bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Enchantment of Stanley Spencer
Authors: Tester Keith
Published: October 2009

In the early 1930s the artist Stanley Spencer committed himself to working on the never-achieved Church-House project. It was intended to reflect his understanding of God and religion as love, and, furthermore, of the sacred being fully integrated in secular times and places. The first painting he finished for the project was Villagers and Saints (1933), now in the collection of the University of Hull. This paper uses Villagers and Saints as a way into a reading of Spencer's work, drawing on insights from Charles Taylor's A Secular Age to explore how Spencer sacramentalises the material world. The first part of the paper contextualises Villagers and Saints, and the second part identifies its vision with what appears to have been a conversion experience, discussed by Spencer in his public writing.
Travel with a Time Lord: using media to enhance literacy
Authors: Harrett Jacqueline , Benjamin Theresa
Published: October 2009

This article reports on a UKLA‐funded project in which a group of 10 teachers in South Wales were involved. The televised science fiction drama Doctor Who was chosen as the theme as it was based on popular culture as well as being of local and national interest. The main character in this television drama is an alien who can fly through time and space in a machine called the Tardis. The aim of the project was to improve standards in literacy, with writing as a particular focus and make teachers more aware of the effective use of media resources. Teachers were provided with an information pack containing sample lessons but were actively encouraged to implement the project in whichever way they chose. Questionnaires given to teachers before and after the project reflected a more positive attitude towards using media resources at the end. Pupils, aged between 8 and 11 years old, were given writing journals as part of the project and focus groups interviewed. It proved difficult to ascertain if standards had improved although pupil enthusiasm was a recognisable feature. The value of learning across the curriculum was another element that emerged during the course of the project. Results indicated that more training is required to enable teachers to use media resources and cross‐curricular approaches more confidently in their teaching.
Pre‐service teachers explore cultural identity and ideology through picture books
Authors: Hammett Roberta , Bainbridge Joyce
Published: October 2009

This paper draws on early data from a cross‐Canada research project in which researchers at six Faculties of Education have been engaged in introducing picture books with multiple and diverse representations of Canadians to classes of pre‐service teachers, inviting them to explore the pedagogical possibilities of the picture books and to discuss their cultural identities in focus groups and interviews. The paper reports the participants' expressed understandings of multiculturalism and their own relations and experiences with it, as well as their thoughts on classroom implementation of curriculum that incorporates picture books with multicultural and diversity themes. The paper also includes a case study of one Canadian province to further explore the wider context of pre‐service teachers' understandings and ideologies by examining discourses in policy and practices in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Probing the catalytic potential of the hamster arylamineN‐acetyltransferase 2 catalytic triad by site‐directed mutagenesis of the proximal conserved residue, Tyr190
Authors: Zhou Xin , Zhang Naixia , Liu Li , Walters Kylie J. , Hanna Patrick E. , Wagner Carston R.
Published: October 2009

ArylamineN‐acetyltransferases (NATs) play an important role in both the detoxification of arylamine and hydrazine drugs and the activation of arylamine carcinogens. Because the catalytic triad, Cys‐His‐Asp, of mammalian NATs has been shown to be essential for maintaining protein stability, rendering it impossible to assess alterations of the triad on catalysis, we explored the impact of the highly conserved proximal residue, Tyr190, which forms a direct hydrogen bond interaction with one of the triad residues, Asp122, as well as a potential pi‐pi stacking interaction with the active site His107. The replacement of hamster NAT2 Tyr190 by either Phe, Ile or Ala was well tolerated and did not result in significant alterations in the overall fold of the protein. Nevertheless, stopped‐flow and steady‐state kinetic analysis revealed that Tyr190 was critical for maximizing the acetylation rate of NAT2 and the transacetylation rate ofp‐aminobenzoic acid when compared with the wild‐type. Tyr190 was also shown to play an important role in determining the pKaof the active site Cys during acetylation, as well as the pH versus the rate profile for transacetylation. We hypothesized that the pH dependence was associated with global changes in the active site structure, which was revealed by the superposition of [1H,15N] heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectra for the wild‐type and Y190A. These results suggest that NAT2 catalytic efficiency is partially governed by the ability of Tyr190 to mediate the collective impact of multiple side chains on the electrostatic potential and local conformation of the active site.
Antibody‐based proteomics
Authors: Voshol Hans , Ehrat Markus , Traenkle Jens , Bertrand Eric , van Oostrum Jan
Published: October 2009

Protein kinases drive the cellular signal transduction networks that underlie the regulation of growth, survival and differentiation. To repair the deregulations of signaling cascades that are associated with numerous disease states, therapeutic strategies, based on controlling aberrant protein kinase activity, are emerging. To develop such therapies it is crucial to have knowledge of the full complexity of signaling networks at a molecular level in order to understand the information flow through signaling cascades and their cell and tissue specificity. Antibody‐based proteomic approaches (such as reverse‐phase protein microarrays) are a powerful tool for using to obtain those signaling maps, through the study of phosphorylation states of pathway components using antibodies that specifically recognize the phosphorylated form of kinase substrates.
Sampling Effects and Host Ranges in Australian Mistletoes
Authors: Grenfell Matt , Burns Kevin C.
Published: October 2009

The number of host species utilized by Australian mistletoe species increases with their geographic range sizes. Rather than resulting from deterministic processes, we demonstrate that this pattern results from wider‐ranging species being sampled more efficiently, and we discuss how sampling effects might be addressed in future analyses of mistletoe biogeography.
The Future of Private Equity
Authors: Kaplan Steve
Published: October 2009

A distinguished University of Chicago financial economist and longtime observer of private equity markets responds to questions like the following:

With a track record that now stretches in some cases almost 30 years, what have private equity firms accomplished? What effects have they had on the performance of the companies they invest in, and have they been good for the economy?

How will highly leveraged PE portfolio companies fare during the current downturn, especially with over $400 billion of loans coming due in the next three to five years?

With PE firms now sitting on an estimated $500 billion in capital and leveraged loan markets shut down, are the firms now contemplating new kinds of investment that require less debt?

If and when the industry makes a comeback, do you expect any major changes that might allow us to avoid another boom‐and‐bust cycle? Have the PE firms or their investors made any obvious mistakes that contribute to such cycles, and are they now showing any signs of having learned from those mistakes?

Despite the current problems, the operating capabilities of the best PE firms, together with their ability to manage high leverage and the increased receptiveness of public company CEOs and boards to PE investments, have all helped establish private equity as “a permanent asset class.” Although many of the deals done in 2006 and 2007 were probably overpriced, the “cov‐lite” deal structures, deferred repayments of principal, and larger coverage ratios have afforded more room for reworking troubled deals. As a result of that flexibility, and of the kinds of companies that get taken private in leveraged deals in the first place, most troubled PE portfolio companies should end up being restructured efficiently, thereby limiting the damage to the overall economy.

Part of the restructuring process involves the use of the PE industry's huge stockpile of capital to purchase distressed debt and inject new equity into troubled deals (in many cases, their own). At the same time the PE firms have been working hard to rescue their own deals, some have been taking significant minority positions in public companies, while gaining some measure of control.

Finally, to limit overpriced and overlev‐eraged deals in the future, and so avoid the boom‐and‐bust cycle that appears to have become a predictable part of the industry, the discussion explores the possibility that the limited partners and debt providers that supply most of the capital for PE investments will insist on larger commitments of equity by sponsors to their own funds and individual deals.
Is There One Best Way to Sell a Company? Auctions Versus Negotiations and Controlled Sales1
Authors: Boone Audra L. , Mulherin J. Harold
Published: October 2009

For managements and boards that have decided that the value‐maximizing choice is to sell their companies, the board must then address another important question: what is the best way to sell the company? Should they use a wide‐ranging auction that seeks to attract the largest number of bidders, exclusive negotiation with a single bidder, or a “controlled sale” with a limited group of potential buyers?

In a much cited 1996 article in the American Economic Review called “Auctions Versus Negotiations,” economists Jeremy Bulow and Paul Klemperer argued that there is “no merit in arguments that negotiation should be restricted to one or a few bidders to allow the seller to maintain control of the negotiating process.” But in their series of studies of the corporate M&A sales process over the past five years, the authors of this article have come to a very different conclusion. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, wide‐ranging auctions that seek the greatest number of bidders are far from the dominant approach. Roughly half of the large M&A deals investigated by the authors were accomplished through negotiations with single bidders. At the same time, full‐fledged auctions accounted for only about half of the deals involving multiple bidders, while the other half were classified as controlled sales aimed at a small number of carefully selected potential buyers.

In their attempt to explain this preference for negotiations and controlled sales over auctions in M&A sales, the authors draw extensive parallels with the market for initial public offerings. As in the “bookbuilding” approach that now dominates the IPO process in virtually all global capital markets, the decision to limit the number of bidders through either negotiations or controlled sales appears to have the advantage of eliciting more aggressive bids from the “most qualified” buyers. Or, to put this another way, auctions appear to have the effect of discouraging such buyers from participating in the process.
Post‐Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Performance: Avoiding Chapter 22
Authors: Altman Edward I. , Kant Tushar , Rattanaruengyot Thongchai
Published: October 2009

Despite the long experience in the U.S. with restructuring companies in bankruptcy, there remains a persistent tendency for companies to emerge from Chapter 11 with too much debt and too little profitability. In this article, the author uses a variant of his well‐known “Z‐Score” bankruptcy prediction model to assess the future viability of companies when emerging from bankruptcy, including the likelihood that they will file again—a surprisingly common phenomenon that is now referred to as “Chapter 22.”

The author reports that those companies that filed second bankruptcy petitions were both significantly less profitable and more highly leveraged than those that emerged and continued as going concerns. Indeed, the average financial profile and bond rating equivalent for the “Chapter 22” companies on emerging from their first bankruptcies were not much better than those of companies in default.

The authors findings also suggest that a credible corporate distress prediction model could be used as an independent, unbiased method for assessing the future viability of proposed reorganization plans. Another potential application of the model is by the creditors of the “old” company when assessing the investment value of the new package of securities, including new equity, offered in the plan.
International Council for Standardization in Haematology technical report 1‐2009: new reference material for haemiglobincyanide for use in standardization of blood haemoglobin measurements
Authors: DAVIS BRUCE H. , JUNGERIUS BART ,   On behalf of International Council for the Standardization of Haematology (ICSH)
Published: October 2009

The International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) in conjunction with Eurotrol, B.V. has released a new lot of the haemiglobincyanide or haemoglobin standard. This technical report describes the purpose, methodology in manufacturing, summary of value assignment data and availability of this standard material used for the standardization and calibration of whole blood haemoglobin measurements on most haemoglobinometers and automated blood cell counters throughout the world.
Feasibility of Adolescents to Conduct Community‐Based Participatory Research on Obesity and Diabetes in Rural Appalachia
Authors: Bardwell Genevieve , Morton Cathy , Chester Ann , Pancoska Petr , Buch Shama , Cecchetti Alfred , Vecchio Marcella , Paulsen Stephanie , Groark Stephen , Branch Robert A.
Published: October 2009

Community‐Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has been advocated to translate advances in health care sciences to the community. We describe a novel approach applied to obesity management and diabetes prevention. This takes advantage of a network of science clubs organized by the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) for extracurricular activity of disadvantaged high school students in rural Appalachia. Physician scientists and educators provided an intensive summer course on CBPR, ethics, and study design on obesity management and diabetes prevention. Ethical certification for CBPR investigation was obtained for 210 students and 18 mentors for a study on the prevalence of obesity and Type II diabetes within their community. Over a 6‐month period, 989 had a collection of complete analyzable data, of which 103 had diabetes. The proportion with obesity (BMI ≥ 30) was over 50%. The frequency of diabetes was related to increasing BMI. When BMI ≥ 40, the frequency approached 50%, and exhibited a clear familial distribution. We conclude that trained adolescents can effectively conduct CBPR, and obesity and diabetes are more prevalent than previously reported in this community. This experience provides encouragement to conduct future studies to infl uence weight management from high‐risk populations in this medically disadvantaged community.
Notes on the Evolution of Design Thinking: A Work in Progress
Authors: Vogel Craig M.
Published: October 2009

As with most living organisms, you can trace design's growth through its family tree. This article takes a look at the evolution of design and design thinking—all the way from the Arts & Crafts movement to the Eames chair and cradle‐to‐cradle design.
Design Thinking and Design Management: A Research and Practice Perspective
Authors: Cooper Rachel , Junginger Sabine , Lockwood Thomas
Published: October 2009

The role of design is clearly broader and more comprehensive than the part it plays in traditional product development. Design thinking is beginning to be considered a means of improving corporate strategy and, indeed, of transforming a business. But what does it really mean to think like a designer?
Designing Business: New Models for Success
Authors: Fraser Heather M.A.
Published: October 2009

The greatest benefit of design thinking comes when it is used to design the very business it serves—to craft its strategies and business models. This author introduces “three gears of business design,” a methodology that incorporates user understanding, prototyping, and strategy to meet today's rapidly evolving business challenges.
Managing Design as a Core Competency: Lessons from Korea
Authors: De Mozota Brigitte Borja , Kim Bo Young
Published: October 2009

Considering design as an “intangible asset” (which, given new international accounting standards, is more and more often the case) leads to an examination of how successful companies tend to move from the use of design as a means of differentiation to the use of design as a means of transformation in a company.
Design Brings Innovation to the Base of the Pyramid
Authors: Dos Santos Aguinaldo , Krämer Aline , Vezzoli Carlo
Published: October 2009

In Brazil, nearly half the population earns less than $325 a month and lives in rural areas or urban shantytowns. Despite this reality, Brazilian companies tend to ignore the poor as consumers, focusing their efforts on the haves. One company, however, saw possibility in the “bottom of the pyramid (BOP)” and devised a way to serve this population and at the same time offer it a way to climb out of poverty.
ENTROPY AND WEAK SOLUTIONS IN THE THERMAL MODEL FOR THE COMPRESSIBLE EULER EQUATIONS
Authors: RAN ZHENG , XU YUPENG
Published: October 2009

Among the existing lattice Boltzmann models (LBMs) for compressible flow, the one by Kataoka and Tsutahara [KT model, Phys. Rev. E69, 056702 (2004)] has a simple and rigorous theoretical background. The drawback of this KT model is that it can cause numerical instability if the local Mach number exceeds 1. The precise mechanism of this instability has not yet been clarified. In this paper, we derive entropy functions whose local equilibria are suitable to recover the Euler-like equations in the framework of the lattice Boltzmann method for the KT model. Numerical examples are also given, which are consistent with the above theoretical arguments, and show that the entropy condition is not fully guaranteed in KT model. The negative entropy may be the inherent cause for the nonphysical oscillations in the vicinity of the shock. In contrast to these Karlin's microscopic entropy approach, the corresponding subsidiary entropy condition in the LBM calculation could also be deduced explicitly from the macroscopic version, which provides some insights on the numerical instability of the LBM for shock calculation.
SYNCHRONIZATION OF TIME DELAY FITZHUGH–NAGUMO SMALL-WORLD NETWORKS
Authors: LI YAN-LONG , MA JUN , LIU YAN-JUN , ZHANG LI-PING , SU JUN-YAN
Published: October 2009

The order parameters and synchronization are numerically investigated in the time delay small-world connected FitzHugh–Nagumo excitable systems. The simulations show that the order parameter continuously decreases with increasing D, the quality of the synchronization worsens for large noise intensity. As the coupling intensity goes up, the quality of the synchronization worsens also, and find that the larger rewiring probability becomes, the larger-order parameter. At the same time, the order parameter goes up, the time delay declines. We obtained the complete phase diagram for a wide range of values of noise intensity D and control parameter g.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS BY STATISTICAL PHYSICS MODEL FOR THE STOCK MARKETS
Authors: WANG TIANSONG , WANG JUN , FAN BINGLI
Published: October 2009

A new stochastic stock price model of stock markets based on the contact process of the statistical physics systems is presented in this paper, where the contact model is a continuous time Markov process, one interpretation of this model is as a model for the spread of an infection. Through this model, the statistical properties of Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) are studied. In the present paper, the data of SSE Composite Index and the data of SZSE Component Index are analyzed, and the corresponding simulation is made by the computer computation. Further, we investigate the statistical properties, fat-tail phenomena, the power-law distributions, and the long memory of returns for these indices. The techniques of skewness–kurtosis test, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and R/S analysis are applied to study the fluctuation characters of the stock price returns.
ROTATIONAL AND VIBRATIONAL DIATOMIC MOLECULE IN THE KLEIN–GORDON EQUATION WITH HYPERBOLIC SCALAR AND VECTOR POTENTIALS
Authors: IKHDAIR SAMEER M.
Published: October 2009

We present an approximate analytic solution of the Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of equal scalar and vector generalized deformed hyperbolic potential functions by means of parametric generalization of the Nikiforov–Uvarov method. We obtain the approximate bound-state rotational–vibrational (ro–vibrational) energy levels and the corresponding normalized wave functions expressed in terms of the Jacobi polynomial [Formula: see text], where μ > -1, ν > -1, and x ∈ [-1, +1] for a spin-zero particle in a closed form. Special cases are studied including the nonrelativistic solutions obtained by appropriate choice of parameters and also the s-wave solutions.
Cu–Au TYPE STRUCTURES IN THE STAGGERED QUADRUPOLAR REGION OF THE fcc BLUME–EMERY–GRIFFITHS MODEL
Authors: ÖZKAN AYCAN , KUTLU BÜLENT
Published: October 2009

The spin-1 Ising Blume–Emery–Griffiths (BEG) model has been simulated using a cellular automaton (CA) algorithm improved from the Creutz cellular automaton (CCA) for a face-centered-cubic (fcc) lattice. The ground state diagram (k, d) of the fcc BEG model has ferromagnetic (F), quadrupolar (Q), and staggered quadrupolar (SQ) structure regions. The simulations have been made in the SQ region for the parameter values in the intervals -24 ≤ d = D/J < 0 and -3 ≤ k = K/J ≤ 0. The phase diagrams on the (kTC/J, d) and the (kTC/J, k) planes have been obtained through k = -3 and d = -4 lines, respectively. The SQ region separates into five regions (A3 B(a), A3 B(f), AB (type-I), AB (type-II), and AB3(f)) which have the different stoichiometric Cu – Au type structures.
The Effect on Serotonin and MDA Levels in Depressed Patients with Insomnia when Far-Infrared Rays are Applied to Acupoints
Authors: Chang Ying , Liu Yia-Ping , Liu Chi-Feng
Published: October 2009

Little is known about the effect of far-infrared rays (FIR) on serotonin and malondialdehyde levels in depressed patients with insomnia. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of far-infrared rays on depressed people with insomnia. A randomized design was used to determine this effect. A total of 70 inpatients were recruited with the clinical diagnosis of depression with sleep disturbance. In the experimental group, FIR was applied to three chosen acupuncture points by a patch-like sticker for a period of 15 minutes twice a week. The three acupuncture points are Nei-Kuan (PC6), Shenmen (HT7) and Sanyinjiao (SP6). The total duration of experiment was four weeks. For both experimental and control groups, serum levels of serotonin (5HT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were examined before and after the introduction of FIR. The experimental group revealed disparate changes over different dependent variables, in which serotonin increased but MDA decreased after the introduction of FIR. These observations indicate that the serotonin pathway is involved in the pathophysiological mechanism responsible for the damaging effects of MDA on depressed patients with insomnia.
Protective Effects of Total Flavones of Rhododendra against Global Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Yu Tao , Chen Qiao-Er , Chen Zhi-Wu , Xiong Zizhong , Ye Mao
Published: October 2009

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate the protective effects and possible mechanisms of total flavones of rhododendra (TFR) against global cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats. Global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was caused by four vessel occlusion (bilateral vertebral arteries and bilateral carotid arteries, 4-VO). The electroencephalographic (EEG) changes were recorded. The EEG, brain water content, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in plasma, aggregation of platelets induced by ADP, and the resting and CaCl2-induced increase of free intracellular calcium concentration ([ Ca2+]i), were also evaluated. TFR dramatically elevated EEG amplitude, reduced the brain water content and the resting cytoplasmic free calcium concentration, inhibited the increase of [ Ca2+]iinduced by CaCl2and had an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. The LDH activity and the MDA content in plasma were also decreased. These results indicate that TFR has protective effects against cerebral injury in rats, which might be associated with its antioxidant properties, antiplatelet effects and possible inhibition of Cal2+influx to reduce [ Ca2+]i.
A Study of the Comparative Effects of Hawthorn Fruit Compound and Simvastatin on Lowering Blood Lipid Levels
Authors: Xu Hong , Xu Hou-En , Ryan Damien
Published: October 2009

This project studied the lowering blood lipids effect in atherosclerotic ApoE-deficient mice. Group A mice (n = 6), fed with a normal diet, served as the negative control. The experimental groups used mice fed with a high cholesterol diet (HCD) for eight weeks, and then selected for inclusion in the study on the basis of high blood lipid levels and the formation of atherosclerotic lesion plaque, which was indicated by an ultrasound biomicroscopy test. Eighteen mice met the selection criteria (atherosclerotic mice with high blood lipid levels) and these were randomly assigned into three groups B, C and D (n = 6). Group B fed with a HCD, served as the positive control. The intervention Group C was fed with HCD and Simvastatin. The intervention Group D was fed with a HCD and Hawthorn fruit compound (HFC includes Hawthorn and Kiwi fruit extract) for eight weeks. The results showed that after feeding on a HCD, Group B had significantly higher blood lipid levels compared to Group A and this confirmed the validity of Group A and Group B controls in this study. The results also showed that compared to Group B, in both Group C and D, there was a significant reduction in triglyceride and in the ratio between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and serum cholesterol. Moreover a reduction of LDL-C was evident in Group D, whereas a similar effect did not occur in Group C. The results indicate that HFC can be considered for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and prevention of atherosclerosis.
A Six-Week Acupoint Stimulation Intervention for Quitting Smoking
Authors: Yeh Mei-Ling , Chang Chiu-Yuan , Chu Nain-Feng , Chen Hsing-Hsia
Published: October 2009

This study creates a six-week acupoint stimulation program for quitting smoking by conducting an experimental research design and then evaluating its effects. A total of 59 smokers, 28 ± 7.6 years of mean age, volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to the experimental or sham group. The current investigation administered anti-smoking acupoints to the experimental group for six weeks, whereas the sham group used sham acupoints for six weeks. Before and after the six-week intervention, the participants completed questionnaires and offered blood samples. This research collected data of demographic factors, serum cotinine, carbon monoxide exhalation, daily tobacco consumption, and quit smoking rate of participants before and after the six-week intervention. After the intervention, it showed no significant differences in the serum level of cotinine and carbon monoxide exhalation between the two groups. The quit rate in the experimental group was 13.3% and 13.7% in the sham group. However, daily tobacco consumption was 10 cigarettes in the experimental group and 11.21 cigarettes in the sham group. This experimental study used the sham group as the control, resulting in no statistically significant findings. Future studies need more evidence-based research on the exact effect or placebo effect of acupoint stimulation and the appropriate design for sham acupoint, to examine quitting effect using acupoint stimulation in adult smokers.
Anti-Obesity Effect ofBlumea balsamiferaExtract in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes and Adipocytes
Authors: Kubota Hiroaki , Kojima-Yuasa Akiko , Morii Risako , Huang Xuedan , Norikura Toshio , Rho Sook-Nyung , Matsui-Yuasa Isao
Published: October 2009

Obesity, the leading metabolic disease in the world, is a serious health problem in industrialized countries. We investigated the anti-obesity effect of Blumea balsamifera extract on adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and anti-obesity effect of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We found that treatment with an extract of Blumea balsamifera suppressed lipid accumulation and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity without affecting cell viability in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes. Furthermore, Blumea balsamifera extract brought significant attenuation of expressions of key adipogenic transcription factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ, CCAAT element binding protein (C/EBPs) and leptin, however, induced up-regulation of adiponectin at the protein level in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes. These results suggest that Blumea balsamifera extract may block adipogenesis, at least in part, by decreasing key adipogenic transcription factors in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and may have antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects through up-regulation of adiponectin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
Trigona laeviceps Propolis from Thailand: Antimicrobial, Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Activities
Authors: Umthong Supawadee , Puthong Songchan , Chanchao Chanpen
Published: October 2009

Propolis is one of the natural bee products which has long been used as a crude preventative and prophylactic medicine, and has been reported to possess antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and anticancer properties. Propolis of the stingless bee, Trigona laeviceps, was extracted by water or methanol at 35% (w/v) yielding a crude water or a methanolic extract at 60 and 80 mg/ml, respectively, which is 17.1 and 22.9% (w/w) of the total propolis, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of both crude extracts was assayed on four selected pathogenic microbes by using the agar well diffusion method. The results suggested that both water and methanolic crude extracts have some antimicrobial activities, water extract has greater antimicrobial activity than methanolic extract. The relative order of sensitivity of the four microbes were, however, the same between the two extracts from the most to least sensitive, S. aureus > E. coli ≫ C. albicans ⋙ A. niger, with indeed no observed growth inhibition of A. niger at all. Antiproliferative and cytotoxic affects were tested on the colon carcinoma cell line, SW620, using the three parameters: (1) MTT assay; (2) cell morphology; and (3) the fragmentation of genomic DNA. The water extract of propolis showed a higher antiproliferative activity than that of methanolic extract to SW620 cells, additionally both appeared to cause cell death by necrosis.
A Low Molecular Weight Polysaccharide Isolated from Agaricus blazei Murill (LMPAB) Exhibits Its Anti-Metastatic Effect by Down-Regulating Metalloproteinase-9 and Up-Regulating Nm23-H1
Authors: Niu Ying-Cai , Liu Ji-Cheng , Zhao Xue-Mei , Cao Jun
Published: October 2009

The components of Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) have been shown to possess antitumor potentials. Herein, we attempted to explore the anti-metastatic effect and underlying mechanism of a low molecular weight polysaccharide isolated from AbM (LMPAB). Matrigel invasion assay was applied to evaluate the effect of LMPAB on migration of BEL-7402 hepatic cancer cells in vitro. In vivo, the anti-metastatic effect of LMPAB was investigated in mouse B16 melanoma and a double-grafted SW180 tumor models. mRNA and protein levels of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) or nm23-H1 upon LMPAB treatment were detected by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry assays. LMPAB significantly reduced the invasion of BEL-7402 cells. In vivo, LMPAB was revealed to decrease lung metastatic foci in mouse B16 melanoma model. In the double-grafted SW180 mouse tumor model, we further demonstrated that intratumoral treatment of LMPAB inhibited the growth of tumor on treated side but also suppresses the regression of metastatic tumors on the non-treated side. Moreover, LMPAB reduced MMP-9 but enhanced nm23-H1 mRNA and protein expression. LMPAB displays anti-metastatic activities, indicating the potential of its clinical application for the prevention and treatment of cancer metastasis. Its anti-metastatic effect may relate to the modulation on MMP-9 and nm23-H1.
Structural Determination and Antioxidant Activity of a Polysaccharide from the Fruiting Bodies of Cultured Cordyceps sinensis
Authors: Wang Ying , Wang Min , Ling Yun , Fan Weiqiang , Wang Yufeng , Yin Hongping
Published: October 2009

A water-soluble polysaccharide named CPS1 had been isolated from C. sinensis mycelium by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, anion-exchange, and gel-permeation chromatography. UV spectra, FTIR spectra, partial acid hydrolysis, PMP precolumn derivation, periodate oxidation and Smith degradation studies were conducted to elucidate its structure. The results indicated that CPS1 was a glucomannogalactan with the monosaccharide composition of glucose: mannose: galactose = 2.8: 2.9: 1. The total carbohydrate content of CPS1 was 99.0%. The weight-average molecular weight was 8.1 × 103 Da . The results predicted (1 → 2) and (1 → 4)-linkage of mannose, (1 → 3)-linkage of galactose, (1 → ) and (1 → 3, 6)-linkage of glucose composed the backbone of CPS1. CPS1 was also evaluated for its antioxidant activity in vitro, including scavenging effects on the hydroxyl radicals, the reducing power, Fe2+ -chelating activity, scavenging effect on superoxide radicals, as well as the inhibition of hydrogen peroxide induced haemolysis. CPS1 showed a high antioxidant effect, especially scavenging effect of hydroxyl radicals, the reducing power and Fe2+ -chelating activity. The results provide scientific support for the antioxidant activity and indicated a connection between antioxidant activity and reparation of renal failure.
Characterization of the Possible Mechanisms Underlying the Hypotensive and Spasmogenic Effects ofLoranthus ferrugineusMethanolic Extract
Authors: Ameer Omar Z. , Salman Ibrahim M. , Siddiqui Mohammad Jamshed A. , Yam Mun F. , Sriramaneni Raghava N. , Sadikun Amirin , Ismail Zhari , Shah Amin M. , Asmawi Mohamed Z.
Published: October 2009

In the present study, L. ferrugineus methanol extract (LFME) was evaluated for its blood pressure lowering effect in anesthetized normotensive Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and its spasmogenic effect in isolated guinea pig ileum. The possible mechanism(s) of action were also investigated. LFME was obtained by Soxhlet extraction. The rats were fasted overnight and anesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone (60 mg/kg i.p.). LFME was administered in i.v. boluses in the concentrations of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg respectively, with concomitant monitoring of mean arterial pressure (MAP). It was found that LFME dose-dependently reduced MAP. An i.v. bolus injection of atropine significantly decreased the blood pressure lowering effect of LFME. Similarly, L-NAME (Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) significantly lowered both the MAP and the action duration. Conversely, no significant change in MAP was seen following i.v. injections of neostigmine, hexamethonium, prazosin and propranolol. LFME also produced a dose-dependent contractile effect in guinea pig ileum. This contraction was significantly reduced in atropine pre-incubated tissue segments, yet it was significantly enhanced in the presence of neostigmine. No appreciable change in the ability of LFME to contract guinea pig ileum was seen in the presence of hexamethonium. Accordingly, it can be postulated that LFME possesses a marked hypotensive effect that can be attributed to stimulation of muscarinic receptors and/or stimulation of nitric oxide (NO) release. Moreover, LFME retains a considerable spasmogenic action due to its cholinergic properties. The hypotensive and spasmogenic effects of LFME justify its traditional uses.
NESTED INVARIANT 3-TORI EMBEDDED IN A SEA OF CHAOS IN A QUASIPERIODIC FLUID FLOW
Authors: WEISS HOPE L. , SZERI ANDREW J.
Published: October 2009

Nested invariant 3-tori surrounding a torus braid of elliptic type are found to exist in a model of a fluid flow with quasiperiodic forcing. The Hamiltonian describing the system is given by the superposition of two steady stream functions, one with an elliptic fixed point and the other with a coincident hyperbolic fixed point. The superposition, modulated by two incommensurate frequencies, yields an elliptic torus braid at the location of the fixed point. The system is suspended in a four-dimensional phase space (two space and two phase directions). To analyze this system we define two three-dimensional, global, Poincaré sections of the flow. The coherent structures (cross-sections of nested 2 tori) are found each to have a fractal dimensional of two, in each Poincaré cross-section. This framework has applications to tidal and other mixing problems of geophysical interest.
BIFURCATION ANALYSIS ON NONSMOOTH TORUS DESTRUCTION SCENARIO OF DELAYED-PWM SWITCHED BUCK CONVERTER
Authors: TABORDA J. A. , ANGULO F. , OLIVAR G.
Published: October 2009

In this paper, we propose a qualitative and quantitative dynamical study about the evolution of nonsmooth torus in a Digital Delayed Pulse-Width Modulator (PWM) switched buck converter. We explain the birth and destruction of the torus by successive discontinuity induced bifurcations (DIBs). The Digital-PWM control is based on Zero Average Dynamics (ZAD) strategy and a one-period delay is included in the control law. The control parameter (ks) of the ZAD strategy can be varied in a large range, ideally (-∞, ∞). On these borders, the dynamical behavior is the same and thus an annulus-like parameter space is considered. Under variation of ks, the system gets closer to a codimension-two bifurcation point, where two simultaneous border-collision bifurcations (BC) meet. The system leaves the high-order periodic behavior and a high-order band torus appears. Wrinkles and nonsmoothness due to more and more successive border-collisions bifurcations cause the torus destruction in high-order band chaos with tent-map-like structures and Mandelbrot-like sets. Finally, the chaotic bands merge in one-band chaos. The switched converter is modeled as a piecewise linear system where an analytical expression of the Poincaré map is available. Characteristics as duality, symmetry and recurrent behavior are determined using additional numerical methods for the Poincaré map decomposition in periodic sequences.
SOME REMARKS ON THE GEOMETRY OF THE STANDARD MAP
Authors: BLOOR KATIE , LUZZATTO STEFANO
Published: October 2009

We define and compute hyperbolic coordinates and associated foliations which provide a new way to describe the geometry of the standard map. We also identify a uniformly hyperbolic region and a complementary "critical" region containing a smooth curve of tangencies between certain canonical "stable" foliations.
THE SEPARATRIX VALUES OF A PLANAR HOMOCLINIC LOOP
Authors: ZHAO LIQIN , WANG XUEXING
Published: October 2009

It is well known that the stability of a homoclinic loop for planar vector fields is closely related to the cyclicity of this homoclinic loop. For a planar homoclinic loop consisting of a hyperbolic saddle, the loop values are crucial to the stability. The loop values are divided into two classes: saddle values and separatrix values. The saddle values are related to Dulac map near the saddle, and the separatrix values are related to the regular map near the homoclinic loop. The alternation of these quantities determines the stability of the homoclinic loop. So, it is important to investigate the separatrix values in both theory and for practical applications.

For a given planar vector field, we can try to calculate the saddle values by means of dual Liapunov constants or by finding elementary invariants developed by Liu and Li [1990]. The first separatrix value was obtained by Dulac. The second separatrix value was given by Han and Zhu [2007] and by Hu and Feng [2001] independently. The third separatrix value was obtained by Luo and Li [2005] by means of Tkachev's method. In this paper, we shall establish the formulae for the third and fourth separatrix values. As applications, we will give an example with the homoclinic bifurcation of order 9 and prove that the cyclicity of homoclinic loop together with double homoclinic loops is 57.
COEXISTENCE OF MULTIFARIOUS EXPLICIT NONLINEAR WAVE SOLUTIONS FOR MODIFIED FORMS OF CAMASSA–HOLM AND DEGAPERIS–PROCESI EQUATIONS
Authors: LIU ZHENGRONG , PAN JIAN
Published: October 2009

In this paper, we consider two nonlinear equations ut - uxxt + 3u2ux = 2uxuxx + uuxxx and ut - uxxt + 4u2ux = 3uxuxx + uuxxx which are called modified forms of Camassa–Holm and Degaperis–Procesi equations, respectively. For given constant wave speed, we investigate the coexistence of multifarious explicit nonlinear wave solutions, solitary wave solution, peakon wave solution, singular wave solution, smooth periodic wave solution and singular periodic wave solution. Not only is the coexistence shown, but the concrete expressions are presented via the bifurcation method of dynamical systems. From our work it can be seen that these two equations possess a lot of similar properties, and the types of their explicit nonlinear wave solutions are more than that of Camassa–Holm and Degaperis–Procesi equations. Many previous results are our special cases.
STABILITY AND HOPF BIFURCATIONS IN A DELAYED PREDATOR–PREY SYSTEM WITH A DISTRIBUTED DELAY
Authors: ZHANG CUN-HUA , YAN XIANG-PING
Published: October 2009

This paper is concerned with a delayed Lotka–Volterra two-species predator–prey system with a distributed delay. By linearizing the system at the positive equilibrium and analyzing the associated characteristic equation, the asymptotic stability of positive equilibrium is investigated and Hopf bifurcations are demonstrated. It is found that the positive equilibrium of the system is always locally asymptotically stable when the delay kernel is the weak kernel while there is a stability switch of positive equilibrium when the delay kernel is the strong kernel and the system can undergo a Hopf bifurcation at the positive equilibrium when the average time delay in the delay kernel crosses certain critical values. In particular, by applying the normal form theory and center manifold reduction to functional differential equations (FDEs), the explicit formula determining the direction of Hopf bifurcations and the stability of bifurcated periodic solutions is given. Finally, some numerical simulations are also included to support the analytical results obtained.
SMOOTHNESS OF COALESCENCE HIDDEN-VARIABLE FRACTAL INTERPOLATION SURFACES
Authors: KAPOOR G. P. , PRASAD SRIJANANI ANURAG
Published: October 2009

In the present paper, the smoothness of a Coalescence Hidden-variable Fractal Interpolation Surface (CHFIS), as described by its Lipschitz exponent, is investigated. This is achieved by considering the simulation of a generally uneven surface using CHFIS. The influence of free variables and Lipschitz exponent on the smoothness of CHFIS is demonstrated by considering interpolation data generated from a sample surface.
A ROUTE TO CHAOS IN ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS: PHASE SPACE ATTRACTION BASIN SWITCHING
Authors: MONTAVA BELDA MARCO A.
Published: October 2009

Certain systems present chaotic dynamics when subjected to a regular periodic input. In a study of a nonlinear model of an electromechanical transducer, its dynamic stability is analyzed and it is observed to present chaotic dynamics when a squared signal is introduced as input to the excitor circuit voltage. It is demonstrated that the chaotic movement is due to the periodic modification in the attraction basin of the state space, caused by the input varying in time. Varying the input causes the system to cross saddle type bifurcation values in which points of equilibrium appear and disappear, periodically modifying the qualitative aspects of the system's phase space. This paper describes the deterministic chaos generation by the regular and periodic modification of the properties of the phase space.
INTERTWINED BASINS OF ATTRACTION IN PLANAR SYSTEMS
Authors: DING CHANGMING
Published: October 2009

In this paper, we investigate the intertwined basins of attraction. Using a general definition, we discuss the local intertwining properties and present an easy condition to guarantee the existence of intertwined basins for planar dynamical systems.
ON PERIODIC ORBITS OF 3D SYMMETRIC PIECEWISE LINEAR SYSTEMS WITH REAL TRIPLE EIGENVALUES
Authors: PONCE E. , ROS J.
Published: October 2009

The counter-intuitive appearance of stable periodic orbits in three-dimensional piecewise linear systems has been recently reported for stable saturated control systems with high gain and real triple eigenvalues [Moreno & Suárez 2004]. In this letter using several mathematical tools, the reported sudden phenomenon is explained, and the analysis is completed by providing a global bifurcation diagram of the symmetric periodic orbits.

Approximate methods are used only to illustrate the nonlinear behavior with respect to the bifurcation parameter. Analytical methods are employed to rigorously prove the main result. The employed techniques are useful not only for the family studied but also for generic three-dimensional symmetric piecewise linear systems.
CRYPTANALYSIS OF CHAOTIC COMMUNICATION SCHEMES BY DYNAMICAL MINIMIZATION ALGORITHM
Authors: LIU YING , MAO YU , TANG WALLACE K. S. , KOCAREV LJUPCO
Published: October 2009

This paper addresses the cryptanalysis of three chaos-based secure communication schemes recently proposed by Yu et al. [2007]. Attacks with adaptive observers designed by the dynamical minimization algorithm are assumed. Considering Kerckhoff's principle, i.e. assuming that the basic structure of a cryptosystem is known but some user-specified parameters remain in secret, it is demonstrated that the covered messages in all these schemes can be estimated and hence their securities are challenged.
A SURVEY OF BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED IMAGE PROCESSING FOR OBJECTS RECOGNITION
Authors: SHI WEIREN , LI ZUOJIN , SHI XIN , ZHONG ZHI
Published: October 2009

The human vision system is a very sophisticated image processing and objects recognition mechanism. However, it is a challenge to simulate the human or animal vision system to automate visual function in machines, because it is difficult to account for the view-invariant perception of universals such as environmental objects or processes and the explicit perception of featural parts and wholes in visual scenes. In this paper, we first present an introduction to the importance of biologically inspired computer vision and review general and key vision functions from neuroscience perspective. And most significantly, we give an important summarization to and discussion on the specific applications of biologically inspired modeling, including biologically inspired image pre-processing, image perception, and objects recognition. In the end, we give some important and challenging topics of computer vision for future work.