bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cytokine-induced human IFN-γ–secreting effector-memory Th cells in chronic autoimmune inflammation
Authors: Sattler Arne , Wagner Ulf , Rossol Manuela , Sieper Joachim , Wu Peihua , Krause Andreas , Schmidt Wolfgang A. , Radmer Sebastian , Kohler Siegfried , Romagnani Chiara , Thiel Andreas
Published: December 2008

T-helper (Th) cells activated by cytokines in the absence of T-cell receptor ligation are suspected to participate in inflammatory processes by production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Still, the relevance of such a mechanism has not been addressed in humans. Here we demonstrate that a subset of human effector-memory Th cells expressing functional interleukin-12R (IL-12R), IL-18Rα, and CCR5 ex vivo can be induced to secrete IFN-γ by cytokines signaling via the IL-2R common γ-chain in combination with IL-12 and IL-18. Cytokine-driven IFN-γ production depends on JAK3- and p38 mitogen-activated kinase signals and is sensitive to suppression by CD25++ regulatory T cells. Contrary to IFN-γ+ Th cells induced upon antigen-specific stimulation, their cytokine-activated counterparts characteristically lack expression of costimulator 4-1BB (CD137). Strikingly, the majority of Th cells infiltrating inflamed joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients is equipped with receptors prerequisite for cytokine-induced IFN-γ secretion. Among these cells, we detected a substantial fraction that secretes IFN-γ directly ex vivo but lacks 4-1BB expression, indicating that cytokine-induced IFN-γ+ Th cells operate in autoimmune inflammation. Our data provide a rationale for how human effector-memory Thcells can participate in perpetuating inflammatory processes in autoimmunity even in the absence of T-cell receptor ligation.
Prediction of protein-protein binding site by using core interface residue and support vector machine
Authors: Li Nan , Sun Zhonghua , Jiang Fan
Published: December 2008

Background

The prediction of protein-protein binding site can provide structural annotation to the protein interaction data from proteomics studies. This is very important for the biological application of the protein interaction data that is increasing rapidly. Moreover, methods for predicting protein interaction sites can also provide crucial information for improving the speed and accuracy of protein docking methods.

Results

In this work, we describe a binding site prediction method by designing a new residue neighbour profile and by selecting only the core-interface residues for SVM training. The residue neighbour profile includes both the sequential and the spatial neighbour residues of an interface residue, which is a more complete description of the physical and chemical characteristics surrounding the interface residue. The concept of core interface is applied in selecting the interface residues for training the SVM models, which is shown to result in better discrimination between the core interface and other residues.

The best SVM model trained was tested on a test set of 50 randomly selected proteins. The sensitivity, specificity, and MCC for the prediction of the core interface residues were 60.6%, 53.4%, and 0.243, respectively. Our prediction results on this test set were compared with other three binding site prediction methods and found to perform better. Furthermore, our method was tested on the 101 unbound proteins from the protein-protein interaction benchmark v2.0. The sensitivity, specificity, and MCC of this test were 57.5%, 32.5%, and 0.168, respectively.

Conclusion

By improving both the descriptions of the interface residues and their surrounding environment and the training strategy, better SVM models were obtained and shown to outperform previous methods. Our tests on the unbound protein structures suggest further improvement is possible.
The meaning of alignment: lessons from structural diversity
Authors: Pirovano Walter , Feenstra K Anton , Heringa Jaap
Published: December 2008

Background

Protein structural alignment provides a fundamental basis for deriving principles of functional and evolutionary relationships. It is routinely used for structural classification and functional characterization of proteins and for the construction of sequence alignment benchmarks. However, the available techniques do not fully consider the implications of protein structural diversity and typically generate a single alignment between sequences.

Results

We have taken alternative protein crystal structures and generated simulation snapshots to explicitly investigate the impact of structural changes on the alignments. We show that structural diversity has a significant effect on structural alignment. Moreover, we observe alignment inconsistencies even for modest spatial divergence, implying that the biological interpretation of alignments is less straightforward than commonly assumed. A salient example is the GroES 'mobile loop' where sub-Ångstrom variations give rise to contradictory sequence alignments.

Conclusion

A comprehensive treatment of ambiguous alignment regions is crucial for further development of structural alignment applications and for the representation of alignments in general. For this purpose we have developed an on-line database containing our data and new ways of visualizing alignment inconsistencies, which can be found at http://www.ibi.vu.nl/databases/stralivari.
An evolutionary and structural characterization of mammalian protein complex organization
Authors: Wong Philip , Althammer Sonja , Hildebrand Andrea , Kirschner Andreas , Pagel Philipp , Geissler Bernd , Smialowski Pawel , Blöchl Florian , Oesterheld Matthias , Schmidt Thorsten , Strack Normann , Theis Fabian J , Ruepp Andreas , Frishman Dmitrij
Published: December 2008

Background

We have recently released a comprehensive, manually curated database of mammalian protein complexes called CORUM. Combining CORUM with other resources, we assembled a dataset of over 2700 mammalian complexes. The availability of a rich information resource allows us to search for organizational properties concerning these complexes.

Results

As the complexity of a protein complex in terms of the number of unique subunits increases, we observed that the number of such complexes and the mean non-synonymous to synonymous substitution ratio of associated genes tend to decrease. Similarly, as the number of different complexes a given protein participates in increases, the number of such proteins and the substitution ratio of the associated gene also tends to decrease. These observations provide evidence relating natural selection and the organization of mammalian complexes. We also observed greater homogeneity in terms of predicted protein isoelectric points, secondary structure and substitution ratio in annotated versus randomly generated complexes. A large proportion of the protein content and interactions in the complexes could be predicted from known binary protein-protein and domain-domain interactions. In particular, we found that large proteins interact preferentially with much smaller proteins.

Conclusion

We observed similar trends in yeast and other data. Our results support the existence of conserved relations associated with the mammalian protein complexes.
Hairy-root organ cultures for the production of human acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Woods Ryan R , Geyer Brian C , Mor Tsafrir S
Published: December 2008

Background

Human cholinesterases can be used as a bioscavenger of organophosphate toxins used as pesticides and chemical warfare nerve agents. The practicality of this approach depends on the availability of the human enzymes, but because of inherent supply and regulatory constraints, a suitable production system is yet to be identified.

Results

As a promising alternative, we report the creation of "hairy root" organ cultures derived via Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation from human acetylcholinesterase-expressing transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Acetylcholinesterase-expressing hairy root cultures had a slower growth rate, reached to the stationary phase faster and grew to lower maximal densities as compared to wild type control cultures. Acetylcholinesterase accumulated to levels of up to 3.3% of total soluble protein, ~3 fold higher than the expression level observed in the parental plant. The enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. Enzymatic properties were nearly identical to those of the transgenic plant-derived enzyme as well as to those of mammalian cell culture derived enzyme. Pharmacokinetic properties of the hairy-root culture derived enzyme demonstrated a biphasic clearing profile. We demonstrate that master banking of plant material is possible by storage at 4°C for up to 5 months.

Conclusion

Our results support the feasibility of using plant organ cultures as a successful alternative to traditional transgenic plant and mammalian cell culture technologies.
Human cellular microRNA hsa-miR-29a interferes with viral nef protein expression and HIV-1 replication
Authors: Ahluwalia Jasmine K , Khan Sohrab Zafar , Soni Kartik , Rawat Pratima , Gupta Ankit , Hariharan Manoj , Scaria Vinod , Lalwani Mukesh , Pillai Beena , Mitra Debashis , Brahmachari Samir K
Published: December 2008

Background

Cellular miRNAs play an important role in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Recently, miRNAs have also been shown to be able to target and inhibit viral gene expression. Computational predictions revealed earlier that the HIV-1 genome includes regions that may be potentially targeted by human miRNAs. Here we report the functionality of predicted miR-29a target site in the HIV-1 nef gene.

Results

We find that the human miRNAs hsa-miR-29a and 29b are expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Expression of a luciferase reporter bearing the nef miR-29a target site was decreased compared to the luciferase construct without the target site. Locked nucleic acid modified anti-miRNAs targeted against hsa-miR-29a and 29b specifically reversed the inhibitory effect mediated by cellular miRNAs on the target site. Ectopic expression of the miRNA results in repression of the target Nef protein and reduction of virus levels.

Conclusion

Our results show that the cellular miRNA hsa-miR29a downregulates the expression of Nef protein and interferes with HIV-1 replication.
Traditional Indian medicine and homeopathy for HIV/AIDS: a review of the literature
Authors: Fritts M , Crawford CC , Quibell D , Gupta A , Jonas WB , Coulter I , Andrade SA
Published: December 2008

Background

Allopathic practitioners in India are outnumbered by practitioners of traditional Indian medicine and homeopathy (TIMH), which is used by up to two-thirds of its population to help meet primary health care needs, particularly in rural areas. India has an estimated 2.5 million HIV infected persons. However, little is known about TIMH use, safety or efficacy in HIV/AIDS management in India, which has one of the largest indigenous medical systems in the world. The purpose of this review was to assess the quality of peer-reviewed, published literature on TIMH for HIV/AIDS care and treatment.

Results

Of 206 original articles reviewed, 21 laboratory studies, 17 clinical studies, and 6 previous reviews of the literature were identified that covered at least one system of TIMH, which includes Ayurveda, Unani medicine, Siddha medicine, homeopathy, yoga and naturopathy. Most studies examined either Ayurvedic or homeopathic treatments. Only 4 of these studies were randomized controlled trials, and only 10 were published in MEDLINE-indexed journals. Overall, the studies reported positive effects and even "cure" and reversal of HIV infection, but frequent methodological flaws call into question their internal and external validity. Common reasons for poor quality included small sample sizes, high drop-out rates, design flaws such as selection of inappropriate or weak outcome measures, flaws in statistical analysis, and reporting flaws such as lack of details on products and their standardization, poor or no description of randomization, and incomplete reporting of study results.

Conclusion

This review exposes a broad gap between the widespread use of TIMH therapies for HIV/AIDS, and the dearth of high-quality data supporting their effectiveness and safety. In light of the suboptimal effectiveness of vaccines, barrier methods and behavior change strategies for prevention of HIV infection and the cost and side effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for its treatment, it is both important and urgent to develop and implement a rigorous research agenda to investigate the potential risks and benefits of TIMH and to identify its role in the management of HIV/AIDS and associated illnesses in India.
HuMiTar: A sequence-based method for prediction of human microRNA targets
Authors: Ruan Jishou , Chen Hanzhe , Kurgan Lukasz , Chen Ke , Kang Chunsheng , Pu Peiyu
Published: December 2008

Background

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that bind to complementary/partially complementary sites in the 3' untranslated regions of target genes to regulate protein production of the target transcript and to induce mRNA degradation or mRNA cleavage. The ability to perform accurate, high-throughput identification of physiologically active miR targets would enable functional characterization of individual miRs. Current target prediction methods include traditional approaches that are based on specific base-pairing rules in the miR's seed region and implementation of cross-species conservation of the target site, and machine learning (ML) methods that explore patterns that contrast true and false miR-mRNA duplexes. However, in the case of the traditional methods research shows that some seed region matches that are conserved are false positives and that some of the experimentally validated target sites are not conserved.

Results

We present HuMiTar, a computational method for identifying common targets of miRs, which is based on a scoring function that considers base-pairing for both seed and non-seed positions for human miR-mRNA duplexes. Our design shows that certain non-seed miR nucleotides, such as 14, 18, 13, 11, and 17, are characterized by a strong bias towards formation of Watson-Crick pairing. We contrasted HuMiTar with several representative competing methods on two sets of human miR targets and a set of ten glioblastoma oncogenes. Comparison with the two best performing traditional methods, PicTar and TargetScanS, and a representative ML method that considers the non-seed positions, NBmiRTar, shows that HuMiTar predictions include majority of the predictions of the other three methods. At the same time, the proposed method is also capable of finding more true positive targets as a trade-off for an increased number of predictions. Genome-wide predictions show that the proposed method is characterized by 1.99 signal-to-noise ratio and linear, with respect to the length of the mRNA sequence, computational complexity. The ROC analysis shows that HuMiTar obtains results comparable with PicTar, which are characterized by high true positive rates that are coupled with moderate values of false positive rates.

Conclusion

The proposed HuMiTar method constitutes a step towards providing an efficient model for studying translational gene regulation by miRs.
Development of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells from cord blood hematopoietic progenitor cells
Authors: Hutton Jonathon F , Gargett Tessa , Sadlon Timothy J , Bresatz Suzanne , Brown Cheryl Y , Zola Heddy , Shannon M Frances , D’Andrea Richard J , Barry Simon C
Published: December 2008

Adult stem cells are capable of generating all of the cells of the hematopoietic system, and this process is orchestrated in part by the interactions between these cells and the stroma. T cell progenitors emerge from the stem cell compartment and migrate to the thymus, where their terminal differentiation and maturation occur, and it is during this phase that selection shapes the immune repertoire. Notch ligands, including Delta-like 1 (DL1), play a critical role in this lymphoid differentiation. To mimic this in vitro, stroma-expressing DL1 have been used to generate CD4+CD8+ double-positive and single-positive T cells from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. This system provides a robust tool to investigate thymopoiesis; however, its capacity to generate regulatory T cells (Tregs) has yet to be reported. Natural Tregs (nTregs) develop in the thymus and help maintain immune homeostasis and have potential clinical use as a cell therapy for modulation of autoimmune disease or for transplant tolerization. Here, we describe for the first time the development of a population of CD4+CD25+ CD127loFoxP3+ cells that emerge in coculture of cord blood (CB) CD34+ progenitors on OP9-DL1 stroma. These hematopoietic progenitor-derived CD4+CD25+ Tregs have comparable suppressor function with CB nTregs in vitro. The addition of IL-2 to the coculture enhanced the expansion and survival of this population significantly. This manipulable culture system, therefore, generates functional Tregs and provides a system to elucidate the mechanism of Treg development.
Environmentally Sustainable Solution for a Gas Turbine Upgrade with Aid of a Clean Development Mechanism Application in a Non-Annex I Country
Authors: Becker Volker , Wolf Markus , Fahrer Roland , Brandett Jörgen , Hess Stephan
Published: December 2008

ALSTOM Power Service delivers solutions not only to recover degradation, but also to increase the performance and efficiency of the installed global power generation fleet. Such performance improvements also reduce greenhouse gases, particularly CO2 emissions. The mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol promote the implementation of CO2-reducing state-of-the-art technologies to developing and emerging economies. Having installed the world's largest power generation fleet, ALSTOM wants to make use of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to make technology implementation economically attractive for non-Annex I countries. This paper gives an overview and outlook for environmental mechanisms and technologies, the value proposition and some experience in pioneering a CDM project with a gas turbine upgrade in a non-Annex I country. It is shown that in a crediting period of 10 years 3 million tons of CO2eq can be saved on a mid-sized power plant. Assuming a price of € 8 per ton of CO2eq for Certified Emission Reductions this would lead to an annual revenue of 20 % of the initial implementation cost, representing a very attractive business case for the plant operator. The described CDM application can be a decisive factor for proceeding with a fuel switch or an upgrade. The revenues earned from emission trading enables the plant operator to make the investment to reduce Kyoto-relevant emissions.
Sonel Mapping: A Probabilistic Acoustical Modeling Method
Authors: Kapralos Bill , Jenkin Michael , Milios Evangelos
Published: December 2008

Sonel mapping is a Monte-Carlo-based acoustical modeling technique that approximates the acoustics of an environment while accounting for diffuse and specular reflections as well as diffraction effects. Through the use of a probabilistic Russian roulette strategy to determine the type of interaction between a sound and any objects/surfaces it may encounter, sonel mapping avoids excessively large running times in contrast to deterministic techniques. Sonel mapping approximates many of the subtle interaction effects required for realistic acoustical modeling yet due to its probabilistic nature, can be incorporated into interactive virtual environments where accuracy is often substituted for efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the approach.
On the Probability Density Functions of the Terms Described by the EN12354 Prediction Method
Authors: Mahn Jeffrey , Pearse John
Published: December 2008

The probability density functions of each of the terms described in the standards, EN12354-1 and ISO10848-1 are identified in this study using experimental data and data from Monte Carlo simulations. Identification of the probability density functions is essential if the uncertainty of the prediction methods described in the standards is to be determined. It is concluded that the uncertainty of most of the logarithmic terms of the standards may be calculated using the guidelines of the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. However, Monte Carlo simulations will need to be used to calculate the uncertainty of the apparent transmission loss, the apparent sound reduction index and all of the linear terms of the standards. As a result of this study, alternative calculations for the direction averaged velocity level difference and the flanking transmission loss are proposed for lightweight building elements.
Study of Sound Generated by Large-Scale Structures in Low Speed Coaxial Jets
Authors: Alonso Mikel , Avital Eldad J.
Published: December 2008

Sound generation by low speed circular and elliptic coaxial jets is investigated computationally. The secondary to primary jet velocity ratio is limited up to 0.4 and the elliptic jet profile has a 2:1 aspect ratio. Large Eddy Simulations are coupled with the Lighthill's acoustic analogy. Flow incompressibility is assumed limiting the study to the compact quadrupole structures generated during the jet mixing process. As expected, adding a secondary stream is found to extend the mixing region, while changing the jet geometry from circular to elliptic leads to vice versa. Good qualitative agreement in the flow behaviour is achieved with known results. Lighthill's longitudinal streamwise quadrupole is found to dominate the sound generation leading to a mildly high streamwise emission. Increasing the velocity ratio of the secondary stream to the primary stream increases the dominance of the streamwise sound emission. Good qualitative agreement with a previously suggested sound directivity pattern is achieved. Adding a secondary stream to the jet is found to have a mixed effect on the emitted acoustic power. A plausible explanation based on a large scale instability wave model is presented.

Dominance of the longitudinal streamwise quadrupole Qxx was observed in all jets and the lateral quadrupoles Qxy and Qxz were of about the same magnitude and only secondary to Qxx. This resulted in high sound emission in the streamwise direction particularly as U1 /U0 was increased to 0.4. Good qualitative agreement was found with a previously suggested expression for the sound directivity pattern [18]. Adding a secondary stream did not cause a significant reduction in the overall acoustic power output as changing the jet geometry from circular to elliptic which was also limited to about 2 dB reduction. Further evidence for the existence of a large scale wave packet structure in the mixing region was produced. The wave packet source model was used to point to the opposing effects on the acoustic power output when adding a secondary stream, which could result in its mild and mixed effect.
Towards a theory of intentional behaviour change: Plans, planning, and self‐regulation
Authors: Sniehotta Falko F.
Published: December 2008

Purpose Briefly review the current state of theorizing about volitional behaviour change and identification of challenges and possible solutions for future theory development.

Method Review of the literature and theoretical analysis.

Results Reasoned action theories have made limited contributions to the science of behaviour change as they do not propose means of changing cognitions or account for existing effective behaviour change techniques. Changing beliefs does not guarantee behaviour change. The implementation intentions (IMPs) approach to planning has advanced theorizing but the applications to health behaviours often divert substantially from the IMPs paradigm with regard to interventions, effects, mediators and moderators. Better construct definitions and differentiations are needed to make further progress in integrating theory and understanding behaviour change.

Conclusions Further progress in theorizing can be achieved by (a) disentangling planning constructs to study their independent and joint effects on behaviour, (b) progressing research on moderators and mediators of planning effects outside the laboratory and (c) integrating planning processes within learning theory and self‐regulation theory.
Clinico-pathologic Features of Fatal Disease Attributed to New Variants of Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses in Two Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)
Authors: Garner M. M. , Helmick K. , Ochsenreiter J. , Richman L. K. , Latimer E. , Wise A. G. , Maes R. K. , Kiupel M. , Nordhausen R. W. , Zong J. C. , Hayward G. S.
Published: December 2008

The first herpesviruses described in association with serious elephant disease were referred to as endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV) because of their ability to infect capillary endothelial cells and cause potentially fatal disease. Two related viruses, EEHV1 and EEHV2, have been described based on genetic composition. This report describes the similarities and differences in clinicopathologic features of 2 cases of fatal endotheliotropic herpesvirus infections in Asian elephants caused by a previously unrecognized virus within the betaherpesvirus subfamily. EEHV3 is markedly divergent from the 2 previously studied fatal probosciviruses, based on polymerase chain reaction sequence analysis of 2 segments of the viral genome. In addition to ascites, widespread visceral edema, petechiae, and capillary damage previously reported, important findings with EEHV3 infection were the presence of grossly visible renal medullary hemorrhage, a tropism for larger veins and arteries in various tissues, relatively high density of renal herpetic inclusions, and involvement of the retinal vessels. These findings indicate a less selective organ tropism, and this may confer a higher degree of virulence for EEHV3.
National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines: Emerging Biomarkers for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
Authors:   NACB LMPG Committee Members, Myers Gary L , Christenson Robert H M , Cushman Mary , Ballantyne Christie M , Cooper Gerald R , Pfeiffer Christine M , Grundy Scott M , Labarthe Darwin R , Levy Daniel , Rifai Nader , Wilson Peter W F
Published: December 2008

Background: Heart disease and stroke continue to be the leading causes of death in the US. As a result, investigators continue to look for new and emerging biomarkers of disease risk. Because many of these emerging biomarkers are not as well documented as those of conventional lipid and lipoprotein risk factors, their value in clinical practice needs to be critically appraised and appropriate guidelines developed for their proposed use.

Content: The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB) convened a multidisciplinary expert panel to develop laboratory medicine practice guidelines for a selected subset of these emerging risk factors as applied in a primary prevention setting of heart disease and stroke. The NACB expert panel selected lipoprotein subclasses and particle concentration, lipoprotein(a), apolipoproteins A-I and B, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fibrinogen, white blood cell count, homocysteine, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP), and markers of renal function as biomarkers that fell within the scope of these guidelines.

Conclusions: Based on a thorough review of the published literature, only hsCRP met all of the stated criteria required for acceptance as a biomarker for risk assessment in primary prevention.
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors and modifications of thyroid function tests: a review
Authors: Illouz Frédéric , Laboureau-Soares Sandrine , Dubois Séverine , Rohmer Vincent , Rodien Patrice
Published: December 2008

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) belong to new molecular multi-targeted therapies that are approved for the treatment of haematological and solid tumours. They interact with a large variety of protein tyrosine kinases involved in oncogenesis. In 2005, the first case of hypothyroidism was described and since then, some data have been published and have confirmed that TKI can affect the thyroid function tests (TFT). This review analyses the present clinical and fundamental findings about the effects of TKI on the thyroid function. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the effect of TKI on the thyroid function but those are mainly based on clinical observations. Moreover, it appears that TKI could alter the thyroid hormone regulation by mechanisms that are specific to each molecule. The present propositions for the management of TKI-induced hypothyroidism suggest that we assess the TFT of the patients regularly before and during the treatment by TKI. Thus, a better approach of patients with TKI-induced hypothyroidism could improve their quality of life.
From free radicals to science of nutrition
Authors: Blázovics Anna
Published: December 2008

A szabadgyök-kutatás évtizedei alatt egyre közelebb kerültünk ahhoz a felismeréshez, hogy a szervezet szabad gyök–antioxidáns egyensúlyát alapvetően a genetikai háttér és a környezet határozza meg. A Janus-arcú oxigén-szabadgyökök a szignáltranszdukciós utak szekunder hírvivői és egyben a sejtek citotoxikus ágensei is. A szignáltranszdukciós fehérjék mérsékelt oxidációs hatásokra és fémionokra történő aktivációja még nem eléggé ismert. A szignáltranszdukció aktivátorai és inhibitorai közötti molekuláris mechanizmusok finoman kontrolláltak. A sejtek antioxidáns–prooxidáns egyensúlya visszavezethető a szabad szulfhidrilcsoportok és a diszulfidhidak koncentrációviszonyára. Az esszenciális és toxikus fémionok, valamint a szelén egyaránt szerepet játszanak a redox-homeosztázisban. Az egészséges szövetek bővelkednek antioxidánsokban, ezáltal biztosítják a szervezet szabad gyökökkel szembeni védelmét. A táplálékkal felvett antioxidáns vegyületek, mint például az A-, C-, E-vitaminok, polifenolok, antocianinok, flavonoidok, izotiocianátok és más bioaktív molekulák eredeti molekulaformájukban és derivátumaikban is képesek befolyásolni a redoxifolyamatokat. Napjaink molekuláris biológai kutatásainak eredményeképpen egyre több, táplálékkal felvehető vegyületről, illetve azok metabolitjairól bizonyosodik be, hogy génszinten is kifejtik hatásukat.
Repair of the Perforated Sinus Membrane With Buccal Fat Pad During Sinus Augmentation
Authors: Hassani Ali , Khojasteh Arash , Alikhasi Marzieh
Published: December 2008

Several reports demonstrate successful use of the buccal fat pad (BFP) as pedicled graft in reconstructing small to medium sized maxillary defects. BFP harvesting has so far been shown to be an easy, well-tolerated, and uncomplicated technique for oral reconstruction. This case report proposes the use of BFP for repairing of the perforated sinus membrane during sinus augmentation.
Theoretical Thermodynamic Study of Crude Extraction by Isentropic Relaxation of Natural Gas
Authors: Dablé Pierre Jean-Marie R. , Dakoury Gilles G. , Yao Benjamin , Gossan Ado , Ezouah Charles A.
Published: December 2008

The process of crude extraction consists of removing the heavy hydrocarbons from natural gas resulting from
the layers. The extraction is carried out by the cooling process of the gas phase, to reach the heavy hydrocarbons points of
condensation and allow their extraction from the gas phase. This operation is also undertaken using the paraffin oils physicochemical
property of heavy molecules absorption.

The study of a process based on the cooling of natural gas carried out by using a turbo expander ensuring isentropic relaxation,
appears conclusive. This process converts the energy of relaxation into energy of compression. The cycle of the
treatment proposed permits to confer the physical characteristics to the gas which modify its chemical composition returning
it by the same time purified from heavy hydrocarbons. This process has the advantage of being definitely less expensive
in energy; 22 KwH instead of 427 KwH for crude extraction from the same gas phase by the cooling process.
Correlation of Metabolic Pathways with the Primary Structure in Acetylated Proteins
Authors: Yang Zheng Rong , Chou Kuo-Chen
Published: December 2008

Signaling pathways are the major component in cellular networks, but most studies done recently on signaling
pathways were either aimed to enhance various molecular predictions using pathways as contexts or focused to predict
pathways indirectly. The former assumed that the pathways for the biomolecules (genes or proteins) used in the modelling
were known. Although the latter was well suiting the biosciences researches at the systems level, the indirect predictions
would more or less rely on the prediction accuracy of other systems. So far no work whatsoever has been done for studying
the direct correlation between signaling pathways and protein primary structures although acetylated proteins are one
of the main players in metabolic signaling pathways. In order to investigate their correlation, the sequences of 76 experimentally
verified acetylated proteins were downloaded from NCBI. They cover three major metabolic pathways, i.e., biosynthesis,
degradation, and metabolism. Without any a prior knowledge about how these three metabolic pathways are
correlated with the primary structures of acetylated proteins, we proposed some classification models between the pathways.
It has been found through computer simulations that the signaling pathways are indeed correlated with the primary
structures in acetylated proteins, further demonstrating the well-known biological law that sequence determines structure
and structure determines function.
Calculation of Kinetic Parameters and Active Sites Concentration for a New Multiple Site Model in Bulk Propylene Polymerization with the MgCl -Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalyst Using the Genetic Algorithm Method
Authors: Pourmahdian Saeed , Ghanbari Miaad
Published: December 2008

A comprehensive triple-site-model was studied. This model was based on the new molecular dynamics outcomes obtained from the researchers on the different active sites that exist on the heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The model was composed of high-isospecific site (IS), low-isospecific site (IS), and aspecific site (AS). A transformation occurred on the high isotactic site and a second isotactic site was generated, as the low-isospecific site. The model is able to predict experimental results of bulk propylene polymerization with great accuracy. Moreover, the kinetic parameters and constants for each individual site has an Arrhenius type behavior. These parameters were determined using genetic algorithm adaptation method. The concentration of each type of sites, the isotactic and atactic fraction were determined during the polymerization, per unit mass of catalyst. A very good agreement was found in between the model and reported experimental results.
DYNET project: DAAD joint curriculum development in civil engineering of University of Nis
Authors: Stojic Dragoslav , Djordjevic Djordje , Stojic Jasmina
Published: December 2008

DYNET Project has greatly contributed to the development of high engineering education at the University of Nis, since year 2000. This project has been financed by the German DAAD program, in the framework of the South East Europe Stability Pact, and the goal of the project is primarily development of high education in the region, and education of young engineers. The project began at the Ruhr University of Bochum (RUB) in cooperation with the Universities of Nis (UN), Skopje and Sarajevo, and later expanded to other universities. The basis of cooperation is a very successful long term cooperation of two universities of RUB and UN, that dates back to 1975 and which has been managed by professor Guenther Schmid of the University of Bochum. A reform of the Curriculum was initiated at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Nis in 2000 and it has been officially underway for three years. The programs have been organized along the principles of the Bologna process. The studies are divided into three levels: Bachelor Studies, Master Studies, and Doctoral Studies. The programs of the studies comprise study fields such as bridges, tunnels, hydraulic engineering, road and rail networks or residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The paper promotes the benefits of the participation of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Nis in the DYNET project, as well as the analysis and challenges which were present in the process of engineering education.
Nonlinear seismic analysis of asymmetric in plan buildings
Authors: Ladjinovic Djordje
Published: December 2008

In many buildings the centres of resistance do not coincide with the centres of mass. As a consequence, lateral base motion during an earthquake gives rise to torsional vibration of the structure. The inelastic seismic behaviour of asymmetric-plan buildings is considered using the histories of base shear and torque. The procedure to construct the base shear and torque (BST) surface of the system with an arbitrary number of resisting elements in the direction of asymmetry and of ground motion is proposed. The factors that determine the shape of the BST surface are the strength eccentricity, lateral and torsional capacity of the system and planwise distribution of strength. The BST surface contains most of information necessary to describe the inelastic properties of a system. However, the inelastic deformation cannot be computed unless a nonlinear static or dynamic analysis is performed.
Formative characteristics of moderne style in Nis
Authors: Kekovic Aleksandar , Petrovic Marjan
Published: December 2008

Architectural forming in the Moderne movement lies, or rather stems from the function, that is, from the structure bulk, whose composition dictates volumetry which is the principal characteristics of a structure. It can be stated that this simplified definition of architectural forming in the Nis Moderne is only partially true, because many other factors influenced forming and creation of the Nis Moderne. The very introduction states that until 30's of the last century, the prevailing styles and directions in Serbian Moderne, and by virtue of this, in Nis, were classicistic pseudo styles, national romantic architecture based on Serbian-Byzantine style, as well as folk architecture. Many authors leading the Moderne in Serbia and Nis, often designed at the beginning of their careers in some of the mentioned styles or combined them, so that the influence of these styles and directions was felt for a very long time in their designing opus. Often, the investors' wishes to add an element or two on the fa?ade in order to make it 'more beautiful and richer' left its mark - the majority of Moderne buildings in Serbia and Nis are a sort of compromise resulting from this struggle between old styles, investors' preferences and architects' aspirations to something new.
Historical heritage and contemporary architecture fusion at the example of the city center of Graz
Authors: Arandjelovic Biljana
Published: December 2008

The research subject of the paper is the center of Graz as a fusion of historical heritage and modern architecture, with its seven landmarks of modern architecture selected here in order to make a short review of this unusual mix. Although the historical center is well known as UNESCO protected district, that may not be damaged or destroyed, the avant-garde shops and bars found their place in the ancient center, complementing it. A contrast of new and the old is also present in the likeness of a fusion of historical heritage and contemporary architecture. This unusual combination made Graz a unique city which could serve as example for the future, how to make contemporary architecture in the middle of historical environment.
Limit analysis of beams under combined stresses
Authors: Mijalkovic Marina , Trajkovic Marina , Milosevic Bojan
Published: December 2008

The problem of the determination of limit bearing capacity of beam cross section under pure bending, eccentric tension, pure shear, as well as combined stress is considered in this paper. The influence functions of the bending moment and axial force, as well as the bending moment, axial and shear force on the cross section limit bearing capacity in case of rectangular and I beam cross section are derived.
Terrestrial photogrammetry and application to modeling architectural objects
Authors: Stojakovic Vesna
Published: December 2008

In this paper terrestrial photogrammetry is analyzed and its applications in architecture presented. Photogrammetry is a technique of representing and measuring 3D objects using data stored on 2D photographs and it has many advantages over traditional methods. We give theoretical background for the methods used in creating 3D models from photographs and then, using the appropriate software, we apply these methods to create 3D models of architectural objects. Using the described photogrammetric methods we constructed detailed 3D models of over 100 sacral objects in Vojvodina built from 18th until the first half of the 20th century. Many of these objects were seriously damaged, some in a critical condition and it was the last moment to record their present state.
Preparation of strontium hexaferrite magnets from celestite and blue dust by mechanochemical route
Authors: Tiwary R.K. , Narayan S.P. , Pandey O.P.
Published: December 2008

In the present investigation celestite (natural ore of strontium) and blue dust (iron ore fines) have been used for the preparation of strontium hexaferrite powder. The mechanical alloying process has been adopted to prepare strontium hexaferrite powder. The celestite after chemical upradation and physically upgraded blue dust alongwith sodium carbonate was taken for the preparation of strontium hexaferrite in this experiment. The high-energy planetary ball mill with tungsten carbide jar and ball was used to prepare strontium hexaferrite powder. A long time of ball milling for different duration has led to displacement solid-state reaction. At the end of each experiment the product was washed thoroughly and dried. The X-ray diffaction study after annealing shows the development of single-phase strontium hexaferrite after 40 hrs. of milling. The resultant powder was compacted under magnetic field and sintered to prepare the magnet after annealing the ferrite powder. The magnetic properties were measured by Pulse magneto meter. The moderate value of coercivity, remanence and energy product were observed in this sintered magnet. The work illustrates the feasibility to prepare strontium hexaferrite magnetic powders directly from natural ores which can reduce the total cost of production as compared to conventional method.
Symmetries and integrability
Authors: Jovanovic Bozidar
Published: December 2008

This is a survey on finite-dimensional integrable dynamical systems related to Hamiltonian G-actions. Within a framework of noncommutative integrability we study integrability of G-invariant systems, collective motions and reduced integrability. We also consider reductions of the Hamiltonian flows restricted to their invariant submanifolds generalizing classical Hess-Appel'rot case of a heavy rigid body motion.
Versions of Koebe 1/4 theorem for analytic and quasiregular harmonic functions and applications
Authors: Mateljevic Miodrag
Published: December 2008

In this paper we mainly survey results obtained in [MM3]. For example, we give an elementary proof of two versions of Koebe 1/4 theorem for analytic functions (see Theorem 1.2 and Theorem 1.4 below). We also show a version of the Koebe theorem for quasiregular harmonic functions. As an application, we show that holomorphic functions (more generally quasiregular harmonic functions) and their modulus have similar behavior in a certain sense.
A note on shock profiles in dissipative hyperbolic and parabolic models
Authors: Simic Srboljub
Published: December 2008

This note presents a comparative study of shock profiles in dissipative systems. Main assumption is that both hyperbolic and parabolic model are reducible to the same underlying equilibrium system when dissipative effects are neglected. It will be shown that the highest characteristic speed of equilibrium system determines the critical value of the shock speed for which downstream equilibrium state bifurcates. It will be also shown that it obeys the same transcritical bifurcation pattern in hyperbolic, as well as in parabolic case.
A new approach to temperate generalized Colombeau functions
Authors: Delcroix Antoine
Published: December 2008

A new approach to the algebra G? of temperate nonlinear generalized functions is proposed, in which G? is based on the space OM endowed with is natural topology in contrary to previous constructions. Thus, this construction fits perfectly in the general scheme of construction of Colombeau type algebras and reveals better properties of G?. This is illustrated by the natural introduction of a regularity theory in G?, of the Fourier transform, with the definition of GO'C, the space of rapidly generalized distributions which is the Fourier image of G?.
Relations among positive and negative affect, dysphoria and anxiety1
Authors: Novovic Zdenka , Mihic Ljiljana , Tovilovic Snezana , Jovanovic Veljko
Published: December 2008

According to Tellegen et al.'s Two-factor model, commonalities between depression and anxiety are due to their shared variance with Negative affect (NA), a broad dimension of general distress. Low Positive affect (PA), a dimension of pleasurable emotions, is believed to be uniquely related to depression. In this study, we tested these basic assumptions. A sample of 141 students at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad filled out a state measure of PA, NA, and basic emotions (SIAB-PANAS), a depression scale (BDI-II), and a state anxiety scale (STAI-S). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to estimate the unique contributions of PA, NA, and basic emotions in the prediction of dysphoria and anxiety. The hypothesis that NA is a general dimension related to both dysphoria and anxiety was supported. Sadness and fear added incrementally to the prediction of both criteria. However, contrary to our hypothesis, PA was related to both dysphoria and anxiety. Joviality, attentiveness, and self-assurance were better predictors of anxiety than dysphoria. Methodological and clinical implications of the results were discussed.
User profiles of internet addicts in Serbia
Authors: Hinic Darko
Published: December 2008

This work was a part of a broader empirical study of Internet users with excessive and dysfunctional Internet use symptoms. The aim of this particular article was to describe user profiles of Internet addicts in Serbia. The study recruited 100 subjects in total, 50 in both the clinical and control group. The clinical group included the Internet users who asked for professional help due to the symptoms of the excessive Internet use and fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for Internet behavior disorder proposed by the American Psychology Association. The results have shown that population with Internet addiction symptoms equally included both males and females, mostly adolescent and younger population, teenagers and university students, persons with higher income and users from economically more developed areas of Serbia. The user profile of this group is characterized by frequent logging on with intervals of several hours online at one time, mainly in the evening or at night, and also intensive negative reactions to any form of Internet access deprivation. By means of factor analysis, three dimensions of pathological use have been established: mixed type with particular need for up-to-date information, social interaction addiction and need for fun-seeking, namely pursuing hobbies online (cyberpornography, online games, music, art and so on).