bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pedestrian Safety at Slip Lanes and Alternative Turn Lane Treatments
Authors: O'Brien Mark , O'Brien Andrew , Liu Jessie , Michaux Giles , Nahlawi Hani
Published: December 2012

This paper summarizes part of an assessment of crashes of left-turning (U.S. right-turning) vehicles and pedestrians at signalized intersections across metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, conducted for VicRoads (the state road transportation agency). Study objectives for this paper included evaluating data on the relative safety performance for pedestrians of different left-turn treatments and identifying any patterns in the crash types observed for each treatment to determine whether the patterns suggest possible opportunities for design improvement. This study compared the proportion of crashes at each type of treatment versus the proportion of this treatment at all signalized intersections on the Melbourne metropolitan road network (as volume-based crash rates are impractical for a sufficient sample size) and examined the detailed characteristics of each crash. The findings for 195 pedestrian crashes that involved left-turning vehicles were recorded at signalized intersections for 5 years; slip lanes experienced 22% of the crashes with 30% of the treatments; exclusive stand-up lanes represented 18% of the crashes and 20% of the treatments; and shared stand-up lanes represented 60% of the crashes and 50% of the treatments. Distinct conflict patterns detected for each treatment type suggest possible improvements in operation or design (e.g., 79% of slip-lane crashes featured pedestrians approaching from the driver's left). Further research opportunities were identified: these included refinement of the categorization of left-turn treatments, exploration of the possible bias of slip-lane provision toward low-activity areas, and examination of other crash types (e.g., vehicle–vehicle).
Automated Collection of Pedestrian Data through Computer Vision Techniques
Authors: Li Simon , Sayed Tarek , Zaki Mohamed H. , Mori Greg , Stefanus Ferdinand , Khanloo Bahman , Saunier Nicolas
Published: December 2012

New urban planning concepts are being redefined to emphasize walkability (a measure of how walker-friendly an area is) and to accommodate the pedestrian as a key road user. However, the availability of reliable information on pedestrian traffic remains a major challenge and inhibits a better understanding of many pedestrian issues. Therefore, the importance of developing new techniques for the collection of pedestrian data cannot be overstated. This paper describes the use of computer vision techniques for the automated collection of pedestrian data through several applications, including measurement of pedestrian counts, tracking, and walking speeds. An efficient pedestrian-tracking algorithm, the MMTrack, was used. The algorithm employed a large-margin learning criterion to combine different sources of information effectively. The applications were demonstrated with a real-world data set from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The data set included 1,135 pedestrian tracks. Manual counts and tracking were performed to validate the results of the automated data collection. The results show a 5% average error in counting, which is considered reliable. The results of walking speed validation showed excellent agreement between manual and automated walking speed values (root mean square error = 0.0416 m/s, R2 = .9269). Further analysis was conducted on the mean walking speed of pedestrians as it related to several factors. Gender, age, and the group size were found to influence the pedestrian mean walking speed significantly. The results demonstrate that computer vision techniques have the potential to collect microscopic data on road users at a degree of automation and accuracy that cannot be feasibly achieved by manual or semiautomated techniques.
Dedicated Short-Range Communication System for Pedestrians and Vehicles during Right Turns
Authors: Hagiwara Toru , Hamaoka Hidekatsu , Hamaguchi Masaharu , Nakabayashi Shoichi , Munehiro Kazunori , Sakakima Ryo
Published: December 2012

Many fatal accidents between pedestrians in crosswalks and right-turning vehicles occur every year in Japan, where vehicles travel on the left side of the road. The driver's failure to detect the pedestrian is often a primary cause of the collision. Drivers turning right need help to be more aware of risks associated with pedestrians in the crosswalk. This study investigated the capability of a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) system (5.8 GHz) between pedestrians and right-turning vehicles in the crosswalk. One field observation was conducted of driver behavior for avoiding conflict with pedestrians in the crosswalk at an intersection, and two experiments measured the transmission performance of DSRC. The aim of the observation was to investigate the effective warning area for drivers facing potential collisions with pedestrians. The aim of the first experiment was to measure the transmission performance of DSRC between the pedestrian and the right-turning vehicle under dynamic conditions. The aim of the second experiment was to assess the influence of intersection size and presence of vehicles on the transmission performance of DSRC at the actual intersections. The two experiments showed that when the right-turning vehicle was run within the effective warning area, the packet arrival rates were mostly over the 80% required rate of Advanced Safety Vehicle 3. The study found that right-turning vehicles can communicate with pedestrians approaching from the right and left sides and that DSRC may contribute to the implementation of a system that assists drivers to avoid risks between right-turning vehicles and pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Developing Standard Pedestrian-Equivalent Factors
Authors: Galiza Ronald John , Ferreira Luis
Published: December 2012

Similar to vehicular traffic, pedestrians, despite having diverse capabilities and body sizes, can be classified as heterogeneous. The use of vehicular traffic resolves the diversity issue with a conversion of heterogeneous vehicle flow into an equivalent flow with the use of passenger car–equivalent (PCE) factors. Analysis of pedestrian flow has yet to incorporate pedestrian diversity analysis implicitly into the design of pedestrian facilities, although some form of adjustment has been suggested. This paper introduces the concept of PCE-type factors for mixed pedestrian traffic called standard pedestrian-equivalent (SPE) factors. Estimates of SPE factors are made relative to the average commuter. The equivalent total travel time approach for PCE estimation was adapted to consider the effects of the differences in physical and operational characteristics of pedestrians, particularly walking speed and body size. Microsimulation of pedestrians was employed to evaluate hypothetical pedestrian proportions so as to generate corresponding flow relationships. Walking speeds and body sizes were varied across different flow conditions, walkway widths, and proportions of other pedestrian types. The first part of this paper explores how the two pedestrian characteristics (walking speed and body size) influence estimated SPE factors. The second part is a case study in which field-collected data illustrate SPE factors calculated for older adults, obese pedestrians, and their combination. An application of SPE factors demonstrates the robustness of the methodology in bridging the gap between pedestrian compositions and planning practice.
Rule-based equation for elastic tripping analysis of angle bar stiffeners
Authors: Ranji Ahmad Rahbar
Published: December 2012

Tripping is one of buckling modes in stiffened plates which could be occurred in the stiffeners with high flexural rigidity and low torsional rigidity. Rule-base expressions for calculation of sectorial moment of inertia of angle-bar stiffeners are scattered. An expression for calculation of sectorial moment of inertia of angle-bar stiffeners is derived based on energy method and beam theory. Sectorial moment of inertia of different angle-bar stiffeners are calculated and compared with the values calculated by different classification society rules. It is found that some of the rule-based equations for calculation of sectorial moment of inertia of angle-bar stiffeners are inaccurate. Euler tripping stress of different angle bars are calculated by energy method and compared with rule-based equation and finite element method. It is found that, rule-based expression for calculation of polar moment of inertia of angle-bar stiffeners neglects one term, which could lead up to 10% overestimation of Euler tripping stress. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jname.v9i2.10443 Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 9(2012) 105-111
Numerical simulations of flow past an autonomous underwater vehicle at various drift angles
Authors: Gomatam Sreekar , Vengadesan S , Bhattacharyya S K
Published: December 2012

Three dimensional (3D) flow past an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is simulated using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach at a Reynolds (Re) number of 2.09x106. A non-linear k-? (NLKE) turbulence model is used for solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The effect of control surfaces over the flow, the flow interaction between the hull and the appendages at various Angles of Attack (AoA) and the effect of the symmetry plane is studied. Flow structure, variation of flow variables and force distribution for various AoA are presented and discussed in detail.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jname.v9i2.12567 Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 9(2012) 135-152
Heat generation effects on MHD boundary layer flow of a moving vertical plate with suction
Authors: Kumar Rushi , Gangadhar K.
Published: December 2012

This work is focused on the numerical solution of a two-dimensional, steady, incompressible electrically conducting, laminar free convection boundary layer flow of a continuously moving vertical porous plate in the presence of a transverse magnetic field and heat generation. The basic equations governing the flow are in the form of partial differential equations and have been reduced to a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations by applying suitable similarity transformations. The problem is solved numerically using shooting techniques with the forth order Runge-Kutta method. The physical behavior of different parameters for velocity, temperature and concentration has been examined graphically and analyzed quantitatively.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jname.v9i2.8550 Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 9(2012) 153-167
Isothermal Amplification Methods for the Detection of Nucleic Acids in Microfluidic Devices
Authors: Zanoli Laura , Spoto Giuseppe
Published: December 2012

Diagnostic tools for biomolecular detection need to fulfill specific requirements in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and high-throughput in order to widen their applicability and to minimize the cost of the assay. The nucleic acid amplification is a key step in DNA detection assays. It contributes to improving the assay sensitivity by enabling the detection of a limited number of target molecules. The use of microfluidic devices to miniaturize amplification protocols reduces the required sample volume and the analysis times and offers new possibilities for the process automation and integration in one single device. The vast majority of miniaturized systems for nucleic acid analysis exploit the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification method, which requires repeated cycles of three or two temperature-dependent steps during the amplification of the nucleic acid target sequence. In contrast, low temperature isothermal amplification methods have no need for thermal cycling thus requiring simplified microfluidic device features. Here, the use of miniaturized analysis systems using isothermal amplification reactions for the nucleic acid amplification will be discussed.
Stereotypical Behaviors in Chimpanzees Rescued from the African Bushmeat and Pet Trade
Authors: Lopresti-Goodman Stacy , Kameka Marjanne , Dube Ashlynn
Published: December 2012

Many orphaned chimpanzees whose mothers are illegally killed for their meat (bushmeat) in Africa are sold as pets or kept caged at hotels and businesses to attract tourists. As a result of being separated from their mothers and other chimpanzees at an early age, and spending years in impoverished captive conditions, some of these individuals engage in abnormal behaviors, including stereotypically scratching at their flesh and repetitively rocking back and forth. This paper presents case studies of Poco and Safari, two chimpanzees who were rescued by sanctuaries after living alone on display for humans at businesses for the first 7 to 8 years of their lives. Decades after their rescue, they still engage in stereotypical behaviors as a result of the psychological and physical trauma they endured early on. This paper combines data from in depth interviews with caregivers and direct observations of abnormal behaviors to assess psychological distress in captive-living chimpanzees. Our results highlight some lesser known harms of the bushmeat trade and the detrimental life-long consequences that keeping chimpanzees as “pets” can have on their mental health.
A User-Centric View of Intelligent Environments: User Expectations, User Experience and User Role in Building Intelligent Environments
Authors: Kaasinen Eija , Kymäläinen Tiina , Niemelä Marketta , Olsson Thomas , Kanerva Minni , Ikonen Veikko
Published: December 2012

Our everyday environments are gradually becoming intelligent, facilitated both by technological development and user activities. Although large-scale intelligent environments are still rare in actual everyday use, they have been studied for quite a long time, and several user studies have been carried out. In this paper, we present a user-centric view of intelligent environments based on published research results and our own experiences from user studies with concepts and prototypes. We analyze user acceptance and users’ expectations that affect users’ willingness to start using intelligent environments and to continue using them. We discuss user experience of interacting with intelligent environments where physical and virtual elements are intertwined. Finally, we touch on the role of users in shaping their own intelligent environments instead of just using ready-made environments. People are not merely “using” the intelligent environments but they live in them, and they experience the environments via embedded services and new interaction tools as well as the physical and social environment. Intelligent environments should provide emotional as well as instrumental value to the people who live in them, and the environments should be trustworthy and controllable both by regular users and occasional visitors. Understanding user expectations and user experience in intelligent environments, and providing users with tools to influence the environments can help to shape the vision of intelligent environments into meaningful, acceptable and appealing service entities for all those who live and act in them.
Machine Learning with Squared-Loss Mutual Information
Authors: Sugiyama Masashi
Published: December 2012

Mutual information (MI) is useful for detecting statistical independence between random variables, and it has been successfully applied to solving various machine learning problems. Recently, an alternative to MI called squared-loss MI (SMI) was introduced. While ordinary MI is the Kullback–Leibler divergence from the joint distribution to the product of the marginal distributions, SMI is its Pearson divergence variant. Because both the divergences belong to the ƒ-divergence family, they share similar theoretical properties. However, a notable advantage of SMI is that it can be approximated from data in a computationally more efficient and numerically more stable way than ordinary MI. In this article, we review recent development in SMI approximation based on direct density-ratio estimation and SMI-based machine learning techniques such as independence testing, dimensionality reduction, canonical dependency analysis, independent component analysis, object matching, clustering, and causal inference.
Optimization of Vehicular Trajectories under Gaussian Noise Disturbances
Authors: Tomas-Gabarron Juan-Bautista , Egea-Lopez Esteban , Garcia-Haro Joan
Published: December 2012

Nowadays, research on Vehicular Technology aims at automating every single mechanical element of vehicles, in order to increase passengers’ safety, reduce human driving intervention and provide entertainment services on board. Automatic trajectory tracing for vehicles under especially risky circumstances is a field of research that is currently gaining enormous attention. In this paper, we show some results on how to develop useful policies to execute maneuvers by a vehicle at high speeds with the mathematical optimization of some already established mobility conditions of the car. We also study how the presence of Gaussian noise on measurement sensors while maneuvering can disturb motion and affect the final trajectories. Different performance criteria for the optimization of such maneuvers are presented, and an analysis is shown on how path deviations can be minimized by using trajectory smoothing techniques like the Kalman Filter. We finalize the paper with a discussion on how communications can be used to implement these schemes.
IL-6 Receptor Is a Possible Target against Growth of Metastasized Lung Tumor Cells in the Brain
Authors: Noda Mami , Yamakawa Yukiko , Matsunaga Naoya , Naoe Satoko , Jodoi Taishi , Yamafuji Megumi , Akimoto Nozomi , Teramoto Norihiro , Fujita Kyota , Ohdo Shigehiro , Iguchi Haruo
Published: December 2012

In the animal model of brain metastasis using human lung squamous cell carcinoma-derived cells (HARA-B) inoculated into the left ventricle of the heart of nude mice, metastasized tumor cells and brain resident cells interact with each other. Among them, tumor cells and astrocytes have been reported to stimulate each other, releasing soluble factors from both sides, subsequently promoting tumor growth significantly. Among the receptors for soluble factors released from astrocytes, only IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) on tumor cells was up-regulated during the activation with astrocytes. Application of monoclonal antibody against human IL-6R (tocilizumab) to the activated HARA-B cells, the growth of HARA-B cells stimulated by the conditioned medium of HARA-B/astrocytes was significantly inhibited. Injecting tocilizumab to animal models of brain metastasis starting at three weeks of inoculation of HARA-B cells, two times a week for three weeks, significantly inhibited the size of the metastasized tumor foci. The up-regulated expression of IL-6R on metastasized lung tumor cells was also observed in the tissue from postmortem patients. These results suggest that IL-6R on metastasized lung tumor cells would be a therapeutic target to inhibit the growth of the metastasized lung tumor cells in the brain.
Dendritic Cells and Multiple Sclerosis: Disease, Tolerance and Therapy
Authors: Mohammad Mohammad , Hassanpour Masoud , Tsai Vicky , Li Hui , Ruitenberg Marc , Booth David , Serrats Jordi , Hart Prue , Symonds Geoffrey , Sawchenko Paul , Breit Samuel , Brown David
Published: December 2012

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating neurological disease that predominantly affects young adults resulting in severe personal and economic impact. The majority of therapies for this disease were developed in, or are beneficial in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of MS. While known to target adaptive anti-CNS immune responses, they also target, the innate immune arm. This mini-review focuses on the role of dendritic cells (DCs), the professional antigen presenting cells of the innate immune system. The evidence for a role for DCs in the appropriate regulation of anti-CNS autoimmune responses and their role in MS disease susceptibility and possible therapeutic utility are discussed. Additionally, the current controversy regarding the evidence for the presence of functional DCs in the normal CNS is reviewed. Furthermore, the role of CNS DCs and potential routes of their intercourse between the CNS and cervical lymph nodes are considered. Finally, the future role that this nexus between the CNS and the cervical lymph nodes might play in site directed molecular and cellular therapy for MS is outlined.
Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Thirteen R2R3-MYB Transcription Factors from Epimedium sagittatum
Authors: Huang Wenjun , Sun Wei , Lv Haiyan , Xiao Gong , Zeng Shaohua , Wang Ying
Published: December 2012

Epimedium sagittatum (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim, a popular traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has been widely used for treating sexual dysfunction and osteoporosis in China. The main bioactive components in herba epimedii are prenylated flavonol glycosides, which are end products of a branch of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. The MYB transcription factors (TF) act as activators or repressors to regulate the flavonoid pathway. In this study, 13 full-length cDNA clones of R2R3-MYB TFs from E. sagittatum (designated as EsMYB1 to EsMYB13) were isolated and characterized. Sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis placed nine R2R3-MYB members of epimedii into five subgroups of the Arabidopsis R2R3-MYB family, while four members were not clustered into a defined subgroup. The number and length of introns from epimedii R2R3-MYB genes varied significantly, but intron positions and phases were well conserved. Expression patterns of epimedii R2R3-MYB genes in various tissues showed diverse. Finally, it is suggested that five epimedii R2R3-MYB genes may be involved in regulating the flavonoid pathway and could be used as valuable candidate genes for metabolic engineering studies in future. Sequence information of 13 R2R3-MYB genes discovered here will also provide an entry point into the overview of whole R2R3-MYB family in epimedii.
Structured Decision-Making: Using Personalized Medicine to Improve the Value of Cancer Care
Authors: Hirsch Bradford , Abernethy Amy
Published: December 2012

Cancer care is often inconsistently delivered with inadequate incorporation of patient values and objective evidence into decision-making. Utilization of time limited trials of care with predefined decision points that are based on iteratively updated best evidence, tools that inform providers about a patient’s experience and values, and known information about a patient’s disease will allow superior matched care to be delivered. Personalized medicine does not merely refer to the incorporation of genetic information into clinical care, it involves utilization of the wide array of data points relevant to care, many of which are readily available at the bedside today. By pushing uptake of personalized matching available today, clinicians can better address the triple aim of improved health, lowers costs, and enhanced patient experience, and we can prepare the health care landscape for the iterative inclusion of progressively more sophisticated information as newer tests and information become available to support the personalized medicine paradigm.
The Function of Gas Vesicles in Halophilic Archaea and Bacteria: Theories and Experimental Evidence
Authors: Oren Aharon
Published: December 2012

A few extremely halophilic Archaea (Halobacterium salinarum, Haloquadratum walsbyi, Haloferax mediterranei, Halorubrum vacuolatum, Halogeometricum borinquense, Haloplanus spp.) possess gas vesicles that bestow buoyancy on the cells. Gas vesicles are also produced by the anaerobic endospore-forming halophilic Bacteria Sporohalobacter lortetii and Orenia sivashensis. We have extensive information on the properties of gas vesicles in Hbt. salinarum and Hfx. mediterranei and the regulation of their formation. Different functions were suggested for gas vesicle synthesis: buoying cells towards oxygen-rich surface layers in hypersaline water bodies to prevent oxygen limitation, reaching higher light intensities for the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin, positioning the cells optimally for light absorption, light shielding, reducing the cytoplasmic volume leading to a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio (for the Archaea) and dispersal of endospores (for the anaerobic spore-forming Bacteria). Except for Hqr. walsbyi which abounds in saltern crystallizer brines, gas-vacuolate halophiles are not among the dominant life forms in hypersaline environments. There only has been little research on gas vesicles in natural communities of halophilic microorganisms, and the few existing studies failed to provide clear evidence for their possible function. This paper summarizes the current status of the different theories why gas vesicles may provide a selective advantage to some halophilic microorganisms.
Nutritional and Chemical Composition and Antiviral Activity of Cultivated Seaweed Sargassum naozhouense Tseng et Lu
Authors: Peng Yan , Xie Enyi , Zheng Kai , Fredimoses Mangaladoss , Yang Xianwen , Zhou Xuefeng , Wang Yifei , Yang Bin , Lin Xiuping , Liu Juan , Liu Yonghong
Published: December 2012

Sargassum naozhouense is a brown seaweed used in folk medicine and applied for thousands of years in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, China. This study is the first time to investigate its chemical composition and antiviral activity. On the dry weight basis, this seaweed was constituted of ca. 35.18% ash, 11.20% protein, 1.06% lipid and 47.73% total carbohydrate, and the main carbohydrate was water-soluble polysaccharide. The protein analysis indicated the presence of essential amino acids, which accounted for 36.35% of the protein. The most abundant fatty acids were C14:0, C16:0, C18:1 and C20:4. The ash fraction analysis indicated that essential minerals and trace elements, such as Fe, Zn and Cu, were present in the seaweed. IR analysis revealed that polysaccharides from cultivated S. naozhouense may be alginates and fucoidan. The polysaccharides possessed strong antiviral activity against HSV-1 in vitro with EC50 of 8.92 μg/mL. These results demonstrated cultivated S. naozhouense has a potential for its use in functional foods and antiviral new drugs.
Isolation, Characterization, and Bioactivity Evaluation of 3-((6-Methylpyrazin-2-yl)methyl)-1H-indole, a New Alkaloid from a Deep-Sea-Derived Actinomycete Serinicoccus profundi sp. nov.
Authors: Yang Xian-Wen , Zhang Gai-Yun , Ying Jian-Xi , Yang Bing , Zhou Xue-Feng , Steinmetz Andre , Liu Yong-Hong , Wang Ning
Published: December 2012

One new alkaloid, 3-((6-methylpyrazin-2-yl)methyl)-1H-indole (1) was obtained from the deep-sea actinomycete Serinicoccus profundi sp. nov., along with five known compounds (2–6). Their structures were determined on the basis of detailed analysis of the 1D and 2D NMR as well as MS data. The new indole alkaloid displayed weak antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with an MIC value of 96 μg/mL. It showed no cytotoxicity on a normal human liver cell line (BEL7402) and a human liver tumor cell line (HL-7702).
Supramolecular Ring Structures of 7-Methylguanine: A Computational Study of Its Self-assembly and Anion Binding
Authors: Paragi Gábor , Kupihár Zoltán , Guerra Célia , Bickelhaupt F. , Kovács Lajos
Published: December 2012

The density functional theory calculations of 7-methylguanine clusters revealed that stable ring assemblies can be formed with or without anions in the center position and hexameric clusters are the most stable and most planar ones. The coordination of anions (Cl−, Br−, NO3−) stabilizes and thus favors the formation of planar aggregates. We believe that the predicted planar structures stabilized by anions are good models for self-assembly structures formed at solid-liquid or solid-gas interfaces. Comparing the bonding and average H-bond energy to reference ribbon calculations we pointed out the presence of the previously introduced cooperativity effect in circular supramolecular structures of 7-methylguanine.
Characterization of Flavonoids and Naphthopyranones in Methanol Extracts of Paepalanthus chiquitensis Herzog by HPLC-ESI-IT-MSn and Their Mutagenic Activity
Authors: Zanutto Fabiana , Boldrin Paula , Varanda Eliana , Souza Samara , Sano Paulo , Vilegas Wagner , Santos Lourdes
Published: December 2012

A HPLC-ESI-IT-MSn method, based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray negative ionization multistage ion trap mass spectrometry, was developed for rapid identification of 24 flavonoid and naphthopyranone compounds. The methanol extracts of the capitulae and scapes of P. chiquitensis exhibited mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay, against strain TA97a.
Unexpected Behavior of Enaminones: Interesting New Routes to 1,6-Naphthyridines, 2-Oxopyrrolidines and Pyrano[4,3,2-de][1,6]naphthyridines
Authors: Moustafa Moustafa , Al-Mousawi Saleh , Hilmy Noha , Ibrahim Yehia , Liermann Johannes , Meier Herbert , Elnagdi Mohamed
Published: December 2012

Reaction of enaminones 1a–d with 2-aminoprop-1-ene-1,1,3-tricarbonitrile (2) in the presence of AcOH/NH4OAc afforded 7-amino-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-1,6-naphthyridine-8-carbonitrile derivatives 9a–d. On the other hand, 2-aminopyrano[4,3,2-de] [1,6]naphthyridine-3-carbonitriles 20a–c,e were the only obtained products from the reactions of 1a–d with 2 in the presence of AcOH/NaOAc, while 1d afforded [3,5-bis-(4-chloro-benzoyl)-phenyl]-(4-chloro-phenyl)-methanone 21 under the same condition. The reaction of 2 with diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of AcOH/NH4OAc afforded (4-cyano-5-dicyanomethylene-2-oxo-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)-acetic acid ethyl ester 15B.
Chiral Peptide Nucleic Acids with a Substituent in the N-(2-Aminoethy)glycine Backbone
Authors: Sugiyama Toru , Kittaka Atsushi
Published: December 2012

A peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic nucleic acid mimic in which the sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced by a peptide backbone. PNAs hybridize to complementary DNA and RNA with higher affinity and superior sequence selectivity compared to DNA. PNAs are resistant to nucleases and proteases and have a low affinity for proteins. These properties make PNAs an attractive agent for biological and medical applications. To improve the antisense and antigene properties of PNAs, many backbone modifications of PNAs have been explored under the concept of preorganization. This review focuses on chiral PNAs bearing a substituent in the N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine backbone. Syntheses, properties, and applications of chiral PNAs are described.
Anthraquinones of the Roots of Pentas micrantha
Authors: Endale Milkyas , Ekberg Annabel , Alao John , Akala Hoseah , Ndakala Albert , Sunnerhagen Per , Erdélyi Máté , Yenesew Abiy
Published: December 2012

Pentas micrantha is used in the East African indigenous medicine to treat malaria. In the first investigation of this plant, the crude methanol root extract showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against the W2- (3.37 μg/mL) and D6-strains (4.00 μg/mL) of Plasmodium falciparum and low cytotoxicity (>450 μg/mL, MCF-7 cell line). Chromatographic separation of the extract yielded nine anthraquinones, of which 5,6-dihydroxylucidin-11-O-methyl ether is new. Isolation of a munjistin derivative from the genus Pentas is reported here for the first time. The isolated constituents were identified by NMR and mass spectrometric techniques and showed low antiplasmodial activities.
Two New Phragmalin-Type Limonoids from Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina
Authors: Li Yi , Luo Jun , Li Hui , Kong Ling-Yi
Published: December 2012

Two new phragmalin-type limonoids with different structural skeletons, chuktabrin K (1) and tabulalin J (2), were isolated from the stem barks of Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina in the course of our ongoing research work in this area. Compound 1 was a 16-norphragmalin with an enolic alkyl appendage at C-15, and the carbonate moiety in 1 was also rare in natural organic molecules. The basic skeleton of compound 2 was a D-ring-opened phragmalin. Their structures were elucidated on HR-ESI-MS, 1H and 13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, and ROESY experiments.
Correlating Physicochemical Properties of Boronic Acid-Chitosan Conjugates to Glucose Adsorption Sensitivity
Authors: Asantewaa Yaa , Aylott Jonathan , Burley Jonathan , Billa Nashiru , Roberts Clive
Published: December 2012

Phenyl boronic acid (PBA), which is known to interact with glucose, was covalently bonded to chitosan by direct reductive N-alkylation of chitosan with 4-formylphenylboronic acid (4-FPBA). Evidence of PBA bonding on chitosan was assessed by FTIR, ToF-SIMS, SEM, DSC and glucose adsorption sensitivity measurements. FTIR spectra showed strong signals at 1560 and 630 cm−1 indicating the formation of p-substituted benzene. Similarly, ToF-SIMS analyses on the conjugates registered fragments of boron ion (B−) at 11.0 m/z whose intensity increased in proportion to 4-FPBA loading. The degree to which PBA was bonded to chitosan was related to the 4-FPBA load used in the reaction (termed F1 through to F6 with increasing 4-FPBA load). Glucose adsorption sensitivity to PBA-bonded chitosan was directly related to the amount of PBA functionality within the conjugates and the physical nature of the matrices (porous or crystalline). Topographic analysis by SEM revealed that PBA-chitosan conjugates F1, F2 and F3 have porous matrices and their sensitivity to glucose adsorption was directly proportional to the degree of PBA substitution onto chitosan. Conversely, conjugates F4, F5 and F6 appeared crystalline under SEM and glucose adsorption sensitivity decreased in proportion to amount of PBA bonded to chitosan. The crystalline nature of the conjugates was confirmed by DSC, where the exothermic event related to the melting of the bonded PBA moiety, occurred at 338 °C. Thus, decreased sensitivity to glucose adsorption by the conjugates can be ascribed to the crystallinity imparted by increased content of the bonded PBA moiety, providing an optimal loading of PBA in terms of maximizing response to glucose.
Piezoelectric Bimorph Cantilever for Vibration-Producing-Hydrogen
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wu Zheng , Jia Yanmin , Kan Junwu , Cheng Guangming
Published: December 2012

A device composed of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever and a water electrolysis device was fabricated to realize piezoelectrochemical hydrogen production. The obvious output of the hydrogen and oxygen through application of a mechanical vibration of ~0.07 N and ~46.2 Hz was observed. This method provides a cost-effective, recyclable, environment-friendly and simple way to directly split water for hydrogen fuels by scavenging mechanical waste energy forms such as noise or traffic vibration in the environment.
An On-Time Power-Aware Scheduling Scheme for Medical Sensor SoC-Based WBAN Systems
Authors: Hwang Tae-Ho , Kim Dong-Sun , Kim Jung-Guk
Published: December 2012

The focus of many leading technologies in the field of medical sensor systems is on low power consumption and robust data transmission. For example, the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which is used to maintain the heart in a healthy state, requires a reliable wireless communication scheme with an extremely low duty-cycle, high bit rate, and energy-efficient media access protocols. Because such devices must be sustained for over 5 years without access to battery replacement, they must be designed to have extremely low power consumption in sleep mode. Here, an on-time, energy-efficient scheduling scheme is proposed that performs power adjustments to minimize the sleep-mode current. The novelty of this scheduler is that it increases the determinacy of power adjustment and the predictability of scheduling by employing non-pre-emptible dual priority scheduling. This predictable scheduling also guarantees the punctuality of important periodic tasks based on their serialization, by using their worst case execution time) and the power consumption optimization. The scheduler was embedded into a system on chip (SoC) developed to support the wireless body area network—a wakeup-radio and wakeup-timer for implantable medical devices. This scheduling system is validated by the experimental results of its performance when used with life-time extensions of ICD devices.
The Role of Advanced Sensing in Smart Cities
Authors: Hancke Gerhard , Silva Bruno , Hancke, Jr. Gerhard
Published: December 2012

In a world where resources are scarce and urban areas consume the vast majority of these resources, it is vital to make cities greener and more sustainable. Advanced systems to improve and automate processes within a city will play a leading role in smart cities. From smart design of buildings, which capture rain water for later use, to intelligent control systems, which can monitor infrastructures autonomously, the possible improvements enabled by sensing technologies are immense. Ubiquitous sensing poses numerous challenges, which are of a technological or social nature. This paper presents an overview of the state of the art with regards to sensing in smart cities. Topics include sensing applications in smart cities, sensing platforms and technical challenges associated with these technologies. In an effort to provide a holistic view of how sensing technologies play a role in smart cities, a range of applications and technical challenges associated with these applications are discussed. As some of these applications and technologies belong to different disciplines, the material presented in this paper attempts to bridge these to provide a broad overview, which can be of help to researchers and developers in understanding how advanced sensing can play a role in smart cities.
Self-Organized Multi-Camera Network for a Fast and Easy Deployment of Ubiquitous Robots in Unknown Environments
Authors: Canedo-Rodriguez Adrián , Iglesias Roberto , Regueiro Carlos , Alvarez-Santos Victor , Pardo Xose
Published: December 2012

To bring cutting edge robotics from research centres to social environments, the robotics community must start providing affordable solutions: the costs must be reduced and the quality and usefulness of the robot services must be enhanced. Unfortunately, nowadays the deployment of robots and the adaptation of their services to new environments are tasks that usually require several days of expert work. With this in view, we present a multi-agent system made up of intelligent cameras and autonomous robots, which is easy and fast to deploy in different environments. The cameras will enhance the robot perceptions and allow them to react to situations that require their services. Additionally, the cameras will support the movement of the robots. This will enable our robots to navigate even when there are not maps available. The deployment of our system does not require expertise and can be done in a short period of time, since neither software nor hardware tuning is needed. Every system task is automatic, distributed and based on self-organization processes. Our system is scalable, robust, and flexible to the environment. We carried out several real world experiments, which show the good performance of our proposal.
Deposition of Bacteriorhodopsin Protein in a Purple Membrane Form on Nitrocellulose Membranes for Enhanced Photoelectric Response
Authors: Kim Young , Neuzil Pavel , Nam Chang-Hoon , Engelhard Martin
Published: December 2012

Bacteriorhodopsin protein (bR)-based systems are one of the simplest known biological energy converters. The robust chemical, thermal and electrochemical properties of bR have made it an attractive material for photoelectric devices. This study demonstrates the photoelectric response of a dry bR layer deposited on a nitrocellulose membrane with indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. Light-induced electrical current as well as potential and impedance changes of dried bR film were recorded as the function of illumination. We have also tested bR in solution and found that the electrical properties are strongly dependent on light intensity changing locally proton concentration and thus pH of the solution. Experimental data support the assumption that bR protein on a positively charged nitrocellulose membrane (PNM) can be used as highly sensitive photo- and pH detector. Here the bR layer facilitates proton translocation and acts as an ultrafast optoelectric signal transducer. It is therefore useful in applications related to bioelectronics, biosensors, bio-optics devices and current carrying junction devices.
The Receptors that Mediate the Direct Lethality of Anthrax Toxin
Authors: Liu Shihui , Zhang Yi , Hoover Benjamin , Leppla Stephen
Published: December 2012

Tumor endothelium marker-8 (TEM8) and capillary morphogenesis protein-2 (CMG2) are the two well-characterized anthrax toxin receptors, each containing a von Willebrand factor A (vWA) domain responsible for anthrax protective antigen (PA) binding. Recently, a cell-based analysis was used to implicate another vWA domain-containing protein, integrin β1 as a third anthrax toxin receptor. To explore whether proteins other than TEM8 and CMG2 function as anthrax toxin receptors in vivo, we challenged mice lacking TEM8 and/or CMG2. Specifically, we used as an effector protein the fusion protein FP59, a fusion between the PA-binding domain of anthrax lethal factor (LF) and the catalytic domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A. FP59 is at least 50-fold more potent than LF in the presence of PA, with 2 μg PA + 2 μg FP59 being sufficient to kill a mouse. While TEM8−/− and wild type control mice succumbed to a 5 μg PA + 5 μg FP59 challenge, CMG2−/− mice were completely resistant to this dose, confirming that CMG2 is the major anthrax toxin receptor in vivo. To detect whether any toxic effects are mediated by TEM8 or other putative receptors such as integrin β1, CMG2−/−/TEM8−/− mice were challenged with as many as five doses of 50 μg PA + 50 μg FP59. Strikingly, the CMG2−/−/TEM8−/− mice were completely resistant to the 5-dose challenge. These results strongly suggest that TEM8 is the only minor anthrax toxin receptor mediating direct lethality in vivo and that other proteins implicated as receptors do not play this role.
Structural and electronic properties of oligo- and polythiophenes modified by substituents
Authors: Rittmeyer Simon P , Groß Axel
Published: December 2012

The electronic and structural properties of oligo- and polythiophenes that can be used as building blocks for molecular electronic devices have been studied by using periodic density functional theory calculations. We have in particular focused on the effect of substituents on the electronic structure of thiophenes. Whereas singly bonded substituents, such as methyl, amino or nitro groups, change the electronic properties of thiophene monomers and dimers, they hardly influence the band gap of polythiophene. In contrast, phenyl-substituted polythiophenes as well as vinyl-bridged polythiophene derivatives exhibit drastically modified band gaps. These effects cannot be explained by simple electron removal or addition, as calculations for charged polythiophenes demonstrate.
From waste to profit: an interorganisational perspective on drivers for biomass valorisation
Authors: Wubben Emiel F.M. , Runge Nienke A. , Blok Vincent
Published: December 2012

This paper focuses on the identification of interorganisational drivers for biomass valorisation that create relational rents. Given the growing interest in the valorisation of biowastes it is posited that entrepreneurial firms develop interorganisational relationships to generate competitive advantages. The literature study of transaction cost theory, resource-based theory, and network theory brought about four plausible drivers for innovative business development in biomass valorisation. The newness of research on biomass valorisation, scarcity of good data and confidentiality issues made explorative research necessary, and therefore the case study method was applied on six focal firms in the Netherlands. The results confirm the relevancy of three out of the four suggested drivers for biomass valorisation that create relational rents, namely: complementary resources, partner alignment and relationship governance.
Fundamental perspectives on supply chain management1
Authors: Omta S.W.F. , Hoenen S.J.
Published: December 2012

The aim of the present literature study is to find the fundamental perspectives/models in the realm of supply chain management and to investigate whether they can be extended based on recent literature findings. The fundamental perspectives were found using a two-tier snowball collection method, including 1,287 articles. Using a critical rule set and customized multiplier values, three fundamental perspectives on supply chain management were found: (1) the structural perspective; (2) the relational perspective; and (3) the governance perspective. The original articles and the further developments in literature are discussed in this paper.
Performance Optimization Based Spectrum Analysis on Optical Fiber Raman Amplifier with Backward Pumping
Authors: Liu Li Ying , Huang Yan , Liu Chun Yu , Zhang Xin Ming , Yang Jiu Ru
Published: December 2012

Optical fiber Raman amplifier (OFRA) with wide and flat gain bandwidth has been widely applied in the fields of optical communication, sensing and measurement. However, the performance optimization is always one of the hot topics in the study of OFRA, because its output characteristics are hardly dependent to some key designing parameters. In this paper, to overcome the problems above, we adopt a spectrum analysis based method to study the output performance of an OFRA system with backward pumping. By simulating the operation of the OFRA system, its output characteristics are first showed easily, with the advantages of real time, low cost, and low complexity. Further, according to the numerical results obtained, the optimal parameters of an OFRA system are determinate, and the performance in terms of output power, signal noise ratio, and the level of gain flatness is improved and optimized obviously.
Research of Mobile Terminal QOS Analysis Model Based on Time and Location
Authors: Bai Xiao Ming , Lai Lin
Published: December 2012

With the communication industry becoming more and more competitive, the communication operators is paying more and more attentions on the network quality. The paper proposed the terminal signal quality analysis model based on the time and location which uses the technology of the terminal routing tracking and the signal data analysising.The model starting with the time and location,combines with the signal data of the station and the terminal,associates to related data of the other systems,come to the signal qality of the terminal during the move.
The Theoretical Analysis and Experimental Research of Wireless Power Transfer via Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Lan Tian , Zhang Yi Fei , He Liu
Published: December 2012

Wireless power transfer through magnetic resonance is a new technology which attracts the attention of researchers widely. At present, three theories are put forward to explain the essence of it, namely coupled-mode theory, circuit-coupled theory and magnetic dipole theory. The theories have their unique advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, comparison between different theories will be put in order to find out the best area that one theory can apply to.
A Novel Delay Model for IEEE 802.11
Authors: Shi Chun , Dai Xian Hua , Deng Zheng Jie , He Shu Qian
Published: December 2012

With the popularity of the IEEE 802.11 standards, many analytical delay studies for the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) have been reported. In this paper, we analyze the additional idle durations that a tagged node needs to wait due to other nodes transmissions. Separating the distributed inter-frame space (DIFS) and extended inter-frame space (EIFS) durations from the full time of a successful transmission, we provide a correct function analysis of the DIFS and EIFS durations and build a more accurate delay model for the IEEE 802.11 DCF. The theoretical analysis and simulation results prove that the proposed delay model is coincident with the real performance when the node number increases.