bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biharmonic submanifolds in manifolds with bounded curvature
Authors: Maeta Shun
Published: September 2016

We consider a complete biharmonic submanifold [Formula: see text] in a Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded from above by a non-negative constant [Formula: see text]. Assume that the mean curvature is bounded from below by [Formula: see text]. If (i) [Formula: see text], for some [Formula: see text], or (ii) the Ricci curvature of [Formula: see text] is bounded from below, then the mean curvature is [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, if [Formula: see text] is compact, then we obtain the same result without the assumption (i) or (ii). These are affirmative partial answers to Balmuş–Montaldo–Oniciuc conjecture.
Inhibitory Effect of Three Diketopiperazines from Marine-Derived Bacteria on HMGB1-Induced Septic Responsesin Vitroandin Vivo
Authors: Lee Wonhwa , Ku Sae-Kwang , Park Songhee , Kim Kyung-Min , Choi Hyukjae , Bae Jong-Sup
Published: September 2016

The nucleosomal protein high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), which has recently been established as a late mediator of lethal systemic inflammation, has a relatively wide therapeutic window for pharmacological interventions. Compounds produced by marine-derived microbes have been widely investigated for their potential use as bioactive natural products. Cyclic dipeptides, which are also known as diketopiperazines, are molecules that are frequently found in marine-derived microorganisms. While their pharmacological potential has been well established, their biological activities against septic responses have not yet been reported. Here, three diketopiperazines (1–3) isolated from two strains of marine-derived bacteria were investigated for their potential activities against HMGB1-mediated septic responses. The data showed that 1–3 effectively inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced release of HMGB1 and suppressed the HMGB1-mediated septic responses, including hyperpermeability, leukocyte adhesion and migration, and cell adhesion molecule expression. In addition, 1–3 inhibited the HMGB1-mediated production of tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] (TNF-[Formula: see text] and interleukin (IL)-6 and the activation of nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B (NF-[Formula: see text]B) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and ERK2. Collectively, these results indicated that 1–3 might act as potential therapeutic agents for various severe vascular inflammatory diseases through the inhibition of the HMGB1 signaling pathway.
A brief review of measurements of electroweak bosons at the LHCb experiment in LHC Run 1
Authors: Barter William
Published: September 2016

The LHCb experiment is one of four major experiments at the large hadron collider (LHC). Despite being designed for the study of beauty and charm particles, it has made important contributions in other areas, such as the production and decay of W and Z bosons. Such measurements can be used to study and constrain parton distribution functions (PDFs), as well as to test perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in hard scattering processes. The angular structure of Z boson decays to leptons can also be studied and used to measure the weak mixing angle. The phase–space probed by LHCb is particularly sensitive to this quantity, and the LHCb measurement using the dimuon final state is currently the most precise determination of [Formula: see text] at the LHC. LHCb measurements made using data collected during the first period of LHC operations (LHC Run 1) are discussed in this review. The paper also considers the potential impact of related future measurements.
The equations of ferrohydrodynamics: Modeling and numerical methods
Authors: Nochetto Ricardo H. , Salgado Abner J. , Tomas Ignacio
Published: September 2016

We discuss the equations describing the motion of ferrofluids subject to an external magnetic field. We concentrate on the model proposed by Rosensweig, provide an appropriate definition for the effective magnetizing field, and explain the simplifications behind this definition. We show that this system is formally energy stable, and devise a numerical scheme that mimics the same stability estimate. We prove that solutions of the numerical scheme always exist and, under further simplifying assumptions, that the discrete solutions converge. We also discuss alternative formulations proposed in pre-existing work, primarily involving a regularization of the magnetization equation and supply boundary conditions which lead to an energy stable system. We present a series of numerical experiments which illustrate the potential of the scheme in the context of real applications.
Construction of modified Godunov-type schemes accurate at any Mach number for the compressible Euler system
Authors: Dellacherie S. , Jung J. , Omnes P. , Raviart P.-A.
Published: September 2016

This paper is composed of three self-consistent sections that can be read independently of each other. In Sec. 1, we define and analyze the low Mach number problem through a linear analysis of a perturbed linear wave equation. Then, we show how to modify Godunov-type schemes applied to the linear wave equation to make this scheme accurate at any Mach number. This allows to define an all Mach correction and to propose a linear all Mach Godunov scheme for the linear wave equation. In Sec. 2, we apply the all Mach correction proposed in Sec. 1 to the case of the nonlinear barotropic Euler system when the Godunov-type scheme is a Roe scheme. A linear stability result is proposed and a formal asymptotic analysis justifies the construction in this nonlinear case by showing how this construction is related with the linear analysis of Sec. 1. At last, we apply in Sec. 3 the all Mach correction proposed in Sec. 1 in the case of the full Euler compressible system. Numerous numerical results proposed in Secs. 1–3 justify the theoretical results and show that the obtained all Mach Godunov-type schemes are both accurate and stable for all Mach numbers. We also underline that the proposed approach can be applied to other schemes and allows to justify other existing all Mach schemes.
A Nonstationary Hidden Markov Model with Approximately Infinitely-Long Time-Dependencies
Authors: Chatzis Sotirios , Kosmopoulos Dimitrios , Papadourakis George
Published: September 2016

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are a popular approach for modeling sequential data, typically based on the assumption of a first-order Markov chain. In other words, only one-step back dependencies are modeled which is a rather unrealistic assumption in most applications. In this paper, we propose a method for postulating HMMs with approximately infinitely-long time-dependencies. Our approach considers the whole history of model states in the postulated dependencies, by making use of a recently proposed nonparametric Bayesian method for modeling label sequences with infinitely-long time dependencies, namely the sequence memoizer. We manage to derive training and inference algorithms for our model with computational costs identical to simple first-order HMMs, despite its entailed infinitely-long time-dependencies, by employing a mean-field-like approximation. The efficacy of our proposed model is experimentally demonstrated.
Algebraic properties of quandle extensions and values of cocycle knot invariants
Authors: Clark W. Edwin , Saito Masahico
Published: September 2016

Quandle 2-cocycles define invariants of classical and virtual knots, and extensions of quandles. We show that the quandle 2-cocycle invariant with respect to a non-trivial [Formula: see text]-cocycle is constant, or takes some other restricted form, for classical knots when the corresponding extensions satisfy certain algebraic conditions. In particular, if an abelian extension is a conjugation quandle, then the corresponding cocycle invariant is constant. Specific examples are presented from the list of connected quandles of order less than 48. Relations among various quandle epimorphisms involved are also examined.
Conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameter in small-sample RNA-Seq data improves differential expression test
Authors: Gim Jungsoo , Won Sungho , Park Taesung
Published: September 2016

High throughput sequencing technology in transcriptomics studies contribute to the understanding of gene regulation mechanism and its cellular function, but also increases a need for accurate statistical methods to assess quantitative differences between experiments. Many methods have been developed to account for the specifics of count data: non-normality, a dependence of the variance on the mean, and small sample size. Among them, the small number of samples in typical experiments is still a challenge. Here we present a method for differential analysis of count data, using conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameters. A comprehensive evaluation of our proposed method in the aspect of differential gene expression analysis using both simulated and real data sets shows that the proposed method is more powerful than other existing methods while controlling the false discovery rates. By introducing conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameters, we successfully overcome the limitation of small power and enable a powerful quantitative analysis focused on differential expression test with the small number of samples.
Numerical Multistep Approach for Solving Fractional Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Al-Smadi Mohammed , Freihat Asad , Khalil Hammad , Momani Shaher , Ali Khan Rahmat
Published: September 2016

In this paper, we proposed a novel analytical technique for one-dimensional fractional heat equations with time fractional derivatives subjected to the appropriate initial condition. This new analytical technique, namely multistep reduced differential transformation method (MRDTM), is a simple amendment of the reduced differential transformation method, in which it is treated as an algorithm in a sequence of small intervals, in order to hold out accurate approximate solutions over a longer time frame compared to the traditional RDTM. The fractional derivatives are described in the Caputo sense, while the behavior of solutions for different values of fractional order [Formula: see text] compared with exact solutions is shown graphically. The analysis is accompanied by four test examples to demonstrate that the proposed approach is reliable, fully compatible with the complexity of these equations, and can be strongly employed for many other nonlinear problems in fractional calculus.
𝔰𝔩(2, ℝ)-invariant 3-ary differential operators and cohomology of 𝔰𝔩(2, ℝ) acting on 3-ary differential operators
Authors: Okba Basdouri , Elamine Nasri
Published: September 2016

We consider the [Formula: see text]-module structure on the spaces of [Formula: see text]-ary differential operators acting on the spaces of weighted densities. We classify [Formula: see text]-invariant [Formula: see text]-ary differential operators. This result allows us to compute the first differential cohomology of the Lie algebra [Formula: see text] with coefficients in the space of trilinear differential operators.
On the number of representations of n as a linear combination of four triangular numbers II
Authors: Wang Min , Sun Zhi-Hong
Published: September 2016

Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be the set of integers and the set of positive integers, respectively. For [Formula: see text] let [Formula: see text] be the number of representations of [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text], and let [Formula: see text] be the number of representations of [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]). In this paper, we reveal the connections between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Suppose [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We show that [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We also obtain explicit formulas for [Formula: see text] in the cases [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Photochemical Upconversion in Silicone Core/Silica Shell Nanoparticles
Authors: Cao Xian , Bao Lili , Zhou Yan , Zhang Jinnan , Ding Rui
Published: September 2016

We report a thorough investigation of triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) in the silicone core/silica shell hollow nanoparticles (SSNPs). The results demonstrate that Platinum(II) octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) and 9, 10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) were successfully captured in the hollow particles. It was also observed that TTA upconversion intensity from SSNPs increases with the concentration of DPA increasing. The mobility of chromophores was improved by the liquid core of the SSNPs, leading to the increasing of TTA-UC intensity. These results shed light onto the strategies to construct TTA-UC systems in solid substrates.
Three-dimensional Distinct Element Method modelling of the growth of normal faults in layered sequences
Authors: Schöpfer Martin P. J. , Childs Conrad , Manzocchi Tom , Walsh John J.
Published: September 2016

The growth of normal faults in mechanically layered sequences is numerically modelled using three-dimensional Distinct Element Method (DEM) models, in which rock comprises an assemblage of bonded spherical particles. Faulting is induced by movement on a pre-defined normal fault at the model base whilst a constant confining pressure is maintained by applying forces to particles lying at the model top. The structure of the modelled fault zones and its dependency on confining pressure, sequence (net:gross) and fault obliquity are assessed using various new techniques that allow (a) visualization of faulted horizons, (b) quantification of throw partitioning and (c) determination of the fault zone throw beyond which theoretical juxtaposition sealing occurs along the entire zone length. The results indicate that fault zones become better localized with increasing throw and confinement. The mechanical stratigraphy has a profound impact on fault zone structure and localization: both low and high net:gross sequences lead to wide and relatively poorly localized faults. Fault strands developing above oblique-slip normal faults form, on average, normal to the greatest infinitesimal stretching direction in transtensional zones. The model results are consistent with field observations and results from physical experiments.
Palaeoecology of Ediacaran metazoan reefs
Authors: Wood Rachel
Published: September 2016

Terminal Ediacaran metazoan reefs (
c.
548–541 Ma) can be locally substantial and the skeletal metazoans
Cloudina riemkeae, C. hartmannae, Namacalathus
and
Namapoikia
produced diverse reef types with complex ecologies in association with varied microbialite support or influence. In the Nama Group, Namibia, metazoan reefs grew in three associations with differing dominant frameworks: (1) monospecific aggregations of
Cloudina
; (2)
Cloudina–Namacalathus
–thrombolite assemblages; and (3) thrombolite-dominated metazoan communities.
Cloudina hartmannae
formed monospecific reefs up to 7 m wide and 3 m high with no microbialite component. The synoptic relief was probably <1 m.
Cloudina riemkeae
formed densely aggregating assemblages associated with microbialites and thrombolites, each from 30 to 100 mm high, which successively colonized former generations. Isolated
Namacalathus
either intergrew with
C. riemkeae
or formed dense, low-relief, monospecific aggregations succeeding
C. riemkeae
frameworks. Thrombolite-dominated metazoan reefs reached up to 20 m in height and width, with a synoptic relief of up to several metres.
Cloudina
and
Namacalathus
grew closely associated with these framework thrombolites and
Namapoikia
, which was encrusting and modular, reached up to 1 m in size and occupied neptunian dykes and fissures.
Cloudina
and
Namacalathus
also grow cryptically, either as pendent aggregations from laminar crypt ceilings in microbial framework reefs, or as clusters associated with thrombolite attached to neptunian dyke walls.
Characterization of organic matter in the Torridonian using Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Muirhead D. K. , Parnell J. , Spinks S. , Bowden S. A.
Published: September 2016

The degree of structural order in the organic carbon preserved in grey–black shales of the Neoproterozoic Torridon Group was characterized using Raman spectroscopy. All the samples contained kerogen rather than graphite, which is consistent with a low level of metamorphism. Samples of shale from the Diabaig Formation from six widely separated localities exhibited a consistently greater structural order than shales from five localities in formations higher in the Torridon Group. This supports previous models invoking an unconformity between the Diabaig Formation and the rest of the Torridon Group. The data further suggested that the Diabaig Formation experienced an additional episode of heating in the late stages of Grampian deformation.
Contrasting microfossil preservation and lake chemistries within the 1200–1000 Ma Torridonian Supergroup of NW Scotland
Authors: Wacey David , Brasier Martin , Parnell John , Culwick Timothy , Bowden Stephen , Spinks Sam , Boyce Adrian J. , Davidheiser-Kroll Brett , Jeon Heejin , Saunders Martin , Kilburn Matt R.
Published: September 2016

Oxygenation of the Proterozoic atmosphere caused the progressive build-up of dissolved sulphate on the continents and in marine environments. However, oxygen levels in the Proterozoic were low enough to allow the early burial of biological material into low redox potential environments where permineralization and the authigenic replacement of organic material, including micro-organisms, occurred by a range of minerals. Consequently, microbial sulphate reduction caused the widespread degradation of organic matter and, where iron was available, the precipitation of pyrite. By contrast, where sulphate levels were low, early preservation by other minerals (e.g. phosphate or silica) could be excellent. We show, using two Proterozoic lake sequences with low and high sulphate chemistries, but with otherwise similar characteristics, that microbial sulphate reduction caused a profound loss of morphological detail and diversity within preserved microfossils. The results could imply that there is a significant bias in the Proterozoic fossil record towards low sulphate environments, which were in reality relatively scarce.
DRF
x
Authors: Marino Daniel , Singh Abhayendra , Millstein Todd , Musuvathi Madanlal , Narayanasamy Satish
Published: September 2016

The most intuitive memory model for shared-memory multi-threaded programming is
sequential consistency
(SC), but it disallows the use of many compiler and hardware optimizations and thus affects performance. Data-race-free (DRF) models, such as the C++11 memory model, guarantee SC execution for data-race-free programs. But these models provide no guarantee at all for racy programs, compromising the safety and debuggability of such programs. To address the safety issue, the Java memory model, which is also based on the DRF model, provides a weak semantics for racy executions. However, this semantics is subtle and complex, making it difficult for programmers to reason about their programs and for compiler writers to ensure the correctness of compiler optimizations.

We present the
drf
x
memory model, which is simple for programmers to understand and use while still supporting many common optimizations. We introduce a
memory model (MM) exception
that can be signaled to halt execution. If a program executes without throwing this exception, then
drf
x
guarantees that the execution is SC. If a program throws an MM exception during an execution, then
drf
x
guarantees that the program has a data race. We observe that SC violations can be detected in hardware through a lightweight form of conflict detection. Furthermore, our model safely allows aggressive compiler and hardware optimizations within compiler-designated program regions. We formalize our memory model, prove several properties of this model, describe a compiler and hardware design suitable for
drf
x
, and evaluate the performance overhead due to our compiler and hardware requirements.
Inducing Suffix and LCP Arrays in External Memory
Authors: Bingmann Timo , Fischer Johannes , Osipov Vitaly
Published: September 2016

We consider full text index construction in external memory (EM). Our first contribution is an inducing algorithm for suffix arrays in external memory, which runs in sorting complexity. Practical tests show that this algorithm outperforms the previous best EM suffix sorter [Dementiev et al., JEA 2008] by a factor of about two in time and I/O volume. Our second contribution is to augment the first algorithm to also construct the array of longest common prefixes (LCPs). This yields a new internal memory LCP array construction algorithm and the first EM construction algorithm for LCP arrays. The overhead in time and I/O volume for this extended algorithm over plain suffix array construction is roughly two. Our algorithms scale far beyond problem sizes previously considered in the literature (text size of 80GiB using only 4GiB of RAM in our experiments).
Evaluating the Privacy Risk of User-Shared Images
Authors: Cheung Ming , She James
Published: September 2016

User-shared images are shared on social media about a user’s life and interests that are widely accessible to others due to their sharing nature. Unlike for online profiles and social graphs, most users are unaware of the privacy risks relating to shared images, as they do not directly disclose characteristics such as gender and origin. Recently, however, user-shared images have been proven to be an accessible alternative to social graphs for online friendship recommendation and gender identification. This article evaluates 1.6M user-shared images from an image-oriented social network, Fotolog, and concludes how they can create privacy risks by proposing a system for de-anonymization, as well as inferring information on online profiles with the user-shared images. It is concluded that given user-shared images, using social graphs is 2 and 2.5 times more effective in de-anonymization than using origins or genders. With two showcases, it is also proven that using user-shared images is effective in online friendship recommendation, gender identification, and origin inference. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first article to evaluate the privacy issue qualitatively with big multimedia data from a real social network.
Secure Social Multimedia Big Data Sharing Using Scalable JFE in the TSHWT Domain
Authors: Ye Conghuan , Ling Hefei , Xiong Zenggang , Zou Fuhao , Liu Cong , Xu Fang
Published: September 2016

With the advent of social networks and cloud computing, the amount of multimedia data produced and communicated within social networks is rapidly increasing. In the meantime, social networking platforms based on cloud computing have made multimedia big data sharing in social networks easier and more efficient. The growth of social multimedia, as demonstrated by social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube, combined with advances in multimedia content analysis, underscores potential risks for malicious use, such as illegal copying, piracy, plagiarism, and misappropriation. Therefore, secure multimedia sharing and traitor tracing issues have become critical and urgent in social networks. In this article, a joint fingerprinting and encryption (JFE) scheme based on tree-structured Haar wavelet transform (TSHWT) is proposed with the purpose of protecting media distribution in social network environments. The motivation is to map hierarchical community structure of social networks into a tree structure of Haar wavelet transform for fingerprinting and encryption. First, fingerprint code is produced using social network analysis (SNA). Second, the content is decomposed based on the structure of fingerprint code by the TSHWT. Then, the content is fingerprinted and encrypted in the TSHWT domain. Finally, the encrypted contents are delivered to users via hybrid multicast-unicast. The proposed method, to the best of our knowledge, is the first scalable JFE method for fingerprinting and encryption in the TSHWT domain using SNA. The use of fingerprinting along with encryption using SNA not only provides a double layer of protection for social multimedia sharing in social network environment but also avoids big data superposition effect. Theory analysis and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed JFE scheme.
Robust Hashing Based on Quaternion Zernike Moments for Image Authentication
Authors: Ouyang Junlin , Wen Xingzi , Liu Jianxun , Chen Jinjun
Published: September 2016

The reliability and security of multimedia contents in transmission, communications, storage, and usage have attracted special attention. Robust image hashing, also referred to as perceptual image hashing, is widely applied in multimedia authentication and forensics, image retrieval, image indexing, and digital image watermarking. In this work, a novel robust image hashing method based on quaternion Zernike moments (QZMs) is proposed. QZMs offer a sound way to jointly deal with the three channels of color images without discarding chrominance information; the generated hash is thus shorter than the hash of three channels separately processing. The proposed approach's performance was evaluated on the color images database of UCID and compared with several recent and efficient methods. These experiments show that the proposed scheme provides a short hash in length that is robust to most common image content-preserving manipulations like JPEG compression, filtering, noise, scaling, and large angle rotation operations.
Trustworthy Authentication on Scalable Surveillance Video with Background Model Support
Authors: Wei Zhuo , Yan Zheng , Wu Yongdong , Deng Robert Huijie
Published: September 2016

H.264/SVC (Scalable Video Coding) codestreams, which consist of a single base layer and multiple enhancement layers, are designed for quality, spatial, and temporal scalabilities. They can be transmitted over networks of different bandwidths and seamlessly accessed by various terminal devices. With a huge amount of video surveillance and various devices becoming an integral part of the security infrastructure, the industry is currently starting to use the SVC standard to process digital video for surveillance applications such that clients with different network bandwidth connections and display capabilities can seamlessly access various SVC surveillance (sub)codestreams. In order to guarantee the trustworthiness and integrity of received SVC codestreams, engineers and researchers have proposed several authentication schemes to protect video data. However, existing algorithms cannot simultaneously satisfy both efficiency and robustness for SVC surveillance codestreams. Hence, in this article, a highly efficient and robust authentication scheme, named TrustSSV (Trust Scalable Surveillance Video), is proposed. Based on quality/spatial scalable characteristics of SVC codestreams, TrustSSV combines cryptographic and content-based authentication techniques to authenticate the base layer and enhancement layers, respectively. Based on temporal scalable characteristics of surveillance codestreams, TrustSSV extracts, updates, and authenticates foreground features for each access unit dynamically with background model support. Using SVC test sequences, our experimental results indicate that the scheme is able to distinguish between content-preserving and content-changing manipulations and to pinpoint tampered locations. Compared with existing schemes, the proposed scheme incurs very small computation and communication costs.
Inhibition of miR-21 rescues liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in ethanol-fed rats
Authors: Juskeviciute Egle , Dippold Rachael P. , Antony Anil N. , Swarup Aditi , Vadigepalli Rajanikanth , Hoek Jan B.
Published: September 2016

Liver regeneration is a clinically significant tissue repair process that is suppressed by chronic alcohol intake through poorly understood mechanisms. Recently, microRNA-21 (miR-21) has been suggested to serve as a crucial microRNA (miRNA) regulator driving hepatocyte proliferation after partial hepatectomy (PHx) in mice. However, we reported recently that miR-21 is significantly upregulated in ethanol-fed rats 24 h after PHx, despite inhibition of cell proliferation, suggesting a more complex role for this miRNA. Here, we investigate how inhibition of miR-21 in vivo affects the early phase of liver regeneration in ethanol-fed rats. Chronically ethanol-fed rats and pair-fed control animals were treated with AM21, a mixed locked nucleic acid-DNA analog antisense to miR-21 that inhibited miR-21 in vivo to undetectable levels. Liver regeneration after PHx was followed by cell proliferation marker and gene expression analysis, miRNA profiling, and cell signaling pathway analysis. Although liver regeneration was not significantly impaired by AM21 in chow-fed rats, AM21 treatment in ethanol-fed animals completely restored regeneration and enhanced PHx-induced hepatocyte proliferation to levels comparable to those of untreated or chow-fed animals. In addition, a marked deposition of α-smooth muscle actin, a marker of stellate cell activation, which was evident in ethanol-treated animals after PHx, was effectively suppressed by AM21 treatment. Gene expression analysis further indicated that suppression of stellate cell-specific profibrogenic profiles and the Notch signaling contributed to AM21-mediated rescue from deficient hepatocyte proliferation in ethanol-fed animals. Our results indicate that the impact of miR-21 balances proproliferative effects with antiproliferative profibrogenic actions in regulating distinctive regenerative responses in normal vs. disease conditions.
Real-time imaging of inflation-induced ATP release in the ex vivo rat lung
Authors: Furuya Kishio , Tan Ju Jing , Boudreault Francis , Sokabe Masahiro , Berthiaume Yves , Grygorczyk Ryszard
Published: September 2016

Extracellular ATP and other nucleotides are important autocrine/paracrine mediators that regulate diverse processes critical for lung function, including mucociliary clearance, surfactant secretion, and local blood flow. Cellular ATP release is mechanosensitive; however, the impact of physical stimuli on ATP release during breathing has never been tested in intact lungs in real time and remains elusive. In this pilot study, we investigated inflation-induced ATP release in rat lungs ex vivo by real-time luciferin-luciferase (LL) bioluminescence imaging coupled with simultaneous infrared tissue imaging to identify ATP-releasing sites. With LL solution introduced into air spaces, brief inflation of such edematous lung (1 s, ∼20 cmH2O) induced transient (<30 s) ATP release in a limited number of air-inflated alveolar sacs during their recruitment/opening. Released ATP reached concentrations of ∼10−6 M, relevant for autocrine/paracrine signaling, but it remained spatially restricted to single alveolar sacs or their clusters. ATP release was stimulus dependent: prolonged (100 s) inflation evoked long-lasting ATP release that terminated upon alveoli deflation/derecruitment while cyclic inflation/suction produced cyclic ATP release. With LL introduced into blood vessels, inflation induced transient ATP release in many small patchlike areas the size of alveolar sacs. Findings suggest that inflation induces ATP release in both alveoli and the surrounding blood capillary network; the functional units of ATP release presumably consist of alveolar sacs or their clusters. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of real-time ATP release imaging in ex vivo lungs and provides the first direct evidence of inflation-induced ATP release in lung air spaces and in pulmonary blood capillaries, highlighting the importance of purinergic signaling in lung function.
Modeling the detailed kinetics of mitochondrial cytochromecoxidase: Catalytic mechanism and nitric oxide inhibition
Authors: Pannala Venkat R. , Camara Amadou K. S. , Dash Ranjan K.
Published: September 2016

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) catalyzes the exothermic reduction of O2to H2O by using electrons from cytochrome c, and hence plays a crucial role in ATP production. Although details on the enzyme structure and redox centers involved in O2reduction have been known, there still remains a considerable ambiguity on its mechanism of action, e.g., the number of sequential electrons donated to O2in each catalytic step, the sites of protonation and proton pumping, and nitric oxide (NO) inhibition mechanism. In this work, we developed a thermodynamically constrained mechanistic mathematical model for the catalytic action of CcO based on available kinetic data. The model considers a minimal number of redox centers on CcO and couples electron transfer and proton pumping driven by proton motive force (PMF), and accounts for the inhibitory effects of NO on the reaction kinetics. The model is able to fit well all the available kinetic data under diverse experimental conditions with a physiologically realistic unique parameter set. The model predictions show that: 1) the apparent Kmof O2varies considerably and increases from fully reduced to fully oxidized cytochrome c depending on pH and the energy state of mitochondria, and 2) the intermediate enzyme states depend on pH and cytochrome c redox fraction and play a central role in coupling mitochondrial respiration to PMF. The developed CcO model can easily be integrated into existing mitochondrial bioenergetics models to understand the role of the enzyme in controlling oxidative phosphorylation in normal and disease conditions.
Influence of Vanadium and Boron Additions on the Microstructure, Fracture Toughness, and Abrasion Resistance of Martensite-Carbide Composite Cast Steel
Authors: Elghazaly Waleed , Rashad R. , Elmohr Sayed , Elghazaly Saied
Published: September 2016

High chromium cast steel alloys are being used extensively in many industrial services where dry or wet abrasion resistance is required. Such steel castings are demanded for cement, stoneware pipes, and earth moving industries. In this research, five steel heats were prepared in 100 kg and one-ton medium frequency induction furnaces and then sand cast in both Y-block and final impact arm spare parts, respectively. Vanadium (0.5–2.5%) and boron (120–150 ppm) were added to the 18Cr-1.9C-0.5Mo steel heats to examine their effects on the steel microstructure, mechanical properties especially impact, fracture toughness and abrasion resistance. Changes in the phase transformation after heat treatment were examined using inverted, SEM-EDX microscopy; however, the abrasion resistance was measured in dry basis using the real tonnage of crushed and milled stoneware clay to less than 0.1 mm size distribution.
Numerical Analysis of Turbulent Combustion in a Model Swirl Gas Turbine Combustor
Authors: Benim Ali Cemal , Iqbal Sohail , Joos Franz , Wiedermann Alexander
Published: September 2016

Turbulent reacting flows in a generic swirl gas turbine combustor are investigated numerically. Turbulence is modelled by a URANS formulation in combination with the SST turbulence model, as the basic modelling approach. For comparison, URANS is applied also in combination with the RSM turbulence model to one of the investigated cases. For this case, LES is also used for turbulence modelling. For modelling turbulence-chemistry interaction, a laminar flamelet model is used, which is based on the mixture fraction and the reaction progress variable. This model is implemented in the open source CFD code OpenFOAM, which has been used as the basis for the present investigation. For validation purposes, predictions are compared with the measurements for a natural gas flame with external flue gas recirculation. A good agreement with the experimental data is observed. Subsequently, the numerical study is extended to syngas, for comparing its combustion behavior with that of natural gas. Here, the analysis is carried out for cases without external flue gas recirculation. The computational model is observed to provide a fair prediction of the experimental data and predict the increased flashback propensity of syngas.
Assessment and Predicting Factors of Repeated Brain Computed Tomography in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients for Risk-Stratified Care Management: A 5-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Sumritpradit Preeda , Setthalikhit Thitipong , Chumnanvej Sorayouth
Published: September 2016

Background and Objective.To determine the value of repeated brain CT in TBI cases for risk-stratified care management (RSCM) and to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management after repeated brain CTs.Methods.A 5-year retrospective study from January 2009 to August 2013 was conducted. The primary outcome was the value of repeated brain CT in TBI cases. The secondary outcome is to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management after repeated brain CTs.Results. There were 145 consecutive patients with TBI and repeated brain CT after initial abnormal brain CT. Forty-two percent of all cases (N=61) revealed the progression of intracranial hemorrhage after repeated brain CT. In all 145 consecutive patients, 67.6% of cases (N=98) were categorized as mild TBI. For mild head injury, 8.2% of cases (N=8) had undergone neurosurgical management after repeated brain CT. Only 1 from 74 mild TBI patients with repeated brain CT had neurosurgical intervention. Clopidogrel and midline shift more than 2 mm on initial brain CT were significant predicting factors to indicate the neurosurgical management in mild TBI cases.Conclusion. Routine repeated brain CT for RSCM had no clinical benefit in mild TBI cases.
Schoolchildren with Learning Difficulties Have Low Iron Status and High Anemia Prevalence
Authors: Arcanjo F. P. N. , Arcanjo C. P. C. , Santos P. R.
Published: September 2016

Background. In developing countries there is high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, which reduces cognitive performance, work performance, and endurance; it also causes learning difficulties and negative impact on development for infant population.Methods. The study concerns a case-control study; data was collected from an appropriate sample consisting of schoolchildren aged 8 years. The sample was divided into two subgroups: those with deficient initial reading skills (DIRS) (case) and those without (control). Blood samples were taken to analyze hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. These results were then used to compare the two groups with Student’st-test. Association between DIRS and anemia was analyzed using odds ratio (OR).Results. Hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels of schoolchildren with DIRS were statistically lower when compared to those without, hemoglobinp=0.02and serum ferritinp=0.04. DIRS was statistically associated with a risk of anemia with a weighted OR of 1.62.Conclusions. In this study, schoolchildren with DIRS had lower hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels when compared to those without.
Adolescent Social Anxiety and Substance Use: The Role of Susceptibility to Peer Pressure
Authors: Blöte Anke W. , Miers Anne C. , Westenberg P. Michiel
Published: September 2016

The aim of this study was to further our understanding of the link between social anxiety and substance use in adolescents, in particular the role susceptibility to peer pressure plays in this link. The relation between social anxiety and susceptibility to peer pressure was studied in two community samples (n=534 and n=117) each consisting of two age groups (12-13 and 15–17 years). The relation of these two variables with substance use was evaluated in the second sample using regression analysis. Social anxiety was related to susceptibility to peer pressure in both groups and not related to substance use in the younger group and negatively related to substance use in the older group. Susceptibility to peer pressure acted as a suppressor in the relation between social anxiety and substance use. Results suggest that socially anxious adolescents basically avoid substance use but, if susceptible, may yield to peer pressure and start using substances. Parents, teachers, and therapists should be aware of this susceptibility to possibly negative peer pressure of socially anxious adolescents.
The Emerging Role of B Cells in Tumor Immunity
Authors: Tsou Peiling , Katayama Hiroyuki , Ostrin Edwin J. , Hanash Samir M.
Published: September 2016

There is increasing evidence supporting a role for B cells in tumor immunology. Paraneoplastic syndromes occurring before a cancer diagnosis have pointed to the potential for harnessing the humoral immune response for early cancer detection. The presence of tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes has been linked to a favorable clinical outcome in many types of cancers. However, B cells represent a heterogeneous population with functionally distinct subsets, and the balance among subtypes impacts tumor development. Here, we review recent findings related to B cells and to the humoral immune response in cancer and their translational significance. Cancer Res; 76(19); 5597–601. ©2016 AACR.
Persistent Hypotony Associated with Immunosuppressive Therapy in Glaucoma Drainage Implant Surgery
Authors: Duch Susana , Milla Elena , Stirbu Oana , Andreu David
Published: September 2016

Purpose: To describe the histopathology of non-valved implant capsules in three cases of persistent postoperative hypotony after the restrictive tube ligature was released in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Observations: The macroscopic appearance of the capsules 3 and 4 months postoperatively was immature and loose. Microscopic examination disclosed extremely irregular thin tissue, with thicknesses ranging from 0.02 to 0.6 mm, depending on the capsular location studied. Withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy did not facilitate rebuilding of new capsules. Replacement with a valved implant device was necessary in two cases; the third case recovered with tapering of prednisone. Conclusions and Importance: The use of chronic systemic immunosuppressive therapy might interfere with capsular formation around the plates of drainage devices inducing persistent hypotony. In these cases, the use of valved implants might be safer.
LPS Upregulated VEGFR-3 Expression Promote Migration and Invasion in Colorectal Cancer via a Mechanism of Increased NF-κB Binding to the Promoter of VEGFR-3
Authors: Zhu Guangwei , Huang Qiang , Zheng Wei , Huang Yongjian , Hua Jin , Yang Shugang , Zhuang Jinfu , Wang Jinzhou , Chang Junxuan , Xu Jie , Ye Jianxin
Published: September 2016

Background and Aim: Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) could promote the progression of colorectal cancer, but the specific regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. So, this study aim to clarify the mechanisms that LPS upregulated VEGFR-3, which promotes colorectal cancer cells migration and invasion with a mechanism of increased NF-κB bind to the promoter of VEGFR-3. Methods: The present study examined the VEGFR-3 expression in colorectal cancer tissues and analyzed the relationship between the VEGFR-3 expression with clinical parameters. PCR, Western blot, CCK-8, colone formation assay, and Transwell assay detected that LPS promoted the migration and invasion and the role of VEGFR-3 in the process of colorectal carcinoma in vitro. Used the methods of promoter analysis, EMSA assay and ChIP assay to explore the mechanisms LPS increased the expression of VEGFR-3. Results: VEGFR-3 was significantly high expression in the colorectal cancer tissues. And the high expression was associated with the TNM stage and lymph node metastasis of colorectal cancer. LPS could promote the migration and invasion, which could be blocked by the neutralizing antibody IgG of VEGFR-3. And found that -159 nt to +65 nt was the crucial region of VEGFR-3 promoter. And detected that the NF-κB was important transcription factor for the VEGFR-3 promoter. And LPS could increase NF-κB binding to VEGFR-3 promoter and upregulated the expression of VEGFR-3 to exert biological functions. Conclusion: We have elucidated the relationship between LPS and the VEGFR-3 expression and revealed that VEGFR-3 play very important role in the process of LPS promoting the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells. Further illuminated the mechanism that LPS upregulated VEGFR-3 expression via increased NF-κB bind to the promoter of VEGFR-3.
Modeling Caries Experience: Advantages of the Use of the Hurdle Model
Authors: Hofstetter Hedwig , Dusseldorp Elise , Zeileis Achim , Schuller Annemarie A.
Published: September 2016

In dental epidemiology, the decayed (D), missing (M), and filled (F) teeth or surfaces index (DFM index) is a frequently used measure. The DMF index is characterized by a strongly positive skewed distribution with a large stack of zero counts for those individuals without caries experience. Therefore, standard generalized linear models often lead to a poor fit. The hurdle regression model is a highly suitable class to model a DMF index, but its use is subordinated. We aim to overcome the gap between the suitability of the hurdle model to fit DMF indices and the frequency of its use in caries research. A theoretical introduction to the hurdle model is provided, and an extensive comparison with the zero-inflated model is given. Using an illustrative data example, both types of models are compared, with a special focus on interpretation of their parameters. Accompanying R code and example data are provided as online supplementary material.
Transmuscular Migration of a Scleral Tunnel-Secured Encircling Silicone Band
Authors: Nishida Yui , Fukumoto Masanori , Kida Teruyo , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Ikeda Tsunehiko
Published: September 2016

The migration of an encircling silicone band through a rectus muscle is a rare postoperative complication associated with scleral buckling surgery for retinal detachment. In this present study, we describe what we believe to be the first reported case of a patient who experienced postoperative migration of an encircling silicone band through the rectus muscle, despite the band being surgically secured to the sclera in a scleral tunnel. A 58-year-old man presented with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in his left eye. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed with the placement of an encircling silicone band, and the patient’s retina was successfully reattached. One year postoperatively, the encircling band became exposed on the nasal side of the conjunctiva next to the limbus without any symptoms. Two weeks later, the exposed encircling band was surgically removed without any complications. The findings of this study show that even when an encircling silicone band is surgically secured around the eye, periodic and careful postoperative follow-up examinations should be performed to ensure no migration of the band.
Sutureless 25-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy Combined with Retropupillary Fixation of an Iris-Claw Intraocular Lens
Authors: Chalkiadakis Spyridon E. , Parikakis Efstratios A. , Taylor Simon R.J.
Published: September 2016

Background: The surgical case of a dropped intraocular lens inside the vitreous cavity constitutes a real challenge for the operating surgeon. Herein, we describe a case series where an alternative optical rehabilitation technique for late intraocular lens-bag complex dislocation has been used. Methods: A modern vitrectomy device was used to remove the capsule with the dropped intraocular lens using sutureless 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy. To ensure a better aesthetic result, with faster patient recovery and a reduced number of operations, the whole procedure was performed during the same operating session; an iris-claw intraocular lens for aphakia was selected for implantation. The implant was passed behind the constricted iris with the concave surface facing it. The lens was grasped with the manufacturer’s holding forceps and fixed onto the posterior surface of the iris using the special enclavation needles. Results: We have operated 12 eyes in two different clinical centres successfully, with minimal intra- and/or postoperative complications. Conclusion: We believe that this is a viable solution for the visual rehabilitation of patients, who would otherwise need more than one operation for a lens exchange.