bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The K1 Capsular Polysaccharide from Acinetobacter baumannii Is a Potential Therapeutic Target via Passive Immunization
Authors: Russo Thomas A. , Beanan Janet M. , Olson Ruth , MacDonald Ulrike , Cox Andrew D. , St. Michael Frank , Vinogradov Evgeny V. , Spellberg Brad , Luke-Marshall Nicole R. , Campagnari Anthony A.
Published: January 2013

The emergence of extremely resistant and panresistant Gram-negative bacilli, such as
Acinetobacter baumannii
, requires consideration of nonantimicrobial therapeutic approaches. The goal of this report was to evaluate the K1 capsular polysaccharide from
A. baumannii
as a passive immunization target. Its structure was determined by a combination of mass spectrometric and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Molecular mimics that might raise the concern for autoimmune disease were not identified. Immunization of CD1 mice demonstrated that the K1 capsule is immunogenic. The monoclonal antibody (MAb) 13D6, which is directed against the K1 capsule from
A. baumannii
, was used to determine the seroprevalence of the K1 capsule in a collection of 100
A. baumannii
strains. Thirteen percent of the
A. baumannii
isolates from this collection were seroreactive to MAb 13D6. Opsonization of K1-positive strains, but not K1-negative strains, with MAb 13D6 significantly increased neutrophil-mediated bactericidal activity
in vitro
(
P
< 0.05). Lastly, treatment with MAb 13D6 3 and 24 h after bacterial challenge in a rat soft tissue infection model resulted in a significant decrease in the growth/survival of a K1-positive strain compared to that of a K1-negative strain or to treatment with a vehicle control (
P
< 0.0001). These data support the proof of principle that the K1 capsule is a potential therapeutic target via passive immunization. Other serotypes require assessment, and pragmatic challenges exist, such as the need to serotype infecting strains and utilize serotype-specific therapy. Nonetheless, this approach may become an important therapeutic option with increasing antimicrobial resistance and a diminishing number of active antimicrobials.
Implication of Glycerol and Phospholipid Transporters in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Growth and Virulence
Authors: Großhennig Stephanie , Schmidl Sebastian R. , Schmeisky G. , Busse Julia , Stülke Jörg
Published: January 2013

Mycoplasma pneumoniae
, the causative agent of atypical pneumonia, is one of the bacteria with the smallest genomes that are nonetheless capable of independent life. Because of their longstanding close association with their human host, the bacteria have undergone reductive evolution and lost most biosynthetic abilities. Therefore, they depend on nutrients provided by the host that have to be taken up by the cell. Indeed,
M. pneumoniae
has a large set of hitherto unexplored transporters and lipoproteins that may be implicated in transport processes. Together, these proteins account for about 17% of the protein complement of
M. pneumoniae
. In the natural habitat of
M. pneumoniae
, human lung epithelial surfaces, phospholipids are the major available carbon source. Thus, the uptake and utilization of glycerol and glycerophosphodiesters that are generated by the activity of lipases are important for the nutrition of
M. pneumoniae
in its common habitat. In this study, we have investigated the roles of several potential transport proteins and lipoproteins in the utilization of glycerol and glycerophosphodiesters. On the basis of experiments with the corresponding mutant strains, our results demonstrate that the newly identified GlpU transport protein (MPN421) is responsible for the uptake of the glycerophosphodiester glycerophosphocholine, which is then intracellularly cleaved to glycerol-3-phosphate and choline. In addition, the proteins MPN076 and MPN077 are accessory factors in glycerophosphocholine uptake. Moreover, the lipoproteins MPN133 and MPN284 are essential for the uptake of glycerol. Our data suggest that they may act as binding proteins for glycerol and deliver glycerol molecules to the glycerol facilitator GlpF.
Intestinal Epithelial CD98 Directly Modulates the Innate Host Response to Enteric Bacterial Pathogens
Authors: Charania Moiz A. , Laroui Hamed , Liu Hongchun , Viennois Emilie , Ayyadurai Saravanan , Xiao Bo , Ingersoll Sarah A. , Kalman Daniel , Merlin Didier
Published: January 2013

CD98 is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein whose expression increases in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) during intestinal inflammation. Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(EPEC) is a food-borne human pathogen that attaches to IECs and injects effector proteins directly into the host cells, thus provoking an inflammatory response. In the present study, we investigated CD98 and EPEC interactions
in vitro
and
ex vivo
and examined FVB wild-type (WT) and villin-CD98 transgenic mice overexpressing human CD98 in IECs (hCD98 Tg mice) and infected with
Citrobacter rodentium
as an
in vivo
model.
In vivo
studies indicated that CD98 overexpression, localized to the apical domain of colonic cells, increased the attachment of
C. rodentium
in mouse colons and resulted in increased expression of proinflammatory markers and decreased expression of anti-inflammatory markers. The proliferative markers Ki-67 and cyclin D1 were significantly increased in the colonic tissue of
C. rodentium
-infected hCD98 Tg mice compared to that of WT mice.
Ex vivo
studies correlate with the
in vivo
data. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) studies with Caco2-BBE cells showed a decrease in adherence of EPEC to Caco2 cells in which CD98 expression was knocked down.
In vitro
surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments showed direct binding between recombinant hCD98 and EPEC/
C. rodentium
proteins. We also demonstrated that the partial extracellular loop of hCD98 was sufficient for direct binding to EPEC/
C. rodentium
. These findings demonstrate the importance of the extracellular loop of CD98 in the innate host defense response to intestinal infection by attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens.
EfaR Is a Major Regulator of Enterococcus faecalis Manganese Transporters and Influences Processes Involved in Host Colonization and Infection
Authors: Abrantes M. C. , Kok J. , Lopes M. de F.
Published: January 2013

Metal ions, in particular manganese, are important modulators of bacterial pathogenicity. However, little is known about the role of manganese-dependent proteins in the nosocomial pathogen
Enterococcus faecalis
, a major cause of bacterial endocarditis. The present study demonstrates that the DtxR/MntR family metalloregulator EfaR of
E. faecalis
controls the expression of several of its regulon members in a manganese-dependent way. We also show that
efaR
inactivation impairs the ability of
E. faecalis
to form biofilms, to survive inside macrophages, and to tolerate oxidative stress. Our results reveal that EfaR is an important modulator of
E. faecalis
virulence and link manganese homeostasis to enterococcal pathogenicity.
Acquired antiprothrombin antibodies: an unusual cause of bleeding
Authors: Carvalho Cristiana , Viveiro Carolina , Maia Paulo , Rezende Teresa
Published: January 2013

Acquired inhibitors of coagulation causing bleeding manifestations are rare in children. They emerge, normally in the context of autoimmune diseases or drug ingestion, but transient and self-limiting cases can occur after viral infection. We describe, an otherwise healthy, 7-year-old girl who had gingival bleeding after a tooth extraction. The prothrombin time (PT) and the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were both prolonged with evidence of an immediate acting inhibitor (lupic anticoagulant). Further coagulation studies demonstrated prothrombin (FII) deficiency and prothrombin directed (FII) antibodies. The serological tests to detect an underlying autoimmune disease were all negative. The coagulation studies normalised alongside the disappearance of the antibody. This article presents lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinaemia syndrome (LAHS) as a rare case of acquired bleeding diathesis in childhood.
Segmental haemorrhagic infarction of the testis in a paediatric patient: a rare aftermath of epididymitis
Authors: Adorisio Ottavio , Ceriati Emanuela , Camassei Francesca Diomedi , De Peppo Francesco
Published: January 2013

Testicular infarction is an uncommon finding in paediatric age and is usually due to testicular torsion or trauma causing venous rupture with thrombosis and/or arteriolar obstruction. Other causes of segmental infarction of the testes are represented by polyarteritis nodosa, thromboangioiitis obliterans and hypersensitivity angiitis. A few cases of testicular infarction due to epididymitis have been described in the literature related mainly to adult patients. Epididymitis is usually treated in the outpatient setting with close follow-up, but according to our present experience, and reviewing the literature, there may be some cases in which, surgical exploration is mandatory in order to avoid testicular damage.
Translocation of rare plant species to restore Garry oak ecosystems in western Canada: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Clements David R.
Published: January 2013

Covering just 2000 ha, Garry oak ecosystems (GOEs) in western Canada contain about 10% of the Species at Risk Act listed species at risk in Canada, including 30 plants listed by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada as endangered. Since European settlement ca. 1840, GOE sites have been largely degraded by human disturbance, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, overgrazing, and fire suppression. A key strategy to mitigate this loss of biodiversity is to translocate rare plants to GOE restoration sites. The Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team provides advice on proposed translocations but strongly encourages restoration practitioners to focus on plant populations already present on a site. There is a need for a closer look at challenges and opportunities afforded by translocation. If the approach taken is too precautionary, some rare species in this highly threatened ecosystem may be jeopardized. Current translocation efforts are being spearheaded by Parks Canada for golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta Greenm.), seaside birds-foot lotus (Lotus formossimus Greene), and white-top aster (Aster curtus Cronq.). Translocations like these together with further research on the genetics and ecology of rare plant species are critical to species recovery efforts within GOE and other similarly compromised ecosystems.
Dietary transfer of enriched stable isotopes to mark otoliths, fin rays, and scales
Authors: Woodcock Skye H. , Grieshaber Casey A. , Walther Benjamin D.
Published: January 2013

Artificial chemical marking of calcified structures, such as otoliths, has emerged as a powerful method to assess stocking success and determine connectivity patterns in freshwater and marine systems. Although transgenerational and larval immersion methods have been validated, dietary transmission of enriched stable isotopes to calcified structures would allow minimal handling of animals and reduced expense for flow-through systems. We experimentally manipulated137Ba in diets and successfully marked otoliths in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae, fingerlings, and subadults, as well as fin rays and scales of subadults in as little as 2 weeks of exposure. Marking success of 100% was found for larvae and fingerlings reared at higher temperatures, indicating the need for sufficient growth to occur for consistently detectable marks. Spiked isotopes successfully marked fin rays (86% marked) and scales (100% marked) of subadults, providing a cost-effective tagging method that can be sampled nonlethally. Dietary marking of calcified structures may be the method of choice where handling must be minimized or water chemistry cannot be manipulated.
DARK MATTER SEARCH WITH SUB-keV GERMANIUM DETECTORS AT THE CHINA JINPING UNDERGROUND LABORATORY
Authors:   (On behalf of the CDEX-TEXONO Collaboration: The CDEX-TEXONO Collaboration consists of groups from China (Tsinghua University, China Institute of Atomic Energy, Nankai University, Sichuan University, Ertan Hydropower Development Company), Taiwan (Academia Sinica, Institute of Nuclear Energy, Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Station, National Tsing-Hua University), India (Banaras Hindu University) and Turkey (Middle East Technical University, Karadeniz Technical University). The authors are grateful to the generous, YUE QIAN , WONG HENRY T.
Published: January 2013

Germanium detectors with sub-keV sensitivities open a window to search for low-mass WIMP dark matter. The CDEX-TEXONO Collaboration is conducting the first research program at the new China Jinping Underground Laboratory with this approach. The status and plans of the laboratory and the experiment are discussed.
A DFT INVESTIGATION ON BASIS SET SIZE AND HYDROGEN-BONDING EFFECTS ON17OAND2HNQR PARAMETERS
Authors: ESRAFILI MEHDI D. , MOHAMMADIRAD NAFISEH
Published: January 2013

A systematic theoretical study on various maleic acid (MA) clusters has been carried out employing density functional theory (DFT) methods. The performance of two different functionals namely B3LYP and M06 in the prediction of geometries,17O and2H nuclei quadrupole coupling constant (CQ) values of the MA clusters has been assessed comparing the results to those experimental data. For DFT calculations, several basis sets have been used, including the recently developed Jensen's polarization-consistent basis set families, pcJ-n and pcS-n (n = 0,1,2,3). Calculations at the basis set limit indicate that the value of CQ(2H ) in monomer MA, changes by 0.01–0.04 kHz for each of the final two basis set increments, and seems reasonable to conclusion that the pcJ-3 result is within a few kHz of the basis set limit. Convergence with respect to basis set size was found to be very good, and the pcJ-1 and pcS-1 basis sets provided a good compromise between the basis set limit and computational expense. In most cases, the differences between B3LYP and M06 results for a given basis set are in a range of 1–2%. On the other hand, no systematic changes in the CQ(17O ) or CQ(2H ) were found for basis sets larger than double-ζ. Thus, the usual assumption that double-ζ basis set (pcJ-1 and pcS-1) results in the acceptable CQvalues, seems to be valid in the case of17O and2H nuclei.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ARTIFICIAL MARKET SIMULATIONS AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION
Authors: ZENOBIA BRENT A. , WEBER CHARLES M.
Published: January 2013

Artificial markets are an emerging form of agent-based simulation in which agents represent individual industries, firms, or consumers interacting under simulated market conditions. While artificial markets demonstrate considerable potential for advancing innovation research, the validity of the method depends on the ability of researchers to construct agents that faithfully capture the key behavior of targeted entities. To date, few such methods have been documented in the academic literature.

This article describes a novel method for combining qualitative innovation research (case studies, grounded theory, and sequence analysis) with software engineering techniques to synthesize simulation-ready theories of adoption behavior. A step-by-step example is provided from the transportation domain. The result was a theory of adoption behavior that is sufficiently precise and formal to be expressed in Unified Modeling Language (UML). The article concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the method and recommendations future applications to the study of diffusion of innovation.
INCENTIVE POLICIES TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE IN CHINA
Authors: JIN JUN , DONG YING , CHEN JIN
Published: January 2013

China has launched a set of policies and projects to address climate change, one of the most serious problems in the world. This paper reviews the Chinese policies and national plans on the encouragement of environmentally beneficial and energy-saving innovations. Policies on the energy industry and the development of new energy vehicle industry are taken as cases to illustrate in detail the Chinese policies on climate change. The research reveals that actions on the low carbon innovation, such as the innovation on new energy vehicles, not only benefit the dealing with climate change, but also contribute to the strategies of catching up advanced countries.
A SNAPSHOT OF GERMANY'S EIA APPROACH IN LIGHT OF THE UNITED STATES ARCHETYPE
Authors: KÖPPEL JOHANN , GEIßLER GESA , HELFRICH JENNIFER , REISERT JESSICA
Published: January 2013

November 2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the 20th anniversary of its implementation in Germany via the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (EIAA) in 1990. Reflecting back to the original role model for these pieces of legisiation, the 1969 US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can bring some interesting differences to light. Four decades of experience from the more mature US EIA system may hold some important lessons for Germany's younger EIAA. While an outright comparison is impossible at this present time, this article aims to contribute a comparative perspective to show the current status of the original US model, NEPA, and the differences in development and practice to Germany's younger EIAA.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EIA IN GERMANY: OUR CHILD HAS GROWN UP
Authors: WENDE WOLFGANG , SCHOLLES FRANK , HARTLIK JOACHIM
Published: January 2013

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been formally applied in Germany since 1990, and has over time developed a methodological and technical routine in environmental planning practice. It can now be considered an established instrument; nonetheless, substantial challenges to the further development of the EIA, and to even stronger implementation of environmental requirements in planning and decision-making practice in Germany, still exist. This paper reports briefly on the application and the main achievements of the EIA in Germany, and, in the second section, primarily provides a perspective for addressing remaining and new challenges involving this instrument. The paper also includes specific proposals for the further optimization of the EIA at the EU level, as well as for Germany. The current status and future challenges facing the EIA, which are described herein, range from screening and scoping through public participation and monitoring to the area of application.
PREPARATION OF 3 MOL.% YTTRIA-FULLY-STABILIZED ZIRCONIA NANOPOWDERS BY MOLTEN SALTS/COPRECIPITATION METHOD AT LOW TEMPERATURE
Authors: DENG YIQUN , YANG BIN
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we present a facile process for preparing 3 mol.% yttria-fully-stabilized zirconia (3Y-FSZ) nanopowders by molten salts/coprecipitation method at low temperature. By this method, precursor powders in molten salts have a high reactivity and diffusivity, and react easily and completely, which can greatly reduce the synthesis temperature. Furthermore, the synthesis procedure involves neither mechanical mixing nor repeated grinding and thus ultrapure nanopowders with a better uniformity and fewer agglomerates can be obtained. The results illustrated that 3Y-FSZ nanopowders particle diameters ranging from 7 nm to 10 nm were successfully synthesized at 500°C.
CHOP THERAPY INDUCED MITOCHONDRIAL REDOX STATE ALTERATION IN NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA XENOGRAFTS
Authors: XU H. N. , ZHAO H. , MIR T. A. , LEE S. C. , FENG M. , CHOE R. , GLICKSON J. D. , LI L. Z.
Published: January 2013

We are interested in investigating whether cancer therapy may alter the mitochondrial redox state in cancer cells to inhibit their growth and survival. The redox state can be imaged by the redox scanner that collects the fluorescence signals from both the oxidized-flavoproteins (Fp) and the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in snap-frozen tissues and has been previously employed to study tumor aggressiveness and treatment responses. Here, with the redox scanner we investigated the effects of chemotherapy on mouse xenografts of a human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line (DLCL2). The mice were treated with CHOP therapy, i.e., cyclophosphamide (C) + hydroxydoxorubicin (H) + Oncovin (O) + prednisone (P) with CHO administration on day 1 and prednisone administration on days 1–5. The Fp content of the treated group was significantly decreased (p = 0.033) on day 5, and the mitochondrial redox state of the treated group was slightly more reduced than that of the control group (p = 0.048). The decrease of the Fp heterogeneity (measured by the mean standard deviation) had a border-line statistical significance (p = 0.071). The result suggests that the mitochondrial metabolism of lymphoma cells was slightly suppressed and the lymphomas became less aggressive after the CHOP therapy.
People, sensors, decisions
Authors: Hoey Jesse , Boutilier Craig , Poupart Pascal , Olivier Patrick , Monk Andrew , Mihailidis Alex
Published: January 2013

The ratio of healthcare professionals to care recipients is dropping at an alarming rate, particularly for the older population. It is estimated that the number of persons with Alzheimer's disease, for example, will top 100 million worldwide by the year 2050 [Alzheimer's Disease International 2009]. It will become harder and harder to provide needed health services to this population of older adults. Further, patients are becoming more aware and involved in their own healthcare decisions. This is creating a void in which technology has an increasingly important role to play as a tool to connect providers with recipients. Examples of interactive technologies range from telecare for remote regions to computer games promoting fitness in the home. Currently, such technologies are developed for specific applications and are difficult to modify to suit individual user needs. The future potential economic and social impact of technology in the healthcare field therefore lies in our ability to make intelligent devices that are customizable by healthcare professionals and their clients, that are adaptive to users over time, and that generalize across tasks and environments.

A wide application area for technology in healthcare is for assistance and monitoring in the home. As the population ages, it becomes increasingly dependent on chronic healthcare, such as assistance for tasks of everyday life (washing, cooking, dressing), medication taking, nutrition, and fitness. This article will present a summary of work over the past decade on the development of intelligent systems that provide assistance to persons with cognitive disabilities. These systems are unique in that they are all built using a common framework, a decision-theoretic model for general-purpose assistance in the home. In this article, we will show how this type of general model can be applied to a range of assistance tasks, including prompting for activities of daily living, assistance for art therapists, and stroke rehabilitation. This model is a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) that can be customized by end-users, that can integrate complex sensor information, and that can adapt over time. These three characteristics of the POMDP model will allow for increasing uptake and long-term efficiency and robustness of technology for assistance.
AutoTutor and affective autotutor
Authors: D'mello Sidney , Graesser Art
Published: January 2013

We present AutoTutor and Affective AutoTutor as examples of innovative 21stcentury interactive intelligent systems that promote learning and engagement. AutoTutor is an intelligent tutoring system that helps students compose explanations of difficult concepts in Newtonian physics and enhances computer literacy and critical thinking by interacting with them in natural language with adaptive dialog moves similar to those of human tutors. AutoTutor constructs a cognitive model of students' knowledge levels by analyzing the text of their typed or spoken responses to its questions. The model is used to dynamically tailor the interaction toward individual students' zones of proximal development. Affective AutoTutor takes the individualized instruction and human-like interactivity to a new level by automatically detecting and responding to students' emotional states in addition to their cognitive states. Over 20 controlled experiments comparing AutoTutor with ecological and experimental controls such reading a textbook have consistently yielded learning improvements of approximately one letter grade after brief 30--60-minute interactions. Furthermore, Affective AutoTutor shows even more dramatic improvements in learning than the original AutoTutor system, particularly for struggling students with low domain knowledge. In addition to providing a detailed description of the implementation and evaluation of AutoTutor and Affective AutoTutor, we also discuss new and exciting technologies motivated by AutoTutor such as AutoTutor-Lite, Operation ARIES, GuruTutor, DeepTutor, MetaTutor, and AutoMentor. We conclude this article with our vision for future work on interactive and engaging intelligent tutoring systems.
Creating personalized systems that people can scrutinize and control
Authors: Kay Judy , Kummerfeld Bob
Published: January 2013

Widespread personalized computing systems play an already important and fast-growing role in diverse contexts, such as location-based services, recommenders, commercial Web-based services, and teaching systems. The personalization in these systems is driven by information about the user, a
user model
. Moreover, as computers become both ubiquitous and pervasive, personalization operates across the many devices and information stores that constitute the user's personal digital ecosystem. This enables personalization, and the user models driving it, to play an increasing role in people's everyday lives. This makes it critical to establish ways to address key problems of personalization related to
privacy
,
invisibility
of personalization,
errors in user models
,
wasted user models
, and the broad issue of enabling people to
control
their user models and associated personalization. We offer
scrutable user models
as a foundation for tackling these problems.

This article argues the importance of scrutable user modeling and personalization, illustrating key elements in case studies from our work. We then identify the broad roles for scrutable user models. The article describes how to tackle the technical and interface challenges of designing and building scrutable user modeling systems, presenting design principles and showing how they were established over our twenty years of work on the Personis software framework. Our contributions are the set of principles for scrutable personalization linked to our experience from creating and evaluating frameworks and associated applications built upon them. These constitute a general approach to tackling problems of personalization by enabling users to scrutinize their user models as a basis for understanding and controlling personalization.
Measuring energy consumption for short code paths using RAPL
Authors: Hähnel Marcus , Döbel Björn , Völp Marcus , Härtig Hermann
Published: January 2013

Measuring the energy consumption of software components is a major building block for generating models that allow for energy-aware scheduling, accounting and budgeting. Current measurement techniques focus on coarse-grained measurements of application or system events. However, fine grain adjustments in particular in the operating-system kernel and in application-level servers require power profiles at the level of a single software function. Until recently, this appeared to be impossible due to the lacking fine grain resolution and high costs of measurement equipment. In this paper we report on our experience in using the Running Average Power Limit (RAPL) energy sensors available in recent Intel CPUs for measuring energy consumption of short code paths. We investigate the granularity at which RAPL measurements can be performed and discuss practical obstacles that occur when performing these measurements on complex modern CPUs. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to use the RAPL infrastructure to characterize the energy costs for decoding video slices.
Sensitivity analysis of the power grid vulnerability to large-scale cascading failures
Authors: Bernstein Andrey , Bienstock Daniel , Hay David , Uzunoglu Meric , Zussman Gil
Published: January 2013

This paper revisits models of cascading failures in the transmission system of the power grid. It has been recently shownthat since power flows are governed by the laws of physics,these models significantly differ from epidemic/percolationbased models. Yet, while some numerical results have been recently obtained based on these models, there is a need to investigate the sensitivity of the results to various parameters and to evaluate the models' accuracy. In this paper, through numerical experiments with real grid data, we study the effects of geographically correlated outages and the resulting cascades. We consider a wide range of parameters, such as the power lines' Factor of Safety and the sensitivity of the lines to power flow spikes. Moreover, we compare our numerical results to the actual events in a recent blackout in the San Diego area (Sept. 2011), thereby demonstrating that the model's predictions are consistent with real events.
Uptime and downtime analysis for hierarchical redundant systems in telecommunications
Authors: Coffman E. G. , Kogan Y. , Lai W. , Ramaswami V.
Published: January 2013

We consider non-degradable hierarchical redundant systems having multiple working and failure modes with restoration time depending on failure type. We evaluate these systems using two measures: generalized uptime and traditional downtime. We define the Impact Weighted System Uptime (IWSU) and illustrate its usefulness in practical terms, viz., an IP router. Next, we provide an analysis that fits the downtimes by a heavy-tailed log PH distribution. For these downtime distributions, we study whether it is more cost effective to reduce failure rates or to speed up the response to failures The first option is a vendor problem, but the second is a service provider problem. A numerical example is given to help appreciate the tradeoff.
Pricing and queueing
Authors: Borgs Christian , Chayes Jennifer T. , Doroudi Sherwin , Harchol-Balter Mor , Xu Kuang
Published: January 2013

We consider a pricing in a single observable queue, where customers all have the same valuation, V , and the same waiting cost, v. It is known that earning rate is maximized in such a model when state-dependent pricing is used and an admissions threshold is deployed whereby arriving customers may not join the queue if the total number of customers exceeds this threshold. This paper is the first to explicitly derive the optimal threshold. We use our explicit formulation to obtain asymptotic results on how the threshold grows with V.
Stochastic bounds for randomized load balancing
Authors: Godtschalk Antonie S. , Ciucu Florin
Published: January 2013

Randomized load balancing is a cost efficient policy for job scheduling in parallel server queueing systems whereby, with every incoming job, a central dispatcher randomly polls some servers and selects the one with the smallest queue. By exactly deriving the jobs' delay distribution in such systems, in explicit and closed form, Mitzenmacher [5] proved the socalled 'power-of-two' result, which states that by randomly polling only two servers yields an exponential improvement in delay over randomly selecting a single server. Such a fundamental result, however, was obtained in an asymptotic regime in the total number of servers, and does do not necessarily provide accurate estimates for practical finite regimes with small or moderate number of servers. In this paper we obtain stochastic lower and upper bounds on the jobs' average delay in non-asymptotic regimes, by borrowing ideas for analyzing the particular case of the Join-the-Shortest-Queue (JSQ) policy. Numerical illustrations indicate not only that the obtained bounds are remarkably accurate, but also that the existing exact but asymptotic results can be largely misleading in some finite regimes.
Estimating queue length distributions for queues with random arrivals
Authors: Myers Daniel S. , Vernon Mary K.
Published: January 2013

This work develops an accurate and efficient two-moment approximation for the queue length distribution in theM/G/1 queue. Queue length distributions can provide insight into the impact of system design changes that go beyond simple averages, but conventional queueing theory lacks efficient techniques for estimating the long-run queue length distribution when service times are not exponential. The approximate queue lengths depend on only the first and second moments of the service time rather than the full service time distribution, resulting in a model that is applicable to a wide variety of systems. Validation results show that the new approximation is highly accurate for light-tailed service time distributions. Work in progress includes developing accurate approximations for multi-server queues and heavy-tailed service distributions.
Farout vertices in weighted repeated configuration model
Authors: Błaszczyszyn B. , Gaurav K.
Published: January 2013

We consider an edge-weighted uniform random graph with a given degree sequence (Repeated Configuration Model) which is a useful approximation for many real-world networks. It has been observed that the vertices which are separated from the rest of the graph by a distance exceeding certain threshold play an important role in determining some global properties of the graph like diameter, ooding time etc., in spite of being statistically rare. We give a convergence result for the distribution of the number of such far-out vertices. We also make a conjecture about how this relates to the longest edge of the minimal spanning tree on the graph under consideration.
Differential Modulation of Uncoupling Protein 2 in Kidneys of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Under High-Salt/Low-Potassium Diet
Authors: Di Castro Sara , Scarpino Stefania , Marchitti Simona , Bianchi Franca , Stanzione Rosita , Cotugno Maria , Sironi Luigi , Gelosa Paolo , Duranti Enrico , Ruco Luigi , Volpe Massimo , Rubattu Speranza
Published: January 2013

The stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRsp) represents an animal model of increased susceptibility to high-salt diet–induced cerebral and renal vascular injuries. High blood pressure and genetic factors are viewed as major contributing factors. In high-salt–loaded SHRsp and stroke-resistant SHR animals, we determined blood pressure levels, degree of kidney lesions, renal uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene and protein expression levels along with rattus norvegicus (rno)-microRNA (miR) 24 and 34a gene expression, nuclear factor-κB protein levels, and oxidative stress. In vitro, UCP2 gene silencing was performed in renal mesangial cells. We found more severe degree of renal damage in SHRsp at the end of 4-week high-salt dietary treatment as compared with stroke-resistant SHR, despite comparable blood pressure levels, along with increased rate of inflammation and oxidative stress. Kidney UCP2 gene and protein expression levels were significantly downregulated under high-salt diet in SHRsp, but not in stroke-resistant SHR. Differential UCP2 regulation was paralleled by differential expression of kidney rno-miR 24 and 34a, known to target UCP2 gene, in the 2 strains. UCP2 gene silencing in renal mesangial cells led to increased rate of reactive oxygen species generation, increased inflammation and apoptosis, reduced cell vitality, and increased necrosis. In conclusion, high-salt diet downregulates the antioxidant UCP2-dependent mechanism in kidneys of SHRsp, but not of stroke-resistant SHR. A parallel differential kidney miR regulation under high-salt diet in the 2 strains may contribute to the differential UCP2 modulation. UCP2 is a critical protein to prevent oxidative stress damage in renal mesangial cells in vitro.
Novel Regulation of Cardiac Metabolism and Homeostasis by the Adrenomedullin-Receptor Activity-Modifying Protein 2 System
Authors: Yoshizawa Takahiro , Sakurai Takayuki , Kamiyoshi Akiko , Ichikawa-Shindo Yuka , Kawate Hisaka , Iesato Yasuhiro , Koyama Teruhide , Uetake Ryuichi , Yang Lei , Yamauchi Akihiro , Tanaka Megumu , Toriyama Yuichi , Igarashi Kyoko , Nakada Tsutomu , Kashihara Toshihide , Yamada Mitsuhiko , Kawakami Hayato , Nakanishi Hiroki , Taguchi Ryo , Nakanishi Tsuyoshi , Akazawa Hiroshi , Shindo Takayuki
Published: January 2013

Adrenomedullin (AM) was identified as a vasodilating and hypotensive peptide mainly produced by the cardiovascular system. The AM receptor calcitonin receptor-like receptor associates with receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP), one of the subtypes of regulatory proteins. Among knockout mice (
−/−
) of RAMPs, only RAMP2
−/−
is embryonically lethal with cardiovascular abnormalities that are the same as AM
−/−
. This suggests that the AM-RAMP2 system is particularly important for the cardiovascular system. Although AM and RAMP2 are highly expressed in the heart from embryo to adulthood, their analysis has been limited by the embryonic lethality of AM
−/−
and RAMP2
−/−
. For this study, we generated inducible cardiac myocyte-specific RAMP2
−/−
(C-RAMP2
−/−
). C-RAMP2
−/−
exhibited dilated cardiomyopathy-like heart failure with cardiac dilatation and myofibril disruption. C-RAMP2
−/−
hearts also showed changes in mitochondrial structure and downregulation of mitochondria-related genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, β-oxidation, and reactive oxygen species regulation. Furthermore, the heart failure was preceded by changes in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. Metabolome and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) imaging analyses revealed early downregulation of cardiolipin, a mitochondrial membrane-specific lipid. Furthermore, primary-cultured cardiac myocytes from C-RAMP2
−/−
showed reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced reactive oxygen species production in a RAMP2 deletion–dependent manner. C-RAMP2
−/−
showed downregulated activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), one of the main regulators of mitochondria-related genes. These data demonstrate that the AM-RAMP2 system is essential for cardiac metabolism and homeostasis. The AM-RAMP2 system is a promising therapeutic target of heart failure.
A Shift-Invariant Latent Variable Model for Automatic Music Transcription
Authors: Benetos Emmanouil , Dixon Simon
Published: January 2013

In this work, a probabilistic model for multiple-instrument automatic music transcription is proposed. The model extends the shift-invariant probabilistic latent component analysis method, which is used for spectrogram factorization. Proposed extensions support the use of multiple spectral templates per pitch and per instrument source, as well as a time-varying pitch contribution for each source. Thus, this method can effectively be used for multiple-instrument automatic transcription. In addition, the shift-invariant aspect of the method can be exploited for detecting tuning changes and frequency modulations, as well as for visualizing pitch content. For note tracking and smoothing, pitch-wise hidden Markov models are used. For training, pitch templates from eight orchestral instruments were extracted, covering their complete note range. The transcription system was tested on multiple-instrument polyphonic recordings from the RWC database, a Disklavier data set, and the MIREX 2007 multi-F0 data set. Results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms leading approaches from the transcription literature, using several error metrics.
Following Gesture Following: Grounding the Documentation of a Multi-Agent Music Creation Process
Authors: Boutard Guillaume , Guastavino Catherine
Published: January 2013

The documentation of electroacoustic and mixed musical works typically relies on a posteriori data collection. In this article, we argue that the preservation of musical works having technological components should be grounded in a thorough documentation of the creative process that accounts for both human and nonhuman agents of creation. The present research aims at providing a ground for documentation policies that account for the creative process and provide relevant information for performance, migration, and analysis. To do so, we analyzed secondary ethnographic data from a two-year creation and production process of a musical work having a focus on gesture following. Using grounded theory, we developed a conceptual framework with different levels of abstraction and consequent levels of transferability to other creative contexts. Finally, we propose several paths for grounding a subsequent documentation framework in this conceptual framework.
“I”-Tunes: Multiple Subjectivities and Narrative Method in Computer
Music
Authors: Hoffman Elizabeth
Published: January 2013

Representational aspects of a computer music composition may forge a perspectival conduit into the music, partly through conceptual boundary structures described here as “frames.” The perspectival conduit includes the illusion of subjectivities inside the music and is called here the work's “point of view.” These internal subjectivities shape a listener's sense of self, including role, location, and identity. Where and how does the given sound world let the listener in, conceptually, to interact with the work's point of view? This essay considers musical discourse that draws on literary theories of narrative, but it also examines techniques that derive directly from computer music's distinctive features and capabilities.
Salvaging Nature: The Akan Religio-Cultural Perspective
Authors: Awuah-Nyamekye Samuel
Published: January 2013

The way many Ghanaians relate to the environment now is not the best; they just do not care about how to handle the environment in a sustainable way. They have forgotten that life is environment and environment is life due to rapid cultural change, population explosion etc. There is indiscriminate logging, annual bushfires, illegal surface mining, bad farming practices, dumping of human and industrial wastes into our water bodies and the like. It is estimated that over 90 percent of Ghana's high forest has been logged since the late 1940s. The sanitation situation is growing from bad to worst as the records show. All efforts to salvage the situation over the years have failed to yield the needed results. It is for this reason that this paper argues strongly for the inclusion of indigenous Ghanaian religion and culture in this fight, for they have proven to be eco-biased religion and culture due to the environmentally beneficial mechanisms inherent in them. Specifically, the traditional Akan use their conception of land, taboos, totemism, sacred groves and sasa to ensure the conservation of nature. Therefore, this paper believe, the time has come for us to forge a common ground in our efforts to find a lasting solution to our environmental problems from both the perspectives of science and that of Indigenous Spiritualities and Culture.
Broken Bodies of God: The Christian Eucharist as a Locus for Ecological Reflection
Authors: Galbraith Kyle
Published: January 2013

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report attests to the reality of a warming global climate and describes potential ecosystem changes that may be devastating to communities—both human and non-human—across the globe. I contend that the Christian practice of sharing the Eucharist meal provides an opportune moment for Christians to engage in ecological reflection. To defend this claim I draw upon Christian theologian Sallie McFague's metaphorical understanding of the world as God's body in order to connect environmental plight to the Eucharist meal and to show why that plight should be a concern for Christian communities. Next, I turn to the work of anthropologist Claude Fischler in order to make a connection between sharing the Eucharist and communal and individual identity formation. Finally, I draw upon the Slow Food movement in order to provide specific suggestions for adapting the Eucharist to make it more conducive to ecological reflection. I also briefly discuss the growing green sisters movement and suggest that this movement provides a model of ecological-awareness and practice for other religious communities, and for North American Christian churches in particular.
What Is Wrong with Degenerate Souls in the Republic?
Authors: Gavrielides Era
Published: January 2013

The Republic splits the soul into three parts: the logistikon (reason), the thumoeides (spirit) and the epithumetikon (appetite). In a virtuous soul all the parts do their own work and the logistikon is ruling. In what follows I argue that a non-question-begging account of why the logistikon should rule must take into account the psychological complexity of virtuous and non-virtuous characters in the Republic. And while this is often accepted by those arguing that the unity of degenerate souls is unstable or fragile I will argue, in opposition, that what is actually wrong with degenerate souls is that they have the wrong kind of unity ‐ a unity by force ‐ which can be very stable but which is nonetheless a unity in tension. On the other hand the rule of the logistikon can provide unity by persuasion, a unity which is not only stable but also free from tension.
Images, Appearances, and Phantasia in Aristotle
Authors: Scheiter Krisanna M.
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Aristotle’s account of phantasia in De Anima 3.3 is notoriously difficult to decipher. At one point he describes phantasia as a capacity for producing images, but then later in the same chapter it is clear phantasia is supposed to explain appearances, such as why the sun appears to be a foot wide. Many commentators argue that images cannot explain appearances, and so they claim that Aristotle is using phantasia in two different ways. In this paper I argue that images actually explain perceptual appearances for Aristotle, and so phantasia always refers to images. I take a new approach to interpreting DA 3.3, reading it alongside Plato’s Theaetetus and Sophist. In the Theaetetus, Socrates explains how memory gives rise to perceptual appearance. I claim that Aristotle adopts Socrates’ account of perceptual appearance, but what Socrates calls memory, Aristotle calls phantasia.
Appetite, Reason, and Education in Socrates’ ‘City of Pigs’
Authors: Jonas Mark E. , Nakazawa Yoshiaki M. , Braun James
Published: January 2013

Abstract

In Book II of the Republic (370c-372d), Socrates briefly depicts a city where each inhabitant contributes to the welfare of all by performing the role for which he or she is naturally suited. Socrates calls this city the ‘true city’ and the ‘healthy one’. Nearly all commentators have argued that Socrates’ praise of the city cannot be taken at face value, claiming that it does not represent Socrates’ preferred community. The point of this paper is to argue otherwise. The claim is that Socrates genuinely believes the city is a healthy and desirable city, and that he believes that the First City (the so-called ‘city of pigs’) is in fact superior to the Kallipolis.
Evangelical Environmentalism: Oxymoron or Opportunity?
Authors: Simmons J. Aaron
Published: January 2013

Often defined by affiliation with conservative politics and a limited range of moral issues concerning “family values,” evangelical Christianity in the United States might seem like an odd place to look for a substantial environmental ethic. However, over the past few years many evangelicals have been working very hard to change this public face of their community and are becoming increasingly active in environmental issues. In this essay, I provide an overview of this trend by articulating the major tenants of evangelical environmentalism, outlining the major events in its history, and suggesting four primary obstacles to continued participation in this area. I contend that evangelical environmentalism is not an oxymoronic conception, but instead represents an opportunity for substantial progress as the engagement between religion and ecology becomes increasingly important to contemporary scholarly debates and public policy.