bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Approach for Solving Machine Loading Problem in Flexible Manufacturing System
Authors: Santuka Ruchir , Mahapatra Siba Sankar , Dhal Prasant Ranjan , Mishra Antaryami
Published: May 2015

Machine loading problem in flexible manufacturing system is considered as a vital pre-release decision. Loading problem is concerned with assignment of necessary operations of the selected jobs to various machines in an optimal manner to minimize system unbalance under technological constraints of limited tool slots and operation time. Such a problem is combinatorial in nature and found to be NP-hard; thus, finding the exact solutions is computationally intractable and becomes impractical as the problem size increases. To alleviate above limitations, a meta-heuristic approach based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been proposed in this paper to solve the machine loading problem. Mutation, a commonly used operator in genetic algorithm, has been introduced in PSO so that trapping of solutions at local minima or premature convergence can be avoided. Logistic mapping is used to generate chaotic numbers in this paper. Use of chaotic numbers makes the algorithm converge fast toward global optimum and hence reduce computational effort further. Twenty benchmark problems available in open literature have been solved using the proposed heuristic. Comparison between the results obtained by the proposed heuristic and the existing methods show that the results obtained are encouraging at significantly less computational effort.
On quantum codes obtained from cyclic codes over A2
Authors: Dertli Abdullah , Cengellenmis Yasemin , Eren Senol
Published: May 2015

In this paper, quantum codes from cyclic codes over A2 = F2 + uF2 + vF2 + uvF2, u2 = u, v2 = v, uv = vu, for arbitrary length n have been constructed. It is shown that if C is self orthogonal over A2, then so is Ψ(C), where Ψ is a Gray map. A necessary and sufficient condition for cyclic codes over A2 that contains its dual has also been given. Finally, the parameters of quantum error correcting codes are obtained from cyclic codes over A2.
Analysis of a malaria model with mosquito host choice and bed-net control
Authors: Buonomo Bruno
Published: May 2015

A malaria model is formulated which includes the enhanced attractiveness of infectious humans to mosquitoes, as result of host manipulation by malaria parasite, and the human behavior, represented by insecticide-treated bed-nets usage. The occurrence of a backward bifurcation at R0 = 1 is shown to be possible, which implies that multiple endemic equilibria co-exist with a stable disease-free equilibrium when the basic reproduction number is less than unity. This phenomenon is found to be caused by disease-induced human mortality. The global asymptotic stability of the endemic equilibrium for R0 > 1 is proved, by using the geometric method for global stability. Therefore, the disease becomes endemic for R0 > 1 regardless of the number of initial cases in both the human and vector populations. Finally, the impact on system dynamics of vector's host preferences and bed-net usage behavior is investigated.
Quantitative nonlinear embeddings into Lebesgue sequence spaces
Authors: Baudier Florent P.
Published: May 2015

In this paper fundamental nonlinear geometries of Lebesgue sequence spaces are studied in their quantitative aspects. Applications of this work are a positive solution to the strong embeddability problem from [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) and new insights on the coarse embeddability problem from [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Relevant to geometric group theory purposes, the exact [Formula: see text]-compression of [Formula: see text] is computed. Finally coarse deformation of metric spaces with property A and locally compact amenable groups is investigated.
Platys
Authors: Murukannaiah Pradeep K. , Singh Munindar P.
Published: May 2015

We introduce a high-level abstraction of location called
place
. A place derives its meaning from a user's physical space, activities, or social context. In this manner, place can facilitate improved user experience compared to the traditional representation of location, which is spatial coordinates. We propose the
Platys
framework as a way to address the special challenges of place-aware application development. The core of Platys is a middleware that (1) learns a model of places specific to each user via
active learning
, a machine learning paradigm that seeks to reduce the user-effort required for training the middleware, and (2) exposes the learned user-specific model of places to applications at run time, insulating application developers from dealing with both low-level sensors and user idiosyncrasies in perceiving places.

We evaluated Platys via two studies. First, we collected place labels and Android phone sensor readings from 10 users. We applied Platys' active learning approach to learn each user's places and found that Platys (1) requires fewer place labels to learn a user's places with a desired accuracy than do two traditional supervised approaches, and (2) learns places with higher accuracy than two unsupervised approaches.

Second, we conducted a developer study to evaluate Platys' efficiency in assisting developers and its effectiveness in enabling usable applications. In this study, 46 developers employed either Platys or the Android location API to develop a place-aware application. Our results indicate that application developers employing Platys, when compared to those employing the Android API, (1) develop a place-aware application faster and perceive reduced difficulty and (2) produce applications that are easier to understand (for developers) and potentially more usable and privacy preserving (for application users).
Dynamic detection of object capability violations through model checking
Authors: Rhodes Dustin , Disney Tim , Flanagan Cormac
Published: May 2015

In this paper we present a new tool called DOCaT (Dynamic Object Capability Tracer), a model checker for JavaScript that detects capability leaks in an object capability system. DOCaT includes an editor that highlights the sections of code that can be potentially transferred to untrusted third-party code along with a trace showing how the code could be leaked in an actual execution. This code highlighting provides a simple way of visualizing the references untrusted code potentially has access to and helps programmers to discover if their code is leaking more capabilities then required. DOCaT is implemented using a combination of source code rewriting (using Sweet.js, a JavaScript macro system), dynamic behavioral intercession (Proxies, introduced in ES6, the most recent version of JavaScript), and model checking. Together these methods are able to locate common ways for untrusted code to elevate its authority.
Design and evaluation of gradual typing for python
Authors: Vitousek Michael M. , Kent Andrew M. , Siek Jeremy G. , Baker Jim
Published: May 2015

Combining static and dynamic typing within the same language offers clear benefits to programmers. It provides dynamic typing in situations that require rapid prototyping, heterogeneous data structures, and reflection, while supporting static typing when safety, modularity, and efficiency are primary concerns. Siek and Taha (2006) introduced an approach to combining static and dynamic typing in a fine-grained manner through the notion of type consistency in the static semantics and run-time casts in the dynamic semantics. However, many open questions remain regarding the semantics of gradually typed languages.

In this paper we present Reticulated Python, a system for experimenting with gradual-typed dialects of Python. The dialects are syntactically identical to Python 3 but give static and dynamic semantics to the type annotations already present in Python 3. Reticulated Python consists of a typechecker and a source-to-source translator from Reticulated Python to Python 3. Using Reticulated Python, we evaluate a gradual type system and three approaches to the dynamic semantics of mutable objects: the traditional semantics based on Siek and Taha (2007) and Herman et al. (2007) and two new designs. We evaluate these designs in the context of several third-party Python programs.
Emergent gummy modules: modular representation of emergent behavior
Authors: Malakuti Somayeh , Aksit Mehmet
Published: May 2015

Emergent behavior is generally defined as the appearance of complex behavior out of multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Nowadays, there are various kinds of software systems that deal with detecting the emergence of certain behavior in environment, representing it in the software and providing means to manipulate the behavior. Where significant amount of research has been dedicated to develop algorithms for detecting emergent behavior, there is no dedicated attempt to provide suitable linguistic abstractions to modularize emergent behavior and its related concerns. This results in implementations that are complex and hard to maintain. In this paper, we identify three characteristic features of emergent behavior, and outline the shortcomings of current languages to properly program and modularize emergent behavior. We introduce emergent gummy modules as dedicated linguistic abstractions, which facilitate defining the appearance and disappearance conditions of emergent behavior as well as its utilization operations as one holistic module. We explain the implementation of emergent gummy modules in the GummyJ language, and illustrate that they improve the modularity of implementations. We represent the event processing semantics of GummyJ programs in UPPAAL model checker and verify their correctness.
Specialization through dynamic staging
Authors: Danilewski Piotr , Köster Marcel , Leißa Roland , Membarth Richard , Slusallek Philipp
Published: May 2015

Partial evaluation allows for specialization of program fragments. This can be realized by staging, where one fragment is executed earlier than its surrounding code. However, taking advantage of these capabilities is often a cumbersome endeavor. In this paper, we present a new metaprogramming concept using staging parameters that are first-class citizen entities and define the order of execution of the program. Staging parameters can be used to define MetaML-like quotations, but can also allow stages to be created and resolved dynamically. The programmer can write generic, polyvariant code which can be reused in the context of different stages. We demonstrate how our approach can be used to define and apply domain-specific optimizations. Our implementation of the proposed metaprogramming concept generates code which is on a par with templated C++ code in terms of execution time.
A domain-specific language for building self-optimizing AST interpreters
Authors: Humer Christian , Wimmer Christian , Wirth Christian , Wöß Andreas , Würthinger Thomas
Published: May 2015

Self-optimizing AST interpreters dynamically adapt to the provided input for faster execution. This adaptation includes initial tests of the input, changes to AST nodes, and insertion of guards that ensure assumptions still hold. Such specialization and speculation is essential for the performance of dynamic programming languages such as JavaScript. In traditional procedural and objectoriented programming languages it can be tedious to write selfoptimizing AST interpreters, as those languages fail to provide constructs that would specifically support that. This paper introduces a declarative domain-specific language (DSL) that greatly simplifies writing self-optimizing AST interpreters. The DSL supports specialization of operations based on types of the input and other properties. It can then use these specializations directly or chain them to represent the operation with the minimum amount of code possible. The DSL significantly reduces the complexity of expressing specializations for those interpreters. We use it in our high-performance implementation of JavaScript, where 274 language operations have an average of about 4 and a maximum of 190 specializations. In addition, the DSL is used in implementations of Ruby, Python, R, and Smalltalk.
Chimera
Authors: Park Jason Jong Kyu , Park Yongjun , Mahlke Scott
Published: May 2015

The demand for multitasking on graphics processing units (GPUs) is constantly increasing as they have become one of the default components on modern computer systems along with traditional processors (CPUs). Preemptive multitasking on CPUs has been primarily supported through context switching. However, the same preemption strategy incurs substantial overhead due to the large context in GPUs. The overhead comes in two dimensions: a preempting kernel suffers from a long preemption latency, and the system throughput is wasted during the switch. Without precise control over the large preemption overhead, multitasking on GPUs has little use for applications with strict latency requirements.

In this paper, we propose Chimera, a collaborative preemption approach that can precisely control the overhead for multitasking on GPUs. Chimera first introduces streaming multiprocessor (SM) flushing, which can instantly preempt an SM by detecting and exploiting idempotent execution. Chimera utilizes flushing collaboratively with two previously proposed preemption techniques for GPUs, namely context switching and draining to minimize throughput overhead while achieving a required preemption latency. Evaluations show that Chimera violates the deadline for only 0.2% of preemption requests when a 15us preemption latency constraint is used. For multi-programmed workloads, Chimera can improve the average normalized turnaround time by 5.5x, and system throughput by 12.2%.
Synchronization Using Remote-Scope Promotion
Authors: Orr Marc S. , Che Shuai , Yilmazer Ayse , Beckmann Bradford M. , Hill Mark D. , Wood David A.
Published: May 2015

Heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) and OpenCL define scoped synchronization to facilitate low overhead communication across a subset of threads. Scoped synchronization works well for static sharing patterns, where consumer threads are known a priori. It works poorly for dynamic sharing patterns (e.g., work stealing) where programmers cannot use a faster small scope due to the rare possibility that the work is stolen by a thread in a distant slower scope. This puts programmers in a conundrum: optimize the common case by synchronizing at a faster small scope or use work stealing at a slower large scope. In this paper, we propose to extend scoped synchronization with remote-scope promotion. This allows the most frequent sharers to synchronize through a small scope. Infrequent sharers synchronize by promoting that remote small scope to a larger shared scope. Synchronization using remote-scope promotion provides performance robustness for dynamic workloads, where the benefits provided by scoped synchronization and work stealing are hard to anticipate. Compared to a naïve baseline, static scoped synchronization alone achieves a 1.07x speedup on average and dynamic work stealing alone achieves a 1.18x speedup on average. In contrast, synchronization using remote-scope promotion achieves a robust 1.25x speedup on average, across a diverse set of graph benchmarks and inputs.
ApproxHadoop
Authors: Goiri Inigo , Bianchini Ricardo , Nagarakatte Santosh , Nguyen Thu D.
Published: May 2015

We propose and evaluate a framework for creating and running approximation-enabled MapReduce programs. Specifically, we propose approximation mechanisms that fit naturally into the MapReduce paradigm, including input data sampling, task dropping, and accepting and running a precise and a user-defined approximate version of the MapReduce code. We then show how to leverage statistical theories to compute error bounds for popular classes of MapReduce programs when approximating with input data sampling and/or task dropping. We implement the proposed mechanisms and error bound estimations in a prototype system called ApproxHadoop. Our evaluation uses MapReduce applications from different domains, including data analytics, scientific computing, video encoding, and machine learning. Our results show that ApproxHadoop can significantly reduce application execution time and/or energy consumption when the user is willing to tolerate small errors. For example, ApproxHadoop can reduce runtimes by up to 32x when the user can tolerate an error of 1% with 95% confidence. We conclude that our framework and system can make approximation easily accessible to many application domains using the MapReduce model.
Kinetic Dependence Graphs
Authors: Hassaan Muhammad Amber , Nguyen Donald D. , Pingali Keshav K.
Published: May 2015

Task graphs or dependence graphs are used in runtime systems to schedule tasks for parallel execution. In problem domains such as dense linear algebra and signal processing, dependence graphs can be generated from a program by static analysis. However, in emerging problem domains such as graph analytics, the set of tasks and dependences between tasks in a program are complex functions of runtime values and cannot be determined statically. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for exploiting parallelism in such programs. This approach is based on a data structure called the kinetic dependence graph (KDG), which consists of a dependence graph together with update rules that incrementally update the graph to reflect changes in the dependence structure whenever a task is completed.

We have implemented a simple programming model that allows programmers to write these applications at a high level of abstraction, and a runtime within the Galois system [15] that builds the KDG automatically and executes the program in parallel. On a suite of programs that are difficult to parallelize otherwise, we have obtained speedups of up to 33 on 40 cores, out-performing third-party implementations in many cases.
Quantification of chromatographic effects of vitamin B supplementation in urine and implications for hydration assessment
Authors: Kenefick Robert W. , Heavens K. R. , Dennis W. E. , Caruso E. M. , Guerriere K. I. , Charkoudian N. , Cheuvront S. N.
Published: May 2015

Changes in body water elicit reflex adjustments at the kidney, thus maintaining fluid volume homeostasis. These renal adjustments change the concentration and color of urine, variables that can, in turn, be used as biomarkers of hydration status. It has been suggested that vitamin supplementation alters urine color; it is unclear whether any such alteration would confound hydration assessment via colorimetric evaluation. We tested the hypothesis that overnight vitamin B2 and/or B12 supplementation alters urine color as a marker of hydration status. Thirty healthy volunteers were monitored during a 3-day euhydrated baseline, confirmed via first morning nude body mass, urine specific gravity, and urine osmolality. Volunteers then randomly received B2 ( n = 10), B12 ( n = 10), or B2 + B12 ( n = 10) at ∼200 × recommended dietary allowance. Euhydration was verified on trial days (two of the following: body mass ± 1.0% of the mean of visits 1–3, urine specific gravity < 1.02, urine osmolality < 700 mmol/kg). Vitamin purity and urinary B2 concentration ([B2]) and [B12] were quantified via ultraperformance liquid chromatography. Two independent observers assessed urine color using an eight-point standardized color chart. Following supplementation, urinary [B2] was elevated; however, urine color was not different between nonsupplemented and supplemented trials. For example, in the B2 trial, urinary [B2] increased from 8.6 × 104 ± 7.7 × 104 to 5.7 × 106 ± 5.3 × 106 nmol/l ( P < 0.05), and urine color went from 4 ± 1 to 5 ± 1 ( P > 0.05). Both conditions met the euhydrated color classification. We conclude that a large overnight dose of vitamins B2 and B12 does not confound assessment of euhydrated status via urine color.
NewPPFDependent Fixed Point Theorems for Suzuki TypeGF-Contractions
Authors: Kutbi M. A. , Hussain N. , Khaleghizadeh S.
Published: May 2015

We introduce new concepts of anαc-GF-contractive nonself-mapping, a weakαc-GF-contractive nonself-mapping, a generalizedαc-GF-contractive nonself-mapping, and Suzuki typeGF-contractions and establish the existence ofPPFdependent fixed point theorems for such kind of contractive nonself-mappings in the Razumikhin class. As applications of our results, we derive somePPFdependent fixed point theorems forGF-contractive nonself-mappings whenever the range space is endowed with a graph or a partial order. The obtained results generalize, extend, and modify somePPFdependent fixed point results in the literature.
Fractional Diffusion Based Modelling and Prediction of Human Brain Response to External Stimuli
Authors: Namazi Hamidreza , Kulish Vladimir V.
Published: May 2015

Human brain response is the result of the overall ability of the brain in analyzing different internal and external stimuli and thus making the proper decisions. During the last decades scientists have discovered more about this phenomenon and proposed some models based on computational, biological, or neuropsychological methods. Despite some advances in studies related to this area of the brain research, there were fewer efforts which have been done on the mathematical modeling of the human brain response to external stimuli. This research is devoted to the modeling and prediction of the human EEG signal, as an alert state of overall human brain activity monitoring, upon receiving external stimuli, based on fractional diffusion equations. The results of this modeling show very good agreement with the real human EEG signal and thus this model can be used for many types of applications such as prediction of seizure onset in patient with epilepsy.
Chew the Pain Away: Oral Habits to Cope with Pain and Stress and to Stimulate Cognition
Authors: Weijenberg Roxane Anthea Francesca , Lobbezoo Frank
Published: May 2015

The acute effects of chewing gum on cognitive performance, stress, and pain have been intensively studied in the last decade. The results have been contradicting, and replication studies proved challenging. Here, we review some of the recent findings of this topic and explore possible explanations for these discrepancies by incorporating knowledge derived from studies into oral habits and bruxism. Both stress and cerebral functional specialization (i.e., the involvement of specific brain structures in distinctive cognitive processes) are hypothesized to play a major role in the underlying physiological mechanisms of the diverse effects of chewing gum on cognition, stress, and pain.
The EM Method in a Probabilistic Wavelet-Based MRI Denoising
Authors: Martin-Fernandez Marcos , Villullas Sergio
Published: May 2015

Human body heat emission and others external causes can interfere in magnetic resonance image acquisition and produce noise. In this kind of images, the noise, when no signal is present, is Rayleigh distributed and its wavelet coefficients can be approximately modeled by a Gaussian distribution. Noiseless magnetic resonance images can be modeled by a Laplacian distribution in the wavelet domain. This paper proposes a new magnetic resonance image denoising method to solve this fact. This method performs shrinkage of wavelet coefficients based on the conditioned probability of being noise or detail. The parameters involved in this filtering approach are calculated by means of the expectation maximization (EM) method, which avoids the need to use an estimator of noise variance. The efficiency of the proposed filter is studied and compared with other important filtering techniques, such as Nowak’s, Donoho-Johnstone’s, Awate-Whitaker’s, and nonlocal means filters, in different 2D and 3D images.
Effect of Sowing Methods and NPK Levels on Growth and Yield of Rainfed Maize (Zea maysL.)
Authors: Gul Shamim , Khan M. H. , Khanday B. A. , Nabi Sabeena
Published: May 2015

To investigate the response of rainfed maize to sowing methods and NPK levels, an experiment was undertaken during kharif of 2011 and 2012 at Dryland (Kerawa) Agriculture Research Station, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Budgam. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with combination of 2 sowing methods (flat sowing, 75 cm apart rows, and ridge sowing, 75 cm apart ridges) and 3 fertility levels (60 : 40 : 20, 75 : 50 : 30, and 90 : 60 : 40 N : P2O5 : K2O kg ha−1) with three replications. Various growth characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, number of days to different phenological stages, and yield, and yield contributing characters namely, cob length, number of grains cob−1, cob diameter (cm), and 100-seed weight (g), were significantly higher with S2over S1during both the years of experimentation. Fertilizer levels F3(90 : 60 : 40) and F2(75 : 50 : 30) at par with one another produced significant increase in growth and yield characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter production at different growth stages, cob length, number of cobs plant−1, number of grains cob−1, and 100-seed weight over F1(60 : 40 : 20). Significantly higher grain yield was recorded with fertilizer level F3(90 : 60 : 40) being at par with F2(75 : 50 : 30) and showed significant increase over F1(60 : 40 : 20) with superiority of 5.4 and 5.7 per cent during 2011 and 2012, respectively. The findings of the study concluded that ridge method of sowing of maize with NPK levels of 75 : 50 : 30 kg ha−1showed better performance of crop in terms of growth, yield, and yield attributes.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acid on the Fatty Acid Content of the Erythrocyte Membrane and Proteinuria in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Lee Su Mi , Chung Seuk Hee , Park Yongjin , Park Mi Kyoung , Son Young Ki , Kim Seong Eun , An Won Suk
Published: May 2015

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid (FA) has cardioprotective effect and is associated with a slower deterioration of albumin excretion in patients with diabetic nephropathy. In this study, we evaluated the effect of omega-3 FA on proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy patients who are controlling blood pressure (BP) with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). In addition, we identified changes in erythrocyte membrane FA contents. A total of 19 patients who were treated with ACEi or ARB for at least 6 months were treated for 12 weeks with omega-3 FA (Omacor, 3 g/day) or a control treatment (olive oil, 3 g/day). Proteinuria levels were unchanged after 12 weeks compared with baseline values in both groups. The erythrocyte membrane contents of omega-3 FA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were significantly increased, and oleic acid, arachidonic acid : EPA ratio, and omega-6 : omega-3 FA ratio were significantly decreased after 12 weeks compared with the baseline values in the omega-3 FA group. Although omega-3 FA did not appear to alter proteinuria, erythrocyte membrane FA contents, including oleic acid, were altered by omega-3 FA supplementation.
Acute Toxicity of Double‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes to Three Aquatic Organisms
Authors: Lukhele Lungile P. , Mamba Bhekie B. , Musee Ndeke , Wepener Victor
Published: May 2015

This study investigated the toxicity of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) to three aquatic organisms, namely, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia pulex, and Poecilia reticulata under the influence of exposure media properties specifically the ionic strength and organic matter represented by humic acid. Results indicated that ionic strength enhanced DWCNTs agglomeration whilst humic acid stabilized the CNTs and in turn inhibited the formation of aggregates. LC50s for D. pulex were higher at 2.81 and 4.45 mg/L for pristine and oxidised DWCNTs, respectively; however, P. reticulata had lower values of 113.64 mg/L and 214.0 mg/L for the same CNTs correspondingly. P. subcapitata had EC50s of 17.95 mg/L and 10.93 mg/L for the pristine and oxidised DWCNTs, respectively. In the presence of humic acid high DWCNTs acute toxicity towards D. pulex and P. reticulata was observed but ionic strength led to opposite effect irrespective of DWCNTs form. Both humic acid and ionic strength shielded the P. subcapitata from toxic effects of DWCNTs. Overall, our findings suggest that the toxicity of DWCNTs in the aquatic systems (i) will be dependent on media properties and (ii) is likely to proceed at different rates to organisms at different trophic levels.
Pregnancy Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Immune Tolerance in Pregnancy and Its Deficiency in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus—An Immunological Dilemma
Authors: Gluhovschi Cristina , Gluhovschi Gheorghe , Petrica Ligia , Velciov Silvia , Gluhovschi Adrian
Published: May 2015

Pregnancy is a physiological condition that requires immune tolerance to the product of conception. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease with well-represented immune mechanisms that disturb immune tolerance. The association of pregnancy with systemic lupus erythematosus creates a particular immune environment in which the immune tolerance specific of pregnancy is required to coexist with alterations of the immune system caused by SLE. The main role is played by T regulatory (Treg) cells, which attempt to regulate and adapt the immune system of the mother to the new conditions of pregnancy. Other components of the immune system also participate to maintain maternal-fetal immune tolerance. If the immune system of pregnant women with SLE is not able to maintain maternal immune tolerance to the fetus, pregnancy complications (miscarriage, fetal hypotrophy, and preterm birth) or maternal complications (preeclampsia or activation of SLE, especially in conditions of lupus nephritis) may occur. In certain situations this can be responsible for neonatal lupus. At the same time, it must be noted that during pregnancy, the immune system is able to achieve immune tolerance while maintaining the anti-infectious immune capacity of the mother. Immunological monitoring of pregnancy during SLE, as well as of the mother’s disease, is required. It is important to understand immune tolerance to grafts in transplant pathology.
Organic Systems and Their Photorefractive Properties under the Nano‐ and Biostructuration: Scientific View and Sustainable Development
Authors: Kamanina Natalia V. , Serov Sergey V. , Bretonniere Yann , Andraud Chantal
Published: May 2015

Essential improvement of the photorefractive parameters of the organic structures has been found via nano‐ and biostructuring process. The spectral and self‐assembling features which can support the photorefractive effect of some conjugated materials, including the liquid crystal ones, have been presented. To investigate the laser‐induced change of the refractive index of the nano‐ and bio‐objects‐doped materials the holographic recording technique has been used. Moreover some innovative perspective dyes have been applied to study the effect of the rotation of the polarization plane of light. The area of application of the modified materials has been discussed. The tendency to replace the nanotechnology process with the biotechnology ones has been predicted.
Integrated Trajectory Planning and Sloshing Suppression for Three-Dimensional Motion of Liquid Container Transfer Robot Arm
Authors: Aribowo Wisnu , Yamashita Takahito , Terashima Kazuhiko
Published: May 2015

For liquid transfer system in three-dimensional space, the use of multijoint robot arm provides much flexibility. To realize quick point-to-point motion with minimal sloshing in such system, we propose an integrated framework of trajectory planning and sloshing suppression. The robot motion is decomposed into translational motion of the robot wrist and rotational motion of the robot hand to ensure the upright orientation of the liquid container. The trajectory planning for the translational motion is based on cubic spline optimization with free via points that produces smooth trajectory in joint space while it still allows obstacle avoidance in task space. Input shaping technique is applied in the task space to suppress the motion induced sloshing, which is modeled as spherical pendulum with moving support. It has been found through simulations and experiments that the proposed approach is effective in generating quick motion with low amount of sloshing.
HeadsUp: Keeping Pedestrian Phone Addicts from Dangers Using Mobile Phone Sensors
Authors: Zhou Zhengjuan
Published: May 2015

Walking while staring at the mobile phone is dangerous, and the danger mainly arises from distraction. While watching the mobile phone, one could fall into a deep well without noticing the manhole cover was missing, one could be hit by a rushing car without observing the traffic light, and so forth. Some mobile phone users are already aware of the crisis, and they keep looking up and down to allocate some focus to danger spying; however, the statistics data revealed by US government make such efforts frustrating: about 1,152 pedestrians are injured in US in the year 2010, while they were using mobile phones, and the number doubled in the year 2012. This paper identified the possibility of using mobile phone sensors to develop a walk pattern recognition system. By sampling from embedded sensor, such as accelerometer and gyroscope, the movement pattern of mobile phone users can be computed. We design and implement HeadsUp, a system that warns pedestrian and locks the screen when one looks at the mobile phone while walking. Evaluation results from experiments of 20 testers in real life situation show that, on average, the false negative rate is less than 3%.
Resistance to the Beneficial Metabolic Effects and Hepatic Antioxidant Defense Actions of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Treatment in Growth Hormone-Overexpressing Transgenic Mice
Authors: Boparai Ravneet K. , Arum Oge , Miquet Johanna G. , Masternak Michal M. , Bartke Andrzej , Khardori Romesh K.
Published: May 2015

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) modulates a diverse range of biological functions, including glucose and lipid metabolism, adaptive starvation response, and energy homeostasis, but with limited mechanistic insight. FGF21 treatment has been shown to inhibit hepatic growth hormone (GH) intracellular signaling. To evaluate GH axis involvement in FGF21 actions, transgenic mice overexpressing bovine GH were used. Expectedly, in response to FGF21 treatment control littermates showed metabolic improvements whereas GH transgenic mice resisted most of the beneficial effects of FGF21, except an attenuation of the innate hyperinsulinemia. Since FGF21 is believed to exert its effects mostly at the transcriptional level, we analyzed and observed significant upregulation in expression of various genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, and antioxidant defense in FGF21-treated controls, but not in GH transgenics. The resistance of GH transgenic mice to FGF21-induced changes underlines the necessity of normal GH signaling for the beneficial effects of FGF21.
Neuroprotective Effect of Radix Trichosanthis Saponins on Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Chen Ying , Sun Haiyan , Huang Liyong , Li Juxiang , Zhou Wenke , Chang Jingling
Published: May 2015

Redox homeostasis has been implicated in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). As a result, antioxidants and/or free radical scavengers have become an important therapeutic modality. Considering that radix trichosanthis (RT) saponins exhibited strong antioxidant ability bothin vivoandin vitro, the present study aimed to reveal whether the neuroprotective activities of RT saponins were mediated by p38/p53 signal pathway after SAH. An established SAH model was used and superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), p-p38, and p53 activation were detected after 48 h of SAH. The results showed that RT saponins inhibited iNOS expression to restore NO to basal level. Moreover, compared with Cu/Zn-SOD, RT saponins (2 mg/kg/d dosage) significantly increased Mn-SOD activity after SAH. Accompanied with lowered NO and elevated SOD, decreased p38 phosphorylation and p53 activities were observed, especially for RT saponins at 2 mg/kg/d dosage. In this setting, the neurological outcome was also improved with less neuronal cells damage after RT saponins pretreatment. Our findings demonstrated the beneficial effects of RT saponins in enhancing neuroprotective effects by deducing iNOS activity, normalizing SOD level, and inhibiting p-p38 and p53 expression, hence offering significant therapeutic implications for SAH.
The Dialogue of the Host-Parasite Relationship:Leishmaniaspp. andTrypanosoma cruziInfection
Authors: de Morais Carlos Gustavo Vieira , Castro Lima Ana Karina , Terra Rodrigo , dos Santos Rosiane Freire , Da-Silva Silvia Amaral Gonçalves , Dutra Patrícia Maria Lourenço
Published: May 2015

The intracellular protozoaLeishmaniaspp. andTrypanosoma cruziand the causative agents of Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively, belong to the Trypanosomatidae family. Together, these two neglected tropical diseases affect approximately 25 million people worldwide. Whether the host can control the infection or develops disease depends on the complex interaction between parasite and host. Parasite surface and secreted molecules are involved in triggering specific signaling pathways essential for parasite entry and intracellular survival. The recognition of the parasite antigens by host immune cells generates a specific immune response.Leishmaniaspp. andT. cruzihave a multifaceted repertoire of strategies to evade or subvert the immune system by interfering with a range of signal transduction pathways in host cells, which causes the inhibition of the protective response and contributes to their persistence in the host. The current therapeutic strategies in leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis are very limited. Efficacy is variable, toxicity is high, and the emergence of resistance is increasingly common. In this review, we discuss the molecular basis of the host-parasite interaction ofLeishmaniaandTrypanosoma cruziinfection and their mechanisms of subverting the immune response and how this knowledge can be used as a tool for the development of new drugs.
Development ofIn Vitro-In VivoCorrelation/Relationship Modeling Approaches for Immediate Release Formulations Using Compartmental Dynamic Dissolution Data from “Golem”: A Novel Apparatus
Authors: Čulen Martin , Tuszyński Paweł K. , Polak Sebastian , Jachowicz Renata , Mendyk Aleksander , Dohnal Jiří
Published: May 2015

Different batches of atorvastatin, represented by two immediate release formulation designs, were studied using a novel dynamic dissolution apparatus, simulating stomach and small intestine. A universal dissolution method was employed which simulated the physiology of human gastrointestinal tract, including the precise chyme transit behavior and biorelevant conditions. The multicompartmental dissolution data allowed direct observation and qualitative discrimination of the differences resulting from highly pH dependent dissolution behavior of the tested batches. Further evaluation of results was performed using IVIVC/IVIVR development. While satisfactory correlation could not be achieved using a conventional deconvolution based-model, promising results were obtained through the use of a nonconventional approach exploiting the complex compartmental dissolution data.
Effect of Generalized Uncertainty Principle on Main-Sequence Stars and White Dwarfs
Authors: Moussa Mohamed
Published: May 2015

This paper addresses the effect of generalized uncertainty principle, emerged from different approaches of quantum gravity within Planck scale, on thermodynamic properties of photon, nonrelativistic ideal gases, and degenerate fermions. A modification in pressure, particle number, and energy density are calculated. Astrophysical objects such as main-sequence stars and white dwarfs are examined and discussed as an application. A modification in Lane-Emden equation due to a change in a polytropic relation caused by the presence of quantum gravity is investigated. The applicable range of quantum gravity parameters is estimated. The bounds in the perturbed parameters are relatively large but they may be considered reasonable values in the astrophysical regime.
Potential Peripartum Markers of Infectious-Inflammatory Complications in Spontaneous Preterm Birth
Authors: Tambor Vojtech , Vajrychova Marie , Kacerovsky Marian , Link Marek , Domasinska Petra , Menon Ramkumar , Lenco Juraj
Published: May 2015

Spontaneous preterm birth significantly contributes to the overall neonatal morbidity associated with preterm deliveries. Nearly 50% of cases are associated with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity followed by an inflammatory response. Robust diagnostic tools for neonates jeopardized by infection and inflammation may thus decrease the overall neonatal morbidity substantially. Amniotic fluid retrieved during labor retains fetal and pregnancy-related protein fingerprint and its sampling does not place any unwanted stress on women. Using exploratory and targeted methods we analyzed proteomes of amniotic fluid sampled at the end of spontaneous preterm labor prior to delivery from women with and without infection and inflammation. Exploratory data indicated several amniotic fluid proteins to be associated with infectious-inflammatory complications in spontaneous preterm birth. LC-SRM analysis subsequently verified statistically significant changes in lipocalin-1 (P=0.047and AUC = 0.67,P=0.046), glycodelin (P=0.013and AUC = 0.73,P=0.013), and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (P=0.018and AUC = 0.71,P=0.01).
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Controversy over the ASSLD Guideline
Authors: Guo Le-Hang , Xu Hui-Xiong
Published: May 2015

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are both regarded as primary liver cancers, having different biological behaviors and prognoses. Correct differentiation between them is essential for surgical planning and prognosis assessment. In 2005, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) recommended that noninvasive diagnosis of HCC is achievable by a single dynamic technique (including contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)) showing intense arterial uptake followed by washout of contrast in the venous-delayed phases. However, CEUS has been dropped from the diagnostic techniques in the latest AASLD guideline according to the opinion of some authors from Europe that CEUS may offer false positive HCC diagnosis in patients with ICC. Since the update of AASLD guideline has been released, increased attention has been paid to this interesting topic. Remarkable controversy over this issue is present and this removal was not well received in Europe and Asia. This commentary summarized the opinions for the role of CUES in differentiation between HCC and ICC in recent years. It is concluded that prospective studies with strict design and large case series are mandatory to solve the controversies and stratification of ICC in terms of tumor size and liver background is also essential.
Spectroscopic Evaluations of Interfacial Oxidative Stability of Phosphonic Nanocoatings on Magnesium
Authors: Mahapatro Anil , Matos Negrón Taína D. , Nguyen Alan
Published: May 2015

Magnesium (Mg), and its alloys, is being investigated for its potential biomedical applications for its use as a biodegradable metal. However surface modification strategies are needed to modify the surface of the Mg alloy for its applicability in these applications. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been investigated as a coating strategy on magnesium for biomedical applications. In this report we evaluate the oxidative interfacial stability of phosphonic nanocoatings on magnesium using spectroscopic techniques. Self-assembled mono-/multilayers (SAMs) of octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) were formed on the native oxide layer of magnesium alloy using solution deposition technique. The SAMs modified Mg alloy and its oxidative stability were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). FTIR studies indicated mono-/bidentate bonding of the phosphonic SAMs to the Mg alloy surface. XPS confirmed SAM formation showing presence of “P” peaks while consequently showing decrease in peak intensity of Mg peaks. XPS analysis of the phosphonate peaks showed consistent presence of this peak over a period of 21 days. AFM images showed consistent coverage of the Mg alloy over a period of 21 days. The results collectively confirm that the monolayers are stable under the chosen oxidative study.
Breaking Therapeutic Inertia in Type 2 Diabetes: Active Detection of In-Patient Cases Allows Improvement of Metabolic Control at Midterm
Authors: Lucas Martín Anna M. , Guanyabens Elena , Zavala-Arauco R. , Chamorro Joaquín , Granada Maria Luisa , Mauricio Didac , Puig-Domingo Manuel
Published: May 2015

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) exists in 25–40% of hospitalized patients. Therapeutic inertia is the delay in the intensification of a treatment and it is frequent in T2D. The objectives of this study were to detect patients admitted to surgical wards with hyperglycaemia (HH; fasting glycaemia > 140 mg/dL) as well as those with T2D and suboptimal chronic glycaemic control (SCGC) and to assess the midterm impact of treatment modifications indicated at discharge. A total of 412 HH patients were detected in a period of 18 months; 86.6% (357) had a diagnosed T2D. Their preadmittanceHbA1cwas 7.7 ± 1.5%; 47% (189) hadHbA1c≥ 7.4% (SCGC) and were moved to the upper step in the therapeutic algorithm at discharge. Another 15 subjects (3.6% of the cohort) had T2D according to their currentHbA1c. Ninety-four of the 189 SCGC patients were evaluated 3–6 months later. TheirHbA1cbefore in-hospital-intervention was 8.6 ± 1.2% and 7.5 ± 1.2% at follow-up (P<0.004). Active detection of hyperglycaemia in patients admitted in conventional surgical beds permits the identification of T2D patients with SCGC as well as previously unknown cases. A shift to the upper step in the therapeutic algorithm at discharge improves this control. Hospitalization is an opportunity to break therapeutic inertia.
Effects of Astragaloside IV on the SDF-1/CXCR4 Expression in Atherosclerosis of apoE−/−Mice Induced by Hyperlipaemia
Authors: Qin Hewei , Liu Ping , Lin Shengchao
Published: May 2015

Astragaloside IV (AsIV) is the major effective component extracted from the Chinese herbAstragalus membranaceus,which has been widely used to treat cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown that AsIV can potentially protect the arteries from atherosclerosis; however the mechanisms underneath are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AsIV on blood lipids, CD40-CD40L signal system, and SDF-1/CXCR4 biological axis in high-fat diet apoE−/−mice and reveal the molecular mechanisms of AsIV against atherosclerosis. Here, we showed that AsIV alleviated the extent of atherosclerosis in aorta of apoE−/−mice. And AsIV can significantly downregulate PAC-1, CD40L, and CXCR4 expression on platelet surface in blood of high-fat diet apoE−/−mice. AsIV also can significantly downregulate mRNA and protein level of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in thoracic aorta. Consistent with aorta CXCR4 expression, CXCR4 in bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) was also reduced. Meanwhile biochemical analysis showed that AsIV could downregulate TG, TC, and LDL-C levels and upregulate HDL-C level in blood of high-fat diet apoE−/−mice. We concluded that the protective effects of AsIV in atherosclerosis injury may be related to regulating blood lipids, CD40-CD40L system, and SDF-1/CXCR4 biological axis. SDF-1/CXCR4 biological axis is probably one of the main targets of intervening atherosclerosis.