bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles synthesized by coastal strains of Escherichia coli and Aspergillus niger
Authors: Kathiresan Kandasamy , Alikunhi Nabeel M. , Pathmanaban SriMahibala , Nabikhan Asmathunisha , Kandasamy Saravanakumar
Published: December 2010

The present study investigated the extracellular biosynthesis of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles by Escherichia coli AUCAS 112 and Aspergillus niger AUCAS 237 derived from coastal mangrove sediment of southeast India. Both microbial species were able to produce silver nanoparticles, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectrum. The nanoparticles synthesized were mostly spherical, ranging in size from 5 to 20 nm for E. coli and from 5 to 35 nm for A. niger, as evident by transmission electron microscopy. Fourier transform spectroscopy revealed prominent peaks corresponding to amides I and II, indicating the presence of a protein for stabilizing the nanoparticles. Electrophoretic analysis revealed the presence of a prominent protein band with a molecular mass of 45 kDa for E. coli and 70 kDa for A. niger. The silver nanoparticles inhibited certain clinical pathogens, with antibacterial activity being more distinct than antifungal activity. The antimicrobial activity of E. coli was more pronounced than that of A. niger and was enhanced with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizing agent. This work highlighted the possibility of using microbes of coastal origin for synthesis of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles.
The role of excessive versus acute administration of erythropoietin in attenuating hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury
Authors: Pappo Orit , Ben-Ari Ziv , Shevtsov Evgeni , Avlas Orna , Gassmann Max , Ravid Amiram , Cheporko Yelena , Hochhauser Edith
Published: December 2010

Ischemia–reperfusion injury (I/R) is the main cause of primary graft nonfunction. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of excessive versus acute administration of erythropoietin (EPO) in attenuating the hepatic injury induced by I/R in mice. The effect of segmental (70%) hepatic ischemia was evaluated in a transgenic mouse line with constitutive overexpression of human EPO cDNA and in wild-type (WT) mice. Mice were randomly allocated to 5 main experimental groups: (i) WT-sham, (ii) WT ischemia, (iii) WT ischemia + recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO), (iv) transgenic-sham, and (v) transgenic ischemia. The EPO-pretreated mice showed a significant reduction in liver enzyme levels and intrahepatic caspase-3 activity and fewer apoptotic hepatocytes (p < 0.05 for all) compared with the WT untreated I/R group. EPO decreased c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression during I/R. In transgenic I/R livers, baseline histology showed diffused hepatic injury, and no significant beneficial effect was noted between the WT untreated and the transgenic I/R mice. In conclusion, acute pretreatment with EPO in WT mice attenuated in vivo I/R liver injury. However, in excessive EPO overexpression, the initial liver injury abolished the beneficial effect of EPO. These findings have important implications for the potential use of acute EPO in I/R injury during liver transplantation.
Consuming a small-moderate dose of red wine alone can alter the glucose–insulin relationship
Authors: Kokavec Anna , Halloran Mark A.
Published: December 2010

The aim in the present study was to assess the effect of small-moderate red wine ingestion on the level of serum insulin and plasma glucose when nutritional status is varied. Twenty nondiabetic males (19–22 years) participated in the study. In the fasting trial, all participants underwent a 6 h fast prior to consuming 4 standard units of red wine (40 g alcohol) or the equivalent amount of placebo as dealcoholized wine (containing <0.5% alcohol, 0% resveratrol) over a 135 min period. Alternatively, in the feeding trial, participants consumed food for 45 min prior to ingesting 4 standard units of red wine (40 g alcohol) or placebo over 135 min. Serum insulin and plasma glucose were assessed at regular 45 min intervals during all trials. The results showed a significant decrease in the level of serum insulin and no significant change in plasma glucose concentration in the fasting trial. Alternatively, a significant alcohol-induced decrease in plasma glucose and no change in serum insulin occurred when red wine alone was consumed after food. It was concluded that red wine can alter the glucose–insulin relationship and ingesting red wine alone (without food) should not be encouraged in nondiabetic individuals.
Effects of 3-aminobenzamide on unilateral testicular ischemia–reperfusion injury: What is the role of PARP inhibition?
Authors: Hekimoglu Askin , Kurcer Zehra , Aral Faruk , Baba Fusun , Atessahin Ahmet , Sakin Fatih
Published: December 2010

The therapeutic effects of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibition by 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB) were investigated in testicular ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury, using sperm analysis and histopathological and biochemical examinations, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Male rats were divided into 3 groups: sham (n = 12), I/R (n = 12), and I/R with 3-AB (I/R–3-AB) (n = 12). The left testicular artery was occluded for 1 h, followed by 24 h (for biochemical and histopathological examinations) and 30 days (for sperm analysis) of reperfusion. 3-AB treatment intraperitoneally 10 min prior to and 1 h after reperfusion increased the I/R-induced decrease in sperm motility in both testes and reduced the increased abnormal sperm rates in the ipsilateral testis. However, 3-AB treatment failed to prevent the I/R-induced decrease in sperm concentration in both testes. SOD and CAT activities did not change in any group. GSH-Px activity and GSH levels were increased by I/R. 3-AB treatment reversed the I/R-induced increase in GSH-Px activity, similar to the level in sham rats, but did not alter GSH levels. 3-AB treatment significantly increased the I/R-induced decrease in histopathologic score. In conclusion, 3-AB treatment has potential biochemical and histopathological benefits beyond improving sperm quality and may have the potential to decrease damage from testicular torsion.
Overlapping LQT1 and LQT2 phenotype in a patient with long QT syndrome associated with loss-of-function variations in KCNQ1 and KCNH2
Authors: Cordeiro Jonathan M. , Perez Guillermo J. , Schmitt Nicole , Pfeiffer Ryan , Nesterenko Vladislav V. , Burashnikov Elena , Veltmann Christian , Borggrefe Martin , Wolpert Christian , Schimpf Rainer , Antzelevitch Charles
Published: December 2010

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited disorder characterized by prolonged QT intervals and potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. Mutations in 12 different genes have been associated with LQTS. Here we describe a patient with LQTS who has a mutation in KCNQ1 as well as a polymorphism in KCNH2. The proband (MMRL0362), a 32-year-old female, exhibited multiple ventricular extrasystoles and one syncope. Her ECG (QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) = 518ms) showed an LQT2 morphology in leads V4–V6 and LQT1 morphology in leads V1–V2. Genomic DNA was isolated from lymphocytes. All exons and intron borders of 7 LQTS susceptibility genes were amplified and sequenced. Variations were detected predicting a novel missense mutation (V110I) in KCNQ1, as well as a common polymorphism in KCNH2 (K897T). We expressed wild-type (WT) or V110I Kv7.1 channels in CHO-K1 cells cotransfected with KCNE1 and performed patch-clamp analysis. In addition, WT or K897T Kv11.1 were also studied by patch clamp. Current–voltage (I-V) relations for V110I showed a significant reduction in both developing and tail current densities compared with WT at potentials >+20 mV (p < 0.05; n = 8 cells, each group), suggesting a reduction in IKs currents. K897T- Kv11.1 channels displayed a significantly reduced tail current density compared with WT-Kv11.1 at potentials >+10 mV. Interestingly, channel availability assessed using a triple-pulse protocol was slightly greater for K897T compared with WT (V0.5 = –53.1 ± 1.13 mV and –60.7 ± 1.15 mV for K897T and WT, respectively; p < 0.05). Comparison of the fully activated I-V revealed no difference in the rectification properties between WT and K897T channels. We report a patient with a loss-of-function mutation in KCNQ1 and a loss-of-function polymorphism in KCNH2. Our results suggest that a reduction of both IKr and IKs underlies the combined LQT1 and LQT2 phenotype observed in this patient.
A low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet increases the adipose lipid content without increasing the glycerol-3-phosphate or fatty acid content in growing rats
Authors: Buzelle Samyra L. , Santos Maísa P. , Baviera Amanda M. , Lopes Carbene F. , Garófalo Maria A.R. , Navegantes Luiz C.C. , Kettelhut Isis C. , Chaves Valéria E. , Kawashita Nair H.
Published: December 2010

The amount of triacylglycerol (TAG) that accumulates in adipose tissue depends on 2 opposing processes: lipogenesis and lipolysis. We have previously shown that the weight and lipid content of epididymal (EPI) adipose tissue increases in growing rats fed a low-protein, high-carbohydrate (LPHC) diet for 15 days. The aim of this work was to study the pathways involved in lipogenesis and lipolysis, which ultimately regulate lipid accumulation in the tissue. De novo fatty acid synthesis was evaluated in vivo and was similar for rats fed an LPHC diet or a control diet; however, the LPHC-fed rats had decreased lipoprotein lipase activity in the EPI adipose tissue, which suggests that there was a decreased uptake of fatty acids from the circulating lipoproteins. The LPHC diet did not affect synthesis of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) via glycolysis or glyceroneogenesis. Glycerokinase activity — i.e., the phosphorylation of glycerol from the hydrolysis of endogenous TAG to form G3P — was also not affected in LPHC-fed rats. In contrast, adipocytes from LPHC animals had a reduced lipolytic response when stimulated by norepinephrine, even though the basal adipocyte lipolytic rate was similar for both of the groups. Thus, the results suggest that the reduction of lipolytic activity stimulated by norepinephrine seems essential for the TAG increase observed in the EPI adipose tissue of LPHC animals, probably by impairment of the process of activation of lipolysis by norepinephrine.
The digestive tract of actinotroch larvae (Lophotrochozoa, Phoronida): anatomy, ultrastructure, innervations, and some observations of metamorphosis
Authors: Temereva Elena N.
Published: December 2010

The digestive tract of actinotroch consists of the vestibulum, oesophagus, stomach with stomach diverticulum, midgut, and proctodaeum. Monociliate muscle cells resting on the basal lamina of the oesophagus form its circular musculature. The epithelium of the cardiac sphincter contains axonal tracts and neurosecretory cells. Glandular, secretory, and digestive cells form the epithelium of the stomach and stomach diverticulum. The epithelium of the midgut is biciliate. The proctodaeum is divided into two parts, differing in fine structure and function. Individual serotonian and FMRFamide neurons and fibers occur in the oesophagus, cardiac sphincter, and midgut, as well as surrounding the anus. In larvae of Phoronopsis harmeri Pixell, 1912 during metamorphosis, the larval oesophagus gives rise to the juvenile oesohagus, the upper portion of the stomach stretches and transforms into prestomach, the stomach diverticulum moves into the stomach and then is digested, the larval stomach becomes the juvenile stomach, the midgut gives rise to the pyloric region, and the proctodaeum transforms into the ascending branch of the juvenile digestive tract. The data do not support the views that the proximal part of adult digestive tract forms from the ectodermal epithelium of the dorsal and ventral epidermis of the larva or that the telotroch enters the intestine during metamorphosis.
When do Daubenton’s bats (Myotis daubentonii) fly far for dinner?
Authors: Encarnação J. A. , Becker N. I. , Ekschmitt K.
Published: December 2010

This study investigates the factors driving foraging behavior of Daubenton’s bats ( Myotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817)). We analysed the importance of food availability, energy demand, and intraspecific competition in regulating foraging activity and the selection of near versus distant foraging sites. At two foraging patches, insect abundance, foraging activity, and the number of foraging individuals were monitored using sticky traps, telemetry, spotlight counting, and light sticks. Population size was determined by flight path counting. General linear model analysis showed that bat distribution among foraging patches was influenced by distance to roosts, month, bat population size, and the displacement pressure exerted by competing individuals. Foraging time was influenced by food resource accessibility and individual cost/benefit ratio. From June to August, population density, intraspecific competition in foraging patches, and transfer flights between patches and day roosts were most frequent (play-off time). Our results suggest that differences in foraging activity of Daubenton’s bats are mainly driven by differential energy demand and less so by food availability. In times of high energy demand, hunting is avoided when prey are scarce. During play-off time, density spillover in near foraging patches occurs and therefore more distant patches come into use in accordance with predictions by the ideal free distribution theory.
Partial seasonal migration in high-arctic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)
Authors: Hansen B. B. , Aanes R. , Sæther B.-E.
Published: December 2010

We examined seasonal range use and calving success in wild Svalbard reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Vrolik, 1829) on two contrasting ranges separated by risky barriers (open sea, thin sea ice, and glaciers). One (“poor”) range had a depleted lichen resource and negative reindeer population trend, whereas the neighbouring (“rich”) range was recently occupied with initially high lichen abundance and positive population trend. Winter foraging conditions limit survival and reproduction in this predator-free system and lichens are the preferred winter food by reindeer. Accordingly, marked female reindeer that switched between the ranges (“migrants”) spent most winters on the lichen-rich range, yet most summers on the poor range (possibly owing to fidelity to calving area). While facing high mortality risk along the migration route, migrants spending the winter on the rich range and subsequent summer on the poor range had improved calving success compared with residents on the poor range. The partial seasonal migration pattern diminished as lichens were reduced and reindeer carrying capacity reached on the rich range. Besides this apparent density-dependence in migratory behaviour, spatial strategy seems shaped by past experience and trade-offs between current survival (safe habitat) and future reproduction (food-rich habitat).
Nutritional importance of seeds and arthropods to painted spiny pocket mice (Lyomis pictus): the effects of season and forest degradation
Authors: Ramírez-Hernández Gustavo , Herrera M. L. Gerardo
Published: December 2010

Temporal and spatial fluctuations in food abundance may affect the feeding habits of vertebrates in tropical dry forests. We explored the effects of season and forest degradation in dietary patterns of the painted spiny pocket mouse ( Lyomis pictus (Thomas, 1893)) (Heteromyidae) in a Mexican tropical dry forest. We used carbon (13C,12C) and nitrogen (15N,14N) stable isotope analyses to test the hypotheses that (i) L. pictus would increase its use of arthropods during the rainy season when seeds are less available on the forest floor and (ii) that L. pictus would increase its use of arthropods in degraded forest compared with conserved forest. Our hypotheses were wrong because assimilated biomass was derived almost exclusively from seeds in both seasons and the importance of arthropods was marginal in both sites. Examination of food remains in feces and cheek pouches confirmed these trophic patterns. Seed hoarding during the season of high seed availability probably allows L. pictus to subsist on a seed-based diet throughout the year in conserved and disturbed forests. This behavioral trait would enable L. pictus to maintain its specialized feeding habit in environments threatened by habitat degradation.
Do infections with parasites and exposure to pollution affect susceptibility to predation in johnny darters (Etheostoma nigrum)?
Authors: Krause Rachel J. , Grant James W.A. , McLaughlin J. Daniel , Marcogliese David J.
Published: December 2010

Johnny darters ( Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, 1820) were collected from five localities in the St. Lawrence River in southwestern Quebec to test the effects of natural parasite infections and exposure in situ to pollution on their antipredator behaviour. Three measures of antipredator behaviour were made: (1) capture time (i.e., the time taken to catch individual fish) was used as a proxy for the ability to evade predation, (2) capture order was the order in which fish kept in a single tank were taken from the tank, and (3) flight initiation distance was the distance at which the fish moved when approached by a model predator. Only capture time showed a significant correlation with parasitism or pollution status. A nonparametric permutational multivariate ANOVA showed that capture time was significantly correlated with capture location and the abundance of the brain-encysting trematode Ornithodiplostomum Dubois, 1936. Infection with Ornithodiplostomum sp. may have led to an increase in activity, which would be maladaptive for this cryptic, benthic fish under natural predation conditions. Pollution may have an indirect effect on predator susceptibility in johnny darters, by reducing the abundance of a behaviour-modifying parasite.
PARALLEL MACHINE SCHEDULING WITH A SIMULTANEITY CONSTRAINT AND UNIT-LENGTH JOBS TO MINIMIZE THE MAKESPAN
Authors: LIN LIN , LIN YIXUN , ZHOU XIANWEI , FU RUYAN
Published: December 2010

In this paper, we consider the parallel machine scheduling with a simultaneity constraint and unit-length jobs. The problem can be described as follows. There are given m parallel machines and a graph G, whose vertices represent jobs. Simultaneity constraint means that we can process a vertex job v if and only if there exists at least dG(v) idle machines, where dG(v) is the degree of vertex v in graph G. Once a vertex job is completed, we delete the vertex and its incident edges from the graph. The number of machines that a vertex job needing depends on its degree in current graph. Changes of graph result in changes of vertex degree. Here, we consider a special case that all jobs in the original graph are unit-length. Let pv denote the processing time of vertex job v, we define pv = 0 if d(v) = 0, and pv = 1, otherwise. The objective is to minimize the time by which each vertex job is completed, i.e., the time by which the graph becomes an empty graph. We show that this problem is strongly NP-hard and provide a [Formula: see text]-approximation algorithm.
Self-organized nanogel from pullulan/pheophorbide-A conjugate as a macromolecular photodynamic agent
Authors: Bae Byoung-chan , Li Fangyuan , Ling Daishun , Na Kun
Published: December 2010

The potential of pullulan(PL)/pheophorbide-A(phA) nanogel (PL/phA) was evaluated as a macromolecular photosensitizer (PS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Two samples with different degrees of substitution of phA (PL/phA1 and 2) were synthesized and analyzed by 1H NMR. The mean diameters of self-organized nanogels from PL/phA1 and 2 in aqueous solution were approximately 100 and 160 nm with mono-size distribution, respectively. The changes in nanogel photoactivity such as fluorescence intensity and singlet oxygen (1O2) production were observed in the solvents, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Although, their photoactivity in DMSO, which cannot form self-organized nanogels, was similar to that of free phA, activities were suppressed in the aqueous solution due to self-quenching between phAs similar to a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect. Moreover, as the nanogels were co-incubated with HeLa cells, the self-quenching effect gradually disappeared as a function of time. Based upon confocal microscopy and cytotoxicity results, we infer that the nanogels were internalized in cancer cells by endocytosis and then degraded by various enzymes in the endosome and lysosome, leading to the restoration of photoactivity. Therefore, the self-organized PL/phA nanogels may be recommended for development of new PDT with minimal unfavorable phototoxic affects.
Bisporphyrin connected by pyrimidine: synthesis and photophysical properties
Authors: Achelle Sylvain , Saettel Nicolas , Baldeck Patrice , Fichou Marie-Paule Teulade , Maillard Philippe
Published: December 2010

We report the synthesis of a series of zinc porphyrins conjugated with pyrimidine derivatives. V shaped porphyrin dimer with a pyrimidine central core exhibits a planar geometry according to DFT computational studies, presents an internal charge transfer upon excitation proved by typical solvatochromic behavior and moderate two-photon absorption properties. Such porphyrin conjugates can afford valuable advantages in applications of TPA materials such as in photodynamic therapy and imaging of biological entities.
Can One Validly Use Classical Statistical Inference in Open Quantum Systems?
Authors: Arenas Mallén , Rebolledo Rolando
Published: December 2010

A major problem to perform statistical inference in open quantum systems is the perturbation induced by the measurement process. However, at least theoretically, a suitable choice of the measurement process could provide a consistent approach through classical stochastic processes. This work proposes a method to perform statistical inference on open quantum systems represented by quantum Markov semigroups having a suitable classical reduction. The method is based on measurements associated to observables generating invariant abelian algebras.
A Lie Symmetry Analysis of the Caldeira-Leggett Model
Authors: Naicker V. , Petruccione F.
Published: December 2010

An important model in the theory of open quantum systems is the Caldeira-Leggett quantum Brownian motion model for the behaviour of a massive quantum particle weakly interacting with a bath of harmonic oscillators. The model is formulated in terms of a (1 + 2) dimensional partial differential equation (PDE) for the reduced density matrix of the particle. In this paper we analyze this PDE from the perspective of Lie symmetry groups. A Lie point symmetry analysis is performed and a number of canonical reductions are obtained. Of note are new analytic solutions to the model obtained by mapping the model to the linear diffusion equation.
The touchy subject of haptics
Authors: Wright Alex
Published: December 2010

After more than 20 years of research and development, are haptic interfaces finally getting ready to enter the computing mainstream?
Sora
Authors: Tan Kun , Liu He , Zhang Jiansong , Zhang Yongguang , Fang Ji , Voelker Geoffrey M.
Published: December 2010

This paper presents Sora, a fully programmable software radio platform on commodity PC architectures. Sora combines the performance and fidelity of hardware software-defined radio (SDR) platforms with the programmability and flexibility of general-purpose processor (GPP) SDR platforms. Sora uses both hardware and software techniques to address the challenges of using PC architectures for high-speed SDR. The Sora hardware components consist of a radio front-end for reception and transmission, and a radio control board for high-throughput, low-latency data transfer between radio and host memories. Sora makes extensive use of features of contemporary processor architectures to accelerate wireless protocol processing and satisfy protocol timing requirements, including using dedicated CPU cores, large low-latency caches to store lookup tables, and SIMD processor extensions for highly efficient physical layer processing on GPPs. Using the Sora platform, we have developed a few demonstration wireless systems, including SoftWiFi, an 802.11a/b/g implementation that seamlessly interoperates with commercial 802.11 NICs at all modulation rates, and SoftLTE, a 3GPP LTE uplink PHY implementation that supports up to 43.8Mbps data rate.
On the move, wirelessly connected to the world
Authors: Fröhlich Peter , Oulasvirta Antti , Baldauf Matthias , Nurminen Antti
Published: December 2010

How to experience real-world landmarks through a wave, gaze, location coordinates, or touch, prompting delivery of useful digital information.
A Combination Approach to Web User Profiling
Authors: Tang Jie , Yao Limin , Zhang Duo , Zhang Jing
Published: December 2010

In this article, we study the problem of Web user profiling, which is aimed at finding, extracting, and fusing the “semantic”-based user profile from the Web. Previously, Web user profiling was often undertaken by creating a list of keywords for the user, which is (sometimes even highly) insufficient for main applications. This article formalizes the profiling problem as several subtasks: profile extraction, profile integration, and user interest discovery. We propose a combination approach to deal with the profiling tasks. Specifically, we employ a classification model to identify relevant documents for a user from the Web and propose a Tree-Structured Conditional Random Fields (TCRF) to extract the profile information from the identified documents; we propose a unified probabilistic model to deal with the name ambiguity problem (several users with the same name) when integrating the profile information extracted from different sources; finally, we use a probabilistic topic model to model the extracted user profiles, and construct the user interest model. Experimental results on an online system show that the combination approach to different profiling tasks clearly outperforms several baseline methods. The extracted profiles have been applied to expert finding, an important application on the Web. Experiments show that the accuracy of expert finding can be improved (ranging from +6% to +26% in terms of MAP) by taking advantage of the profiles.
A Framework for Computing the Privacy Scores of Users in Online Social Networks
Authors: Liu Kun , Terzi Evimaria
Published: December 2010

A large body of work has been devoted to address corporate-scale privacy concerns related to social networks. Most of this work focuses on how to share social networks owned by organizations without revealing the identities or the sensitive relationships of the users involved. Not much attention has been given to the privacy risk of users posed by their daily information-sharing activities.

In this article, we approach the privacy issues raised in online social networks from the individual users’ viewpoint: we propose a framework to compute the privacy score of a user. This score indicates the user’s potential risk caused by his or her participation in the network. Our definition of privacy score satisfies the following intuitive properties: the more sensitive information a user discloses, the higher his or her privacy risk. Also, the more visible the disclosed information becomes in the network, the higher the privacy risk. We develop mathematical models to estimate both
sensitivity
and
visibility
of the information. We apply our methods to synthetic and real-world data and demonstrate their efficacy and practical utility.
Reversible circuit synthesis using a cycle-based approach
Authors: Saeedi Mehdi , Zamani Morteza Saheb , Sedighi Mehdi , Sasanian Zahra
Published: December 2010

Reversible logic has applications in various research areas, including signal processing, cryptography and quantum computation. In this article, direct NCT-based synthesis of a given
k
-cycle in a cycle-based synthesis scenario is examined. To this end, a set of seven building blocks is proposed that reveals the potential of direct synthesis of a given permutation to reduce both quantum cost and average runtime. To synthesize a given large cycle, we propose a decomposition algorithm to extract the suggested building blocks from the input specification. Then, a synthesis method is introduced that uses the building blocks and the decomposition algorithm. Finally, a hybrid synthesis framework is suggested that uses the proposed cycle-based synthesis method in conjunction with one of the recent NCT-based synthesis approaches which is based on Reed-Muller (RM) spectra.

The time complexity and the effectiveness of the proposed synthesis approach are analyzed in detail. Our analyses show that the proposed hybrid framework leads to a better quantum cost in the worst-case scenario compared to the previously presented methods. The proposed framework always converges and typically synthesizes a given specification very fast compared to the available synthesis algorithms. Besides, the quantum costs of benchmark functions are improved about 20% on average (55% in the best case).
Improving graph-walk-based similarity with reranking
Authors: Minkov Einat , Cohen William W.
Published: December 2010

Relational or semistructured data is naturally represented by a graph, where nodes denote entities and directed typed edges represent the relations between them. Such graphs are heterogeneous, describing different types of objects and links. We represent personal information as a graph that includes
messages
,
terms
,
persons
,
dates
, and other object types, and relations like
sent-to
and
has-term
. Given the graph, we apply finite random graph walks to induce a measure of entity similarity, which can be viewed as a
tool for performing search
in the graph. Experiments conducted using personal email collections derived from the Enron corpus and other corpora show how the different tasks of
alias finding
,
threading
, and
person name disambiguation
can be all addressed as search queries in this framework, where the graph-walk-based similarity metric is preferable to alternative approaches, and further improvements are achieved with learning. While researchers have suggested to tune edge weight parameters to optimize the graph walk performance per task, we apply reranking to improve the graph walk results, using features that describe high-level information such as the paths traversed in the walk. High performance, together with practical runtimes, suggest that the described framework is a useful search system in the PIM domain, as well as in other semistructured domains.
Contention-Aware Scheduling on Multicore Systems
Authors: Blagodurov Sergey , Zhuravlev Sergey , Fedorova Alexandra
Published: December 2010

Contention for shared resources on multicore processors remains an unsolved problem in existing systems despite significant research efforts dedicated to this problem in the past. Previous solutions focused primarily on hardware techniques and software page coloring to mitigate this problem. Our goal is to investigate how and to what extent contention for shared resource can be mitigated via thread scheduling. Scheduling is an attractive tool, because it does not require extra hardware and is relatively easy to integrate into the system. Our study is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of contention-mitigating techniques that use only scheduling. The most difficult part of the problem is to find a classification scheme for threads, which would determine how they affect each other when competing for shared resources. We provide a comprehensive analysis of such classification schemes using a newly proposed methodology that enables to evaluate these schemes separately from the scheduling algorithm itself and to compare them to the optimal. As a result of this analysis we discovered a classification scheme that addresses not only contention for cache space, but contention for other shared resources, such as the memory controller, memory bus and prefetching hardware. To show the applicability of our analysis we design a new scheduling algorithm, which we prototype at user level, and demonstrate that it performs within 2% of the optimal. We also conclude that the highest impact of contention-aware scheduling techniques is not in improving performance of a workload as a whole but in improving quality of service or performance isolation for individual applications and in optimizing system energy consumption.
e-Learning Summit Sees Need for Unified European Voice
Authors: Little Bob
Published: December 2010

The e-learning industry in Europe needs a single, independent, and impartial voice to promote e-learning to government in every country in Europe, according to delegates of a summit hosted in Sheffield, England, in November 2010.
An Interview with Koreen Olbrish and Kristen Cromer
Authors: Duffy Jill
Published: December 2010

Pennsylvania-based Tandem Learning designs training and education programs, with an emphasis on games-based learning and alternate reality games, for a wide variety of organizations and corporations. Founded by Koreen Olbrish, CEO, and Kristen Cromer, vice president of learning design, the company has been creating and rolling out e-learning content since 2008. Here, the two co-founders speak about what kinds of things they see and hear being repeated from one client to the next, as well as how they know a client is truly ready to take on a games-based learning approach.
Spectral modulation attenuates molecular, endocrine, and neurobehavioral disruption induced by nocturnal light exposure
Authors: Rahman Shadab A. , Marcu Shai , Shapiro Colin M. , Brown Theodore J. , Casper Robert F.
Published: December 2010

The human eye serves distinctly dual roles in image forming (IF) and non-image-forming (NIF) responses when exposed to light. Whereas IF responses mediate vision, the NIF responses affect various molecular, neuroendocrine, and neurobehavioral variables. NIF responses can have acute and circadian phase-shifting effects on physiological variables. Both the acute and phase-shifting effects induced by photic stimuli demonstrate short-wavelength sensitivity peaking ≈450–480 nm. In the current study, we examined the molecular, neuroendocrine, and neurobehavioral effects of completely filtering (0% transmission) all short wavelengths <480 nm and all short wavelengths <460 nm or partially filtering (∼30% transmission) <480 nm from polychromatic white light exposure between 2000 and 0800 in healthy individuals. Filtering short wavelengths <480 nm prevented nocturnal light-induced suppression of melatonin secretion, increased cortisol secretion, and disrupted peripheral clock gene expression. Furthermore, subjective alertness, mood, and errors on an objective vigilance task were significantly less impaired at 0800 by filtering wavelengths <480 nm compared with unfiltered nocturnal light exposure. These changes were not associated with significantly increased sleepiness or fatigue compared with unfiltered light exposure. The changes in molecular, endocrine, and neurobehavioral processes were not significantly improved by completely filtering <460 nm or partially filtering <480 nm compared with unfiltered nocturnal light exposure. Repeated light-dark cycle alterations as in rotating nightshifts can disrupt circadian rhythms and induce health disorders. The current data suggest that spectral modulation may provide an effective method of regulating the effects of light on physiological processes.
Activation of subthalamic neurons by contralateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson disease
Authors: Walker Harrison C. , Watts Ray L. , Schrandt Christian J. , Huang He , Guthrie Stephanie L. , Guthrie Barton L. , Montgomery Erwin B.
Published: December 2010

Multiple studies have shown bilateral improvement in motor symptoms in Parkinson disease (PD) following unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal segment of the globus pallidus, yet the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. We hypothesized that STN neuronal activity is altered by contralateral STN DBS. This hypothesis was tested intraoperatively in humans with advanced PD using microelectrode recordings of the STN during contralateral STN DBS. We demonstrate alterations in the discharge pattern of STN neurons in response to contralateral STN DBS including short latency, temporally precise, stimulation frequency-independent responses consistent with antidromic activation. Furthermore, the total discharge frequency during contralateral high frequency stimulation (160 Hz) was greater than during low frequency stimulation (30 Hz) and the resting state. These findings demonstrate complex responses to DBS and imply that output activation throughout the basal ganglia-thalamic-cortical network rather than local inhibition is a therapeutic mechanism of DBS.
Regulation of Immune Responses and Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by PPARs
Authors: Yang Yuhong , Lovett-Racke Amy E. , Racke Michael K.
Published: December 2010

PPARs are members of the steroid hormone nuclear receptor superfamily and play an important role in regulating inflammation as well as lipid metabolism. The PPAR subfamily has been defined as PPARα, PPARβ/δ, and PPARγ, each with different ligands, target genes, and biological roles. PPARs regulate the expression of target inflammatory genes through mechanisms involving both transactivation and transrepression. The anti-inflammatory properties of PPAR agonists have led to the investigation of PPAR functions in regulating autoimmune encephalomyelitis. This paper will summarize some of the general mechanisms by which PPARs regulate inflammatory gene expression and focus on the recent advances of PPAR regulation of autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Nonlinear‐Optical and Fluorescent Properties of Ag Aqueous Colloid Prepared by Silver Nitrate Reduction
Authors: Zhang Xiaoqiang , He Tingchao , Wang Changshun , Zhang Jinwen
Published: December 2010

The nonlinear‐optical properties of metal Ag colloidal solutions, which were prepared by the reduction of silver nitrate, were investigated using Z‐scan method. Under picosecond 532 nm excitation, the Ag colloidal solution exhibited negative nonlinear refractive index (n2 = −5.17 × 10−4 cm2/W) and reverse saturable absorption coefficient (β = 4.32 cm/GW). The data fitting result of optical limiting (OL) response of metal Ag colloidal solution indicated that the nonlinear absorption was attributed to two‐photon absorption effect at 532 nm. Moreover, the fluorescence emission spectra of Ag colloidal solution were recorded under excitations at both 280 nm and 350 nm. Two fluorescence peaks, 336 nm and 543 nm for 280 nm excitation, while 544 nm and 694 nm for 350 nm excitation, were observed.
On the Stability of Reconstruction of Irregularly Sampled Diffraction Fields
Authors: Uzunov Vladislav , Gotchev Atanas , Egiazarian Karen
Published: December 2010

This paper addresses the problem of reconstruction of a
monochromatic light field from data points, irregularly
distributed within a volume of interest. Such setting is relevant
for a wide range of three-dimensional display and
beam shaping applications, which deal with physically inconsistent
data. Two finite-dimensional models of monochromatic
light fields are used to state the reconstruction
problem as regularized matrix inversion. The Tikhonov
method, implemented by the iterative algorithm of conjugate
gradients, is used for regularization. Estimates of the
model dimensionality are related to the number of degrees
of freedom of the light field as to show how to control the
data redundancy. Experiments demonstrate that various
data point distributions lead to ill-poseness and that regularized
inversion is able to compensate for the data point
inconsistencies with good numerical performance.
Characteristics of Carbon Monoxide Oxidization in Rich Hydrogen by Mesoporous Silica with TiO2Photocatalyst
Authors: Nishimura Akira , Yamano Yutaka , Hisada Tomokazu , Hirota Masafumi , Hu Eric
Published: December 2010

Hydrogen (H2) is normally used as the fuel to power polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). However, the power generation performance of PEFC is harmed by the carbon monoxide (CO) in the H2that is often produced frommethane (CH4). The purpose of this study is to investigate the experimental conditions in order to improve the CO oxidization performance of mesoporous silica loaded with TiO2. The impact of loading ratio of TiO2and initial concentration ratio of O2to CO on CO oxidization performance is investigated. As a result, the optimum loading ratio of TiO2and initial concentration ratio of O2to CO were 20 wt% and 4 vol%, respectively, under the experimental conditions. Under this optimumexperimental condition, the CO in rich H2in the reactor can be completely eliminated from initial 12000 ppmV after UV light illumination of 72 hours.
Feeding Regulates the Expression of Pancreatic Genes in Gastric Mucosa
Authors: De Giorgio Maria Rita , Yoshioka Mayumi , St-Amand Jonny
Published: December 2010

The ineffective short-term control of feeding behavior compromises energy homeostasis and can lead to obesity. The gastrointestinal tract secretes several regulatory peptides. However, little is known about the stomach peptide contribution to the acute regulation of intake. In an attempt to identify new gastric signals, the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) method was used for the transcription profiling of stomach mucosa in 7 groups of mice: fasting and sacrificed 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours after a low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF)ad libitummeal. In total, 35 genes were differentially modulated by LF and HF meals compared to fasting, including 15 mRNAs coding for digestive enzymes/secretory proteins, and 10 novel transcripts. Although the basic expression profile did not undergo substantial variations, both LF and HF meals influenced the transcription. This study represents the first global analysis of stomach transcriptome as induced by different nutritional stimuli. Further studies including the characterization of novel genes may help to identify new targets for the therapy and prevention of obesity.
Improvement of Short‐Circuit Current Density in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Using Sputtered Nanocolumnar TiO2 Compact Layer
Authors: Chen Lung-Chien , Chen Cheng-Chiang , Tseng Bo-Shiang
Published: December 2010

The effect of a nanocolumnar TiO2 compact layer in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was examined. Such a compact layer was sputtered on a glass substrate with an indium tin oxide (ITO) film using TiO2 powder as the raw material, with a thickness of ~100 nm. The compact layer improved the short‐circuit current density and the efficiency of conversion of solar energy to electricity by the DSSC by 53.37% and 59.34%, yielding values of 27.33 mA/cm2 and 9.21%, respectively. The performance was attributed to the effective electron pathways in the TiO2 compact layer, which reduced the back reaction by preventing direct contact between the redox electrolyte and the conductive substrate.
A Dislocation-Based Theory for the Deformation Hardening Behavior of DP Steels: Impact of Martensite Content and Ferrite Grain Size
Authors: Bergström Yngve , Granbom Ylva , Sterkenburg Dirk
Published: December 2010

A dislocation model, accurately describing the uniaxial plastic stress-strain behavior of dual phase (DP) steels, is proposed and the impact of martensite content and ferrite grain size in four commercially produced DP steels is analyzed. It is assumed that the plastic deformation process is localized to the ferrite. This is taken into account by introducing a nonhomogeneity parameter, f(ε), that specifies the volume fraction of ferrite taking active part in the plastic deformation process. It is found that the larger the martensite content the smaller the initial volume fraction of active ferrite which yields a higher initial deformation hardening rate. This explains the high energy absorbing capacity of DP steels with high volume fractions of martensite. Further, the effect of ferrite grain size strengthening in DP steels is important. The flow stress grain size sensitivity for DP steels is observed to be 7 times larger than that for single phase ferrite.
Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage in a Dense Medium
Authors: Fainberg B. D. , Levinsky B.
Published: December 2010

We have considered a coherent population transfer to a higher excited singlet state (S2) of
molecules with anomalous fluorescence in molecular assemblies (e.g., a dense medium). A direct
excitation to S2 requires light in the UV region. Because of this, the transition is conveniently realized by a two-step (two-photon) process: S0→S1→S2, where transitions S0→S1 and S1→S2 correspond to the optical region. We have shown that efficient stimulated Raman adiabatic passage
(STIRAP) in the ladder configuration can be realized in this case, using suitably chirped pulses, to
compensate a change of the two-photon transition frequency in time, induced by the pulses themselves, due to near dipole-dipole interactions. We have provided a reduced state formulation of the
optical control process. Chirping the “pump” pulse that excites transition S0→S1 is nonequivalent to chirping the “Stokes” pulse that excites transition S1→S2, with respect to the population of the intermediate state (S1) in the pulse nonadiabatic regime. We have also shown that with suitably chirped pulses, efficient STIRAP still persists even for a rather large decay of the intermediate state.
The Modulation of Adaptive Immune Responses by Bacterial Zwitterionic Polysaccharides
Authors: Stephen Tom Li , Groneck Laura , Kalka-Moll Wiltrud Maria
Published: December 2010

The detection of pathogen-derived molecules as foreign particles by adaptive immune cells triggers T and B lymphocytes to mount protective cellular and humoral responses, respectively. Recent immunological advances elucidated that proteins and some lipids are the principle biological molecules that induce protective T cell responses during microbial infections. Polysaccharides are important components of microbial pathogens and many vaccines. However, research concerning the activation of the adaptive immune system by polysaccharides gained interest only recently. Traditionally, polysaccharides were considered to be T cell-independent antigens that did not directly activate T cells or induce protective immune responses. Here, we review several recent advances in “carbohydrate immunobiology”. A group of bacterial polysaccharides that are known as “zwitterionic polysaccharides (ZPSs)” were recently identified as potent immune modulators. The immunomodulatory effect of ZPSs required antigen processing and presentation by antigen presenting cells, the activation of CD4 T cells and subpopulations of CD8 T cells and the modulation of host cytokine responses. In this review, we also discuss the potential use of these unique immunomodulatory ZPSs in new vaccination strategies against chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmunity, infectious diseases, allergies and asthmatic conditions.