bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Streptokinase antibodies in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome in three rural New Zealand populations
Authors: Nixon Garry , Blattner Katharina , Dawson Jenny , Dovey Susan , Black Michael A , Wilkins Gerard , Dunn Amy C , McLellan Alexander D
Published: March 2011

Background

New Zealand Māori have some of the highest rates of Group A streptococcal infection (GAS) in the world. GAS elevates titres of antistreptokinase (SK) neutralising antibodies and may induce resistance to SK.

Methods

Anti-SK titres were measured in 180 patients presenting with symptoms consistent with an acute coronary syndrome to three New Zealand rural hospitals, selected because they provide care for patients from communities with different socio-economic and ethnic mixes (Māori proportions varying between 6% and 67%).

Findings

Compared with the community with the lowest proportion of Māori, patients in the community with the highest proportion of Māori had mean anti-SK titres that were 2.8 times higher (p=0.05). They were 2.5 times more likely to have a high anti-SK titre (33% vs 13% p=0.035).

Interpretation

Alternatives to reperfusion with SK should be the first-choice therapy in hospitals serving communities with high rates of GAS such as some predominantly Māori and Pacific Island communities.
N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (n-BCA) embolization of a cerebellar hemangioblastoma
Authors: Munyon Charles , Chowdhry Shakeel A , Cohen Mark L , Bambakidis Nicholas C , Hsu Daniel P
Published: March 2011

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are highly vascular tumors whose resection can be associated with significant bleeding. Angioembolization has been used as an adjunct to surgical therapy, but particle embolization of cerebellar HBs has been associated with hemorrhage and resultant morbidity and mortality. We present a case of successfuln-BCA embolization of an HB of the cerebellum.
Acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage: the role of the radiologist
Authors: Kerr S F , Puppala S
Published: March 2011

Acute gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage is a frequent and potentially life threatening medical presentation, the management of which depends on more than one speciality. Upper GI haemorrhage is often treated by endoscopic methods, failing which radiological intervention or surgery are the alternative methods of treatment. Radiology is crucial both in the diagnosis and treatment of lower GI haemorrhage, where the role of endoscopy is limited by poor visibility. CT angiography is now the first line investigation of choice and catheter angiography is used as a prelude to intervention. Interventional radiological techniques for treatment include embolisation for both upper and lower GI arterial haemorrhage and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting for upper GI variceal haemorrhage refractory to endoscopic treatment.
THE CUNTZ SEMIGROUP OF CONTINUOUS FUNCTIONS INTO CERTAIN SIMPLE C*-ALGEBRAS
Authors: TIKUISIS AARON
Published: March 2011

This paper contains computations of the Cuntz semigroup of separable C*-algebras of the form C0(X, A), where A is a unital, simple, [Formula: see text]-stable ASH algebra. The computations describe the Cuntz semigroup in terms of Murray–von Neumann semigroups of C(K, A) for compact subsets K of X. In particular, the computation shows that the Elliott invariant is functorially equivalent to the invariant given by the Cuntz semigroup of C(𝕋, A). These results are a contribution towards the goal of using the Cuntz semigroup in the classification of well-behaved non-simple C*-algebras.
CHARACTERIZATION AND DUALITY OF PROJECTIVE AND DIRECT LIMITS OF MEASURES AND APPLICATIONS
Authors: RAO M. M.
Published: March 2011

A representation of the projective system of abstract σ-finite measures on a topological family is given and with it a general characterization of their projective limits is obtained. Strong and weak direct limits of direct systems of measures as well as the duality between them are characterized with detailed analysis. This is used to prove several results of both theoretical and applicational importance. These include obtaining the equivalence of regular martingales and some projective systems admitting limits, measure representations of general semi-martingales, an extension theorem of product conditional measures, and a generalization of Rokhlin's theorem on completely positive entropy sequences of Lebesgue systems to general probability spaces. Further characterizations of projective and direct limits receive an extended treatment, indicating a great potential for future works.
SPHERICAL TRIANGLES AND THE TWO COMPONENTS OF THE SO(3)-CHARACTER SPACE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL GROUP OF A CLOSED SURFACE OF GENUS 2
Authors: CHOI SUHYOUNG
Published: March 2011

We use geometric techniques to explicitly find the topological structure of the space of SO (3)-representations of the fundamental group of a closed surface of genus two quotient by the conjugation action by SO (3). There are two components of the space. We will describe the topology of both components and describe the corresponding SU (2)-character spaces by parametrizing them by spherical triangles. There is the sixteen to one branch-covering for each component, and the branch locus is a union of two-spheres or two-tori. Along the way, we also describe the topology of both spaces. We will later relate this result to future work into higher-genus cases and the SL (3, ℝ)-representations.
ANYONIC TOPOLOGICAL QUANTUM COMPUTATION AND THE VIRTUAL BRAID GROUP
Authors: DYE H. A. , KAUFFMAN LOUIS H.
Published: March 2011

We introduce a recoupling theory for virtual braided trees. This recoupling theory can be utilized to incorporate swap gates into anyonic models of quantum computation.
THE PROBLEM OF DETECTING THE SATELLITE STRUCTURE OF A LINK BY MONOTONIC SIMPLIFICATION
Authors: KAZANTSEV ALEXANDR
Published: March 2011

In a recent work "Arc-presentation of links: Monotonic simplification", Dynnikov shows that each rectangular diagram of the unknot, composite link, or split link can be monotonically simplified into a trivial, composite, or split diagram, respectively. The following natural question arises: Is it always possible to simplify monotonically a rectangular diagram of a satellite knot or link into one where the satellite structure is seen? Here we give a negative answer to that question both for knot and link cases.

An example of a torus embedding that cannot be obtained from ordinary "thin" torus by methods of paper [2] is also constructed.
ON 4-MOVE EQUIVALENCE CLASSES OF KNOTS AND LINKS OF TWO COMPONENTS
Authors: DABKOWSKI M. K. , JABLAN S. , KHAN N. A. , SAHI R. K.
Published: March 2011

We study equivalence classes of knots and links of 2 components modulo 4-move. We show that all knots up to 12 crossings and knots in the family 6* reduce by 4-moves to the trivial knot. We also prove that links of 2 components with 11 crossings, and links 6* a1.a2.a3.a4.a5.a6 such that ai is a 2-algebraic tangle with no trivial components reduce to either the trivial link or to the Hopf link. For alternating links of 2-components with 12 we show that L reduces by 4-moves to either trivial link or to the Hopf link whenever L is different than 9*.2 : .2 : .2 (or its mirror image). We suggest the alternating link 9*.2 : .2 : .2 with 12 crossings as a potential example to answer the Problem 1.1(iii) in negative.
KAUFFMAN BRACKET SKEIN MODULE OF A FAMILY OF PRISM MANIFOLDS
Authors: MROCZKOWSKI MACIEJ
Published: March 2011

Diagrams and Reidemeister moves for links in orientable Seifert manifolds are introduced. Using these diagrams, we compute the Kauffman bracket skein modules of prism manifolds with first homology of order 4. In particular, we show that these modules are free.
REDUCING BRAID INDEX BY MURASUGI–PRZYTYCKI OPERATION
Authors: TRACZYK PAWEŁ
Published: March 2011

We prove that the Murasugi–Przytycki index of the link graph determines an upper bound for the number of reducing operations that can be performed on a link diagram to reduce the number of Seifert circles.
PATTERNS IN ODD KHOVANOV HOMOLOGY
Authors: SHUMAKOVITCH ALEXANDER N.
Published: March 2011

We investigate properties of the odd Khovanov homology, compare and contrast them with those of the original (even) Khovanov homology, and discuss applications of the odd Khovanov homology to other areas of knot theory and low-dimensional topology.
AN APPROACH TO ANALYZE RISKS BY COMPUTING WITH WORDS
Authors: HUANG CHONGFU
Published: March 2011

The information coded in natural language is called natural language information. It can be employed to analyze risks by computing with words. The disjunction and Cartesian product of fuzzy sets are the basic arithmetics to compute a probability distribution representing the random uncertainty of the risk source. An approach to infer a risk with words is to represent the risk system by using probabilistic and possibilistic constraints. In this paper, with fuzzy logic, we give a sample to verify that the suggested approach is more flexible and effective.
BREAST ULTRASOUND IMAGE SEGMENTATION BASED ON PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BREAST TISSUE
Authors: GUO YANHUI , CHENG H. D. , ZHANG YINGTAO
Published: March 2011

Breast cancer occurs in over 8% of women during their lifetime, and is the leading cause of death among women. Sonography is superior to mammography because it has the ability to detect focal abnormalities in the dense breasts and has no side-effect. In this paper, we propose a novel automatic segmentation algorithm based on the characteristics of breast tissue and eliminating particle swarm optimization (EPSO) clustering analysis. The characteristics of mammary gland in breast ultrasound (BUS) images are analyzed and utilized, and a method based on step-down threshold technique is employed to locate the mammary gland area. The EPSO clustering algorithm utilizes the idea of "survival of the superior and weeding out the inferior". The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can segment BUS image with high accuracy and low computational time. The EPSO clustering method reduces the computational time by 32.75% compared with the standard PSO clustering algorithm. The proposed approach would find wide applications in automatic lesion classification and computer aided diagnosis (CAD) systems of breast cancer.
A NOVEL NOISE REMOVAL METHOD BASED ON FRACTIONAL ANISOTROPIC DIFFUSION AND SUBPIXEL APPROACH
Authors: ZHANG YINGTAO , CHENG H. D. , CHEN YANGQUAN , HUANG JIANHUA
Published: March 2011

Partial differential equations (PDE) have been successfully and widely applied to image processing and computer vision. Anisotropic diffusion is an approach to remove noise based on nonlinear PDE. Many anisotropic methods have been studied; however, they suffer two major drawbacks: blurring and staircasing effects degrading the performance of noise removal filters. To overcome such problems, in this paper, a novel and efficient method for image denoising based on fractional-order anisotropic diffusion and subpixel approach is proposed. Numerical computation is implemented by using the subpixel fractional partial difference (SFPD) approach to increase the flexibility and accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can achieve higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and its performance is much better than that of the existing filters.
Gender differences affect blood flow recovery in a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia
Authors: Peng XinZhi , Wang Jinsong , Lassance-Soares Roberta M. , Najafi Amir H. , Sood Subeena , Aghili Nima , Alderman Lee O. , Panza Julio A. , Faber James E. , Wang ShenMing , Epstein Stephen E. , Burnett Mary Susan
Published: March 2011

Blood flow restoration to ischemic tissue is affected by various risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine gender effects on arteriogenesis and angiogenesis in a mouse ischemic hindlimb model. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to unilateral hindlimb ischemia. Flow recovery was less and hindlimb use impairment was greater in females. No gender difference in vessel number was found at baseline, although 7 days postsurgery females had fewer α-smooth muscle actin-positive vessels in the midpoint of the adductor region. Females had higher hindlimb vascular resistance, were less responsive to vasodilators, and were more sensitive to vasoconstrictors postligation. Western blotting showed that females had higher baseline levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the calf, while 7 days postligation males had higher levels of VEGF, eNOS, and phosphorylated vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein. Females had less angiogenesis in a Matrigel plug assay and less endothelial cell proliferation in vitro. Females have impaired recovery of flow, a finding presumably caused by multiple factors including decreased collateral remodeling, less angiogenesis, impaired vasodilator response, and increased vasoconstrictor activity; our results also suggest the possibility that new collateral formation, from capillaries, is impaired in females.
Postinfarction healing dynamics in the mechanically unloaded rat left ventricle
Authors: Zhou Xin , Yun Ji-Li , Han Zhi-Qi , Gao Fei , Li He , Jiang Tie-Min , Li Yu-Ming
Published: March 2011

The healing process is a key determinant for postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling and the development of heart failure, which could be influenced by mechanical (pressure and/or volume) load. So far, limited information exists regarding an indepth characterization of the postinfarct healing process in the mechanically unloaded state. In the present work, we performed isogenic Lewis-to-Lewis rat abdominal heterotopic heart transplantation, which is characterized by hemodynamic unloading in the left ventricle, and simultaneously ligated the left anterior descending coronary artery (T-infarct group). Pathological evolution was dynamically compared with that of in situ infarcted Lewis hearts (I-infarct group) on days 3, 7, 14, and 35. There was a remarkable myocardial salvage in the unloaded heart, as shown by the improvement in infarct size (T-infarct group: 25.47% ± 4.31% vs. I-infarct group: 38.46% ± 4.82%, P < 0.01) and the smaller fraction of fibrosis in infarct segments (T-infarct group: 42.12% ± 8.40% vs. I-infarct group: 75.65% ± 10.51%, P < 0.01). In addition, there was a progressive disorganization of the two-dimensional collagen fiber alignment as well as retarded collagen fiber maturation in the T-infarct group. We also observed enhanced angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and inflammatory cell retention in the infarct region during mechanical unloading. Moreover, capillary density and collagen deposition were significantly increased in the noninfarcted area of the unloaded heart compared with the same region in the in situ infarcted heart. In conclusion, ischemic insult in the mechanically unloaded heart elicits an altered inflammatory and healing response, which is characterized by myocardial salvage, delayed resolution of inflammation, and disorganization of the collagen orientation in the infarcted region. These findings could provide novel insights into the contribution of hemodynamic load in the postinfarction healing process. Further studies are warranted to elucidate its potential mechanism.
Quantification of coronary microvascular resistance using angiographic images for volumetric blood flow measurement: in vivo validation
Authors: Zhang Zhang , Takarada Shigeho , Molloi Sabee
Published: March 2011

Structural coronary microcirculation abnormalities are important prognostic determinants in clinical settings. However, an assessment of microvascular resistance (MR) requires a velocity wire. A first-pass distribution analysis technique to measure volumetric blood flow has been previously validated. The aim of this study was the in vivo validation of the MR measurement technique using first-pass distribution analysis. Twelve anesthetized swine were instrumented with a transit-time ultrasound flow probe on the proximal segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Microspheres were injected into the LAD to create a model of microvascular dysfunction. Adenosine (400 μg·kg−1·min−1) was used to produce maximum hyperemia. A region of interest in the LAD arterial bed was drawn to generate time-density curves using angiographic images. Volumetric blood flow measurements (Qa) were made using a time-density curve and the assumption that blood was momentarily replaced with contrast agent during the injection. Blood flow from the flow probe (Qp), coronary pressure (Pa), and right atrium pressure (Pv) were continuously recorded. Flow probe-based normalized MR (NMRp) and angiography-based normalized MR (NMRa) were calculated using Qp and Qa, respectively. In 258 measurements, Qa showed a strong correlation with the gold standard Qp (Qa = 0.90 Qp + 6.6 ml/min, r2 = 0.91, P < 0.0001). NMRa correlated linearly with NMRp (NMRa = 0.90 NMRp + 0.02 mmHg·ml−1·min−1, r2 = 0.91, P < 0.0001). Additionally, the Bland-Altman analysis showed a close agreement between NMRa and NMRp. In conclusion, a technique based on angiographic image data for quantifying NMR was validated using a swine model. This study provides a method to measure NMR without using a velocity wire, which can potentially be used to evaluate microvascular conditions during coronary arteriography.
Mechanism of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-mediated regulation of coronary artery contractility
Authors: Ata Hirotaka , Rawat Dhwajbhadur K. , Lincoln Thomas , Gupte Sachin A.
Published: March 2011

We previously identified glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) as a regulator of vascular smooth muscle contraction. In this study, we tested our hypothesis that G6PD activated by KCl via a phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN)-protein kinase C (PKC) pathway increases vascular smooth muscle contraction and that inhibition of G6PD relaxes smooth muscle by decreasing intracellular Ca2+([Ca2+]i) and Ca2+sensitivity to the myofilament. Here we show that G6PD is activated by membrane depolarization via PKC and PTEN pathway and that G6PD inhibition decreases intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) in vascular smooth muscle cells and thus arterial contractility. In bovine coronary artery (CA), KCl (30 mmol/l) increased PKC activity and doubled G6PD Vmaxwithout affecting Km. KCl-induced PKC and G6PD activation was inhibited by bisperoxo(pyridine-2-carboxyl)oxovanadate (Bpv; 10 μmol/l), a PTEN inhibitor, which also inhibited ( P < 0.05) KCl-induced CA contraction. The G6PD blockers 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN; 1 mmol/l) and epiandrosterone (EPI; 100 μmol/l) inhibited KCl-induced increases in G6PD activity, [Ca2+]i, Ca2+-dependent myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, and contraction. Relaxation of precontracted CA by 6AN and EPI was not blocked by calnoxin (10 μmol/l), a plasma membrane Ca2+ATPase inhibitor or by lowering extracellular Na+, which inhibits the Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX), but cyclopiazonic acid (200 μmol/l), a sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase inhibitor, reduced ( P < 0.05) 6AN- and EPI-induced relaxation. 6AN also attenuated phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) at Ser855, a site phosphorylated by Rho kinase, inhibition of which reduced ( P < 0.05) KCl-induced CA contraction and 6AN-induced relaxation. By contrast, 6AN increased ( P < 0.05) vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation at Ser239, indicating that inhibition of G6PD increases PKA or PKG activity. Inhibition of PKG by RT-8-Br-PET-cGMPs (100 nmol/l) diminished 6AN-evoked VASP phosphorylation ( P < 0.05), but RT-8-Br-PET-cGMPs increased 6AN-induced relaxation. These findings suggest G6PD inhibition relaxes CA by decreasing Ca2+influx, increasing Ca2+sequestration, and inhibiting Rho kinase but not by increasing Ca2+extrusion or activating PKG.
Effects of pericardial constraint and ventricular interaction on left ventricular hemodynamics in the unloaded heart
Authors: Fujimoto Naoki , Shibata Shigeki , Hastings Jeffery L. , Carrick-Ranson Graeme , Bhella Paul S. , Palmer Dean , Fu Qi , Levine Benjamin D.
Published: March 2011

Pericardial constraint and ventricular interaction influence left ventricular (LV) performance when preload is high. However, it is unclear if these constraining forces modulate LV filling when the heart is unloaded, such as during upright posture, in humans. Fifty healthy individuals underwent right heart catheterization to measure pulmonary capillary wedge (PCWP) and right atrial pressure (RAP). To evaluate the effects of pericardial constraint on hemodynamics, transmural filling pressure (LVTMP) was defined as PCWP-RAP. Beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP) waveforms were recorded, and stroke volume (SV) was derived from the Modelflow method. After measurements at −30 mmHg lower body negative pressure (LBNP), which approximates the upright position, LBNP was released, and beat-to-beat measurements were performed for 15 heartbeats. At −30 mmHg LBNP, RAP and PCWP were significantly decreased. During the first six beats of LBNP release, heart rate (HR) was unchanged, while BP increased from the fourth beat. RAP increased faster than PCWP resulting in an acute decrease in LVTMP from the fourth beat. A corresponding drop in SV by 3% was observed with no change in pulse pressure. From the 7th to 15th beats, LVTMP and SV increased steadily, followed by a decreased HR due to the baroreflex. A decreased TMP, but not PCWP, caused a transient drop in SV with no changes in HR or pulse pressure during LBNP release. These results suggest that the pericardium constrains LV filling during LBNP release, enough to cause a small but significant drop of SV, even at low cardiac filling pressure in healthy humans.
Increases in plasmatrans-EETs and blood pressure reduction in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Jiang Houli , Quilley John , Doumad Anabel B. , Zhu Angela G. , Falck John R. , Hammock Bruce D. , Stier Charles T. , Carroll Mairead A.
Published: March 2011

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are vasodilator, natriuretic, and antiinflammatory lipid mediators. Both cis- and trans-EETs are stored in phospholipids and in red blood cells (RBCs) in the circulation; the maximal velocity ( Vmax) of trans-EET hydrolysis by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is threefold that of cis-EETs. Because RBCs of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) exhibit increased sEH activity, a deficiency of trans-EETs in the SHR was hypothesized to increase blood pressure (BP). This prediction was fulfilled, since sEH inhibition with cis-4-[4-(3-adamantan-1-ylureido)cyclohexyloxy]benzoic acid (AUCB; 2 mg·kg−1·day−1for 7 days) in the SHR reduced mean BP from 176 ± 8 to 153 ± 5 mmHg ( P < 0.05), whereas BP in the control Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) was unaffected. Plasma levels of EETs in the SHR were lower than in the age-matched control WKY (16.4 ± 1.6 vs. 26.1 ± 1.8 ng/ml; P < 0.05). The decrease in BP in the SHR treated with AUCB was associated with an increase in plasma EETs, which was mostly accounted for by increasing trans-EET from 4.1 ± 0.2 to 7.9 ± 1.5 ng/ml ( P < 0.05). Consistent with the effect of increased plasma trans-EETs and reduced BP in the SHR, the 14,15- trans-EET was more potent (ED5010−10M; maximum dilation 59 ± 15 μm) than the cis-isomer (ED5010−9M; maximum dilation 30 ± 11 μm) in relaxing rat preconstricted arcuate arteries. The 11,12-EET cis- and trans-isomers were equipotent dilators as were the 8,9-EET isomers. In summary, inhibition of sEH resulted in a twofold increase in plasma trans-EETs and reduced mean BP in the SHR. The greater vasodilator potency of trans- vs. cis-EETs may contribute to the antihypertensive effects of sEH inhibitors.
Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension with circulating angiogenic cells
Authors: Mirsky Rachel , Jahn Sarah , Koskenvuo Juha W. , Sievers Richard E. , Yim Sarah M. , Ritner Carissa , Bernstein Harold S. , Angeli Franca S. , Boyle Andrew J. , De Marco Teresa , Yeghiazarians Yerem
Published: March 2011

Despite advances in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a truly restorative therapy has not been achieved. Attention has been given to circulating angiogenic cells (CACs, also termed early endothelial progenitor cells) because of their ability to home to sites of vascular injury and regenerate blood vessels. We studied the efficacy of human CAC therapy in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension at two different stages of disease severity. Cells were isolated from peripheral blood and administered to nude rats on day 14 (“early”) or day 21 (“late”) after monocrotaline injection. The control group received monocrotaline but no cell treatment. Disease progression was assessed using right heart catheterization and echocardiography at multiple time points. Survival differences, right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), and vascular hypertrophy were analyzed at the study endpoint. Quantitative PCR was performed to evaluate cell engraftment. Treatment with human CACs either at the early or late time points did not result in increased survival, and therapy did not prevent or reduce the severity of disease compared with control. Histological analysis of RVH and vascular muscularization showed no benefit with therapy compared with control . No detectable signal was seen of human transcript in transplanted lungs at 14 or 21 days after cell transplant. In conclusion, CAC therapy was not associated with increased survival and did not result in either clinical or histological benefits. Future studies should be geared toward either earlier therapeutic time points with varying doses of unmodified CACs or genetically modified cells as a means of delivery of factors to the pulmonary arterial circulation.
C-peptide, a novel inhibitor of lung inflammation following hemorrhagic shock
Authors: Chima Ranjit S. , LaMontagne Timberly , Piraino Giovanna , Hake Paul W. , Denenberg Alvin , Zingarelli Basilia
Published: March 2011

C-peptide is a 31-amino acid peptide cleaved from proinsulin during insulin synthesis. Initially thought to be inert, C-peptide may modulate the inflammatory response in the setting of endotoxemia and ischemia reperfusion. However, the spectrum of its biological effects is unclear. We hypothesized that exogenous administration of C-peptide would modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling pathways and thereby attenuate lung inflammation in an in vivo model of hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock was induced in male Wistar rats (aged 3–4 mo) by withdrawing blood to a mean arterial pressure of 50 mmHg. At 3 h after hemorrhage, rats were rapidly resuscitated by returning their shed blood. At the time of resuscitation and every hour thereafter, animals received C-peptide (280 nmol/kg) or vehicle parenterally. Animals were euthanized at 1 and 3 h after resuscitation. C-peptide administration at resuscitation following hemorrhagic shock ameliorated hypotension and blunted the systemic inflammatory response by reducing plasma levels of IL-1, IL-6, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1. This was associated with a reduction in lung neutrophil infiltration and plasma levels of receptor for advanced glycation end products. Mechanistically, C-peptide treatment was associated with reduced expression of proinflammatory transcription factors activator protein-1 and NF-κB and activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Our data suggest that C-peptide ameliorates the inflammatory response and lung inflammation following hemorrhagic shock. These effects may be modulated by altering the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling in the lung.
Glucocorticoid regulation of human pulmonary surfactant protein-B (SP-B) mRNA stability is independent of activated glucocorticoid receptor
Authors: Tillis Ceá C. , Huang Helen W. , Bi Weizhen , Pan Su , Bruce Shirley R. , Alcorn Joseph L.
Published: March 2011

Adequate expression of surfactant protein-B (SP-B) is critical in the function of pulmonary surfactant to reduce alveolar surface tension. Expression of SP-B mRNA is restricted to specific lung-airway epithelial cells, and human SP-B mRNA stability is increased in the presence of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX). Although the mechanism of SP-B mRNA stabilization by DEX is unknown, studies suggest involvement of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We developed a dual-cistronic plasmid-based expression assay in which steady-state levels of SP-B mRNA, determined by Northern analysis, reproducibly reflect changes in SP-B mRNA stability. Using this assay, we found that steady-state levels of SP-B mRNA increased greater than twofold in transfected human-airway epithelial cells (A549) incubated with DEX (10−7M). DEX-mediated changes in SP-B mRNA levels required the presence of the SP-B mRNA 3′-untranslated region but did not require ongoing protein synthesis. The effect of DEX on SP-B mRNA levels was dose dependent, with maximal effect at 10−7M. DEX increased levels of SP-B mRNA in cells lacking GR, and the presence of the GR antagonist RU486 did not interfere with the effect of DEX. Surprisingly, other steroid hormones (progesterone, estradiol, and vitamin D; 10−7M) significantly increased SP-B mRNA levels, suggesting a common pathway of steroid hormone action on SP-B mRNA stability. These results indicate that the effect of DEX to increase SP-B mRNA stability is independent of activated GR and suggests that the mechanism is mediated by posttranscriptional or nongenomic effects of glucocorticoids.
A Reconfigurable System Approach to the Direct Kinematics of a 5D.o.fRobotic Manipulator
Authors: Sánchez Diego F. , Muñoz Daniel M. , Llanos Carlos H. , Motta José M.
Published: March 2011

Hardware acceleration in high performance computer systems has a particular interest for many engineering and scientific applications in which a large number of arithmetic operations and transcendental functions must be computed. In this paper a hardware architecture for computing direct kinematics of robot manipulators with 5 degrees of freedom (5D.o.f) using floating-point arithmetic is presented for 32, 43, and 64 bit-width representations and it is implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The proposed architecture has been developed using several floating-point libraries for arithmetic and transcendental functions operators, allowing the designer to select (pre-synthesis) a suitable bit-width representation according to the accuracy and dynamic range, as well as the area, elapsed time and power consumption requirements of the application. Synthesis results demonstrate the effectiveness and high performance of the implemented cores on commercial FPGAs. Simulation results have been addressed in order to compute the Mean Square Error (MSE), using the Matlab as statistical estimator, validating the correct behavior of the implemented cores. Additionally, the processing time of the hardware architecture was compared with the same formulation implemented in software, using the PowerPC (FPGA embedded processor), demonstrating that the hardware architecture speeds-up by factor of 1298 the software implementation.
Theoretical Studies of Substitutionally Doped Single-Walled Nanotubes
Authors: Yeung Charles See , Chen Ya Kun , Wang Yan Alexander
Published: March 2011

The rich chemistry of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is enhanced by substitutional doping, a process in which a single atom of the nanotube sidewall is replaced by a heteroatom. These so-called heteroatom-substituted SWCNTs (HSWCNTs) exhibit unique chemical and physical properties not observed in their corresponding undoped congeners. Herein, we present theoretical studies of both main group element and transition metal-doped HSWCNTs. Within density functional theory (DFT), we discuss mechanistic details of their proposed synthesis from vacancy-defected SWCNTs and describe their geometric and electronic properties. Additionally, we propose applications for these nanomaterials in nanosensing, nanoelectronics, and nanocatalysis.
Common Coupled Fixed Point Theorems for Contractive Mappings in Fuzzy Metric Spaces
Authors: Hu Xin-Qi
Published: March 2011

We prove a common fixed point theorem for mappings under "Equation missing"-contractive conditions in fuzzy metric spaces. We also give an example to illustrate the theorem. The result is a genuine generalization of the corresponding result of S.Sedghi et al. (2010)
Alcohol Marketing, Drunkenness, and Problem Drinking among Zambian Youth: Findings from the 2004 Global School-Based Student Health Survey
Authors: Swahn Monica H. , Ali Bina , Palmier Jane B. , Sikazwe George , Mayeya John
Published: March 2011

This study examines the associations between alcohol marketing strategies, alcohol education including knowledge about dangers of alcohol and refusal of alcohol, and drinking prevalence, problem drinking, and drunkenness. Analyses are based on the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Zambia (2004) of students primarily 11 to 16 years of age (). Four statistical models were computed to test the associations between alcohol marketing and education and alcohol use, while controlling for possible confounding factors. Alcohol marketing, specifically through providing free alcohol through a company representative, was associated with drunkenness (AOR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.09–2.02) and problem drinking (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06–1.87) among youth after controlling for demographic characteristics, risky behaviors, and alcohol education. However, alcohol education was not associated with drunkenness or problem drinking. These findings underscore the importance of restricting alcohol marketing practices as an important policy strategy for reducing alcohol use and its dire consequences among vulnerable youth.
A New Strong Convergence Theorem for Equilibrium Problems and Fixed Point Problems in Banach Spaces
Authors: Nilsrakoo Weerayuth
Published: March 2011

We introduce a new iterative sequence for finding a common element of the set of fixed points of a relatively nonexpansive mapping and the set of solutions of an equilibrium problem in a Banach space. Then, we study the strong convergence of the sequences. With an appropriate setting, we obtain the corresponding results due to Takahashi-Takahashi and Takahashi-Zembayashi. Some of our results are established with weaker assumptions.
Ill Effects of Smoking: Baseline Knowledge among School Children and Implementation of the “AntE Tobacco” Project
Authors: Surani Salim , Reddy Raghu , Houlihan Amy E. , Parrish Brenda , Evans-Hudnall Gina L. , Guntupalli Kalpalatha
Published: March 2011

Introduction. Cigarette smoking contributes to the deaths of more than 400,000 Americans annually. Each day >3,000 children and adolescents become regular smokers. This paper details a new antitobacco educational program titled “AntE Tobacco”Method. Children in grades 1–3 were administered a 10-item questionnaire to ascertain their baseline knowledge about the ill effects of smoking, shown an educational cartoon video depicting the ill effects of tobacco, and given a story book based on the video. At the end of video, children were administered a questionnaire to determine short-term recall of the antitobacco educational objectives of the program. Four to 6 weeks later, the children were then administered a follow-up survey to determine long-term retention of the anti tobacco educational program.Result. Eighty two percent of the children answered the outcome questions correctly immediately following the video. At follow-up, 4–6 weeks later, 83% of children answered all questions correctly.Conclusion. The anti tobacco education program used in this study effectively conveyed most of the educational objectives. The results of this study indicate that a multimedia (i.e., video and book) educational program can be used to educate and reinforce anti tobacco messages. This program may be very useful as a part of a comprehensive anti tobacco curriculum in school systems.
Chromosomal Rearrangements in Post‐Chernobyl Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas: Evaluation by Spectral Karyotyping and Automated Interphase FISH
Authors: Hieber Ludwig , Huber Reinhard , Bauer Verena , Schäffner Quirin , Braselmann Herbert , Thomas Geraldine , Bogdanova Tatjana , Zitzelsberger Horst
Published: March 2011

Structural genomic rearrangements are frequent findings in human cancers. Therefore, papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) were investigated for chromosomal aberrations and rearrangements of the RET proto‐oncogene. For this purpose, primary cultures from 23 PTC have been established and metaphase preparations were analysed by spectral karyotyping (SKY). In addition, interphase cell preparations of the same cases were investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for the presence of RET/PTC rearrangements using RET‐specific DNA probes. SKY analysis of PTC revealed structural aberrations of chromosome 11 and several numerical aberrations with frequent loss of chromosomes 20, 21, and 22. FISH analysis for RET/PTC rearrangements showed prevalence of this rearrangement in 72% (16 out of 22) of cases. However, only subpopulations of tumour cells exhibited this rearrangement indicating genetic heterogeneity. The comparison of visual and automated scoring of FISH signals revealed concordant results in 19 out of 22 cases (87%) indicating reliable scoring results using the optimised scoring parameter for RET/PTC with the automated Metafer4 system. It can be concluded from this study that genomic rearrangements are frequent in PTC and therefore important events in thyroid carcinogenesis.
BrainNetVis: An Open-Access Tool to Effectively Quantify and Visualize Brain Networks
Authors: Christodoulou Eleni G. , Sakkalis Vangelis , Tsiaras Vassilis , Tollis Ioannis G.
Published: March 2011

This paper presents BrainNetVis, a tool which serves brain network modelling and visualization, by providing both quantitative and qualitative network measures of brain interconnectivity. It emphasizes the needs that led to the creation of this tool by presenting similar works in the field and by describing how our tool contributes to the existing scenery. It also describes the methods used for the calculation of the graph metrics (global network metrics and vertex metrics), which carry the brain network information. To make the methods clear and understandable, we use an exemplar dataset throughout the paper, on which the calculations and the visualizations are performed. This dataset consists of an alcoholic and a control group of subjects.
An FPGA-Based Adaptable 200 MHz Bandwidth Channel Sounder for Wireless Communication Channel Characterisation
Authors: Ndzi David L. , Stuart Kenneth , Toautachone Somboon , Yang Yanyan , Dunn Victor
Published: March 2011

This paper describes the development of a fast adaptable FPGA-based wideband channel sounder with signal bandwidths of up to 200 MHz and channel sampling rates up to 5.4 kHz. The application of FPGA allows the user to vary the number of real-time channel response averages, channel sampling interval, and duration of measurement. The waveform, bandwidth, and frequency resolution of the sounder can be adapted for any channel under investigation. The design approach and technology used has led to a reduction in size and weight by more than 60%. This makes the sounder ideal for mobile time-variant wireless communication channels studies. Averaging allows processing gains of up to 30 dB to be achieved for measurement in weak signal conditions. The technique applied also improves reliability, reduces power consumption, and has shifted sounder design complexity from hardware to software. Test results show that the sounder can detect very small-scale variations in channels.
Forward Field Computation with OpenMEEG
Authors: Gramfort Alexandre , Papadopoulo Théodore , Olivi Emmanuel , Clerc Maureen
Published: March 2011

To recover the sources giving rise to electro- and magnetoencephalography in individual measurements, realistic physiological modeling is required, and accurate numerical solutions must be computed. We present OpenMEEG, which solves the electromagnetic forward problem in the quasistatic regime, for head models with piecewise constant conductivity. The core of OpenMEEG consists of the symmetric Boundary Element Method, which is based on an extended Green Representation theorem. OpenMEEG is able to provide lead fields for four different electromagnetic forward problems: Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), and intracranial electric potentials (IPs). OpenMEEG is open source and multiplatform. It can be used from Python and Matlab in conjunction with toolboxes that solve the inverse problem; its integration within FieldTrip is operational since release 2.0.
Malaria Vaccine Development: Are Bacterial Flagellin Fusion Proteins the Bridge between Mouse and Humans?
Authors: Bargieri Daniel Y. , Soares Irene S. , Costa Fabio T. M. , Braga Catarina J. , Ferreira Luis C. S. , Rodrigues Mauricio M.
Published: March 2011

In the past 25 years, the development of an effective malaria vaccine has become one of the biggest riddles in the biomedical sciences. Experimental data using animal infection models demonstrated that it is possible to induce protective immunity against different stages of malaria parasites. Nonetheless, the vast body of knowledge has generated disappointments when submitted to clinical conditions and presently a single antigen formulation has progressed to the point where it may be translated into a human vaccine. In parallel, new means to increase the protective effects of antigens in general have been pursued and depicted, such as the use of bacterial flagellins as carriers/adjuvants. Flagellins activate pathways in the innate immune system of both mice and humans. The recent report of the first Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine containing aSalmonellaflagellin as carrier/adjuvant may fuel the use of these proteins in vaccine formulations. Herein, we review the studies on the use of recombinant flagellins as vaccine adjuvants with malarial antigens in the light of the current state of the art of malaria vaccine development. The available information indicates that bacterial flagellins should be seriously considered for malaria vaccine formulations to the development of effective human vaccines.
The Iterative Method of Generalized "Equation missing" -Concave Operators
Authors: Zhou Yanqiu , Sun Jingxian , Sun Jie
Published: March 2011

We define the concept of the generalized "Equation missing"-concave operators, which generalize the definition of the "Equation missing"-concave operators. By using the iterative method and the partial ordering method, we prove the existence and uniqueness of fixed points of this class of the operators. As an example of the application of our results, we show the existence and uniqueness of solutions to a class of the Hammerstein integral equations.
Functional Synergies yet Distinct Modulators Affected by Genetic Alterations in Common Human Cancers
Authors: Bessarabova Marina , Pustovalova Olga , Shi Weiwei , Serebriyskaya Tatiana , Ishkin Alex , Polyak Kornelia , Velculescu Victor E. , Nikolskaya Tatiana , Nikolsky Yuri
Published: March 2011

An important general concern in cancer research is how diverse genetic alterations and regulatory pathways can produce common signaling outcomes. In this study, we report the construction of cancer models that combine unique regulation and common signaling. We compared and functionally analyzed sets of genetic alterations, including somatic sequence mutations and copy number changes, in breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma that had been determined previously by global exon sequencing and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) array analyses in multiple patients. The genes affected by the different types of alterations were mostly unique in each cancer type, affected different pathways, and were connected with different transcription factors, ligands, and receptors. In our model, we show that distinct amplifications, deletions, and sequence alterations in each cancer resulted in common signaling pathways and transcription regulation. In functional clustering, the impact of the type of alteration was more pronounced than the impact of the kind of cancer. Several pathways such as TGF-β/SMAD signaling and PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) signaling were defined as synergistic (affected by different alterations in all four cancer types). Despite large differences at the genetic level, all data sets interacted with a common group of 65 “universal cancer genes” (UCG) comprising a concise network focused on proliferation/apoptosis balance and angiogenesis. Using unique nodal regulators (“overconnected” genes), UCGs, and synergistic pathways, the cancer models that we built could combine common signaling with unique regulation. Our findings provide a novel integrated perspective on the complex signaling and regulatory networks that underlie common human cancers. Cancer Res; 71(10); 3471–81. ©2011 AACR.
Deciphering the Molecular Events Necessary for Synergistic Tumor Cell Apoptosis Mediated by the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Vorinostat and the BH3 Mimetic ABT-737
Authors: Wiegmans Adrian P. , Alsop Amber E. , Bots Michael , Cluse Leonie A. , Williams Steven P. , Banks Kellie-Marie , Ralli Rachael , Scott Clare L. , Frenzel Anna , Villunger Andreas , Johnstone Ricky W.
Published: March 2011

The concept of personalized anticancer therapy is based on the use of targeted therapeutics through in-depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of action of these agents when used alone and in combination. We have identified the apoptotic proteins and pathways necessary for synergistic tumor cell apoptosis and in vivo antitumor responses seen when the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat is combined with the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 in lymphomas overexpressing Bcl-2. Vorinostat “primes” tumors overexpressing Bcl-2 for rapid ABT-737–mediated apoptosis by inducing expression of the BH3-only gene bmf. Moreover, these synergistic effects of vorinostat/ABT-737 were blunted in cells with an inactive p53 pathway or in cells lacking expression of the p53 target gene, noxa. These studies show the important and complex functional interaction between specific proapoptotic BH3-only proteins and the BH3-mimetic compound ABT-737 and provide the most comprehensive functional link between tumor genotype and the apoptotic and therapeutic effects of HDACi combined with ABT-737. Cancer Res; 71(10); 3603–15. ©2011 AACR.