bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advances and Computational Tools towards Predictable Design in Biological Engineering
Authors: Pasotti Lorenzo , Zucca Susanna
Published: August 2014

The design process of complex systems in all the fields of engineering requires a set of quantitatively characterized components and a method to predict the output of systems composed by such elements. This strategy relies on the modularity of the used components or the prediction of their context-dependent behaviour, when parts functioning depends on the specific context. Mathematical models usually support the whole process by guiding the selection of parts and by predicting the output of interconnected systems. Such bottom-up design process cannot be trivially adopted for biological systems engineering, since parts function is hard to predict when components are reused in different contexts. This issue and the intrinsic complexity of living systems limit the capability of synthetic biologists to predict the quantitative behaviour of biological systems. The high potential of synthetic biology strongly depends on the capability of mastering this issue. This review discusses the predictability issues of basic biological parts (promoters, ribosome binding sites, coding sequences, transcriptional terminators, and plasmids) when used to engineer simple and complex gene expression systems inEscherichia coli. A comparison between bottom-up and trial-and-error approaches is performed for all the discussed elements and mathematical models supporting the prediction of parts behaviour are illustrated.
Vacuum Large Current Parallel Transfer Numerical Analysis
Authors: Dong Enyuan , Hou Shengkai , Zheng Xiang , Qin Taotao , Liu Guixin , Zhao Bing
Published: August 2014

The stable operation and reliable breaking of large generator current are a difficult problem in power system. It can be solved successfully by the parallel interrupters and proper timing sequence with phase‐control technology, in which the strategy of breaker’s control is decided by the time of both the first‐opening phase and second‐opening phase. The precise transfer current’s model can provide the proper timing sequence to break the generator circuit breaker. By analysis of the transfer current’s experiments and data, the real vacuum arc resistance and precise correctional model in the large transfer current’s process are obtained in this paper. The transfer time calculated by the correctional model of transfer current is very close to the actual transfer time. It can provide guidance for planning proper timing sequence and breaking the vacuum generator circuit breaker with the parallel interrupters.
Generation of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV-Inhibiting Peptides fromβ-Lactoglobulin Secreted byLactococcus lactis
Authors: Shigemori Suguru , Oshiro Kazushi , Wang Pengfei , Yamamoto Yoshinari , Wang Yeqin , Sato Takashi , Uyeno Yutaka , Shimosato Takeshi
Published: August 2014

Previous studies showed that hydrolysates ofβ-lactoglobulin (BLG) prepared using gastrointestinal proteases strongly inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activityin vitro. In this study, we developed a BLG-secretingLactococcus lactisstrain as a delivery vehicle andin situexpression system. Interestingly, trypsin-digested recombinant BLG fromL. lactisinhibited DPP-IV activity, suggesting that BLG-secretingL. lactismay be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Numerical Solutions of Two-Way Propagation of Nonlinear Dispersive Waves Using Radial Basis Functions
Authors: Suárez Pablo U. , Morales J. Héctor
Published: August 2014

We obtain the numerical solution of a Boussinesq system for
two-way propagation of nonlinear dispersive waves by using the meshless
method, based on collocation with radial basis functions. The system of
nonlinear partial differential equation is discretized in space by approximating
the solution using radial basis functions. The discretization leads to a
system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The equations
are then solved by using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. A stability
analysis is provided and then the accuracy of method is tested by comparing
it with the exact solitary solutions of the Boussinesq system. In addition, the
conserved quantities are calculated numerically and compared to an exact
solution. The numerical results show excellent agreement with the analytical
solution and the calculated conserved quantities.
Effects of L-Theanine on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Induced Changes in Rat Brain Gene Expression
Authors: Ceremuga Tomás Eduardo , Martinson Stephanie , Washington Jason , Revels Robert , Wojcicki Jessica , Crawford Damali , Edwards Robert , Kemper Joshua Luke , Townsend William Luke , Herron Geno M. , Ceremuga George Allen , Padron Gina , Bentley Michael
Published: August 2014

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by the occurrence of a traumatic event that is beyond the normal range of human experience. The future of PTSD treatment may specifically target the molecular mechanisms of PTSD. In the US, approximately 20% of adults report taking herbal products to treat medical illnesses. L-theanine is the amino acid in green tea primarily responsible for relaxation effects. No studies have evaluated the potential therapeutic properties of herbal medications on gene expression in PTSD. We evaluated gene expression in PTSD-induced changes in the amygdala and hippocampus of Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were assigned to PTSD-stressed and nonstressed groups that received either saline, midazolam, L-theanine, or L-theanine + midazolam. Amygdala and hippocampus tissue samples were analyzed for changes in gene expression. One-way ANOVA was used to detect significant difference between groups in the amygdala and hippocampus. Of 88 genes examined, 17 had a large effect size greater than 0.138. Of these, 3 genes in the hippocampus and 5 genes in the amygdala were considered significant (P<0.05) between the groups. RT-PCR analysis revealed significant changes between groups in several genes implicated in a variety of disorders ranging from PTSD, anxiety, mood disorders, and substance dependence.
A Case of Marine-Lenhart Syndrome with a Negative TSH Receptor Antibody Titer Successfully Treated with a Fixed, Low Dose of I131
Authors: Takei Masahiro , Ishii Hiroaki , Sato Yoshihiko , Komatsu Mitsuhisa
Published: August 2014

We herein describe a case of Marine-Lenhart syndrome with a negative TSH receptor antibody titer. A 75-year-old female presented to our hospital with malaise, palpitations, and mild fine tremors. She did not have any signs suggestive of Graves’ ophthalmopathy, including conjunctival injection, periorbital edema, or proptosis. Her laboratory data were negative for thyroid autoantibodies, including anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, and anti-TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb). Ultrasonography of the thyroid gland revealed a tumor in the right lobe. The remaining thyroid gland had an inhomogeneous and rough texture with a high color Doppler flow. I123scintigraphy disclosed a hot nodule in the right thyroid gland corresponding to the tumor detected on ultrasonography, suggesting Plummer disease. Furthermore, there was an increased uptake of radionuclide in the rest of the thyroid gland, despite the suppressed level of TSH and negative titer of TRAb, suggesting underlying Graves’ disease. The present findings suggested a diagnosis of Marine-Lenhart syndrome with a negative TRAb titer. Treatment with 10 mCi of radioiodine was highly effective in treating hyperthyroidism in this case. A negative TSH receptor antibody titer does not necessarily rule out the existence of Graves’ disease in patients with Plummer disease.
Genetic Markers of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Emphasis on Insulin Resistance
Authors: Shaikh Nuzhat , Dadachanji Roshan , Mukherjee Srabani
Published: August 2014

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy affecting women of childbearing age causing not only reproductive but also metabolic anomalies. PCOS women present with ovulatory dysfunction, abnormal hormones, hyperandrogenemia, obesity, and hyperinsulinemia. It is a heterogeneous disorder which results from interaction of multiple genes along with environmental factors. Insulin resistance is a central key element contributing to PCOS pathogenesis and is further aggravated by obesity. Insulin regulates metabolic homeostasis and contributes to ovarian steroidogenesis. Candidate gene analyses have dissected genes related to insulin secretion and action for their association with PCOS susceptibility. Although a large number of genomic variants have been shown to be associated with PCOS, no single candidate gene has emerged as a convincing biomarker thus far. This may be attributed to large amount of heterogeneity observed in this disorder. This review presents an overview of the polymorphisms in genes related to insulin signaling and their association with PCOS and its related traits.
Sensorless SPMSM Position Estimation Using Position Estimation Error Suppression Control and EKF in Wide Speed Range
Authors: Wang Zhanshan , Quan Longhu , Liu Xiuchong
Published: August 2014

The control of a high performance alternative current (AC) motor drive under sensorless operation needs the accurate estimation of rotor position. In this paper, one method of accurately estimating rotor position by using both motor complex number model based position estimation and position estimation error suppression proportion integral (PI) controller is proposed for the sensorless control of the surface permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM). In order to guarantee the accuracy of rotor position estimation in the flux‐weakening region, one scheme of identifying the permanent magnet flux of SPMSM by extended Kalman filter (EKF) is also proposed, which formed the effective combination method to realize the sensorless control of SPMSM with high accuracy. The simulation results demonstrated the validity and feasibility of the proposed position/speed estimation system.
Reconstruction of Cochlea Based on Micro-CT and Histological Images of the Human Inner Ear
Authors: Bellos Christos , Rigas George , Spiridon Ioannis F. , Bibas Athanasios , Iliopoulou Dimitra , Böhnke Frank , Koutsouris Dimitrios , Fotiadis Dimitrios I.
Published: August 2014

The study of the normal function and pathology of the inner ear has unique difficulties as it is inaccessible during life and, so, conventional techniques of pathologic studies such as biopsy and surgical excision are not feasible, without further impairing function. Mathematical modelling is therefore particularly attractive as a tool in researching the cochlea and its pathology. The first step towards efficient mathematical modelling is the reconstruction of an accurate three dimensional (3D) model of the cochlea that will be presented in this paper. The high quality of the histological images is being exploited in order to extract several sections of the cochlea that are not visible on the micro-CT (mCT) images (i.e., scala media, spiral ligament, and organ of Corti) as well as other important sections (i.e., basilar membrane, Reissner membrane, scala vestibule, and scala tympani). The reconstructed model is being projected in the centerline of the coiled cochlea, extracted from mCT images, and represented in the 3D space. The reconstruction activities are part of the SIFEM project, which will result in the delivery of an infrastructure, semantically interlinking various tools and libraries (i.e., segmentation, reconstruction, and visualization tools) with the clinical knowledge, which is represented by existing data, towards the delivery of a robust multiscale model of the inner ear.
Successful Venous Angioplasty of Superior Vena Cava Syndrome after Heart Transplantation
Authors: Strecker Thomas , Zimmermann Iris , Heinz Marco , Rösch Johannes , Agaimy Abbas , Weyand Michael
Published: August 2014

Introduction. For patients with terminal heart failure, heart transplantation (HTX) has become an established therapy. Before transplantation there are many repeated measurements with a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) via the superior vena cava (SVC) necessary. After transplantation, endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is recommended for routine surveillance of heart transplant rejection again through the SVC.Case Presentation. In this report, we present a HTX patient who developed a SVC syndrome as a possible complication of all these procedures via the SVC. This 35-year-old Caucasian male could be successfully treated by balloon dilatation/angioplasty.Conclusion. The SVC syndrome can lead to pressure increase in the venous system such as edema in the head and the upper part of the body and further serious complications like cerebral bleeding and ischemia, or respiratory problems. Balloon angioplasty and stent implantation are valid methods to treat stenoses of the SVC successfully.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Three Alloy 690 Mockup Components: Base Metal and Welding Induced Changes
Authors: Shen Rickard R. , Kaplan Bartek , Efsing Pål
Published: August 2014

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of cold deformed thermally treated (TT) Alloy 690 has been questioned in recent years. As a step towards understanding its relevancy for weld deformed Alloy 690 in operating plants, Alloy 690 base metal and heat affected zone (HAZ) microstructures of three mockup components have been studied. All mockups were manufactured using commercial heats and welding procedures in order to attain results relevant to the materials in the field. Thermodynamic calculations were performed to add confidence in phase identification as well as understanding of the evolution of the microstructure with temperature. Ti(C,N) banding was found in all materials. Bands with few large Ti(C,N) precipitates had negligible effect on the microstructure, whereas bands consisting of numerous small precipitates were associated with locally finer grains and coarser M23C6 grain boundary carbides. The Ti(C,N) remained unaffected in the HAZ while the M23C6 carbides were fully dissolved close to the fusion line. Cold deformed solution annealed Alloy 690 is believed to be a better representation of this region than cold deformed TT Alloy 690.
Robust Fault‐Tolerant Control for Satellite Attitude Stabilization Based on Active Disturbance Rejection Approach with Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm
Authors: Song Fei , Qin Shiyin
Published: August 2014

This paper proposed a robust fault‐tolerant control algorithm for satellite stabilization based on active disturbance rejection approach with artificial bee colony algorithm. The actuating mechanism of attitude control system consists of three working reaction flywheels and one spare reaction flywheel. The speed measurement of reaction flywheel is adopted for fault detection. If any reaction flywheel fault is detected, the corresponding fault flywheel is isolated and the spare reaction flywheel is activated to counteract the fault effect and ensure that the satellite is working safely and reliably. The active disturbance rejection approach is employed to design the controller, which handles input information with tracking differentiator, estimates system uncertainties with extended state observer, and generates control variables by state feedback and compensation. The designed active disturbance rejection controller is robust to both internal dynamics and external disturbances. The bandwidth parameter of extended state observer is optimized by the artificial bee colony algorithm so as to improve the performance of attitude control system. A series of simulation experiment results demonstrate the performance superiorities of the proposed robust fault‐tolerant control algorithm.
Rapid Automated Target Segmentation and Tracking on 4D Data without Initial Contours
Authors: Chebrolu Venkata V. , Saenz Daniel , Tewatia Dinesh , Sethares William A. , Cannon George , Paliwal Bhudatt R.
Published: August 2014

Purpose. To achieve rapid automated delineation of gross target volume (GTV) and to quantify changes in volume/position of the target for radiotherapy planning using four-dimensional (4D) CT.Methods and Materials. Novel morphological processing and successive localization (MPSL) algorithms were designed and implemented for achieving autosegmentation. Contours automatically generated using MPSL method were compared with contours generated using state-of-the-art deformable registration methods (usingElastix©and MIMVista software). Metrics such as the Dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, and positive predictive value (PPV) were analyzed. The target motion tracked using the centroid of the GTV estimated using MPSL method was compared with motion tracked using deformable registration methods.Results. MPSL algorithm segmented the GTV in 4DCT images in27.0±11.1seconds per phase (512×512resolution) as compared to142.3±11.3seconds per phase for deformable registration based methods in 9 cases. Dice coefficients between MPSL generated GTV contours and manual contours (considered as ground-truth) were0.865±0.037. In comparison, the Dice coefficients between ground-truth and contours generated using deformable registration based methods were 0.909 ± 0.051.Conclusions. The MPSL method achieved similar segmentation accuracy as compared to state-of-the-art deformable registration based segmentation methods, but with significant reduction in time required for GTV segmentation.
Focusing on the Golden Ball Metaheuristic: An Extended Study on a Wider Set of Problems
Authors: Osaba E. , Diaz F. , Carballedo R. , Onieva E. , Perallos A.
Published: August 2014

Nowadays, the development of new metaheuristics for solving optimization problems is a topic of interest in the scientific community. In the literature, a large number of techniques of this kind can be found. Anyway, there are many recently proposed techniques, such as the artificial bee colony and imperialist competitive algorithm. This paper is focused on one recently published technique, the one called Golden Ball (GB). The GB is a multiple-population metaheuristic based on soccer concepts. Although it was designed to solve combinatorial optimization problems, until now, it has only been tested with two simple routing problems: the traveling salesman problem and the capacitated vehicle routing problem. In this paper, the GB is applied to four different combinatorial optimization problems. Two of them are routing problems, which are more complex than the previously used ones: the asymmetric traveling salesman problem and the vehicle routing problem with backhauls. Additionally, one constraint satisfaction problem (the n-queen problem) and one combinatorial design problem (the one-dimensional bin packing problem) have also been used. The outcomes obtained by GB are compared with the ones got by two different genetic algorithms and two distributed genetic algorithms. Additionally, two statistical tests are conducted to compare these results.
Heat-Activated Persulfate Oxidation of Chlorinated Solvents in Sandy Soil
Authors: Liu Jialu , Gong Xijun , Song Shijun , Zhang Fengjun , Lu Cong
Published: August 2014

Heat-activated persulfate oxidative treatment of chlorinated organic solvents containing chlorinated ethenes and ethanes in soil was investigated with different persulfate dosages (20 g/L, 40 g/L, and 60 g/L) and different temperatures (30°C, 40°C, and 50°C). Chlorinated organic solvents removal was increased as persulfate concentration increase. The persulfate dosage of 20 g/L with the highest OE (oxidant efficiency) value was economically suitable for chlorinated organic solvents removal. The increasing temperature contributed to the increasing depletion of chlorinated organic solvents. Chlorinated ethenes were more easily removed than chlorinated ethanes. Moreover, the persulfate depletion followed the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics (kps=0.0292 [PS]0+0.0008,R2=0.9771). Heat-activated persulfate appeared to be an effective oxidant for treatment of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Effects of Securigera securidaca Extract on Lipolysis and Adipogenesis in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Ghorbani Ahmad , Moradi Marjaneh Reyhaneh , Rajaei Ziba , Hadjzadeh Mousa-Al-Reza
Published: August 2014

Diabetes mellitus is associated with dysregulation of adipose tissue metabolism and increased level of serum lipids. In our previous work we found that Securigera securidaca decreases cholesterol level in blood of diabetic rats. The present study was carried out to further investigate the effects of this plant on lipid metabolism, lipolysis, and adipogenesis, in diabetic rats. Female Wistar rats were rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Retroperitoneal adipose tissue was removed from diabetic animals after seven days of streptozotocin injection. Effect of hydroalcoholic extract of S. securidaca seeds (100–800 μg/mL) on adipose tissue lipolysis was evaluated in ex vivo condition. Also, to evaluate adipogenesis, preadipocytes were isolated from adipose tissue and differentiated to adipocytes in the presence of the extract. The extract at concentration of 800 μg/mL decreased both basal and catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis (P<0.05). Incubation of differentiating preadipocytes with 800 μg/mL of S. securidaca extract decreased intracellular lipid droplet accumulation as evaluated with Oil Red O staining (P<0.001). The extract even at high concentrations had no effect on viability of preadipocytes. In conclusion, S. securidaca decreases lipolysis and adipogenesis without cytotoxicity, which makes it a good candidate for management of dyslipidemia and reduction of cardiovascular risks in diabetes.
Pulsed Light Accelerated Crosslinking versus Continuous Light Accelerated Crosslinking: One-Year Results
Authors: Mazzotta Cosimo , Traversi Claudio , Paradiso Anna Lucia , Latronico Maria Eugenia , Rechichi Miguel
Published: August 2014

Purpose. To compare functional results in two cohorts of patients undergoing epithelium-off pulsed (pl-ACXL) and continuous light accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking (cl-ACXL) with dextran-free riboflavin solution and high-fluence ultraviolet A irradiation.Design. It is a prospective, comparative, and interventional clinical study.Methods. 20 patients affected by progressive keratoconus were enrolled in the study. 10 eyes of 10 patients underwent an epithelium-off pl-ACXL by the KXL UV-A source (Avedro Inc., Waltham, MS, USA) with 8 minutes (1 sec. on/1 sec. off) of UV-A exposure at 30 mW/cm2and energy dose of 7.2 J/cm2; 10 eyes of 10 patients underwent an epithelium-off cl-ACXL at 30 mW/cm2for 4 minutes. Riboflavin 0.1% dextran-free solution was used for a 10-minutes corneal soaking. Patients underwent clinical examination of uncorrected distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA), corneal topography and aberrometry (CSO EyeTop, Florence, Italy), corneal OCT optical pachymetry (Cirrus OCT, Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany), endothelial cells count (I-Conan Non Co Robot), and in vivo scanning laser confocal microscopy (Heidelberg, Germany) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up.Results. Functional results one year after cl-ACXL and pl-ACXL demonstrated keratoconus stability in both groups. Functional outcomes were found to be better in epithelium-off pulsed light accelerated treatment together with showing a deeper stromal penetration. No endothelial damage was recorded during the follow-up in both groups.Conclusions. The study confirmed that oxygen represents the main driver of collagen crosslinking reaction. Pulsed light treatment optimized intraoperative oxygen availability improving postoperative functional outcomes compared with continuous light treatment.
Pulsed Supersonic Beams from High Pressure Source: Simulation Results and Experimental Measurements
Authors: Even U.
Published: August 2014

Pulsed beams, originating from a high pressure, fast acting valve equipped with a shaped nozzle, can now be generated at high repetition rates and with moderate vacuum pumping speeds. The high intensity beams are discussed, together with the skimmer requirements that must be met in order to propagate the skimmed beams in a high-vacuum environment without significant disruption of the beam or substantial increases in beam temperature.
Adding of Sitagliptin on Insulin Therapy Effectively and Safely Reduces a Hemoglobin A1c Level and Glucose Fluctuation in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Tajiri Yuji , Kawano Seiko , Hirao Saori , Oshige Tamami , Iwata Shinpei , Ono Yasuhiro , Inada Chizuko , Akashi Tomoyuki , Hayashi Hideki , Sato Yuichi , Tojikubo Masayuki , Yamada Kentaro
Published: August 2014

Aims. Efficacy and safety of DPP-4 inhibitor, sitagliptin, add-on therapy to insulin were investigated in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects and Methods. Two hundred and sixteen patients (126 men, 65 ± 12 years old, BMI 24.9 ± 4.5, means ± S.D.) who had been treated by insulin alone or insulin combined with other oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) were recruited, and sitagliptin was added for 3 months. Results. HbA1c was significantly decreased after 3 months of add-on therapy as a whole (8.56 ± 1.50% to 7.88 ± 1.25%, P<0.0001). Body weight did not change and insulin dosage was significantly (P<0.0001) decreased for 3 months. Furthermore, day-to-day glucose variability was significantly reduced (18.3 ± 9.1 to 16.1 ± 8.1%, P<0.05). In stepwise multiple regression analysis on ΔHbA1c as an outcome variable, the higher baseline HbA1c value and a preserved CPR were selected as significant predictive variables. Fifteen patients complained of mild hypoglycemia without any assistance during 3 months of sitagliptin add-on, while no severe hypoglycemic episode was reported. Conclusions. Add-on of sitagliptin to ongoing insulin therapy effectively reduced either HbA1c level or glucose fluctuation and could be a practical and well-tolerated alternative to treat Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who had been inadequately controlled by insulin with or without other OHAs.
A Compact-Type CIP Method for General Korteweg-de Vries Equation
Authors: Shi YuFeng , XU Biao , Guo Yan
Published: August 2014

We proposed a hybrid compact-CIP scheme to solve the Korteweg-de Vries equation. The algorithm is based on classical constrained interpolation profile (CIP) method, which is coupled with high-order compact scheme for the third derivatives in Korteweg-de Vries equation. Several numerical examples are presented to confirm the high resolution of the proposed scheme.
Azadirachta indicaAttenuates Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Abdel Moneim Ahmed E. , Othman Mohamed S. , Aref Ahmed M.
Published: August 2014

We investigated the effects of methanolic leaves extract ofAzadirachta indica(MLEN, 500 mg/kg bwt) on cisplatin- (CP-) induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. CP (5 mg/kg bwt) was injected intraperitoneally and MLEN was given by gastric gavage for 5 days before or after CP injection. After 5 days of CP injection, CP-induced injury of the renal tissue was evidenced (i) as histopathological damage of the renal tissue, (ii) as increases in serum uric acid, urea, and creatinine, (iii) as increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO), (iv) as decreases in the level of glutathione and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase, and (v) as increase in the expression of nuclear factor kappa B and apoptosis in kidney tissues. However, the oral administration of MLEN to CP-intoxicated rats for 5 days brought back MDA, NO production, and enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants to near normalcy. Moreover, the histological observations evidenced that neem extract effectively rescues the kidney from CP-mediated oxidative damage. Furthermore, PCR results for caspase-3 and caspase-9 and Bax genes showed downregulation in MLEN treated groups. Therefore,Azadirachta indicacan be considered a potential candidate for protection of nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin.
A Novel Method to Overcome Coat-Imposed Seed Dormancy in Lupinus albus L. and Trifolium pratense L.
Authors: Tiryaki Iskender , Topu Mustafa
Published: August 2014

We have developed a novel method to overcome coat-imposed seed dormancy in legume plants. Seeds of Lupinus albus L. and Trifolium pratense L. were stored in a freezer at −80°C for a period of time and then immediately treated with or without hot water at 90°C for 5 seconds. Germination tests were carried out in darkness at 20±1.0°C with four replications in a completely randomized design. Final germination percentage (FGP), germination rate, and synchrony of seeds were evaluated. The results showed that new approach of freeze-thaw scarification provided high percentage of germinations in white lupin (84.16%) and red clover (74.50%) seeds while control seeds had FGPs of 3.3% and 26.0%, respectively. The immediate thawing of frozen seeds in hot water for 5 seconds was found not only an effective and reliable but also the quickest seed treatment method to prevail against coat-imposed seed dormancy in legume species and may become operationally applicable to other plant species.
Th17 Cells in Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases
Authors: Zambrano-Zaragoza José Francisco , Romo-Martínez Enrique Jhonatan , Durán-Avelar Ma. de Jesús , García-Magallanes Noemí , Vibanco-Pérez Norberto
Published: August 2014

The view of CD4 T-cell-mediated immunity as a balance between distinct lineages of Th1 and Th2 cells has changed dramatically. Identification of the IL-17 family of cytokines and of the fact that IL-23 mediates the expansion of IL-17-producing T cells uncovered a new subset of Th cells designated Th17 cells, which have emerged as a third independent T-cell subset that may play an essential role in protection against certain extracellular pathogens. Moreover, Th17 cells have been extensively analyzed because of their strong association with inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases. Also, they appear to be critical for controlling these disorders. Similar to Th1 and Th2 cells, Th17 cells require specific cytokines and transcription factors for their differentiation. Th17 cells have been characterized as one of the major pathogenic Th cell populations underlying the development of many autoimmune diseases, and they are enhanced and stabilized by IL-23. The characteristics of Th17 cells, cytokines, and their sources, as well as their role in infectious and autoimmune diseases, are discussed in this review.
Paeonol Attenuates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Lung Inflammation by Inhibiting ROS-Sensitive Inflammatory Signaling
Authors: Liu Meng-Han , Lin An-Hsuan , Lee Hung-Fu , Ko Hsin-Kuo , Lee Tzong-Shyuan , Kou Yu Ru
Published: August 2014

Cigarette smoking causes persistent lung inflammation that is mainly regulated by redox-sensitive pathways. We have previously reported that cigarette smoke (CS) activates reactive oxygen species- (ROS-) sensitive mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling leading to induction of lung inflammation. Paeonol, the main phenolic compound present in the Chinese herbPaeonia suffruticosa, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, whether paeonol has similar beneficial effects against CS-induced lung inflammation remains unclear. Using a murine model, we showed that chronic CS exposure for 4 weeks caused pulmonary inflammatory infiltration, increased lung vascular permeability, elevated lung levels of chemokines, cytokines, and 4-hydroxynonenal (an oxidative stress biomarker), and induced lung inflammation; all of these CS-induced events were suppressed by chronic treatment with paeonol. Using human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs), we demonstrated that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) sequentially increased extracellular and intracellular levels of ROS, activated the MAPKs/NF-κB signaling, and induced interleukin-8 (IL-8); all these CSE-induced events were inhibited by paeonol pretreatment. Our findings suggest a novel role for paeonol in alleviating the oxidative stress and lung inflammation induced by chronic CS exposurein vivoand in suppressing CSE-induced IL-8in vitrovia its antioxidant function and an inhibition of the MAPKs/NF-κB signaling.
Intercomparison of Methods for Determination of Resonant Frequency Shift of a Microstrip Patch Antenna Loaded with Hevea Rubber Latex
Authors: Yahaya Nor Zakiah , Abbas Zulkifly , Ali Borhanuddin Mohd , Ismail Alif , Ansarudin Farizah
Published: August 2014

This paper presents an intercomparison between the finite element method, method of moment, and the variational method to determine the effect of moisture content on the resonant frequency shift of a microstrip patch loaded with wet material. The samples selected for this study were Hevea rubber latex with different percentages of moisture content from 35% to 85%. The results were compared with the measurement data in the frequency range between 1 GHz and 4 GHz. It was found that the finite element method is the most accurate among all the three computational techniques with 0.1 mean error when compared to the measured resonant frequency shift. A calibration equation was obtained to predict moisture content from the measured frequency shift with an accuracy of 2%.
A RBFNN‐Based Adaptive Disturbance Compensation Approach Applied to Magnetic Suspension Inertially Stabilized Platform
Authors: Mu Quanqi , Liu Gang , Lei Xusheng
Published: August 2014

Compared with traditional mechanical inertially stabilized platform (ISP), magnetic suspension ISP (MSISP) can absorb high frequency vibrations via a magnetic suspension bearing system with five degrees of freedom between azimuth and pitch gimbals. However, force acting between rotor and stator will introduce coupling torque to roll and pitch gimbals. Since the disturbance of magnetic bearings has strong nonlinearity, classic state feedback control algorithm cannot bring higher precision control for MSISP. In order to enhance the control accuracy for MSISP, a disturbance compensator based on radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is developed to compensate for the disturbance. Using the Lyapunov theorem, the weighting matrix of RBFNN can be updated online. Therefore, the RBFNN can be constructed without priori training. At last, simulations and experiment results validate that the compensation method proposed in this paper can improve ISP accuracy significantly.
On Higher-Order Sequential Fractional Differential Inclusions with Nonlocal Three-Point Boundary Conditions
Authors: Ahmad Bashir , Ntouyas Sotiris K.
Published: August 2014

We study a nonlinear three-point boundary value problem of sequential fractional differential inclusions of orderξ+1withn-1<ξ≤n,n≥2. Some new existence results for convex as well as nonconvex multivalued maps are obtained by using standard fixed point theorems. The paper concludes with an example.
Rule Acquisition in Formal Decision Contexts Based on Formal, Object-Oriented and Property-Oriented Concept Lattices
Authors: Ren Yue , Li Jinhai , Aswani Kumar Cherukuri , Liu Wenqi
Published: August 2014

Rule acquisition is one of the main purposes in the analysis of formal decision contexts. Up to now, there have been several types of rules in formal decision contexts such as decision rules, decision implications, and granular rules, which can be viewed as∧-rules since all of them have the following form: “if conditions1,2,…,andmhold, then decisions hold.” In order to enrich the existing rule acquisition theory in formal decision contexts, this study puts forward two new types of rules which are called∨-rules and∨-∧mixed rules based on formal, object-oriented, and property-oriented concept lattices. Moreover, a comparison of∨-rules,∨-∧mixed rules, and∧-rules is made from the perspectives of inclusion and inference relationships. Finally, some real examples and numerical experiments are conducted to compare the proposed rule acquisition algorithms with the existing one in terms of the running efficiency.
Models and Frameworks: A Synergistic Association for Developing Component-Based Applications
Authors: Alonso Diego , Sánchez-Ledesma Francisco , Sánchez Pedro , Pastor Juan A. , Álvarez Bárbara
Published: August 2014

The use offrameworksandcomponentshas been shown to be effective in improving software productivity and quality. However, the results in terms of reuse and standardization show a dearth of portability either of designs or of component-based implementations. This paper, which is based on themodel driven software developmentparadigm, presents an approach that separates the description of component-based applications from their possible implementations for different platforms. This separation is supported by automatic integration of the code obtained from the input models into frameworks implemented using object-oriented technology. Thus, the approach combines the benefits of modeling applications from a higher level of abstraction than objects, with the higher levels of code reuse provided by frameworks. In order to illustrate the benefits of the proposed approach, two representative case studies that use both an existing framework and an ad hoc framework, are described. Finally, our approach is compared with other alternatives in terms of the cost of software development.
A Comparative Analysis of Swarm Intelligence Techniques for Feature Selection in Cancer Classification
Authors: Gunavathi Chellamuthu , Premalatha Kandasamy
Published: August 2014

Feature selection in cancer classification is a central area of research in the field of bioinformatics and used to select the informative genes from thousands of genes of the microarray. The genes are ranked based onT-statistics, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), andF-test values. The swarm intelligence (SI) technique finds the informative genes from the top-m ranked genes. These selected genes are used for classification. In this paper the shuffled frog leaping with Lévy flight (SFLLF) is proposed for feature selection. In SFLLF, the Lévy flight is included to avoid premature convergence of shuffled frog leaping (SFL) algorithm. The SI techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), cuckoo search (CS), SFL, and SFLLF are used for feature selection which identifies informative genes for classification. Thek-nearest neighbour (k-NN) technique is used to classify the samples. The proposed work is applied on 10 different benchmark datasets and examined with SI techniques. The experimental results show that the results obtained fromk-NN classifier through SFLLF feature selection method outperform PSO, CS, and SFL.
Radiographically Severe but Clinically Mild Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema following Decompression of a Spontaneous Pneumothorax
Authors: Harner William E. , Crawley Eric A.
Published: August 2014

The case is a 48-year-old female who presented with mild dyspnea on exertion and cough with unremarkable vital signs and was found to have a large right sided pneumothorax. She underwent small bore chest tube decompression with immediate reexpansion of the collapsed lung. However, she rapidly developed moderate hypoxemia and radiographic evidence of reexpansion pulmonary edema (REPE) on both the treated and contralateral sides. Within a week, she had a normal chest X-ray and was asymptomatic. This case describes a rare complication of spontaneous pneumothorax and highlights the lack of correlation between symptoms, sequelae, and radiographic severity of pneumothorax and reexpansion pulmonary edema. Proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms include increased production of reactive oxygen species with subsequent loss of surfactant and increased vascular permeability, and loss of vasoregulatory tone.
The Effects of Acute Stress-Induced Sleep Disturbance on Acoustic Trauma-Induced Tinnitus in Rats
Authors: Zheng Yiwen , Stiles Lucy , Chien Yi-Ting , Darlington Cynthia L. , Smith Paul F.
Published: August 2014

Chronic tinnitus is a debilitating condition and often accompanied by anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. It has been suggested that sleep disturbance, such as insomnia, may be a risk factor/predictor for tinnitus-related distress and the two conditions may share common neurobiological mechanisms. This study investigated whether acute stress-induced sleep disturbance could increase the susceptibility to acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus in rats. The animals were exposed to unilateral acoustic trauma 24 h before sleep disturbance being induced using the cage exchange method. Tinnitus perception was assessed behaviourally using a conditioned lick suppression paradigm 3 weeks after the acoustic trauma. Changes in the orexin system in the hypothalamus, which plays an important role in maintaining long-lasting arousal, were also examined using immunohistochemistry. Cage exchange resulted in a significant reduction in the number of sleep episodes and acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus with acoustic features similar to a 32 kHz tone at 100 dB. However, sleep disturbance did not exacerbate the perception of tinnitus in rats. Neither tinnitus alone nor tinnitus plus sleep disturbance altered the number of orexin-expressing neurons. The results suggest that acute sleep disturbance does not cause long-term changes in the number of orexin neurons and does not change the perception of tinnitus induced by acoustic trauma in rats.
Detection ofβ-Lactamases and Outer Membrane Porins amongKlebsiella pneumoniaeStrains Isolated in Iran
Authors: Hashemi Ali , Fallah Fatemeh , Erfanimanesh Soroor , Hamedani Parastu , Alimehr Shadi , Goudarzi Hossein
Published: August 2014

This descriptive study was accomplished on 83K. pneumoniaestrains isolated from two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. ESBLs, MBL, Amp-C, and KPC producing strains were detected by phenotypic confirmatory test, combination disk diffusion test (CDDT), Amp-C detection kit, and modified Hodge test, respectively. OXA-48, NDM-1, and CTX-M-15 genes were detected by PCR and sequencing methods. The outer membrane porins such as OmpK35 and OmpK36 were analysed by SDS-PAGE, PCR, and sequencing methods. From 83K. pneumoniaeisolates, 48 (57.5%), 3 (3.5%), 23 (28%), and 5 (6%) were ESBL, MBL, Amp-C, and KPC positive, respectively. The CTX-M-15 gene was detected in 30 (62.5%) and OXA-48 gene was found in 2 (4.1%) of the 48 ESBL-producing isolates. Two isolates harboured both OXA-48 and CTX-M-15; NDM-1 gene was not detected in this study. Outer membrane porin, OmpK35, was detected in 30 (62.5%) of 48 ESBL-producing isolates while OmpK36 was found in 35 (72.91%) of 48 ESBL-producing isolates. In this study, fosfomycin and tigecycline were more effective than other antibiotics. The high prevalence ofβ-lactamase-producingK. pneumoniaedetected in this study is of great concern, which requires infection control measures including antibacterial management and identification ofβ-lactamases-producing isolates.
Vibration and Modal Analysis of Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Authors: Israr Asif
Published: August 2014

This paper presents design, modeling, and analysis of satellite model used for remote sensing. A detailed study is carried out for the design and modeling of the satellite structure focusing on the factors such as the selection of material, optimization of shape and geometry, and accommodation of different subsystems and payload. The center of mass is required to be kept within the range of (1-2) cm from its geometric center. Once the model is finalized it is required to be analyzed by the use ofAnsys, a tool for finite element analysis (FEA) under given loading and boundary conditions. Static, modal, and harmonic analyses inAnsysare performed at the time of ground testing and launching phase. The finite element analysis results are also validated and compared with the theoretical predictions. These analyses are quite helpful and suggest that the satellite structure does not fail and retains its structural integrity during launch environment.
Robust Speed Limits Scheme Design for Bimodal Transportation Systems
Authors: Yu Ke , Yang Yanni , Fan Lang
Published: August 2014

In the context of travel demand uncertainty, this paper investigates how to determine the robust road speed limits for improving mobility and lowering vehicular emissions in bimodal transportation systems that involve private cars and subway. More specifically, the total demand vector is supposed to vary within a given set. Our target is to find the optimal road speed limits against the worst feasible demand scenario so as to minimize the sum social cost of system travel time and vehicular emissions. In order to estimate traffic emissions more reliably, motor vehicle emission simulator (MOVES) is utilized to simulate the emission factor function with respect to average speed. On these bases, we formulate the robust speed limits design problem as a “min‐max” nonlinear model with complementarity constraints and solve it iteratively by a cutting‐plane scheme that contains two sub‐MPCCs. A numerical example is illustrated at the end.
Developing an Efficient Calibration System for Joint Offset of Industrial Robots
Authors: Gao Bingtuan , Liu Yong , Xi Ning , Shen Yantao
Published: August 2014

Joint offset calibration is one of the most important methods to improve the positioning accuracy for industrial robots. This paper presents an efficient method to calibrate industrial robot joint offset. The proposed method mainly relies on a laser pointer mounted on the robot end-effector and a position sensitive device (PSD) located in the work space arbitrarily. A vision based control was employed to aid the laser beam shooting at the center of PSD surface from several initial robot postures. For each shoot, the laser beam was a line in space which can be determined by the robot joint angles and their offsets which were recorded when the laser beam was brought to the center of the PSD surface. Therefore, there are several lines in space parameterized by robot joint offsets only and all these lines were constrained by the same point, that is, the center of the PSD surface. Consequently, an optimization model was formulated and the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm was employed to identify the joint offsets. The developed calibration system was implemented on an ABB industrial robot IRB1600 successfully. And the joint offsets of this robot can be calibrated within 6 minutes.
Citrate Anticoagulation for CRRT in Children: Comparison with Heparin
Authors: Fernández Sara Nicole , Santiago Maria José , López-Herce Jesús , García Miriam , Del Castillo Jimena , Alcaraz Andrés José , Bellón Jose María
Published: August 2014

Regional anticoagulation with citrate is an alternative to heparin in continuous renal replacement therapies, which may prolong circuit lifetime and decrease hemorrhagic complications. A retrospective comparative cohort study based on a prospective observational registry was conducted including critically ill children undergoing CRRT. Efficacy, measured as circuit survival, and secondary effects of heparin and citrate were compared. 12 patients on CRRT with citrate anticoagulation and 24 patients with heparin anticoagulation were analyzed. Median citrate dose was 2.6 mmol/L. Median calcium dose was 0.16 mEq/kg/h. Median heparin dose was 15 UI/kg/h. Median circuit survival was 48 hours with citrate and 31 hours with heparin (P=0.028). 66.6% of patients treated with citrate developed mild metabolic alkalosis, which was directly related to citrate dose. There were no cases of citrate intoxication: median total calcium/ionic calcium index (CaT/I) of 2.16 and a maximum CaT/I of 2.33, without metabolic acidosis. In the citrate group, 45.5% of patients developed hypochloremia and 27.3% hypomagnesemia. In the heparin group, 27.8% developed hypophosphatemia. Three patients were moved from heparin to citrate to control postoperatory bleeding. In conclusion citrate is a safe and effective anticoagulation method for CRRT in children and it achieves longer circuit survival than heparin.