bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
This Is Like That: Metaphors in Public Discourse Shape Attitudes
Authors: Landau Mark J. , Keefer Lucas A.
Published: August 2014

A metaphoric framing is a message comparing an abstract concept (e.g., the economy) to a dissimilar concept that is more concrete and easier to comprehend (e.g., a vehicle). Metaphoric framings are commonly used in public discourse (e.g., magazine editorials, political campaign advertisements) to communicate about controversial sociopolitical issues. These messages are not mere figures of speech. Mounting evidence shows that even brief exposure to a metaphoric framing can prompt observers to transfer their knowledge of the metaphor's concrete concept to interpret analogous features of the target issue, even though the two concepts are superficially quite different. This article reviews this evidence, demonstrating that the metaphors pervading everyday communication uniquely shape how people think and feel about a host of important issues. The authors draw on theories of motivated social cognition to chart avenues for future research on the situational factors that moderate metaphor's impact on attitudes.
Characterization of urinary CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in kidney transplantation patients with polyomavirus BK infection and allograft rejection
Authors: van Doesum W.B. , Abdulahad W.H. , van Dijk M.C.R.F. , Dolff S. , van Son W.J. , Stegeman C.A. , Sanders J.S.F.
Published: August 2014

Background and objectives

The objective of this study was to characterize CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell populations in blood and urine of renal transplant patients with BK virus (BKV) infection or allograft rejection.

Materials and methods

Percentages and absolute numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory T‐cell subtype (TEM) and terminal differentiated T cells (TTD) in renal transplant patients with BKV infection (n = 14), with an episode of allograft rejection (n = 9), and in uncomplicated renal transplant patients with a stable kidney function (n = 12) were measured and compared using 4‐color fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. Results were correlated with the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in renal biopsies.

Results

In patients with allograft rejection, the number of urinary CD4+ TEM and CD8+ TEM cells was significantly increased compared to patients with BKV infection or patients without complications. Positive correlation was found between the number of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the renal biopsies and the number of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in urine. In patients with rejection, after 2 months of immunosuppressive therapy, a reduction in urinary CD8+ TEM cells was found.

Conclusions

CD4+ TEM and CD8+ TEM cells in urine could be a marker to distinguish allograft rejection from BKV‐associated nephropathy and to monitor therapy effectiveness in renal transplant patients with allograft rejection.
On the quaternion -isogeny path problem
Authors: Kohel David , Lauter Kristin , Petit Christophe , Tignol Jean-Pierre
Published: August 2014

Let $\mathcal{O}$ be a maximal order in a definite quaternion algebra over $\mathbb{Q}$ of prime discriminant $p$, and $\ell $ a small prime. We describe a probabilistic algorithm which, for a given left $\mathcal{O}$-ideal, computes a representative in its left ideal class of $\ell $-power norm. In practice the algorithm is efficient and, subject to heuristics on expected distributions of primes, runs in expected polynomial time. This solves the underlying problem for a quaternion analog of the Charles–Goren–Lauter hash function, and has security implications for the original CGL construction in terms of supersingular elliptic curves.
Detection of charge carrier confinement into mobile ionic defects in nanoporous dielectric films for advanced interconnects
Authors: Borja Juan , Plawsky Joel L. , Lu Toh-Ming , Gill William N. , Shaw Thomas M. , Laibowitz Robert B. , Liniger Eric G. , Cohen Stephan A. , Rosenberg Robert , Bonilla Griselda
Published: August 2014

Reliability and robustness of low-k materials for advanced interconnects has become one of the major challenges for the continuous down-scaling of silicon semiconductor devices. Metal catalyzed time dependent breakdown is a major force preventing integration of sub-32 nm process technology nodes. Here, the authors demonstrate that ions can behave as trapping points for charge carriers. A mechanism for describing trapping of charge carriers into mobile ions under bias and temperature stress is presented. Charge carrier confinement into ionic center was found to be dominated by ionic transport. After extended bias and temperature stress, the magnitude of charge trapping into ionic centers decreased. Simulations suggest that built-in fields could reduce the effect of externally applied fields in directing ionic drift, therefore inhibiting the trapping mechanism. This work depicts the dual role of ionic species when catalyzing dielectric failure (mobile defect and local field distortion).
Reconstruction techniques for improving the perceptual quality of binary masked speech
Authors: Williamson Donald S. , Wang Yuxuan , Wang DeLiang
Published: August 2014

This study proposes an approach to improve the perceptual quality of speech separated by binary masking through the use of reconstruction in the time-frequency domain. Non-negative matrix factorization and sparse reconstruction approaches are investigated, both using a linear combination of basis vectors to represent a signal. In this approach, the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of separated speech is represented as a linear combination of STFTs from a clean speech dictionary. Binary masking for separation is performed using deep neural networks or Bayesian classifiers. The perceptual evaluation of speech quality, which is a standard objective speech quality measure, is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed techniques improve the perceptual quality of binary masked speech, and outperform traditional time-frequency reconstruction approaches.
Investigation of model based beamforming and Bayesian inversion signal processing methods for seismic localization of underground sources
Authors: Lian Oh Geok , Brunskog Jonas
Published: August 2014

Techniques have been studied for the localization of an underground source with seismic interrogation signals. Much of the work has involved defining either a P-wave acoustic model or a dispersive surface wave model to the received signal and applying the time-delay processing technique and frequency-wavenumber processing to determine the location of the underground tunnel. Considering the case of determining the location of an underground tunnel, this paper proposed two physical models, the acoustic approximation ray tracing model and the finite difference time domain three-dimensional (3D) elastic wave model to represent the received seismic signal. Two localization algorithms, beamforming and Bayesian inversion, are developed for each physical model. The beam-forming algorithms implemented are the modified time-and-delay beamformer and the F-K beamformer. Inversion is posed as an optimization problem to estimate the unknown position variable using the described physical forward models. The proposed four methodologies are demonstrated and compared using seismic signals recorded by geophones set up on ground surface generated by a surface seismic excitation. The examples show that for field data, inversion for localization is most advantageous when the forward model completely describe all the elastic wave components as is the case of the FDTD 3D elastic model.
Discriminating between the vocalizations of Indo-Pacific humpback and Australian snubfin dolphins in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Berg Soto Alvaro , Marsh Helene , Everingham Yvette , Smith Joshua N. , Parra Guido J. , Noad Michael
Published: August 2014

Australian snubfin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins co-occur throughout most of their range in coastal waters of tropical Australia. Little is known of their ecology or acoustic repertoires. Vocalizations from humpback and snubfin dolphins were recorded in two locations along the Queensland coast during 2008 and 2010 to describe their vocalizations and evaluate the acoustic differences between these two species. Broad vocalization types were categorized qualitatively. Both species produced click trains burst pulses and whistles. Principal component analysis of the nine acoustic variables extracted from the whistles produced nine principal components that were input into discriminant function analyses to classify 96% of humpback dolphin whistles and about 78% of snubfin dolphin calls correctly. Results indicate clear acoustic differences between the vocal whistle repertoires of these two species. A stepwise routine identified two principal components as significantly distinguishable between whistles of each species: frequency parameters and frequency trend ratio. The capacity to identify these species using acoustic monitoring techniques has the potential to provide information on presence/absence, habitat use and relative abundance for each species.
Quantitative linear and nonlinear resonance inspection techniques and analysis for material characterization: Application to concrete thermal damage
Authors: Payan C. , Ulrich T. J. , Le Bas P. Y. , Saleh T. , Guimaraes M.
Published: August 2014

Developed in the late 1980s, Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NRUS) has been widely employed in the field of material characterization. Most of the studies assume the measured amplitude to be proportional to the strain amplitude which drives nonlinear phenomena. In 1D resonant bar experiments, the configuration for which NRUS was initially developed, this assumption holds. However, it is not true for samples of general shape which exhibit several resonance mode shapes. This paper proposes a methodology based on linear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, numerical simulations and nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to provide quantitative values of nonlinear elastic moduli taking into account the 3D nature of the samples. In the context of license renewal in the field of nuclear energy, this study aims at providing some quantitative information related to the degree of micro-cracking of concrete and cement based materials in the presence of thermal damage. The resonance based method is validated as regard with concrete microstructure evolution during thermal exposure.
Maximizing phononic band gaps in piezocomposite materials by means of topology optimization
Authors: Vatanabe Sandro L. , Paulino Glaucio H. , Silva Emílio C. N.
Published: August 2014

Phononic crystals (PCs) can exhibit phononic band gaps within which sound and vibrations at certain frequencies do not propagate. In fact, PCs with large band gaps are of great interest for many applications, such as transducers, elastic/acoustic filters, noise control, and vibration shields. Previous work in the field concentrated on PCs made of elastic isotropic materials; however, band gaps can be enlarged by using non-isotropic materials, such as piezoelectric materials. Because the main property of PCs is the presence of band gaps, one possible way to design microstructures that have a desired band gap is through topology optimization. Thus in this work, the main objective is to maximize the width of absolute elastic wave band gaps in piezocomposite materials designed by means of topology optimization. For band gap calculation, the finite element analysis is implemented with Bloch–Floquet theory to solve the dynamic behavior of two-dimensional piezocomposite unit cells. Higher order frequency branches are investigated. The results demonstrate that tunable phononic band gaps in piezocomposite materials can be designed by means of the present methodology.
Nitro/Nitrosyl-Ruthenium Complexes Are Potent and Selective Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Agents Causing Autophagy and Necrotic Parasite Death
Authors: Bastos Tanira M. , Barbosa Marília I. F. , da Silva Monize M. , da C. Júnior José W. , Meira Cássio S. , Guimaraes Elisalva T. , Ellena Javier , Moreira Diogo R. M. , Batista Alzir A. , Soares Milena B. P.
Published: August 2014

cis
-[RuCl(NO
2
)(dppb)(5,5′-mebipy)] (complex 1),
cis
-[Ru(NO
2
)
2
(dppb)(5,5′-mebipy)] (complex 2),
ct
-[RuCl(NO)(dppb)(5,5′-mebipy)](PF
6
)
2
(complex 3), and
cc
-[RuCl(NO)(dppb)(5,5′-mebipy)](PF
6
)
2
(complex 4), where 5,5′-mebipy is 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine and dppb is 1,4-
bis
(diphenylphosphino)butane, were synthesized and characterized. The structure of complex 2 was determined by X-ray crystallography. These complexes exhibited a higher anti-
Trypanosoma cruzi
activity than benznidazole, the current antiparasitic drug. Complex 3 was the most potent, displaying a 50% effective concentration (EC
50
) of 2.1 ± 0.6 μM against trypomastigotes and a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) of 1.3 ± 0.2 μM against amastigotes, while it displayed a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC
50
) of 51.4 ± 0.2 μM in macrophages. It was observed that the nitrosyl complex 3, but not its analog lacking the nitrosyl group, releases nitric oxide into parasite cells. This release has a diminished effect on the trypanosomal protease cruzain but induces substantial parasite autophagy, which is followed by a series of irreversible morphological impairments to the parasites and finally results in cell death by necrosis. In infected mice, orally administered complex 3 (five times at a dose of 75 μmol/kg of body weight) reduced blood parasitemia and increased the survival rate of the mice. Combination index analysis of complex 3 indicated that its
in vitro
activity against trypomastigotes is synergic with benznidazole. In addition, drug combination enhanced efficacy in infected mice, suggesting that ruthenium-nitrosyl complexes are potential constituents for drug combinations.
IS
5
Element Integration, a Novel Mechanism for Rapid
In Vivo
Emergence of Tigecycline Nonsusceptibility in Klebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Nielsen Lindsey E. , Snesrud Erik C. , Onmus-Leone Fatma , Kwak Yoon I. , Avilés Ricardo , Steele Eric D. , Sutter Deena E. , Waterman Paige E. , Lesho Emil P.
Published: August 2014

Tigecycline nonsusceptibility is concerning because tigecycline is increasingly relied upon to treat carbapenem- or colistin-resistant organisms. In
Enterobacteriaceae
, tigecycline nonsusceptibility is mediated by the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump, among others, and pump activity is often a downstream effect of mutations in their transcriptional regulators, cognate repressor genes, or noncoding regions, as demonstrated in
Enterobacteriaceae
and
Acinetobacter
isolates. Here, we report the emergence of tigecycline nonsusceptibility in a longitudinal series of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)
Klebsiella pneumoniae
isolates collected during tigecycline therapy and the elucidation of its resistance mechanisms. Clinical isolates were recovered prior to and during tigecycline therapy of a 2.5-month-old Honduran neonate. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests to tigecycline determined that the MIC increased from 1 to 4 μg/ml prior to the completion of tigecycline therapy. Unlike other studies, we did not find increased expression of
ramA
,
ramR
,
oqxA
,
acrB
,
marA
, or
rarA
genes by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Whole-genome sequencing revealed an IS
5
insertion element in nonsusceptible isolates 85 bp upstream of a putative efflux pump operon, here named
kpgABC
, previously unknown to be involved in resistance. Introduction of the
kpgABC
genes in a non-
kpgABC
background increased the MIC of tigecycline 4-fold and is independent of a functional AcrAB-TolC pump. This is the first report to propose a function for
kpgABC
and identify an insertion element whose presence correlated with the
in vivo
development of tigecycline nonsusceptibility in
K. pneumoniae
.
High Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase, Plasmid-Mediated AmpC, and Carbapenemase Genes in Pet Food
Authors: Seiffert Salome N. , Carattoli Alessandra , Tinguely Regula , Lupo Agnese , Perreten Vincent , Endimiani Andrea
Published: August 2014

We evaluated the pet food contained in 30 packages as a potential origin of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative organisms and β-lactamase genes (
bla
). Live bacteria were not detected by selective culture. However, PCR investigations on food DNA extracts indicated that samples harbored the
bla
CTX-M-15
(53.3%),
bla
CMY-4
(20%), and
bla
VEB-4-like
(6.7%) genes. Particularly worrisome was the presence of
bla
OXA-48-like
carbapenemases (13.3%). The original pet food ingredients and/or the production processes were highly contaminated with bacteria carrying clinically relevant acquired
bla
genes.
‘Saddle nose’ deformity caused by advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal septum
Authors: Graham Hamish Edward , Connolly Cara , Pahal Gurjinderpal S , Stafford Francis W
Published: August 2014

Hidden behind their common garden symptoms, malignant tumours of the nasal cavity are typically advanced when detected. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common histological type of these rare tumours which may simply present with epistaxis or a blocked nose. A 79-year-old woman attended our clinic with a 2-year history of progressive nasal collapse resulting in a ‘saddle nose deformity’. Imaging showed a soft tissue mass with absolute destruction of the nasal septum and bones with hard palate and maxillary involvement. Histology confirmed a poorly differentiated SCC. Following discussion at the local head and neck multidisciplinary team meeting, the patient was offered radiotherapy alone due to her advanced presentation. She has had a good response to treatment with no further disease progression. Nasal septal SCC is far more successfully treated in the early stages. A suspicious clinician is the patients best ally.
Three-dimensional precise orientation of bilateral auricular trial prosthesis using a facebow for a young adult with Crouzon syndrome
Authors: Rathee Manu , Tamrakar Amit Kumar , Kundu Renu , Yunus Nadeem
Published: August 2014

Facial deformity can be debilitating, especially in the psychological and cosmetic aspects. Although surgical correction or replacement of deformed or missing parts is the ideal treatment, prosthetic replacement serves the purpose in case of surgical limitations. Prosthetic rehabilitation of a missing auricle is an acceptable option as it provides better control over the tortuous anatomical shape and shade of the missing portion. Improper spatial orientation of the prosthetic ear on the face can damage the results of even the most aesthetic prosthesis. This case report describes a simple and innovative method for precise spatial orientation of auricular trial prosthesis using a facebow and custom-made adjustable mechanical retention design using stainless steel wire.
Nutritional indicators for gastrointestinal symptoms in female runners: the ‘Marikenloop study’
Authors: ten Haaf Dominique S M , van der Worp Maarten P , Groenewoud Hans M M , Leij-Halfwerk Susanne , Nijhuis-van der Sanden Maria W G , Verbeek André L M , Staal J Bart
Published: August 2014

Objectives

Among runners the reported prevalence of exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms is high (25%–83%). We aimed to investigate the prevalence of GI symptoms in women during a 5–10 km run in general and to explore the association between nutritional intakes and GI symptoms.

Setting

As part of the Marikenloop-study (a cohort study to identify predictor variables of running injuries), a cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed in interested runners of the ‘2013 Marikenloop’.

Participants

433 female runners filled in the questionnaire.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome measure was the frequency of running-related GI symptoms during running in general and during the last (training) run. Furthermore, dietary intake was determined before and during this run. Secondary outcome measures were several demographic and anthropometric variables.

Results

During running in general, 40% of the participants suffered from GI symptoms and during their last run, 49%. The GI symptoms side ache, flatulence, urge to defecate and regurgitation and/or belching were most commonly reported. Lower age (OR=0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00), minor running experience (OR=3.1, 95% CI 1.7 to 5.7), higher body mass index (OR=1.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.2), consuming carbohydrate-containing drinks during running (OR=10.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 80.3) and experiencing GI symptoms during running in general OR=5.0, 95% CI 3.2 to 7.8) significantly contributed to GI symptoms during the last run in the logistic regression analysis. In contrast, time of eating and carbohydrate-containing drinks consumed prior to the run were not related to GI symptoms.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the current study confirms the high prevalence of GI symptoms in female runners. Several predictor variables contributed to the GI symptoms but more research is needed to specify the effects of prerunning eating and carbohydrate-containing drinks on GI symptoms during running.

Trial registration number

Marikenloop study 2013: 50-50310-98-156 (ZonMw).
Analysis of Energy Base for Developing a Low Carbon Economy in Guangdong
Authors: ZHU Shouxian , DING Jianhua , ZHUANG Guiyang
Published: August 2014

On November 26, 2009, China announced to the world that China would reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2020 by 40% to 45% compared with the level of 2005. This is "a voluntary action" taken by the Chinese government based on national conditions and was a major contribution to the global effort in tackling climate change. As a province with a large population, surging economy, and huge energy consumption, Guangdong has pioneered policy research and has run pilot projects, seeking to upgrade its industries and to explore an innovative path toward sustainable development and a low-carbon economy. Energy is a fundamental element of low-carbon development and is critical for building a low-carbon society. This paper analyzes the energy base and energy consumption patterns of Guangdong province, exploring its energy mix, self-supply ratio, energy intensity per unit GDP, energy consumption elasticity, and energy quotas for products and industries. The paper uses three low-carbon indicators — carbon productivity, energy consumption and carbon emission per capita, and energy intensity — to analyze and compare energy patterns in Guangdong and in China as a whole. Finally, the paper proposes energy demand trends along with a roadmap for low-carbon development for Guangdong. This paper can also serve as a reference for other provinces seeking low-carbon development in China.
A Comprehensive Availability Modeling and Analysis of a Virtualized Servers System Using Stochastic Reward Nets
Authors: Nguyen Tuan Anh , Kim Dong Seong , Park Jong Sou
Published: August 2014

It is important to assess availability of virtualized systems in IT business infrastructures. Previous work on availability modeling and analysis of the virtualized systems used a simplified configuration and assumption in which only one virtual machine (VM) runs on a virtual machine monitor (VMM) hosted on a physical server. In this paper, we show a comprehensive availability model using stochastic reward nets (SRN). The model takes into account (i) the detailed failures and recovery behaviors of multiple VMs, (ii) various other failure modes and corresponding recovery behaviors (e.g., hardware faults, failure and recovery due to Mandelbugs and aging-related bugs), and (iii) dependency between different subcomponents (e.g., between physical host failure and VMM, etc.) in a virtualized servers system. We also show numerical analysis on steady state availability, downtime in hours per year, transaction loss, and sensitivity analysis. This model provides a new finding on how to increase system availability by combining both software rejuvenations at VM and VMM in a wise manner.
Semirigid Cantilever Extension System for Splinting Implants: A Clinical Report
Authors: Machado Raissa Micaella Marcello , Pinto Luciana de Rezende , Chagas Júnior Otacílio Luiz , Faot Fernanda
Published: August 2014

In mandibular edentulous patients, treatment based on immediate loading with rigid splinting in the mandible is well accepted; however, it is cost and time dependent, which sometimes limits this type of rehabilitation. To overcome these problems, the technique of immediate loading using a semirigid splinting extension system has been developed. Its advantages include low cost, technical feasibility, and reduced clinic time. This clinical report presents the applicability and the predictability of semirigid splinting of implants in the mandibular arch of an edentulous patient using adistal extension bar prosthesis system.
Clar Structure and Fries Set of Fullerenes and (4,6)-Fullerenes on Surfaces
Authors: Gao Yang , Zhang Heping
Published: August 2014

Fowler and Pisanski showed that the Fries number for a fullerene on surface Σ is bounded above by|V|/3, and fullerenes which attain this bound are exactly the class of leapfrog fullerenes on surface Σ. We showed that the Clar number of a fullerene on surface Σ is bounded above by(|V|/6)-χ(Σ), whereχ(Σ)stands for the Euler characteristic of Σ. By establishing a relation between the extremal fullerenes and the extremal (4,6)-fullerenes on the sphere, Hartung characterized the fullerenes on the sphereS0for which Clar numbers attain(|V|/6)-χ(S0). We prove that, for a (4,6)-fullerene on surface Σ, its Clar number is bounded above by(|V|/6)+χ(Σ)and its Fries number is bounded above by(|V|/3)+χ(Σ), and we characterize the (4,6)-fullerenes on surface Σ attaining these two bounds in terms of perfect Clar structure. Moreover, we characterize the fullerenes on the projective planeN1for which Clar numbers attain(|V|/6)-χ(N1)in Hartung’s method.
Characterization of Human Vaginal Mucosa Cells for Autologous In Vitro Cultured Vaginal Tissue Transplantation in Patients with MRKH Syndrome
Authors: Nodale Cristina , Vescarelli Enrica , D’Amici Sirio , Maffucci Diana , Ceccarelli Simona , Monti Marco , Benedetti Panici Pierluigi , Romano Ferdinando , Angeloni Antonio , Marchese Cinzia
Published: August 2014

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) is a rare syndrome characterized by congenital aplasia of the uterus and vagina. The most common procedure used for surgical reconstruction of the neovagina is the McIndoe vaginoplasty, which consists in creation of a vaginal canal covered with a full-thickness skin graft. Here we characterized the autologous in vitro cultured vaginal tissue proposed as alternative material in our developed modified McIndoe vaginoplasty in order to underlie its importance in autologous total vaginal replacement. To this aim human vaginal mucosa cells (HVMs) were isolated from vaginal mucosa of patients affected by MRKH syndrome and characterized with respect to growth kinetics, morphology, PAS staining, and expression of specific epithelial markers by immunofluorescence, Western blot, and qRT-PCR analyses. The presence of specific epithelial markers along with the morphology and the presence of mucified cells demonstrated the epithelial nature of HMVs, important for an efficient epithelialization of the neovagina walls and for creating a functional vaginal cavity. Moreover, these cells presented characteristics of effective proliferation as demonstrated by growth kinetics assay. Therefore, the autologous in vitro cultured vaginal tissue might represent a highly promising and valid material for McIndoe vaginoplasty.
Congenital Defects in Neutrophil Dynamics
Authors: Keszei Marton , Westerberg Lisa S.
Published: August 2014

Neutrophil granulocytes are key effector cells of the vertebrate immune system. They represent 50–70% of the leukocytes in the human blood and their loss by disease or drug side effect causes devastating bacterial infections. Their high turnover rate, their fine-tuned killing machinery, and their arsenal of toxic vesicles leave them particularly vulnerable to various genetic deficiencies. The aim of this review is to highlight those congenital immunodeficiencies which impede the dynamics of neutrophils, such as migration, cytoskeletal rearrangements, vesicular trafficking, and secretion.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Centralized Wastewater Treatment Plant in a Chemical Industry Zone: Source, Distribution, and Removal
Authors: Yao Min , Li Zhongjian , Zhang Xingwang , Lei Lecheng
Published: August 2014

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) could be dissolved in wastewater or adsorbed on particulate. The fate of PCBs in wastewater is essential to evaluate the feasibility of wastewater treatment processes and the environmental risk. Here dissolved and adsorbed concentrations of twenty concerned PCB congeners and total PCBs have been measured in the centralized wastewater treatment plant of a chemical industry zone in Zhejiang, China. It was found that the dyeing chemical processes were the main source of PCBs, which contributed more than 13.6%. The most abundant PCB was PCB-11 in the liquid and solid phase of each treatment stage, accounting for more than 60% of the total 209 PCBs. Partitioning behavior of PCBs between the dissolved and adsorbed phases suggested that Di-CBs were the dominant isomers (>70%) and more than 89.8% of them was adsorbed on the particles and sludge. The total removal efficiency of∑209 PCBs was only 23.2% throughout the whole treatment process. A weak correlation was obtained between the individual PCB concentration and their log Kowin primary sedimentation, anaerobic hydrolysis, aerobic bioprocess stage, and the whole treatment process.
Autonomous Development of Algorithmic Concepts for Program Comprehension
Authors: Zhu Guojin , Zhang Kai , Li Jiyun
Published: August 2014

A developmental model of algorithmic concepts is proposed here for program comprehension. Unlike traditional approaches that cannot do anything beyond their predesigned representation, this model can develop its internal representation autonomously from chaos into algorithmic concepts by mimicking concept formation in the brain under an uncontrollable environment that consists of program source codes from the Internet. The developed concepts can be employed to identify what algorithm a program performs. The accuracy of such identification reached 97.15% in a given experiment.
Natural Product Polyamines That Inhibit Human Carbonic Anhydrases
Authors: Davis Rohan A. , Vullo Daniela , Supuran Claudiu T. , Poulsen Sally-Ann
Published: August 2014

Natural product compound collections have proven an effective way to access chemical diversity and recent findings have identified phenolic, coumarin, and polyamine natural products as atypical chemotypes that inhibit carbonic anhydrases (CAs). CA enzymes are implicated as targets of variable drug therapeutic classes and the discovery of selective, drug-like CA inhibitors is essential. Just two natural product polyamines, spermine and spermidine, have until now been investigated as CA inhibitors. In this study, five more complex natural product polyamines1–5, derived from either marine sponge or fungi, were considered for inhibition of six different human CA isozymes of interest in therapeutic drug development. All compounds share a simple polyamine core fragment, either spermine or spermidine, yet display substantially different structure activity relationships for CA inhibition. Notably, polyamines1–5were submicromolar inhibitors of the cancer drug target CA IX, this is more potent than either spermine or spermidine.
Onk-Distance Pell Numbers in 3-Edge-Coloured Graphs
Authors: Piejko Krzysztof , Włoch Iwona
Published: August 2014

We define in this paper new distance generalizations of the Pell numbers and the companion Pell numbers. We give a graph interpretation of these numbers with respect to a special 3-edge colouring of the graph.
Haemorrhagic Presentation of a Craniopharyngioma in a Pregnant Woman
Authors: Zoia Cesare , Cattalani Andrea , Turpini Elena , Custodi Viola Marta , Benazzo Marco , Pagella Fabio , Carena Paolo , Lovati Elisabetta , Lucotti Pietro , Gaetani Paolo
Published: August 2014

Objective.Craniopharyngioma is a rare tumour, and, consequently, acute clinical presentation and diagnosis, during pregnancy, of this pathology are quite difficult to find. Only few cases are reported in the literature, and no one describes these two conditions in association.Methods.We report a particular case of craniopharyngioma presenting both of the above conditions.Results.The patient was successfully operated with endoscopic technique.Conclusions.Rare and difficult cases, created by the superposition of different clinical conditions, need multidisciplinary management, with collaboration, integration, and cooperation between different medical specialists.
Variation in Macro and Trace Elements in Progression of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Siddiqui Khalid , Bawazeer Nahla , Scaria Joy Salini
Published: August 2014

Macro elements are the minerals of which the body needs more amounts and are more important than any other elements. Trace elements constitute a minute part of the living tissues and have various metabolic characteristics and functions. Trace elements participate in tissue and cellular and subcellular functions; these include immune regulation by humoral and cellular mechanisms, nerve conduction, muscle contractions, membrane potential regulations, and mitochondrial activity and enzyme reactions. The status of micronutrients such as iron and vanadium is higher in type 2 diabetes. The calcium, magnesium, sodium, chromium, cobalt, iodine, iron, selenium, manganese, and zinc seem to be low in type 2 diabetes while elements such as potassium and copper have no effect. In this review, we emphasized the status of macro and trace elements in type 2 diabetes and its advantages or disadvantages; this helps to understand the mechanism, progression, and prevention of type 2 diabetes due to the lack and deficiency of different macro and trace elements.
Bounds on Subspace Codes Based on Subspaces of Type(m,1)in Singular Linear Space
Authors: Gao You , Wang Gang
Published: August 2014

The Sphere-packing bound, Singleton bound, Wang-Xing-Safavi-Naini bound, Johnson bound, and Gilbert-Varshamov bound on the subspace codesn+l,M,d,(m,1)qbased on subspaces of type(m,1)in singular linear spaceFq(n+l)over finite fieldsFqare presented. Then, we prove that codes based on subspaces of type(m,1)in singular linear space attain the Wang-Xing-Safavi-Naini bound if and only if they are certain Steiner structures inFq(n+l).
Blow-Up of Solutions for a Class of Nonlinear Pseudoparabolic Equations with a Memory Term
Authors: Di Huafei , Shang Yadong
Published: August 2014

We consider the nonlinear pseudoparabolic equation with a memory termut-Δu-Δut+∫0tλt-τΔuτdτ=div∇up-2u+u1+α,x∈Ω,t>0, with an initial condition and Dirichlet boundary condition. Under negative initial energy and suitable conditions onp,α, and the relaxation functionλ(t), we prove a finite-time blow-up result by using the concavity method.
Short-Term Effects of Tillage Practices on Soil Organic Carbon Turnover Assessed byδ13C Abundance in Particle-Size Fractions of Black Soils from Northeast China
Authors: Liang Aizhen , Chen Shenglong , Zhang Xiaoping , Chen Xuewen
Published: August 2014

The combination of isotope trace technique and SOC fractionation allows a better understanding of SOC dynamics. A five-year tillage experiment consisting of no-tillage (NT) and mouldboard plough (MP) was used to study the changes in particle-size SOC fractions and correspondingδ13C natural abundance to assess SOC turnover in the 0–20 cm layer of black soils under tillage practices. Compared to the initial level, total SOC tended to be stratified but showed a slight increase in the entire plough layer under short-term NT. MP had no significant impacts on SOC at any depth. Because of significant increases in coarse particulate organic carbon (POC) and decreases in fine POC, total POC did not remarkably decrease under NT and MP. A distinct increase in silt plus clay OC occurred in NT plots, but not in MP plots. However, theδ13C abundances of both coarse and fine POC increased, while those of silt plus clay OC remained almost the same under NT. The C derived from C3plants was mainly associated with fine particles and much less with coarse particles. These results suggested that short-term NT and MP preferentially enhanced the turnover of POC, which was considerably faster than that of silt plus clay OC.
On Certain Matrices of Bernoulli Numbers
Authors: Zhang Ruiming , Chen Li-Chen
Published: August 2014

In this work we compute the determinant and inverse matrices for a certain symmetric matrix of Rayleigh sums. As a special case we also obtain the determinants and inverses for the matrices of the Bernoulli numbers and related numbers.
Effect of Velocity Slip Boundary Condition on the Flow and Heat Transfer of Cu-Water and TiO2-Water Nanofluids in the Presence of a Magnetic Field
Authors: Ebaid Abdelhalim , Al Mutairi Fahd , Khaled S. M.
Published: August 2014

In nanofluid mechanics, it has been proven recently that the no slip condition at the boundary is no longer valid which is the reason that we consider the effect of such slip condition on the flow and heat transfer of two types of nanofluids. The present paper considers the effect of the velocity slip condition on the flow and heat transfer of the Cu-water and the TiO2-water nanofluids over stretching/shrinking sheets in the presence of a magnetic field. The exact expression for the fluid velocity is obtained in terms of the exponential function, while an effective analytical procedure is suggested and successfully applied to obtain the exact temperature in terms of the generalized incomplete gamma function. It is found in this paper that the Cu-water nanofluid is slower than the TiO2-water nanofluid for both cases of the stretching/shrinking sheets. However, the temperature of the Cu-water nanofluid is always higher than the temperature of the TiO2-water nanofluid. In the case of shrinking sheet the dual solutions have been obtained at particular values of the physical parameters. In addition, the effect of various physical parameters on such dual solutions is discussed through the graphs.
Analysis of Phenolic Acids of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosusL.) Responding to Salt-Stress by Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Chen Fujia , Long Xiaohua , Liu Zhaopu , Shao Hongbo , Liu Ling
Published: August 2014

Plant phenolics can have applications in pharmaceutical and other industries. To identify and quantify the phenolic compounds inHelianthus tuberosusleaves, qualitative analysis was performed by a reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and quantitative analysis by HPLC. Ten chlorogenic acids (CGAs) were identified (3-o-caffeoylquinic acid, two isomers of caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid,p-coumaroyl-quinic acid, feruloylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoyquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid) by comparing their retention times, UV-Vis absorption spectra, and MS/MS spectra with standards. In addition, four other phenolic compounds, including caffeoyl glucopyranose, isorhamnetin glucoside, kaempferol glucuronide, and kaempferol-3-o-glucoside, were tentatively identified inHelianthus tuberosusleaves for the first time. The 3-o-caffeoylquinic acid (7.752 mg/g DW), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (5.633 mg/g DW), and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4.900 mg/g DW) were the major phenolic compounds in leaves ofHelianthus tuberosuscultivar NanYu in maturity. The variations in phenolic concentrations and proportions inHelianthus tuberosusleaves were influenced by genotype and plant growth stage. Cultivar NanYu had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, in particular 3-o-caffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid compared with the other genotypes (wild accession and QingYu). Considering various growth stages, the concentration of total phenolics in cultivar NanYu was higher at flowering stage (5.270 mg/g DW) than at budding and tuber swelling stages. Cultivar NanYu ofHelianthus tuberosusis a potential source of natural phenolics that may play an important role in the development of pharmaceuticals.
Comparison of the Inhibition of Monoamine Oxidase and Butyrylcholinesterase Activities by Infusions from Green Tea and Some Citrus Peels
Authors: Ademosun Ayokunle O. , Oboh Ganiyu
Published: August 2014

This study sought to investigate the effect of infusions from green tea (Camellia sinensis) and some citrus peels [shaddock (Citrus maxima), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), and orange (Citrus sinensis)] on key enzymes relevant to the management of neurodegenerative conditions [monoamine oxidase (MAO) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)]. The total phenol contents and antioxidant activities as typified by their 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals scavenging abilities, ferric reducing antioxidant properties, and Fe2+chelating abilities were also investigated. Green tea had the highest total phenol (43.3 mg/g) and total flavonoid (16.4 mg/g) contents, when compared to orange [total phenol (19.6 mg/g), total flavonoid (6.5 mg/g)], shaddock [total phenol (16.3 mg/g), total flavonoid (5.2 mg/g)], and grapefruit [total phenol (17.7 mg/g), total flavonoid (5.9 mg/g)]. Orange (EC50= 1.78 mg/mL) had the highest MAO inhibitory ability, while green tea had the least MAO inhibitory ability (EC50= 2.56 mg/mL). Similarly, green tea had the least BChE inhibitory ability (EC50= 5.43 mg/mL) when compared to the citrus peels’ infusions. However, green tea infusions had the strongest highest ABTS radical scavenging ability, reducing power, and Fe2+chelating ability. The inhibition of MAO and BChE activities by the green tea and citrus peels infusions could make them good dietary means for the prevention/management of neurodegenerative conditions.
Variational Principles for Buckling of Microtubules Modeled as Nonlocal Orthotropic Shells
Authors: Adali Sarp
Published: August 2014

A variational principle for microtubules subject to a buckling load is derived by semi-inverse method. The microtubule is modeled as an orthotropic shell with the constitutive equations based on nonlocal elastic theory and the effect of filament network taken into account as an elastic surrounding. Microtubules can carry large compressive forces by virtue of the mechanical coupling between the microtubules and the surrounding elastic filament network. The equations governing the buckling of the microtubule are given by a system of three partial differential equations. The problem studied in the present work involves the derivation of the variational formulation for microtubule buckling. The Rayleigh quotient for the buckling load as well as the natural and geometric boundary conditions of the problem is obtained from this variational formulation. It is observed that the boundary conditions are coupled as a result of nonlocal formulation. It is noted that the analytic solution of the buckling problem for microtubules is usually a difficult task. The variational formulation of the problem provides the basis for a number of approximate and numerical methods of solutions and furthermore variational principles can provide physical insight into the problem.
Gastroprotective Activity of Violacein Isolated fromChromobacterium violaceumon Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Lesions in Rats: Investigation of Potential Mechanisms of Action
Authors: Antonisamy Paulrayer , Kannan Ponnusamy , Aravinthan Adithan , Duraipandiyan Veeramuthu , Valan Arasu Mariadhas , Ignacimuthu Savarimuthu , Abdullah Al-Dhabi Naif , Kim Jong-Hoon
Published: August 2014

Chromobacterium violaceum, Gram-negative bacteria species found in tropical regions of the world, produces a distinct deep violet-colored pigment called violacein. In the present study, we investigated whether violacein can promote a gastroprotective effect and verified the possible mechanisms involved in this action. For this study, an indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer rat model was used. The roles of biomolecules such as MPO, PGE2, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, caspase-3, NO, K+ATP channels, andα2-receptors were investigated. Violacein exhibited significant gastroprotective effect against indomethacin-induced lesions, while pretreatment with L-NAME and glibenclamide (but not with NEM or yohimbine) was able to reverse this action. Pretreatment with violacein also restored cNOS level to normal and led to attenuation of enhanced apoptosis and gastric microvascular permeability. Our results suggest that violacein provides a significant gastroprotective effect in an indomethacin-induced ulcer model through the maintenance of some vital protein molecules, and this effect appears to be mediated, at least in part, by endogenous prostaglandins, NOS, K+ATP channel opening, and inhibition of apoptosis and gastric microvascular permeability.
The Long-Term Impact of Human Capital Investment on GDP: A Panel Cointegrated Regression Analysis
Authors: Akpolat Ahmet Gökçe
Published: August 2014

This study aims to determine the long-run impact of physical and human capital on GDP by using the panel data set of 13 developed and 11 developing countries over the period 1970–2010. Gross fixed capital formation is used as physical capital indicator while education expenditures and life expectancy at birth are used as human capital indicators. Panel DOLS and FMOLS panel cointegrated regression models are exploited to detect the magnitude and sign of the cointegration relationship and compare the effect of these physical and human capital variables according to these two different country groups. As a consequence of panels DOLS and FMOLS models, the impact of physical capital and education expenditures on GDP in the developed countries is determined as higher than the impact in the developing countries. On the other hand, the impact of life expectancy at birth on GDP is determined as higher in the developing countries.
A Limited Memory BFGS Method for Solving Large-Scale Symmetric Nonlinear Equations
Authors: Li Xiangrong , Wang Xiaoliang , Duan Xiabin
Published: August 2014

A limited memory BFGS (L-BFGS) algorithm is presented for solving large-scale symmetric nonlinear equations, where a line search technique without derivative information is used. The global convergence of the proposed algorithm is established under some suitable conditions. Numerical results show that the given method is competitive to those of the normal BFGS methods.
Analytical Solution of Interface Effect on the Strength of Combined Model Composed of Different Geologic Bodies
Authors: Zhao Zeng-hui , Wang Wei-ming , Wang Li-hua , Yan Ji-xing
Published: August 2014

According to the special combined structure of surrounding rock in western mining area of China, a micromechanical model with variable parameters containing contact interface was proposed firstly. Then, the derived stresses in coal and rock near the interface were analyzed on the basis of the harmonized strain relation, and the analytical solutions with respect to stress states near the interface were drawn up. The triaxial compressive strength of coal and rock was further determined in case the contact interface was in the horizontal position. Moreover, effects of stiffness ratio, interface angle, and stress level on the strength of two bodies near the contact area were expounded in detail. Results indicate that additional stresses which have significant effect on the strength of combined model are derived due to the adhesive effect of contact interface and lithological differences between geologic bodies located on both sides. The interface effect on the strength of combined body is most associated with the stiffness, interface angle, and the stress level. These conclusions are also basically valid for three‐body model and even for the multibody model and lay important theory foundation to guide the stability study of soft strata composed of different geologic bodies.