bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public Health Aspects of Human Brucellosis in the Republic of Macedonia
Authors: Zdravkovska Milka , Stojmanovski Zharko , Taleski Vaso , Jovevska Svetlana , Markovski Velo
Published: March 2015

Background: The Republic of Macedonia is an endemic area where brucellosis is a dominant zoonosis with high morbidity and enormous economic loss.Aim: To determine the incidence rate, prevalence rate and development tendency of infected people with brucellosis in R. Macedonia in the period from 01.01.1999 to 31.12.2009, to register and analyse the epidemiological characteristics of the infected with brucellosis according to gender, age and regional distribution.Materials and methods: The data about the infected people with brucellosis were taken from the register of individual cases as well as monthly and annual reports for infectious diseases prepared by the Institute for Public Health of Republic of Macedonia.Results:Â  According to the survey the highest number of incidence of human brucellosis in R. Macedonia was found in 2008, 23.94/100,000 people, and the lowest number of infected people was in 2009, about 13.99/100,000 people. Human brucellosis has a decreasing tendency.Conclusion: Human brucellosis remains a public health problem in Republic of Macedonia.
The Hyperimmunoglobulinemia E Syndromes: A Literature Review
Authors: Hristomanova Slavica , Spiroski Mirko
Published: March 2015

The hyper-immunoglobulin E (IgE) syndromes (HIES) are primary immunodeficiencies characterized by the recurrent staphylococcal abscesses, recurrent pneumonia and highly elevated serum IgE levels. There are two forms of HIES: a dominant form (AD-HIES) and a recessive form (AR-HIES). AD form of HIES is caused by mutations in STAT3 and the AR form is caused by mutations in DOCK8 and TYK2. These syndromes have different clinical presentations and outcomes. AD-HIES is a multisystem disorder that includes abnormalities of the skin, lungs, musculo-skeletal system and dental system. In contrast, these symptoms in patients with AR-HIES are missing. AR-HIES patients have severe viral infections and may develop neurological complications. ThisÂ reviewÂ article discusses the clinical presentation and laboratory findings in both forms of HIES, as well as the establishment of diagnose, inheritance, molecular genetics and immunological abnormalities of HIES.
The Ilioinguinal Approach versus the Anterior Intrapelvic Approach to the Acetabulum: A Review
Authors: Hasani Ilir , Kaftandziev Igor , Trpeski Simon , Nikolov Ljupco , Saveski Alek , Velkovski Gjorgji
Published: March 2015

The ilioinguinal approach (IIA) to the acetabulum has been used as a golden standard for fifty years to treat â€œanteriorâ€ acetabular fractures. Since its introduction by Hirvensalo and Cole, the anterior intrapelvic approach (AIPA) has been adopted by some surgeons, whilst others remain devoted to the IIA. IIA is routinely used in the Republic of Macedonia. The aim of this study is to present a review of literature for two different anterior approaches for the treatment of acetabular fractures used in modern day surgery, focussing on AIPA and its priorities and comparing it to IIA.We performed a search, mainly electronically, and retrospective analysis of existing literature. We have identified and selected two representative and well-systematized papers for IIA, and six for AIPA. We presented the advantages and disadvantages, priorities and weaknesses of both approaches separately, comparing complications, risks and results. Based on the facts presented regarding the advantages of AIPA with a focus on visualization, accessibility and biomechanical justification, the approach should be implemented in our everyday practice and we are comfortable in stating this preference, especially due to the fact that upon comparison of the complication rate there is no significant difference between the two approaches.
Aplicación de los clorofluorocarbonos y el hexafluoruro de azufre como trazadores hidrogeológicos en los acuíferos carbonatados del Parque Natural del Barranco del Río Dulce (Guadalajara)
Authors: Martín-Loeches Garrido M. , Fisher R. , Díaz Alcaide S. , Martínez Santos P.
Published: March 2015

A partir de la información procedente de los puntos de agua de los acuíferos asociados a los materiales carbonatados jurásicos y cretácicos próximos al Parque Natural del Barranco del Río Dulce (PNBRD) y de su estructura geológica, se ha establecido un modelo conceptual de flujo subterráneo cuya dinámica fue validada con la interpretación de los contenidos en CFCs y SF6, nunca antes utilizados en España con estos propósitos, de algunas muestras situadas en distintas posiciones. En todos los puntos se reconoce la existencia de una fracción de agua infiltrada antes de 1950 que es mayor en las zonas de recarga de los acuíferos de edad Jurásico donde a través del modelo exponencial se llega a edades aparentes de hasta 100 años. La interpretación de los contenidos en CFCs de todas las muestras a partir del modelo de mezcla binaria, refleja edades superiores a los 17 años para la fracción joven que puede corresponder con aquella que circula por los canales de tamaño intermedio entre la matriz rocosa y los conductos kársticos mayores. Aun no perteneciendo a la misma unidad acuífera, los puntos con mayor proporción de aguas “post-1950” se sitúan en los valles fluviales de los macizos cretácicos. Los resultados son coherentes con sistemas acuíferos de escaso gradiente general, por lo elevado de las edades aparentes obtenidas, la existencia de múltiples entradas de agua y de al menos una doble porosidad, elementos establecidos en el modelo conceptual. En los acuíferos de edad Cretácico existen conductos kársticos que elevan el caudal de los manantiales de forma rápida tras las precipitaciones y cuya influencia no se refleja en las muestras estudiadas. Los CFCs pueden ser útiles para indicar la existencia de fenómenos de contaminación urbana actual. Los valores de edad derivados de las concentraciones de SF6 son inferiores a los deducidos con los CFCs por un probable aporte de este gas del sustrato invalidando su uso como trazador. El futuro del uso de los CFCs se encuentra comprometido por la tendencia decreciente de su concentración en la atmósfera, aunque la comparación del CFC-12 con el SF6, allí donde este gas no sufra incorporaciones de origen geológico, mantendrá su utilidad.
A Novel E-Learning Management System for Appropriate Recommendations on the Learning Contents
Authors: Lazarus Jegatha Deborah , Ramachandran Baskaran , Arputharaj Kannan
Published: March 2015

Educational organizations are able to bridge organizational gaps due to the rapid advances in science and technology. Specifically, e-learning drastically reduces the learning time compared to the traditional classroom setting. The challenges in e-learning are the organization of learning contents, characteristics of the learning individual, technological constraints, and performance evaluation. Moreover, the success of the e-learning environment is greatly influenced by the factors like appropriate recommendations of learning contents, content delivery, performance evaluation, and the maintenance of the psychological level through identification of the learning styles of the learners. The continual process of performance evaluation is commonly attributed by the challenging issues of Ontology Construction and Alignment in order to enhance the semantics of the evaluation documents. In the rest of the chapter, a novel rule-based e-learning management system is discussed as a solution for appropriate recommendations of the learning contents based on the psychological understanding of the learners for learning using fuzzy logic and the subsequent evaluation of the learners using Ontology Construction and Ontology Alignment technique using deontic logic. The experiments have been carried out on evaluating the learning of C programming language using an e-learning framework.
Evaluation of Topic Models as a Preprocessing Engine for the Knowledge Discovery in Twitter Datasets
Authors: Sommer Stefan , Miller Tom , Hilbert Andreas
Published: March 2015

In the World Wide Web, users are an important information source for companies or institutions. People use the communication platforms of Web 2.0, for example Twitter, in order to express their sentiments of products, politics, society, or even private situations. In 2014, the Twitter users worldwide submitted 582 million messages (tweets) per day. To process the mass of Web 2.0's data (e.g. Twitter data) is a key functionality in modern IT landscapes of companies or institutions, because sentiments of users can be very valuable for the development of products, the enhancement of marketing strategies, or the prediction of political elections. This chapter's aim is to provide a framework for extracting, preprocessing, and analyzing customer sentiments in Twitter in all different areas.
Segmentation of Renal Calculi in Ultrasound Kidney Images Using Modified Watershed Method
Authors: Tamilselvi P. R.
Published: March 2015

US images are a commonly used tool for renal calculi diagnosis, although they are time consuming and tedious for radiologists to manually detect and calculate the size of the renal calculi. It is very difficult to properly segment the US image to detect interested area of objects with the correct position and shape due to speckle formation and other artifacts. In addition, boundary edges may be missing or weak and usually incomplete at some places. With that point of view, the proposed method is developed for renal calculi segmentation. A new segmentation method is proposed in this chapter. Here, new region indicators and new modified watershed transformation are utilized. The proposed method is comprised of four major processes, namely preprocessing, determination of outer and inner region indictors, and modified watershed segmentation with ANFIS performance. The results show the effectiveness of proposed segmentation methods in segmenting the kidney stones and the achieved improvement in sensitivity and specificity measures.
A Smart and Dynamic Decision Support System for Nonlinear Environments
Authors: Uma S. , Suganthi J.
Published: March 2015

The design of a dynamic and efficient decision-making system for real-world systems is an essential but challenging task since they are nonlinear, chaotic, and high dimensional in nature. Hence, a Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based model is proposed to predict the future event of nonlinear time series environments. This model is a non-parametric model that uses the inherent structure of the data for forecasting. The dimensionality of the data is reduced besides controlling noise as the first preprocessing step using the Hybrid Dimensionality Reduction (HDR) and Extended Hybrid Dimensionality Reduction (EHDR) nonlinear time series representation techniques. It is also used for subsequencing the nonlinear time series data. The proposed SVM-based model using EHDR is compared with the models using Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX), HDR, SVM using Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA), and SVM using varying tube size values for historical data on different financial instruments. A comparison of the experimental results of the proposed model with other models taken for the experimentation has proven that the prediction accuracy of the proposed model is outstanding.
Carers of People with Dementia and the Use of Assistive Technologies
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sarmishtha , Benbow Susan Mary
Published: March 2015

Assistive technologies have a role in supporting both formal and informal carers of people with dementia. Whilst assistive technologies have a role in maintaining the independence and quality of life of both people with dementia and their carers, their use has both disadvantages and advantages, can pose challenges for all concerned, and raises ethical dilemmas. In this chapter, a model derived from Arnstein's ladder of participation is used to highlight the importance of empowering and connecting with carers in order to increase their participation in the care of their relative or client. Empowerment and connection contribute to maintaining the autonomy and well-being of both carers and people with dementia: technological interventions should not be used as alternatives to connection. The emphasis in practice should be on empowering and connecting with both carers and people with dementia.
An Autonomous Intelligent System for the Private Outdoors Monitoring of People with Mild Cognitive Impairments
Authors: Martínez-Ballesté Antoni , Budesca Frederic Borràs , Solanas Agustí
Published: March 2015

The aim of this chapter is to describe a system for the private outdoor monitoring of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairments (MCI) and dementia. The system has been designed for patients suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's disease and people suffering from MCI and dementia. Virtually, the system may be applied to any person capable of living autonomously but might get lost whilst doing his/her everyday activities, due to a decrease in their cognitive function. The system uses off-the-shelf smartphones carried by patients to detect abnormal situations and to raise alarms accordingly. The authors describe the system, detail its features, and discuss its utility and relevance both technically and socially.
Cloud-Based Monitoring for Patients with Dementia
Authors: Moore Philip , Xhafa Fatos , Sharma Mak
Published: March 2015

Demographic changes are resulting in a rapidly growing elderly population with healthcare implications which importantly include dementia, which is a condition that requires long-term support and care to manage the negative behavioural symptoms. In order to optimise the management of healthcare professionals and provide an enhanced quality of life for patients and carers alike, Remote Electronic Health Monitoring forms a crucial role. This requires myriad functions and components to achieve patient monitoring while accommodating the technological, medical, legal, regulatory, ethical, and privacy considerations. The chapter considers the relevant components and functions of the current state-of-the-art to the provision of effective Remote Electronic Health Monitoring. The authors present the background and related research, and then they focus on the technological aspects of Remote Electronic Health Monitoring to which Cloud-Based Systems and the closely related Cloud Service Modules are central. A number of scenarios to illustrate the concepts are discussed in the chapter.
Sociomaterial Practices, Relational Ontologies, and Information Technology
Authors: Styhre Alexander
Published: March 2015

The recent interest in sociomaterial practices and forms of imbrication of social and material resources in e.g., studies of the use of information technology and information systems in organizations has called for new theoretical developments to enact and fully understand materiality. This article examines the work of French philosopher Gilbert Simondon as an important, yet to date little explored resource in organization studies. Following call for a relational ontology apprehending the enfolding of materiality and social resources, Simondon's analytical framework which include key concepts such as individuation, transduction and relations, is presented. The article contributes to the recent debates regarding how to theorize and examine material resources such as information and communication technologies used in organizations.
A Cooperative Multi-Agent Approach-Based Clustering in Enterprise Resource Planning
Authors: Mesbahi Nadjib , Kazar Okba , Benharzallah Saber , Zoubeidi Merouane
Published: March 2015

With the rapid development of information technology and the gradual extension of information technology to enterprise, enterprise resource planning system has become a tool that enables uniform and consistent management of information system (IS) of the company with a large single database. In addition, knowledge discovery is a technology whose purpose is to promote information and knowledge extraction from a large database. This paper proposes a cooperative multi-agent approach based clustering in enterprise resource planning for extract unknown knowledge in the enterprise resource planning database. To achieve this, the authors call the paradigm of multi-agent system to distribute the complexity of several autonomous entities called agents, whose goal is to group records or observations on similar objects classes using the clustering technique. This will help business decision-makers to take good decisions and provide a very good response time by the use of multi-agent system. To implement the proposed architecture, it is more convenient to use the JADE platform while providing a complete set of services and agents comply with the specifications FIPA.
Software-Defined Networking in Access Networks
Authors: Tian Chen , Wu Jie , Song Haibin
Published: March 2015

Software-Defined Networking proposes to fundamentally change the current practice of network control. The two basic ideas are Centralized State Control and Uniform Device Abstraction, which support the Software-Defined promise. SDN has made significant progress. The opportunities of SDN in carrier access networks have been largely ignored by both industry and academia. In access networks, Quality-of-Service (QoS) oriented bandwidth management is more critical; the flexible QoS provisioning could be the most important opportunity for SDN. In this position paper, the authors show that the unique characteristics of access networks pose significant challenges to the two basic ideas. Contrary to the common agreement on “match-action” abstraction, the authors argue that the object-oriented abstraction might be a better choice for access networks to make a better software-defined implementation.
The Notion of Nation: Protagonist Behind the Post-Colonial Elite Domestic Architecture of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Authors: Wijetunga Nishan
Published: March 2015

It is widely considered that the post-colonial period is undoubtedly one of the most seminal eras in the trajectory of Sri Lankan architecture. On the other hand, the houses of the island’s elite remain to this day, a subject that has not been sufficiently tackled. Although literature at times suggests certain causal factors of the topic in question and also discusses its implications on wider architectural realm of Sri Lanka, a scientific exploration has so far been eluded. In such a backdrop, this paper attempt to examine the underlying factors of the post-colonial period domestic architectural realm of Ceylon’s elite stratum to ultimately determine the most seminal of all.The case study methodology employed uses extant literature and empirical work to collect information and places the primary and secondary case studies in question against their respective political, economic and socio-cultural milieu as analysis, while dwelling on phenomenology for interpretation.The ultimate goal is to illustrate that the newly-formed modern notion of the nation that was inculcated on the ruling elite of newly-independent Ceylon was the most seminal underlying factor that molded the period’s elite domestic architecture that eventually trickled down to the civic architectural realm with the auspice of the same stratum. The architects of the period representing the elite stratum–Geoffrey Bawa being one of the most influential–were instrumental as vessels for propagating this notion via their architectural projects, where the domestic realm became a spring board to elevate the more familiar hybrid style (which is an ensemble of many historic layers of island’s architecture) established by them to the civic level for more laudability and acclaim.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/besl.v11i2.7607Built-environment: Sri Lanka Vol.11(2) 2015: 12-24
Maintainability of Condominiums Constructed for Low-Income Families in Sri Lanka
Authors: De Silva Nayanthara , Sampath D.B.D , De Silva C.R.
Published: March 2015

Sri Lanka now has a prime market for “vertical growth” and the private sector has become the main developer. However, the government has also contributed to these developments through the condominiums constructed for low income families. These were built for the purpose of re-settling people from shanties and recently, Tsunami victims. These condominiums have shown significant failures and problems. This paper looks at some of these problems; specially maintenance. Three types of condominiums were selected to study. Interviews were conducted with management corporations, selected occupants and professionals in the relevant authorities. The study focused on understanding maintainability problems related to technical facilities, management, social condition, and legal background. Twenty five technical management, social and legal related problems were observed that occur during the maintenance and operational stages. Some of them have become a huge burden to the government. Further, the study identified eight strategies from substantive experts to eliminate these issues now and in future attempts.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/besl.v11i2.7608Built-environment: Sri Lanka Vol.11(2) 2015: 25-39
IL-17A, But Not IL-17F, Is Indispensable for Airway Vascular Remodeling Induced by Exaggerated Th17 Cell Responses in Prolonged Ovalbumin-Challenged Mice
Authors: Lu Shan , Li Hequan , Gao Rundi , Gao Xuan , Xu Fei , Wang Qing , Lu Guohua , Xia Dajing , Zhou Jianying
Published: March 2015

We previously demonstrated an essential role of Th17 cells in excessive mucous secretion and airway smooth muscle proliferation in a prolonged OVA-challenged C57BL/6 mouse model. However, the impact of Th17 cells in vascular remodeling, another characteristic feature of airway remodeling in asthma, remains elusive. This issue was further investigated in this study. The time-course experiments showed that progressively increasing levels of Th17 cells and IL-17A (not IL-17F) in the lungs of prolonged allergen-challenged mice were positively correlated with microvessel density in peribronchial tissues. In addition, exaggerated airway vascular remodeling in this mouse model was exacerbated by airway administration of IL-17A or adoptive transfer of Th17 cells. This effect was dramatically alleviated by the administration of anti–IL-17A Ab, but not anti–IL-17F Ab. Boyden chamber assays indicated that IL-17A accelerates endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) migration. Furthermore, EPC accumulation in the airways of allergen-exposed mice after adoptive transfer of Th17 cells was eliminated by blockade of IL-17A. We found that IL-17A promoted tubule-like formation rather than proliferation of pulmonary microvascular endothelia cells (PMVECs) in vitro. In addition, IL-17A induced PMVEC tube formation via the PI3K/AKT1 pathway, and suppression of the PI3K pathway markedly reduced the formation of tubule-like structures. Collectively, our results indicate that Th17 cells contribute to the airway vascular remodeling in asthma by mediating EPC chemotaxis, as well as PMVEC tube formation, via IL-17A rather than IL-17F.
Fasciola hepaticaFatty Acid Binding Protein Inhibits TLR4 Activation and Suppresses the Inflammatory Cytokines Induced by Lipopolysaccharide In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Martin Ivelisse , Cabán-Hernández Kimberly , Figueroa-Santiago Olgary , Espino Ana M.
Published: March 2015

TLR4, the innate immunity receptor for bacterial endotoxins, plays a pivotal role in the induction of inflammatory responses. There is a need to develop molecules that block either activation through TLR4 or the downstream signaling pathways to inhibit the storm of inflammation typically elicited by bacterial LPS, which is a major cause of the high mortality associated with bacterial sepsis. We report in this article that a single i.p. injection of 15 μg fatty acid binding protein from Fasciola hepatica (Fh12) 1 h before exposure to LPS suppressed significantly the expression of serum inflammatory cytokines in a model of septic shock using C57BL/6 mice. Because macrophages are a good source of IL-12p70 and TNF-α, and are critical in driving adaptive immunity, we investigated the effect of Fh12 on the function of mouse bone marrow–derived macrophages (bmMΦs). Although Fh12 alone did not induce cytokine expression, it significantly suppressed the expression of IL-12, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β cytokines, as well as inducible NO synthase–2 in bmMΦs, and also impaired the phagocytic capacity of bmMΦs. Fh12 had a limited effect on the expression of inflammatory cytokines induced in response to other TLR ligands. One mechanism used by Fh12 to exert its anti-inflammatory effect is binding to the CD14 coreceptor. Moreover, it suppresses phosphorylation of ERK, p38, and JNK. The potent anti-inflammatory properties of Fh12 demonstrated in this study open doors to further studies directed at exploring the potential of this molecule as a new class of drug against septic shock or other inflammatory diseases.
Regulatory T Cell–Derived Adenosine Induces Dendritic Cell Migration through the Epac-Rap1 Pathway
Authors: Ring Sabine , Pushkarevskaya Anna , Schild Hansjörg , Probst Hans Christian , Jendrossek Verena , Wirsdörfer Florian , Ledent Catherine , Robson Simon Christopher , Enk Alexander H. , Mahnke Karsten
Published: March 2015

Dendritic cells (DC) are one target for immune suppression by regulatory T cells (Treg), because their interaction results in reduced T cell stimulatory capacity and secretion of inhibitory cytokines in DC. We show that DC in the presence of Treg are more mobile as compared with cocultures with conventional CD4+ T cells and form DC–Treg aggregates within 2 h of culture. The migration of DC was specifically directed toward Treg, as Treg, but not CD4+ T cells, attracted DC in Boyden chambers. Treg deficient for the ectonucleotidase CD39 were unable to attract DC. Likewise, addition of antagonists for A2A adenosine receptors abolished the formation of DC–Treg clusters, indicating a role for adenosine in guiding DC–Treg interactions. Analysis of the signal transduction events in DC after contact to Treg revealed increased levels of cAMP, followed by activation of Epac1 and the GTPase Rap1. Subsequently activated Rap1 localized to the subcortical actin cytoskeleton in DC, providing a means by which directed locomotion of DC toward Treg is facilitated. In aggregate, these data show that Treg degrade ATP to adenosine via CD39, attracting DC by activating Epac1-Rap1–dependent pathways. As a consequence, DC–Treg clusters are formed and DC are rendered less stimulatory. This adenosine-mediated attraction of DC may therefore act as one mechanism by which Treg regulate the induction of immune responses by DC.
A Role for APPL1 in TLR3/4-Dependent TBK1 and IKKε Activation in Macrophages
Authors: Chau Tieu-Lan , Göktuna Serkan Ismail , Rammal Ayman , Casanova Tomás , Duong Hong-Quan , Gatot Jean-Stéphane , Close Pierre , Dejardin Emmanuel , Desmecht Daniel , Shostak Kateryna , Chariot Alain
Published: March 2015

Endosomes have important roles in intracellular signal transduction as a sorting platform. Signaling cascades from TLR engagement to IRF3-dependent gene transcription rely on endosomes, yet the proteins that specifically recruit IRF3-activating molecules to them are poorly defined. We show that adaptor protein containing a pleckstrin-homology domain, a phosphotyrosine-binding domain, and a leucine zipper motif (APPL)1, an early endosomal protein, is required for both TRIF- and retinoic acid–inducible gene 1–dependent signaling cascades to induce IRF3 activation. APPL1, but not early endosome Ag 1, deficiency impairs IRF3 target gene expression upon engagement of both TLR3 and TLR4 pathways, as well as in H1N1-infected macrophages. The IRF3-phosphorylating kinases TBK1 and IKKε are recruited to APPL1 endosomes in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Interestingly, APPL1 undergoes proteasome-mediated degradation through ERK1/2 to turn off signaling. APPL1 degradation is blocked when signaling through the endosome is inhibited by chloroquine or dynasore. Therefore, APPL1 endosomes are critical for IRF3-dependent gene expression in response to some viral and bacterial infections in macrophages. Those signaling pathways involve the signal-induced degradation of APPL1 to prevent aberrant IRF3-dependent gene expression linked to immune diseases.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mce3E Suppresses Host Innate Immune Responses by Targeting ERK1/2 Signaling
Authors: Li Jie , Chai Qi-Yao , Zhang Yong , Li Bing-Xi , Wang Jing , Qiu Xiao-Bo , Liu Cui Hua
Published: March 2015

Crucial to the pathogenesis of the tuberculosis (TB)-causing pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis is its ability to subvert host immune defenses to promote its intracellular survival. The mammalian cell entry protein 3E (Mce3E), located in the region of difference 15 of the M. tuberculosis genome and absent in Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin, has an essential role in facilitating the internalization of mammalian cells by mycobacteria. However, relatively little is known about the role of Mce3E in modulation of host innate immune responses. In this study, we demonstrate that Mce3E inhibits the activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, leading to the suppression of Tnf and Il6 expression, and the promotion of mycobacterial survival within macrophages. Mce3E interacts and colocalizes with ERK1/2 at the endoplasmic reticulum in a DEF motif (an ERK-docking motif)–dependent manner, relocates ERK1/2 from cytoplasm to the endoplasmic reticulum, and finally reduces the association of ERK1/2 with MEK1 and blocks the nuclear translocation of phospho-ERK1/2. A DEF motif mutant form of Mce3E (F294A) loses its ability to suppress Tnf and Il6 expression and to promote intracellular survival of mycobacteria. Inhibition of the ERK1/2 pathway in macrophages using U0126, a specific inhibitor of the ERK pathway, also leads to the suppressed Tnf and Il6 expression and the enhanced intracellular survival of mycobacteria. Taken together, these results suggest that M. tuberculosis Mce3E exploits the ERK1/2 signaling pathway to suppress host innate immune responses, providing a potential Mce3E–ERK1/2 interface–based drug target against M. tuberculosis.
Malaria Transmission, Infection, and Disease at Three Sites with Varied Transmission Intensity in Uganda: Implications for Malaria Control
Authors: Kamya Moses R. , Arinaitwe Emmanuel , Wanzira Humphrey , Katureebe Agaba , Barusya Chris , Kigozi Simon P. , Kilama Maxwell , Tatem Andrew J. , Rosenthal Philip J. , Drakeley Chris , Lindsay Steve W. , Staedke Sarah G. , Smith David L. , Greenhouse Bryan , Dorsey Grant
Published: March 2015

The intensification of control interventions has led to marked reductions in malaria burden in some settings, but not others. To provide a comprehensive description of malaria epidemiology in Uganda, we conducted surveillance studies over 24 months in 100 houses randomly selected from each of three subcounties: Walukuba (peri-urban), Kihihi (rural), and Nagongera (rural). Annual entomological inoculation rate (aEIR) was estimated from monthly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap mosquito collections. Children aged 0.5–10 years were provided long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and followed for measures of parasite prevalence, anemia and malaria incidence. Estimates of aEIR were 2.8, 32.0, and 310 infectious bites per year, and estimates of parasite prevalence 7.4%, 9.3%, and 28.7% for Walukuba, Kihihi, and Nagongera, respectively. Over the 2-year study, malaria incidence per person-years decreased in Walukuba (0.51 versus 0.31, P = 0.001) and increased in Kihihi (0.97 versus 1.93, P < 0.001) and Nagongera (2.33 versus 3.30, P < 0.001). Of 2,582 episodes of malaria, only 8 (0.3%) met criteria for severe disease. The prevalence of anemia was low and not associated with transmission intensity. In our cohorts, where LLINs and prompt effective treatment were provided, the risk of complicated malaria and anemia was extremely low. However, malaria incidence was high and increased over time at the two rural sites, suggesting improved community-wide coverage of LLIN and additional malaria control interventions are needed in Uganda.
Effects of the level and duration of feeding restriction on carcass components of broilers
Authors: Jahanpour H. , Seidavi A. , Qotbi A. A. A. , Van Den Hoven R. , Rocha e Silva S. , Laudadio V. , Tufarelli V.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The effects of the restriction of the advised daily feed intake (ADFI) during 1 or 2 weeks on broiler body weight (BW) and carcass composition were studied. A total of 150 1-day-old male broilers (Ross-308) were randomly allotted to a control and four experimental treatments with three replicates per treatment. Broilers were subjected to a feeding restriction equal to 75 and 50 % of ADFI, either for a 7- or a 14-day period, between the 7th and 14th and 7th and 21th day of age, respectively. The BW and carcass composition were determined on day 42. From the findings, neither of the two levels of restriction nor the two time intervals had significant effects (P > 0.05) on the BW or breast and leg weight and proportion, liver and most of the body components. However, the feeding treatments show a tendency (P = 0.078) to influence the BW, with birds fed 75 % of ADFI for 14 day being heavier than the control group. For eviscerated carcass weight, an effect (P = 0.002) was observed, with birds fed 75 % of ADFI for 14 day having heavier carcasses (P < 0.05) than those in control group. The abdominal fat, both with regard to weight and proportion, was slightly influenced by dietary treatments (P > 0.05). From our results, it can be concluded that the applied feeding restrictions have a neutral or slightly beneficial effect on broiler growth traits and carcass composition.
Gauss–Seidel limb scattering (GSLS) radiative transfer model development in support of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) limb profiler mission
Authors: Loughman R. , Flittner D. , Nyaku E. , Bhartia P. K.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The Gauss–Seidel limb scattering (GSLS) radiative transfer (RT) model simulates the transfer of solar radiation through the atmosphere and is imbedded in the retrieval algorithm used to process data from the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) limb profiler (LP), which was launched on the Suomi NPP satellite in October 2011. A previous version of this model has been compared with several other limb scattering RT models in previous studies, including Siro, MCC++, CDIPI, LIMBTRAN, SASKTRAN, VECTOR, and McSCIA. To address deficiencies in the GSLS radiance calculations revealed in earlier comparisons, several recent changes have been added that improve the accuracy and flexibility of the GSLS model, including 1. improved treatment of the variation of the extinction coefficient with altitude, both within atmospheric layers and above the nominal top of the atmosphere; 2. addition of multiple-scattering source function calculations at multiple solar zenith angles along the line of sight (LOS); 3. introduction of variable surface properties along the limb LOS, with minimal effort required to add variable atmospheric properties along the LOS as well; 4. addition of the ability to model multiple aerosol types within the model atmosphere. The model improvements 1 and 2 are verified by comparison to previously published results (using standard radiance tables whenever possible), demonstrating significant improvement in cases for which previous versions of the GSLS model performed poorly. The single-scattered radiance errors that were as high as 4% in earlier studies are now generally reduced to 0.3%, while total radiance errors generally decline from 10% to 1–3%. In all cases, the tangent height dependence of the GSLS radiance error is greatly reduced.
Intercomparison of vertically resolved merged satellite ozone data sets: interannual variability and long-term trends
Authors: Tummon F. , Hassler B. , Harris N. R. P. , Staehelin J. , Steinbrecht W. , Anderson J. , Bodeker G. E. , Bourassa A. , Davis S. M. , Degenstein D. , Frith S. M. , Froidevaux L. , Kyrölä E. , Laine M. , Long C. , Penckwitt A. A. , Sioris C. E. , Rosenlof K. H. , Roth C. , Wang H.-J. , Wild J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. In the framework of the SI2N (SPARC (Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate)/IO3C (International Ozone Commission)/IGACO-O3 (Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry Observations – Ozone)/NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change)) initiative, several long-term vertically resolved merged ozone data sets produced from satellite measurements have been analysed and compared. This paper presents an overview of the methods, assumptions, and challenges involved in constructing such merged data sets, as well as the first thorough intercomparison of seven new long-term satellite data sets. The analysis focuses on the representation of the annual cycle, interannual variability, and long-term trends for the period 1984–2011, which is common to all data sets. Overall, the best agreement amongst data sets is seen in the mid-latitude lower and middle stratosphere, with larger differences in the equatorial lower stratosphere and the upper stratosphere globally. In most cases, differences in the choice of underlying instrument records that were merged produced larger differences between data sets than the use of different merging techniques. Long-term ozone trends were calculated for the period 1984–2011 using a piecewise linear regression with a change in trend prescribed at the end of 1997. For the 1984–1997 period, trends tend to be most similar between data sets (with largest negative trends ranging from −4 to −8% decade−1 in the mid-latitude upper stratosphere), in large part due to the fact that most data sets are predominantly (or only) based on the SAGE-II record. Trends in the middle and lower stratosphere are much smaller, and, particularly for the lower stratosphere, large uncertainties remain. For the later period (1998–2011), trends vary to a greater extent, ranging from approximately −1 to +5% decade−1 in the upper stratosphere. Again, middle and lower stratospheric trends are smaller and for most data sets not significantly different from zero. Overall, however, there is a clear shift from mostly negative to mostly positive trends between the two periods over much of the profile.
Utilization of O4 slant column density to derive aerosol layer height from a spaceborne UV-visible hyperspectral sensor: sensitivity and case study
Authors: Park S. S. , Kim J. , Lee H. , Torres O. , Lee K.-M. , Lee S. D.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The sensitivities of oxygen-dimer (O4) slant column densities (SCDs) to changes in aerosol layer height are investigated using simulated radiances by a radiative transfer model, Linearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (LIDORT), and Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. The sensitivities of the O4 SCDs to aerosol types and optical properties are also evaluated and compared. Among the O4 absorption bands at 340, 360, 380, and 477 nm, the O4 absorption band at 477 nm is found to be the most suitable to retrieve the aerosol effective height. However, the O4 SCD at 477 nm is significantly influenced not only by the aerosol layer effective height but also by aerosol vertical profiles, optical properties including single scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol optical depth (AOD), and surface albedo. Overall, the error of the retrieved aerosol effective height is estimated to be 414 m (16.5%), 564 m (22.4%), and 1343 m (52.5%) for absorbing, dust, and non-absorbing aerosol, respectively, assuming knowledge on the aerosol vertical distribution type. Using radiance data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a new algorithm is developed to derive the aerosol effective height over East Asia after the determination of the aerosol type and AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The retrieved aerosol effective heights are lower by approximately 300 m (27 %) compared to those obtained from the ground-based LIDAR measurements.
Sensitivity of PARASOL multi-angle photopolarimetric aerosol retrievals to cloud contamination
Authors: Stap F. A. , Hasekamp O. P. , Röckmann T.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. An important problem in satellite remote sensing of aerosols is related to the need to perform an adequate cloud screening. If a cloud screening is applied that is not strict enough, the ground scene has the probability of residual cloud cover which causes large errors on the retrieved aerosol parameters. On the other hand, if the cloud-screening procedure is too strict, too many clear sky cases, especially near-cloud scenes, will falsely be flagged cloudy. The detrimental effects of cloud contamination as well as the importance of aerosol cloud interactions that can be studied in these near-cloud scenes call for new approaches to cloud screening. Multi-angle multi-wavelength photopolarimetric measurements have a unique capability to distinguish between scattering by (liquid) cloud droplets and aerosol particles. In this paper the sensitivity of aerosol retrievals from multi-angle photopolarimetric measurements to cloud contamination is investigated and the ability to intrinsically filter the cloud-contaminated scenes based on a goodness-of-fit criteria is evaluated. Hereto, an aerosol retrieval algorithm is applied to a partially clouded over-ocean synthetic data set as well as non-cloud-screened over-ocean POLDER-3/PARASOL observations. It is found that a goodness-of-fit filter, together with a filter on the coarse mode refractive index (mrcoarse > 1.335) and a cirrus screening, adequately rejects the cloud-contaminated scenes. No bias or larger SD are found in the retrieved parameters for this intrinsic cloud filter compared to the parameters retrieved in a priori cloud-screened data set (using MODIS/AQUA cloud masks) of PARASOL observations. Moreover, less high-aerosol load scenes are misinterpreted as cloud contaminated. The retrieved aerosol optical thickness, single scattering albedo and Ångström exponent show good agreement with AERONET observations. Furthermore, the synthetic retrievals give confidence in the ability of the algorithm to correctly retrieve the micro-physical aerosol parameters.
Outflow of low-energy O+ ion beams observed during periods without substorms
Authors: Parks G. K. , Lee E. , Fu S. Y. , Fillingim M. , Dandouras I. , Cui Y. B. , Hong J. , Rème H.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. Numerous observations have shown that ions flow out of the ionosphere during substorms with more fluxes leaving as the substorm intensity increases (Wilson et al., 2004). In this article we show observations of low-energy (few tens of electron volts) ionospheric ions flowing out periods without substorms, determined using the Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC) and Auroral Electrojet (AE) indices. We use Cluster ion composition data and show the outflowing ions are field-aligned H+, He+ and O+ beams accelerated to energies of ~40–80 eV, after correcting for spacecraft potential. The estimated fluxes of the low-energy O+ ions measured at ~20 000 km altitude are >103–105 cm−2 s. Assuming the auroral oval is the source of the escaping ions, the measured fluxes correspond to a flow rate of ~1019–1021 ions s−1 leaving the ionosphere. However, periods without substorms can persist for hours suggesting the low-energy ions flowing out during these times could be a major source of the heavy ion population in the plasma sheet and lobe.
Adaptation of the de Hoffmann–Teller frame for quasi-perpendicular collisionless shocks
Authors: Comişel H. , Narita Y. , Motschmann U.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. The concept of the de Hoffmann–Teller frame is revisited for a high Mach-number quasi-perpendicular collisionless shock wave. Particle-in-cell simulation shows that the local magnetic field oscillations in the shock layer introduce a residual motional electric field in the de Hoffmann–Teller frame, which is misleading in that one may interpret that electrons were not accelerated but decelerated in the shock layer. We propose the concept of the adaptive de Hoffmann–Teller (AHT) frame in which the residual convective field is canceled by modulating the sliding velocity of the de Hoffmann–Teller frame. The electrostatic potential evaluated by Liouville mapping supports the potential profile obtained by electric field in this adaptive frame, offering a wide variety of applications in shock wave studies.
Nonlinear feedback in a six-dimensional Lorenz Model: impact of an additional heating term
Authors: Shen B.-W.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. In this study, a six-dimensional Lorenz model (6DLM) is derived, based on a recent study using a five-dimensional (5-D) Lorenz model (LM), in order to examine the impact of an additional mode and its accompanying heating term on solution stability. The new mode added to improve the representation of the steamfunction is referred to as a secondary streamfunction mode, while the two additional modes, that appear in both the 6DLM and 5DLM but not in the original LM, are referred to as secondary temperature modes. Two energy conservation relationships of the 6DLM are first derived in the dissipationless limit. The impact of three additional modes on solution stability is examined by comparing numerical solutions and ensemble Lyapunov exponents of the 6DLM and 5DLM as well as the original LM. For the onset of chaos, the critical value of the normalized Rayleigh number (rc) is determined to be 41.1. The critical value is larger than that in the 3DLM (rc ~ 24.74), but slightly smaller than the one in the 5DLM (rc ~ 42.9). A stability analysis and numerical experiments obtained using generalized LMs, with or without simplifications, suggest the following: (1) negative nonlinear feedback in association with the secondary temperature modes, as first identified using the 5DLM, plays a dominant role in providing feedback for improving the solution's stability of the 6DLM, (2) the additional heating term in association with the secondary streamfunction mode may destabilize the solution, and (3) overall feedback due to the secondary streamfunction mode is much smaller than the feedback due to the secondary temperature modes; therefore, the critical Rayleigh number of the 6DLM is comparable to that of the 5DLM. The 5DLM and 6DLM collectively suggest different roles for small-scale processes (i.e., stabilization vs. destabilization), consistent with the following statement by Lorenz (1972): If the flap of a butterfly's wings can be instrumental in generating a tornado, it can equally well be instrumental in preventing a tornado. The implications of this and previous work, as well as future work, are also discussed.
The use of soil electrical resistivity to monitor plant and soil water relationships in vineyards
Authors: Brillante L. , Mathieu O. , Bois B. , van Leeuwen C. , Lévêque J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. Soil water availability deeply affects plant physiology. In viticulture it is considered a major contributor to the "terroir" effect. The assessment of soil water in field conditions is a difficult task, especially over large surfaces. New techniques are therefore required in order to better explore variations of soil water content in space and time with low disturbance and with great precision. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) meets these requirements for applications in plant sciences, agriculture and ecology. In this paper, possible techniques to develop models that allow the use of ERT to spatialise soil water available to plants are reviewed. An application of soil water monitoring using ERT in a grapevine plot in Burgundy (north-east France) during the vintage 2013 is presented. We observed the lateral heterogeneity of ERT-derived fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) variations, and differences in water uptake depend on grapevine water status (leaf water potentials measured both at predawn and at solar noon and contemporary to ERT monitoring). Active zones in soils for water movements were identified. The use of ERT in ecophysiological studies, with parallel monitoring of plant water status, is still rare. These methods are promising because they have the potential to reveal a hidden part of a major function of plant development: the capacity to extract water from the soil.