bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GPU Performance and Power Tuning Using Regression Trees
Authors: Jia Wenhao , Garza Elba , Shaw Kelly A. , Martonosi Margaret
Published: May 2015

GPU performance and power tuning is difficult, requiring extensive user expertise and time-consuming trial and error. To accelerate design tuning, statistical design space exploration methods have been proposed. This article presents Starchart, a novel design space partitioning tool that uses regression trees to approach GPU tuning problems. Improving on prior work, Starchart offers more automation in identifying key design trade-offs and models design subspaces with distinctly different behaviors. Starchart achieves good model accuracy using very few random samples: less than 0.3% of a given design space; iterative sampling can more quickly target subspaces of interest.
Reconstruction of Phonated Speech from Whispers Using Formant-Derived Plausible Pitch Modulation
Authors: Mcloughlin Ian V. , Sharifzadeh Hamid Reza , Tan Su Lim , Li Jingjie , Song Yan
Published: May 2015

Whispering is a natural, unphonated, secondary aspect of speech communications for most people. However, it is the primary mechanism of communications for some speakers who have impaired voice production mechanisms, such as partial laryngectomees, as well as for those prescribed voice rest, which often follows surgery or damage to the larynx. Unlike most people, who choose when to whisper and when not to, these speakers may have little choice but to rely on whispers for much of their daily vocal interaction.

Even though most speakers will whisper at times, and some speakers can only whisper, the majority of today’s computational speech technology systems assume or require phonated speech. This article considers conversion of whispers into natural-sounding phonated speech as a noninvasive prosthetic aid for people with voice impairments who can only whisper. As a by-product, the technique is also useful for unimpaired speakers who choose to whisper.

Speech reconstruction systems can be classified into those requiring training and those that do not. Among the latter, a recent parametric reconstruction framework is explored and then enhanced through a refined estimation of plausible pitch from weighted formant differences. The improved reconstruction framework, with proposed formant-derived artificial pitch modulation, is validated through subjective and objective comparison tests alongside state-of-the-art alternatives.
Making It Simplext
Authors: Saggion Horacio , Štajner Sanja , Bott Stefan , Mille Simon , Rello Luz , Drndarevic Biljana
Published: May 2015

The way in which a text is written can be a barrier for many people. Automatic text simplification is a natural language processing technology that, when mature, could be used to produce texts that are adapted to the specific needs of particular users. Most research in the area of automatic text simplification has dealt with the English language. In this article, we present results from the Simplext project, which is dedicated to automatic text simplification for Spanish. We present a modular system with dedicated procedures for syntactic and lexical simplification that are grounded on the analysis of a corpus manually simplified for people with special needs. We carried out an automatic evaluation of the system’s output, taking into account the interaction between three different modules dedicated to different simplification aspects. One evaluation is based on readability metrics for Spanish and shows that the system is able to reduce the lexical and syntactic complexity of the texts. We also show, by means of a human evaluation, that sentence meaning is preserved in most cases. Our results, even if our work represents the first automatic text simplification system for Spanish that addresses different linguistic aspects, are comparable to the state of the art in English Automatic Text Simplification.
Dynamic Shared SPM Reuse for Real-Time Multicore Embedded Systems
Authors: Kafshdooz Morteza Mohajjel , Ejlali Alireza
Published: May 2015

Allocating the scratchpad memory (SPM) space to tasks is a challenging problem in real-time multicore embedded systems that use shared SPM. Proper SPM space allocation is important, as it considerably influences the application worst-case execution time (WCET), which is of great importance in real-time applications. To address this problem, in this article we present a dynamic SPM reuse scheme, where SPM space can be reused by other tasks during runtime without requiring any static SPM partitioning. Although the proposed scheme is applied dynamically at runtime, the required decision making is fairly complex and hence cannot be performed at runtime. We have developed techniques to perform the decision making offline at design time in the form of optimization problems combined with task scheduling/mapping. The proposed work is unlike previous works that either exploit static schemes for SPM space allocation or perform task scheduling/mapping and SPM space allocation incoherently. The experimental results show that our dynamic SPM reuse scheme can reduce WCET by up to 55% as compared to recent previous works on SPM allocation in real-time multicore embedded systems.
Reliable Integrity Checking in Multicore Processors
Authors: Kanuparthi Arun , Karri Ramesh
Published: May 2015

Security and reliability have become important concerns in the design of computer systems. On one hand, microarchitectural enhancements for security (such as for dynamic integrity checking of code at runtime) have been proposed. On the other hand, independently, microarchitectural enhancements for reliability to detect and tolerate natural faults have also been proposed. A fault in these security enhancements due to alpha particles or aging might potentially pass off maliciously modified instructions as safe, rendering the security enhancements useless. Deliberate fault attacks by attackers can be launched to disable the security enhancements and then launch the well-known security attacks that would otherwise have been detected by these enhancements. We report an integrated microarchitecture support for security and reliability in multicore processors. Specifically, we add integrity checkers to protect the code running on the multiple cores in a multicore processor. We then adapt these checkers to check one another periodically to ensure reliable operation. These checkers naturally can check the other parts of the core. The average performance, power, and area costs for these security-reliability enhancements are 6.42%, 0.73%, and 0.53%, respectively.
Practical Iterative Optimization for the Data Center
Authors: Fang Shuangde , Xu Wenwen , Chen Yang , Eeckhout Lieven , Temam Olivier , Chen Yunji , Wu Chengyong , Feng Xiaobing
Published: May 2015

Iterative optimization is a simple but powerful approach that searches the best possible combination of compiler optimizations for a given workload. However, iterative optimization is plagued by several practical issues that prevent it from being widely used in practice: a large number of runs are required to find the best combination, the optimum combination is dataset dependent, and the exploration process incurs significant overhead that needs to be compensated for by performance benefits. Therefore, although iterative optimization has been shown to have a significant performance potential, it seldom is used in production compilers.

In this article, we propose iterative optimization for the data center (IODC): we show that the data center offers a context in which all of the preceding hurdles can be overcome. The basic idea is to spawn different combinations across workers and recollect performance statistics at the master, which then evolves to the optimum combination of compiler optimizations. IODC carefully manages costs and benefits, and it is transparent to the end user. To bring IODC to practice, we evaluate it in the presence of co-runners to better reflect real-life data center operation with multiple applications co-running per server. We enhance IODC with the capability to find compatible co-runners along with a mechanism to dynamically adjust the level of aggressiveness to improve its robustness in the presence of co-running applications.

We evaluate IODC using both MapReduce and compute-intensive throughput server applications. To reflect the large number of users interacting with the system, we gather a very large collection of datasets (up to hundreds of millions of unique datasets per program), for a total storage of 16.4TB and 850 days of CPU time. We report an average performance improvement of 1.48 × and up to 2.08 × for five MapReduce applications, and 1.12 × and up to 1.39 × for nine server applications. Furthermore, our experiments demonstrate that IODC is effective in the presence of co-runners, improving performance by greater than 13% compared to the worst possible co-runner schedule.
Automatic Detection of Phone-Based Anomalies in Dysarthric Speech
Authors: Laaridh Imed , Fredouille Corinne , Meunier Christine
Published: May 2015

Perceptual evaluation is still the most common method in clinical practice for diagnosing and following the progression of the condition of people with speech disorders. Although a number of studies have addressed the acoustic analysis of speech productions exhibiting impairments, additional descriptive analysis is required to manage interperson variability, considering speakers with the same condition or across different conditions. In this context, this article investigates automatic speech processing approaches dedicated to the detection and localization of abnormal acoustic phenomena in speech signal produced by people with speech disorders. This automatic process aims at enhancing the manual investigation of human experts while at the same time reducing the extent of their intervention by calling their attention to specific parts of the speech considered as atypical from an acoustical point of view.

Two different approaches are proposed in this article. The first approach models only the normal speech, whereas the second models both normal and dysarthric speech. Both approaches are evaluated following two strategies: one consists of a strict phone comparison between a human annotation of abnormal phones and the automatic output, while the other uses a “one-phone delay” for the comparison.

The experimental evaluation of both approaches for the task of detecting acoustic anomalies was conducted on two different corpora composed of French dysarthric speakers and control speakers. These approaches obtain very encouraging results and their potential for clinical uses with different types of dysarthria and neurological diseases is quite promising.
Automatic Assessment of Speech Capability Loss in Disordered Speech
Authors: Pellegrini Thomas , Fontan Lionel , Mauclair Julie , Farinas Jérôme , Alazard-Guiu Charlotte , Robert Marina , Gatignol Peggy
Published: May 2015

In this article, we report on the use of an automatic technique to assess pronunciation in the context of several types of speech disorders. Even if such tools already exist, they are more widely used in a different context, namely, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, in which the objective is to assess nonnative pronunciation by detecting learners’ mispronunciations at segmental and/or suprasegmental levels. In our work, we sought to determine if the Goodness of Pronunciation (GOP) algorithm, which aims to detect phone-level mispronunciations by means of automatic speech recognition, could also detect segmental deviances in disordered speech. Our main experiment is an analysis of speech from people with unilateral facial palsy. This pathology may impact the realization of certain phonemes such as bilabial plosives and sibilants. Speech read by 32 speakers at four different clinical severity grades was automatically aligned and GOP scores were computed for each phone realization. The highest scores, which indicate large dissimilarities with standard phone realizations, were obtained for the most severely impaired speakers. The corresponding speech subset was manually transcribed at phone level; 8.3% of the phones differed from standard pronunciations extracted from our lexicon. The GOP technique allowed the detection of 70.2% of mispronunciations with an equal rate of about 30% of false rejections and false acceptances. Finally, to broaden the scope of the study, we explored the correlation between GOP values and speech comprehensibility scores on a second corpus, composed of sentences recorded by six people with speech impairments due to cancer surgery or neurological disorders. Strong correlations were achieved between GOP scores and subjective comprehensibility scores (about 0.7 absolute). Results from both experiments tend to validate the use of GOP to measure speech capability loss, a dimension that could be used as a complement to physiological measures in pathologies causing speech disorders.
Spatial-Temporal Modelling and Analysis of Bacterial Colonies with Phase Variable Genes
Authors: Pârvu Ovidiu , Gilbert David , Heiner Monika , Liu Fei , Saunders Nigel , Shaw Simon
Published: May 2015

This article defines a novel spatial-temporal modelling and analysis methodology applied to a systems biology case study, namely phase variation patterning in bacterial colony growth. We employ coloured stochastic Petri nets to construct the model and run stochastic simulations to record the development of the circular colonies over time and space. The simulation output is visualised in 2D, and sector-like patterns are automatically detected and analysed. Space is modelled using 2.5 dimensions considering both a rectangular and circular geometry, and the effects of imposing different geometries on space are measured. We close by outlining an interpretation of the Petri net model in terms of finite difference approximations of partial differential equations (PDEs). One result is the derivation of the “best” nine-point diffusion model. Our multidimensional modelling and analysis approach is a precursor to potential future work on more complex multiscale modelling.
Concurrent, parallel garbage collection in linear time
Authors: Brandt Steven R. , Krishnan Hari , Sharma Gokarna , Busch Costas
Published: May 2015

This paper presents a new concurrent garbage collection algorithm based on two types of reference, strong and weak, to link the graph of objects. Strong references connect the roots to all the nodes in the graph but do not contain cycles. Weak references may, however, contain cycles.

Advantages of this system include: (1) reduced processing, non-trivial garbage collection work is only required when the last strong reference is lost; (2) fewer memory traces to delete objects, a garbage cycle only needs to be traversed twice to be deleted; (3) fewer memory traces to retain objects, since the collector can often prove objects are reachable without fully tracing support cycles to which the objects belong; (4) concurrency, it can run in parallel with a live system without "stopping the world"; (5) parallel, because collection operations in different parts of the memory can proceed at the same time.

Previous variants of this technique required exponential cleanup time, but our algorithm is linear in total time, i.e. any changes in the graph take only O(N) time steps, where N is the number of edges in the affected subgraph (e.g. the subgraph whose strong support is affected by the operations).
Exploring garbage collection with haswell hardware transactional memory
Authors: Ritson Carl G. , Ugawa Tomoharu , Jones Richard E.
Published: May 2015

Intel's latest processor microarchitecture, Haswell, adds support for a restricted form of transactional memory to the x86 programming model. We explore how this can be applied to three garbage collection scenarios in Jikes RVM: parallel copying, concurrent copying and bitmap marking. We demonstrate gains in concurrent copying speed over traditional synchronisation mechanisms of 48-101%. We also show how similar but portable performance gains can be achieved through software transactional memory techniques. We identify the architectural overhead of capturing sufficient work for transactional execution as a major stumbling block to the effective use of transactions in the other scenarios.
Omnidirectional Analysis of Spatial Manipulator
Authors: Leng Yuquan , Zhang Yang , He Xu , Zhang Wei , Luo Haitao , Zhou Weijia
Published: May 2015

Space manipulators are mainly used in the spatial loading task. According to problems of the spatial loading diversity, the testing loading installing position, and the utilization ratio of a test platform, the space manipulator is asked to evaluate the position and attitude of itself. This paper proposes the Point Omnidirectional Coefficient (POC) with unit attitude sphere/circle to describe attitude of the end-effector, which evaluates any points in the attainable space of the manipulators, in combination with the manipulation’s position message, and get relationships between its position and attitude of all points in the attainable space. It represents the mapping between sphere surface and plane for mission attitude constraints and the method for calculating volume of points space including attainable space, Omnidirectional space, and mission attitude space. Furthermore, the Manipulator Omnidirectional Coefficient based on mission or not is proposed for evaluating manipulator performance. Through analysis and simulation about 3D and 2D manipulators, the results show that the above theoretical approach is feasible and the relationships about link lengths, joints angles, attainable space, and Manipulator Omnidirectional Coefficient are drawn for guiding design.
A Comparative Numerical Study on the Performances and Vortical Patterns of Two Bioinspired Oscillatory Mechanisms: Undulating and Pure Heaving
Authors: Ebrahimi Mohsen , Abbaspour Madjid
Published: May 2015

The hydrodynamics and energetics of bioinspired oscillating mechanisms have received significant attentions by engineers and biologists to develop the underwater and air vehicles. Undulating and pure heaving (or plunging) motions are two significant mechanisms which are utilized in nature to provide propulsive, maneuvering, and stabilization forces. This study aims to elucidate and compare the propulsive vortical signature and performance of these two important natural mechanisms through a systematic numerical study. Navier-Stokes equations are solved, by a pressure-based finite volume method solver, in an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) framework domain containing a2D NACA0012foil moving with prescribed kinematics. Some of the important findings are (1) the thrust production of the heaving foil begins at lower St and has a greater growing slope with respect to the St; (2) the undulating mechanism has some limitations to produce high thrust forces; (3) the undulating foil shows a lower power consumption and higher efficiency; (4) changing the Reynolds number (Re) in a constant St affects the performance of the oscillations; and (5) there is a distinguishable appearance of leading edge vortices in the wake of the heaving foil without observable ones in the wake of the undulating foil, especially at higher St.
Unusual Occurrence of Tongue Sensorial Disorder after Conservative Surgical Treatment of Lymphoepithelial Cyst
Authors: de Sousa Luane Macêdo , Albuquerque Assis Felipe Medeiros , Silva Paulo Goberlânio Barros , Bezerra Thâmara Manoela Marinho , Luna Ealber Carvalho Macedo , Chaves Filipe Nobre , Carvalho Francisco Samuel Rodrigues , Pereira Karuza Maria Alves , Alves Ana Paula Negreiros Nunes , Ribeiro Thyciana Rodrigues , Costa Fábio Wildson Gurgel
Published: May 2015

Lymphoepithelial cyst is a rare lesion of the oral cavity, with the mouth floor being the most common site of occurrence. The therapeutic approach of choice is the surgical treatment, which has rare cases of postoperative complications. The aim of this study is to report the case of a 53-year-old patient who came to Dental Service in the Federal University of Ceará complaining of a small nodular lesion (0.5 cm) located in the ventral tongue. Excisional biopsy was performed and the surgical specimen was submitted for anatomopathological analysis, which found that there was an oral lymphoepithelial cyst. The patient returned after seven days for suture removal and reported loss of sensitivity around the ventral tongue. We prescribed Citoneurin for ten days; however, there was not any significant improvement of the sensitivity. Low frequency laser therapy sessions were applied. The only postoperative symptom was dysesthesia, where there is only a sensitivity decrease. Currently, the patient has a postoperative period of 1 year without recurrence of the lesion. Although previous reports have no described tongue sensorineural disorders associated with this lesion, the occurrence of this event may be related to an unexpected anatomical variation of the lingual nerve.
Quadratic Error Metric Mesh Simplification Algorithm Based on Discrete Curvature
Authors: Yao Li , Huang Shihui , Xu Hui , Li Peilin
Published: May 2015

Complex and highly detailed polygon meshes have been adopted for model representation in many areas of computer graphics. Existing works mainly focused on the quadric error metric based complex models approximation, which has not taken the retention of important model details into account. This may lead to visual degeneration. In this paper, we improve Garland and Heckberts’ quadric error metric based algorithm by using the discrete curvature to reserve more features for mesh simplification. Our experiments on various models show that the geometry and topology structure as well as the features of the original models are precisely retained by employing discrete curvature.
Effects of WMA Additive on the Rheological Properties of Asphalt Binder and High Temperature Performance Grade
Authors: Zhang Jiupeng , Liu Guoqiang , Xu Li , Pei Jianzhong
Published: May 2015

Sasobit additives with different dosages were added into 70# and 90# virgin asphalt binders to prepare WMA binders. The rheological properties, includingG∗andδ, were measured by using DSR at the temperature ranging from 46°C to 70°C, and the effects of temperature, additive dosage and aging onG∗/sin⁡δ, critical temperature, and H-T PG were investigated. The results indicate that WMA additive improvesG∗but reducesδ, and the improvement on 70# virgin binder is more significant.G∗/sin⁡δexponentially decreases with the increasing temperature but linearly increases with the increasing additive dosage. Aging effect weakens the interaction between binder and additive but significantly increases the binder’s viscosity; that is whyG∗/sin⁡δis higher after short-term aging. In addition, the critical temperature increases with the increasing additive dosage, and the additive dosage should be more than 3% and 5% to improve H-T PG by one grade for 70# and 90# virgin binder, respectively.
Assessment of the TMJ Dysfunction Using the Computerized Facebow Analysis of Selected Parameters
Authors: Kijak Edward , Lietz-Kijak Danuta , Frączak Bogumiła , Śliwiński Zbigniew , Margielewicz Jerzy
Published: May 2015

The Purpose of the Paper.Qualitative and quantitative analysis of selected parameters of mandible movements, electronically registered in patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction and healthy ones.Material. Function test of the mandible movements was conducted in 175 patients. Gender distribution was 143 women and 32 men, aged 9 to 84.Methods. The studied population, after accurate clinical examination, was divided into age groups with the range of five years. All the patients had Zebris JMA computerized facebow examination done, according to the generally accepted principles and procedures.Results.Mean values of mouth opening calculated to 45.6 mm in healthy group and 37.6 mm in TMJ dysfunction group. Mean length of condylar path amounted to39±7% of the maximum value of mouth opening in the group of healthy people,44±11% in the case of muscle-based disorders, and35±11% with joint-based. The mean value of the condylar path inclination oscillated in the range of 25° to 45°.Conclusions. The ratio of length of the condylar path to the size of mouth opening may be a significant value characterising the type and degree of intensification of the TMJ dysfunctions.
Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel and a Recurrent Mutation inBBS2Gene in a Family with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
Authors: Bee Yong Mong , Chawla Mayank , Zhao Yi
Published: May 2015

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder known to be caused by mutations in at least 19 BBS genes. We report the genetic analysis of a patient with indisputable features of BBS including cardinal features such as postaxial polydactyly, retinitis pigmentosa, obesity, and kidney failure. Taking advantage of next-generation sequencing technology, we applied whole exome sequencing (WES) with Sanger direct sequencing to the proband and her unaffected mother. A pair of heterozygous nonsense mutations inBBS2gene was identified in the proband, one being novel and the other recurrent. The novel mutation, p.Y644X, resides in exon 16 and was also found in the heterozygous state in the mother. This mutation is not currently found in the dsSNP and 1000 Genome SNP databases and is predicted to be disease causing byin silicoanalysis. This study highlights the potential for a rapid and precise detection of disease causing gene using WES in genetically heterogeneous disorders such as BBS.
When Operating on Dead People Saves Lives: Benefits of Surgical Organ Donor Intensivists
Authors: Long Kristin , Talley Cynthia , Yarrison Rebecca B. , Bernard Andrew
Published: May 2015

Solid organ transplantation has emerged as a life-saving treatment for many patients suffering from end-stage organ failure. Organs have been successfully recovered after a variety of aggressive interventions. We propose that decompressive laparotomy, when clinically indicated, should be considered in the aggressive resuscitation of potential organ donors. A thorough literature review examining aggressive interventions on potential organ donors was conducted after experience with a unique case at this institution. Articles were reviewed for the types of interventions performed as well as the time frame in relation to organ donation. In our case, several ethical issues were raised when considering decompressive laparotomy in a patient pronounced dead by neurologic criteria. We propose that having a surgical intensivist involved in the management of potential donors will further increase the salvage rate, as more invasive resuscitation options are possible.
Sulfur Dioxide Enhances Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide Accumulation and Alleviates Oxidative Stress Induced by Aluminum Stress in Germinating Wheat Seeds
Authors: Zhu Dong-Bo , Hu Kang-Di , Guo Xi-Kai , Liu Yong , Hu Lan-Ying , Li Yan-Hong , Wang Song-Hua , Zhang Hua
Published: May 2015

Aluminum ions are especially toxic to plants in acidic soils. Here we present evidences that SO2protects germinating wheat grains against aluminum stress. SO2donor (NaHSO3/Na2SO3) pretreatment at 1.2 mM reduced the accumulation of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde, enhanced the activities of guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, and decreased the activity of lipoxygenase in germinating wheat grains exposed to Al stress. We also observed higher accumulation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in SO2-pretreated grain, suggesting the tight relation between sulfite and sulfide. Wheat grains geminated in water for 36 h were pretreated with or without 1 mM SO2donor for 12 h prior to exposure to Al stress for 48 h and the ameliorating effects of SO2on wheat radicles were studied. SO2donor pretreatment reduced the content of reactive oxygen species, protected membrane integrity, and reduced Al accumulation in wheat radicles. Gene expression analysis showed that SO2donor pretreatment decreased the expression of Al-responsive genes TaWali1, TaWali2, TaWali3, TaWali5, TaWali6, and TaALMT1 in radicles exposed to Al stress. These results suggested that SO2could increase endogenous H2S accumulation and the antioxidant capability and decrease endogenous Al content in wheat grains to alleviate Al stress.
The Correlation between Aquaporin-4 Antibody and the Visual Function of Patients with Demyelinating Optic Neuritis at Onset
Authors: Yang Hui , Qiu Wei , Zhao Xiujuan , Xiao Wei , Lin Shaofen , Luo Yan , Lu Lin
Published: May 2015

ON patients with AQP4-Ab seropositivity tend to be predominantly female and young and have worse visual acuity and more severe damage to their visual fields compared with AQP4-Ab seronegativity.
Hydrogen Sulfide Donor GYY4137 Protects against Myocardial Fibrosis
Authors: Meng Guoliang , Zhu Jinbiao , Xiao Yujiao , Huang Zhengrong , Zhang Yuqing , Tang Xin , Xie Liping , Chen Yu , Shao Yongfeng , Ferro Albert , Wang Rui , Moore Philip K. , Ji Yong
Published: May 2015

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gasotransmitter which regulates multiple cardiovascular functions. However, the precise roles of H2S in modulating myocardial fibrosisin vivoand cardiac fibroblast proliferationin vitroremain unclear. We investigated the effect of GYY4137, a slow-releasing H2S donor, on myocardial fibrosis. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were administrated with GYY4137 by intraperitoneal injection daily for 4 weeks. GYY4137 decreased systolic blood pressure and inhibited myocardial fibrosis in SHR as evidenced by improved cardiac collagen volume fraction (CVF) in the left ventricle (LV), ratio of perivascular collagen area (PVCA) to lumen area (LA) in perivascular regions, reduced hydroxyproline concentration, collagen I and III mRNA expression, and cross-linked collagen. GYY4137 also inhibited angiotensin II- (Ang II-) induced neonatal rat cardiac fibroblast proliferation, reduced the number of fibroblasts in S phase, decreased collagen I and III mRNA expression and protein synthesis, attenuated oxidative stress, and suppressedα-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression as well as Smad2 phosphorylation. These results indicate that GYY4137 improves myocardial fibrosis perhaps by a mechanism involving inhibition of oxidative stress, blockade of the TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway, and decrease inα-SMA expression in cardiac fibroblasts.
Positron Emission Tomography for the Response Evaluation following Treatment with Chemotherapy in Patients Affected by Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Selected Review
Authors: Zaniboni Alberto , Savelli Giordano , Pizzocaro Claudio , Basile Pietro , Massetti Valentina
Published: May 2015

The aim of the present paper is to review the scientific literature concerning the usefulness of18F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of response to chemotherapy in patients affected by liver metastases from colorectal cancer.Material and Methods. Studies were identified by searching PubMed electronic databases. Both prospective and retrospective studies were included. Information regarding the figure of merit of PET for the evaluation of therapy response was extracted and analyzed.Results. Existing data suggests that18F-FDG PET/CT may have an outstanding role in evaluating the response. The sensitivity of PET in detecting therapy response seems to be greater than conventional imaging (CT and MRI). PET/CT response is strictly related to better overall survival and progression-free survival.Conclusions. PET/CT is more than a promising technique to assess the response to chemotherapy in colorectal and liver metastases. However, to be fully validated, this examination needs further studies by recruiting more patients.
The Hydrogen Sulfide Donor NaHS Delays Programmed Cell Death in Barley Aleurone Layers by Acting as an Antioxidant
Authors: Zhang Ying-Xin , Hu Kang-Di , Lv Kai , Li Yan-Hong , Hu Lan-Ying , Zhang Xi-Qi , Ruan Long , Liu Yong-Sheng , Zhang Hua
Published: May 2015

H2S is a signaling molecule in plants and animals. Here we investigated the effects of H2S on programmed cell death (PCD) in barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) aleurone layers. The H2S donor NaHS significantly delayed PCD in aleurone layers isolated from imbibed embryoless barley grain. NaHS at 0.25 mM effectively reduced the accumulation of superoxide anion (·O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA), promoted the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and decreased those of lipoxygenase (LOX) in isolated aleurone layers. Quantitative-PCR showed that NaHS treatment of aleurone tissue led to enhanced transcript levels of the antioxidant genesHvSOD1, HvAPX, HvCAT1, andHvCAT2and repressed transcript levels ofHvLOX(lipoxygenase gene) and of two cysteine protease genesHvEPAandHvCP3-31. NaHS treatment in gibberellic acid- (GA-) treated aleurone layers also delayed the PCD process, reduced the content of·O2-, and increased POD activity while decreasing LOX activity. Furthermore,α-amylase secretion in barley aleurone layers was enhanced by NaHS treatment regardless of the presence or absence of GA. These data imply that H2S acted as an antioxidant in delaying PCD and enhancesα-amylase secretion regardless of the presence of GA in barley aleurone layers.
Sexual Abuse of Older Residents in Nursing Homes: A Focus Group Interview of Nursing Home Staff
Authors: Iversen Maria Helen , Kilvik Astrid , Malmedal Wenche
Published: May 2015

The objective of this study was to increase knowledge of sexual abuse against older residents in nursing homes. A qualitative approach was used. Through a focus group interview with staff in nursing homes, the aim was to reveal employees’ thoughts, experiences, and attitudes. Findings from the focus group interview show that sexual abuse of older residents is a taboo topic among health professionals. Acts of sexual abuse are difficult to imagine; it is hard to believe that it occurs. The fact that staff are not aware that it could happen, or have a hard time believing that it actually happens, can amplify the residents’ vulnerable position as potential victims of abuse, and it makes it even more challenging to report or uncover such acts. The study highlights the need for education of all health care workers in Norway as well as more research on sexual abuse against older residents in nursing homes. Furthermore, there is a need for good policies and reporting systems, as an important step towards addressing sexual abuse of the aged in a more appropriate way. Further research must aim to reveal more about this taboo area.
Critical Density for Exposure-Path Prevention in Three-Dimensional Wireless Sensor Networks Using Percolation Theory
Authors: Kang Guixia , Liu Xiaoshuang , Zhang Ningbo , Guo Yanyan , Labeau Fabrice
Published: May 2015

To derive the critical density for exposure-path prevention in three-dimensional wireless sensor networks (3D WSNs), a bond-percolation-based scheme is proposed, which can generate the tighter lower and upper bounds of critical density. Firstly, the exposure-path prevention problem and system models based on Gaussian distribution are introduced in this paper. Then, according to percolation theory, we present a bond-percolation model to put this problem into a 3D uniform lattice. With this model, the lower and upper bounds of critical density for 3D WSNs are derived in the light of our scheme. Extensive simulations and contrast experiments also validate our developed models and evaluate the performance of the proposed schemes. Therefore, our scheme can be applied to determine a practically reliable density and detect intruders in sensor networks.
Chemical Reactivity of Isoproturon, Diuron, Linuron, and Chlorotoluron Herbicides in Aqueous Phase: A Theoretical Quantum Study Employing Global and Local Reactivity Descriptors
Authors: Mendoza-Huizar Luis Humberto
Published: May 2015

We have calculated global and local DFT reactivity descriptors for isoproturon, diuron, linuron, and chlorotoluron herbicides at the MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory. The results suggest that, in aqueous conditions, chlorotoluron, linuron, and diuron herbicides may be degraded by elimination of urea moiety through electrophilic attacks. On the other hand, electrophilic, nucleophilic, and free radical attacks on isoproturon may cause the elimination of isopropyl fragment.
Downregulation of Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide Pathway Is Involved in Mitochondrion-Related Endothelial Cell Apoptosis Induced by High Salt
Authors: Zong Yanfang , Huang Yaqian , Chen Siyao , Zhu Mingzhu , Chen Qinghua , Feng Shasha , Sun Yan , Zhang Qingyou , Tang Chaoshu , Du Junbao , Jin Hongfang
Published: May 2015

Background. The study aimed to investigate whether endogenous H2S pathway was involved in high-salt-stimulated mitochondria-related vascular endothelial cell (VEC) apoptosis.Methods. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used in the study. H2S content in the supernatant was detected. Western blot was used to detect expression of cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE), cleaved-caspase-3, and mitochondrial and cytosolic cytochrome c (cytc). Fluorescent probes were used to quantitatively detect superoxide anion generation and measure thein situsuperoxide anion generation in HUVEC. Mitochondrial membrane pore opening, mitochondrial membrane potential, and caspase-9 activities were measured. The cell apoptosis was detected by cell death ELISA and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) methods.Results. High-salt treatment downregulated the endogenous VEC H2S/CSE pathway, in association with increased generation of oxygen free radicals, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, enhanced the opening of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore and leakage of mitochondrial cytc, activated cytoplasmic caspase-9 and caspase-3 and subsequently induced VEC apoptosis. However, supplementation of H2S donor markedly inhibited VEC oxidative stress and mitochondria-related VEC apoptosis induced by high salt.Conclusion. H2S/CSE pathway is an important endogenous defensive system in endothelial cells antagonizing high-salt insult. The protective mechanisms for VEC damage might involve inhibiting oxidative stress and protecting mitochondrial injury.
Hydrogen Sulfide Alleviates Cadmium-Induced Cell Death through Restraining ROS Accumulation in Roots ofBrassica rapaL. ssp.pekinensis
Authors: Zhang Liping , Pei Yanxi , Wang Hongjiao , Jin Zhuping , Liu Zhiqiang , Qiao Zengjie , Fang Huihui , Zhang Yanjie
Published: May 2015

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a cell signal molecule produced endogenously and involved in regulation of tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress in plants. In this work, we used molecular biology, physiology, and histochemical methods to investigate the effects of H2S on cadmium- (Cd-) induced cell death in Chinese cabbage roots. Cd stress stimulated a rapid increase of endogenous H2S in roots. Additionally, root length was closely related to the cell death rate. Pretreatment with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a H2S donor, alleviated the growth inhibition caused by Cd in roots—this effect was more pronounced at 5 μM NaHS. Cd-induced cell death in roots was significantly reduced by 5 μM NaHS treatment. Under Cd stress, activities of the antioxidant enzymes were significantly enhanced in roots. NaHS + Cd treatment made their activities increase further compared with Cd exposure alone. Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity led to a decline in reactive oxygen species accumulation and lipid peroxidation. In contrast, these effects were reversed by hydroxylamine, a H2S inhibitor. These results suggested that H2S alleviated the cell death caused by Cd via upregulation of antioxidant enzyme activities to remove excessive reactive oxygen species and reduce cell oxidative damage.
Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Melanoma Antitumoral Therapy: A Review
Authors: Rigon Roberta Balansin , Oyafuso Márcia Helena , Fujimura Andressa Terumi , Gonçalez Maíra Lima , Prado Alice Haddad do , Gremião Maria Palmira Daflon , Chorilli Marlus
Published: May 2015

Melanoma (MEL) is a less common type of skin cancer, but it is more aggressive with a high mortality rate. The World Cancer Research Fund International (GLOBOCAN 2012) estimates that there were 230,000 new cases of MEL in the world in 2012. Conventional MEL treatment includes surgery and chemotherapy, but many of the chemotherapeutic agents used present undesirable properties. Drug delivery systems are an alternative strategy by which to carry antineoplastic agents. Encapsulated drugs are advantageous due to such properties as high stability, better bioavailability, controlled drug release, a long blood circulation time, selective organ or tissue distribution, a lower total required dose, and minimal toxic side effects. This review of scientific research supports applying a nanotechnology-based drug delivery system for MEL therapy.
Rimonabant Improves Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress in Mice with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Jorgačević Bojan , Mladenović Dušan , Ninković Milica , Vesković Milena , Dragutinović Vesna , Vatazević Aleksandar , Vučević Danijela , Ješić Vukićević Rada , Radosavljević Tatjana
Published: May 2015

The present study deals with the effects of rimonabant on oxidative/nitrosative stress in high diet- (HFD-) induced experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Male mice C57BL/6 were divided into the following groups: control group fed with control diet for 20 weeks (C;n=6); group fed with HFD for 20 weeks (HF;n=6); group fed with standard diet and treated with rimonabant after 18 weeks (R;n=9); group fed with HFD and treated with rimonabant after 18 weeks (HFR;n=10). Daily dose of rimonabant (10 mg/kg) was administered to HFR and R group by oral gavage for two weeks. Treatment induced a decrease in hepatic malondialdehyde concentration in HFR group compared to HF group(P<0.01). The concentration of nitrites + nitrates in liver was decreased in HFR group compared to HF group(P<0.01). Liver content of reduced glutathione was higher in HFR group compared to HF group(P<0.01). Total liver superoxide dismutase activity in HFR group was decreased in comparison with HF group(P<0.01). It was found that rimonabant may influence hepatic iron, zinc, copper, and manganese status. Our study indicates potential usefulness of cannabinoid receptor type 1 blockade in the treatment of HFD-induced NAFLD.
A Pancreatic Fistula after the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Özbalcı Gökhan Selçuk , Polat Ayfer Kamalı , Tarım İsmail Alper , Derebey Murat , Nural Mehmet Selim , Tümentemur Volkan , Karabacak Ufuk
Published: May 2015

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a popular surgical weight-loss procedure in the treatment of morbid obesity. There are some complications regarding this procedure in the literature. This report presents a pancreatic fistula (PF) case, which has not been previously seen.
Oxidative Stress and Protein Quality Control Systems in the Aged Canine Brain as a Model for Human Neurodegenerative Disorders
Authors: Romanucci Mariarita , Della Salda Leonardo
Published: May 2015

Aged dogs are considered the most suitable spontaneous animal model for studying normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Elderly canines naturally develop cognitive dysfunction and neuropathological hallmarks similar to those seen in humans, especially Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology. Pet dogs also share similar living conditions and diets to humans. Oxidative damage accumulates in the canine brain during aging, making dogs a valid model for translational antioxidant treatment/prevention studies. Evidence suggests the presence of detective protein quality control systems, involving ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs), in the aged canine brain. Further studies on the canine model are needed to clarify the role of age-related changes in UPS activity and HSP expression in neurodegeneration in order to design novel treatment strategies, such as HSP-based therapies, aimed at improving chaperone defences against proteotoxic stress affecting brain during aging.
Dental Pulp: Correspondences and Contradictions between Clinical and Histological Diagnosis
Authors: Giuroiu Cristian Levente , Căruntu Irina-Draga , Lozneanu Ludmila , Melian Anca , Vataman Maria , Andrian Sorin
Published: May 2015

Dental pulp represents a specialized connective tissue enclosed by dentin and enamel, the most highly mineralized tissues of the body. Consequently, the direct examination as well as pathological evaluation of dental pulp is difficult. Within this anatomical context, our study aimed to evaluate the correlation between dental pulp lesions and clinical diagnosis. Pulpectomies were performed for 54 patients with acute and chronic irreversible pulpitides and for 5 patients (control group) with orthodontic extractions. The morphological features were semiquantitatively assessed by specific score values. The clinical and morphological correspondence was noted for 35 cases (68.62%), whereas inconsistency was recorded for 16 cases (31.38%). The results of the statistical analysis revealed the correlations between clinically and pathologically diagnosed acute/chronic pulpitides. No significant differences were established between the score values for inflammatory infiltrate intensity, collagen depositions, calcifications and necrosis, and acute, respectively chronic pulpitides. We also obtained significant differences between acute pulpitides and inflammatory infiltrate and calcifications and between chronic pulpitides and inflammatory infiltrate, collagen deposition, and calcifications. On the basis of the predominant pathological aspects, namely, acute and chronic pulpitis, we consider that the classification schemes can be simplified by adequately reducing the number of clinical entities.
Peritoneal Submesothelial Stromal Cells Support Hematopoiesis and Differentiate into Osteogenic and Adipogenic Cell Lineages
Authors: do Amaral R.J.F.C. , Benac P. , Andrade L.R. , Farina M. , Bernardazzi C. , Arcanjo K.D. , Palumbo Jr. A. , Cordeiro I.R. , Brito J.M. , El-Cheikh M.C. , Oliveira F.L.
Published: May 2015

The peritoneum is a thin membrane that covers most of the abdominal organs, composed of a monolayer of mesothelial cells and subjacent submesothelial loose connective tissue. Cells from the peritoneal wall are correlated with peritoneal fibrosis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. However, the distinct involvement of mesothelial or submesothelial cells in such phenomena is still not clear. Here, we propose a new strategy to obtain stromal cells from anterior peritoneal wall explant cultures. These cells migrated from peritoneal tissues and proliferated in vitro for 4 weeks as adherent fibroblast-like cells. Optical and electronic microscopy analyses of the fragments revealed a significant submesothelial disorganization. The obtained cells were characterized as cytokeratin- vimentin+ laminin+ α-smooth muscle actin+, suggesting a connective tissue origin. Moreover, at the third passage, these stromal cells were CD90+CD73+CD29+Flk-1+CD45-, a phenotype normally attributed to cells of mesenchymal origin. These cells were able to support hematopoiesis, expressing genes involved in myelopoiesis (SCF, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-7 and CXCL-12), and differentiated into osteogenic and adipogenic cell lineages. The methodology demonstrated in this work can be considered an excellent experimental model to understand the physiology of the peritoneal wall in healthy and pathological processes. Moreover, this work shows for the first time that submesothelial stromal cells have properties similar to those of mesenchymal cells from other origins.