bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cellular Immune Response to Interferon-Τ in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Japanese Black Cattle with Bovine Leukemia Virus Infection / Imunski Odgovor Mononuklearnih Ćelija Periferne Krvi Na Interferon-Τ Kod Infekcije Virusom Leukemije Japanskog Crnog Govečeta
Authors: Sei-Ichi Kakinuma , Tomohiro Izawa , Kei-Ichi Matsuda , Satoru Konnai , Yosuke Maeda , Hiromichi Ohtsuka
Published: June 2015

γ

IFN-τ is a type I interferon, and it is known to be non-virus inducible in ruminants. IFN-τ reduced syncytium formation by PBMC obtained from BLV infected cattle in vitro. In order to clarify the effects of IFN-τ on cellular immune function in Japanese Black (JB) cattle with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection, immune related factors of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were analyzed using IFN-τ as a stimulator. Thirty-two JB cattle were used in this investigation, and these cattle were divided into three groups: cattle with enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) (EBL Group, N=7), clinically healthy cattle with BLV infection (Carrier Group, N=13), and clinically healthy cattle without BLV infection (non-Carrier Group, N=12). A number of mRNA expressions of interleukin-12 and interferon (IFN)-as immune cell activating cytokines, perforin and granulysin as cytotoxic factors, and myxovirus resistance protein (MX)-1 and MX-2 as anti-virus factors of PBMC were analyzed after culturing cells with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or IFN-τ. The basal mRNA levels of perforin and granulysin in the Carrier Group were significantly higher than those in the non-Carrier Group. Also, significantly higher basal mRNA levels of MX-1 and MX-2 in the EBL Group were detected compared with the non-Carrier Group. The mRNA expressions of perforin and granulysin in PBMC stimulated with PHA were higher in the Carrier Group than those in the non-Carrier Group. There were significantly higher mRNA levels of MX-1 and MX-2 in PBMC stimulated with IFN-τ in the EBL Group compared with those in the non-Carrier Group. These results suggest an enhanced sensitivity of anti-virus reaction in PBMC by IFN-τ treatment in JB cattle with EBL.
Biomarkers of Stress in Saliva / Biomarkeri stresa u pljuvački
Authors: Ivković Nedeljka , Božović Đorđe , Račić Maja , Popović-Grubač Dijana , Davidović Brankica
Published: June 2015

Stress is defined as a state in which homeostasis, as a dynamic balance of internal conditions necessary for the proper functioning of cells or the living organism as a whole, is affected by the action of various stressors. Stress reaction occurs as a result of stress system activities, which is located in the central and peripheral nervous system. Stress evaluation involves a qualitative and quantitative analyses and valuation of certain biologically active substances (biomarkers of stress) in body fluids that are so often associated with stress. Saliva as a diagnostic medium is being increasingly used for purposes of clinical and basic research because of its composition and content as well as the advantages of the process of sampling, as compared to traditional methods of collecting blood samples and urine samples. Cortisol, as a biomarker of stress, is the most often studied salivary biomarker, which is associated with the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis. Since stress leads to the suppression of the immune system, values of salivary secretory IgA and salivary lysozyme, as biomarkers of stress, can be analyzed. In saliva, it is difficult to monitor acute stress parameters, catecholamines, due to their low concentrations, rapid degradation and instability in the samples. Chromogranin A (CgA) and α-amylase enzyme can be used as alternative indices of adrenergic activity during stress reactions, due to their stability in saliva and reliability of the obtained values.

Stress reaction and the diseases in whose pathogenesis it participates are yet another proof of the constant interaction of physical, psychological and social factors in health / disease
Antioxidants and Antioxidant Capacity of Human Milk / Antioksidansi i antioksidativni kapacitet humanog mleka
Authors: Živković Jelena , Sunarić Slavica , Trutić Nataša , Denić Marko , Kocić Gordana , Jovanović Tatjana
Published: June 2015

Milk contains plenty of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant components that probably account for the vital antioxidant protection of the infants at early stages of life against the development of complications induced by oxygen free radicals. Indigenous milk enzymes play a key role in regulating lactogenesis, including active involution of mammary gland. Moreover, they are essential constituents of antioxidation and the innate immune system of milk. Among antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, catalase and selenium-containing glutathione peroxidase have been demonstrated in human milk. Mainly, the enzyme content of colostrum is higher than that in corresponding mature milk. Beside lipophilic antioxidant in human milk, tocopherols, carotenoids and vitamin A are of great interest. Those components demonstrate the highest levels in colostrum and decline during early lactation, despite the fact that total lipids increase. The complete list of active antioxidant components in human milk is not yet known.

This review reports the main findings of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, as well as antioxidant capacity of human milk. Synergism of action of several antioxidants helps to eliminate free radicals in newborns. Bearing in mind that milk contains a number of antioxidants, many reactions are possible and it is difficult to define the exact contribution and function of each antioxidant. Besides qualitative and quantitative analysis of human milk antioxidants, the measurement of total antioxidant capacity could be a useful tool for examination of this dynamic, complex fluid
Operator Valued Measures as Multipliers of L1(I,X) with order Convolution
Authors: Chaurasia P. K.
Published: June 2015

Let I = (0;∞) with the usual topology and product as max multiplication. Then I becomes a locally compact topo- logical semigroup. Let X be a Banach Space. Let L1(I;X) be the Banach space of X-valued measurable functions f such that ,we define

It turns out that ƒ ∗ g ∈ L1(I;X) and L1(I;X) becomes an L1(I)-Banach module. A bounded linear operator T on L1(I;X) is called a multiplier of L1(I;X) if T(f ∗ g) = f ∗ Tg for all f ∈ L1(I) and g ∈ L1(I;X). We characterize the multipliers of L1(I;X) in terms of operator valued measures with point-wise finite variation and give an easy proof of some results of Tewari[12].
On Nonlinear Second Order Volterra-Fredholm Functional Integrodifferential Equation with Nonlocal Condition in Banach Spaces
Authors: Dhakne Machindra B. , Bora Poonam S.
Published: June 2015

Our purpose in this paper is to study the existence of solution of nonlinear second order mixed functional integrodifferential equation with nonlocal condition in Banach space by employing two different techniques namely the Darbo-Sadovskii's fixed point theorem with Hausdorff's measure of noncompactness and the Leray Schauder Alternative.
Some Fixed Point Theorems using wt-Distance in B-Metric Spaces
Authors: Mohanta Sushanta Kumar
Published: June 2015

In this paper we establish some common fixed point theorems by using the concept of wt-distance in a b-metric space. Our results extend and generalize several well known comparable results in the existing literature. Finally, some examples are provided to illustrate our results
Frequency and temperature dependent transport properties of NiCuZn ceramic oxide
Authors: Hossen M. Belal , Hossain A.K.M. Akther
Published: June 2015

A polycrystalline sample of ceramic oxide Ni0.27Cu0.10Zn0.63Fe2O4 was prepared by the solid state reaction method. The sintered sample was well polished to remove any oxide layer formed during sintering and the two surfaces of the pellet were coated with a silver paste as a contact material. Among dielectric properties, complex dielectric constant (ε* = εʹ - jεʺ), loss tangent (tanδ) and ac conductivity (σac) in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 2 MHz were analyzed in the temperature range of 303 to 498 K using a Wayne Kerr impedance analyzer (model No. 6500B). The experimental results indicate that ε, εʺ, tanδ and σac decrease with an increase in frequency and increase with increasing temperature. The transition temperature, as obtained from dispersion curve of εʹ, shifts towards higher temperature with an increase in frequency. The variation of dielectric properties with frequency and temperature shows the dispersion behavior which is explained in the light of Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization in accordance with the Koop’s phenomenological theory. The frequency dependent conductivity results satisfy the Jonscher’s power law, σT(ω) = σ(o)+Aωn, and the results show the occurrence of two types of conduction process at elevated temperature: (i) low frequency conductivity, due to long-range ordering (frequency independent, region I), (ii) mid frequency conductivity at the grain boundaries (region II, dispersion) and (iii) high frequency conductivity at the grain interior due to the short-range hopping mechanism (frequency independent plateau, region III).
Crystal structure of [2,2'-(1,5-diazocane-1,5-diyl)diethanamine-κ4N]- nickel(II) diperchlorate, C10H24Cl2N4NiO8
Authors: Xu Qiang , Li Guo Qiang , Meng Jiang Ping
Published: June 2015

C10H24Cl2N4NiO8, orthorhombic, Cmc21 (no. 36), a = 9.657(2) Å, b = 14.916(4) Å, c = 24.599(8) Å, V = 3543.3 Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0351, wRref(F2) = 0.0899, T = 293 K.
Smoking cessation and gender differences – results from a Swedish sample
Authors: Sohlberg Tove
Published: June 2015

Aim

Previous research has concluded that prevalence of smoking, reasons to quit and strategies to become smoke-free vary markedly by gender. Yet we lack a more comprehensive understanding of the process leading to a quit attempt and a positive long-term outcome, and of the gender-specific mechanisms behind successful cessation. My aim is therefore to investigate reasons of smoking and motives, mechanisms and factors of smoking cessation, with special regard to gender differences.

Data/Method

Between October 2009 and May 2010, respondents were recruited through the Swedish Monitor project. Each month 1 500 individuals from a representative sample in the Swedish population (n=12 000) were interviewed on the telephone. In a screening process, previous daily smokers who had been smoke-free for at last 12 months were asked to answer a postal survey (n=1 683) concerning their process to a smoke-free life. The analyses consist of both descriptive statistics and factor analyses.

Results

The results indicate that women's smoking filled an important role in life and that the cessation process was quite complex. Women often met harsh consequences from smoking, quitting for the sake of others. They tended to plan their cessation in advance and made more often use of professional help and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) than men. Men tended to experience their smoking as quite unproblematic and typically quit for more self-oriented reasons. They seldom planned their cessation in advance, but many made use of snuff or snus, and about half were still using it. More than men, women perceived physical problems in not smoking, but also more social and personal benefits.

Conclusions

Gender differences were found in reasons to smoke, reasons to quit and strategies to quit smoking. Because the smoking cessation process is gendered, strategies and policy decisions should be gender sensitive, taking into account an array of specific needs.
Determination of the emission rate for the 14 MeV neutron generator with the use of radio-yttrium
Authors: Laszynska Ewa , Jednorog Slawomir , Ziolkowski Adam , Gierlik Michal , Rzadkiewicz Jacek
Published: June 2015

The neutron emission rate is a crucial parameter for most of the radiation sources that emit neutrons. In the case of large fusion devices the determination of this parameter is necessary for a proper assessment of the power release and the prediction for the neutron budget. The 14 MeV neutron generator will be used for calibration of neutron diagnostics at JET and ITER facilities. The stability of the neutron generator working parameters like emission and angular homogeneity affects the accuracy of calibration other neutron diagnostics. The aim of our experiment was to confirm the usefulness of yttrium activation method for monitoring of the neutron generator SODERN Model: GENIE 16. The reaction rate induced by neutrons inside the yttrium sample was indirectly measured by activation of the yttrium sample, and then by means of the γ-spectrometry method. The pre-calibrated HPGe detector was used to determine the yttrium radioactivity. The emissivity of neutron generator calculated on the basis of the measured radioactivity was compared with the value resulting from its electrical settings, and both of these values were found to be consistent. This allowed for a positive verification of the reaction cross section that was used to determine the reaction rate (6.45 × 10−21 reactions per second) and the neutron emission rate (1.04 × 108 n·s−1). Our study confirms usefulness of the yttrium activation method for monitoring of the neutron generator.
Evaluation of passive autocatalytic recombiners operation efficiency by means of the lumped parameter approach*
Authors: Bury Tomasz
Published: June 2015

The problem of hydrogen behavior in containment buildings of nuclear reactors belongs to thermal-hydraulic area. Taking into account the size of systems under consideration and, first of all, safety issues, such type of analyses cannot be done by means of full-scale experiments. Therefore, mathematical modeling and numerical simulations are widely used for these purposes. A lumped parameter approach based code HEPCAL has been elaborated in the Institute of Thermal Technology of the Silesian University of Technology for simulations of pressurized water reactor containment transient response. The VVER-440/213 and European pressurised water reactor (EPR) reactors containments are the subjects of analysis within the framework of this paper. Simulations have been realized for the loss-of-coolant accident scenarios with emergency core cooling system failure. These scenarios include core overheating and hydrogen generation. Passive autocatalytic recombiners installed for removal of hydrogen has been taken into account. The operational efficiency of the hydrogen removal system has been evaluated by comparing with an actual hydrogen concentration and flammability limit. This limit has been determined for the three-component mixture of air, steam and hydrogen. Some problems related to the lumped parameter approach application have been also identified.
Recent measurements of soft X-ray emission from the DPF-1000U facility
Authors: Surała Władysław , Sadowski Marek J. , Paduch Marian , Zielinska Ewa , Tomaszewski Krzysztof
Published: June 2015

Soft X-ray imaging is a very useful diagnostic technique in plasma-focus (PF) experiments. This paper reports results of four experimental sessions which were carried out at the DPF-1000U plasma-focus facility in 2013 and 2014. Over 200 discharges were performed at various experimental conditions. Measurements were taken using two X-ray pinhole cameras with a line of sight perpendicular to the z-axis, at different azimuthal angles (about 20° and 200°), and looking towards the centre of the PF-pinch column. They were equipped with diaphragms 1000 μm or 200–300 μm in diameter and coated with filters of 500 μm Al foil and 10 μm Be foil, respectively. Data on the neutron emission were collected with silver activation counters. For time-resolved measurements the use was made of four PIN diodes equipped with various filters and oriented towards the centre of the PF-column, in the direction perpendicular to the electrode axis. The recorded X-ray images revealed that when the additional gas-puff system is activated during the discharge, the stability of the discharge is improved. The data collected in these experiments confirmed the appearance of a filamentary fine structure in the PF discharges. In the past years the formation of such filaments was observed in many Z-pinch type experiments. Some of the recorded X-ray images have also revealed the appearance of the so-called hot-spots, i.e. small plasma regions of a very intense X-ray emission. Such a phenomenon was observed before in many PF experiments, e.g. in the MAJA-PF device, but it has not been investigated so far in a large facility such as the DPF-1000U. The time-resolved measurements provided the evidence of a time lapse between the X-ray emission from plasma regions located at different distance from the anode surface. The formation of distinct ‘hot-spots’ in different instants of the DPF-1000U discharge was also observed.
Generation of shock waves in dense plasmas by high-intensity laser pulses
Authors: Pasley John , Bush I. A. , Robinson Alexander P. L. , Rajeev P. P. , Mondal S. , Lad A. D. , Ahmed S. , Narayanan V. , Kumar G. Ravindra , Kingham Robert J.
Published: June 2015

When intense short-pulse laser beams (I > 1022 W/m2, τ < 20 ps) interact with high density plasmas, strong shock waves are launched. These shock waves may be generated by a range of processes, and the relative significance of the various mechanisms driving the formation of these shock waves is not well understood. It is challenging to obtain experimental data on shock waves near the focus of such intense laser–plasma interactions. The hydrodynamics of such interactions is, however, of great importance to fast ignition based inertial confinement fusion schemes as it places limits upon the time available for depositing energy in the compressed fuel, and thereby directly affects the laser requirements. In this manuscript we present the results of magnetohydrodynamic simulations showing the formation of shock waves under such conditions, driven by the
j
×
B
force and the thermal pressure gradient (where
j
is the current density and
B
the magnetic field strength). The time it takes for shock waves to form is evaluated over a wide range of material and current densities. It is shown that the formation of intense relativistic electron current driven shock waves and other related hydrodynamic phenomena may be expected over time scales of relevance to intense laser–plasma experiments and the fast ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion. A newly emerging technique for studying such interactions is also discussed. This approach is based upon Doppler spectroscopy and offers promise for investigating early time shock wave hydrodynamics launched by intense laser pulses.
Operation modes of the FALCON ion source as a part of the AMS cluster tool
Authors: Girka Oleksii , Bizyukov Alexander , Bizyukov Ivan , Gutkin Michael , Mishin Sergei
Published: June 2015

The paper investigates the options to increase the production yield of temperature compensated surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices with a defined range of operational frequencies. The paper focuses on the preparation of large wafers with SiO2 and AlN/Si3N4 depositions. Stability of the intermediate SiO2 layer is achieved by combining high power density UV radiation with annealing in high humidity environment. A uniform thickness of the capping AlN layer is achieved by local high-rate etching with a focused ion beam emitted by the FALCON ion source. Operation parameters and limitations of the etching process are discussed.
Change of silica luminescence due to fast hydrogen ion bombardment
Authors: Zhurenko Vitaliy P. , Kalantaryan Oganes V. , Kononenko Sergiy I.
Published: June 2015

This paper deals with the luminescence of silica (KV-type) induced by beam of hydrogen ions with the energy of 210 keV per nucleon. An average implantation dose of up to 3.5 × 1021 cm−3 (5 × 1010 Gy) was accumulated during irradiation over an extended period. The luminescent spectra consisted of the blue band (maximum at 456 nm) and the red band (650 nm) in the visible range. It was shown that increase in the absorption dose had an effect on the silica luminescence. It was found that the most significant changes in the spectrum occurred during the dose accumulation in the region of 550–700 nm. The shape of the spectrum of the luminescent radiation in this wavelength range was affected both by the oxygen deficient centres (blue band) and non-bridging oxygen hole centers (red band). Mathematical processing of the experimental spectra permitted to identify contributions to the luminescent radiation coming from both types of defects.
Temporal distribution of linear densities of the plasma column in a plasma focus discharge
Authors: Cikhardtova Balzhima , Kubeš Pavel , Cikhardt Jakub , Paduch Marian , Zielinska Ewa , Kravárik Josef , Řezáč Karel , Kortanek Jiři , Šíla Ondřej
Published: June 2015

Experiments were carried out on the PF-1000 plasma focus device, with a deuterium filling and with deuterium puffing from a gas-puff nozzle placed on the axis of the anode face. The current was reaching 2 MA. 15 interferometric frames from one shot were recorded with a Nd:YLF laser and a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, with 10–20 ns delay between the frames. As a result, the temporal and spatial distribution of the linear densities and the radial and axial velocities of the moving of plasma in the dense plasma column could be estimated.
Spatial distribution of heavy metals in the topsoil on roundabouts in Zielona Góra, Poland
Authors: Kostecki Jakub , Greinert Andrzej , Wasylewicz Róża , Adam Roksana , Garbera Bartłomiej , Knap Przemysław , Ostapkowicz Maciej , Stanisławiak Bartosz
Published: June 2015

In most cases, traffic pollution deposition is linear with regularities in its distribution in transect routes (canyon-type effect). The aim of this study is to identify different characteristics of heavy metal deposition on large roundabouts, which are open spaces atypical in terms of the characteristics of the air mass flow along road lanes. The study was conducted on four large roundabouts in Zielona Góra. The content of the selected elements in the tested soils was: Cd 0.54–1.22 mg·kg−1 d.m., Cu 3.60–29.3 mg·kg−1 d.m., Cr 2.17–4.63 mg·kg−1 d.m., Zn 26.6–89.9 mg·kg−1 d.m., Pb 10.9–75.4 mg·kg−1 d.m. The geo-accumulation index was also calculated. The threshold values for communication areas were not exceeded, and the content of the elements was generally comparable between the roundabouts. However, we found some differences within particular roundabouts.
Effect of ascorbic acid on morphological and biochemical parameters in tomato seedling exposure to salt stress
Authors: Krupa-Małkiewicz Marcelina , Smolik Beata , Ostojski Dominik , Sędzik Maja , Pelc Justyna
Published: June 2015

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of both NaCl and KCl alone and in comparison to AsA on the morphological and some biochemical parameters of Oxheart and Vilma cultivars of tomato under laboratory and field conditions. A combination of salt applied in the laboratory experiment caused a significant effect on seed germination and root and shoot length and a significant reduction of Chl a, Chl b and Car contents in 14-day-old tomato seedlings. However, seedlings of cultivar Vilma were characterised by higher tolerance to applied salt stress.

NaCl caused a significant decrease in Chl a, Chl b and Car, and an increase in Pro and MDA content in the leaves of Vilma cultivar under field conditions. Besides, tomato plants cv. Vilma treated with NaCl alone or NaCl with ascorbic acid developed longer roots, from 48 to 73%, compared to the control.
Stipa glareosa (Poaceae) in the Republic of Buryatia (Russia)
Authors: Gudkova Polina D. , Nobis Marcin , Ebel Aleksandr L. , Chimitov Daba G. , Verkhozina Alla V.
Published: June 2015

Stipa glareosa P. A. Smirn. (sect. Smirnovia Tzvel.) is reported for the first time from the Republic of Buryatia (Russia). Its stations are located at the northern limit of its general distribution range. The taxonomy, distribution and habitat preferences of the species are given, along with its population size at each new locality.
Substring-Searchable Symmetric Encryption
Authors: Chase Melissa , Shen Emily
Published: June 2015

In this paper, we consider a setting where a client wants to outsource storage of a large amount of private data and then perform substring search queries on the data – given a data string s and a search string p, find all occurrences of p as a substring of s. First, we formalize an encryption paradigm that we call queryable encryption, which generalizes searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) and structured encryption. Then, we construct a queryable encryption scheme for substring queries. Our construction uses suffix trees and achieves asymptotic efficiency comparable to that of unencrypted suffix trees. Encryption of a string of length n takes O(λn) time and produces a ciphertext of size O(λn), and querying for a substring of length m that occurs k times takes O(λm+k) time and three rounds of communication. Our security definition guarantees correctness of query results and privacy of data and queries against a malicious adversary. Following the line of work started by Curtmola et al. (ACM CCS 2006), in order to construct more efficient schemes we allow the query protocol to leak some limited information that is captured precisely in the definition. We prove security of our substring-searchable encryption scheme against malicious adversaries, where the query protocol leaks limited information about memory access patterns through the suffix tree of the encrypted string.
Optimal Rate Private Information Retrieval from Homomorphic Encryption
Authors: Kiayias Aggelos , Leonardos Nikos , Lipmaa Helger , Pavlyk Kateryna , Tang Qiang
Published: June 2015

We consider the problem of minimizing the communication in single-database private information retrieval protocols in the case where the length of the data to be transmitted is large. We present first rate-optimal protocols for 1-out-of-n computationallyprivate information retrieval (CPIR), oblivious transfer (OT), and strong conditional oblivious transfer (SCOT). These protocols are based on a new optimalrate leveled homomorphic encryption scheme for large-output polynomial-size branching programs, that might be of independent interest. The analysis of the new scheme is intricate: the optimal rate is achieved if a certain parameter s is set equal to the only positive root of a degree-(m + 1) polynomial, where m is the length of the branching program. We show, by using Galois theory, that even when m = 4, this polynomial cannot be solved in radicals. We employ the Newton-Puiseux algorithm to find a Puiseux series for s, and based on this, propose a Θ (logm)-time algorithm to find an integer approximation to s.
Guard Sets for Onion Routing
Authors: Hayes Jamie , Danezis George
Published: June 2015

“Entry” guards protect the Tor onion routing system from variants of the “predecessor” attack, that would allow an adversary with control of a fraction of routers to eventually de-anonymize some users. Research has however shown the three guard scheme has drawbacks and Dingledine et al. proposed in 2014 for each user to have a single long-term guard. We first show that such a guard selection strategy would be optimal if the Tor network was failure-free and static. However under realistic failure conditions the one guard proposal still suffers from the classic fingerprinting attacks, uniquely identifying users. Furthermore, under dynamic network conditions using single guards offer smaller anonymity sets to users of fresh guards. We propose and analyze an alternative guard selection scheme by way of grouping guards together to form shared guard sets. We compare the security and performance of guard sets with the three guard scheme and the one guard proposal. We show guard sets do provide increased resistance to a number of attacks, while foreseeing no significant degradation in performance or bandwidth utilization.
De-anonymizing Genomic Databases Using Phenotypic Traits
Authors: Humbert Mathias , Huguenin Kévin , Hugonot Joachim , Ayday Erman , Hubaux Jean-Pierre
Published: June 2015

People increasingly have their genomes sequenced and some of them share their genomic data online. They do so for various purposes, including to find relatives and to help advance genomic research. An individual’s genome carries very sensitive, private information such as its owner’s susceptibility to diseases, which could be used for discrimination. Therefore, genomic databases are often anonymized. However, an individual’s genotype is also linked to visible phenotypic traits, such as eye or hair color, which can be used to re-identify users in anonymized public genomic databases, thus raising severe privacy issues. For instance, an adversary can identify a target’s genome using known her phenotypic traits and subsequently infer her susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease. In this paper, we quantify, based on various phenotypic traits, the extent of this threat in several scenarios by implementing de-anonymization attacks on a genomic database of OpenSNP users sequenced by 23andMe. Our experimental results show that the proportion of correct matches reaches 23% with a supervised approach in a database of 50 participants. Our approach outperforms the baseline by a factor of four, in terms of the proportion of correct matches, in most scenarios. We also evaluate the adversary’s ability to predict individuals’ predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease, and we observe that the inference error can be halved compared to the baseline. We also analyze the effect of the number of known phenotypic traits on the success rate of the attack. As progress is made in genomic research, especially for genotype-phenotype associations, the threat presented in this paper will become more serious.
Nostalgic Sentiment And Cultural And Creative Industries In Regional Development: A Slovak Case Study
Authors: Borseková Kamila , Cole David , Petríková Katarína , Vaňová Anna
Published: June 2015

In Slovakia, there are three unique, historical mining towns, Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica and Kremnica, that have been successfully turned into creative cultural centres. The historical and cultural values of those towns have stood the test of time and become a magnet for a new and creative class of people looking to escape the brutality of high modernity (modern urban centres) and find a source of inspiration based on historical nostalgic sentimentalism — the basis for a new creative and cultural industry for rural areas. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the cultural and creative industries of these three unique historical mining centres with an eye to replicating their knowledge in other communities in economic stress. The paper will first explore concepts relating to cultural and creative industries with an eye towards nostalgic sentimentalism that is an important antithesis to high modernity, and even post-modernity. The second part will analyse the cultural and creative industries of the three centres based on primary data collected from several research projects in this area. The final part will provide some recommendations for the facilitation of creative and cultural enterprises in regional redevelopment. It also contains policy recommendations for the self-government of the region for a more effective and rational exploitation of the existing potential hiding in plain view.
Factors influencing vitamin K antagonists therapy / Factori care influențează terapia cu antagoniști ai vitaminei K
Authors: Brudașcă Ioana
Published: June 2015

Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are widely used for the primary and secondary prevention of thromboembolism, their anticoagulant effect being monitored through INR. Achieving and maintaining a stable anticoagulation status is challenging, because of the narrow therapeutic range, and of the extremely variable individual response to therapy.

Environmental factors such as age, gender, body mass, diet, herbal supplements, drugs, pre-existing pathology, as well as genetic factors can substantially influence the anticoagulant effect of VKAs. The main genetic factors that contribute to individual variability in response to VKAs are genetic polymorphisms in genes influencing VKAs’ metabolism (CYP2C9) and pharmacodynamic response (VKOR1) and account for about one third in the variation of warfarin and analogues dose requirement. Systematic genotyping of patients requiring warfarin therapy is still a matter of debate.

Although novel oral anticoagulants (direct thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors) seem promising, VKAs are still frequently prescribed, therefore physicians should be aware of the various factors influencing VKAs’ effect, and educational programmes for doctors and patients should be conducted in that respect
Performance of an interferon-gamma release assay in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in children / Performanţa testului bazat pe eliberarea interferonului gamma în diagnosticul meningitei tuberculoase la copil
Authors: Caliman-Sturdza Olga Adriana , Mihalache Doina , Luca Catalina Mihaela
Published: June 2015

The new immunodiagnostic tests based on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific antigen, early secretory antigenic target 6 (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein 10 (CFP-10), showed promising results in the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection. However, there are only few studies in the published literature on performance tests in cerebrospinal fluid. We investigated whether a rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) could be established by interferon-γ blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests in children.

We used the QuantiFERON-TB Gold in Tube test (QFT-IT) on blood and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT-G) on the CSF of 63 subjects with TBM (including 25 case of definite TBM and 38 cases of probable TBM) and 62 controls.

The CSF analyses indicated possible TBM in 63.4% of cases. The sensitivity of the CSF culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was only 39.6%. The sensitivity of the tuberculin skin test (TST) was 49.2% and the specificity was 88.6%. The estimated sensitivities of the QFT-G for the CSF and QFT-IT for the blood in culture confirmed TBM cases (gold standard) were 84% and 80%, respectively. The estimated specificities were 98.2% for the CSF and 87.9% for the blood. This study showed that the sensitivity of QFT for the CSF could be higher than TST and culture and slightly higher in CSF than in blood. The specificity of QFT-G for the CSF was higher those of the TST, but the specificity of QFT-IT is lower.

QFT-G of the CSF is a useful diagnostic marker of tuberculosis that may improve the management of TBM, but the test results must be correlated with clinical, radiological and characteristics of CSF. New researches are needed to investigate the performance of QFT-G in the CSF compared with ELISPOT and PCR
Coronary Sinus Lactate as Marker of Myocardial Ischemia in Cardiac Surgery: Correlation with Morbidity and Mortality after Cardiac Surgery / Lactatul din sinusul coronarian - marker al ischemiei miocardice în chirurgia cardiacă: corelaţii cu morbiditatea şi mortalitatea postoperatorie
Authors: Raicea Victor , Kovacs Judit , Moraru Liviu , Suciu Horatiu
Published: June 2015

Introduction. Perioperative myocardial injuries are one of the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery, the most common etiology being the poor myocardial protection during aortic crossclamp. During aortic crossclamp progressive accumulation of lactate and intracellular acidosis are well-known phenomena, and are associated with alteration of myocardial contractile function. Our objective was to study the coronary sinus lactate levels as a predictor of postoperative hemodynamic outcome in open-heart surgical patients.

Material and methods. We performed a prospective clinical trial, including 142 adult patients with elective cardiac surgery. Anterograde cardioplegia was administered in 82 patients, retrograde cardioplegia in 60 (in 30 patients it was administrated intermittently and in 30 continuously). Blood was collected simultaneously from the aortic cardioplegic line (inflow) and from coronary sinus or the aortic root (outflow) before aortic crossclamp, after crossclamp at every 10 minutes and after crossclamp removal at 0 and 10 minutes. All patients were operated on cardiopulmonary bypass with cardiac arrest, using warm-blood cardioplegia for cardioprotection.

Results. Lactate levels showed increasing values during aortic crossclamp, and a rapid decline after crossclamp removal. The incidence of low cardiac output was significantly higher in patients with lactate levels that exceeded 4 mmol/L. In patients who died in the postoperative period, lactate level was even higher (5 mmol/L), with only a modest recovery after crossclamp removal.

Conclusion. Monitoring lactate level in coronary sinus blood is a reliable method and has a good prognostic value regarding postoperative morbidity and mortality in open heart surgery
From primer design to validation of results - is it possible by using free software only? / De la proiectarea primerilor la validarea rezultatelor - este posibil utilizând doar programe gratuite?
Authors: Man Adrian , Bănescu Claudia , Dobreanu Minodora , Fraefel Cornel
Published: June 2015

Successful experiments in molecular biology require good knowledge about various methods and protocols. In molecular biology, nucleic acid manipulation is the essence, starting with the quality of extraction and ending with several analysis assays (PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR, PCR arrays, molecular cloning, etc). Though many of these are so called “standardized”, in practice there are many variables that can influence the outcome of the experiment. Due to the importance of optimal primer design in PCR assays, we will focus on primer designing and checking software, but we also present other useful free tools that can help researchers in the molecular biology field
Comparison of the predicted insulation of clothing in Toruń and Koniczynka in the years 1998–2012
Authors: Araźny Andrzej , Uscka-Kowalkowska Joanna , Kejna Marek
Published: June 2015

Comparison of the predicted insulation of clothing in Toruń and Koniczynka in the years 1998–2012. This paper compares the predicted insulation of clothing (Iclp) in Toruń and Koniczynka, presented using a scale of evaluation of thermal environment proposed by B. Krawczyk (2000). The annual mean value of predicted insulation of clothing in urban areas of Toruń was equal to 1.0 clo, which was 0.1 less than in the agricultural area of Koniczynka. The influence of atmospheric circulation on the Iclp index was also analysed. The study used the circulation types as classified by Niedźwiedź (1981) in the Catalogue of atmospheric circulation for the Bydgoszcz-Toruń region (Przybylak and Maszewski 2009, 2013). The frequency of occurrence of individual circulation types was examined along with their influence on the predicted insulation of clothing in different seasons of the year and in an annual course. During the year, the highest mean value of Iclp (1.4 clo in Koniczynka) corresponded to cyclonic situations with northerly advection, whereas the lowest value (0.8 clo in Toruń and Koniczynka) was observed for the anticyclonic wedge.
Investigations of hydraulic operating conditions of air lift pump with three types of air-water mixers
Authors: Kalenik Marek
Published: June 2015

Investigations of hydraulic operating conditions of air lift pump with three types of air-water mixers. The paper presents the analysis of results of the investigations concerning the influence of various constructive solutions of the air-water mixers on hydraulic operating conditions of the air lift pump. The scope of the investigations encompassed the determination of characteristics of delivery head and delivery rate for three types of air-water mixers applied in the constructed air lift pump. Using the obtained results, the efficiency of the three types of air-water mixers applied in this air lift pump was determined. The analysis was carried out and there was checked whether the improved analytical Stenning-Martin model can be used to design air lift pumps with the air-water mixers of these types. The highest capacity in the water transport was reached by the air lift pump with the 1st type air-water mixer, the lowest one – with the 3rd type air-water mixer. The water flow in the air lift pump increases along with the rise in the air flow. The lower are the hydraulic losses generated during flow of the air flux by the air-water mixer, the higher is the air lift pump capacity. Along with the rise in the water delivery head, the capacity of the air lift pump decreases. The highest efficiency is reached by the air lift pump with the 1st type air-water mixer, the lowest – with the 3st type air-water mixer. The efficiency of the air lift pump for the three investigated types of air-water mixers decreases along with the rise in air flow rate and water delivery head. The values of submergence ratio (h/L) of the delivery pipe, calculated with the use of the improved analytical Stenning-Martin model, coincide quite well with the values of h/L determined from the measurements.
Early 2015 Performance In Baltic Sea Ports: Forecasts Of Estonian Performance For Entire Year
Authors: Hilmola Olli-Pekka , Tolli Andres
Published: June 2015

Many changes have appeared in year 2015. In Europe economic malaise has continued since debt crisis started in year 2010, and although its effects on Northern Europe have started to diminish, new economic dark clouds have appeared through sanctions set by both European Union and Russia to each other during year 2014. Together with these, shipping sector has been under pressure due to strict sulphur regulation implemented from early 2015 onwards in the entire Baltic Sea Region. Due to these factors, sea ports at Baltic Sea have been under pressure during the first months of 2015, this particularly concerning container handling. Based on our regression model forecast, Estonia and Port of Tallinn shall have clearly declining container handling year ahead. However, overall handling at sea port is not so easy to forecast.
Users’ Perception And Reported Effects Of Long-term Access To In-Vehicle Traffic Information Services Mediated Through Nomadic Devices
Authors: Skoglund Tor , Wallgren Pontus , Karlsson MariAnne , Franzén Stig
Published: June 2015

ICT-mediated traffic information has been argued to contribute to a more sustainable transport system through affecting drivers. Nevertheless, long-term effects of travellers having access to nomadic in-vehicle systems for traveller information are not well known. This study presents the results from a multi-national large-scale field operational test (FOT). The results show that the users in general were positive to the tested systems and that there were several effects on their driving behaviour but in many cases the effects were limited. Moreover the effects varied between system types. Positive effects were related to comfort, as well as individual and system efficiency. One could also notice that perceived effects were not as high as the participants had expected, leading to some disappointment. Most of the times this was due to the tested systems functioning in a less than optimal way.
Formal And Informal Macro-Regional Transport Clusters As A Primary Step In The Design And Implementation Of Cluster-Based Strategies
Authors: Nežerenko Olga , Koppel Ott
Published: June 2015

The aim of the study is the identification of a formal macro-regional transport and logistics cluster and its development trends on a macro-regional level in 2007-2011 by means of the hierarchical cluster analysis. The central approach of the study is based on two concepts: 1) the concept of formal and informal macro-regions, and 2) the concept of clustering which is based on the similarities shared by the countries of a macro-region and tightly related to the concept of macro-region. The authors seek to answer the question whether the formation of a formal transport cluster could provide the BSR a stable competitive position in the global transportation and logistics market.
Employment Of IGBT-Transistors For Bipolar Impulsed Micro-Arc Oxidation
Authors: Krainyukov Alexander , Kutev Valery
Published: June 2015

The paper is devoted to the use of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) for the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process. The technical requirements to the current switches of power supplies for the pulsed bipolar MAO technology have been developed. The research installation for investigating the IGBT commutation processes during the pulse anode-cathode oxidation has been constructed. The experiments have been performed with its help in order to estimate the possibility of using half-bridge IGBT-modules with different drivers. The research results of the commutation processes investigation for different IGBT half- bridge modules are presented.
Ideengeschichte als Biographie – Der Entwicklungsgedanke bei John Henry Newman
Authors: Conrad Burkhard
Published: June 2015

It is well known that John Henry Newman’s Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine contains strong autobiographical elements. Equally, the essay is an important 19
Reversible Inactivation of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Prevents Reinstatement But Not Renewal of Extinguished Fear
Authors: Goode Travis D. , Kim Janice J. , Maren Stephen
Published: June 2015

The extinction of conditioned fear is labile. For example, fear to an extinguished conditioned stimulus (CS) returns after presentation of an aversive stimulus (“reinstatement”) or a change in context (“renewal”). Substantial research implicates the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the stress-induced relapse of extinguished behaviors, such as in instrumental drug seeking, but its role in the relapse of extinguished fear responses is not clear. Here, we explored the role of the BNST in both the reinstatement and renewal of fear, two forms of relapse that are differentially triggered by stress. In Experiment 1, rats received pairings of an auditory CS and footshock unconditioned stimulus (US) followed by an extinction procedure. After extinction, rats received an unsignaled US to reinstate fear to the extinguished CS. Twenty-four hours later, they were infused with either muscimol or vehicle into the BNST immediately prior to a CS retrieval test. In Experiment 2, rats were conditioned and extinguished in two distinct contexts. Twenty-four hours after extinction, the rats were infused with muscimol, NBQX, or vehicle immediately prior to a CS retrieval test in either the extinction context or a different (but familiar) context. In both experiments, freezing behavior served as the index of conditioned fear. The results revealed that BNST inactivation prevented reinstatement (Experiment 1), but not renewal (Experiment 2), of conditioned freezing to the extinguished CS. Hence, the BNST is critical for the reinstatement of extinguished fear in an aversive context, but not for the contextual retrieval processes that mediate fear renewal.