bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting lactoferrin concentration in human milk: how much do we know?
Authors: Villavicencio Aasith , Rueda Maria S. , Turin Christie G. , Ochoa Theresa J.
Published: August 2016

Lactoferrin (LF) is a breast milk glycoprotein with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Its beneficial properties in infants, especially in those born preterm, are currently being studied in clinical trials. However, the maternal and nursing infant factors that may affect LF concentration in breast milk are still not clear. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the factors that may affect the concentration of LF in breast milk. We used a 2-step approach to identify the eligible studies according to inclusion/exclusion criteria, and to determine which studies would be considered. We included 70 qualified articles from 29 countries with publication dates ranging from 1976 to 2015. We described the correlation between LF concentration in breast milk and lactation stage; 10 maternal factors, such as race, parity, among others; and 2 infant factors: infections and prematurity. Colostrum has the highest LF levels, but they decrease with days postpartum. No other factor has been consistently associated with LF concentration. A major limitation of the majority of the published studies is the small sample size and the different methods used to measure LF concentration. Therefore, there is a need for large, multicenter studies with standardized study design, sample collection, and LF measurement methods to identify clinically significant factors associated with LF expression in breast milk, which will help promote exclusive breastfeeding in preterm infants.
Hydrological responses and stability analysis of shallow slopes with cohesionless soil subjected to continuous rainfall
Authors: Chinkulkijniwat Avirut , Yubonchit Somjai , Horpibulsuk Suksun , Jothityangkoon Chatchai , Jeeptaku Cholticha , Arulrajah Arul
Published: August 2016

Understanding the hydrological and physical responses of shallow slopes subject to rainfall events is vital for the efficiency of a warning system setup. In this research, a series of experiments were undertaken to evaluate the hydrological responses of shallow slopes of varying steepness and when subjected to varying intensities, periods, and inter-storm periods of rainfall. An analysis of infinite slopes was also undertaken to develop a fundamental understanding of rainfall-induced shallow slope failure characteristics. The hydrological and physical responses were characterized in the infiltration and saturation phases. During the infiltration phase, the maximum magnitude of water content was found behind the wetting front, termed as the water content behind the wetting front (θwb). For a certain soil type, the magnitude of θwb was found to be dependent on the magnitude of rainfall intensity, regardless of the slope gradient and initial water content. Based on the relative depth of the failure plane, the failure can be categorized by three prime modes: (i) along the impervious layer mode, (ii) shallow depth mode, and (iii) transitional mode. These modes can be characterized by the magnitude of a stability index termed as [Formula: see text] ratio. An infiltration index, termed as i/ks ratio, was found to play a role in the depth of the failure plane only for the transitional mode.
Heterogeneous edge weights promote epidemic diffusion in weighted evolving networks
Authors: Duan Wei , Song Zhichao , Qiu Xiaogang
Published: August 2016

The impact that the heterogeneities of links’ weights have on epidemic diffusion in weighted networks has received much attention. Investigating how heterogeneous edge weights affect epidemic spread is helpful for disease control. In this paper, we study a Reed–Frost epidemic model in weighted evolving networks. Our results indicate that a higher heterogeneity of edge weights leads to higher epidemic prevalence and epidemic incidence at earlier stage of epidemic diffusion in weighted evolving networks. In addition, weighted evolving scale-free networks come with a higher epidemic prevalence and epidemic incidence than unweighted scale-free networks.
Solving Intuitionistic Fuzzy Solid Transportation Problem Via New Ranking Method Based on Signed Distance
Authors: Aggarwal Shashi , Gupta Chavi
Published: August 2016

In this paper, signed distance of Symmetrical Intuitionistic Fuzzy Numbers (SIFNs) is introduced. Based on this signed distance and the crisp ranking system on real numbers, a new ranking system for SIFNs is defined, which seems to be very realistic. To illustrate the applicability and suitability of the proposed ranking method and to deal with ambiguity and imprecision, one of the vital mathematical programming problem viz. Solid Transportation Problem (STP) is formulated in intuitionistic fuzzy environment. A new method has been proposed to compute initial basic feasible solution for the same. Also the significance of the proposed approach over existing methods is illustrated. Finally numerical examples are solved to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Fuzzy Models and Resolution Methods for Covering Location Problems: an Annotated Bibliography
Authors: Guzmáan Virgilio C. , Masegosa Antonio D. , Pelta David A. , Verdegay José L.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, the literature associated with the covering location problems addressing uncertainty under a fuzzy approach is reviewed. Specifically, the papers related to the most commonly applied models such as set covering location problem, maximal covering location problem, and hub covering location problem are examined. An annotated bibliography is presented in which such papers have been classified according to the following criteria: the fuzzy items considered in the proposed model, the type of problem addressed, the fuzzy approach applied, the method of resolution, and field of application considered. This research provides useful information that helps to identify some opportunities for the application of fuzzy approaches to the covering location problems.
Numerical Simulations Using TVD Schemes of Two-Dimensional Supersonic Flow in Chemical Equilibrium
Authors: Saldía J. , Elaskar S. , Tamagno J.
Published: July 2016

A numerical scheme for the solution of both unsteady and steady-state, two-dimensional Euler equations considering gas in chemical equilibrium, is presented. Three alternatives of the Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) Harten–Yee scheme are implemented. One of them is a technique based on the adaptive use of different limiter functions in each wave of the inter-cell Riemann problem. With this technique, the undesirable effects of the artificial viscosity on the capture of contact discontinuities are reduced, without loss of robustness in nonlinear waves resolution. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed scheme, results of the unsteady flow in cylindrical explosions, and of the steady-state solution of hypersonic flow over a blunt body, are presented. Finally, comparisons considering accuracy of results and convergence properties between the three Harten–Yee schemes are carried out.
TRANSFER REVENUES OF RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS (RTOs) IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
Authors: THURNER THOMAS WOLFGANG
Published: August 2016

Profit-oriented transfer activities have become a center piece of STI policies. There is little understanding tough of how companies facing financial headwind re-adjust their knowledge transfer activities in the light of economic downturn. This paper studies influence factors for transfer revenues during the years 2009, 2010 and 2012 in around 1000 Russian Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs). The data shows that in times of crisis, quality-related variables like scientific papers, patents or successful application for competitive research funds were no longer positively correlated to transfer revenues. Also recruitment strategies or long-standing relationships between customer organizations and RTOs had no influence. The paper concludes that RTOs are in a very weak position if economic outlooks are darkening and require public financial support to maintain their ability to continuously provide their services once until the economy will recovers.
FACING THE HUNGRY TIDE: CLIMATE CHANGE, LIVELIHOOD THREATS, AND HOUSEHOLD RESPONSES IN COASTAL BANGLADESH
Authors: DASGUPTA SUSMITA , MOQBUL HOSSAIN MD. , HUQ MAINUL , WHEELER DAVID
Published: August 2016

This paper quantifies the impacts of inundation risk and soil salinization on the family structure and income of coastal households in Bangladesh. The analysis is based on a household decision model that relates spatial deployment of working-age, migration-capable members to inundation and salinization threats. The empirical analysis uses appropriate estimation techniques, including adjustments for spatial autocorrelation. The findings are consistent with a model that treats urban migration of working-age family members as both an income source and the only feasible form of disaster insurance for coastal households. Greater inundation risk unambiguously decreases the rural household share of working-age members, while the direction of the salinity effect depends on households’ income elasticity of demand for disaster insurance. The econometric results suggest that this elasticity is significantly greater than one, yielding higher rural household shares of working-age members in areas with higher salinity (ceteris paribus). Both increased inundation risk and greater salinity increase the incidence of extreme poverty among coastal households. However, powerful poverty reduction results for market access indicate that road improvements would provide an important countervailing force. The benefits of increased market access for coastal households are present with or without inundation and salinization threats, making such investments an attractive no-regret option.
The Design and Formalization of Mezzo, a Permission-Based Programming Language
Authors: Balabonski Thibaut , Pottier François , Protzenko Jonathan
Published: August 2016

The programming language Mezzo is equipped with a rich type system that controls aliasing and access to mutable memory. We give a comprehensive tutorial overview of the language. Then we present a modular formalization of Mezzo’s core type system, in the form of a concurrent λ-calculus, which we successively extend with references, locks, and adoption and abandon, a novel mechanism that marries Mezzo’s static ownership discipline with dynamic ownership tests. We prove that well-typed programs do not go wrong and are data-race free. Our definitions and proofs are machine checked.
MTSS -- A Marine Traffic Simulation System and Scenario Studies for a Major Hub Port
Authors: Huang Shell Ying , Hsu Wen Jing , Fang Hui , Song Tiancheng
Published: August 2016

Hub ports need to ensure that their navigational networks can fulfill increased demand in marine traffic. They also need to assess the possible impacts of an accident resulting in partial or complete closure of navigation channels. For lack of adequate analytical tools, modeling and simulation are the only means for such studies. To date, however, no adequate simulation tool exists for modeling and simulating the complex traffic at a large-scale hub port. The challenge is to efficiently model the large number of interacting vessels while accurately reflecting the navigational behaviors of various types of vessels whose movements must comply with prevailing protocols in a location- and situation-aware fashion. We present a systematic approach that enables the construction of a marine traffic simulation system called MTSS. MTSS was calibrated based on detailed analysis of historical records obtained from a major hub port, and it was validated by the domain experts. MTSS was used in a capacity study of marine traffic at a hub port that is unique in the scale and complexity of its waterway networks, the intricacies of its traffic patterns, and the required accuracy of the navigational behaviors of different types of vessels. The usefulness of MTSS is further demonstrated by applying it to assess the impacts of partial closure of a waterway under an emergency scenario. For large-scale hub ports, MTSS now opens up new possibilities of realistic scenario studies and disruption management.
A Survey of Recent Prefetching Techniques for Processor Caches
Authors: Mittal Sparsh
Published: August 2016

As the trends of process scaling make memory systems an even more crucial bottleneck, the importance of latency hiding techniques such as prefetching grows further. However, naively using prefetching can harm performance and energy efficiency and, hence, several factors and parameters need to be taken into account to fully realize its potential. In this article, we survey several recent techniques that aim to improve the implementation and effectiveness of prefetching. We characterize the techniques on several parameters to highlight their similarities and differences. The aim of this survey is to provide insights to researchers into working of prefetching techniques and spark interesting future work for improving the performance advantages of prefetching even further.
Approximation Algorithms for Movement Repairmen
Authors: Hajiaghayi Mohammad Taghi , Khandekar Rohit , Khani Mohammad Reza , Kortsarz Guy
Published: August 2016

In the
Movement Repairmen (MR)
problem, we are given a metric space (
V
,
d
) along with a set
R
of
k
repairmen
r
1
,
r
2
, …,

r
k

with their start depots
s
1
,
s
2
, …,

s
k

∈
V
and speeds
v
1
,
v
2
, …,

v
k

⩾ 0, respectively, and a set
C
of
m
clients
c
1
,
c
2
, …,

c
m

having start locations
s
′
1
,
s
′
2
, …,
s
′

m

∈
V
and speeds
v
′
1
,
v
′
2
, …,
v
′

m

⩾ 0, respectively. If
t
is the earliest time a client

c
j

is collocated with any repairman (say,

r
i

) at a node
u
, we say that the client is served by

r
i

at
u
and that its latency is
t
. The objective in the (S
um
-MR) problem is to plan the movements for all repairmen and clients to minimize the sum (average) of the clients’ latencies. The motivation for this problem comes, for example, from Amazon Locker Delivery [Amazon 2010] and USPS gopost [Service 2010]. We give the first
O
(log
n
)-approximation algorithm for the S
um
-MR problem. In order to approximate S
um
-MR, we formulate an LP for the problem and bound its integrality gap. Our LP has exponentially many variables; therefore, we need a separation oracle for the dual LP. This separation oracle is an instance of the Neighborhood Prize Collecting Steiner Tree (NPCST) problem in which we want to find a tree with weight at most
L
collecting the maximum profit from the clients by visiting at least one node from their neighborhoods. The NPCST problem, even with the possibility to violate both the tree weight and neighborhood radii, is still very hard to approximate. We deal with this difficulty by using LP with geometrically increasing segments of the timeline, and by giving a
tricriteria
approximation for the problem. The rounding needs a relatively involved analysis. We give a constant approximation algorithm for S
um
-MR in Euclidean Space where the speed of the clients differs by a constant factor. We also give a constant approximation for the makespan variant.
CURA
Authors: Lin Chun-Han , Kang Chih-Kai , Hsiu Pi-Cheng
Published: August 2016

Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology is regarded as a promising alternative to mobile displays. In this article, we introduce the design, algorithm, and implementation of a novel framework called CURA for quality-retaining power saving on mobile OLED displays. First, we link human visual attention to OLED power saving and model the OLED image scaling optimization problem. The objective is to minimize the power required to display an image without adversely impacting the user’s visual experience. Then, we present the algorithm used to solve the modeled problem, and prove its optimality even without an accurate power model. Finally, based on the framework, we implement two practical applications on a commercial OLED mobile tablet. The results of experiments conducted on the tablet with real images demonstrate that CURA can reduce significant OLED power consumption while retaining the visual quality of images.
JOM
Authors: Wu Chin-Hsien , Chen Syuan-An
Published: August 2016

In the storage systems of NAND flash memory, an intermediate software called a Flash Translation Layer (FTL) is adopted to hide the characteristics of NAND flash memory and provide efficient management for NAND flash memory. Current flash translation layers can be classified into a page-mapping FTL, a block-mapping FTL, and a hybrid-mapping FTL. In order to utilize the advantages of the page-mapping FTL and the block-mapping FTL, the hybrid-mapping FTL is proposed to store data to the appropriate mapping mechanism by switching the mapping information between the page-mapping mechanism and the block-mapping mechanism. In the article, we propose a joint operation mechanism to rethink the advantages of the page-mapping FTL, the block-mapping FTL, and the hybrid-mapping FTL. With the joint operation mechanism, a flash translation layer can consider the main memory requirements, improve the system performance, and reduce the garbage collection overhead. The experimental results show that the proposed joint operation mechanism can achieve the goal under realistic workloads and benchmarks.
On Computing Maximal Independent Sets of Hypergraphs in Parallel
Authors: Bercea Ioana O. , Goyal Navin , Harris David G. , Srinivasan Aravind
Published: August 2016

Whether or not the problem of finding maximal independent sets (MIS) in hypergraphs is in (R)NC is one of the fundamental problems in the theory of parallel computing. Essentially, the challenge is to design (randomized) algorithms in which the number of processors used is polynomial and the (expected) runtime is polylogarithmic in the size of the input. Unlike the well-understood case of MIS in graphs, for the hypergraph problem, our knowledge is quite limited despite considerable work. It is known that the problem is in RNC when the edges of the hypergraph have constant size. For general hypergraphs with
n
vertices and
m
edges, the fastest previously known algorithm works in time
O
(√
n
) with poly(
m,n
) processors. In this article, we give an EREW PRAM randomized algorithm that works in time
n

o
(1)

with
O
(
n
+
mlog n
) processors on general hypergraphs satisfying
m
≤
n

o
(1) log log
n
/log log log
n

. We also give an EREW PRAM deterministic algorithm that runs in time
n
ϵ
on a graph with
m
≤
n
1/δ
edges, for any constants δ, ϵ; the number of processors is polynomial in
m, n
for a fixed choice of δ, ϵ. Our algorithms are based on a sampling idea that reduces the dimension of the hypergraph and employs the algorithm for constant dimension hypergraphs as a subroutine.
Audio Masking Effect on Inter-Component Skews in Olfaction-Enhanced Multimedia Presentations
Authors: Ademoye Oluwakemi A. , Murray Niall , Muntean Gabriel-Miro , Ghinea Gheorghita
Published: August 2016

Media-rich content plays a vital role in consumer applications today, as these applications try to find new and interesting ways to engage their users. Video, audio, and the more traditional forms of media content continue to dominate with respect to the use of media content to enhance the user experience. Tactile interactivity has also now become widely popular in modern computing applications, while our olfactory and gustatory senses continue to have a limited role. However, in recent times, there have been significant advancements regarding the use of olfactory media content (i.e., smell), and there are a variety of devices now available to enable its computer-controlled emission. This paper explores the impact of the audio stream on user perception of olfactory-enhanced video content in the presence of skews between the olfactory and video media. This research uses the results from two experimental studies of user-perceived quality of olfactory-enhanced multimedia, where audio was present and absent, respectively. Specifically, the paper shows that the user Quality of Experience (QoE) is generally higher in the absence of audio for nearly perfect synchronized olfactory-enhanced multimedia presentations (i.e., an olfactory media skew of between {−10,+10s}); however, for greater olfactory media skews (ranging between {−30s;−10s} and {+10s, +30s}) user QoE is higher when the audio stream is present. It can be concluded that the presence of the audio has the ability to mask larger synchronization skews between the other media components in olfaction-enhanced multimedia presentations.
Field Effect Deep Networks for Image Recognition with Incomplete Data
Authors: Zhong Sheng-Hua , Liu Yan , Hua Kien A.
Published: August 2016

Image recognition with incomplete data is a well-known hard problem in computer vision and machine learning. This article proposes a novel deep learning technique called Field Effect Bilinear Deep Networks (FEBDN) for this problem. To address the difficulties of recognizing incomplete data, we design a novel second-order deep architecture with the Field Effect Restricted Boltzmann Machine, which models the reliability of the delivered information according to the availability of the features. Based on this new architecture, we propose a new three-stage learning procedure with field effect bilinear initialization, field effect abstraction and estimation, and global fine-tuning with missing features adjustment. By integrating the reliability of features into the new learning procedure, the proposed FEBDN can jointly determine the classification boundary and estimate the missing features. FEBDN has demonstrated impressive performance on recognition and estimation tasks in various standard datasets.
Agnostic Learning in Permutation-Invariant Domains
Authors: Wimmer Karl
Published: August 2016

We generalize algorithms from computational learning theory that are successful under the uniform distribution on the Boolean hypercube {0, 1}

n

to algorithms successful on permutation-invariant distributions, distributions that stay invariant constant on permutating the coordinates in the instances. While the tools in our generalization mimic those used for the Boolean hypercube, the fact that permutation-invariant distributions are not product distributions presents a significant obstacle.

We prove analogous results for permutation-invariant distributions; more generally, we work in the domain of the symmetric group. We define noise sensitivity in this setting and show that noise sensitivity has a nice combinatorial interpretation in terms of Young tableaux. The main technical innovations involve techniques from the representation theory of the symmetric group, especially the combinatorics of Young tableaux. We show that low noise sensitivity implies concentration on “simple” components of the Fourier spectrum and that this fact will allow us to agnostically learn halfspaces under permutation-invariant distributions to constant accuracy in roughly the same time as in the uniform distribution over the Boolean hypercube case.
Improved Approximation Algorithms for Matroid and Knapsack Median Problems and Applications
Authors: Swamy Chaitanya
Published: August 2016

We consider the
matroid median
problem [Krishnaswamy et al. 2011], wherein we are given a set of facilities with opening costs and a matroid on the facility-set, and clients with demands and connection costs, and we seek to open an independent set of facilities and assign clients to open facilities so as to minimize the sum of the facility-opening and client-connection costs. We give a simple 8-approximation algorithm for this problem based on LP-rounding, which improves upon the 16-approximation in Krishnaswamy et al. [2011]. We illustrate the power and versatility of our techniques by deriving (a) an 8-approximation for the
two-matroid median
problem, a generalization of matroid median that we introduce involving two matroids; and (b) a 24-approximation algorithm for
matroid median with penalties
, which is a vast improvement over the 360-approximation obtained in Krishnaswamy et al. [2011]. We show that a variety of seemingly disparate facility-location problems considered in the literature—data placement problem, mobile facility location,
k
-median forest, metric uniform minimum-latency Uncapacitated Facility Location (UFL)—in fact reduce to the matroid median or two-matroid median problems, and thus obtain
improved
approximation guarantees for all these problems. Our techniques also yield an improvement for the knapsack median problem.
Open source model and simulator for real-time performance analysis of automotive network security
Authors: Mundhenk Philipp , Mrowca Artur , Steinhorst Sebastian , Lukasiewycz Martin , Fahmy Suhaib A. , Chakraborty Samarjit
Published: August 2016

With the increasing interconnection of vehicles, security challenges have moved into focus. Attacks on in-vehicle networks can cause accidents resulting in financial damages and even loss of life. The impact of an attack can be mitigated by secure internal vehicle networks, employing authentication of ECUs and authorization of messages. However, quantifying the real-time performance of additional security measures is difficult due to the high number of nodes and messages. In this paper, we present an open source model and simulator for the evaluation of the real-time performance of automotive networks implementing security measures. Applying parameters from hardware measurements, we evaluate our model and simulator with realistic test cases and a case study. We further present application perspectives on how the open source simulator can be used in different domains for the analysis of automotive network architectures.
Distributed processing for automotive data stream management system on mixed single- and multi-core processors
Authors: Rho Jaeyong , Azumi Takuya , Oyama Hiroshi , Sato Kenya , Nishio Nobuhiko
Published: August 2016

Modern automotive systems incorporate a range of data from on-board sensors and outside the vehicle. This results in complex data processing and rising software development costs. To address these issues, we investigated the adaptation of a general-purpose data stream management system (DSMS) use in automotive applications. Existing DSMSs cannot be applied directly in automotive systems, since they are not designed for stream processing in a distributed environment with an architecture of mixed single- and multi-core processors. This makes it difficult to optimize the placement of communicating entities on multiple processors when the parallel processing of massive amounts of streamed data is required. In this study, we investigated distributed and parallel stream processing on mixed single- and multi-core processors for an automotive DSMS. To extend the automotive DSMS in a distributed environment and facilitate the testing of the real-time constraints of stream processing on the various placements of entities, we designed a framework to automatically generate execution files on multiple processors. Our experimental results validated an architecture of mixed single- and multi-core processors and demonstrated the effectiveness of the framework.
Towards compositional mixed-criticality real-time scheduling in open systems
Authors: Lee Jaewoo , Chwa Hoon Sung , Easwaran Arvind , Shin Insik , Lee Insup
Published: August 2016

Although many cyber-physical systems are both mixed-criticality system and compositional system, there are little work on intersection of mixed-criticality system and compositional system. We propose novel concepts for task-level criticality-mode and reconsider temporal isolation in terms of compositional mixed-criticality scheduling.
Green tea (−)-epigallocatechin gallate inhibits the growth of human villous trophoblasts via the ERK, p38, AMP-activated protein kinase, and protein kinase B pathways
Authors: Shih Li-Jane , Chen Tz-Fang , Lin Cheng-Kuo , Liu Hang-Shen , Kao Yung-Hsi
Published: August 2016

Green tea catechins, especially (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), have been reported to circulate in the placenta of animals and blood of humans after consumption. Whether EGCG regulates activity of human villous trophoblasts (HVT) is unknown. This study investigated the pathways involved in EGCG modulation of trophoblast mitogenesis. EGCG inhibited trophoblast proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner, as indicated by the number of cells and incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). EGCG was more effective than other green tea catechins in inhibiting cell growth. EGCG also increased the phosphorylation of the MAPK pathway proteins, ERK1/2, and p38, but not JNK. Furthermore, EGCG had no effects on the total amounts of ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and JNK proteins. This suggests that EGCG selectively affects particular MAPK subfamilies. Pretreatment with specific inhibitors of ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) antagonized EGCG-induced decreases in both cell number and BrdU incorporation. These inhibitors also blocked EGCG-induced increases in the levels of phospho-ERK1/2, phospho-p38, and phospho-AMPK proteins, respectively. Moreover, EGCG was similar to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002 to decrease protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation, cell number, and BrdU incorporation. These data imply that EGCG inhibits the growth of HVT through the ERK, p38, AMPK, and AKT pathways.
Activation of Nrf2 contributes to the protective effect of Exendin-4 against angiotensin II-induced vascular smooth muscle cell senescence
Authors: Zhou Tengfei , Zhang Mengqian , Zhao Liang , Li Aiqin , Qin Xiaomei
Published: August 2016

Oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense are believed to be contributors to the cardiovascular aging process. The transcription factor nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) plays a key role in orchestrating cellular antioxidant defenses and maintaining redox homeostasis. Our previous study showed that Exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, alleviates angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) senescence by inhibiting Rac1 activation via cAMP/PKA (Zhao L, Li AQ, Zhou TF, Zhang MQ, Qin XM. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 307: C1130–C1141, 2014). The objective of this study is to investigate if Nrf2 mediates the antisenescent effect of Exendin-4 in ANG II-induced VSMCs. Here we report that Exendin-4 triggered Nrf2 nuclear translocation, a downstream target of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) and expressions of antioxidant genes heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, knock-down of Nrf2 attenuated the inhibitory effects of Exendin-4 on ANG II-induced superoxidant generation and VSMC senescence. PKA/CREB pathway participated in the upregulations of HO-1 and NQO-1 induced by Exendin-4. Notably, our study revealed that Exendin-4 dose-dependently increased the acetylation of Nrf2 and the recruitment of transcriptional coactivator CREB binding protein (CBP) to Nrf2. The Exendin-4-induced Nrf2 transactivation was diminished in the presence of CBP small interfering RNA. Microscope imaging of Nrf2, as well as immunoblotting for Nrf2, showed that the Exendin-4-evoked Nrf2 acetylation favored its nuclear retention. Importantly, CBP silencing attenuated the suppressing effects of Exendin-4 on ANG II-induced VSMC senescence and superoxidant production. In conclusion, these results provide a mechanistic insight into how Nrf2 signaling mediates the antisenescent and antioxidative effects induced by Exendin-4 in VSMCs.
A long noncoding RNA signature for ulcerative colitis identifies IFNG-AS1 as an enhancer of inflammation
Authors: Padua David , Mahurkar-Joshi Swapna , Law Ivy Ka Man , Polytarchou Christos , Vu John P. , Pisegna Joseph R. , Shih David , Iliopoulos Dimitrios , Pothoulakis Charalabos
Published: August 2016

High-throughput technologies revealed new categories of genes, including the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), involved in the pathogenesis of human disease; however, the role of lncRNAs in the ulcerative colitis (UC) has not been evaluated. Gene expression profiling was used to develop lncRNA signatures in UC samples. Jurkat T cells were activated by PMA/ionomycin subsequently interferon-γ (IFNG) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α protein levels were assessed by ELISA. Anti-sense molecules were designed to block IFNG-AS1 expression. A unique set of lncRNAs was differentially expressed between UC and control samples. Of these, IFNG-AS1 was among the highest statistically significant lncRNAs (fold change: 5.27, P value: 7.07E−06). Bioinformatic analysis showed that IFNG-AS1 was associated with the IBD susceptibility loci SNP rs7134599 and its genomic location is adjacent to the inflammatory cytokine IFNG. In mouse models of colitis, active colitis samples had increased colonic expression of this lncRNA. Utilizing the Jurkat T cell model, we found IFNG-AS1 to positively regulate IFNG expression. Novel lncRNA signatures differentiate UC patients with active disease, patients in remission, and control subjects. A subset of these lncRNAs was found to be associated with the clinically validated IBD susceptibility loci. IFNG-AS1 was one of these differentially expressed lncRNAs in UC patients and found to regulate the key inflammatory cytokine, IFNG, in CD4 T cells. Taking these findings together, our study revealed novel lncRNA signatures deregulated in UC and identified IFNG-AS1 as a novel regulator of IFNG inflammatory responses, suggesting the potential importance of noncoding RNA mechanisms on regulation of inflammatory bowel disease-related inflammatory responses.
No difference in exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during exercise in children with and without impaired glucose tolerance
Authors: Chu Lisa , Morrison Katherine M. , Riddell Michael C. , Raha Sandeep , Timmons Brian W.
Published: August 2016

The capacity to match carbohydrate (CHO) utilization with availability is impaired in insulin-resistant, obese adults at rest. Understanding exogenous carbohydrate (CHOexo) oxidation during exercise and its association to insulin resistance (IR) is important, especially in children at risk for type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to examine the oxidative efficiency of CHOexo during exercise in obese children with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Children attended two visits and were identified as NGT ( n = 22) or IGT ( n = 12) based on 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) glucose levels of <7.8 mmol/l or ≥7.8 mmol/l, respectively. Anthropometry, body composition, and aerobic fitness (V̇o2max) were assessed. Insulin and glucose at baseline, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min during the OGTT were used to calculate measures of insulin sensitivity. On a separate day, a 13C-enriched CHO drink was ingested before exercise (3 × 20 min bouts) at 45% V̇o2max. Breath measurements were collected to calculate CHOexo oxidative efficiency. CHOexo oxidative efficiency during exercise was similar in IGT (17.0 ± 3.6%) compared with NGT (17.1 ± 4.4%) ( P = 0.90) despite lower whole body insulin sensitivity in IGT at rest ( P = 0.02). Area under the curve for insulin (AUCins) measured at rest during the OGTT was greater in IGT compared with NGT ( P = 0.04). The ability of skeletal muscle to utilize CHOexo was not impaired during exercise in children with IGT.
Spatial spread of local field potential is band-pass in the primary visual cortex
Authors: Dubey Agrita , Ray Supratim
Published: August 2016

Local field potential (LFP) is a valuable tool in understanding brain function and in brain machine-interfacing applications. However, there is no consensus on the spatial extent of the cortex that contributes to the LFP (its “spatial spread”), with different studies reporting values between a few hundred micrometers and several millimeters. Furthermore, the dependency of the spatial spread on frequency, which could reflect properties of the network architecture and extracellular medium, is not well studied, with theory and models predicting either “all-pass” (frequency-independent) or “low-pass” behavior. Surprisingly, we found the LFP spread to be “band-pass” in the primate primary visual cortex, with the greatest spread in the high-gamma range (60–150 Hz). This was accompanied by an increase in phase coherency across neighboring sites in the same frequency range, consistent with the findings of a recent model that reconciles previous studies by suggesting that spatial spread depends on neuronal correlations.
Platelets in Pulmonary Immune Responses and Inflammatory Lung Diseases
Authors: Middleton Elizabeth A. , Weyrich Andrew S. , Zimmerman Guy A.
Published: August 2016

Platelets are essential for physiological hemostasis and are central in pathological thrombosis. These are their traditional and best known activities in health and disease. In addition, however, platelets have specializations that broaden their functional repertoire considerably. These functional capabilities, some of which are recently discovered, include the ability to sense and respond to infectious and immune signals and to act as inflammatory effector cells. Human platelets and platelets from mice and other experimental animals can link the innate and adaptive limbs of the immune system and act across the immune continuum, often also linking immune and hemostatic functions. Traditional and newly recognized facets of the biology of platelets are relevant to defensive, physiological immune responses of the lungs and to inflammatory lung diseases. The emerging view of platelets as blood cells that are much more diverse and versatile than previously thought further predicts that additional features of the biology of platelets and of megakaryocytes, the precursors of platelets, will be discovered and that some of these will also influence pulmonary immune defenses and inflammatory injury.
Social Determinants of Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Related Lifestyle and Behaviors among Urban Men in China: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Wang Yan , Chen Chen , Zhu Changcai , Chen Liang , Han Qingrong , Ye Huarong
Published: August 2016

Purpose.In order to find key risk factors of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) among urban men in China, an age-matched case-control study was performed from September 2012 to May 2013 in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.Methodology.A total of 279 patients and 558 controls were recruited in this study. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire, including demographics, diet and lifestyle, psychological status, and a physical exam. Conditional logistic regression model was used to analyze collected data.Results.Chemical factors exposure, night shift, severity of mood, and poor self-health cognition were entered into the regression model, and result displayed that these four factors had odds ratios of 1.929 (95% CI, 1.321–2.819), 1.456 (95% CI, 1.087–1.949), 1.619 (95% CI, 1.280–2.046), and 1.304 (95% CI, 1.094–1.555), respectively, which suggested that these four factors could significantly affect CP/CPPS.Conclusion.These results suggest that many factors affect CP/CPPS, including biological, social, and psychological factors.
Operator Influence on Blinded Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Antigen Testing for Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis
Authors: Penney Carla , Porter Robert , O’Brien Mary , Daley Peter
Published: August 2016

Background. Acute pharyngitis caused by Group AStreptococcus(GAS) is a common presentation to pediatric emergency departments (ED). Diagnosis with conventional throat culture requires 18–24 hours, which prevents point-of-care treatment decisions. Rapid antigen detection tests (RADT) are faster, but previous reports demonstrate significant operator influence on performance.Objective. To measure operator influence on the diagnostic accuracy of a RADT when performed by pediatric ED nurses and clinical microbiology laboratory technologists, using conventional culture as the reference standard.Methods. Children presenting to a pediatric ED with suspected acute pharyngitis were recruited. Three pharyngeal swabs were collected at once. One swab was used to perform the RADT in the ED, and two were sent to the clinical microbiology laboratory for RADT and conventional culture testing.Results. The RADT when performed by technologists compared to nurses had a 5.1% increased sensitivity (81.4% versus 76.3%) (p=0.791) (95% CI for difference between technologists and nurses = −11% to +21%) but similar specificity (97.7% versus 96.6%).Conclusion. The performance of the RADT was similar between technologists and ED nurses, although adequate power was not achieved. RADT may be employed in the ED without clinically significant loss of sensitivity.
Investigation of the Cell Surface Proteome of Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells
Authors: Xiong Jimin , Menicanin Danijela , Zilm Peter S. , Marino Victor , Bartold P. Mark , Gronthos Stan
Published: August 2016

The present study examined the cell surface proteome of human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSC) compared to human fibroblasts. Cell surface proteins were prelabelled with CyDye before processing to extract the membrane lysates, which were separated using 2D electrophoresis. Selected differentially expressed protein “spots” were identified using Mass spectrometry. Four proteins were selected for validation: CD73, CD90, Annexin A2, and sphingosine kinase 1 previously associated with mesenchymal stem cells. Flow cytometric analysis found that CD73 and CD90 were highly expressed by human PDLSC and gingival fibroblasts but not by keratinocytes, indicating that these antigens could be used as potential markers for distinguishing between mesenchymal cells and epithelial cell populations. Annexin A2 was also found to be expressed at low copy number on the cell surface of human PDLSC and gingival fibroblasts, while human keratinocytes lacked any cell surface expression of Annexin A2. In contrast, sphingosine kinase 1 expression was detected in all the cell types examined using immunocytochemical analysis. These proteomic studies form the foundation to further define the cell surface protein expression profile of PDLSC in order to better characterise this cell population and help develop novel strategies for the purification of this stem cell population.
Application of Nuclear Analytical Techniques in Elemental Characterization of Wadi El-Nakhil Alabaster, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt
Authors: Alamoudi Zain M. , El-Taher A.
Published: August 2016

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) is a powerful technique for trace element determination in rocks. Nine alabaster samples were collected from Wadi El-Nakhil located at the intersection of lat. 26°10′50′′N and long. 34°03′40′′E, central Eastern Desert, Egypt, for investigation by INAA and Energy Depressive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The samples were irradiated by thermal neutrons at the TRIGA Mainz research reactor at a neutron flux of 7 × 1011 n/cm2·s. Twenty-two elements were determined, namely, As, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Sc, Fe, Hf, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, U, Zn, Zr, Lu, Ce, Sm, La, Yb, and Eu. The chemical analysis of alabaster indicated having high contents of CaO and MgO and LOI and low contents of SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, MnO, and Fe2O3.
Influenza Vaccination among Pregnant Women: Patient Beliefs and Medical Provider Practices
Authors: Stark Lauren M. , Power Michael L. , Turrentine Mark , Samelson Renee , Siddiqui Maryam M. , Paglia Michael J. , Strassberg Emmie R. , Kelly Elizabeth , Murtough Katie L. , Schulkin Jay
Published: July 2016

ACOG’s research department recruited four medical centers to participate in a study on the attitudes and practices of medical providers and pregnant patients regarding influenza vaccination. Medical providers and patients were given voluntary surveys and medical record data was collected over two flu seasons, from 2013 to 2015. Discrepancies between self-reports of medical providers and patients and medical records were observed. Nearly 80% of patients self-reported accepting the influenza vaccine, but medical record data only reported 36% of patients accepting the vaccine. Similarly, all medical providers reported giving recommendations for the vaccine, but only 85% of patients reported receiving a recommendation. Age, education, a medical provider’s recommendation, and educational materials were found to positively influence patient beliefs about the influenza vaccine. Accepting the vaccine was influenced by a patient’s previous actions, beliefs, and a medical provider’s recommendation. Patients who reported previously not accepting the vaccine and had negative feelings towards the vaccine but accepted it while pregnant reported concern for the health and safety of their baby. Future research should focus on groups that may be less likely to accept the vaccine and ways to dispel negative myths. Medical provider should continue to strongly recommend the vaccine and provide educational materials.
The Neutral Stochastic Integrodifferential Equations with Jumps
Authors: Huan Diem Dang
Published: August 2016

We study the existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for neutral stochastic integrodifferential equations with Poisson jumps under global and local Carathéodory conditions on the coefficients by means of the successive approximation. Furthermore, we give the continuous dependence of solutions on the initial value. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
5-HT2AReceptor Binding in the Frontal Cortex of Parkinson’s Disease Patients and Alpha-Synuclein Overexpressing Mice: A Postmortem Study
Authors: Rasmussen Nadja Bredo , Olesen Mikkel Vestergaard , Brudek Tomasz , Plenge Per , Klein Anders Bue , Westin Jenny E. , Fog Karina , Wörtwein Gitta , Aznar Susana
Published: August 2016

The5-HT2Areceptor is highly involved in aspects of cognition and executive function and seen to be affected in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and related to the disease pathology. Even though Parkinson’s disease (PD) is primarily a motor disorder, reports of impaired executive function are also steadily being associated with this disease. Not much is known about the pathophysiology behind this. The aim of this study was thereby twofold: (1) to investigate5-HT2Areceptor binding levels in Parkinson’s brains and (2) to investigate whether PD associated pathology, alpha-synuclein (AS) overexpression, could be associated with5-HT2Aalterations. Binding density for the5-HT2A-specific radioligand [3H]-MDL 100.907 was measured in membrane suspensions of frontal cortex tissue from PD patients. Protein levels of AS were further measured using western blotting. Results showed higher AS levels accompanied by increased5-HT2Areceptor binding in PD brains. In a separate study, we looked for changes in5-HT2Areceptors in the prefrontal cortex in 52-week-old transgenic mice overexpressing human AS. We performed region-specific5-HT2Areceptor binding measurements followed by gene expression analysis. The transgenic mice showed lower5-HT2Abinding in the frontal association cortex that was not accompanied by changes in gene expression levels. This study is one of the first to look at differences in serotonin receptor levels in PD and in relation to AS overexpression.