bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exposure to Prescription Drugs Labeled for Risk of Adverse Effects of Suicidal Behavior or Ideation among 100 Air Force Personnel who Died by Suicide, 2006–2009
Authors: Lavigne Jill E. , McCarthy Major Michael , Chapman Richard , Petrilla Allison , Knox Kerry L.
Published: August 2012

Prescription drugs for many indications are labeled with warnings for potential risk of suicidal ideation or behavior. Exposures to prescription drugs labeled for adverse effects of suicidal behavior or ideation among 100 Air Force personnel who died by suicide between 2006 and 2009 are described. Air Force registry data were linked to administrative prescription data. Descriptive statistics illustrate utilization: 89 personnel had a prescription history, 35 filled at least one prescription labeled with a warning, 26 had antidepressants on hand at death, and 2 died by drug overdose. Most airmen were not exposed to any prescriptions labeled for risk of suicidal ideation or behavior prior to death by suicide.
The Moderating Effect of the Negative Impact of Recent Life Events on the Relation between Intrinsic Religiosity and Death Ideation in Older Adults
Authors: Jahn Danielle R. , Poindexter Erin K. , Graham Ryan D. , Cukrowicz Kelly C.
Published: August 2012

Researchers tested the hypothesis that the negative impact of recent life events would moderate the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and death ideation in older adults. Participants (n = 272) completed assessments of death ideation, intrinsic religiosity, and negative impact of recent life events. We confirmed the presence of concurrent moderation and found that older adults with greater negative impact of recent life events and high intrinsic religiosity reported greater death ideation. These relatively surprising findings may be due to reduced fear of death in intrinsically religious older adults, an explanation consistent with previous research.
Value of pharmacy services to the healthcare system: an interdisciplinary assessment
Authors: Cruthirds Danielle L , Hughes Peter J , Weaver Sara
Published: September 2012

Objectives

The purpose of this project was to determine how pharmacists and physicians view the extending role of the hospital pharmacist in Tennessee, USA.

Methods

An 18-question survey was sent via e-mail to five selected hospitals in Tennessee. The survey was comprised of questions related to the interaction of the pharmacist with other healthcare professionals and their role in the healthcare team.

Key findings

This survey achieved a 40.1% response rate. Ninety-one per cent of physicians and pharmacists in the sample are receptive to an extended role of the pharmacist and agree that pharmacists provide a benefit to patients and to the healthcare system. A minority of respondents, including pharmacists, do not consider the pharmacist a member of the healthcare team and suggest that barriers in the transition away from the traditional pharmacy role are time, staffing and reimbursement/funding.

Conclusions

Results from this survey reveal that the majority of physicians and pharmacists in non-academic settings embrace an extended role of the pharmacist as part of the healthcare team and have an overall good perception of contemporary pharmacy practice. Clinical pharmacies are in place worldwide, making this topic applicable in many settings.
Vitamin D and melanoma incidence and mortality
Authors: Berwick Marianne , Erdei Eszter O.
Published: September 2012

The role of vitamin D (25‐OH‐D, or 25‐hydroxyvitamin D) and its potential confounders in relationship to melanoma risk and mortality is discussed. The paradox that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is the major environmental risk factor for melanoma etiology as well as a major source of vitamin D might be explained by viewing vitamin D levels as the result of a healthy lifestyle rather than a cause of health.
No Recurrence of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia after Solid Organ Transplantation Regardless of Secondary Prophylaxis
Authors: Kim Tark , Sung Heungsup , Lee Yu-Mi , Hong Hyo-Lim , Kim Sung-Han , Choi Sang-Ho , Woo Jun Hee , Kim Yang Soo , Lee Sang-Oh
Published: September 2012

There are no data on the efficacy of secondary prophylaxis against
Pneumocystis
pneumonia after solid organ transplantation. Therefore, we investigated the rate of recurrence of
Pneumocystis
pneumonia after solid organ transplantation in a retrospective cohort study. Between 2005 and 2011, a total of 41 recipients recovered from
Pneumocystis
pneumonia. Of these, 22 (53.7%) received secondary prophylaxis. None of the 41 recipients experienced recurrence of
Pneumocystis
pneumonia during the follow-up, regardless of secondary prophylaxis.
Cryptococcus neoformans-Cryptococcus gattii Species Complex: an International Study of Wild-Type Susceptibility Endpoint Distributions and Epidemiological Cutoff Values for Fluconazole, Itraconazole, Posaconazole, and Voriconazole
Authors: Espinel-Ingroff A. , Aller A. I. , Canton E. , Castañón-Olivares L. R. , Chowdhary A. , Cordoba S. , Cuenca-Estrella M. , Fothergill A. , Fuller J. , Govender N. , Hagen F. , Illnait-Zaragozi M. T. , Johnson E. , Kidd S. , Lass-Flörl C. , Lockhart S. R. , Martins M. A. , Meis J. F. , Melhem M. S. C. , Ostrosky-Zeichner L. , Pelaez T. , Pfaller M. A. , Schell W. A. , St-Germain G. , Trilles L. , Turnidge J.
Published: September 2012

Epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) for the
Cryptococcus neoformans-Cryptococcus gattii
species complex versus fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole are not available. We established ECVs for these species and agents based on wild-type (WT) MIC distributions. A total of 2,985 to 5,733 CLSI MICs for
C. neoformans
(including isolates of molecular type VNI [MICs for 759 to 1,137 isolates] and VNII, VNIII, and VNIV [MICs for 24 to 57 isolates]) and 705 to 975 MICs for
C. gattii
(including 42 to 260 for VGI, VGII, VGIII, and VGIV isolates) were gathered in 15 to 24 laboratories (Europe, United States, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, India, Mexico, and South Africa) and were aggregated for analysis. Additionally, 220 to 359 MICs measured using CLSI yeast nitrogen base (YNB) medium instead of CLSI RPMI medium for
C. neoformans
were evaluated. CLSI RPMI medium ECVs for distributions originating from at least three laboratories, which included ≥95% of the modeled WT population, were as follows: fluconazole, 8 μg/ml (VNI,
C. gattii
nontyped, VGI, VGIIa, and VGIII), 16 μg/ml (
C. neoformans
nontyped, VNIII, and VGIV), and 32 μg/ml (VGII); itraconazole, 0.25 μg/ml (VNI), 0.5 μg/ml (
C. neoformans
and
C. gattii
nontyped and VGI to VGIII), and 1 μg/ml (VGIV); posaconazole, 0.25 μg/ml (
C. neoformans
nontyped and VNI) and 0.5 μg/ml (
C. gattii
nontyped and VGI); and voriconazole, 0.12 μg/ml (VNIV), 0.25 μg/ml (
C. neoformans
and
C. gattii
nontyped, VNI, VNIII, VGII, and VGIIa,), and 0.5 μg/ml (VGI). The number of laboratories contributing data for other molecular types was too low to ascertain that the differences were due to factors other than assay variation. In the absence of clinical breakpoints, our ECVs may aid in the detection of isolates with acquired resistance mechanisms and should be listed in the revised CLSI M27-A3 and CLSI M27-S3 documents.
Identification of Hepatitis C Virus Inhibitors Targeting Different Aspects of Infection Using a Cell-Based Assay
Authors: Yu Xuemei , Sainz Bruno , Petukhov Pavel A. , Uprichard Susan L.
Published: September 2012

With 2 to 3% of the worldwide population chronically infected, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to be a major health care burden. Unfortunately, current interferon-based treatment options are not effective in all patients and are associated with significant side effects. Consequently, there is an ongoing need to identify and develop new anti-HCV therapies. Toward this goal, we previously developed a cell-based HCV infection assay for antiviral compound screening based on a low-multiplicity-of-infection approach that uniquely allows for the identification of antiviral compounds that target cell culture-derived HCV (HCVcc) at any step of the viral infection cycle. Using this assay, here we report the screening of the NCI Diversity Set II library, containing 1,974 synthesized chemical compounds, and the identification of compounds with specific anti-HCV activity. In combination with toxicity counterscreening, we identified 30 hits from the compound library, 13 of which showed reproducible and dose-dependent inhibition of HCV with mean therapeutic indices (50% cytotoxic concentration [CC
50
]/50% effective concentration [EC
50
]) of greater than 6. Using HCV pseudotype and replicon systems of multiple HCV genotypes, as well as infectious HCVcc-based assembly and secretion analysis, we determined that different compounds within this group of candidate inhibitors target different steps of viral infection. The compounds identified not only will serve as biological probes to study and further dissect the biology of viral infection but also should facilitate the development of new anti-HCV therapeutic treatments.
The Meningococcal Adhesin NhhA Provokes Proinflammatory Responses in Macrophages via Toll-Like Receptor 4-Dependent and -Independent Pathways
Authors: Sjölinder Mikael , Altenbacher Georg , Wang Xiao , Gao Yumin , Hansson Charlotta , Sjölinder Hong
Published: September 2012

Activation of macrophages by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and functionally related proteins is essential for host defense and innate immunity. TLRs recognize a wide variety of pathogen-associated molecules. Here, we demonstrate that the meningococcal outer membrane protein NhhA has immunostimulatory functions and triggers release of proinflammatory cytokines from macrophages. NhhA-induced cytokine release was found to proceed via two distinct pathways in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion was dependent on activation of TLR4 and required the TLR signaling adaptor protein MyD88. In contrast, release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was TLR4 and MyD88 independent. Both pathways involved NF-κB-dependent gene regulation. Using a PCR-based screen, we could identify additional targets of NhhA-dependent gene activation such as the cytokines and growth factors IL-1α, IL-1β, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In human monocyte-derived macrophages, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 were found to be major targets of NhhA-dependent gene regulation. NhhA induced transcription of IL-6 and G-CSF mRNA via TLR4-dependent pathways, whereas GM-CSF transcription was induced via TLR4-independent pathways. These data provide new insights into the role of NhhA in host-pathogen interaction.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Alkyl Quinolones Repress Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 (HIF-1) Signaling through HIF-1α Degradation
Authors: Legendre Claire , Reen F. Jerry , Mooij Marlies J. , McGlacken Gerard P. , Adams Claire , O'Gara Fergal
Published: September 2012

The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has recently emerged to be a crucial regulator of the immune response following pathogen perception, including the response to the important human pathogen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. However, as mechanisms involved in HIF-1 activation by bacterial pathogens are not fully characterized, understanding how bacteria and bacterial compounds impact on HIF-1α stabilization remains a major challenge. In this context, we have focused on the effect of secreted factors of
P. aeruginosa
on HIF-1 regulation. Surprisingly, we found that
P. aeruginosa
cell-free supernatant significantly repressed HIF-1α protein levels. Further characterization revealed that HIF-1α downregulation was dependent on a subset of key secreted factors involved in
P. aeruginosa
pathogenesis, the 2-alkyl-4-quinolone (AQ) quorum sensing (QS) signaling molecules, and in particular the pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). Under hypoxic conditions, the AQ-dependent downregulation of HIF-1α was linked to the suppressed induction of the important HIF-1 target gene hexokinase II. Furthermore, we demonstrated that AQ molecules directly target HIF-1α protein degradation through the 26S-proteasome proteolytic pathway but independently of the prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD). In conclusion, this is the first report showing that bacterial molecules can repress HIF-1α protein levels. Manipulation of HIF-1 signaling by
P. aeruginosa
AQs could have major consequences for the host response to infection and may facilitate the infective properties of this pathogen.
The paternal role in pre-eclampsia and giving birth to a small for gestational age infant; a population-based cohort study
Authors: Wikström Anna-Karin , Gunnarsdóttir Jóhanna , Cnattingius Sven
Published: August 2012

Objective

To estimate the effect of partner change on risks of pre-eclampsia and giving birth to a small for gestational age infant.

Design

Prospective population study.

Setting

Sweden.

Participants

Women with their first and second successive singleton births in Sweden between 1990 and 2006 without pregestational diabetes and/or hypertension (n=446 459).

Outcome measures

Preterm (<37 weeks) and term (≥37 weeks) pre-eclampsia, and giving birth to a small for gestational age (SGA) infant. Risks were adjusted for interpregnancy interval, maternal age, body mass index, height and smoking habits in second pregnancy, years of involuntary childlessness before second pregnancy, mother's country of birth, years of formal education and year of birth. Further, when we calculated risks of SGA we restricted the study population to women with non-pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

Results

In women who had a preterm pre-eclampsia in first pregnancy, partner change was associated with a strong protective effect for preterm pre-eclampsia recurrence (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.88). Similarly, partner change was also associated with a protective effect of recurrence of SGA birth (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.84). In contrast, among women without SGA in first birth, partner change was associated with an increased risk of SGA in second pregnancy. Risks of term pre-eclampsia were not affected by partner change.

Conclusions

There is a paternal effect on risks of preterm pre-eclampsia and giving birth to an SGA infant.
How often do US-based human subjects research studies register on time, and how often do they post their results? A statistical analysis of the Clinicaltrials.gov database
Authors: Gill Christopher J
Published: August 2012

Context

The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) and the FDA Amendment Act of 2007 (FDAAA), respectively, established mandates for registration of interventional human research studies on the website clinicaltrials.gov (CTG) and for posting of results of completed studies.

Objective

To characterise, contrast and explain rates of compliance with ontime registration of new studies and posting of results for completed studies on CTG.

Design

Statistical analysis of publically available data downloaded from the CTG website.

Participants

US studies registered on CTG since 1 November 1999, the date when the CTG website became operational, through 24 June 2011, the date the data set was downloaded for analysis.

Main outcome measures

Ontime registration (within 21 days of study start); average delay from study start to registration; proportion of studies posting their results from within the group of studies listed as completed on CTG.

Results

As of 24 June 2011, CTG contained 54 890 studies registered in the USA. Prior to 2005, an estimated 80% of US studies were not being registered. Among registered studies, only 55.7% registered within the 21-day reporting window. The average delay on CTG was 322 days. Between 28 September 2007 and June 23 2010, 28% of intervention studies at Phase II or beyond posted their study results on CTG, compared with 8.4% for studies without industry funding (RR 4.2, 95% CI 3.7 to 4.8). Factors associated with posting of results included exclusively paediatric studies (adjusted OR (AOR) 2.9, 95% CI 2.1 to 4.0), and later phase clinical trials (relative to Phase II studies, AOR for Phase III was 3.4, 95% CI 2.8 to 4.1; AOR for Phase IV was 6.0, 95% CI 4.8 to 7.6).

Conclusions

Non-compliance with FDAMA and FDAAA appears to be very common, although compliance is higher for studies sponsored by industry. Further oversight may be required to improve compliance.
Efficient one-pot syntheses of dibenzo[a,i]xanthene-diones and evaluation of their antioxidant activity
Authors: Khurana Jitender M. , Chaudhary Ankita , Lumb Anshika , Nand Bhaskara
Published: September 2012

Facile and convenient procedures for the synthesis of dibenzo[a,i]xanthene-diones have been described. The process employs one-pot condensation of aldehydes, 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione, and 2-naphthol/2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene/2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene using catalytic sulfuric acid in water under reflux. Task-specific ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([bmim]HSO4), has also been found to be an effective catalyst for this transformation. The protocols defined herein prove to be efficient in terms of high yields, operational simplicity, easy workup, and short reaction time. Also, these compounds were screened for antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay.
BENEFITS OF MULTI-DOMAIN FEATURE OF MISMATCH NEGATIVITY EXTRACTED BY NON-NEGATIVE TENSOR FACTORIZATION FROM EEG COLLECTED BY LOW-DENSITY ARRAY
Authors: CONG FENGYU , PHAN ANH HUY , ZHAO QIBIN , HUTTUNEN-SCOTT TIINA , KAARTINEN JUKKA , RISTANIEMI TAPANI , LYYTINEN HEIKKI , CICHOCKI ANDRZEJ
Published: August 2012

Through exploiting temporal, spectral, time-frequency representations, and spatial properties of mismatch negativity (MMN) simultaneously, this study extracts a multi-domain feature of MMN mainly using non-negative tensor factorization. In our experiment, the peak amplitude of MMN between children with reading disability and children with attention deficit was not significantly different, whereas the new feature of MMN significantly discriminated the two groups of children. This is because the feature was derived from multi-domain information with significant reduction of the heterogeneous effect of datasets.
A NOVEL LESS DISSIPATION FINITE-DIFFERENCE LATTICE BOLTZMANN SCHEME FOR COMPRESSIBLE FLOWS
Authors: CHEN Q. , ZHANG X. B.
Published: August 2012

In this paper, a new smoothness indicator is proposed to improve the finite-difference lattice Boltzmann method (FDLBM). The necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence are derived. A detailed analysis reveals that the convergence order is higher than that of the previous finite-difference scheme. The coupled double distribution function (DDF) model is used to describe discontinuity flows and verify the improvement. Numerical simulations of compressible flows with shock wave show that the improved finite-difference lattice Boltzmann scheme is accurate and has less dissipation. The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the analytical results and better than those of the previous scheme.
EMINENT PAPER SERIES THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF GAME THEORY
Authors: SHUBIK MARTIN
Published: August 2012

A broad nontechnical coverage of many of the developments in game theory since the 1950s is given, together with some comments on important open problems and where some of the developments may take place. The reference section given serves only as a minimal guide to the many thousands of books and articles that have been written on this topic. The purpose here is to present a broadbrush picture of the many areas of study and application that have come into being. The use of deep techniques flourishes best when it stays in touch with application. There is a vital symbiotic relationship between good theory and practice. The breakneck speed of development of game theory calls for an appreciation of both the many realities of conflict, coordination and cooperation and their abstract investigation.
AN ANALYSIS OF INCOME INEQUALITY, SOCIAL SECURITY AND COMPETITIVENESS: AN ESSAY ON DR GOH KENG SWEE'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SINGAPORE'S ECONOMIC STRATEGY
Authors: BENG CHEW SOON , CHEW ROSALIND
Published: August 2012

Dr Goh Keng Swee has been credited as being the social and economic architect of Singapore. In his 25 years of government service, he served in a wide range of ministerial appointments, including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence and Minister of Education. This paper discusses a specific aspect of his contributions to Singapore's economic strategy, namely that of reducing income inequality without compromising competitiveness.
SIGNATURES OF NEW PHYSICS FROM HBT CORRELATIONS IN UHECRS
Authors: SRIVASTAVA RAHUL
Published: August 2012

Quantum fields written on noncommutative spacetime (Groenewold–Moyal plane) obey twisted commutation relations. In this paper we show that these twisted commutation relations result in Hanbury–Brown Twiss (HBT) correlations that are distinct from that for ordinary bosonic or fermionic fields, and hence can provide useful information about underlying noncommutative nature of spacetime. The deviation from usual bosonic/fermionic statistics becomes pronounced at high energies, suggesting that a natural place is to look at Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). Since the HBT correlations are sensitive only to the statistics of the particles, observations done with UHECRs are capable of providing unambiguous signatures of noncommutativity, without any detailed knowledge of the mechanism and source of origin of UHECRs.
CURRENT FEEDBACK OP-AMP UTILIZES NEW CURRENT CELL TO ENHANCE THE CMRR
Authors: TAMMAM AMR ABDALLAH , BEN-ESMAEL MOHAMED , ABAZAB MOHAMMED R.
Published: August 2012

Despite excellent high frequency and high speed performance, current-feedback operational amplifiers (CFOAs) generally exhibit poor common-mode rejection (CMRR) properties, which limit their utility [Analogue IC design: The current–mode approach, IEE Circuits and Systems Series, Peter peregrinus, 1990]. A novel current feedback operational amplifier (CFOA) with improved performance is presented. The proposed CFOA has a new current-cell [Novel current-feedback operational amplifier Design Based on a floating circuit technique, IEE Colloquium on Analogue Signal Processing, 1998], to bias the entire circuit, which achieves an incremental output resistance twice that of the well-known "Wilson" circuit. Simulation results of this new CFOA architecture indicate that the amplifier exhibits performance characteristics superior to those obtained with an established input architecture: in particular, the CMRR (common-mode rejection ratio) is 91 dB, and the d.c. offset voltage less than 26 μV.
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT CHANNEL ROUTING USING A PARETO-OPTIMAL GENETIC ALGORITHM
Authors: MANIKAS THEODORE W.
Published: August 2012

An important part of the integrated circuit design process is the channel routing stage, which determines how to interconnect components that are arranged in sets of rows. The channel routing problem has been shown to be NP-complete, thus this problem is often solved using genetic algorithms. The traditional objective for most channel routers is to minimize total area required to complete routing. However, another important objective is to minimize signal propagation delays in the circuit. This paper describes the development of a genetic channel routing algorithm that uses a Pareto-optimal approach to accommodate both objectives. When compared to the traditional channel routing approach, the new channel router produced layouts with decreased signal delay, while still minimizing routing area.
ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF GROUNDED INDUCTORS TO FLOATING INDUCTORS USING OFA AND FCCII
Authors: SENANI RAJ
Published: August 2012

In a recent paper published in this journal, Soliman presented the methods of transformation of grounded inductors to floating inductors using operational floating amplifiers and floating second generation current conveyors. The purpose of this note is to bring on record the present author's earlier works on the same topic published about 24 years back which are closely related to the work reported in Soliman's paper but have not been cited therein.
A NOVEL WIDEBAND CMOS VCO USING SWITCH CAPACITORS ARRAY FOR RF APPLICATIONS
Authors: NIABOLI-GUILANI MOHAMMAD , MAGHSOODI MAHROKH , SABERKARI ALIREZA , MESHKIN REZA
Published: August 2012

This paper presents a novel low power consumption, low phase noise, and high tuning range CMOS cross-coupled voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). Using common mode double-pseudo-resistance technique in the proposed circuit leads to low power dissipation without degrading the phase noise. Additionally, band-switching capacitor array is employed in order to increase the tuning range. The schematic circuit of the proposed VCO is simulated in 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS process and simulation results show high efficiency of the proposed circuit. The overall tuning frequency range is from 1.7 GHz to 3.18 GHz (59%) with tuning voltage variation range from 0 V to 1.5 V. The proposed VCO circuit has phase noise of -102.6 and -124.3 dBc/Hz at 100 KHz and 1 MHz offset frequency from the carrier, respectively, while consumes 1.98 mW power at 1.5 V supply voltage.
INTEGRATED 60 GHZ ANTENNA, LNA AND FAST ADC ARCHITECTURE FOR EMBEDDED SYSTEMS WITH WIRELESS GBIT CONNECTIVITY
Authors: SAPONARA SERGIO , NERI BRUNO
Published: August 2012

With reference to an architecture for the full integration of a 60 GHz receiver in embedded systems with wireless gigabit connectivity, the paper presents the design of key building blocks such as: on-chip antenna, low noise amplifier (LNA) and a time-interleaved fast A/D converter (ADC) with AMBA AXI interface towards the digital baseband part. With respect to the state of the art the co-design of the on-chip antenna with the LNA, and the fast ADC architecture realized as a time-interleaved array of threshold-configuring SAR channels, represent new solutions optimized in terms of power consumption. Complexity and performance results in a 65-nm CMOS SOI technology, suitable also for digital systems integration, are presented. The performance and complexity results of the designed antenna, LNA and ADC are integrated in a system level simulator with those obtained by adopting known solutions for other receiver blocks (mixer, IF and baseband amplifiers and filters, frequency synthesizer) thus estimating the performance achievable with a whole 60 GHz receiver and digitization sub-system macrocell. The system-level estimated performances confirm the feasibility of a full-integrated receiver supporting short-range High Definition (HD) connectivity of several Gb/s with a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio compliant with WiGig and Wireless HD new standardization initiatives.
CONTROLLED DRIFT ESTIMATION IN FRACTIONAL DIFFUSION LINEAR SYSTEMS
Authors: BROUSTE ALEXANDRE , CAI CHUNHAO
Published: August 2012

This paper is devoted to the determination of the asymptotical optimal input for the estimation of the drift parameter in a partially observed but controlled fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. Large sample asymptotical properties of the Maximum Likelihood Estimator are deduced using Ibragimov–Khasminskii program and Laplace transform computations.
AUTONOMOUS ONLINE LEARNING OF REACHING BEHAVIOR IN A HUMANOID ROBOT
Authors: JAMONE LORENZO , NATALE LORENZO , NORI FRANCESCO , METTA GIORGIO , SANDINI GIULIO
Published: August 2012

In this paper we describe an autonomous strategy which enables a humanoid robot to learn how to reach for a visually identified object in the 3D space. The robot is a 22-DOF upper-body humanoid with moving eyes, neck, arm and hand. The robot is bootstrapped with limited a-priori knowledge, sufficient to start the interaction with the environment; this interaction allows the robot to learn different sensorimotor mappings, required for reaching. The arm-head forward kinematic model and a visuo-motor inverse model are learned from sensory experience. Learning is performed purely online (without any separation between training and execution) through a goal-directed exploration of the environment. During the learning the robot is also able to build an internal representation of its reachable space.
FROM HUMAN MOTION CAPTURES TO HUMANOID SPATIAL COORDINATION
Authors: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PALYART LAMARCHE , OLIVIER BRUNEAU , JEAN-GUY FONTAINE
Published: August 2012

This paper describes a methodology translating human spatial coordination in a humanoid robots context. Once the human locomotion is captured, we highlight coordination relations describing motions. Relations and inverse kinematics are applied to a virtual humanoid, which is a tradeoff between human (anthropomorphic proportions) and robot (joints configuration). Further, we quantify all required adaptations for a real humanoid, such as scaling and equilibrium. Finally, this methodology is applied to a specific humanoid robot (called NAO) in order to illustrate and compare some preliminary results.
TASK MODULATED ACTIVE VISION FOR ADVANCED HUMAN–ROBOT INTERACTION
Authors: HÜLSE MARTIN , McBRIDE SEBASTIAN , LEE MARK
Published: August 2012

Eye fixation and gaze fixation patterns in general play an important part when humans interact with each other. Also, gaze fixation patterns of humans are highly determined by the task they perform. Our assumption is that meaningful human–robot interaction with robots having active vision components (such a humanoids) is highly supported if the robot system is able to create task modulated fixation patterns. We present an architecture for a robot active vision system equipped with one manipulator where we demonstrate the generation of task modulated gaze control, meaning that fixation patterns are in accordance with a specific task the robot has to perform. Experiments demonstrate different strategies of multi-modal task modulation for robotic active vision where visual and nonvisual features (tactile feedback) determine gaze fixation patterns. The results are discussed in comparison to purely saliency based strategies toward visual attention and gaze control. The major advantages of our approach to multi-modal task modulation is that the active vision system can generate, first, active avoidance of objects, and second, active engagement with objects. Such behaviors cannot be generated by current approaches of visual attention which are based on saliency models only, but they are important for mimicking human-like gaze fixation patterns.
RECURRENT Z FORMS ON RIEMANNIAN AND KAEHLER MANIFOLDS
Authors: MANTICA CARLO ALBERTO , SUH YOUNG JIN
Published: September 2012

In this paper, we introduce a new kind of Riemannian manifold that generalize the concept of weakly Z-symmetric and pseudo-Z-symmetric manifolds. First a Z form associated to the Z tensor is defined. Then the notion of Z recurrent form is introduced. We take into consideration Riemannian manifolds in which the Z form is recurrent. This kind of manifold is named ( ZRF )n. The main result of the paper is that the closedness property of the associated covector is achieved also for rank (Zkl) > 2. Thus the existence of a proper concircular vector in the conformally harmonic case and the form of the Ricci tensor are confirmed for( ZRF )n manifolds with rank (Zkl) > 2. This includes and enlarges the corresponding results already proven for pseudo-Z-symmetric ( PZS )n and weakly Z-symmetric manifolds ( WZS )n in the case of non-singular Z tensor. In the last sections we study special conformally flat ( ZRF )n and give a brief account of Z recurrent forms on Kaehler manifolds.
Evanescent wave excitation of palladium metalated porphyrins as self-assembled monolayers and phosphorescence quenching by oxygen
Authors: Wang Zhenxin , Al-Raqa Shaya Y. , Chambrier Isabelle , Russell David A. , Cook Michael J.
Published: August 2012

The novel palladium metalated derivatives of 5,5′-[8,8′-di(thiooctyloxy)-4,4′-phenyl)]-10,10′,15,15′,20,20′-hexakis(4,4′-t-butylphenyl)diporphyrin and 5,5′-[8,8′-di(thiooctyloxy)-4,4′-phenyl)]- 10,10′,15,15′,20,20′-hexakis(3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-hexakisdecyloxyphenyl)diporphyrin, 1 and 2 respectively, have been synthesized and deposited to form self-assembled monolayer (SAM) films on gold-coated glass slides that served as substrates. The SAM films have been characterised by RAIR spectroscopy. Excitation of the molecules within the films has been achieved using the evanescent field arising when the glass substrate was used as a waveguide. Luminescence spectroscopy detected both fluorescence and phosphorescence emission from the SAM films under an argon atmosphere. Quenching of the phosphorescence emission by dioxygen was investigated for both films. Greater reproducibility of data was achieved from the SAM films of compound 2. The phosphorescence quenching from these films followed the Stern–Volmer relationship.
PHOTOACOUSTIC SIGNALS DENOISING BASED ON EMPIRICAL MODE DECOMPOSITION AND ENERGY-WINDOW METHOD
Authors: SUN MINGJIAN , FENG NAIZHANG , SHEN YI , SHEN XIANGLI , LI JIANGANG
Published: August 2012

In the process of photoacoustic imaging (PAI), the photoacoustic signals are polluted by a strong background white noise, which is caused by many factors such as the system thermal noise or short noise, the tissue reflecting or scattering interference, and the impedance match lack between the transducer and tissue. The inevitable noise can degrade the contrast sensitivity of photoacoustic images seriously. In this paper, based on the energy window, a CMSE-EMD denoising method is employed to photoacoustic image reconstruction. Results of the simulation demonstrate that it can eliminate the image artifacts more effectively and achieve great improvement in image quality.
BUILT-IN TEST SIGNAL FEATURE EXTRACTION METHOD BASED ON HILBERT–HUANG TRANSFORM
Authors: ZHANG MIAO , SHEN YI , ZHANG XIAO-LEI , WANG ZHI-BO , ZHANG YE
Published: August 2012

This work proposes a feature extraction method from Hilbert–Huang-transform- or HHT-based data analysis of built-in test (BIT) signals, which are sampled on-site and without reference signals for fault diagnosis. The proposed method fully utilizes self-adaptation of the HHT method in characterizing the envelope amplitude and instantaneous frequency for the intrinsic mode function (IMF), so as to single out the features with most irregular characteristics. Simulations are carried out on steering gear feedback voltage signal of target drone aircraft, and the extracted features show great potential for the improvement in built-in fault diagnosis.
ANALYSIS OF ECG SIGNALS USING DATA-ADAPTIVE TIME DOMAIN FILTERING FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS
Authors: ISLAM MD. RABIUL , DAS SOMLAL , HIROSE KEIKICHI , MOLLA MD. KHADEMUL ISLAM
Published: August 2012

This paper presents a data-adaptive technique of cardiovascular disease diagnosis by analyzing electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The separation of high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) components are performed by employing empirical mode decomposition (EMD) designed for analyzing nonstationary and non-linear signals. The EMD is used to decompose ECG signal into a finite set of band-limited AM–FM signals termed as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then the LF and HF components of ECG signals are obtained by partial reconstruction based on the energy distribution of IMFs. The extracted HF and LF signals of the ECG are analyzed separately to make the remarks for better diagnosis of the cardiovascular diseases. The experimental results are also illustrated using some ECG signals of normal and abnormal subjects.
RE-EXAMINATION OF THICKNESS-RESONANCE- FREQUENCY FORMULA FOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY APPRAISAL AND DAMAGE DIAGNOSIS
Authors: ZHANG RUICHONG
Published: August 2012

This study examines rationale of correction factor β in the formula of thickness resonant frequency, fundamental to the thickness estimation of impact-echo (IE) approach in nondestructive testing (NDT) for integrity appraisal and damage diagnosis of infrastructure systems. It shows the role of the factor in the formula from the perspective of testing equipment setup, wave propagation, and resonant frequency identification, much broader than what was first introduced empirically for shape correction of a structure under test. Emphasis is laid in wave-based interpretation of resonant frequency, typically obtained from traditional fast Fourier transform (FFT) data analysis of IE recordings. Since the FFT data analysis provides average, not true, characteristic of resonant frequency shown in the nonstationary IE recordings, it typically distorts the thickness estimation from the formula if the correction factor is not used. An adaptive time-frequency data analysis termed Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) is then introduced to overcome the shortage of FFT analysis in identifying the resonant frequency from noise-added IE recordings. With FFT and HHT analyses of five data sets of sample IE recordings from sound and damaged concrete structures and comparison with referenced ones, this study reveals that the proposed IE approach with HHT data analysis not only eliminates the subjective use of correction factor in the formula, but it also improves greatly the accuracy in the thickness estimation.
ATOMIC DECOMPOSITION METHOD BASED ON ADAPTIVE CHIRPLET DICTIONARY
Authors: WU XUEMING , YU DEJIE
Published: August 2012

We propose an atomic decomposition method (AD) based on adaptive chirplet dictionary for decomposing multicomponent nonstationary signals with polygonal instantaneous frequencies (IFs). These signals are waveforms of the very general form ∑ Ai(t) cos (φi(t)), where the phase φi(t) is time-varying and the amplitude Ai(t) is slowly varying. Different from the traditional four-parameters chirplet, the one applied in this paper only contains two parameters (chirp offset and chirp rate) and its IF can be regarded as a line on the time–frequency (TF) plane. The idea is to use matching pursuit (MP) algorithm to search for the chirplets, which provide the best trade-off between complexity and goodness of fitting and chain the chirplets together adaptively as to form the desired signals. Our particular application in conjunction with this problem is the decomposition of meshing frequency component and its modulating frequency components in gear fault diagnosis. This strategy is general and may be applied in many other problems. We complement our study with numerical experiments showing that our algorithm boasts of many advantages, such as favorable TF resolution, strong noise robust property (NRP), good decomposition precision, and acceptable algorithm efficiency and is highly competitive compared to the current TF analysis methods.
FIELD PULSE INDUCED SWITCHING IN MAGNETS: UNDERSTANDING THE POST-PULSING DYNAMICS
Authors: BHATTACHARJEE SATADEEP
Published: August 2012

This is a brief review of the theoretical analysis of the interesting magnetization dynamics observed in experiments, when a magnetic material is subjected to magnetic field pulse for a very short time. The explanation of inertia-like dynamics in the post-pulsing period is explained in terms of a redistribution of magnetic energy among the different terms of the effective magnetic Hamiltonian. Then it is clarified if there is at all inertial effects which is important in the context of magnetization dynamics and where from it originates. A new equation for magnetization dynamics is proposed. Finally, it has been outlined how the different relevant quantities such as damping and moment of inertia tensor can be calculated from the first-principles.
MAGNETIC AND MAGNETO-OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF Ti1-xVxO2-δ SEMICONDUCTOR OXIDE FILMS: ROOM TEMPERATURE FERROMAGNETISM VERSUS RESISTIVITY
Authors: ORLOV A. F. , BALAGUROV L. A. , KULEMANOV I. V. , PETROVA E. A. , PEROV N. S. , GAN'SHINA E. A. , FETISOV L. YU. , SEMISALOVA A. S. , NOVIKOV A. I. , YASHINA L. V. , ROGALEV A. , SMEKHOVA A. , LASHKUL A. V. , LÄHDERANTA E.
Published: August 2012

Ti 1-x V x O 2-δ (x = 3 at.%, 10 at.% and 18 at.%) films on either LaAlO3 or rutile TiO2 substrates have been grown by RF magnetron sputtering of metallic alloy targets in the argon–oxygen atmosphere. The grown films revealed the room temperature ferromagnetic ordering in the whole range of studied resistivity (10-3–106 Ω ⋅ cm). The maximal magnetization up to 42 emu ⋅ cm-3 has been observed in the films with 3% of vanadium. The V impurity was entirely in the oxidized state only in the films with small V concentration. The magneto-optical response in the 1.5–3 eV energy range has been observed only in certain samples with a high magnetization.
InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Solar Cells with Good Open-Circuit Voltage and Concentrator Action
Authors: Li Xue-Fei , Zheng Xin-He , Zhang Dong-Yan , Wu Yuan-Yuan , Shen Xiao-Ming , Wang Jian-Feng , Yang Hui
Published: August 2012

The photovoltaic properties of large-chip-size (2.5×2.5 mm2) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) solar cells grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition were studied under concentrated AM1.5G sun irradiation. We demonstrate a high open-circuit voltage of 2.31 V for blue-light-emitting InGaN/GaN MQW solar cells under 1 sun. The higher open-circuit voltage is mainly ascribed to the extremely low reversed saturation current density of approximately 10-19mA/cm2. The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density were found to increase as sunlight intensity increases, with a peak value of 2.50 V observed at 190 suns, showing a great potential for concentrator applications.
Elastic Transient Energy Transport and Energy Balance in a Single-Level Quantum Dot System
Authors: Liu Wei , Sasaoka Kenji , Yamamoto Takahiro , Tada Tomofumi , Watanabe Satoshi
Published: August 2012

We derive a nonequilibrium Green's function formalism to study the transient energy currents carried by electrons in a single-level quantum dot system sandwiched between two electrodes. The energy current shows the same relaxation time and oscillation behavior as the electrical current. In contrast to the steady state case, the energy currents in deep insides of the two electrodes do not balance each other in the time domain. The sum of energy currents in the two electrodes corresponds to the time-dependent energy change in the sandwiched region, and the fact that the energy change in this region is not necessarily zero reflects the real-time electron redistribution in energy domain. Moreover, the amplitude of the energy change does not vary monotonically with the coupling strength between the dot and electrode, in contrast to the relaxation time, which is inversely proportional to the coupling strength.
Consideration of Secondary Electron Emission Effect for Probe Measurement
Authors: Tawaraya Takehito , Tsushima Akira , Yoshimura Shinji
Published: August 2012

With increasing electron temperature (Te\gtrsim20 eV), the effect of secondary electron emission caused by electron impact becomes increasingly significant in probe measurements. Taking into consideration the secondary electron emission coefficient, a method of evaluating probe characteristics is presented and its validity was experimentally investigated using two Langmuir probes of tungsten and molybdenum electrodes with different secondary electron emission coefficients.
Pancreatic and biliary secretion are both altered in cystic fibrosis pigs
Authors: Uc Aliye , Giriyappa Radhamma , Meyerholz David K. , Griffin Michelle , Ostedgaard Lynda S. , Tang Xiao Xiao , Abu-El-Haija Marwa , Stoltz David A. , Ludwig Paula , Pezzulo Alejandro , Abu-El-Haija Maisam , Taft Peter , Welsh Michael J.
Published: August 2012

The pancreas, liver, and gallbladder are commonly involved in cystic fibrosis (CF), and acidic, dehydrated, and protein-rich secretions are characteristic findings. Pancreatic function studies in humans have been done by sampling the jejunal fluid. However, it has been difficult to separately study the function of pancreatic and biliary systems in humans with CF, because jejunal fluid contains a mixture of bile and pancreatic fluids. In contrast, pancreatic and biliary ducts open separately into the porcine intestine; therefore, biliary and pancreatic fluid can be individually analyzed in CF pigs. We studied newborn wild-type (WT) and CF pigs and found that CFTR was localized to the pancreatic ducts. We collected bile and pancreatic fluid and analyzed pancreatic enzymes with activity assays and immunoblot. Pancreatic enzyme expression was significantly decreased in CF compared with WT pigs. The volume and pH of pancreatic fluid were significantly lower and protein concentration was >5-fold higher in CF pigs. Secretin stimulation increased pancreatic fluid volume and pH in WT, but not CF, pigs. Baseline bile volume did not differ between WT and CF pigs, but volume did not increase in response to secretin in CF pigs. Bile pH was lower and protein concentration was twofold higher in CF pigs. These results indicate that pancreatic and biliary secretions are altered in CF pigs. Abnormal pancreatic and biliary secretion in CF may have important implications in disease pathogenesis.
Cell-specific effects of luminal acid, bicarbonate, cAMP, and carbachol on transporter trafficking in the intestine
Authors: Jakab Robert L. , Collaco Anne M. , Ameen Nadia A.
Published: August 2012

Changes in intestinal luminal pH affect mucosal ion transport. The aim of this study was to compare how luminal pH and specific second messengers modulate the membrane traffic of four major ion transporters (CFTR, NHE3, NKCC1, and NBCe1) in rat small intestine. Ligated duodenal, jejunal, and ileal segments were infused with acidic or alkaline saline, 8-Br-cAMP, or the calcium agonist carbachol in vivo for 20 min. Compared with untreated intestine, lumen pH was reduced after cAMP or carbachol and increased following HCO3−-saline. Following HCl-saline, lumen pH was restored to control pH levels. All four secretory stimuli resulted in brush-border membrane (BBM) recruitment of CFTR in crypts and villi. In villus enterocytes, CFTR recruitment was coincident with internalization of BBM NHE3 and basolateral membrane recruitment of the bicarbonate transporter NBCe1. Both cAMP and carbachol recruited NKCC1 to the basolateral membrane of enterocytes, while luminal acid or HCO3−retained NKCC1 in intracellular vesicles. Luminal acid resulted in robust recruitment of CFTR and NBCe1 to their respective enterocyte membrane domains in the upper third of the villi; luminal HCO3−induced similar membrane changes lower in the villi. These findings indicate that each stimulus promotes a specific transporter trafficking response along the crypt-villus axis. This is the first demonstration that physiologically relevant secretory stimuli exert their actions in villus enterocytes by membrane recruitment of CFTR and NBCe1 in tandem with NHE3 internalization.