bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Induces Prostaglandin E
2
Production through Cyclooxygenase 1, Which Is Dependent on the ERK1/2-p-C/EBP-β Pathway
Authors: Bi Yanmin , Guo Xue-kun , Zhao Haiyan , Gao Li , Wang Lianghai , Tang Jun , Feng Wen-hai
Published: December 2013

Atypical porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) caused by highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) is characterized by high fever and high mortality. However, the mechanism underlying the fever induction is still unknown. Prostaglandin E
2
(PGE
2
), synthesized by cyclooxygenase type 1/2 (COX-1/2) enzymes, is essential for inducing fever. In this study, we found that PGE
2
, together with COX-1, was significantly elevated by HP-PRRSV. We subsequently demonstrated that extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) were the key nodes to trigger COX-1 expression after HP-PRRSV infection. Furthermore, we proved the direct binding of p-C/EBP-β to the COX-1 promoter by luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. In addition, silencing of C/EBP-β remarkably impaired the enhancement of COX-1 production induced by HP-PRRSV infection. Taken together, our results indicate that HP-PPRSV elicits the expression of COX-1 through the ERK1/2-p-C/EBP-β signaling pathway, resulting in the increase of PGE
2
, which might be the cause of high fever in infected pigs. Our findings might provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of HP-PRRSV infection.

IMPORTANCE
The atypical PRRS caused by HP-PRRSV was characterized by high fever, high morbidity, and high mortality in pigs of all ages, yet how HP-PRRSV induces high fever in pigs remains unknown. In the present study, we found out that HP-PRRSV infection could increase PGE
2
production by upregulation of COX-1, and we subsequently characterized the underlying mechanisms about how HP-PRRSV enhances COX-1 production. PGE
2
plays a critical role in inducing high temperature in hosts during pathogen infections. Thus, our findings here could help us have a better understanding of HP-PRRSV pathogenesis.
Interaction with Cellular CD4 Exposes HIV-1 Envelope Epitopes Targeted by Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity
Authors: Veillette Maxime , Désormeaux Anik , Medjahed Halima , Gharsallah Nour-Elhouda , Coutu Mathieu , Baalwa Joshua , Guan Yongjun , Lewis George , Ferrari Guido , Hahn Beatrice H. , Haynes Barton F. , Robinson James E. , Kaufmann Daniel E. , Bonsignori Mattia , Sodroski Joseph , Finzi Andrés
Published: December 2013

Anti-HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) antibodies without broadly neutralizing activity correlated with protection in the RV144 clinical trial, stimulating interest in other protective mechanisms involving antibodies, such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Env epitopes targeted by many antibodies effective at mediating ADCC are poorly exposed on the unliganded Env trimer. Here we investigated the mechanism of exposure of ADCC epitopes on Env and showed that binding of Env and CD4 within the same HIV-1-infected cell effectively exposes these epitopes. Env capacity to transit to the CD4-bound conformation is required for ADCC epitope exposure. Importantly, cell surface CD4 downregulation by Nef and Vpu accessory proteins and Vpu-mediated BST-2 antagonism modulate exposure of ADCC-mediating epitopes and reduce the susceptibility of infected cells to this effector functionin vitro. Significantly, Env conformational changes induced by cell surface CD4 are conserved among Env from HIV-1 and HIV-2/SIVmac lineages. Altogether, our observations describe a highly conserved mechanism required to expose ADCC epitopes that might help explain the evolutionary advantage of downregulation of cell surface CD4 by the HIV-1 Vpu and Nef proteins.

IMPORTANCEHIV-1 envelope epitopes targeted by many antibodies effective at mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) are poorly exposed on the unliganded envelope trimer. Here we investigated the mechanism of exposure of these epitopes and found that envelope interaction with the HIV-1 CD4 receptor is required to expose some of these epitopes. Moreover, our results suggest that HIV-1 CD4 downregulation might help avoid the killing of HIV-1-infected cells by this immune mechanism.
Peripheral resistance artery blood flow in subjects with abnormal glucose tolerance is improved following enhanced external counterpulsation therapy
Authors: Martin Jeffrey S. , Beck Darren T. , Braith Randy W.
Published: December 2013

Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) improves resistance artery function in coronary artery disease patients. However, whether EECP elicits similar effects in persons with abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) is unknown. Here we provide novel evidence that EECP significantly improves resistance arterial function in the forearm of persons with AGT, whereas the calf only approached significance (P ≤ 0.10). These improvements were coincident with greater glycemic control, providing further insight into the potential mechanisms of EECP-mediated alterations in glycemia.
Predicting the borderline between the classical and quantum regimes in 4He gas from the second virial coefficient
Authors: Ghassib H.B. , Sandouqa A.S. , Joudeh B.R. , Mosameh S.M.
Published: December 2013

The second Virial coefficient in both classical and quantum regimes of 4He gas is investigated in the temperature range 4.2–10 K. Full quantum mechanical and classical treatments are undertaken to calculate this coefficient. The main input in computing the quantum coefficient is the “effective” phase shifts. These are determined within the framework of the Galitskii–Migdal–Feynman formalism, using two interatomic potentials. The borderline between the classical and quantum regimes is found to depend on the temperature, the number density, and the interparticle potential.
HARMONY SEARCH WITH NOVEL SELECTION METHODS IN MEMORY CONSIDERATION FOR NURSE ROSTERING PROBLEM
Authors: AWADALLAH MOHAMMED A. , KHADER AHAMAD TAJUDIN , AL-BETAR MOHAMMED AZMI , BOLAJI ASAJU LA'ARO
Published: December 2013

The selection methods of population-based metaheuristics provide the driving force to generate good solutions. These selection methods select the individuals with a higher fitness to be members of the population in the next iteration correspond to the natural rule of Darwin's principle survival-of-the-fittest. Harmony search algorithm is a population-based metaheuristic, which mimicking the musical improvisation process where a group of musicians play the pitches of their musical instruments seeking for a pleasing harmony. It improvises the new harmony based on three rules: memory consideration, random consideration, and pitch adjustment. In this paper, we investigate the replacement of the original random selection of memory consideration with a set of selection methods in order to speed-up the convergence. These selection methods include tournament, proportional, and liner rank of Genetic Algorithm, and Global-best of Particle Swarm Optimization. The proposed harmony search with the different memory consideration selection methods evaluated using standard dataset published in the first International Nurse Rostering Competition INRC2010. Nurse rostering problem is a combinatorial optimization problem tackled by assigning a set of nurses with different skills to a set of shifts over predefined scheduling period. Experimentally, the tournament memory consideration selection method achieved the best rate of convergence as well as the best results in comparison with the other memory consideration selection methods.
A PLACEMENT FLOW FOR VERY LARGE-SCALE MIXED-SIZE CIRCUIT PLACEMENT
Authors: CHEN JIANLI , ZHU WENXING
Published: December 2013

The very large-scale integrated circuit (VLSI) placement problem is to determine the exact location of each movable circuit element within a given region. It is a crucial process in physical design, since it affects performance, power consumption, routability, and heat distribution of a design. In this paper, we propose a VLSI placement flow to handle the large-scale mixed-size placement problem. The main idea of our placement flow is using a floorplanning algorithm to guide the placement of circuit elements. It consists of four steps: (1) With the multilevel framework, circuit elements are clustered into blocks by recursively partitioning; (2) a floorplanning algorithm is performed on every level of the blocks; (3) the macro cells are shifted by a macro shifting technique to determine their exact locations; (4) with each macro cell location fixed, a standard cell placement algorithm is applied to place the remaining objects. The proposed approach is tested on the IBM mixed-size benchmarks and the modern mixed-size (MMS) placement benchmarks. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art placers on the solution quality for most of the benchmarks.
ULTRA-LOW POWER BOOST CONVERTER WITH CONSTANT ON-TIME-BASED MPPT FOR ENERGY HARVESTING APPLICATIONS
Authors: CHEN MINGYANG , ZHAO MENGLIAN , LIU QING , WANG LU , WU XIAOBO
Published: December 2013

An ultra-low power boost converter for energy harvesting applications is introduced in this brief. The idle power dissipation is reduced to 800 nW by using a novel output voltage detector (OVD) which is insensitive to temperature variation and process deviation. Furthermore, a constant on-time (COT)-based hysteretic burst mode controller with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is developed to ensure high power efficiency for a wide input voltage range. After startup, the input voltage can be set as low as 30 mV. The whole system is designed and fabricated in SMIC 0.18 μm CMOS process, the end-to-end power efficiency of this converter can reach 49% at 350 mV input voltage and 65% at 750 mV input voltage.
SOFTWARE/HARDWARE CO-DESIGN OF MODULAR EXPONENTIATION FOR EFFICIENT RSA CRYPTOSYSTEM
Authors: ISSAD M. , BOUDRAA B. , ANANE M. , ANANE N.
Published: December 2013

This paper presents an implementation of Rivest, Shamir and Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem based on hardware/software (HW/SW) co-design. The main operation of RSA is the modular exponentiation (ME) which is performed by repeated modular multiplications (MMs). In this work, the right-to-left (R2L) algorithm is used for the implementation of the ME as a programmable system on chip (PSoC). The processor MicroBlaze of Xilinx is used for flexibility. The R2L method is often suggested to improve the timing performance, since it is based on parallel computations of MMs. However, if the optimization of HW resources is a constraint, this method can be executed sequentially using a single modular multiplier as a custom intellectual property (IP). Consequently, the execution time of the ME becomes dependent of three factors, namely the capability of the custom IP to perform the MMs, the nonzero bit string of the exponent and the communication link between the processor and the custom IP. In order to achieve the best trade-off between area, speed and flexibility, we propose three implementations in this work. The first one is a pure software solution. The second one takes benefit of a HW accelerator dedicated to the MM execution. The last one is based on a dual strategy. Two parallel MMs are implemented within a custom IP and local memories are used close to the arithmetic units to minimize the communication link influence. The results show that in the application to RSA 1024-bits, the ME runs in 22,25 ms, while using only 1,848 slices.
DIFFERENTIAL FORMS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND CATCH-UP: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA
Authors: WANG FANGRUI , FU XIAOLAN , CHEN JIN
Published: December 2013

Based on a categorization of technological change, this paper proposes three patterns of catch-up: incremental, disruptive and revolutionary. Variations in innovation forms within the three patterns of catch-up are analyzed using Chinese firm-level survey data. The innovativeness of firms evolve following an inverted U-shape in the case of the incremental pattern of catch-up, while that evolve following a linear relationship rather than the N-shape proposed by theory for the disruptive form of catch-up. In the case of the revolutionary pattern of catch-up, the evolution of innovativeness of firms follows a steep inverted U-shape indicating more significant changes than that involved in the incremental pattern.
RESEARCH ON AUTOMATIC MEASUREMENT OF WEIGHTS FROM 1 mg TO 10 g
Authors: CAI CHANGQING , WANG JIAN , REN XIAOPING , YAO HONG , ZHANG YUE , ZHONG RUILIN , DING JING'AN
Published: December 2013

To reduce the effect of environment factor against mass measurement of high accuracy, robot system with three-axis motion, data acquisition of environment parameters and function of remote communication is developed for realizing automatic remote measurement of high accurate weights. The system consists of function of automatic centering, combined weights to be load and unload, combined comparison measurement and function of automatic measuring for temperature, humidity and air pressure. Weights from 1 mg to 10 g are determined by the system with method of direct comparison and combined comparison. The experimental results show extended uncertainty of direct comparison and combined comparison from 1 mg to 10 g is better than 4.3 μg (k=2).
CALIBRATION OF A NOVEL SIX-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM FORCE/TORQUE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
Authors: SCHLEICHERT JAN , RAHNEBERG ILKO , FRÖHLICH THOMAS
Published: December 2013

Multi-component force/torque transducers are used in a large field of scientific and industrial applications like robotics, biomechanics and even fluid mechanics. These sensors need to be calibrated for traceable measurements. As the calibration procedure determines the measurement uncertainty, it plays an important role in sensor development for reaching the required measurement specifications. For the application in local Lorentz Force Velocimetry (Ref. 1) a six degree of freedom force/torque sensor for measurement ranges of ± 0.2 N and ± 5 mNm was developed. This sensor can also be adapted to other applications that require multi-dimensional force/torque feedback in the μN- and μNm-range such as tactile dimensional measurements and micro-manipulation. This paper discusses the calibration and the evaluation of the properties of the calibration device and the calibration procedure of the sensor system. After a brief introduction of the sensor design and its working principle the calibration setup is described and the uncertainty contributions to the forces and torques are calculated. Then the calibration procedure is presented and the resulting output signals of the sensor are depicted. As a result of the calibration, the calibration matrix is given with a discussion of its major components.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL FORCE STANDARDS AT NIM
Authors: HU GANG , SONG LE , MENG FENG , ZHANG WEI , ZHANG ZHIMIN , ZHANG YUE , ZHENG YELONG
Published: December 2013

With the development and industrialization of micro- and nano- technology, small force measurements are widely applied in many fields such as advanced materials, bio-technology, aerospace and so on. For realizing traceable small forces and founding small force metrology hierarchy in China, NIM has launched a research project on small force metrology in 2011. 2 methods for small force realization at the scale of nano-Newton to micro-Newton are applied: electrical force based method and mass based method. The initial prototype of small force standard, which is based on the electrostatic force realization and adopts a coaxial cylindrical capacitor, has been developed and experimented. 2 kinds of micro force transmission mechanism are applied to the prototype: a parallelogram mechanism with 4 flexure hinges, and a lever-type force measurement system based on an elastic torsion bar. The structure and key units of 2 schemes are described in detail, the experiment results are demonstrated. The system stiffness of torsion bar scheme is smaller than that of flexure hinges scheme. In addition, structure of the initial prototype will be improved, and the environment conditions will be controlled strictly in our further experiments to minimize the creep of our system.
THE MEASUREMENT OF THE PENDULUM DAMPING EFFECT IN SOLID DENSITY SYSTEM
Authors: YANG FENG-YU , PAN SHEAU-SHI , HUANG JIAN-LIN , CHEN SHENG-JUI
Published: December 2013

The magnetic damping structure was used in measuring the gravitational constant G by torsion balance. The main purpose is to reduce the effect of pendulum vibration modes. This effect can affect the position of torsion balance. When we use the method A mentioned in OIML R111 to measure density, the pendulum vibration modes of the hanging pan will also be found. In this paper, we will try to introduce the magnetic damping structure to be used on the hanging pan and will present the results of density measurement with the magnetic damper used.
DEVELOPMENT OF A FORCE MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR LOWER-BODY MUSCULAR STRENGTH MEASURING OF SKATERS
Authors: KIM DONG KI , LEE JEONG TAE
Published: December 2013

This paper presents a force measurement system that can measure a lower-body muscular strength of skaters. The precise measurement and analysis of the left and right lower-body strength of skaters is necessary, because a left/right lower-body strength balance is helpful to improve the athletes' performance and to protect them from injury. The system is constructed with a skate sliding board, a couple of sensor-units with load cell, indicator and control box, guard, force pad, and support bracket. The developed force measurement system is calibrated by the calibration setup, and the uncertainty of the force sensing unit on the left is within 0.087% and the uncertainty of the force sensing unit on the right is within 0.109%. In order to check the feasibility of the developed measurement device, a kinematic analysis is conducted with skater. As a result, the subject shows the deviation of left and right of 12.1 N with respect to average strength and 39.1 N with respect to the maximum strength. This evaluation results are reliable enough to make it possible to measure a lower-body muscular strength of skaters. The use of this measurement system will be expected to correct the posture of skaters and record the sports dynamics data for each athlete. It is believed that through the development of this equipment, skaters in elementary, middle, high schools, colleges, and the professional level have the systematic training to compete with world-class skaters.
MEASUREMENTS AND CHARACTERIZATIONS OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HUMAN SKINS
Authors: SONG HAN WOOK , PARK YON KYU
Published: December 2013

A skin is an indispensible organ for humans because it contributes to metabolism using its own biochemical functions and protects the human body from external stimuli. Recently, mechanical properties such as a thickness, a friction and an elastic coefficient have been used as a decision index in the skin physiology and in the skin care market due to the increased awareness of wellbeing issues. In addition, the use of mechanical properties is known to have good discrimination ability in the classification of human constitutions, which are used in the field of an alternative medicine. In this study, a system that measures mechanical properties such as a friction and an elastic coefficient is designed. The equipment consists of a load cell type (manufactured by the authors) for the measurements of a friction coefficient, a decompression tube for the measurement of an elastic coefficient. Using the proposed system, the mechanical properties of human skins from different constitutions were compared, and the relative repeatability error for measurements of mechanical properties was determined to be less than 2%. Combining the inspection results of medical doctors in the field of an alternative medicine, we could conclude that the proposed system might be applicable to a quantitative constitutional diagnosis between human constitutions within an acceptable level of uncertainty.
THE MEASUREMENT OF MICROFORCE-SENSOR THERMAL DRIFT MEASURED BY BALANCE IN CMS
Authors: PAN SHEAU-SHI , LIN YI-CHING , HUANG JIAN-LIN , CHEN SHENG-JUI
Published: December 2013

The micro-force sensors were widely used in the areas of micro-assembly, micro-factories, micro-robotics, MEMS characterization, Nano-manipulation, Biological and biomedical research, Material properties, etc. It was also used as a transfer standard in micro-force machine or instrument. The capacitance-type force sensor was used to sense forces with micro-Newton (sub-milligram) resolution. And it was used as a transducer for the micro-force instrument in CMS. In this paper, we will report the preliminary results of thermal drift properties in capacitance-type force sensor.
INTERPRETATION OF CONVENTIONAL MASS
Authors: LEE SUNGJUN , KIM KWANG PYO
Published: December 2013

The conventional mass is not a precise physical quantity but useful virtual one in mass metrology. Because the precise level of conventional mass is related to the OIML class, it is necessary to check if the assignment of weight class is under control. The documents of OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology) D 28 and R 111 describe the limitation of the quantity in real application.

In this presentation, we are trying to interpret and review the concept of conventional mass, for example, by estimating buoyancy deviation and maximum permissible error, in weight calibrations in Korea.

Note from Publisher: This article contains the abstract only.
Central auditory neurons display flexible feature recombination functions
Authors: Kozlov Andrei S. , Gentner Timothy Q.
Published: December 2013

Recognition of natural stimuli requires a combination of selectivity and invariance. Classical neurobiological models achieve selectivity and invariance, respectively, by assigning to each cortical neuron either a computation equivalent to the logical “AND” or a computation equivalent to the logical “OR.” One powerful OR-like operation is the MAX function, which computes the maximum over input activities. The MAX function is frequently employed in computer vision to achieve invariance and considered a key operation in visual cortex. Here we explore the computations for selectivity and invariance in the auditory system of a songbird, using natural stimuli. We ask two related questions: does the MAX operation exist in auditory system? Is it implemented by specialized “MAX” neurons, as assumed in vision? By analyzing responses of individual neurons to combinations of stimuli we systematically sample the space of implemented feature recombination functions. Although we frequently observe the MAX function, we show that the same neurons that implement it also readily implement other operations, including the AND-like response. We then show that sensory adaptation, a ubiquitous property of neural circuits, causes transitions between these operations in individual neurons, violating the fixed neuron-to-computation mapping posited in the state-of-the-art object-recognition models. These transitions, however, accord with predictions of neural-circuit models incorporating divisive normalization and variable polynomial nonlinearities at the spike threshold. Because these biophysical properties are not tied to a particular sensory modality but are generic, the flexible neuron-to-computation mapping demonstrated in this study in the auditory system is likely a general property.
An Elderly Lady with Fever of Unknown Etiology and Severe Pulmonary Hypertension: Intravascular Lymphoma—An Elusive Diagnosis
Authors: Sinha Nupur , Lantigua Luis , Niazi Masooma , Diaz-Fuentes Gilda
Published: December 2013

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with malignancy, especially adenocarcinoma, is a well-known entity and is included in group V of the WHO classification. Intravascular lymphoma is a rare type of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, characterized by selective intravascular growth of malignant lymphocytes, aggressive behavior, and often a fatal course. Most of the time, diagnosis is postmortem due to the rarity and the protean manifestations of the disease. We present a rare case of an elderly patient presenting with severe pulmonary hypertension, fever of unknown etiology (FUO), and lymphadenopathy. Extensive evaluation searching for the etiology of her FUO and PH was noncontributory. The diagnosis of intravascular lymphoma was finally reached by the performance of a random abdominal fat pad biopsy and the patient was started on immunochemotherapy. She continues the follow up after 6 cycles of R-CHOP with no further febrile episodes and steady improvement in exercise tolerance.
Formation Control of Robotic Swarm Using Bounded Artificial Forces
Authors: Qin Long , Zha Yabing , Yin Quanjun , Peng Yong
Published: December 2013

Formation control of multirobot systems has drawn significant attention in the recent years. This paper presents a potential field control algorithm, navigating a swarm of robots into a predefined 2D shape while avoiding intermember collisions. The algorithm applies in both stationary and moving targets formation. We define the bounded artificial forces in the form of exponential functions, so that the behavior of the swarm drove by the forces can be adjusted via selecting proper control parameters. The theoretical analysis of the swarm behavior proves the stability and convergence properties of the algorithm. We further make certain modifications upon the forces to improve the robustness of the swarm behavior in the presence of realistic implementation considerations. The considerations include obstacle avoidance, local minima, and deformation of the shape. Finally, detailed simulation results validate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, and the direction of possible futrue work is discussed in the conclusions.
Efficient Processing of ContinuousSkylineQuery over Smarter Traffic Data Stream for Cloud Computing
Authors: Hanning Wang , Weixiang Xu , Yang Jiulin , Wei Lili , Chaolong Jia
Published: December 2013

The analyzing and processing of multisource real-time transportation data stream lay a foundation for the smart transportation's sensibility, interconnection, integration, and real-time decision making. Strong computing ability and valid mass data management mode provided by the cloud computing, is feasible for handlingSkylinecontinuous query in the mass distributed uncertain transportation data stream. In this paper, we gave architecture of layered smart transportation about data processing, and we formalized the description about continuous query over smart transportation dataSkyline. Besides, we proposedmMR-SUDSalgorithm (Skylinequery algorithm of uncertain transportation stream data based onmicro-batchinMap Reduce) based on sliding window division and architecture.
Cubical Sets and Trace Monoid Actions
Authors: Husainov Ahmet A.
Published: December 2013

This paper is devoted to connections between trace monoids and cubical sets. We prove that the category of trace monoids is isomorphic to the category of generalized tori and it is a reflective subcategory of the category of cubical sets. Adjoint functors between the categories of cubical sets and trace monoid actions are constructed. These functors carry independence preserving morphisms in the independence preserving morphisms. This allows us to build adjoint functors between the category of weak asynchronous systems and the category of higher dimensional automata.
Von Willebrand Factor Antigen Predicts Response to Double Dose of Aspirin and Clopidogrel by PFA‐100 in Patients Undergoing Primary Angioplasty for St Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Gianetti Jacopo , Parri Maria Serena , Della Pina Francesca , Marchi Federica , Koni Endrin , De Caterina Alberto , Maffei Stefano , Berti Sergio
Published: December 2013

Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is an emerging risk factor in acute coronary syndromes. Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA‐100) with Collagen/Epinephrine (CEPI) is sensitive to functional alterations of VWF and also identifies patients with high on‐treatment platelet reactivity (HPR). The objective of this study was to verify the effect of double dose (DD) of aspirin and clopidogrel on HPR detected by PFA‐100 and its relation to VWF and to its regulatory metalloprotease ADAMTS‐13. Between 2009 and 2011 we enrolled 116 consecutive patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI with HPR at day 5 after PCI. Patients recruited were then randomized between a standard dose (SD, n = 58) or DD of aspirin and clopidogrel (DD, n = 58), maintained for 6 months follow‐up. Blood samples for PFA‐100, light transmittance aggregometry, and VWF/ADAMTS‐13 analysis were collected after 5, 30, and 180 days (Times 0, 1, and 2). At Times 1 and 2 we observed a significantly higher CEPI closure times (CT) in DD as compared to SD (P < 0.001). Delta of CEPI‐CT (T1 − T0) was significantly related to VWF (P < 0.001) and inversely related to ADAMTS‐13 (0.01). Responders had a significantly higher level of VWF at T0. Finally, in a multivariate model analysis, VWF and ADAMTS‐13 in resulted significant predictors of CEPI‐CT response (P = 0.02). HRP detected by PFA‐100 in acute myocardial infarction is reversible by DD of aspirin and clopidogrel; the response is predicted by basal levels of VWF and ADAMTS‐13. PFA‐100 may be a useful tool to risk stratification in acute coronary syndromes given its sensitivity to VWF.
Bus Operation Monitoring Oriented Public Transit Travel Index System and Calculation Models
Authors: Weng Jiancheng , Wang Yueyue , Huang Jianling , Zhang Ledian
Published: December 2013

This study proposed a two-dimensional index system which is concerned essentially with urban travel based on travel modes and user satisfaction. First, the public transit was taken as an example to describe the index system establishing process. In consideration of convenience, rapid, reliability, comfort, and safety, a bus service evaluation index system was established. The indicators include the N-minute coverage of bus stops, average travel speed, and fluctuation of travel time between stops and bus load factor which could intuitively describe the characteristics of public transport selected to calculate bus travel indexes. Then, combined with the basic indicators, the calculation models of Convenience Index (CI), Rapid Index (RI), Reliability Index (RBI), and Comfort Index (CTI) were established based on the multisource data of public transit including the real-time bus GPS data and passenger IC card data. Finally, a case study of Beijing bus operation evaluation and analysis was conducted by taking real bus operation data including GPS data and passenger transaction recorder (IC card data). The results showed that the operation condition of the public transit was well reflected and scientifically classified by the bus travel index models.
A Matrix Lie Superalgebra and Its Applications
Authors: Han Jingwei , Yu Jing , He Jingsong
Published: December 2013

A matrix Lie superalgebra is established. As its applications, multicomponent super Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur (AKNS) equations and multicomponent super Dirac equations are constructed. By making use of supertrace identity, their super-Hamiltonian structures are presented, respectively.
An Approach to Optimize the Departure Times of Transit Vehicles with Strict Capacity Constraints
Authors: Niu Huimin , Tian Xiaopeng
Published: December 2013

This paper focuses on an urban transit line which connects several residential areas and a workplace during the morning rush hours. The congestion is represented by some passengers who must wait for an extended duration and board the next or the third departure vehicles. This paper divides the time horizon equally into several small periods to measure the dynamic passenger demands. Under period-dependent demand conditions, a biobjective optimization model is developed to determine the departure times of transit vehicles at the start station with strict capacity constraints, in which a heuristic algorithm based on intelligent search and local improvement is designed to solve the model. The developed model can address the case in which more than two passengers arrive at a station simultaneously during one same period and calculate the number of boarded passengers. Finally, the model and algorithm have been successfully verified by a numerical example.
TNF and TNF Receptor Superfamily Members in HIV infection: New Cellular Targets for Therapy?
Authors: Kumar Amit , Abbas Wasim , Herbein Georges
Published: December 2013

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and TNF receptors (TNFR) superfamily members are engaged in diverse cellular phenomena such as cellular proliferation, morphogenesis, apoptosis, inflammation, and immune regulation. Their role in regulating viral infections has been well documented. Viruses have evolved with numerous strategies to interfere with TNF-mediated signaling indicating the importance of TNF and TNFR superfamily in viral pathogenesis. Recent research reports suggest that TNF and TNFRs play an important role in the pathogenesis of HIV. TNFR signaling modulates HIV replication and HIV proteins interfere with TNF/TNFR pathways. Since immune activation and inflammation are the hallmark of HIV infection, the use of TNF inhibitors can have significant impact on HIV disease progression. In this review, we will describe how HIV infection is modulated by signaling mediated through members of TNF and TNFR superfamily and in turn how these latter could be targeted by HIV proteins. Finally, we will discuss the emerging therapeutics options based on modulation of TNF activity that could ultimately lead to the cure of HIV-infected patients.
Adaptive Stabilization for Nonholonomic Systems with Unknown Time Delays
Authors: Wu Yuanyuan , Li Qingbo , Wu Yuqiang
Published: December 2013

This paper presents an adaptive control strategy for a class of nonholonomic systems in chained form with virtual control coefficients, nonlinear uncertainties, and unknown time delays. State scaling technique and backstepping recursive approach are applied to design a nonlinear state feedback controller, which can guarantee the stabilization of the closed-loop systems. The simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effects of PPARγAgonist Pioglitazone on Redox-Sensitive Cellular Signaling in Young Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Dovinová Ima , Barancik Miroslav , Majzunova Miroslava , Zorad Stefan , Gajdosechová Lucia , Gresová Linda , Cacanyiova Sona , Kristek Frantisek , Balis Peter , Chan Julie Y. H.
Published: December 2013

PPARγreceptor plays an important role in oxidative stress response. Its agonists can influence vascular contractility in experimental hypertension. Our study was focused on the effects of a PPARγagonist pioglitazone (PIO) on blood pressure regulation, vasoactivity of vessels, and redox-sensitive signaling at the central (brainstem, BS) and peripheral (left ventricle, LV) levels in young prehypertensive rats. 5-week-old SHR were treated either with PIO (10 mg/kg/day, 2 weeks) or with saline using gastric gavage. Administration of PIO significantly slowed down blood pressure increase and improved lipid profile and aortic relaxation after insulin stimulation. A significant increase in PPARγexpression was found only in BS, not in LV. PIO treatment did not influence NOS changes, but had tissue-dependent effect on SOD regulation and increased SOD activity, observed in LV. The treatment with PIO differentially affected also the levels of other intracellular signaling components: Akt kinase increased in the the BS, whileβ-catenin level was down-regulated in the BS and up-regulated in the LV. We found that the lowering of blood pressure in young SHR can be connected with insulin sensitivity of vessels and thatβ-catenin and SOD levels are important agents mediating PIO effects in the BS and LV.
Spontaneous Rupture of Uterine Vein in Twin Pregnancy
Authors: Doger Emek , Cakiroglu Yigit , Yildirim Kopuk Sule , Akar Bertan , Caliskan Eray , Yucesoy Gulseren
Published: December 2013

Objective. Aim of our study is to present a case of a twin pregnancy following invitro fertilization cycle complicated with hemoperitoneum at third trimester.Case. A 26-year-old nulliparous pregnant woman at 32 weeks of gestation with twin pregnancy following invitro fertilization cycle complained of abdominal pain. After 48 hours of admission, laparotomy was performed with indications of aggravated abdominal pain and decreased hemoglobin levels. Utero-ovarian vein branch rupture was detected on the right posterior side of uterus and bleeding was stopped by suturing the vein. Etiopathogenesis of the present case still remains unclear.Conclusion. Spontaneous rupture of the uterine vessels during pregnancy is a rare complication and may lead to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and treatment are based on the clinical symptoms of acute abdominal pain and laboratory tests of hypovolemic shock signs.
Development of Assistive Robots Using International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: Concept, Applications, and Issues
Authors: Tanaka Hideyuki , Yoshikawa Masahiro , Oyama Eimei , Wakita Yujin , Matsumoto Yoshio
Published: December 2013

Many assistive robots for elderly and disabled people have been developed in the past few decades. However, very few of them became commercially available. The major cause of the problem is that the cost-benefit ratio and the risk-benefit ratio of them are not good or not known. The evaluation of them should be done in the light of the impacts of assistive technologies on users’ whole life, both in short-term and long-term. In this paper, we propose a framework of evaluation and design of assistive robots using ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health). The goal of the framework is the realization of the life design and the improvement of the quality of life using assistive technologies. We describe the concept of utilizing ICF in the development process of assistive robots, and demonstrate its utility by using some examples of practical application such as the analysis of daily living, the design of assistive robots and the evaluation of assistive robots. We also show the issues of using ICF for further development of the framework.
Addressing the “It Is Just Placebo” Pitfall in CAM: Methodology of a Project to Develop Patient-Reported Measures of Nonspecific Factors in Healing
Authors: Greco Carol M. , Glick Ronald M. , Morone Natalia E. , Schneider Michael J.
Published: December 2013

CAM therapies are often dismissed as “no better than placebo;” however, this belief may be overcome through careful analysis of nonspecific factors in healing. To improve trial methodology, we propose that CAM (and conventional) RCTs should evaluate and adjust for the effects of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors on outcomes. However, measurement of these is challenging, and there are no brief, precise instruments that are suitable for widespread use in trials and clinical settings. This paper describes the methodology of a project to develop a set of patient-reported instruments that will quantify the nonspecific or “placebo” effects that are in fact specific and active ingredients in healing. The project uses the rigorous instrument-development methodology of the NIH-PROMIS initiative. The methods include (1) integration of patients’ and clinicians’ opinions with existing literature; (2) development of relevant items; (3) calibration of items on large samples; (4) classical test theory and modern psychometric methods to select the most useful items; (5) development of computerized adaptive tests (CATs) that maximize information while minimizing patient burden; and (6) initial validation studies. The instruments will have the potential to revolutionize clinical trials in both CAM and conventional medicine through quantifying contextual factors that contribute to healing.
Influence of Niobium on the Beginning of the Plastic Flow of Material during Cold Deformation
Authors: Rešković Stoja , Jandrlić Ivan
Published: December 2013

Investigations were conducted on low‐carbon steel and the steel with same chemical composition with addition of microalloying element niobium. While tensile testing was carried out, the thermographic measurement was tacking place simultaneously. A specific behavior of niobium microalloyed steel was noticed. Test results have shown that, in the elastic deformation region, thermoelastic effect occurs, which is more pronounced in niobium microalloyed steel. Start of plastic flow in steel which is not microalloyed with niobium begins later in comparison to the microalloyed steel, and it is conducted so that, at the point of maximum stress, deformation zone is formed within which stresses grow. In steel microalloyed with niobium after proportionality limit, comes the occurrence of the localized increase in temperature and the occurrence of Lüders band, which propagate along the sample forming a deformation zone.
Optimization of Polygalacturonase Production from a Newly IsolatedThalassospira frigidphilosprofundusto Use in Pectin Hydrolysis: Statistical Approach
Authors: Rekha V. P. B. , Ghosh Mrinmoy , Adapa Vijayanand , Oh Sung-Jong , Pulicherla K. K. , Sambasiva Rao K. R. S.
Published: December 2013

The present study deals with the production of cold active polygalacturonase (PGase) by submerged fermentation usingThalassospira frigidphilosprofundus, a novel species isolated from deep waters of Bay of Bengal. Nonlinear models were applied to optimize the medium components for enhanced production of PGase. Taguchi orthogonal array design was adopted to evaluate the factors influencing the yield of PGase, followed by the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM) to identify the optimum concentrations of the key factors responsible for PGase production. Data obtained from the above mentioned statistical experimental design was used for final optimization study by linking the artificial neural network and genetic algorithm (ANN-GA). Using ANN-GA hybrid model, the maximum PGase activity (32.54 U/mL) was achieved at the optimized concentrations of medium components. In a comparison between the optimal output of RSM and ANN-GA hybrid, the latter favored the production of PGase. In addition, the study also focused on the determination of factors responsible for pectin hydrolysis by crude pectinase extracted fromT. frigidphilosprofundusthrough the central composite design. Results indicated 80% degradation of pectin in banana fiber at 20°C in 120 min, suggesting the scope of cold active PGase usage in the treatment of raw banana fibers.
Antiapoptotic Effect of Simvastatin Ameliorates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Hadi Najah R. , Al-amran Fadhil , Yousif Maitham , Zamil Suhaad T.
Published: December 2013

Background. Myocardial ischemial reperfusion represents a clinically relevant problem associated with thrombolysis, angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery. Injury of myocardium due to ischemial reperfusion includes cardiac contractile dysfunction, arrhythmias, and irreversible myocytes damage. These changes are considered to be the consequence of imbalance between the formation of oxidants and the availability of endogenous antioxidants in the heart. Objective. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential role of Simvastatin in the amelioration of myocardial I/R injury induced by ligation of coronary artery in a rat model. Materials and Methods. Adult male Swiss Albino rats were randomized into 4 equal groups. Group (1): sham group: rats underwent the same anesthetic and surgical procedures as those in the control group except ligation of LAD coronary artery, group (2): control group: rats were subjected to regional ischemia for 25 min and reperfusion for 2 hours by ligation of LAD coronary artery, group (3): control vehicle group: rats received vehicle of Simvastatin (normal saline) via IP injection and were subjected to regional ischemia for 25 min and reperfusion for 2 hours by ligation of LAD coronary artery, group (4): Simvastatin treated group: rats were pretreated with Simvastatin 1 mg/kg i.p. 1 hr before ligation of LAD coronary artery. At the end of experiment (2 hr of reperfusion), blood samples were collected from the heart for the measurement of plasma level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). After that the heart was harvested and divided into 3 parts; one part was used for measurement of apoptosis, another part was homogenized for the measurement of tissue tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, and the last part for histopathology study. Results. Compared with the sham group, levels of myocardial TNF-α and IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1, and MIP-1α and plasma cTnI were increased (P<0.05). Histologically, all rats in control group showed significant (P<0.05) cardiac injury. Furthermore, all rats in control group showed significant (P<0.05) apoptosis. Simvastatin significantly counteracted the increase in myocardium level of TNF-α, IL-1B, IL-6, MCP-1 and MIP-1α, plasma cTnI, and apoptosis (P< 0.05). Histological analysis revealed that Simvastatin markedly reduced (P< 0.05) the severity of heart injury in the rats that underwent LAD ligation procedure. Conclusions. The results of the present study reveal that Simvastatin may ameliorate myocardial I/R injury in rats via interfering with inflammatory reactions and apoptosis which were induced by I/R injury.
Stress Analysis in Fruits
Authors: Fenyvesi L. , Fenyvesi D. , Csatár A.
Published: December 2013

It is a known phenomenon that loads during fruit treatment (e.g., harvesting, transport, and manipulating) result in the damage of product parts, primarily below the surface. The maximum stress likely develops inside the fruit, which leads to its damage. This phenomenon was analysed in a general manner (general material properties, unit load) by finite element method (FEM) simulations on an apple and a pear. The shell was found to have a significant effect on the developed stress state, especially for juicy fruits. The mechanism that determines how the stress properties of tomatoes affect the stress state was analysed. According to our model, the stress maxima develop in the middle of the analysed fruits. Such stress maxima might be the reason for the inner damage, which, in the case of a missing healing period, results in fruit breakage.
Numerical Simulation on the Performance of a Mixed-Flow Pump under Various Casing Structures
Authors: Dazhuan Wu , Fangfang Hu , Leqin Wang
Published: December 2013

With regard to the reactor coolant pump and high flow-rate circulating pump, the requirements on the compactness of the structure, safety, and hydraulic performance are particularly important. Thus, the mixed-flow pump with cylindrical casing is adopted in some occasions. Due to the different characteristics between the special cylindrical casing and the common pump casing, the influence of the special casing on a mixed-flow pump characteristics was numerically investigated to obtain better performance and flow structure in the casing. The results show that the models with cylindrical casing have much worse head and efficiency characteristics than the experimental model, and this is caused by the flow in the pump casing. By moving the guide vanes half inside the pump casing, the efficiency gets improved while the low pressure zone at the corner of outlet pipe and pump casing disappeared. When the length of pump casing increases from the size equal to the diameter of outlet pipe to that larger than it, the efficiency drops obviously and the flow field in the outlet pipe improved without curved flow. In addition, the length of the pump casing has greater impacts on the pump performance than the radius of it.