photons shining in large open disk. The consequent solid angle for such soft disk gamma radiation may be large enough to be nevertheless often observed.
Note on a thin-shell wormhole in extremal Reissner–Nordström geometry
Authors: Mazharimousavi S. Habib , Halilsoy M.
Published: December 2017

We show that the cold near horizon of the extremal Reissner–Nordström can be considered as the throat of a thin-shell wormhole with arbitrarily small exotic matter and positive angular pressure. Such a wormhole is physical and stable against radial perturbations provided an appropriate perfect fluid exists at the throat.
Emergence of gravity, fermion, gauge and Chern–Simons fields during formation of N-dimensional manifolds from joining point-like ones
Authors: Sepehri Alireza , Shoorvazi Somayyeh
Published: December 2017

In this paper, we will consider the birth and evolution of fields during formation of [Formula: see text]-dimensional manifolds from joining point-like ones. We will show that at the beginning, only there are point-like manifolds which some strings are attached to them. By joining these manifolds, 1-dimensional manifolds are appeared and gravity, fermion, and gauge fields are emerged. By coupling these manifolds, higher dimensional manifolds are produced and higher orders of fermion, gauge fields and gravity are emerged. By decaying [Formula: see text]-dimensional manifold, two child manifolds and a Chern–Simons one are born and anomaly is emerged. The Chern–Simons manifold connects two child manifolds and leads to the energy transmission from the bulk to manifolds and their expansion. We show that [Formula: see text]-gravity can be emerged during the formation of [Formula: see text]-dimensional manifold from point-like manifolds. This type of [Formula: see text]-gravity includes both type of fermionic and bosonic gravity. [Formula: see text]-fields and also [Formula: see text]-fields which are produced by fermionic strings produce extra energy and change the gravity.
Distribution of points on Abelian covers over finite fields
Authors: Meisner Patrick
Published: December 2017

We determine in this paper the distribution of the number of points on the covers of [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is a Galois extension and [Formula: see text] is abelian when [Formula: see text] is fixed and the genus, [Formula: see text], tends to infinity. This generalizes the work of Kurlberg and Rudnick and Bucur, David, Feigon and Lalin who considered different families of curves over [Formula: see text]. In all cases, the distribution is given by a sum of [Formula: see text] random variables.
Modeling and analysis of a predator–prey model with state-dependent delay
Authors: Lv Yunfei , Pei Yongzhen , Yuan Rong
Published: December 2017

We propose and study a predator–prey model with state-dependent delay where the prey population is assumed to have an age structure. The state-dependent delay appears due to the mature condition that the prey must spend an amount of time in the immature stage sufficient to accumulate a threshold amount of food. We perform a qualitative analysis of the solutions, which includes studying positivity and boundedness, existence and local stability of equilibria. For the global dynamics of the system, we discuss an attracting region which is determined by solutions, and the region collapses to the interior equilibrium in the constant delay case.
Seismic interpretation of sill complexes in sedimentary basins: implications for the sub-sill imaging problem
Authors: Eide Christian Haug , Schofield Nick , Lecomte Isabelle , Buckley Simon J. , Howell John A.
Published: December 2017

Application of 3D seismic reflection data to igneous systems in sedimentary basins has led to a revolution in the understanding of mafic sill complexes. However, there is considerable uncertainty on how geometries and architecture of sill complexes within the subsurface actually relates to geometries in seismic reflection data. To provide constraints on how sill complexes in seismic data should be interpreted, we present synthetic seismograms generated from a seismic-scale (22 × 0.25 km) outcrop in East Greenland constrained by abundant field data. This study highlights how overlying igneous rocks adversely affect imaging of underlying intrusions and rocks by decreasing seismic amplitude, frequency and making steeply dipping features near-impossible to image. Furthermore, seismic modelling in this study shows that, because of the high impedance contrast between siliciclastic host rock and dolerites, very thin (1–5 m) intrusions should in principle be imaged in reflection seismic data at 3 km depth. However, comparison with actual seismic data with well data shows significant amounts of unimaged sill intrusions, and this is likely due to limited seismic resolution, overburden complexity, inadequate velocity-models, and interference between reflections from closely spaced sills and sill splays. Significant improvements to sill imaging and interpretation could be made by better predicting occurrence and geometry of sill intrusions and including these in velocity models.

Supplementary material
: A scaled version of the input panel (Fig. 5d) used for seismic modelling (A1), and very high resolution versions of subfigures in Figure 11 (A2–3) are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5607160
The Hipster Approach for Improving Cloud System Efficiency
Authors: Nishtala Rajiv , Carpenter Paul , Petrucci Vinicius , Martorell Xavier
Published: December 2017

In 2013, U.S. data centers accounted for 2.2% of the country’s total electricity consumption, a figure that is projected to increase rapidly over the next decade. Many important data center workloads in cloud computing are interactive, and they demand strict levels of quality-of-service (QoS) to meet user expectations, making it challenging to optimize power consumption along with increasing performance demands.

This article introduces Hipster, a technique that combines heuristics and reinforcement learning to improve resource efficiency in cloud systems. Hipster explores heterogeneous multi-cores and dynamic voltage and frequency scaling for reducing energy consumption while managing the QoS of the latency-critical workloads. To improve data center utilization and make best usage of the available resources, Hipster can dynamically assign remaining cores to batch workloads without violating the QoS constraints for the latency-critical workloads. We perform experiments using a 64-bit ARM big.LITTLE platform and show that, compared to prior work, Hipster improves the QoS guarantee for Web-Search from 80% to 96%, and for Memcached from 92% to 99%, while reducing the energy consumption by up to 18%. Hipster is also effective in learning and adapting automatically to specific requirements of new incoming workloads just enough to meet the QoS and optimize resource consumption.
Compact Flow Diagrams for State Sequences
Authors: Buchin Kevin , Buchin Maike , Gudmundsson Joachim , Horton Michael , Sijben Stef
Published: December 2017

We introduce the concept of using a flow diagram to compactly represent the segmentation of a large number of state sequences according to a set of criteria. We argue that this flow diagram representation gives an intuitive summary that allows the user to detect patterns within the segmentations. In essence, our aim is to generate a flow diagram with a minimum number of nodes that models a segmentation of the states in the input sequences. For a small number of state sequences we present efficient algorithms to compute a minimal flow diagram. For a large number of state sequences, we show that it is unlikely that efficient algorithms exist. Specifically, the problem is
W
[1]-hard if the number of state sequences is taken as a parameter. We introduce several heuristics for this problem. We argue about the usefulness of the flow diagram by applying the algorithms to two problems in sports analysis, and evaluate the performance of our algorithms on a football dataset and synthetic data.
The Legal Context of the Management of Human Resources
Authors: Murphy Kevin R.
Published: December 2017

Laws designed to reduce employment discrimination and to regulate labor standards have a strong impact on the management of human resources in organizations. This article examines in detail the development and enforcement of antidiscrimination laws in the United States; it also considers comparable laws and policies in the European Union (EU). A significant body of research focuses on the standards that are used to determine whether particular policies or practices are discriminatory, and if so, whether they are sufficiently job-related to be legally permissible; here, I examine key themes in this research. This article also examines emerging issues, such as determining who is an applicant and who is an employee, and it explores the role of the legal environment in impeding the application of scientific knowledge to advance the practice of human resource management (HRM).
Sliding Mode Observers Based‐Simultaneous Actuator and Sensor Faults Estimation for Linear Parameter Varying Systems
Authors: Ben Brahim Ali , Dhahri Slim , Ben Hmida Fayçal , Sallami Anis
Published: December 2017

This paper proposes a scheme to estimate actuator and sensor faults simultaneously for a class of linear parameter varying system expressed in polytopic structure where its parameters evolve in the hypercube domain. Transformed coordinate system design is adopted to decouple faults in actuators and sensors during the course of the system’s operation coincidentally, and then two polytopic subsystems are constructed. The first subsystem includes the effect of actuator faults but is free from sensor faults and the second one is affected only by sensor faults. The main contribution is to conceive two polytopic sliding mode observers in order to estimate the system states and actuator and sensor faults at the same time. Meanwhile, in linear matrix inequality optimization formalism, sufficient conditions are derived with H∞ performances to guarantee the stability of estimation error and to minimize the effect of disturbances. Therefore, all parameters of observers can be designed by solving these conditions. Finally, simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed simultaneous actuator and sensor faults estimation.
Evolution of Friction and Permeability in a Propped Fracture under Shear
Authors: Zhang Fengshou , Fang Yi , Elsworth Derek , Wang Chaoyi , Yang Xiaofeng
Published: December 2017

We explore the evolution of friction and permeability of a propped fracture under shear. We examine the effects of normal stress, proppant thickness, proppant size, and fracture wall texture on the frictional and transport response of proppant packs confined between planar fracture surfaces. The proppant-absent and proppant-filled fractures show different frictional strength. For fractures with proppants, the frictional response is mainly controlled by the normal stress and proppant thickness. The depth of shearing-concurrent striations on fracture surfaces suggests that the magnitude of proppant embedment is controlled by the applied normal stress. Under high normal stress, the reduced friction implies that shear slip is more likely to occur on propped fractures in deeper reservoirs. The increase in the number of proppant layers, from monolayer to triple layers, significantly increases the friction of the propped fracture due to the interlocking of the particles and jamming. Permeability of the propped fracture is mainly controlled by the magnitude of the normal stress, the proppant thickness, and the proppant grain size. Permeability of the propped fracture decreases during shearing due to proppant particle crushing and related clogging. Proppants are prone to crushing if the shear loading evolves concurrently with the normal loading.
A Uniform Method of Mechanical Disturbance Torque Measurement and Reduction for the Seeker Gimbal in the Assembly Process
Authors: Yu Naihui , Shang Jianzhong
Published: December 2017

In the manufacturing process of seekers, the reduction of disturbance torques (DTs) is a critical but time‐consuming work. The innovation of the paper is to present a uniform method to measure and reduce mechanical DTs during gimbal’s assembly process. Firstly, the relationships between assembly parameters and DTs are established and analyzed by theoretical model. And then, a measuring system is established to measure the driven torque of the gimbal’s torque motor. With the goal of stabilizing and minimizing the driven torque, all assembly parameters relating to DTs could be adjusted. Through the proof of a lot of experiments, this proposed method could reduce the bias and fluctuation of these mechanical DTs. This method could also be used for the mechanical DTs reduction of most similar productions and improve the quality and efficiency during their system assembly process.
The Impact of Different Classification Criteria Sets on the Estimated Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Diastolic Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Mokotedi Lebogang , Gunter Sulé , Robinson Chanel , Norton Gavin R. , Woodiwiss Angela J. , Tsang Linda , Dessein Patrick H. , Millen Aletta M. E.
Published: December 2017

This study compared the estimated prevalence and potential determinants of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction upon applying different classification criteria in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). LV diastolic function was assessed echocardiographically by pulsed Doppler (E/A), tissue Doppler (E/e′, lateral and septal e′), and left atrial volume index in 176 RA patients. Relationships of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and RA characteristics with LV diastolic function and dysfunction according to previous and current criteria were determined in multivariate regression models. Waist-hip ratio was associated with E/A (standardised β (SE) = -0.28±0.09, p=0.0002) and lateral e′ (standardised β (SE) = 0.26±0.09, p=0.01); low diastolic blood pressure was related to E/e′ (standardised β (SE) = -0.16±0.08, p=0.04). Diastolic dysfunction prevalence differed upon applying previous (59%) compared to current (22%) criteria (p<0.0001). One SD increase in waist-hip ratio was associated with diastolic dysfunction when applying current criteria (OR = 2.61 (95% CI = 1.51–4.52), p=0.0006), whereas one SD increase in diastolic blood pressure was inversely related to diastolic dysfunction upon using previous criteria (OR = 0.57 (95% CI = 0.40–0.81), p=0.002). In conclusion, application of current and previous diastolic dysfunction criteria markedly alters the prevalence and risk factors associated with diastolic dysfunction in RA.
Multiobjective Optimization of Injection Molding Process Parameters for the Precision Manufacturing of Plastic Optical Lens
Authors: Liu Junhui , Chen Xindu , Lin Zeqin , Diao Shipu
Published: December 2017

Injection molding process parameters (IMPP) have a significant effect on the optical performance and surface waviness of precision plastic optical lens. This paper presents a set of procedures for the optimization of IMPP, with haze ratio (HR) reflecting the optical performance and peak‐to‐valley 20 (PV20) reflecting the surface waviness as the optimization objectives. First, the orthogonal experiment was carried out with the Taguchi method, and the results were analyzed by ANOVA to screen out the IMPP having a significant effect on the objectives. Then, the 34 full‐factor experiment was conducted on the key IMPP, and the experimental results were used as the training and testing samples. The BPNN algorithm and the M‐SVR algorithm were applied to establish the mapping relationships between the IMPP and objectives. Finally, the multiple‐objective optimization was performed by applying the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA‐II), with the built M‐SVR models as the fitness function of the objectives, to obtain a Pareto‐optimal set, which improved the quality of plastic optical lens comprehensively. Through the experimental verification on the optimization results, the mean prediction error (MPE) of HR and PV20 is 7.16% and 9.78%, respectively, indicating that the optimization method has high accuracy.
Exact Solutions for the Wick-Type Stochastic Schamel-Korteweg-de Vries Equation
Authors: Wang Xueqin , Shang Yadong , Di Huahui
Published: December 2017

We consider the Wick-type stochastic Schamel-Korteweg-de Vries equation with variable coefficients in this paper. With the aid of symbolic computation and Hermite transformation, by employing the (G′/G,1/G)-expansion method, we derive the new exact travelling wave solutions, which include hyperbolic and trigonometric solutions for the considered equations.
Mining Community-Level Influence in Microblogging Network: A Case Study on Sina Weibo
Authors: Liu Yufei , Pi Dechang , Cui Lin
Published: December 2017

Social influence analysis is important for many social network applications, including recommendation and cybersecurity analysis. We observe that the influence of community including multiple users outweighs the individual influence. Existing models focus on the individual influence analysis, but few studies estimate the community influence that is ubiquitous in online social network. A major challenge lies in that researchers need to take into account many factors, such as user influence, social trust, and user relationship, to model community-level influence. In this paper, aiming to assess the community-level influence effectively and accurately, we formulate the problem of modeling community influence and construct a community-level influence analysis model. It first eliminates the zombie fans and then calculates the user influence. Next, it calculates the user final influence by combining the user influence and the willingness of diffusing theme information. Finally, it evaluates the community influence by comprehensively studying the user final influence, social trust, and relationship tightness between intrausers of communities. To handle real-world applications, we propose a community-level influence analysis algorithm called CIAA. Empirical studies on a real-world dataset from Sina Weibo demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model.
Squalene Extraction by Supercritical Fluids from Traditionally Puffed Amaranthus hypochondriacus Seeds
Authors: Rosales-García Teresa , Jiménez-Martínez Cristian , Cardador-Martínez Anaberta , Martín-del Campo Sandra Teresita , Galicia-Luna Luis A. , Téllez-Medina Dario Iker , Dávila-Ortiz Gloria
Published: December 2017

Extraction of squalene, a potent natural antioxidant, from puffed A. hypochondriacus seeds was performed by supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE); besides, to have a blank for comparison, extraction was performed also by Soxhlet method using organic solvents (hexane). Chemical proximal composition and seed morphology were determined in raw, puffed, and SCFE-extracted seeds. Extracts were obtained with a 500 mL capacity commercial supercritical extractor and performed between 10 and 30 MPa at 313, 323, and 333 K under constant CO2 flow of 0.18 kg CO2/h during 8 h. The squalene content was determined and the fatty acids present in the extracts were identified by GC-MS. The extract obtained by SCFE from puffed amaranth seeds reached 460 ± 28.1 g/kg squalene in oily extract at 313 K/20 MPa.
Key Parameters on the Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Magnetic Nanoparticles for MRI Contrast Agents
Authors: Brollo Maria Eugênia Fortes , Veintemillas-Verdaguer Sabino , Salván Cesar Menor , Morales Maria del Puerto
Published: December 2017

Uniform iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles have been synthesized using a microwave assisted synthesis method in organic media and their colloidal, magnetic, and relaxometric properties have been analyzed after its transference to water and compared with those nanoparticles prepared by thermal decomposition in organic media. The novelty of this synthesis relies on the use of a solid iron oleate as precursor, which assures the reproducibility and scalability of the synthesis, and the microwave heating that resulted in being faster and more efficient than traditional heating methods, and therefore it has a great potential for nanoparticle industrial production. The effect of different experimental conditions such as the solvent, precursor, and surfactant concentration and reaction time as well as the transference to water is analyzed and optimized to obtain magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with sizes between 8 and 15 nm and finally colloids suitable for their use as contrast agents on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The r2 relaxivity values normalized to the square of the saturation magnetization were shown to be constant and independent of the particle size, which means that the saturation magnetization is the main parameter controlling the efficiency of these magnetic nanoparticles as MRI T2-contrast agents.
NAMPT Is a Potent Oncogene in Colon Cancer Progression that Modulates Cancer Stem Cell Properties and Resistance to Therapy through Sirt1 and PARP
Authors: Lucena-Cacace Antonio , Otero-Albiol Daniel , Jiménez-García Manuel P. , Muñoz-Galvan Sandra , Carnero Amancio
Published: December 2017

Purpose: Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men worldwide. However, despite current progress, many patients with advanced and metastatic tumors still die from the malignancy. Refractory disease often relies on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent mechanisms. NAD metabolism and a stable NAD regeneration circuit are required to maintain tissue homeostasis and metabolism. However, high levels of NAD confer therapy resistance to tumors.

Experimental Design: Ectopic overexpression of nicotinamide phosphoribosil transferase (NAMPT) and shRNAs in colorectal cancer cell lines, tumorigenic and stemness properties and transcription measurement in culture and in vivo. Transcriptional analysis in public databases. Therapeutic approaches.

Results: NAMPT, the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for the highest source of physiologic NAD biosynthesis, increases tumorigenic properties and induces cancer stem cell–like properties through pathways that control stem cell signaling, thus enriching the cancer-initiating cell (CIC) population. Furthermore, NAMPT expression correlated with high levels of CIC-like cells in colon tumors directly extracted from patients, and transcription meta-analysis revealed that NAMPT is also a key factor that induces cancer stem pathways in colorectal cancer tumors. This effect is mediated by PARP and SIRT1. In addition, we report a novel NAMPT-driven signature that stratifies prognosis from high to low expression groups. The NAMPT signature contained SIRT1 and PARP1 levels as well as other cancer stem cell–related genes. Finally, NAMPT inhibition increased the sensitivity to apoptosis in both NAMPT-expressing cells and tumorspheres.

Conclusions: NAMPT represents a novel therapeutic target in colon cancer progression and relapse, particularly the CIC subset of human colon cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 24(5); 1202–15. ©2017 AACR.
Descrição e análise morfossintática da terminologia do babaçu do Maranhão
Authors: Silveira Theciana Silva , Ramos Conceição de Maria De Araujo
Published: December 2017

Este trabalho objetiva descrever e analisar os aspectos morfológicos da terminologia do babaçu baseando-se na proposta tipológica elaborada por Alves (2004) e na orientação teórica da morfologia derivacional. O texto está estruturado em quatro partes: (i) levantamento de termos e suas variantes, presentes na modalidade oral da terminologia do babaçu do Maranhão; (ii) seleção do corpus por meio de programas de processamento de corpora linguísticos; (iii) descrição dos processos sintáticos registrados no corpus e (iv) análise dos termos. O corpus foi constituído com base no discurso oral das quebradeiras de coco dos municípios de Buriti, Itapecuru-Mirim, Viana, Vargem Grande, Presidente Vargas, Cantanhede e São Bento, todos no Maranhão. Para recolher os termos, foi aplicado o questionário semântico-lexical elaborado pelo projeto Atlas Linguístico do Maranhão (ALiMA), que contém 54 questões. Para selecionar e compilar os dados, foram utilizados os programas computacionais AntConc, no qual os inquéritos foram transcritos e processados, e o Microsoft Access, no qual foram geradas tabelas, organizando os termos registrados. Os resultados mostram que no corpus utilizado os compostos sintagmáticos representam o processo de formação mais produtivo, correspondendo a 71% do total de 94 termos selecionados.
Apontamentos paleográficos e análise de indícios de mudança fonética em manuscrito setecentista de Minas Geraes
Authors: Mendes Soelis Teixeira do Prado , Dores Marcus Vinícius Pereira das , Gomes Matheus Freitas
Published: December 2017

Este artigo apresenta, de forma parcial, dados paleográficos de um manuscrito setecentista localizado no Arquivo Eclesiástico da Arquidiocese de Mariana (MG), do qual são extraídos e analisados casos que podem indiciar mudança fonética. Muitos desses casos ainda são recorrentes e atuantes no português brasileiro. Os dados aqui apresentados podem, de alguma forma, contribuir para os estudos etimológicos, já que o corpus analisado, transcrito com critérios filológicos, possui datação e localização.
Fatores semânticos e pragmáticos na desgramaticalização: a substituição do “Condicional” pelo Imperfeito no português
Authors: Carvalho Maria José Pereira
Published: December 2017

Neste artigo, prova-se, com evidência histórica, que a substituição do chamado “Condicional” pelo Imperfeito é um fenómeno muito antigo, datando do século XIII. Começou por verificar-se, sobretudo, nos verbos modais, tendo-se difundido, gradualmente, a outros tipos de verbos. Questionar-se-á se este tipo de substituição poderá ser entendida como um fenómeno de desgramaticalização que obriga a repensar a questão da “unidirecionalidade” dos processos de gramaticalização ou se, tendo em conta as características partilhadas com esse processo, aquele termo não tem pertinência. Tal como em alguns processos de gramaticalização, observa-se uma etapa de transição em que a forma de Imperfeito pode ser interpretada de duas maneiras: expressando simultaneidade e ao mesmo tempo futuridade, no passado.
Exaggerated Vasoconstriction to Spontaneous Bursts of Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Healthy Young Black Men
Authors: Vranish Jennifer R. , Holwerda Seth W. , Young Benjamin E. , Credeur Daniel P. , Patik Jordan C. , Barbosa Thales C. , Keller David M. , Fadel Paul J.
Published: December 2017

Blacks have the highest prevalence of hypertension, putting them at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Previous studies have reported that, relative to whites, healthy black men have augmented pressor responses to sympathoexcitatory stressors. Although important, these studies do not inform about the resting state and the influence of spontaneous changes in resting muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Likewise, little is known about the transduction of MSNA into a vascular response at rest on a beat-to-beat basis. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that relative to whites, blacks would exhibit greater vasoconstriction and pressor responses following spontaneous bursts of MSNA. Mean arterial pressure, common femoral artery blood flow, and MSNA were continuously recorded during 20 minutes of supine rest in 35 young healthy men (17 blacks and 18 whites). Signal averaging was used to characterize changes in leg vascular conductance, total vascular conductance, and mean arterial pressure following spontaneous MSNA bursts. Blacks demonstrated significantly greater decreases in leg vascular conductance (blacks: −15.0±1.0%; whites: −11.5±1.2%;
P
=0.042) and total vascular conductance (blacks: −8.6±0.9%; whites: −5.1±0.4%;
P
=0.001) following MSNA bursts, which resulted in greater mean arterial pressure increases (blacks: +5.2±0.6 mm Hg; whites: +3.9±0.3 mm Hg;
P
=0.04). These exaggerated responses in blacks compared with whites were present whether MSNA bursts occurred in isolation (singles) or in combination (multiples) and were graded with increases in burst height. Collectively, these findings suggest that healthy young black men exhibit augmented sympathetic vascular transduction at rest and provide novel insight into potential mechanism(s) by which this population may develop hypertension later in life.
Uric Acid Is a Strong Risk Marker for Developing Hypertension From Prehypertension
Authors: Kuwabara Masanari , Hisatome Ichiro , Niwa Koichiro , Hara Shigeko , Roncal-Jimenez Carlos A. , Bjornstad Petter , Nakagawa Takahiko , Andres-Hernando Ana , Sato Yuka , Jensen Thomas , Garcia Gabriela , Rodriguez-Iturbe Bernardo , Ohno Minoru , Lanaspa Miguel A. , Johnson Richard J.
Published: December 2017

Prehypertension frequently progresses to hypertension, a condition associated with high morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. However, the risk factors for developing hypertension from prehypertension remain poorly understood. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the data from 3584 prehypertensive Japanese adults (52.1±11.0 years, 2081 men) found to be prehypertensive in 2004 and reexamined in 2009. We calculated the cumulative incidences of hypertension over 5 years, examined risk factors, and calculated odds ratios (ORs) for developing hypertension after adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, smoking and drinking habits, baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, and serum uric acid levels. The additional analysis evaluated whether serum uric acid (hyperuricemia) constituted an independent risk factor for developing hypertension. The cumulative incidence of hypertension from prehypertension over 5 years was 25.3%. There were no significant differences between women and men (24.4% versus 26.0%;
P
=0.28). The cumulative incidence of hypertension in subjects with hyperuricemia (n=726) was significantly higher than those without hyperuricemia (n=2858; 30.7% versus 24.0%;
P
<0.001). After multivariable adjustments, the risk factors for developing hypertension from prehypertension were age (OR, 1.023;
P
<0.001), female sex (OR, 1.595;
P
<0.001), higher body mass index (OR, 1.051;
P
<0.001), higher baseline systolic (OR, 1.072;
P
<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (OR, 1.085;
P
<0.001), and higher serum uric acid (OR, 1.149;
P
<0.001). Increased serum uric acid is a strong risk marker for developing hypertension from prehypertension. Further studies are needed to determine whether treatment of hyperuricemia in prehypertensive subjects could impede the onset of hypertension.