bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting the Next Eye Pathogen: Analysis of a Novel Adenovirus
Authors: Robinson Christopher M. , Zhou Xiaohong , Rajaiya Jaya , Yousuf Mohammad A. , Singh Gurdeep , DeSerres Joshua J. , Walsh Michael P. , Wong Sallene , Seto Donald , Dyer David W. , Chodosh James , Jones Morris S.
Published: April 2013

For DNA viruses, genetic recombination, addition, and deletion represent important evolutionary mechanisms. Since these genetic alterations can lead to new, possibly severe pathogens, we applied a systems biology approach to study the pathogenicity of a novel human adenovirus with a naturally occurring deletion of the canonical penton base Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) loop, thought to be critical to cellular entry by adenoviruses. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a new highly recombinant species D human adenovirus (HAdV-D60). A synthesis of
in silico
and laboratory approaches revealed a potential ocular tropism for the new virus.
In vivo
, inflammation induced by the virus was dramatically greater than that by adenovirus type 37, a major eye pathogen, possibly due to a novel alternate ligand, Tyr-Gly-Asp (YGD), on the penton base protein. The combination of bioinformatics and laboratory simulation may have important applications in the prediction of tissue tropism for newly discovered and emerging viruses.

IMPORTANCE
The ongoing dance between a virus and its host distinctly shapes how the virus evolves. While human adenoviruses typically cause mild infections, recent reports have described newly characterized adenoviruses that cause severe, sometimes fatal human infections. Here, we report a systems biology approach to show how evolution has affected the disease potential of a recently identified novel human adenovirus. A comprehensive understanding of viral evolution and pathogenicity is essential to our capacity to foretell the potential impact on human disease for new and emerging viruses.
An unusual psychiatric presentation of polycythaemia ‘Difficulties lie in our habits of thought rather than in the nature of things’ Andre Tardieu
Authors: Rai Rahul , Pieters Thirza
Published: April 2013

Psychiatric symptoms are not always best explained in the context of psychological stress. The same mental, emotional and behavioural changes also arise from various medical conditions. For a clinician this dual origin of psychiatric symptoms creates an ongoing diagnostic challenge. Our patient is a 50-year-old gentleman who had been working in a company for around 33 years and always had good appraisals. He presented to mental health services with a 5-year history of persecutory beliefs, convinced that his employers were out to damage his reputation. Apart from a diagnosis of polycythaemia, a few months before the onset of abnormal beliefs, there is no personal or family history of psychiatric disorder or medical illness. His delusions did not respond to conventional treatment with psychotropic medication possibly due to non-adherence because of side effects. However, a series of venesections lead to an improvement in mental state.
Congenital echovirus 21 infection causing fulminant hepatitis in a neonate
Authors: Pedrosa Cristina , Lage Maria João , Virella Daniel
Published: April 2013

Enteroviral infection in pregnancy is common and there is growing evidence relating it to congenital anomalies and neonatal mortality. Neonatal disease may range from unapparent infection to overwhelming systemic illness. Passively acquired maternal serotype specific antibodies determine the severity of the disease in the newborn. A fatal case of congenital echovirus 21 infection, confirmed by PCR in the patient's blood and positive culture of the mother's stools, is reported. A sibling had symptoms of respiratory tract infection and their mother had fever, which prompted iatrogenic delivery that same day. The newborn presented with bradycardia and hypotonia in the first minutes of life and later developed respiratory distress, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, fulminant hepatitis, acute renal failure and necrotising enterocolitis. Death occurred on the 8 day of life. This case highlights the potential severity of Enteroviral infection in the newborn. Since only supportive treatment is available, prevention is paramount.
Reactive dentures: a novel approach to decrease residual ridge resorption
Authors: Reddy Kesava K , Prasanna Renuka G S , Sundaresh K J , Mallikarjuna Rachappa
Published: April 2013

The need for reduction of traumatic forces transmitted through the prosthesis has long been recognised and studies have shown that either a soft acrylic resin/silicone rubber can serve as a stress distributor and absorb some of the forces applied to the teeth. These dentures permit reaction to impacting forces which allows independent movement of one or more teeth in function unlike the conventional dentures. A completely edentulous patient with adequate inter-ridge distance was selected for the case, the dentures with soft liner placed between the patient's teeth and denture base were fabricated. This report presents a completely new technique to reduce the ridge resorption and facilitate patient comfort.
Visceral leishmaniasis with HIV co-infection and cervical lymphadenopathy
Authors: Mishra Sanjay , Shukla Ayush , Tripathi Anil Kumar , Kumar Ashutosh
Published: April 2013

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is prevalent worldwide. In the past there has been steep rise in the incidence of VL in southern Europe and Africa. Factors attributed for this are economic development, a shift of the reservoir of Leishmania, immunodeficiency due to HIV infection and intravenous drug abuse. The co-infection of VL and HIV is common in southern European—African countries and is proposed that it should be included as an AIDS-defining illness. VL is not only considered to be an opportunistic infection in HIV-infected individuals but it may also reactivate latent infection. This case is worth reporting as it highlights increasing incidence of VL-HIV co-infection and its sparse literature from India, changing ecology and possible evolving epidemic in the Indian subcontinent. Additionally an atypical presentation such as lymphadenopathy in VL should arouse suspicion of HIV co-infection and vice versa.
Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in twins
Authors: Kundal Vijay Kumar , Gajdhar Mufique , Shukla Arvind Kumar , Kundal Raksha
Published: April 2013

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is a common surgical cause of vomiting, which requires surgery in infant. There is the complete or partial obstruction of pylorus due to hypertrophy of circular muscle of the pylorus leading gastric outlet obstruction. The occurrence of IHPS in dizygotic twins is rarer and the theory of genetic origin alone does not explain it. Recent literature points to the association of bottle feeding in singletons to be a major aetiological factor for this condition. Here, we present a rare case of dizygotic twins who were bottle-fed and were affected with IHPS. We review the literature and focus on the question of whether this condition in twins supports a genetic or environmental origin of IHPS.
Bilateral multifocal posterior pole lesions in Reiter syndrome
Authors: Mansour Ahmad M , Jaroudi Mahmoud O , Medawar Walid A , Tabbarah Zuhayr A
Published: April 2013

Reactive arthritis is associated with conjunctivitis or iritis. Rarely reactive arthritis is accompanied by permanent visual loss from macular infarction or foveal scarring. We present the case of a rheumatologist who had a sudden onset of skin lesions, arthritis of several joints and bilateral visual loss. Most of these manifestations resolved after a course of oral corticosteroids. However he was left with decreased vision in the left eye and multiple lesions in the fovea over a follow-up of 2 years.
Did the ‘Be Clear on Bowel Cancer’ public awareness campaign pilot result in a higher rate of cancer detection?
Authors: Bethune Rob , Marshall Morwena J , Mitchell Stephen J , Oppong Chris , Cartmel Mark T , Arumugam Ponnandai J , Gee Andrew S , Daniels Ian R
Published: April 2013

Objectives

To assess the impact of a 7-week public bowel cancer awareness campaign pilot by reviewing the number of 2-week referrals from general practitioners (GPs) to hospital, endoscopic procedures and new cancers diagnosed throughout the five acute hospitals in The Peninsular Cancer Network, UK.

Design

A retrospective before and after study.

Setting

The Peninsula Cancer Network in the South West of England, UK.

Main outcome measures

For the period July 2010–July 2011, data were collected on the number of 2-week referrals, number of endoscopic procedures performed and number of new cancers diagnosed. The average for the 6 months before the campaign was compared with the immediate 3 months and then the fourth to sixth months following the campaign. Student's t test was used to compare the means of the three groups.

Results

There was a statistically significant increase in the number of 2-week referrals from GPs to hospital in the 3 months following the campaign but this effect disappeared after that. There was no statistical increase in the number of endoscopic procedures or new cancers diagnosed following the awareness campaign.

Conclusions

The pilot ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ awareness campaign had a significant effect on the number of patients being referred from GPs to hospital; however, the effect was short lived and had returned to baseline by 3 months. The campaign had no effect on the number of new cancers diagnosed, which was the stated underlying aim of the pilot.
Theoretical study of the stability of Bep@Rbqcore-shell clusters
Authors: Sun Yan , Fournier René
Published: April 2013

Core-shell structures Ap@Bqcan be energetically favored in bimetallic clusters when B has a lower surface energy than A, and p and q are chosen such that a single and complete outer shell of q atoms of B can form around the Apcore. If the difference in the electronegativities of A and B is large, one expects significant charge separation between the A core and the B shell. The combination of a closed atomic shell of B atoms and surface charges (core-shell charge separation) should impart stability on this type of Ap@Bqclusters. We report results of density functional theory calculations, including global optimization of cluster geometries, to characterize the prototype system BepRbq. Our calculations show that BepRbqclusters indeed adopt core-shell structures. However, they do not have particularly large surface charges and are unstable against coalescence. Surprisingly, the Rbqouter shell carries a net negative charge. This can be interpreted as the analog, for clusters, of electron spill-out at semi-infinite jellium surfaces, and it probably results from the electrons’ kinetic pressure.
PHYSICAL SPECTRUM FROM CONFINED EXCITATIONS IN A YANG–MILLS-INSPIRED TOY MODEL
Authors: CAPRI M. A. L. , DUDAL D. , GUIMARAES M. S. , PALHARES L. F. , SORELLA S. P.
Published: April 2013

We study a toy model for an interacting scalar field theory in which the fundamental excitations are confined in the sense of having unphysical, positivity-violating propagators, a fact tracing back to a decomposition of these in propagators with complex conjugate mass poles (the so-called i-particles). Similar two-point functions show up in certain approaches to gluon or quark propagators in Yang–Mills gauge theories. We investigate the spectrum of our model and show that suitable composite operators may be constructed having a well-defined Källén–Lehmann spectral representation, thus allowing for a particle interpretation. These physical excitations would correspond to the "mesons" of the model, the latter being bound states of two unphysical i-particles. The meson mass is explicitly estimated from the pole emerging in a resummed class of diagrams. The main purpose of this paper is thus to explicitly verify how a real mass pole can and does emerge out of constituent i-particles that have complex masses.
SOME EXTREMAL PROPERTIES OF THE FIBONACCI WORD
Authors: DE LUCA ALDO
Published: April 2013

We prove that the Fibonacci word f satisfies among all characteristic Sturmian words, three interesting extremal properties. The first concerns the length and the second the minimal period of its palindromic prefixes. Each of these two properties characterizes f up to a renaming of its letters. A third property concerns the number of occurrences of the letter b in its palindromic prefixes. It characterizes uniquely f among all characteristic Sturmian words having the prefix abaa.
A COOPERATIVE MODEL FOR PREFERENCE-BASED INFORMATION SHARING IN NARROW BANDWIDTH NETWORKS
Authors: RASHKOVITS RAMI , GAL AVIGDOR
Published: April 2013

Users of wide area network applications are usually concerned about both response time and content validity. The common solution of client-side caching that reuses cached content based on arbitrary time-to-live may not be applicable in narrow bandwidth environment, where heavy load is imposed on sparse transmission abilities. In such cases, some users may wait for a long time for fresh content extracted from the origin server although they would settle for obsolescent content, while other users may receive the cached copy which is considered valid, although they would be ready to wait longer for fresher content. In this work, a new model for caching is introduced, where clients introduce preferences regarding their expectations for the time they are willing to wait, and the level of obsolescence they are willing to tolerate. The cache manager considers user preferences, and is capable of balancing the relative importance of each dimension. A cost model is used to determine which of the following three alternatives is most promising: delivery of a local cached copy, delivery of a copy from a cooperating cache, or delivery of a fresh copy from the origin server. The proposed model is proven to be useful by experiments that used both synthetic data and real Web traces simulation. The experiments reveal that using the proposed model, it becomes possible to meet client needs with reduced latency. We also show the benefit of cache cooperation in increasing hit ratios and reducing latency. A prototype of the proposed model was built and deployed on real-world environment demonstrating how users can set preferences towards Web pages, and how cache managers are affected.
MATCHING WITH COUPLES: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SURVEY
Authors: BIRÓ PÉTER , KLIJN FLIP
Published: April 2013

This survey deals with two-sided matching markets where one set of agents (workers/residents) has to be matched with another set of agents (firms/hospitals). We first give a short overview of a selection of classical results. Then, we review recent contributions to a complex and representative case of matching with complementarities, namely matching markets with couples. We discuss contributions from computer scientists, economists, and game theorists.
POWER INDICES AND THE MEASUREMENT OF CONTROL IN CORPORATE STRUCTURES
Authors: CRAMA YVES , LERUTH LUC
Published: April 2013

This paper proposes a brief review of the use of power indices in the corporate governance literature. Without losing sight of the field of application, it places the emphasis on the game-theoretic aspects of this research and on the issues that arise in this framework. It should be noted that the views presented in this paper are not necessarily those of the IMF.
ELABORATE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE DETECTION USING AN IMPROVED GENETIC ALGORITHM AND MODAL DATA
Authors: NASERALAVI S. S. , GERIST S. , SALAJEGHEH E. , SALAJEGHEH J.
Published: April 2013

This paper addresses a proficient strategy for detection of structural damages in details using the variations of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. There are two concerns in this study. First, the severity of damage can vary within the damaged elements; second, it is possible that the damage extents do not exactly match the pre-generated finite element mesh. The first concern forms the motivation for employing the proper damage functions to model the elemental damages, and the second for considering the nodal positions as design variables. To obtain the design variables, an improved genetic algorithm is introduced in which two new operators are embedded. This strategy is applied to a beam and a plate structure as the cases of study. The results demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed algorithm in elaborate damage detections.
DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION IN REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS BY FINITE ELEMENT MODEL UPDATING USING PARALLEL AND HYBRID GENETIC ALGORITHMS
Authors: BAKIR PELIN GUNDES , ERDOGAN Y. SERHAT
Published: April 2013

Finite element (FE) model updating belongs to the class of inverse problems in mechanics and is a constrained optimization problem. In FE model updating, the difference between the modal parameters (the frequencies, damping ratios and the mode shapes) obtained from the FE model of the structure and those from the vibration measurements are minimized within an optimization algorithm. The design variables of the optimization problem are the stiffness reduction factors, which represent the damage. In this study, the Genetic Algorithms (GA), the Parallel GA, the local search algorithms, the Trust Region Gauss Newton, the Sequential Quadratic Programming, the Levenberg–Marquardt Techniques and the hybrid versions of these methods are applied within the FE Model Updating Technique for updating the Young's modulus of different FEs of a reinforced concrete beam. Different damage scenarios and different noise levels are taken into account. The results of the study show that the local search algorithms cannot detect, locate and quantify damage in reinforced concrete beam type structures while the GA together with the hybrid and the parallel versions detect, localize and identify the damage very accurately. It is apparent that the hybrid GA & Trust Region Gauss Newton Technique is best in terms of the computation speed as well as accuracy.
FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Ni–Mn–Si–Al–O NTC THERMISTOR AND ITS APPLICATION AS TEMPERATURE WIRE SENSOR
Authors: LIANG SEN , ZHANG XIAO , LI HAIBO , LUO MIN , LI JIN , HE LIJUN , YANG JIANFENG
Published: April 2013

A series of Al 2 O 3 substituted manganese oxide ceramic compounds, Ni 0.6 Si 0.2 Mn 2.2-x Al x O 4(0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6), were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The phase composition, microstructure, and electrical properties of compounds were studied. The results revealed that all the compounds were composed of cubic spinel structure without any other oxides. Besides they exhibited a linear relationship between logarithm of electrical resistivity (ln ρ) and reciprocal of absolute temperature (1/T) over a temperature ranging from room temperature to 300°C, which indicated a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) characteristic. The B25/85 constant was found to increase with the increase of Al 2 O 3 content. The B25/85 values of the NTC Ni 0.6 Si 0.2 Mn 2.2-x Al x O 4 thermistors for x = 0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4, and 0.6 were 4581, 4612, 4680, 4875, and 5089 K, respectively. Finally, a new method to produce one meter long continuous fire wire sensors was also proposed.
EFFECT OF CONDENSATION ON THE EFFICIENCY OF HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATORS FOR BROILER HOUSES
Authors: HAN HWATAIK , NAM SANG-HOON , HAN GEON-SOO
Published: April 2013

This study experimentally investigates the effect of internal condensation on the performance of a heat recovery ventilator. Experiments were performed using a plate-type sensible heat exchanger element that was designed for very humid and dusty environments such as chicken broiler houses. The results of these experiments show that the temperature efficiency considering condensation is always greater than that without considering latent heat. As outdoor temperature decreases or indoor relative humidity increases, temperature efficiency increases owing to an increase in the rate of condensation. The present polypropylene-based sensible heat exchanger element could be a solution for harsh environments because it can discharge condensate water by gravity and is resistant to moisture and other toxic gases.
DirectorNotation
Authors: Yannopoulos Angelos
Published: April 2013

DirectorNotation (DN) is a symbolic language intended to express the content of film (motion pictures), much as notes provide a language for the writing of music. It thus constitutes a new approach to the creative process of filmmaking. Musicians, and also choreographers, have long been able to express their creative choices using logical symbolic structures (music notation and dance notation), yet those working in the movie industry have to rely on cartoons and verbal description. Development of a successful notation becomes appropriate today because of its dependence upon the parallel development of effective notation-based software tools such as visualisation (automatic animated storyboard generation), production budget estimation, and automated rough editing of dailies. Directors maintain complete control of their creative decisions when using DN. It is an artistic language supported by technical tools for planning and analysis. The notation is not merely a graphical user interface for these tools, and the tools are never intended to make decisions for the director. This article introduces DN, argues its great cultural significance, provides market research results showing directors' interest in using it, and reports on two controlled experiments confirming its effectiveness—including its usability in a practical context and its ability to represent and communicate the necessary information.
GLP-1(28–36) improves β-cell mass and glucose disposal in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and activates cAMP/PKA/β-catenin signaling in β-cells in vitro
Authors: Shao Weijuan , Wang Zhaoxia , Ip Wilfred , Chiang Yu-Ting , Xiong Xiaoquan , Chai Tuanyao , Xu Catherine , Wang Qinghua , Jin Tianru
Published: April 2013

Recent studies have demonstrated that the COOH-terminal fragment of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a nonapeptide GLP-1(28–36)amide, attenuates diabetes and hepatic steatosis in diet-induced obese mice. However, the effect of this nonapeptide in pancreatic β-cells remains largely unknown. Here, we show that in a streptozotocin-induced mouse diabetes model, GLP-1(28–36)amide improved glucose disposal and increased pancreatic β-cell mass and β-cell proliferation. An in vitro investigation revealed that GLP-1(28–36)amide stimulates β-catenin (β-cat) Ser675phosphorylation in both the clonal INS-1 cell line and rat primary pancreatic islet cells. In INS-1 cells, the stimulation was accompanied by increased nuclear β-cat content. GLP-1(28–36)amide was also shown to increase cellular cAMP levels, PKA enzymatic activity, and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor-1 (ATF-1) phosphorylation. Furthermore, GLP-1(28–36)amide treatment enhanced islet insulin secretion and increased the growth of INS-1 cells, which was associated with increased cyclin D1 expression. Finally, PKA inhibition attenuated the effect of GLP-1(28–36)amide on β-cat Ser675phosphorylation and cyclin D1 expression in the INS-1 cell line. We have thus revealed the beneficial effect of GLP-1(28–36)amide in pancreatic β-cells in vitro and in vivo. Our observations suggest that GLP-1(28–36)amide may exert its effect through the PKA/β-catenin signaling pathway.
Selective inhibition of vagal afferent nerve pathways regulating cough using Nav 1.7 shRNA silencing in guinea pig nodose ganglia
Authors: Muroi Yukiko , Ru Fei , Chou Yang-Ling , Carr Michael J. , Undem Bradley J. , Canning Brendan J.
Published: April 2013

Adeno-associated virus delivery systems and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) were used to selectively silence the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV 1.7 in the nodose ganglia of guinea pigs. The cough reflex in these animals was subsequently assessed. NaV 1.7 shRNA was delivered to the majority of nodose ganglia neurons [50–60% transfection rate determined by green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene cotransfection] and action potential conduction in the nodose vagal nerve fibers, as evaluated using an extracellular recording technique, was markedly and significantly reduced. By contrast, <5% of neurons in the jugular vagal ganglia neurons were transfected, and action potential conduction in the jugular vagal nerve fibers was unchanged. The control virus (with GFP expression) was without effect on action potential discharge and conduction in either ganglia. In vivo, NaV 1.7 silencing in the nodose ganglia nearly abolished cough evoked by mechanically probing the tracheal mucosa in anesthetized guinea pigs. Stimuli such as capsaicin and bradykinin that are known to stimulate both nodose and jugular C-fibers evoked coughing in conscious animals was unaffected by NaV 1.7 silencing in the nodose ganglia. Nodose C-fiber selective stimuli including adenosine, 2-methyl-5-HT, and ATP all failed to evoke coughing upon aerosol challenge. These results indicate that cough is independently regulated by two vagal afferent nerve subtypes in guinea pigs, with nodose Aδ fibers regulating cough evoked mechanically from the trachea and bradykinin- and capsaicin-evoked cough regulated by C-fibers arising from the jugular ganglia.
Changes in the mitochondrial phosphoproteome during mammalian hibernation
Authors: Chung Dillon J. , Szyszka Beata , Brown Jason C. L. , Hüner Norman P. A. , Staples James F.
Published: April 2013

Mammalian hibernation involves periods of substantial suppression of metabolic rate (torpor) allowing energy conservation during winter. In thirteen-lined ground squirrels ( Ictidomys tridecemlineatus ), suppression of liver mitochondrial respiration during entrance into torpor occurs rapidly (within 2 h) before core body temperature falls below 30°C, whereas reversal of this suppression occurs slowly during arousal from torpor. We hypothesized that this pattern of rapid suppression in entrance and slow reversal during arousal was related to changes in the phosphorylation state of mitochondrial enzymes during torpor catalyzed by temperature-dependent kinases and phosphatases. We compared mitochondrial protein phosphorylation among hibernation metabolic states using immunoblot analyses and assessed how phosphorylation related to mitochondrial respiration rates. No proteins showed torpor-specific changes in phosphorylation, nor did phosphorylation state correlate with mitochondrial respiration. However, several proteins showed seasonal (summer vs. winter) differences in phosphorylation of threonine or serine residues. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry, we identified three of these proteins: F1-ATPase α-chain, long chain-specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and ornithine transcarbamylase. Therefore, we conclude that protein phosphorylation is likely a mechanism involved in bringing about seasonal changes in mitochondrial metabolism in hibernating ground squirrels, but it seems unlikely to play any role in acute suppression of mitochondrial metabolism during torpor.
A Systematic, Integrated Study on the Neuroprotective Effects of Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Revealed byH1NMR-Based Metabonomics and the NF-κB Pathway
Authors: Liu Yuanyan , Lian Zeqin , Zhu Haibo , Wang Yinghong , Yu Shishan , Chen Tingting , Qu Jing , Li Jianbei , Ma Shuanggang , Chen Xianhong
Published: April 2013

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is the main active component of the Chinese herbCarthamus tinctoriusL.. Purified HSYA is used as a neuroprotective agent to prevent cerebral ischemia. Injectable safflor yellow (50 mg, containing 35 mg HSYA) is widely used to treat patients with ischemic cardiocerebrovascular disease. However, it is unknown how HSYA exerts a protective effect on cerebral ischemia at the molecular level. A systematical integrated study, including histopathological examination, neurological evaluation, blood-brain barrier (BBB), metabonomics, and the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway, was applied to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of HSYA neuroprotection at the molecular level. HSYA could travel across the BBB, significantly reducing the infarct volume and improving the neurological functions of rats with ischemia. Treatment with HSYA could lead to relative corrections of the impaired metabolic pathways through energy metabolism disruption, excitatory amino acid toxicity, oxidative stress, and membrane disruption revealed by1H NMR-based metabonomics. Meanwhile, HSYA treatment inhibits the NF-κB pathway via suppressing proinflammatory cytokine expression and p65 translocation and binding activity while upregulating an anti-inflammatory cytokine.
Active Component of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhizaBunge), Tanshinone I, Attenuates Lung Tumorigenesis via Inhibitions of VEGF, Cyclin A, and Cyclin B Expressions
Authors: Tung Yu-Tang , Chen Hsiao-Ling , Lee Cheng-Yu , Chou Yu-Ching , Lee Po-Ying , Tsai Hsin-Chung , Lin Yi-Ling , Chen Chuan-Mu
Published: April 2013

Tanshinone I (T1) and tanshinone II (T2) are the major diterpenes isolated from Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhizaBunge). Three human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549, CL1-0, and CL1-5, were treated with T1 and T2 for thein vitroantitumor test. Results showed that T1 was more effective than T2 in inhibiting the growth of lung cancer cells via suppressing the expression of VEGF, Cyclin A, and Cyclin B proteins in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, a transgenic mice model of the human vascular endothelial growth factor-A165(hVEGF-A165) gene-induced pulmonary tumor was further treated with T1 for thein vivolung cancer therapy test. T1 significantly attenuated hVEGF-A165overexpression to normal levels of the transgenic mice (Tg) that were pretreated with human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cell-derived conditioned medium (CM). It also suppressed the formation of lung adenocarcinoma tumors (16.7%) compared with two placebo groups (50% for Tg/Placebo and 83.3% for Tg/CM/Placebo;P<0.01). This antitumor effect is likely to slow the progression of cells through the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. Blocking of the tumor-activated cell cycle pathway may be a critical mechanism for the observed antitumorigenic effects of T1 treatment on vasculogenesis and angiogenesis.
Bone Marrow Stem Cell as a Potential Treatment for Diabetes
Authors: Li Ming , Ikehara Susumu
Published: April 2013

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood glucose levels resulting from defects in insulin secretion and insulin action. The chronic hyperglycemia damages the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and blood vessels. Curative therapies mainly include diet, insulin, and oral hypoglycemic agents. However, these therapies fail to maintain blood glucose levels in the normal range all the time. Although pancreas or islet-cell transplantation achieves better glucose control, a major obstacle is the shortage of donor organs. Recently, research has focused on stem cells which can be classified into embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and tissue stem cells (TSCs) to generate functionalβcells. TSCs include the bone-marrow-, liver-, and pancreas-derived stem cells. In this review, we focus on treatment using bone marrow stem cells for type 1 and 2 DM.
Astragalusin the Prevention of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in Children with Nephrotic Syndrome: Evidence-Based Clinical Practice
Authors: Zou Chuan , Su Guobin , Wu Yuchi , Lu Fuhua , Mao Wei , Liu Xusheng
Published: April 2013

Aims. To explore whetherAstragalusor its formulations could prevent upper respiratory infection in children with nephrotic syndrome and how best to use it.Methods. We transformed a common clinical question in practice to an answerable question according to the PICO principle. Databases, including the Cochrane Library (Issue 5, 2012), PUBMED (1966–2012.8), CBM (1978–2012.8), VIP (1989–2012.8), and CNKI (1979–2012.8), were searched to identify Cochrane systematic reviews and clinical trials. Then, the quality of and recommendations from the clinical evidence were evaluated using the GRADEpro software.Results. The search yielded 537 papers. Only two studies with high validity were included for synthesis calculations. The results showed thatAstragalusgranules could effectively reduce URTI in children with nephrotic syndrome compared with prednisone treatment alone (23.9% versus 42.9%; RR = 0.56 and 95% CI = 0.33–0.93). The dose ofAstragalusgranules was 2.25 gram (equivalent to 15 gram crudeAstragalus) twice per day, at least for 3–6 months. The level of evidence quality was low, but we still recommended the evidence to the patient according to GRADEpro with the opinion of the expert. Followup showed the incidence of URTI in this child decreased significantly.Conclusions.Astragalusgranules may reduce the incidence of URTI in children with nephrotic syndrome.
Poincaré Map and Periodic Solutions of First-Order Impulsive Differential Equations on Moebius Stripe
Authors: He Yefeng , Xing Yepeng
Published: April 2013

This paper is mainly concerned with the existence, stability, and bifurcations of periodic solutions of a certain scalar impulsive differential equations on Moebius stripe. Some sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure the existence and stability of one-side periodic orbit and two-side periodic orbit of impulsive differential equations on Moebius stripe by employing displacement functions. Furthermore, double-periodic bifurcation is also studied by using Poincaré map.
Effects of Flower and Fruit Extracts ofMelastoma malabathricumLinn. on Growth of Pathogenic Bacteria:Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,andSalmonella typhimurium
Authors: Che Omar Siti Nurhadis , Ong Abdullah Janna , Khairoji Khairul Anuar , Chin Chin Sieo , Hamid Muhajir
Published: April 2013

Melastoma malabathricumLinn. is a shrub that comes with beautiful pink or purple flowers and has berries-like fruits rich in anthocyanins. This study was carried out with the aim to evaluate the inhibitory activities of different concentrations of theM. malabathricumLinn. flower and fruit crude extracts againstListeria monocytogenesIMR L55,Staphylococcus aureusIMR S244,Escherichia coliIMR E30, andSalmonella typhimuriumIMR S100 using the disc diffusion method. The lowest concentrations of the extracts producing inhibition zones against the test microorganisms were used to determine their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). In addition, the growth ofListeria monocytogenesIMR L55 andStaphylococcus aureusIMR S244 grown in medium supplemented with the respective extracts at different temperatures (4°C, 25°C, and 37°C) and pHs (4, 6, 7, and 8) was determined.
Node Selection Algorithms with Data Accuracy Guarantee in Service-Oriented Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Cheng Hongju , Guo Ronglie , Chen Yuzhong
Published: April 2013

The service-oriented architecture is considered as a new emerging trend for the future of wireless sensor networks in which different types of sensors can be deployed in the same area to support various service requirements. The accuracy of the sensed data is one of the key criterions because it is generally a noisy version of the physical phenomenon. In this paper, we study the node selection problem with data accuracy guarantee in service-oriented wireless sensor networks. We exploit the spatial correlation between the service data and aim at selecting minimum number of nodes to provide services with data accuracy guaranteed. Firstly, we have formulated this problem into an integer nonlinear programming problem to illustrate its NP-hard property. Secondarily, we have proposed two heuristic algorithms, namely, Separate Selection Algorithm (SSA) and Combined Selection Algorithm (CSA). The SSA is designed to select nodes for each service in a separate way, and the CSA is designed to select nodes according to their contribution increment. Finally, we compare the performance of the proposed algorithms with extended simulations. The results show that CSA has better performance compared with SSA.
Relationship between Untreated Dental Caries and Weight and Height of 6- to 12-Year-Old Primary School Children in Bangladesh
Authors: Mishu Masuma Pervin , Hobdell Martin , Khan Mahfujul Haq , Hubbard Richard M. , Sabbah Wael
Published: April 2013

Background. Children in low-income developing countries are likely to suffer from undergrowth. Dental caries is another common problem in these countries.Aim. To examine the association between untreated dental caries in primary and permanent teeth with age-adjusted height and weight among 6–12-year-old children in Bangladesh.Design. Social, behavioural, and clinical data were collected from 1699 children in nine different randomly selected primary schools in socially deprived areas of Bangladesh. The associations of age-adjusted weight and height and being underweight with dental caries were examined adjusting for sex, area of residence, socioeconomic position, skipping meals, tooth cleaning, and doctor visits.Results. 26% of the children were underweight and 55% had untreated dental caries. Children with at least one decayed tooth were significantly underweight with odds ratios 1.6 (95% CI 1.1, 2.3) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.1, 2.0) for 6–8-years and 9–12-year-old children, respectively, in the adjusted model. The number of decayed teeth was inversely and significantly associated with the standardized age-adjusted weight.Conclusions. The findings highlight the association between untreated dental caries and being underweight in primary school children in socially deprived areas in low-income developing countries and emphasize the need to integrate oral and general health policies with social policies.
A Decentralized Routing Control Scheme for Data Communication Networks
Authors: Si Xueming , Zhu Xun-Lin , Du Xin , Xie Xiangpeng
Published: April 2013

This paper studies the decentralized routing control of data communication networks. Taking the physical constraints on the data flow and the network-induced delays into consideration, the decentralized routing control problem is reformulated as a constrained control problem, and the restriction of initial message lengths is no longer needed. By defining a general Lyapunov functional and applying a reciprocally convex combination technique to deal with the network-induced delays, less conservative and less complex designing conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A simulation example is also given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed designing scheme.
Cancer Outlier Analysis Based on Mixture Modeling of Gene Expression Data
Authors: Mori Keita , Oura Tomonori , Noma Hisashi , Matsui Shigeyuki
Published: April 2013

Molecular heterogeneity of cancer, partially caused by various chromosomal aberrations or gene mutations, can yield substantial heterogeneity in gene expression profile in cancer samples. To detect cancer-related genes which are active only in a subset of cancer samples or cancer outliers, several methods have been proposed in the context of multiple testing. Such cancer outlier analyses will generally suffer from a serious lack of power, compared with the standard multiple testing setting where common activation of genes across all cancer samples is supposed. In this paper, we consider information sharing across genes and cancer samples, via a parametric normal mixture modeling of gene expression levels of cancer samples across genes after a standardization using the reference, normal sample data. A gene-based statistic for gene selection is developed on the basis of a posterior probability of cancer outlier for each cancer sample. Some efficiency improvement by using our method was demonstrated, even under settings with misspecified, heavy-tailedt-distributions. An application to a real dataset from hematologic malignancies is provided.
Numerical Simulation of the Transient Process of Power Failure in a Mixed Pump
Authors: Ma Xudan , Liu Jintao , Wang Leqin
Published: April 2013

A hydraulic-force coupling method was used to simulate the transient process of power failure condition. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to study the three-dimensional (3D), unsteady, incompressible viscous flows in a mixed flow pump in power failure accident. The dynamic mesh (DM) method with nonconformal grid boundaries was applied to simulate the variation of rotational speed of the field around the impeller. User-defined function (UDF) was used to obtain the rotational speed by solving the momentum conservation equation. External characteristics, such as rotational speed, head, flow rate, and hydraulic torque, were obtained during the transient process. Numerical speed and flow rate were compared with results calculated by semiempirical equation and they were in good agreement. The differences between transient and quasisteady results were also studied. Transient head and quasisteady head did not differ too much. The reason that caused this deviation was theoretically analyzed. The difference was explained to be caused by the inertia effect of the fluid contained in the pump and the pipeline. Internal flow field was also shown. Relative velocity vectors showed that the stall form and existence time in transient simulation were different from those in the quasisteady simulation. It is suspected to be one reason for head deviation.
Monocyte Function in the Fetus and the Preterm Neonate: Immaturity Combined with Functional Impairment
Authors: Iliodromiti Zoe , Anastasiadis Anastasis , Varras Michail , Pappa Kalliopi I. , Siristatidis Charalambos , Bakoulas Vassilios , Mastorakos George , Vrachnis Nikolaos
Published: April 2013

It is well known that the innate immunity system, involving the contribution of monocytes and macrophages, may dysfunction in fetuses and preterm neonates. Monocytes are capable of differentiating into dendritic cells (DCs) or into mucosal macrophages during certain infections and of producing inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α(tumor necrosis factor-alpha), nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen species. Fetuses as well as neonates are prone to infections as a result of a defective mechanism within the above mononuclear system. Monocyte function in fetuses and preterm neonates depends on the phagocytic and oxidative capacity of macrophages and their antigen-adhesion ability. Functional rather than anatomical impairment is probably the underlying cause, while a defective production of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6 (Interleukin 6), IL-1β(Interleukin 1 beta), and G-CSF (Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor), has also been involved. The insufficient production of the above inflammatory mediators and the phenomenon of endotoxin intolerance, which latter occurs during entry of any antigen into the premature neonate, place preterm neonates at higher risk for infections. Existing research data are herein presented which, however, are deficient and fragmental, this accounting for the fact that the precise pathophysiology of these disturbances is not yet fully clarified.
Asset Management Business Model for Design, Realization, and Maintenance of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Bridges
Authors: Sebastian Rizal
Published: April 2013

This paper particularly addresses the market implementation of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) for bridges. It presents the concept of demand and supply chain innovation as being investigated within two ongoing European collaborative research projects (FP7) titled Trans-IND and PANTURA. FRP has emerged as a real alternative structural material based on various sustainability considerations, among others the reduced life-cycle cost due to less maintenance needs, longer lifetime, and easiness to repair, replace, or recycle the components. The Trans-IND research project aims to develop and demonstrate new industrialized processes to use FRP for civil infrastructure projects at a large scale. In order to be cost effective, a new value-chain strategy for the design, realization, and maintenance of FRP bridges is required to replace the fragmented supply chain and the one-off approach to a construction project. This paper focuses on the development of new business models based on asset management strategy, which covers the entire demand and supply chains. Research on new business models is supported by the insight into the market and regulatory frameworks in different EU countries. This is based on field surveys across the EU that have been carried out as a part of the Trans-IND and PANTURA collaborative research projects.
Aerodynamic Performance Prediction of Straight-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Based on CFD
Authors: Zhang L. X. , Liang Y. B. , Liu X. H. , Jiao Q. F. , Guo J.
Published: April 2013

Numerical simulation had become an attractive method to carry out researches on structure design and aerodynamic performance prediction of straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine, while the prediction accuracy was the major concern of CFD. Based on the present two-dimensional CFD model, a series of systematic investigations were conducted to analyze the effects of computational domain, grid number, near-wall grid, and time step on prediction accuracy. And then efforts were devoted into prediction and analysis of the overall flow field, dynamic performance of blades, and its aerodynamic forces. The calculated results agree well with experimental data, and it demonstrates that RNG k-ε turbulent model is great to predict the tendency of aerodynamic forces but with a high estimate value of turbulence viscosity coefficient. Furthermore, the calculated tangential force is more dependent on near-wall grid and prediction accuracy is poor within the region with serious dynamic stall. In addition, blades experience mild and deep stalls at low tip speed ratio, and thus the leading edge separation vortex and its movement on the airfoil surface have a significant impact on the aerodynamic performance.
A Fractional-Order Chaotic System with an Infinite Number of Equilibrium Points
Authors: Zhou Ping , Huang Kun , Yang Chun-de
Published: April 2013

A new 4D fractional-order chaotic system, which has an infinite number of equilibrium points, is introduced. There is no-chaotic behavior for its corresponded integer-order system. We obtain that the largest Lyapunov exponent of this 4D fractional-order chaotic system is 0.8939 and yield the chaotic attractor. A chaotic synchronization scheme is presented for this 4D fractional-order chaotic system. Numerical simulations is verified the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Eleutheroside E, An Active Component ofEleutherococcus senticosus, Ameliorates Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice
Authors: Ahn Jiyun , Um Min Young , Lee Hyunjung , Jung Chang Hwa , Heo Seok Hyun , Ha Tae Youl
Published: April 2013

Eleutheroside E (EE), a principal component ofEleutherococcus senticosus(ES), has anti-inflammatory and protective effects in ischemia heart. However, it is unknown whether it ameliorates insulin resistance and reduces hyperglycemia in diabetes. This study investigated the effect of EE-containing ES extracts, as well as EE, on hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in db/db mice. EE increased the insulin-provoked glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes. Moreover, EE improved TNF-α-induced suppression of glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Five-week-old db/db mice were fed a diet consisting of ES extract or EE for 5 weeks. Both were effective in improving serum lipid profiles and significantly decreased blood glucose and serum insulin levels. ES and EE supplementation effectively attenuated HOMA-IR. Glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance tests showed that EE increased insulin sensitivity. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that ES and EE protected pancreatic alpha and beta cells from diabetic damage. In addition, ES and EE improved hepatic glucose metabolism by upregulating glycolysis and downregulating gluconeogenesis in obese type 2 diabetic mice. These data suggest that EE mediates the hyperglycemic effects of ES by regulating insulin signaling and glucose utilization. The beneficial effects of EE may provide an effective and powerful strategy to alleviate diabetes.