bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF HEAT TREATMENT OF HoBa2Cu3O7-δ CERAMICS SUPERCONDUCTOR SYNTHESIZED FROM NANO-COPRECIPITATED POWDERS
Authors: HAMADNEH I. , AHMAD A. M. , HAMADNEH L.
Published: June 2013

Nano-sized metal oxalate precursors was thermally treated and investigated to produce high temperature superconducting ceramics with a formula of HoBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ( Ho -123). The nano metal oxalate powders were subjected to different heat treatments at various temperatures for the phase formation study. The high-TC phase was observed for all samples as an evidence for the single step transition of (R–T) curves. The TC(R = 0) for Ho 123 is 91 K and 90 K for samples sintered at 920°C, 930°C and 88 K for samples sintered at 940°C and 950°C, respectively. XRD data showed single phase of an orthorhombic structure where a small amount of none superconducting phase Ho 2 BaCuO 5( Ho 211) phase was detected. The Ho 211 phase was increased as sintering temperature increased due to the decomposition process and affected the transport properties. SEM micrographs showed large grain sizes that are randomly distributed. However, the grain size decreased as the sintering temperature increased which resulted in the formation of weak-links and hence decreases the transport properties. Using nano-sized metal oxalate precursors simplified the formation of HTSC materials with less processing temperatures which could be beneficial in superconducting tape industry. In addition, control of the sintering temperature lead to the formation of Ho 123 phase with optimum amount of Ho 211 phase which acts as pinning centers and improves the transport properties.
GROUND STATE ENERGY LEVELS OF INDIUM ARSENIDE QUANTUM DOTS CALCULATED BY A SINGLE BAND EFFECTIVE MASS MODEL USING REPRESENTATIVE STRAINED INPUT PROPERTIES
Authors: SHIN HYUNHO , KIM JONG-BONG
Published: June 2013

Representative strained values of effective mass and potential of charge carriers in indium arsenide ( InAs ) quantum dots have been used as input to the complete orthonormal set approach of an effective-mass, single-band, and constant-potential model for the calculation of the ground state energy levels. Even with the avoidance of the diagonalization of the strain Hamiltonian matrix, the single-band-model-calculated ground state energy levels are reasonably refined by the use of representative strained values of potential and effective mass.
GLANCING ANGLE REACTIVE PULSED LASER DEPOSITION (GRPLD) FOR Bi2O3/Si HETEROSTRUCTURE
Authors: SALIM EVAN T. , AL WAZNY MARWA S. , FAKHRY MAKRAM A.
Published: June 2013

Thin films of micro bismuth oxide particles were successfully prepared by in situ oxidation of the laser ablated bismuth metal. (111) oriented p-type crystalline silicon substrates were used. The effects of substrate tiled angle on the characteristics of the prepared film were studied. Also, the performance of n- Bi 2 O 3/p- Si heterojunction device was investigated. The obtained current–voltage characteristics in dark and under illumination insure the dependence of the fabricated device characteristic on the deposition angle. The I–V characteristics show that all prepared devices are of abrupt type.
ULTRAFAST ELECTRON SPIN DYNAMICS OF AS-GROWN Ga1-xMnxAs WITH APPROPRIATE Mn DOPING
Authors: YUE HAN
Published: June 2013

The electron spin dynamics in the as-grown Ga 1-x Mn x As films with appropriate Mn doping of x ~ 2–5% is studied using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. Due to the existence of Mn interstitials, the s-d exchange scattering is found to play an important role for the as-grown Ga 1-x Mn x As , and compete with p-d exchange coupling to dominate the electron spin relaxation process. The contribution of electron–electron Coulomb scattering to the electron spin dynamics for the as-grown Ga 1-x Mn x As appears to be as important as that of the annealed ones. Our findings are fundamentally important for better understanding the electron spin dynamics in Ga 1-x Mn x As for its future spintronic applications.
W-LIKE MAPS WITH VARIOUS INSTABILITIES OF ACIM'S
Authors: LI ZHENYANG
Published: June 2013

This paper generalizes the results of [Li et al., 2011] and then provides an interesting example. We construct a family of W-like maps {Wa} with a turning fixed point having slope s1 on one side and –s2 on the other. Each Wa has an absolutely continuous invariant measure μa. Depending on whether [Formula: see text] is larger, equal or smaller than 1, we show that the limit of μa is a singular measure, a combination of singular and absolutely continuous measure or an absolutely continuous measure, respectively. It is known that the invariant density of a single piecewise expanding map has a positive lower bound on its support. In Sec. 4 we give an example showing that in general, for a family of piecewise expanding maps with slopes larger than 2 in modulus and converging to a piecewise expanding map, their invariant densities do not necessarily have a uniform positive lower bound on the support.
BIFURCATION ANALYSIS OF AN AMPLITUDE EQUATION
Authors: SHI LEI , GAO HONGJUN
Published: June 2013

We study the bifurcation and stability of constant stationary solutions (u0, v0) of a particular system of parabolic partial differential equations as amplitude equations on a bounded domain (0, L) with Neumann boundary conditions. In this paper, the asymptotic behavior of the solutions (u0, v0) of the amplitude equations are considered. With the length L of the domain regarded as bifurcation parameter, branches of nontrivial solutions are shown by using the perturbation method. Moreover, local behavior of these branches are studied. We also analyze the stability of the bifurcated solutions.
THE NUMBER OF LIMIT CYCLES IN A Z2-EQUIVARIANT LIÉNARD SYSTEM
Authors: XIONG YANQIN , ZHONG HUI
Published: June 2013

In this paper, we consider the problem of limit cycle bifurcation near center points and a Z2-equivariant compound cycle in a polynomial Liénard system. Using the methods of Hopf, homoclinic and heteroclinic bifurcation theory, we found some new and better lower bounds of the maximal number of limit cycles for this system.
THE IMPACT OF HUMAN LOCATION-SPECIFIC CONTACT PATTERN ON THE SIR EPIDEMIC TRANSMISSION BETWEEN POPULATIONS
Authors: WANG LIN , ZHANG YAN , WANG ZHEN , LI XIANG
Published: June 2013

The structured-population model is extensively used to study the complexity of epidemic dynamics. In many seminal researches, the impact of human mobility on the outbreak threshold has been profoundly studied, with the general assumption that the human contact pattern is mixing homogeneously. As the individual contact is assumed uniform among different subpopulations, the basic reproductive number, R0, which relates to the stability at the disease-free equilibrium, is equal to the same constant on separate locations. However, recent studies have shown that there may exist location-related factors driving the variance of disease incidence between populations, in reality. Therefore, in this study, the location-specific heterogeneous contact pattern has been introduced into a famous phenomenological structured-population model, where bidirectional recurrent commuting flows couple two typical subpopulations, to study the complex dynamics behaviors of spatial transmission of epidemics. Besides the usual SIR epidemic dynamics with birth and death processes, we take into account the contact process by assigning each member from a given subpopulation with a characteristic contact rate. Through theoretical arguments and agent-based computer simulations, we unveil that the stressed element dramatically affects the epidemic threshold of the system.
A GENERALIZATION OF ADJAN'S THEOREM ON EMBEDDINGS OF SEMIGROUPS
Authors: Kashkarev Ilya
Published: June 2013

In this paper we investigate the question of possibility to injectively map a semigroup into a group. Adjan's theorem provides a sufficient condition for such a map to exist for semigroups with relations li = ri, where both li and ri are not empty. Presence of defining relations of the form l = 1 makes many combinatorial properties of semigroups significantly more complex. However, we generalize Adjan's theorem to the class of semigroups with defining relations of both kinds. We use Remmers's approach to exploit Van Kampen diagrams as major tool to abstract from the algebraic combinatorics behind the relations and, instead, work with more tangible objects, such as graphs on the plane.
ON CERTAIN SUBCLASS OF p-VALENT NON-BAZILEVIC FUNCTIONS DEFINED BY THE DZIOK–SRIVASTAVA OPERATOR
Authors: Seoudy T. M. , Aouf M. K.
Published: June 2013

By making use of the principle of subordination and Dziok–Srivastava operator, we introduce a certain subclass of p-valent non-Bazilevic analytic functions. Such results as subordination and superordination properties, convolution properties, distortion theorems and inequality properties, are proved.
Posttranslational Biosynthesis of the Protein-Derived Cofactor Tryptophan Tryptophylquinone
Authors: Davidson Victor L. , Wilmot Carrie M.
Published: June 2013

Methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of methylamine to formaldehyde and ammonia. Tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ) is the protein-derived cofactor of MADH required for this catalytic activity. TTQ is biosynthesized through the posttranslational modification of two tryptophan residues within MADH, during which the indole rings of two tryptophan side chains are cross-linked and two oxygen atoms are inserted into one of the indole rings. MauG is a c-type diheme enzyme that catalyzes the final three reactions in TTQ formation. In total, this is a six-electron oxidation process requiring three cycles of MauG-dependent two-electron oxidation events using either H2O2 or O2. The MauG redox form responsible for the catalytic activity is an unprecedented bis-FeIV species. The amino acids of MADH that are modified are ∼40 Å from the site where MauG binds oxygen, and the reaction proceeds by a hole hopping electron transfer mechanism. This review addresses these highly unusual aspects of the long-range catalytic reaction mediated by MauG.
Sumoylation: A Regulatory Protein Modification in Health and Disease
Authors: Flotho Annette , Melchior Frauke
Published: June 2013

Posttranslational modification with small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins is now established as one of the key regulatory protein modifications in eukaryotic cells. Hundreds of proteins involved in processes such as chromatin organization, transcription, DNA repair, macromolecular assembly, protein homeostasis, trafficking, and signal transduction are subject to reversible sumoylation. Hence, it is not surprising that disease links are beginning to emerge and that interference with sumoylation is being considered for intervention. Here, we summarize basic mechanisms and highlight recent developments in the physiology of sumoylation.
Design of Protein Catalysts
Authors: Hilvert Donald
Published: June 2013

Diverse engineering strategies have been developed to create enzymes with novel catalytic activities. Among these, computational approaches hold particular promise. Enzymes have been computationally designed to promote several nonbiological reactions, including a Diels-Alder cycloaddition, proton transfer, multistep retroaldol transformations, and metal-dependent hydrolysis of phosphotriesters. Although their efficiencies (kcat/KM= 0.1–100 M−1s−1) are typically low compared with those of the best natural enzymes (106–108M−1s−1), these catalysts are excellent starting points for laboratory evolution. This review surveys recent progress in combining computational and evolutionary approaches to enzyme design, together with insights into enzyme function gained from studies of the engineered catalysts.
Mammalian colonocytes possess a carrier-mediated mechanism for uptake of vitamin B3 (niacin): studies utilizing human and mouse colonic preparations
Authors: Kumar Jeyan S. , Subramanian Veedamali S. , Kapadia Rubina , Kashyap Moti L. , Said Hamid M.
Published: June 2013

Niacin (vitamin B3; nicotinic acid) plays an important role in maintaining redox state of cells and is obtained from endogenous and exogenous sources. The latter source has generally been assumed to be the dietary niacin, but another exogenous source that has been ignored is the niacin that is produced by the normal microflora of the large intestine. For this source of niacin to be bioavailable, it needs to be absorbed, but little is known about the ability of the large intestine to absorb niacin and the mechanism involved. Here we addressed these issues using the nontransformed human colonic epithelial NCM460 cells, native human colonic apical membrane vesicles (AMV) isolated from organ donors, and mouse colonic loops in vivo as models. Uptake of3H-nicotinic acid by NCM460 cells was: 1) acidic pH (but not Na+) dependent; 2) saturable (apparent Km= 2.5 ± 0.8 μM); 3) inhibited by unlabeled nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and probenecid; 4) neither affected by other bacterially produced monocarboxylates, monocarboxylate transport inhibitor, or by substrates of the human organic anion transporter-10; 5) affected by modulators of the intracellular protein tyrosine kinase- and Ca2+-calmodulin-regulatory pathways; and 6) adaptively regulated by extracellular nicotinate level. Uptake of nicotinic acid by human colonic AMV in vitro and by mouse colonic loops in vivo was also carrier mediated. These findings report, for the first time, that mammalian colonocytes possess a high-affinity carrier-mediated mechanism for nicotinate uptake and show that the process is affected by intracellular and extracellular factors.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme and the tumor microenvironment: mechanisms beyond angiogenesis
Authors: Okwan-Duodu Derick , Landry Jerome , Shen Xiao Z. , Diaz Roberto
Published: June 2013

The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is a network of enzymes and peptides that coalesce primarily on the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) to induce cell proliferation, angiogenesis, fibrosis, and blood pressure control. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), the key peptidase of the RAS, is promiscuous in that it cleaves other substrates such as substance P and bradykinin. Accumulating evidence implicates ACE in the pathophysiology of carcinogenesis. While the role of ACE and its peptide network in modulating angiogenesis via the AT1R is well documented, its involvement in shaping other aspects of the tumor microenvironment remains largely unknown. Here, we review the role of ACE in modulating the immune compartment of the tumor microenvironment, which encompasses the immunosuppressive, cancer-promoting myeloid-derived suppressor cells, alternatively activated tumor-associated macrophages, and T regulatory cells. We also discuss the potential roles of peptides that accumulate in the setting of chronic ACE inhibitor use, such as bradykinin, substance P, and N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP), and how they may undercut the gains of anti-angiogenesis from ACE inhibition. These emerging mechanisms may harmonize the often-conflicting results on the role of ACE inhibitors and ACE polymorphisms in various cancers and call for further investigations into the potential benefit of ACE inhibitors in some neoplasms.
Skill learning involves optimizing the linking of action phases
Authors: Säfström Daniel , Flanagan J. Randall , Johansson Roland S.
Published: June 2013

Many manual tasks involve object manipulation and are achieved by an evolving series of actions, or action phases, recruited to achieve task subgoals. The ability to effectively link action phases is an important component of manual dexterity. However, our understanding of how the effective linking of sequential action phases develops with skill learning is limited. Here, we addressed this issue using a task in which participants applied forces to a handle to move a cursor on a computer screen to successively acquire visual targets. Target acquisition required actively holding the cursor within the target zone (hold phase) for a required duration before moving to the next target (transport phase). If the transport phase was initiated prematurely, before the end of the required hold duration, participants had to return to the target to acquire it. The goal was to acquire targets as quickly as possible. Distinct visual and auditory sensory events marked goal completion of each action phase. During initial task performance, the transport phase was reactively triggered by sensory events signaling hold phase completion. However, with practice, participants learned to initiate the transport phase based on a prediction of the time of hold phase completion. Simulations revealed that participants learned to near-optimally compensate for temporal uncertainty, presumably related to estimation of time intervals and execution of motor commands, so as to reduce the average latency between the end of the required hold phase duration and the start of the transport phase, while avoiding an excess of premature exits.
Pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms underlying inhibition of hypoglossal motor neuron excitability by riluzole
Authors: Bellingham Mark C.
Published: June 2013

Riluzole is the sole treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but its therapeutically relevant actions on motor neurons are not well defined. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were made from hypoglossal motor neurons (HMs, n = 25) in brain stem slices from 10- to 23-day-old rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium to investigate the hypothesis that riluzole inhibits HMs by multiple mechanisms. Riluzole (20 μM) hyperpolarized HMs by decreasing an inward current, inhibited voltage-gated persistent Na+and Ca2+currents activated by slow voltage ramps, and negatively shifted activation of the hyperpolarization-activated cationic current ( IH). Repetitive firing of HMs was strongly inhibited by riluzole, which also increased action potential threshold voltage and rheobase and decreased amplitude and maximum rise slope but did not alter the maximal afterhyperpolarization amplitude or decay time constant. HM rheobase was inversely correlated with persistent Na+current density. Glutamatergic synaptic transmission was inhibited by riluzole by both pre- and postsynaptic effects. Riluzole decreased activity-dependent glutamate release, as shown by decreased amplitude of evoked and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), decreased paired-pulse ratio, and decreased spontaneous, but not miniature, EPSC frequency. However, riluzole also decreased miniature EPSC amplitude and the inward current evoked by local application of glutamate onto HMs, suggesting a reduction of postsynaptic glutamate receptor sensitivity. Riluzole thus has a marked inhibitory effect on HM activity by membrane hyperpolarization, decreasing firing and inhibiting glutamatergic excitation by both pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. These results broaden the range of mechanisms controlling motor neuron inhibition by riluzole and are relevant to researchers and clinicians interested in understanding ALS pathogenesis and treatment.
Municipal Leachate Treatment by Fenton Process: Effect of Some Variable and Kinetics
Authors: Ahmadian Mohammad , Reshadat Sohyla , Yousefi Nader , Mirhossieni Seyed Hamed , Zare Mohammad Reza , Ghasemi Seyed Ramin , Rajabi Gilan Nader , Khamutian Razieh , Fatehizadeh Ali
Published: June 2013

Due to complex composition of leachate, the comprehensive leachate treatment methods have been not demonstrated. Moreover, the improper management of leachate can lead to many environmental problems. The aim of this study was application of Fenton process for decreasing the major pollutants of landfill leachate on Kermanshah city. The leachate was collected from Kermanshah landfill site and treated by Fenton process. The effect of various parameters including solution pH, Fe2+and H2O2dosage, Fe2+/H2O2molar ratio, and reaction time was investigated. The result showed that with increasing Fe2+and H2O2dosage, Fe2+/H2O2molar ratio, and reaction time, the COD, TOC, TSS, and color removal increased. The maximum COD, TOC, TSS, and color removal were obtained at low pH (pH: 3). The kinetic data were analyzed in term of zero-order, first-order, and second-order expressions. First-order kinetic model described the removal of COD, TOC, TSS, and color from leachate better than two other kinetic models. In spite of extremely difficulty of leachate treatment, the previous results seem rather encouraging on the application of Fenton’s oxidation.
Combined Exp-Function Ansatz Method and Applications
Authors: Mu Gui , Liu Jun , Dai Zhengde , Liu Xi
Published: June 2013

Our aim is to present a combined Exp-function ansatz method. This method replaces the traditional assumptions of multisolitons by a combination of the hyperbolic functions and triangle functions in Hirota bilinear forms of nonlinear evolution equation. Using this method, we can obtain many new type analytical solutions of various nonlinear evolution equations including multisoliton solutions as well as breath-like solitons solutions. These solutions will exhibit interesting dynamic diversity.
Improving CT Image Analysis of Augmented Bone with Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Charwat-Pessler J. , Musso M. , Entacher K. , Plank B. , Schuller-Götzburg P. , Tangl S. , Petutschnigg A.
Published: June 2013

In recent years, bone graft substitutes have been increasingly used in the medical field, for example, in order to promote new bone formation. Microcomputed tomography (μ-CT) is an image-guided technique used in medicine as well as in materials science, enabling the characterization of biomaterials with high spatial resolution. X-ray-based methods provide density information; however, the question how far conclusions on chemical structures can be inferred from any kind of CT information has not been intensively investigated yet. In the present study, a bone sample consisting of autogenous bone derived cells (ABCs) and bovine bone mineral (BBM) was investigated byμ-CT and Raman spectroscopic imaging, that is, by two nondestructive imaging methods. Thereby, the image data were compared by means of regression analysis and digital image processing methods. It could be found that 51.8% of the variance of gray level intensities, as a result ofμ-CT, can be described by different Raman spectra of particular interest for bone composition studies by means of a multiple linear regression. With the better description ofμ-CT images by the linear model, a better distinction of different bone components is possible. Therefore, the method shown can be applied to improve CT-image-based bone modeling in the future.
A Sustainability-Oriented Multiobjective Optimization Model for Siting and Sizing Distributed Generation Plants in Distribution Systems
Authors: Chen Guang , Chen Bin , Dai Pan , Zhou Hao
Published: June 2013

This paper proposes a sustainability-oriented multiobjective optimization model for siting and sizing DG plants in distribution systems. Life cycle exergy (LCE) is used as a unified indicator of the entire system’s environmental sustainability, and it is optimized as an objective function in the model. Other two objective functions include economic cost and expected power loss. Chance constraints are used to control the operation risks caused by the uncertain power loads and renewable energies. A semilinearized simulation method is proposed and combined with the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method to improve the efficiency of probabilistic load flow (PLF) analysis which is repeatedly performed to verify the chance constraints. A numerical study based on the modified IEEE 33-node system is performed to verify the proposed method. Numerical results show that the proposed semilinearized simulation method reduces about 93.3% of the calculation time of PLF analysis and guarantees satisfying accuracy. The results also indicate that benefits for environmental sustainability of using DG plants can be effectively reflected by the proposed model which helps the planner to make rational decision towards sustainable development of the distribution system.
Smooth Splicing: A Robust SNN-Based Method for Clustering High-Dimensional Data
Authors: Tan JingDong , Wang RuJing
Published: June 2013

Sharing nearest neighbor (SNN) is a novel metric measure of similarity, and it can conquer two hardships: the low similarities between samples and the different densities of classes. At present, there are two popular SNN similarity based clustering methods: JP clustering and SNN density based clustering. Their clustering results highly rely on the weighting value of the single edge, and thus they are very vulnerable. Motivated by the idea of smooth splicing in computing geometry, the authors design a novel SNN similarity based clustering algorithm within the structure of graph theory. Since it inherits complementary intensity-smoothness principle, its generalizing ability surpasses those of the previously mentioned two methods. The experiments on text datasets show its effectiveness.
Antimicrobial Activity of Carbon Nanoparticles Isolated from Natural Sources against Pathogenic Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria
Authors: Varghese Sheena , Kuriakose Sunny , Jose Soumya
Published: June 2013

This paper describes the isolation of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from kitchen soot, characterization of the CNPs by UV/visible spectroscopy, SEM and XRD, and their antimicrobial action. The antibacterial activity of the isolated carbon nanoparticles was tested against various pathogenic bacterial strains such as Gram-negative Proteus refrigere and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus haemolyticus. The inhibition zones were measured, and it was found that the carbon nanoparticles isolated from natural sources are active against these Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains.
Discrimination of the Social ParasiteEctatomma parasiticumby Its Host Sibling Species (E. tuberculatum)
Authors: Fénéron Renée , Poteaux Chantal , Boilève Marie , Valenzuela Jorge , Savarit Fabrice
Published: June 2013

Among social parasites, workerless inquilines entirely depend on their host for survival and reproduction. They are usually close phylogenetic relatives of their host, which raises important questions about their evolutionary history and mechanisms of speciation at play. Here we present new findings onEctatomma parasiticum, the only inquiline ant described in the Ectatomminae subfamily. Field data confirmed its rarity and local distribution in a facultative polygynous population ofE. tuberculatumin Mexico. Genetic analyses demonstrated that the parasite is a sibling species of its host, from which it may have diverged recently. Polygyny is suggested to have favored the evolution of social parasite by sympatric speciation. Nevertheless, host workers from this population were able to discriminate parasites from their conspecifics. They treated the parasitic queens either as individuals of interest or as intruders, depending on their colonial origin, probably because of the peculiar chemical profile of the parasites and/or their reproductive status. We suggest thatE. parasiticumcould have conserved from its host sibling species the queen-specific substances that produce attracting and settling effect on workers, which, in return, would increase the probability to be detected. This hypothesis could explain the imperfect social integration of the parasite into host colonies.
Effect of Sugar, Urea, and Molasses and the Influence of Radiation on the Plasticization of Acacia catechu Extract Incorporated Starch/Poly-(Vinyl Alcohol) Based Film
Authors: Naznin Marufa , Abedin Md. Zainul
Published: June 2013

Acacia catechu extract was incorporated in the starch/PVA (60% : 40%) based films (0% to 15%) to the total weight of starch/PVA based film. The tensile strength (TS) of the starch/PVA blend film was 24 MPa whereas the acacia incorporated film shows the highest tensile strength (TS) of 33.8 MPa at 0.5%. Again, 0.5% acacia based film was treated with 10% urea, sugar, and molasses separately both at nonirradiated and irradiated conditions. At the nonirradiated condition molasses incorporated film gives the best results (TS 16 MPa, EB 59%), while sugar incorporated film shows a value of 10 MPa TS and EB of 123% at 200 krad. The films were investigated by FTIR. Thermal studies were carried out by TG/DTA. Water absorption experiment showed a different uptake of water by the different films. Soil degradation test revealed that after 70 days molasses incorporated film (both irradiated and nonirradiated) degrades to 100% into the soil.
Facile Synthesis of Template‐Induced SnO2 Nanotubes
Authors: Liu Yang , Jiao Yang , Qu Fengyu , Gong Lihong , Wu Xiang
Published: June 2013

Large scale SnO2 nanotubes are successfully obtained by a facile hydrothermal method at a mild temperature. The morphologies and the microstructures of the as‐synthesized SnO2 products are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The average diameter of the nanotubes is about 100 nm. The phase and composition of the as‐obtained products are investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). A series of comparison experiments were conducted by varying the experimental parameters, such as temperature, time, and the amount of the alkali, to study the formation mechanism of SnO2 nanotubes.
A Review of Quality Criteria Supporting Supplier Selection
Authors: Abdolshah Mohammad
Published: June 2013

This paper presents a review of decision criteria reported in the literature for supporting the supplier selection process. The review is based on an extensive search in the academic literature. After a literature review of decision criteria, we discuss the most important criteria: quality. Then different methods and factors for assessing the quality of supplier are discussed. Results showed that all methods and factors mentioned in this paper are not appropriate tools for quality evaluation. Moreover, we propose a novel method (using loss functions) in order to assess the quality of suppliers.
Photovoltaic and Thermal Hybridized Solar Cooker
Authors: Joshi Smita B. , Jani A. R.
Published: June 2013

The objective of the present research work is to design user friendly solar cooker which can be commercialized too. This cooker is designed, developed, and tested in our laboratory. The basic principle is to incorporate heating into material by photovoltaic effect and thermal treatment. Different temperatures inside the solar cooker were measured and profile of solar cooker was studied for several days during April, May, and June 2012. It is observed that the designed cooker needs the boosting of only 30 watt power which is generated by a small solar panel connected with it. Heater connected with it can be powered by a solar panel of 75 watt. This boosting can reduce the cooking time. Different recipes were prepared to test its actual performance.
A Distributed Dynamic Super Peer Selection Method Based on Evolutionary Game for Heterogeneous P2P Streaming Systems
Authors: Chen Jing , Wang Rui-Min , Li Lei , Zhang Zhi-Hong , Dong Xiao-She
Published: June 2013

Due to high efficiency and good scalability, hierarchical hybrid P2P architecture has drawn more and more attention in P2P streaming research and application fields recently. The problem about super peer selection, which is the key problem in hybrid heterogeneous P2P architecture, is becoming highly challenging because super peers must be selected from a huge and dynamically changing network. A distributed super peer selection (SPS) algorithm for hybrid heterogeneous P2P streaming system based on evolutionary game is proposed in this paper. The super peer selection procedure is modeled based on evolutionary game framework firstly, and its evolutionarily stable strategies are analyzed. Then a distributedQ-learning algorithm (ESS-SPS) according to the mixed strategies by analysis is proposed for the peers to converge to the ESSs based on its own payoff history. Compared to the traditional randomly super peer selection scheme, experiments results show that the proposed ESS-SPS algorithm achieves better performance in terms of social welfare and average upload rate of super peers and keeps the upload capacity of the P2P streaming system increasing steadily with the number of peers increasing.
UPLC Q-TOF/MS-Based Metabolic Profiling of Urine Reveals the Novel Antipyretic Mechanisms of Qingkailing Injection in a Rat Model of Yeast-Induced Pyrexia
Authors: Gao Xiaoyan , Guo Mingxing , Peng Long , Zhao Baosheng , Su Jiankun , Liu Haiyu , Zhang Li , Bai Xu , Qiao Yanjiang
Published: June 2013

Fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms of many diseases. Qingkailing (QKL) injection is widely used in China as a clinical emergency medicine due to its good antipyretic effects. It is a herbal formula which is composed by eight kinds of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). As a kind of typical multiple constituents and multiple actions of TCM, it is very difficult to elaborate the antipyretic mechanism by conventional pharmacological method. Metabonomics technique provides beneficial tool for this challenge. In this study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC Q-TOF/MS) metabonomics method was developed to explore the changing process of biochemical substances in rats of yeast-induced pyrexia. Partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was used to distinguish the normal control group, the pyrexia model group, and the pyrexia model group treated by QKL injection. The potential biomarkers related to pyrexia were confirmed and identified. MetPA was used to find the possible metabolic pathways. The results indicated that the antipyretic effect of QKL injection on yeast-induced pyrexia rats was performed by repairing the perturbed metabolism of amino acids.
Compressed Sensing-Based MRI Reconstruction Using Complex Double-Density Dual-Tree DWT
Authors: Zhu Zangen , Wahid Khan , Babyn Paul , Yang Ran
Published: June 2013

Undersamplingk-space data is an efficient way to speed up the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) process. As a newly developed mathematical framework of signal sampling and recovery, compressed sensing (CS) allows signal acquisition using fewer samples than what is specified by Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem whenever the signal is sparse. As a result, CS has great potential in reducing data acquisition time in MRI. In traditional compressed sensing MRI methods, an image is reconstructed by enforcing its sparse representation with respect to a basis, usually wavelet transform or total variation. In this paper, we propose an improved compressed sensing-based reconstruction method using the complex double-density dual-tree discrete wavelet transform. Our experiments demonstrate that this method can reduce aliasing artifacts and achieve higher peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) index.
Computer Aided Quantification of Pathological Features for Flexor Tendon Pulleys on Microscopic Images
Authors: Liu Yung-Chun , Chen Hsin-Chen , Shih Hui-Hsuan , Yang Tai-Hua , Yang Hsiao-Bai , Yang Dee-Shan , Su Fong-Chin , Sun Yung-Nien
Published: June 2013

Quantifying the pathological features of flexor tendon pulleys is essential for grading the trigger finger since it provides clinicians with objective evidence derived from microscopic images. Although manual grading is time consuming and dependent on the observer experience, there is a lack of image processing methods for automatically extracting pulley pathological features. In this paper, we design and develop a color-based image segmentation system to extract the color and shape features from pulley microscopic images. Two parameters which are the size ratio of abnormal tissue regions and the number ratio of abnormal nuclei are estimated as the pathological progression indices. The automatic quantification results show clear discrimination among different levels of diseased pulley specimens which are prone to misjudgments for human visual inspection. The proposed system provides a reliable and automatic way to obtain pathological parameters instead of manual evaluation which is with intra- and interoperator variability. Experiments with 290 microscopic images from 29 pulley specimens show good correspondence with pathologist expectations. Hence, the proposed system has great potential for assisting clinical experts in routine histopathological examinations.
Phase II Study of Everolimus in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Previously Treated with Bevacizumab-, Fluoropyrimidine-, Oxaliplatin-, and Irinotecan-Based Regimens
Authors: Ng Kimmie , Tabernero Josep , Hwang Jimmy , Bajetta Emilio , Sharma Sunil , Del Prete Salvatore A. , Arrowsmith Edward R. , Ryan David P. , Sedova Michaela , Jin Jin , Malek Kamel , Fuchs Charles S.
Published: June 2013

Purpose: Dysregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR pathway is seen in 40% to 60% of patients with colorectal cancer. Everolimus, an oral inhibitor of mTOR, showed efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancers in phase I studies.

Experimental Design: In sequential phase II studies assessing two dosing schedules, patients with metastatic colorectal cancers refractory to bevacizumab-, fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based regimens received everolimus 70 mg/wk (n = 99) or 10 mg/d (n = 100). Primary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) and objective response rate; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and duration of response or stable disease (SD). Tumor tissue was collected from all patients for predefined exploratory biomarker analyses.

Results: Seventy-one patients were included in the per-protocol set for each cohort. DCRs of 31.0% and 32.4% (all SD) were seen in the weekly and daily schedules, respectively. Median duration of SD was 3.9 months in each cohort. Median PFS and OS were 1.8 and 4.9 months and 1.8 and 5.9 months, respectively, for the weekly and daily schedules. Among patients receiving daily everolimus, those with a KRAS mutation experienced significantly shorter median OS (P = 0.008) and lower DCR (P = 0.035) compared with those with wild-type KRAS in exploratory biomarker analyses.

Conclusions: Everolimus 70 mg/wk or 10 mg/d was well tolerated but did not confer meaningful efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancers. Future studies may consider evaluating everolimus in combination with other agents or in patients with dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Clin Cancer Res; 19(14); 3987–95. ©2013 AACR.
Developing a Common Language for Tumor Response to Immunotherapy: Immune-Related Response Criteria Using Unidimensional Measurements
Authors: Nishino Mizuki , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Gargano Maria , Suda Margaret , Ramaiya Nikhil H. , Hodi F. Stephen
Published: June 2013

Purpose: Immune-related response criteria (irRC) was developed to adequately assess tumor response to immunotherapy. The irRC are based on bidimensional measurements, as opposed to unidimensional measurements defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, which has been widely used in solid tumors. We aimed to compare response assessment by bidimensional versus unidimensional irRC in patients with advanced melanoma treated with ipilimumab.

Experimental Design: Fifty-seven patients with advanced melanoma treated with ipilimumab in a phase II, expanded access trial were studied. Bidimensional tumor measurement records prospectively conducted during the trial were reviewed to generate a second set of measurements using unidimensional, longest diameter measurements. The percent changes of measurements at follow-up, best overall response, and time-to-progression (TTP) were compared between bidimensional and unidimensional irRC. Interobserver variability for bidimensional and unidimensional measurements was assessed in 25 randomly selected patients.

Results: The percent changes at follow-up scans were highly concordant between the 2 criteria (Spearman r: 0.953–0.965, first to fourth follow-up). The best immune-related response was highly concordant between the 2 criteria (κw = 0.881). TTP was similar between the bidimensional and unidimensional assessments (progression-free at 6 months: 70% vs. 81%, respectively). The unidimensional measurements were more reproducible than bidimensional measurements, with the 95% limits of agreement of (−16.1%, 5.8%) versus (−31.3%, 19.7%), respectively.

Conclusion: irRC using the unidimensional measurements provided highly concordant response assessment compared with the bidimensional irRC, with less measurement variability. The use of unidimensional irRC is proposed to assess response to immunotherapy in solid tumors, given its simplicity, higher reproducibility, and high concordance with the bidimensional irRC. Clin Cancer Res; 19(14); 3936–43. ©2013 AACR.
Dual PI3K/mTOR Inhibitors: Does p53 Modulate Response?
Authors: Ekshyyan Oleksandr , Anandharaj Arunkumar , Nathan Cherie-Ann O.
Published: June 2013

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas have multiple genetic alterations that can influence clinical response to treatment. It is important to evaluate how distinct alterations affect response to targeted agents to identify a subset of patients who can benefit from therapy, improving survival and decreasing toxicity. Clin Cancer Res; 19(14); 3719–21. ©2013 AACR.
Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor-1 Promoter Methylation in Primary Breast Tumors and Corresponding Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Chimonidou Maria , Kallergi Galatea , Georgoulias Vassilis , Welch Danny R. , Lianidou Evi S.
Published: June 2013

Breast cancer metastasis suppressor-1 (BRMS1) differentially regulates the expression of multiple genes, leading to metastasis suppression without affecting orthotopic tumor growth. For the first time, BRMS1 promoter methylation was evaluated as a prognostic biomarker in primary breast tumors and a subset of corresponding circulating tumor cells (CTC). Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples were analyzed for BRMS1 methylation status using methylation-specific PCR in a human specimen cohort consisting of noncancerous tissues, benign fibroadenomas, and primary breast tumors, including some with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a large subset of these patients were fixed in cytospins and analyzed. In addition, BRMS1 expression in cytospins was examined by double-immunofluorescence using anti-BRMS1 and pan-cytokeratin antibodies. BRMS1 promoter methylation was not detected in noncancerous breast tissues or benign fibroadenomas; however, methylation was observed in more than a third of primary breast tumors. Critically, BRMS1 promoter methylation in primary tumors was significantly associated with reduced disease-free survival with a trend toward reduced overall survival. Similarly, a third of cytospin samples were positive for the presence of CTCs, and the total number of detected CTCs was 41. Although a large fraction of CTCs were negative or maintained low expression of BRMS1, promoter methylation was observed in a small fraction of samples, implying that BRMS1 expression in CTCs was either downregulated or heterogeneous. In summary, these data define BRMS1 promoter methylation in primary breast tumors and associated CTCs.

Implications: This study indicates that BRMS1 promoter methylation status has biomarker potential in breast cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 11(10); 1248–57. ©2013 AACR.
Parallel RNA Interference Screens Identify EGFR Activation as an Escape Mechanism in FGFR3-Mutant Cancer
Authors: Herrera-Abreu Maria Teresa , Pearson Alex , Campbell James , Shnyder Steve D. , Knowles Margaret A. , Ashworth Alan , Turner Nicholas C.
Published: June 2013

Activation of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) is a common oncogenic event. Little is known about the determinants of sensitivity to FGFR inhibition and how these may vary between different oncogenic FGFRs. Using parallel RNA interference (RNAi) genetic screens, we show that the EGF receptor (EGFR) limits sensitivity to FGFR inhibition in FGFR3-mutant and -translocated cell lines, but not in other FGFR-driven cell lines. We also identify two distinct mechanisms through which EGFR limits sensitivity. In partially FGFR3-dependent lines, inhibition of FGFR3 results in transient downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling that is rescued by rapid upregulation of EGFR signaling. In cell lines that are intrinsically resistant to FGFR inhibition, EGFR dominates signaling via repression of FGFR3, with EGFR inhibition rescued by delayed upregulation of FGFR3 expression. Importantly, combinations of FGFR and EGFR inhibitors overcome these resistance mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. Our results illustrate the power of parallel RNAi screens in identifying common resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies.

Significance: Our data identify a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of FGFR3-mutant cancer, emphasizing the potential of combination approaches targeting both FGFR3 and EGFR. Our data extend the role of EGFR in mediating resistance to inhibitors targeting a mutant oncogene, showing that EGFR signaling can repress mutant FGFR3 to induce intrinsic resistance to FGFR targeting. Cancer Discov; 3(9); 1058–71. ©2013 AACR.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 953
Extending the Convergence of Canonical WNT Signaling and Classic Cancer Pathways for Treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors
Authors: Reilly Karlyne M.
Published: June 2013

Summary: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are incurable tumors of the Schwann cell lineage that progress unpredictably from benign plexiform neurofibromas. In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Watson and colleagues use an insertional mutagenesis screen combined with network analysis to identify the canonical WNT signaling pathway as an important potential biomarker of tumor progression and target for combination therapy in MPNSTs. Cancer Discov; 3(6); 610–2. ©2013 AACR.

See related article by Watson et al., p. 674
Scavenger Receptor-AI–Targeted Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for In Vivo MRI Detection of Atherosclerotic Lesions
Authors: Segers Filip M.E. , den Adel Brigit , Bot Ilze , van der Graaf Linda M. , van der Veer Eric P. , Gonzalez Walter , Raynal Isabelle , de Winther Menno , Wodzig Will K. , Poelmann Robert E. , van Berkel Theo J.C. , van der Weerd Louise , Biessen Erik A.L.
Published: June 2013

Objective—

In search of molecular imaging modalities for specific detection of inflammatory atherosclerotic plaques, we explored the potential of targeting scavenger receptor-AI (SR-AI), which is highly expressed by lesional macrophages and linked to effective internalization machinery.

Approach and Results—

Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles were conjugated to a peptidic SR-AI ligand (0.371 mol Fe/L and 0.018 mol PP1/L). In vitro incubation of human or murine macrophages with SR-AI–targeted USPIO led to significantly higher iron uptake in vitro than with nontargeted USPIO, as judged by quantitative atomic absorption spectroscopy and Perl’s staining. Incremental uptake was strictly mediated by SRs. SR-AI–targeted USPIO displayed accelerated plasma decay and a 3.5-fold increase (
P
=0.01) in atherosclerotic plaque accumulation on intravenous injection into apolipoprotein E–deficient mice compared with nontargeted USPIO. In addition, atherosclerotic humanized LDLr
−/−
chimeras with leukocyte expression of human SR-AI showed a significant improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio (2.7-fold;
P
=0.003) in the atherosclerotic aortic arch plaques 24 hours after injection of SR-AI–targeted USPIO compared with chimeras with leukocyte SR-AI deficiency.

Conclusions—

Collectively, our data provide several lines of evidence that SR-AI–targeted molecular imaging of USPIO-based contrast agents holds great promise for in situ detection of inflammatory plaques in manifest atherosclerosis.