bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circadian Modulation of the Cl−Equilibrium Potential in the Rat Suprachiasmatic Nuclei
Authors: Alamilla Javier , Perez-Burgos Azucena , Quinto Daniel , Aguilar-Roblero Raúl
Published: May 2014

The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) constitute a circadian clock in mammals, whereγ-amino-butyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission prevails and participates in different aspects of circadian regulation. Evidence suggests that GABA has an excitatory function in the SCN in addition to its typical inhibitory role. To examine this possibility further, we determined the equilibrium potential of GABAergic postsynaptic currents (EGABA) at different times of the day and in different regions of the SCN, using either perforated or whole cell patch clamp. Our results indicate that during the day most neurons in the dorsal SCN have anEGABAclose to −30 mV while in the ventral SCN they have anEGABAclose to −60 mV; this difference reverses during the night, in the dorsal SCN neurons have anEGABAof −60 mV and in the ventral SCN they have anEGABAof −30 mV. The depolarized equilibrium potential can be attributed to the activity of the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(−) (NKCC) cotransporter since the equilibrium potential becomes more negative following addition of the NKCC blocker bumetanide. Our results suggest an excitatory role for GABA in the SCN and further indicate both time (day versus night) and regional (dorsal versus ventral) modulation ofEGABAin the SCN.
Role of MicroRNA-1 in Human Cancer and Its Therapeutic Potentials
Authors: Han Chao , Yu Zujiang , Duan Zhenfeng , Kan Quancheng
Published: May 2014

While the mechanisms of human cancer development are not fully understood, evidence of microRNA (miRNA, miR) dysregulation has been reported in many human diseases, including cancer. miRs are small noncoding RNA molecules that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression by binding to complementary sequences in the specific region of gene mRNAs, resulting in downregulation of gene expression. Not only are certain miRs consistently dysregulated across many cancers, but they also play critical roles in many aspects of cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, and drug resistance. Recent studies from our group and others revealed that miR-1 is frequently downregulated in various types of cancer. Through targeting multiple oncogenes and oncogenic pathways, miR-1 has been demonstrated to be a tumor suppressor gene that represses cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and promotes apoptosis by ectopic expression. In this review, we highlight recent findings on the aberrant expression and functional significance of miR-1 in human cancers and emphasize its significant values for therapeutic potentials.
A Novel Method for Intraoral Access to the Superior Head of the Human Lateral Pterygoid Muscle
Authors: Oliveira Aleli Tôrres , Camilo Anderson Aparecido , Bahia Paulo Roberto Valle , Carvalho Antonio Carlos Pires , DosSantos Marcos Fabio , da Silva Jorge Vicente Lopes , Monteiro André Antonio
Published: May 2014

Background.The uncoordinated activity of the superior and inferior parts of the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) has been suggested to be one of the causes of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc displacement. A therapy for this muscle disorder is the injection of botulinum toxin (BTX), of the LPM. However, there is a potential risk of side effects with the injection guide methods currently available. In addition, they do not permit appropriate differentiation between the two bellies of the muscle. Herein, a novel method is presented to provide intraoral access to the superior head of the human LPM with maximal control and minimal hazards.Methods.Computational tomography along with digital imaging software programs and rapid prototyping techniques were used to create a rapid prototyped guide to orient BTX injections in the superior LPM.Results.The method proved to be feasible and reliable. Furthermore, when tested in one volunteer it allowed precise access to the upper head of LPM, without producing side effects.Conclusions.The prototyped guide presented in this paper is a novel tool that provides intraoral access to the superior head of the LPM. Further studies will be necessary to test the efficacy and validate this method in a larger cohort of subjects.
Role of Working Memory Storage and Attention Focus Switching in Children’s Comprehension of Spoken Object Relative Sentences
Authors: Finney Mianisha C. , Montgomery James W. , Gillam Ronald B. , Evans Julia L.
Published: May 2014

The present study evaluated a two-mechanism memory model of the online auditory comprehension of object relative (OR) sentences in 7–11-year-old typically developing children. Mechanisms of interest included working memory storage (WMS) and attention focus switching. We predicted that both mechanisms would be important for comprehension. Forty-four children completed a listening span task indexing WMS, an auditory attention focus switching task, and an agent selection task indexing spoken sentence comprehension. Regression analyses indicated that WMS and attention focus switching accuracy each accounted for significant and unique variance in the children’s OR comprehension after accounting for age. Results were interpreted to suggest that WMS is important for OR comprehension by supporting children’s ability to retain both noun phrase 1 and noun phrase 2 prior to their reactivating noun phrase 1 from memory in order to integrate it into a developing structure. Attention focus switching was interpreted to be critical in supporting children’s noun phrase 1 reactivation, as they needed to switch their focus of attention momentarily away from ongoing language processing to memory retrieval.
Systemic Control of Cell Division and Endoreduplication by NAA and BAP by Modulating CDKs in Root Tip Cells ofAllium cepa
Authors: Tank Jigna G. , Thaker Vrinda S.
Published: May 2014

Molecular mechanism regulated by auxin and cytokinin during endoreduplication, cell division, and elongation process is studied by usingAllium cepa rootsas a model system. The activity of CDK genes modulated by auxin and cytokinin during cell division, elongation, and endoreduplication process is explained in this research work. To study the significance of auxin and cytokinin in the management of cell division and endoreduplication process in plant meristematic cells at molecular level endoreduplication was developed in root tips ofAllium cepaby giving colchicine treatment. There were inhibition of vegetative growth, formation of c-tumor at root tip, and development of endoreduplicated cells after colchicine treatment. This c-tumor was further treated with NAA and BAP to reinitiate vegetative growth in roots. BAP gave positive response in reinitiation of vegetative growth of roots from center of c-tumor. However, NAA gave negative response in reinitiation of vegetative growth of roots from c-tumor. Further, CDKs gene expression analysis from normal, endoreduplicated, and phytohormone (NAA or BAP) treated root tip was done and remarkable changes in transcription level of CDK genes in normal, endoreduplicated, and phytohormones treated cells were observed.
Intraductal Papillary Neoplasms of the Bile Duct
Authors: Ohtsuka Masayuki , Shimizu Hiroaki , Kato Atsushi , Yoshitomi Hideyuki , Furukawa Katsunori , Tsuyuguchi Toshio , Sakai Yuji , Yokosuka Osamu , Miyazaki Masaru
Published: May 2014

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a rare variant of bile duct tumors characterized by papillary growth within the bile duct lumen and is regarded as a biliary counterpart of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas. IPNBs display a spectrum of premalignant lesion towards invasive cholangiocarcinoma. The most common radiologic findings for IPNB are bile duct dilatation and intraductal masses. The major treatment of IPNB is surgical resection. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance image, and cholangiography are usually performed to assess tumor location and extension. Cholangioscopy can confirm the histology and assess the extent of the tumor including superficial spreading along the biliary epithelium. However, pathologic diagnosis by preoperative biopsy cannot always reflect the maximum degree of atypia, because IPNBs are often composed of varying degrees of cytoarchitectural atypia. IPNBs are microscopically classified into four epithelial subtypes, such as pancreatobiliary, intestinal, gastric, and oncocytic types. Most cases of IPNB are IPN with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or with an associated invasive carcinoma. The histologic types of invasive lesions are either tubular adenocarcinoma or mucinous carcinoma. Although several authors have investigated molecular genetic changes during the development and progression of IPNB, these are still poorly characterized and controversial.
Photovoltaic Power System with MPPT Functionality for a Small-Size Electric Vehicle
Authors: Xu Jianming , Kang Longyun , Zhong Changyi , Cao Binggang
Published: May 2014

Electric vehicles are recognized as the best replacement of petrol vehicles in the future. However, there are several problems hampering their development, such as the short life span of batteries, poor performance of start-up, and a short driving range. In order to resolve these problems, a hybrid power system based on photovoltaic (PV) cells, supercapacitors, and batteries is proposed. This paper focuses on PV cells using a maximum power point track (MPPT) system based on a BUCK chopper circuit. Moreover, a novel MPPT algorithm named sectional variable step climbing (SVSC) algorithm was proposed. To validate the proposed system, two main experiments have been done. The first experiment showed that the MPP of PV cells was tracked perfectly by use of this photovoltaic power system. The second one showed that the efficiency of SVSC was higher than two existing MPPT methods, the climbing algorithm and the open-circuit voltage (OCV) algorithm.
A Fast Logdet Divergence Based Metric Learning Algorithm for Large Data Sets Classification
Authors: Mei Jiangyuan , Hou Jian , Chen Jicheng , Karimi Hamid Reza
Published: May 2014

Large data sets classification is widely used in many industrial applications. It is a challenging task to classify large data sets efficiently, accurately, and robustly, as large data sets always contain numerous instances with high dimensional feature space. In order to deal with this problem, in this paper we present an online Logdet divergence based metric learning (LDML) model by making use of the powerfulness of metric learning. We firstly generate a Mahalanobis matrix via learning the training data with LDML model. Meanwhile, we propose a compressed representation for high dimensional Mahalanobis matrix to reduce the computation complexity in each iteration. The final Mahalanobis matrix obtained this way measures the distances between instances accurately and serves as the basis of classifiers, for example, thek-nearest neighbors classifier. Experiments on benchmark data sets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm compares favorably with the state-of-the-art methods.
Isolated Left Bundle Branch Block in a Toddler
Authors: Agrawal Hitesh , Zimmerman Frank , Naheed Zahra
Published: May 2014

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) usually occurs as a postoperative complication from surgical correction of congenital heart disease and can be associated with hypertensive heart disease, coronary artery disease, myocarditis, and aortic valvular disease. Although isolated LBBB is a conduction abnormality found in some healthy adults, it has not been reported in pediatric population. We report a 2-year-old, healthy African American female who was incidentally discovered to have isolated LBBB that has persisted in a follow-up of 3 years.
Guanxinkang Decoction Exerts Its Antiatherosclerotic Effect Partly through Inhibiting the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
Authors: Wang Hao , Zheng Zhi-Min , Gao Bu-Lang
Published: May 2014

Purpose. To investigate the antiatherosclerotic effect of Guanxinkang (GXK) decoction on the apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) pretreated with homocysteinemia (HCY). Materials and Methods. HUVEC were randomly divided into 5 groups: (1) blank control group (control), (2) model control group (model), (3) GXK low dose group, (4) GXK medium dose group, and (5) GXK high dose group. For the three GXK groups, HCY was given to reach the concentration of 3.0 mmol/L after HUVEC had been incubated with rabbit serum containing GXK for two hours. At 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after HCY had been incubated with the cells, the HUVEC were collected for test of the apoptosis rate, MMP, and GRP78 protein (reflecting ERS). Results. In the model control group, the apoptosis rate and GRP 78 protein expression of HUVEC significantly increased (P < 0.05), while MMP significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared with the blank control group. After GXK treatment of medium and high doses, the apoptosis rate and the GRP 78 protein expression significantly (P < 0.05) decreased, while MMP significantly increased (P < 0.05) in a time‐dependent manner compared with the model control group. Conclusion. GXK can antagonize the injury of HUVEC caused by HCY and the antagonism effect increases with the concentration and treatment duration of GXK, with the possible mechanism of GXK antagonism being through inhibiting ERS caused by HCY.
A RHCP Microstrip Antenna with Ultrawide Beamwidth for UHF Band Application
Authors: Liu Yuan-zhu , Xiao Shao-qiu , Wang Bing-zhong
Published: May 2014

A novel right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) UHF microstrip antenna with 3 dB beamwidth of more than 150° is presented in this paper. The 3 dB RHCP beamwidth can be broadened by utilizing a combined ground structure with a hollow truncated cone ground plane and a metallic rectangular plate. Optimizing the half-angleθcof cone and the cone heighthcone, a 3 dB RHCP beamwidth of more than 200° can be acquired, which is about 120° greater than its corresponding regular RHCP microstrip antenna. There is a good agreement between the measured results and simulated results for the proposed antenna operating in UHF band.
Advancing Control for Shield Tunneling Machine by Backstepping Design with LuGre Friction Model
Authors: Xie Haibo , Liu Zhibin , Yang Huayong
Published: May 2014

Shield tunneling machine is widely applied for underground tunnel construction. The shield machine is a complex machine with large momentum and ultralow advancing speed. The working condition underground is rather complicated and unpredictable, and brings big trouble in controlling the advancing speed. This paper focused on the advancing motion control on desired tunnel axis. A three‐state dynamic model was established with considering unknown front face earth pressure force and unknown friction force. LuGre friction model was introduced to describe the friction force. Backstepping design was then proposed to make tracking error converge to zero. To have a comparison study, controller without LuGre model was designed. Tracking simulations of speed regulations and simulations when front face earth pressure changed were carried out to show the transient performances of the proposed controller. The results indicated that the controller had good tracking performance even under changing geological conditions. Experiments of speed regulations were carried out to have validations of the controllers.
A QoS-Based Wireless Multimedia Sensor Cluster Protocol
Authors: Diaz Juan R. , Lloret Jaime , Jimenez Jose M. , Rodrigues Joel J. P. C.
Published: May 2014

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) provide a wireless network infrastructure for sensed data transport in environments where wired or satellite technologies cannot be used. Because the embedded hardware of the sensor nodes has been improved very much in the last years and the number of real deployments is increasing considerably, they have become a reliable option for the transmission of any type of sensed data, from few sensed measures to multimedia data. This paper proposes a new protocol that uses an ad hoc cluster based architecture which is able to adapt the logical sensor network topology to the delivered multimedia stream features, guaranteeing the quality of the communications. The proposed protocol uses the quality of service (QoS) parameters, such as bandwidth, delay, jitter, and packet loss, of each type of multimedia stream as a basis for the sensor clusters creation and organization inside the WSN, providing end-to-end QoS for each multimedia stream. We present real experiments that show the performance of the protocol for several video and audio cases when it is running.
Phenotypic Characterization of TransgenicMiscanthus sinensisPlants OverexpressingArabidopsisPhytochrome B
Authors: Hwang Ok-Jin , Lim Soo-Hyun , Han Yun-Jeong , Shin Ah-Young , Kim Do-Soon , Kim Jeong-Il
Published: May 2014

Phytochromes are dimeric pigment proteins with reversible photochromism between red and far-red light-absorbing forms. They are photoreceptors that regulate various aspects of plant growth and development and have been used for biotechnological applications to improve agricultural performance of crops.Miscanthusspecies have been suggested as one of the most promising energy crops. In this paper,Arabidopsisphytochrome B(PHYB)gene was introduced intoMiscanthus sinensisusingAgrobacterium-mediated transformation method that we developed recently, with the herbicide resistance gene(BAR)as a selection marker. After putative transgenic plants were selected using the herbicide resistance assay, genomic integration of the transgene was confirmed by genomic PCR and Southern blot analysis, and transgene expression was validated by Northern blot analysis. Compared to nontransformed control plants, transgenic plants overexpressingPHYBshowed phenotypes with increased phytochrome B function, which includes increased chlorophyll content, decreased plant height, and delayed flowering. Therefore, these results suggest thatArabidopsisphytochrome B is functional inM. sinensisand provide a method to developMiscanthusvarieties with enhanced agricultural performance using phytochromes.
A Study on Ultraviolet Protection of 100% Cotton Knitted Fabric: Effect of Fabric Parameters
Authors: Kan C. W.
Published: May 2014

The effect of fabric parameters such as weight, thickness, and stitch density on the ultraviolet (UV) protection of knitted fabrics was studied. Different knitting structures such as plain, pineapple, lacoste, and other combinations of different knitting stitches of knit, tuck, and miss as well as half milano, full milano, half cardigan, full cardigan, 1 × 1 rib, and interlock were prepared. Experimental results revealed that weight was the most important factor that affected UV protection while thickness and stitch density were not the leading factor in determining UV protection.
Doctors’ Insights into the Patient Perspective: A Qualitative Study in the Field of Chronic Pain
Authors: Zanini Claudia , Sarzi-Puttini Piercarlo , Atzeni Fabiola , Di Franco Manuela , Rubinelli Sara
Published: May 2014

Purpose.To strengthen the conceptualization of the patient perspective by identifying aspects that, from doctors’ point of view, are important to address during a consultation to build a partnership with patients.Method.Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 doctors who are experts in the field of chronic pain in Italy. The recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted using thematic analysis.Results.The participants agreed about the importance of doctors addressing aspects of the patient perspective that can lead to a difference of opinion with patients, namely, patients’ views about their health condition (i.e., what they think they have and why and the perceived impact of the health condition on their life) and about treatments (i.e., what they have tried or have heard about and their expectations).Conclusions.Identifying patients’ standpoints on their health condition and treatments offers an opportunity for critical discussion of differences of opinions and promotes communication exchange and agreement about the appropriate course of action.
Altered Proteolysis in Fibroblasts of Alzheimer Patients with Predictive Implications for Subjects at Risk of Disease
Authors: Mocali Alessandra , Della Malva Nunzia , Abete Claudia , Mitidieri Costanza Vito Antonio , Bavazzano Antonio , Boddi Vieri , Sanchez Luis , Dessì Sandra , Pani Alessandra , Paoletti Francesco
Published: May 2014

There is great interest in developing reliable biomarkers to support antemortem diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Early prediction and diagnosis of AD might be improved by the detection of a proteolytic dysfunction in extracts from cultured AD fibroblasts, producing altered isoelectrophoretic forms of the enzyme transketolase (TK-alkaline bands). The TK profile and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype were examined in fibroblasts from 36 clinically diagnosed probable late-onset sporadic AD patients and 38 of their asymptomatic relatives, 29 elderly healthy individuals, 12 neurological non-AD patients, and 5 early-onset AD patients. TK alterations occurred in (i) several probable AD patients regardless of age-of-onset and severity of disease; (ii) all early-onset AD patients and APOEε4/4 carriers; and (iii) nearly half of asymptomatic AD relatives. Normal subjects and non-AD patients were all negative. Notably, culture conditions promoting TK alterations were also effective in increasing active BACE1 levels. Overall, the TK assay might represent a low-cost laboratory tool useful for supporting AD differential diagnosis and identifying asymptomatic subjects who are at greater risk of AD and who should enter a follow-up study. Moreover, the cultured fibroblasts were confirmed as a usefulin vitromodel for further studies on the pathogenetic process of AD.
Boundary-Layer Flow and Heat Transfer of Nanofluids over a Permeable Moving Surface in the Presence of a Coflowing Fluid
Authors: Noor Amin , Nazar Roslinda , Jafar Khamisah , Pop Ioan
Published: May 2014

The steady boundary-layer flow of a nanofluid past a permeable moving flat plate in the presence of a coflowing fluid is theoretically investigated. The plate is assumed to move in the same or opposite direction of the free stream. The governing partial differential equations are first transformed into ordinary differential (similarity) equations before they are solved numerically using a finite-difference scheme along with a shooting method. Numerical results are obtained for the skin-friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number, and the local Sherwood number as well as the velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle volume fraction profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely, the plate velocity parameter, the Prandtl number, the Lewis number, the Brownian motion parameter, the thermophoresis parameter, and the nanoparticle volume fraction parameter. The numerical results indicate that dual solutions exist when the plate and the free stream move in the opposite directions.
A Randomized Trial of Chinese Diaoshi Jifa on Treatment of Dizziness in Meniere’s Disease
Authors: Sun Yong-Xin , Wang Yuan , Ji Xunming , Wu Xiaoguang , Zhao Yong , Ding Yuchuan , Hussain Mohammed , Yu Fei , Zhao Wenbo , Jia Jianping
Published: May 2014

Background. Meniere’s disease is characterized by refractory dizziness and hearing disturbance. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of Diaoshi Jifa, a Chinese hand skill for treating dizziness in Meniere’s disease. Methods. An open‐labeled, randomized, controlled intervention trial was conducted. Twenty‐seven patients diagnosed with Meniere’s disease were randomly allocated to control group or experimental group. Both groups were assessed by DHI (dizziness handicap inventory (DHI)) questionnaire score before and within 24 hours of receiving treatment, respectively. Results. Twenty‐six participants completed the study, and no adverse event was reported due to Diaoshi Jifa treatment. The difference in the DHI scores between baseline and posttreatment reached significant difference in both groups (63.88 ± 19.94 versus 10.25 ± 9.77 and 54.36 ± 17.97 versus 49.6 ± 20.50). Significant difference in DHI scores was observed between the two groups after treatment (10.25 ± 9.77 versus 49.6 ± 20.50). Further investigation of DHI subscales in the experimental group revealed significant improvement posttreatment in the physical domain, functional domain, and emotional domain. Although higher rate of improvement in the emotional domain compared to physical or functional domains was found, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Diaoshi Jifa might be a fast, effective, and well‐tolerated method for alleviating dizziness in Meniere’s disease.
Durability of Stretta Radiofrequency Treatment for GERD: Results of an 8-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Dughera Luca , Rotondano Gianluca , De Cento Maria , Cassolino Paola , Cisarò Fabio
Published: May 2014

From June 2002 to March 2013 26 patients that underwent Stretta procedure (16 females, 10 males) reached to date an eight-year follow-up. Primary end point of the study was to verify the durability of the procedure at this time. All patients underwent clinical evaluation by upper endoscopy, oesophageal pressure, and pH studies. For each patient 8-year data were compared to those recorded at baseline and at 4 years. There was a significant decrease in both heartburn and GERD HRQL scores at 4 years (P=0.001) and at 8 years (P=0.003) as well as a significant increase of QoL scores at each control time (mental SF-36 and physical SF-36,P=0.001). After 4 and 8 years, 21 patients (80.7%,P=0.0001) and 20 patients (76.9%,P=0.0001) were completely off PPIs. Median LES pressure did not show significant amelioration at 4 and 8 years and mean oesophageal acid exposure significantly improved at 4 years (P=0.001) but returned to baseline values after 8 years. This further follow-up study of ours from four to eight years confirms that RF energy delivery for GERD provides durable improvement in symptoms and in quality of life and reduces antireflux drugs consumption.
A New Lifetime Distribution and Its Power Transformation
Authors: Sarhan Ammar M. , Tadj Lotfi , Hamilton David C.
Published: May 2014

New one-parameter and two-parameter distributions are introduced in this paper. The failure rate of the one-parameter distribution is unimodal (upside-down bathtub), while the failure rate of the two-parameter distribution can be decreasing, increasing, unimodal, increasing-decreasing-increasing, or decreasing-increasing-decreasing, depending on the values of its two parameters. The two-parameter distribution is derived from the one-parameter distribution by using a power transformation. We discuss some properties of these two distributions, such as the behavior of the failure rate function, the probability density function, the moments, skewness, and kurtosis, and limiting distributions of order statistics. Maximum likelihood estimation for the two-parameter model using complete samples is investigated. Different algorithms for generating random samples from the two new models are given. Applications to real data are discussed and compared with the fit attained by some one- and two-parameter distributions. Finally, a simulation study is carried out to investigate the mean square error of the maximum likelihood estimators, the coverage probability, and the width of the confidence intervals of the unknown parameters.
Pharmacological Treatments in Gambling Disorder: A Qualitative Review
Authors: Lupi Matteo , Martinotti Giovanni , Acciavatti Tiziano , Pettorruso Mauro , Brunetti Marcella , Santacroce Rita , Cinosi Eduardo , Di Iorio Giuseppe , Di Nicola Marco , Di Giannantonio Massimo
Published: May 2014

Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric condition associated with both social and family costs; DSM-5 currently includes GD among addictive disorders. Despite the high burden of this condition, to date there are no treatment guidelines approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Purpose of this paper is to offer a qualitative overview about the different pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of GD. Our analysis, conducted on a final selection of 75 scientific papers, demonstrates that a variety of pharmaceutical classes have been utilised, with different results. Published data, although limited by brief duration of the studies and small number of enrolled subjects, shows mixed evidence for serotonergic antidepressants, opioid antagonists, and mood stabilizers. Other compounds, such as glutamatergic agents and psychostimulants, deserve further studies.
Differential Effects of Dry Eye Disorders on Metabolomic Profile by1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Galbis-Estrada Carmen , Martinez-Castillo Sebastián , Morales José M. , Vivar-Llopis Bárbara , Monleón Daniel , Díaz-Llopis Manuel , Pinazo-Durán María Dolores
Published: May 2014

We used1H NMR spectroscopy to analyze the metabolomic profile of reflex tears from patients with dry eye disorders (DEDs). 90 subjects were divided into 2 groups: (1) patients with DEDs (DEDG;n = 55) and (2) healthy subjects (CG;n = 35). Additionally, the DEDG was subdivided into 2 subgroups based on DED severity: mild-to-moderate and moderate (n = 22andn = 33, resp.). Personal interviews and systematized ophthalmologic examinations were carried out. Reflex tears (20–30 μL) were collected by gently rubbing in the inferior meniscus of both eyelids with a microglass pipette and stored at −80°C until analysis. NMR spectra were acquired using a standard one-dimensional pulse sequence with water suppression. Data were processed and transferred to MATLAB for further chemometric analysis. Main differences in tear composition between DEDG and CG were found in cholesterol,N-acetylglucosamine, glutamate, creatine, amino-n-butyrate, choline, acetylcholine, arginine, phosphoethanolamine, glucose, and phenylalanine levels. This metabolic fingerprint helped also to discriminate between the three additional subgroups of DEDG. Our results suggest that tear metabolic differences between DEDG and CG identified by NMR could be useful in understanding ocular surface pathogenesis and improving biotherapy.
In VitroSynergistic Effect of Curcumin in Combination with Third Generation Cephalosporins against Bacteria Associated with Infectious Diarrhea
Authors: Sasidharan Nishanth Kumar , Sreekala Sreerag Ravikumar , Jacob Jubi , Nambisan Bala
Published: May 2014

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans in developed and developing countries. Furthermore, increased resistance to antibiotics has resulted in serious challenges in the treatment of this infectious disease worldwide. Therefore, there exists a need to develop alternative natural or combination drug therapies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the synergistic effect of curcumin-1 in combination with three antibiotics against five diarrhea causing bacteria. The antibacterial activity of curcumin-1 and antibiotics was assessed by the broth microdilution method, checkerboard dilution test, and time-kill assay. Antimicrobial activity of curcumin-1 was observed against all tested strains. The MICs of curcumin-1 against test bacteria ranged from 125 to 1000 μg/mL. In the checkerboard test, curcumin-1 markedly reduced the MICs of the antibiotics cefaclor, cefodizime, and cefotaxime. Significant synergistic effect was recorded by curcumin-1 in combination with cefotaxime. The toxicity of curcumin-1 with and without antibiotics was tested against foreskin (FS) normal fibroblast and no significant cytotoxicity was observed. From our result it is evident that curcumin-1 enhances the antibiotic potentials against diarrhea causing bacteria inin vitrocondition. This study suggested that curcumin-1 in combination with antibiotics could lead to the development of new combination of antibiotics against diarrhea causing bacteria.
Interval between Intra-Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy and Surgery for Locally Advanced Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Impacts on Effectiveness of Chemotherapy and on Overall Survival
Authors: Wu Chih-Fung , Lee Chien-Hsing , Hsi Edward , Chen Chung-Ho , Tang Jen-Yang
Published: May 2014

Background.The interval between intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (IAIC) and surgery was investigated in terms of its effects on survival in patients with locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Methods.This retrospective study analyzed 126 patients who had completed treatment modalities for stage IV OSCC. All patients were followed up for 3 years. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods were used to determine how survival was affected by general factors, primary tumor volume, TNM stage, and duration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Results.In 126 patients treated for locally advanced OSCC by preoperative induction IAIC using methotrexate, multivariate analysis of relevant prognostic factors showed that an IAIC duration longer than 90 days was significantly associated with poor prognosis (hazard ratio, 1.77;P=0.0259).Conclusions.Duration of IAIC is a critical factor in the effectiveness of multimodal treatment for locally advanced OSCC. Limiting the induction course to 90 days improves overall survival.
Coupled and Tripled Coincidence Point Results with Application to Fredholm Integral Equations
Authors: Kutbi Marwan Amin , Hussain Nawab , Rezaei Roshan Jamal , Parvaneh Vahid
Published: May 2014

The aim of this paper is to define weakα-ψ-φ-contractive mappings and to establish coupled and tripled coincidence point theorems for such mappings defined onGb-metric spaces using the concept of rectangularG-α-admissibility. As an application, we derive new coupled and tripled coincidence point results for weakψ-φ-contractive mappings in partially orderedGb-metric spaces. Our results are generalizations and extensions of some recent results in the literature. We also present an example as well as an application to nonlinear Fredholm integral equations in order to illustrate the effectiveness of our results.
Effect of Nitric Acid Concentrations on Synthesis and Stability of Maghemite Nanoparticles Suspension
Authors: Nurdin Irwan , Johan Mohd Rafie , Yaacob Iskandar Idris , Ang Bee Chin
Published: May 2014

Maghemite(γ-Fe2O3)nanoparticles have been synthesized using a chemical coprecipitation method at different nitric acid concentrations as an oxidizing agent. Characterization of all samples performed by several techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential. The XRD patterns confirmed that the particles were maghemite. The crystallite size of all samples decreases with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. TEM observation showed that the particles have spherical morphology with narrow particle size distribution. The particles showed superparamagnetic behavior with decreased magnetization values at the increasing concentration of nitric acid. TGA measurement showed that the stability temperature decreases with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. DLS measurement showed that the hydrodynamic particle sizes decrease with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. Zeta potential values show a decrease with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. The increasing concentration of nitric acid in synthesis of maghemite nanoparticles produced smaller size particles, lower magnetization, better thermal stability, and more stable maghemite nanoparticles suspension.
Temporal Bone Osteomyelitis: The Relationship with Malignant Otitis Externa, the Diagnostic Dilemma, and Changing Trends
Authors: Chen Jia-Cheng , Yeh Chien-Fu , Shiao An-Suey , Tu Tzong-Yang
Published: May 2014

Fifty-five patients hospitalized for osteomyelitis of the temporal bone between 1990 and 2011 were divided into two study groups: group 1 was patients collected from 1990 to 2001 and group 2 was composed of patients between 2002 and 2011. Clinical diagnostic criteria and epidemiologic data were analyzed to illustrate the altering features of osteomyelitis of the temporal bone. Group 1 patients were characterized by high prevalence of diabetes and more commonly suffered from otalgia, otitis externa and granulation tissue in the external auditory canal and higher positive culture forPseudomonas aeruginosa. Noticeable changing trends were found between both groups, including declining prevalence of diabetes, fewer patients complaining of pain or presenting with otitis externa, and canal granulation, and increased variety of pathogens in group 2. We should highlight the index of clinical suspicion for osteomyelitis of the temporal bone, even in nondiabetic or immunocompetent patients. Painless otorrhea patients were also at risk of osteomyelitis of the temporal bone, especially patients with previous otologic operation. Increased multiplicity of pathogens amplified the difficulty of diagnosis for osteomyelitis of the temporal bone.
Periodontal Pathogens and Atherosclerosis: Implications of Inflammation and Oxidative Modification of LDL
Authors: Kurita-Ochiai Tomoko , Yamamoto Masafumi
Published: May 2014

Inflammation is well accepted to play a crucial role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions, and recent studies have demonstrated an association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease.Porphyromonas gingivalisandAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, causative agents of destructive chronic inflammation in the periodontium, can accelerate atheroma deposition in animal models. Emerging evidence suggests that vaccination against virulence factors of these pathogens and anti-inflammatory therapy may confer disease resistance. In this review, we focus on the role of inflammatory mechanisms and oxidative modification in the formation and activation of atherosclerotic plaques accelerated byP. gingivalisorA. actinomycetemcomitansin an ApoE-deficient mouse model and high-fat-diet-fed mice. Furthermore, we examine whether mucosal vaccination with a periodontal pathogen or the anti-inflammatory activity of catechins can reduce periodontal pathogen-accelerated atherosclerosis.
Existence and Characterization of Solutions of Nonlinear Volterra-Stieltjes Integral Equations in Two Variables
Authors: Darwish Mohamed Abdalla , Banaś Józef
Published: May 2014

The paper is devoted mainly to the study of the existence of solutions depending on two variables of a nonlinear integral equation of Volterra-Stieltjes type. The basic tool used in investigations is the technique of measures of noncompactness and Darbo’s fixed point theorem. The results obtained in the paper are applicable, in a particular case, to the nonlinear partial integral equations of fractional orders.
Pore Network Analysis of Zone Model for Porous Media Drying
Authors: Yuejin Yuan , Zhe Zhao , Junnan Nie , Yingying Xu
Published: May 2014

In view of the fact that the zone model for porous media drying cannot disclose the mechanism of liquid phase distribution effectively, a pore network model for the slow isothermal drying process of porous media was developed by applying the theories of pore network drying and transport‐process, which fused the physical parameters of porous media, such as porosity, pore mean diameter, and pore size distribution into the model parameters, and a sand bed drying experiment was conducted to verify the validity of this model. The experiment and simulation results indicate that the pore network model could explain the slow isothermal drying process of porous media well. The pore size distributions of porous media have a great effect on the liquid phase distribution of the drying process. The dual‐zone model is suitable for the porous media whose pore size distribution obeys Gaussian distribution, while the three‐zone model is suitable for the porous media whose pore size distribution obeys the lognormal distribution when the drying analysis of porous media is conducted.
Modeling of Temperature-Dependent Noise in Silicon Nanowire FETs including Self-Heating Effects
Authors: Anandan P. , Malathi N. , Mohankumar N.
Published: May 2014

Silicon nanowires are leading the CMOS era towards the downsizing limit and its nature will be effectively suppress the short channel effects. Accurate modeling of thermal noise in nanowires is crucial for RF applications of nano-CMOS emerging technologies. In this work, a perfect temperature-dependent model for silicon nanowires including the self-heating effects has been derived and its effects on device parameters have been observed. The power spectral density as a function of thermal resistance shows significant improvement as the channel length decreases. The effects of thermal noise including self-heating of the device are explored. Moreover, significant reduction in noise with respect to channel thermal resistance, gate length, and biasing is analyzed.
Primary Otomycosis in the Indian Subcontinent: Predisposing Factors, Microbiology, and Classification
Authors: Prasad Sampath Chandra , Kotigadde Subbannayya , Shekhar Manisha , Thada Nikhil Dinaker , Prabhu Prashanth , D’ Souza Tina , Prasad Kishore Chandra
Published: May 2014

Objective. To define otomycosis and determine the predisposing factors and microbiology in primary otomycosis.Study Design. Prospective study of two years and review of the literature.Setting. Academic Department of Otolaryngology in a coastal city in India.Patients. 150 immunocompetent individuals of whom 100 consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of otomycosis are considered as the study group and 50 consecutive patients with no otomycosis are considered as the control group.Results and Observations. Instillation of coconut oil (42%), use of topical antibiotic eardrops (20%), and compulsive cleaning of external ear with hard objects (32%) appeared to be the main predisposing factors in otomycosis. Aspergilli were the most common isolates (80%) followed byPenicillium(8%),Candida albicans(4%),Rhizopus(1%), andChrysosporium(1%), the last being reported for the first time in otomycosis. Among aspergilli,A. nigercomplex (38%) was the most common followed byA. fumigatuscomplex (27%) andA. flavuscomplex (15%). Bacterial isolates associated with fungi in otomycosis wereS. aureus,P. aeruginosa, andProteusspp. In 42% of healthy external ears fungi were isolated.Conclusion.Aspergillusspp. were the most common fungi isolated, followed byPenicillium. Otomycotic ears are often associated with bacterial isolates when compared to normal ears. Fungi are also present in a significant number of healthy external auditory canals and their profiles match those in cases of otomycosis. The use of terms “primary” and “secondary” otomycosis is important to standardize reporting.
Existence of the Mild Solution for Impulsive Semilinear Differential Equation
Authors: Chadha Alka , Pandey Dwijendra N.
Published: May 2014

We study the existence of solutions of impulsive semilinear differential equation in a Banach space X in which impulsive condition is not instantaneous. We establish the existence of a mild solution by using the Hausdorff measure of noncompactness and a fixed point theorem for the convex power condensing operator.
The ECM-Cell Interaction of Cartilage Extracellular Matrix on Chondrocytes
Authors: Gao Yue , Liu Shuyun , Huang Jingxiang , Guo Weimin , Chen Jifeng , Zhang Li , Zhao Bin , Peng Jiang , Wang Aiyuan , Wang Yu , Xu Wenjing , Lu Shibi , Yuan Mei , Guo Quanyi
Published: May 2014

Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed primarily of the network type II collagen (COLII) and an interlocking mesh of fibrous proteins and proteoglycans (PGs), hyaluronic acid (HA), and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Articular cartilage ECM plays a crucial role in regulating chondrocyte metabolism and functions, such as organized cytoskeleton through integrin-mediated signaling via cell-matrix interaction. Cell signaling through integrins regulates several chondrocyte functions, including differentiation, metabolism, matrix remodeling, responses to mechanical stimulation, and cell survival. The major signaling pathways that regulate chondrogenesis have been identified as wnt signal, nitric oxide (NO) signal, protein kinase C (PKC), and retinoic acid (RA) signal. Integrins are a large family of molecules that are central regulators in multicellular biology. They orchestrate cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesive interactions from embryonic development to mature tissue function. In this review, we emphasize the signaling molecule effect and the biomechanics effect of cartilage ECM on chondrogenesis.
Quasiperiodic Solutions of Completely Resonant Wave Equations with Quasiperiodic Forced Terms
Authors: Gao Yixian , Zhang Weipeng , Chang Jing
Published: May 2014

This paper is concerned with the existence of quasiperiodic solutions with two frequencies of completely resonant, quasiperiodically forced nonlinear wave equations subject to periodic spatial boundary conditions. The solutions turn out to be, at the first order, the superposition of traveling waves, traveling in the opposite or the same directions. The proofs are based on the variational Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction and the linking theorem, while the bifurcation equations are solved by variational methods.
The Pricing of Portuguese Privatisation Second Initial Public Offerings
Authors: Alpalhão Rui
Published: May 2014

The paper studies the pricing of PSIPOs (privatization second initial public offerings) PIPOs of companies that had been public in the past. A dataset comprising all the Portuguese companies nationalized in 1975 and privatized in the late eighties and nineties is used. Findings on short- and long-run pricing of IPOs and PIPOs are summarized, and implications for the pricing of PSIPOs are discussed. Short- and long-run returns are computed, using three alternative methods (buy and hold abnormal returns, wealth relatives, and cumulative abnormal returns) in the long-run analysis. Short-run overpricing is identified, unlike the underpricing pattern revealed by most IPO research. This initial overpricing is essentially found to be corrected in the first trading month. In the long-run, no evidence of overpricing is found, again unlike the usual conclusion of the IPO literature, and more in line with empirical evidence on second IPOs. Results provide support to the conclusion that privatization IPOs tend to be less underpriced than standard IPOs and that firms coming back to the market for a second IPO tend to be less underpriced than pure IPOs and provide a good rating for the performance of the Portuguese Republic pricing stocks in the Portuguese privatization program.
A Multiobjective Optimization Algorithm to Solve the Part Feeding Problem in Mixed‐Model Assembly Lines
Authors: Fathi Masood , Alvarez Maria Jesus , Hassani Mehraban Farhad , Rodríguez Victoria
Published: May 2014

Different aspects of assembly line optimization have been extensively studied. Part feeding at assembly lines, however, is quite an undeveloped area of research. This study focuses on the optimization of part feeding at mixed‐model assembly lines with respect to the Just‐In‐Time principle motivated by a real situation encountered at one of the major automobile assembly plants in Spain. The study presents a mixed integer linear programming model and a novel simulated annealing algorithm‐based heuristic to pave the way for the minimization of the number of tours as well as inventory level. In order to evaluate the performance of the algorithm proposed and validate the mathematical model, a set of generated test problems and two real‐life instances are solved. The solutions found by both the mathematical model and proposed algorithm are compared in terms of minimizing the number of tours and inventory levels, as well as a performance measure called workload variation. The results show that although the exact mathematical model had computational difficulty solving the problems, the proposed algorithm provides good solutions in a short computational time.