bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective Choice and Boundedness Principles in Computable Analysis
Authors: Brattka Vasco , Gherardi Guido
Published: January 2011

In this paper we study a new approach to classify mathematical theorems according to their computational content. Basically, we are asking the question which theorems can be continuously or computably transferred into each other? For this purpose theorems are considered via their realizers which are operations with certain input and output data. The technical tool to express continuous or computable relations between such operations is Weihrauch reducibility and the partially ordered degree structure induced by it. We have identified certain choice principles such as co-finite choice, discrete choice, interval choice, compact choice and closed choice, which are cornerstones among Weihrauch degrees and it turns out that certain core theorems in analysis can be classified naturally in this structure. In particular, we study theorems such as the Intermediate Value Theorem, the Baire Category Theorem, the Banach Inverse Mapping Theorem, the Closed Graph Theorem and the Uniform Boundedness Theorem. We also explore how existing classifications of the Hahn–Banach Theorem and Weak Kőnig's Lemma fit into this picture. Well-known omniscience principles from constructive mathematics such as LPO and LLPO can also naturally be considered as Weihrauch degrees and they play an important role in our classification. Based on this we compare the results of our classification with existing classifications in constructive and reverse mathematics and we claim that in a certain sense our classification is finer and sheds some new light on the computational content of the respective theorems. Our classification scheme does not require any particular logical framework or axiomatic setting, but it can be carried out in the framework of classical mathematics using tools of topology, computability theory and computable analysis. We develop a number of separation techniques based on a new parallelization principle, on certain invariance properties of Weihrauch reducibility, on the Low Basis Theorem of Jockusch and Soare and based on the Baire Category Theorem. Finally, we present a number of metatheorems that allow to derive upper bounds for the classification of the Weihrauch degree of many theorems and we discuss the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem as an example.
Cardinal characteristics on graphs
Authors: Haverkamp Nick
Published: January 2011

A cardinal characteristic can often be described as the smallest size of a family of sequences which has a given property. Instead of this traditional concern for a smallest realization of the given property, a basically new approach, taken in [4] and [5], asks for a realization whose members are sequences of labels that correspond to 1-way infinite paths in a labelled graph. We study this approach as such, establishing tools that are applicable to all these cardinal characteristics. As an application, we demonstrate the power of the tools developed by presenting a short proof of the bounded graph conjecture [4].
A complicated ω-stable depth 2 theory
Authors: Koerwien Martin
Published: January 2011

We present a countable complete first order theory T which is model theoretically very well behaved: it eliminates quantifiers, is ω-stable, it has NDOP and is shallow of depth two. On the other hand, there is no countable bound on the Scott heights of its countable models, which implies that the isomorphism relation for countable models is not Borel.
Computability of Fraïssé limits
Authors: Csima Barbara F. , Harizanov Valentina S. , Miller Russell , Montalbán Antonio
Published: January 2011

Fraïssé studied countable structures through analysis of the age of , i.e., the set of all finitely generated substructures of . We investigate the effectiveness of his analysis, considering effectively presented lists of finitely generated structures and asking when such a list is the age of a computable structure. We focus particularly on the Fraïssé limit. We also show that degree spectra of relations on a sufficiently nice Fraïssé limit are always upward closed unless the relation is definable by a quantifier-free formula. We give some sufficient or necessary conditions for a Fraïssé limit to be spectrally universal. As an application, we prove that the computable atomless Boolean algebra is spectrally universal.
Double-exponential inseparability of Robinson subsystem Q+
Authors: Egidi Lavinia , Faglia Giovanni
Published: January 2011

In this work a double exponential time inseparability result is proven for a finitely axiomatizable first order theory Q+. The theory, subset of Presburger theory of addition S+, is the additive fragment of Robinson system Q. We prove that every set that separates Q+ from the logically false sentences of addition is not recognizable by any Turing machine working in double exponential time. The lower bound is given both in the non-deterministic and in the linear alternating time models.

The result implies also that any theory of addition that is consistent with Q+—in particular any theory contained in S+—is at least double exponential time difficult. Our inseparability result is an improvement on the known lower bounds for arithmetic theories.

Our proof uses a refinement and adaptation of the technique that Fischer and Rabin used to prove the difficulty of S+. Our version of the technique can be applied to any incomplete finitely axiomatizable system in which all of the necessary properties of addition are provable.
Iterative differential Galois theory in positive characteristic: A model theoretic approach
Authors: Moreno Javier
Published: January 2011

This paper introduces a natural extension of Kolchin's differential Galois theory to positive characteristic iterative differential fields, generalizing to the non-linear case the iterative Picard–Vessiot theory recently developed by Matzat and van der Put. We use the methods and framework provided by the model theory of iterative differential fields. We offer a definition of strongly normal extension of iterative differential fields, and then prove that these extensions have good Galois theory and that a G-primitive element theorem holds. In addition, making use of the basic theory of arc spaces of algebraic groups, we define iterative logarithmic equations, finally proving that our strongly normal extensions are Galois extensions for these equations.
Weihrauch degrees, omniscience principles and weak computability
Authors: Brattka Vasco , Gherardi Guido
Published: January 2011

In this paper we study a reducibility that has been introduced by Klaus Weihrauch or, more precisely, a natural extension for multi-valued functions on represented spaces. We call the corresponding equivalence classes Weihrauch degrees and we show that the corresponding partial order induces a lower semi-lattice. It turns out that parallelization is a closure operator for this semi-lattice and that the parallelized Weihrauch degrees even form a lattice into which the Medvedev lattice and the Turing degrees can be embedded. The importance of Weihrauch degrees is based on the fact that multi-valued functions on represented spaces can be considered as realizers of mathematical theorems in a very natural way and studying the Weihrauch reductions between theorems in this sense means to ask which theorems can be transformed continuously or computably into each other. As crucial corner points of this classification scheme the limited principle of omniscience LPO, the lesser limited principle of omniscience LLPO and their parallelizations are studied. It is proved that parallelized LLPO is equivalent to Weak Kőnig's Lemma and hence to the Hahn–Banach Theorem in this new and very strong sense. We call a multi-valued function weakly computable if it is reducible to the Weihrauch degree of parallelized LLPO and we present a new proof, based on a computational version of Kleene's ternary logic, that the class of weakly computable operations is closed under composition. Moreover, weakly computable operations on computable metric spaces are characterized as operations that admit upper semi-computable compact-valued selectors and it is proved that any single-valued weakly computable operation is already computable in the ordinary sense.
Invariant measures on groups satisfying various chain conditions
Authors: Dries Lou van den , Lopes Vinicius Cifú
Published: January 2011

For any group satisfying a suitable chain condition, we construct a finitely additive measure on it that is invariant under certain actions.
Analytic equivalence relations and bi-embeddability
Authors: Friedman Sy-David , Ros Luca Motto
Published: January 2011

Louveau and Rosendal [5] have shown that the relation of bi-embeddability for countable graphs as well as for many other natural classes of countable structures is complete under Borel reducibility for analytic equivalence relations. This is in strong contrast to the case of the isomorphism relation, which as an equivalence relation on graphs (or on any class of countable structures consisting of the models of a sentence of ) is far from complete (see [5, 2]).

In this article we strengthen the results of [5] by showing that not only does bi-embeddability give rise to analytic equivalence relations which are complete under Borel reducibility, but in fact any analytic equivalence relation is Borel equivalent to such a relation. This result and the techniques introduced answer questions raised in [5] about the comparison between isomorphism and bi-embeddability. Finally, as in [5] our results apply not only to classes of countable structures defined by sentences of , but also to discrete metric or ultrametric Polish spaces, compact metrizable topological spaces and separable Banach spaces, with various notions of embeddability appropriate for these classes, as well as to actions of Polish monoids.
Coding true arithmetic in the Medvedev and Muchnik degrees
Authors: Shafer Paul
Published: January 2011

We prove that the first-order theory of the Medvedev degrees, the first-order theory of the Muchnik degrees, and the third-order theory of true arithmetic are pairwise recursively isomorphic (obtained independently by Lewis, Nies, and Sorbi [7]). We then restrict our attention to the degrees of closed sets and prove that the following theories are pairwise recursively isomorphic: the first-order theory of the closed Medvedev degrees, the first-order theory of the compact Medvedev degrees, the first-order theory of the closed Muchnik degrees, the first-order theory of the compact Muchnik degrees, and the second-order theory of true arithmetic. Our coding methods also prove that neither the closed Medvedev degrees nor the compact Medvedev degrees are elementarily equivalent to either the closed Muchnik degrees or the compact Muchnik degrees.
Benign cost functions and lowness properties
Authors: Greenberg Noam , Nies André
Published: January 2011

We show that the class of strongly jump-traceable c.e. sets can be characterised as those which have sufficiently slow enumerations so they obey a class of well-behaved cost functions, called benign. This characterisation implies the containment of the class of strongly jump-traceable c.e. Turing degrees in a number of lowness classes, in particular the classes of the degrees which lie below incomplete random degrees, indeed all LR-hard random degrees, and allω-c.e. random degrees. The last result implies recent results of Diamondstone's and Ng's regarding cupping with superlow c.e. degrees and thus gives a use of algorithmic randomness in the study of the c.e. Turing degrees.
Stable division rings
Authors: Milliet Cédric
Published: January 2011

It is shown that a stable division ring with positive characteristic has finite dimension over its centre. This is then extended to simple division rings.
Coupling Swelling and Water Retention Processes in Compacted Bentonite
Authors: Lempinen Antti
Published: January 2011

Compacted bentonite is the main candidate for buffer material in several plans for spent nuclear fuel repositories. One of its important properties is high swelling capacity, which is caused by interaction between water molecules and exchangeable cations. This interaction makes bentonite behave differently from capillary materials. In this article, a model for thermo-hydro-mechanical state of partially water saturated bentonite is presented. It couples the water retention and swelling properties with introduction of the swelling factor in effective strain. The Helmholz energy density determines the state with a relatively small set of independent parameters: swelling pressure, swelling factor, maximum confined water content and the reference state. The model parameters are determined from experimental data for FEBEX bentonite, and as a simple consistency check, confined suction curves are calculated and compared to test results. Consistency of the model with observations on nano- and microscale of bentonite is also discussed.
A Survey of Data Treatment Techniques for Soft Sensor Design
Authors: Pani Ajaya Kumar , Mohanta Hare Krishna
Published: January 2011

Soft sensors have proved themselves as valuable alternatives to the traditional means for the acquisition of critical process variables, process monitoring and other tasks relating to process control. Most of the present day soft sensors for complex chemical processes are designed from actual industrial data because of the various difficulties associated with developing first principle models such as poor process understanding, impossible or difficult to determine model parameters and mathematical complexity of the models. This paper discusses characteristics of the process industry data which are critical for the design and development of data driven soft sensors. The focus of this paper is on the different shortcomings of the raw process data collected from the historical database and a review of different techniques available for processing of the raw data so as to make the data suitable for design of data driven soft sensors.
Analytical General Equilibrium Effects of Energy Policy on Output and Factor Prices
Authors: Fullerton Don , Heutel Garth
Published: January 2011

Using an analytical general equilibrium model, we find solutions for the effect of energy policy on factor prices as well as output prices. We calibrate the model to the U.S. economy, and we consider a tax on carbon dioxide. By looking at expenditure and income patterns across household groups, we quantify the uses-side and sources-side incidence of the tax. When households are categorized either by annual income or by total annual consumption as a proxy for permanent income, the uses-side incidence is regressive. This result is robust to sensitivity analysis over various parameter values. The sources-side incidence can be progressive, U-shaped, or regressive. Results on the sources side are sensitive to parameter values.
The Practice of Tying Development Aid: A Critical Appraisal from an International, WTO and EU Law Perspective
Authors: Serra Gianluca
Published: January 2011

Tied aid consists in tying development aid to the purchase of products from the donor country. Under a tied aid regime a developed country grants funds to a developing partner country on condition that the donation is spent by the latter through procurement procedures in which only companies established in former are able to tender. Is such practice compatible with the “right” to development as currently defined in international law? Moreover, what are the implications of tied aid on the principles of free trade and competition as affirmed in WTO and EU law? Leaving aside the ongoing debate on aid effectiveness and the harmonization of donors’ practices, this study attempts to provide plausible answers to these not extensively researched legal questions.
Benefit-Cost Analysis for Drinking Water Standards: Efficiency, Equity, and Affordability Considerations in Small Communities
Authors: Raucher Robert S. , Rubin Scott J. , Crawford-Brown Douglas , Lawson Megan M.
Published: January 2011

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, enables benefit-cost analysis (BCA) to be used in setting federal drinking water standards, known as MCLs. While BCAs are typically conceived of as a tool to inform efficiency considerations by helping to identify MCL options that maximize net social benefits, in this paper we also illustrate how important equity and affordability considerations can be brought to light by suitably applying BCAs to drinking water regulations, especially in the context of communities served by relatively small water systems. We examine the applicability and relevance of health-health analysis (HHA), and provide an empirical evaluation of the risk tradeoffs that may be associated with the MCL established for arsenic. We find that the cost-associated risks may offset a nontrivial portion of the cancer risk reduction benefits attributed to the MCL (e.g., the additional adverse health impacts from the costs may be roughly half as large as the number of cancer cases avoided). This reveals the relevance of using the HHA approach for examining net benefits of MCLs in small drinking water utilities, and raises issues related to whether and how these cost-associated health risks should be considered in BCAs for drinking water standards.
Incorporating Distributional Issues into Benefit Cost Analysis: Why, How, and Two Empirical Examples Using Non-market Valuation
Authors: Loomis John B.
Published: January 2011

This article reviews the rationale for and various approaches used by economists to incorporate distributional consequences of projects or policies into benefit-cost analyses. Approaches reviewed include distributional weights and metrics based on the Lorenz curve. Analysis of distributional issues in partial equilibrium and general equilibrium settings are briefly reviewed. We present an empirical demonstration of how the contingent valuation method (CVM) and hedonic property methods (HPM) can be used to quantify how non-market environmental benefits are distributed by income and ethnicity. Using CVM, the distribution of non-market benefits can be cross-tabbed with respondent demographics, so that a variety of “distributions” of benefits by relevant demographic groups can be calculated. Using the HPM, the analyst can statistically test to see if the implicit price gradient varies with differences in income and ethnicity. In our empirical example, we find that ethnicity and income interaction terms on the implicit price gradient are statistically significant suggesting differential effects of National Forest fire suppression policies on Hispanics and low income households.
A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Private and Semi-Private Hospital Rooms
Authors: Boardman Anthony E. , Forbes Diane
Published: January 2011

The design of new hospital inpatient rooms is moving towards private (single occupancy) rooms. These rooms are generally preferred by patients and they may improve patient care, but they are more expensive to build and to staff than semi-private rooms. The question of their societal worth is important because hospitals are expensive, long-term investments and, once built, are prohibitively expensive to change. This paper presents a benefit-cost analysis of private rooms versus semi-private rooms in a proposed new hospital. We estimate that the net social benefit of a bed in a private room is about $70,000 more than a bed in a semi-private room.
The Use of Speech Technology in Foreign Language Pronunciation Training
Authors: Demenko Grażyna , Wagner Agnieszka , Cylwik Natalia
Published: January 2011

In recent years the application of computer software to the learning process has been found to be an indisputably effective tool supporting the traditional teaching methods. Particular focus has been put on the application of techniques based on speech and language processing to the second language learning. Most of the commercial self-study programs, however, do not allow for introduction of an individualized learning course by the teacher and to concentrate on segmental features only. The paper discusses the use of speech technology in the training of foreign languages' pronunciation and prosody and defines pedagogical requirements for an effective training with CAPT systems. In this context, steps taken in the development of the intelligent tutoring system AzAR3.0 (German‘Automat for accent reduction’) in the scope of the Euronounce project (Cylwiket al., 2008) are described with the focus on creation of the linguistic content. In response to the European Union's call for promoting less widely spoken languages, the project focuses on German as a target language for native speakers of Polish, Slovak, Czech, and Russian, andvice versa. The paper presents the design of the speech corpus for the purpose of the tutoring system and the analysis of pronunciation errors. The results of the latter provide information which is important for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) training on the one hand, and for automatic error detection and feedback generation on the other hand. In the end, Pitch Line software for implementation in the prosody visualization and training module of AzAR3.0 tutoring system is described.
Controlling of Violations of the Basic Assumptions of the Recurrent Assessment Model of Long-Term Noise Indicators
Authors: Batko Wojciech , Bal Renata
Published: January 2011

The function of a new estimation procedure of long-term noise indicators is considered in this study. New possibilities are related to the stochastic modelling of the control data formation mechanism. Assuming the mathematical formalism based on the adaptive model of exponential smoothing of control data, the need of controlling at each estimation stage of long-term noise indicators, the adherence to the model assumptions is formulated. The procedure of its realisation is described in the paper. The tracking signal method referred to the tested errors of the assumed model was applied. The ratio of the sum of model errors in relation to the average absolute error, generated by the assumed approximation, was selected as the representative of the tracking signal. Conditions for the acceptation of the model assumption were defined. The analysis of functionality of the developed solution was illustrated by the results of a continuous noise monitoring recorded at one of the main arteries in Kraków.
Computing Impulse Response of Room Acoustics Using the Ray-Tracing Method in Time Domain
Authors: Alpkocak Adil , Sis Malik
Published: January 2011

This paper proposes a new approach for calculating the impulse response of room acoustics. Impulse response provides unique characterization of any discrete lineartime invariant (LTI) systems. We assume that the room is a linear time-invariant system and the impulse response is calculated simply by sending a Dirac Impulse into the system as input and getting the response from the output. Then, the output of the system is represented as a sum of time-shifted weighted impulse responses. Both mathematical justifications for the proposed method and results from simulation software developed to evaluate the proposed approach are presented in detail.
Determination of the Probability Distribution of the Mean Sound Level
Authors: Batko Wojciech , Przysucha Bartosz
Published: January 2011

Assessment of several noise indicators are determined by the logarithmic mean , from the sum of independent random resultsL1;L2; : : : ;Lnof the sound level, being under testing. The estimation of uncertainty of such averaging requires knowledge of probability distribution of the function form of their calculations. The developed solution, leading to the recurrent determination of the probability distribution function for the estimation of the mean value of noise levels and its variance, is shown in this paper.
Long-Term Comparative Evaluation of Acoustic Climate in Selected Schools Before and After Acoustic Treatment
Authors: Kotus Józef , Szczodrak Maciej , Czyżewski Andrzej , Kostek Bożena
Published: January 2011

The results of long-term continuous noise measurements in two selected schools are presented in the paper. Noise characteristics were measured continuously there for approximately 16 months. Measurements started eight months prior to the acoustic treatment of the school corridors of both schools. An evaluation of the acoustic climates in both schools, before and after the acoustic treatment, was performed based on comparison of these two periods of continuous measurements. The autonomous noise monitoring stations, engineered at the Multimedia Systems Department of the Gdańsk University of Technology were used for this purpose. Investigations of measured noise, especially its influence on hearing sense, assessed on ground of spectral analyses in critical bands, is discussed. Effects of occupational noise exposure, including the Temporary Threshold Shift simulation, are determined. The correlation of the above said measurement results with respective instantaneous noise levels is discussed, and concluding remarks are presented. Some additional indicators such as air pollution or video analysis aiming at the analysis of corridor occupancy are also measured. It should be remembered that excessive noise, or air pollution may be evidence of a dangerous event and may pose health risks.
Wave Generation by a Finite Baffle Array in Application to Beam-Forming Analysis
Authors: Tasinkevych Yuriy
Published: January 2011

Directional excitation of sound in an aperiodic finite baffle system is analyzed using a method developed earlier in electrostatics. The solution to the corresponding boundary value problem is obtained in the spatial-frequency domain. The acoustic pressure and normal particle velocity distribution in acoustic media can be easily computed by the inverse Fourier transform from their spatial spectra on the baffle plane. The presented method can be used for linear acoustic phased arrays modeling with finite element size and inter-element interactions taken into account. Some illustrative numerical examples presenting the far-field radiation pattern and wave-beam steering are given.
What Leopold Learned from Darwin and Hadley: Comment on Callicott et al.
Authors: Norton Bryan G.
Published: January 2011

This comment explains why the claims of Callicott et al. in their paper 'Was Aldo Leopold a Pragmatist?' (Environmental Values 18 (2009): 453-486) are incorrect. The arguments they make are shown to be based upon several misunderstandings. In addition, important contributions
by Aldo Leopold to the philosophy of conservation are missed.
Reply to Norton, re: Aldo Leopold and Pragmatism
Authors: Callicott J. Baird , Grove-Fanning William , Rowland Jennifer , Baskind Daniel , French Robert Heath , Walker Kerry
Published: January 2011

As a conservation policy advocate and practitioner, Leopold was a pragmatist (in the vernacular sense of the word). He was not, however, a member of the school of philosophy known as American Pragmatism, nor was his environmental philosophy informed by any members of that school. Leopold's
environmental philosophy was radically non-anthropocentric; he was an intellectual revolutionary and aspired to transform social values and institutions.
Social Practice and the Evolution of Personal Environmental Values
Authors: Hards Sarah
Published: January 2011

How and why people's environmental values change is a topical research issue, with major implications for sustainability policy. However, approaches based on individualistic models have had limited success in explaining the emergence of values, or developing interventions to change
them. Work drawing on social practice theory takes an alternative approach, seeing values and practice as co-constructive. This paper examines how personal environmental values evolve through performance of practice, experience within specific contexts and social interaction. Drawing on a
narrative-based study of UK climate change campaigners, it aims to contribute to a much-needed dialogue between sociological and psychological approaches to environmental values.
Climate Change and the Convergence between ENGOs and Business: On the Loss of Utopian Energies
Authors: Anshelm Jonas , Hansson Anders
Published: January 2011

The conflicts permeating the environmental debate since the 1960s have mainly involved two actors: multinational companies and international environmental organizations (ENGOs). Today, there are signs that the antagonism is ending with regards to co-operation and strategy. We argue
that this convergence is no longer limited to specific joint projects, but is also prevalent at the idea and policy levels. Both actors have begun describing problems in similar terms, articulating the same goals and recommending the same solutions. Such convergence offers advantages in efforts
to counteract climate change but also some problems: declining citizen trust in ENGOs, risk of intellectually impoverished environmental and energy debates, and loss of alternate visions and values.
An approach for Embedding Elliptic Curve in Fractal Based Digital Signature Scheme
Authors: Ojha D. B. , Shree Ms. , Dwivedi A. , Mishra A.
Published: January 2011

We established a new approach for cryptographic digital signature scheme based on Mandelbrot and Julia fractal sets. We have embedded the features of ECC (elliptic curve cryptography) to the digital signature scheme based on Mandelbrot and Julia fractal sets. We offered a digital signature that has advantages of both the fractal based digital signature as well as of elliptic curve digital signature.Keywords: Fractal; ECC; Digital signature.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.4694                 J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 75-79 (2011)
Efficiency of Alpha Lattice Design in Rice Field Trials in Pakistan
Authors: Kashif M. , Khan M. I. , Arif M. , Anwer M. , Ijaz M.
Published: January 2011

Two rice trials were conducted from 2005 to 2006 in rice research institute, Kala Shah Kako Pakistan to evaluate the efficiency of alpha lattice design in field experiments. The average standard error of difference between genotypes mean is used to calculate relative efficiency of alpha lattice design. Both experiments clearly identified the advantages of small blocks. The average gain in efficiency was 119% with maximum 128%. Mean ranks comparison for both randomized complete block and alpha lattice design were performed. It was observed that the ranks were not constant across the experiments. The results emphasize that the traditional randomized complete block designs (RCBD) should be replaced by alpha lattice in the agricultural field experiments when number of varieties to be tested in an experiment increases to more than five or ten. In such a situation finding a homogeneous block is quite difficult in field experiments.Keywords: Rice; Alpha lattice design; RCBD; Pakistan.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.4773                 J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 91-95 (2011)
Aging and Mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Das P. , Guha G.
Published: January 2011

According to the mitochondrial theory of aging, accrual of mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays the paramount function in the cellular pathology of aging and in development of age-related degenerative ailments. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are byproducts of oxidative phosphorylation (OX-PHOS) in aerobic (mitochondrial) respiration, cause oxidative stress-induced damage to mtDNA. This damaged DNA, whose normal role is to encode proteins many of which are players in the electron transport chain (ETC), now codes for defective proteins. Such faulty proteins lead to a considerable impairment in the efficacy of ETC, thereby generating more ROS, which cause further damage to mtDNA in turn, leading to further defects in proteins, aggravated ETC dysfunction, and even more ROS. Hence, a ‘vicious cycle’ propagates that ultimately directs tissue cells towards structural and functional decline, or in other words, degeneration and aging. However, in spite of a wide acceptance of this theory, there have simultaneously been a considerable number of criticisms against it. This review is aimed at discussing the paradigm of aging and degenerative diseases in light of the mitochondrial paraphernalia, with reference to the evidences in support as well as in antagonism to the mitochondrial theory of aging.Keywords: Aging; Degenerative diseases; mtDNA mutations; ROS; Cell death.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.5078                J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 176-186 (2011)
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Some Thiazole Derivatives
Authors: Bhuiyan M. H. , Rahman A. F. M. H.
Published: January 2011

Reaction of 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole with various aromatic aldehydes afforded 2-arylideneamino-4-phenylthiazoles. On the other hand treatment of 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole with several acyl halides furnished N-(thiazol-2-yl)-amides. The synthesized compounds have been screened for their antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonous sp. bacteria and Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum, Aspergillus funiculosus, Collectrichum corchori Ikata (Yoshida) and Curvularia lunata fungi respectively. Some of the synthesized compounds exhibited pronounced antimicrobial activities.Keywords:  Aminothiazole; Arylideneaminothizole; N-(Thiazol-2-yl)-amide; Antimicrobial activity.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.5419                J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 111-119 (2011)
A Survey on Antimicrobial Sensitivity Pattern of Different Antibiotics on Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Collected from Dhaka City of Bangladesh
Authors: Shahriar M. , Akter S.
Published: January 2011

A study of antimicrobial sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from clinical sources from different diagnostic centers, Dhaka, Bangladesh was carried out to facilitate the preference of drug in the management of Pseudomonas aeruginosa induced symptoms. Very low sensitivity of P. aeruginosa towards co-trimoxazole (45%), azithromycin (30%) and erythromycin (35%) was observed. Higher sensitivity pattern was observed for cefuroxime (57.5%). and only imipenem (100%) has shown sensitivity pattern possibly susceptible enough to consider for the management of P. aeruginosa induced cases in the area under study. The low sensitivity to different antimicrobial could be attributed to their prevailing usage and abuse in the area under study.Keywords: Antimicrobial sensitivity; Clinical isolates; Pseudomonas aeruginosa.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.6014                J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 187-189 (2011)
Characterization of Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella spp Isolated from Chicken Eggs of Dhaka City
Authors: Ahmed M. M. , Rahman M. M. , Mahbub K. R. , Wahiduzzaman M.
Published: January 2011

In present study, the occurrence of Salmonella in local chicken eggs and their pattern of antibiotic resistance were determined. 100 egg samples collected from different locations of Dhaka city were analysed and Salmonella spp were found in 8% of the samples. Among all presumptive Salmonella isolates, 8 isolates were confirmed as Salmonella enterica subsp. salamae (4%), Salmonella enterica subsp. indica (1%), Salmonella Paratyphi-A (1%), Salmonella bongori (1%) and Salmonella Choleraesuis (1%) on the basis of serotyping and biochemical analysis. These isolates were subjected to susceptibility test against 10 antibiotic disks. All the isolates were found chloramphenicol sensitive. The highest percentage of resistance (87.5%) was found to amoxicillin and ampicillin. Resistance against erythromycin, cephalexin, doxycycline hydrochloride, ceftazidime, doxycycline and nalidixic acid was also found significant ranging from 25% to 62.5%. Salmonella isolated from egg shell surface were found more antibiotic resistant than that of egg yolk and white. The present study suggests that poultry eggs are potential reservoir of antibiotic resistant Salmonellae.Keywords: Egg; Salmonella; Characterization; Antibiotic resistance.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.6109                J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 191-196  (2011)
Evaluation of Water Quality of the Titas River Using NSF Water Quality Index
Authors: Islam S. , Rasul T. , Alam J. Bin , Haque M. A.
Published: January 2011

The Titas River, a trans-boundary river of Bangladesh flows almost the entire Brahmanbaria district, consumes a huge amount of sewage, agricultural discharges and runoff, waste produced from human excreta, discharges of two oil mills and contaminants from other minor sources. A study is conducted to find the water quality status of the river during the period from July 2008 to June 2009 and by using National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) water quality index, the probable use of this water is predicted. This work consists of laboratory tests for the evaluation of some water quality parameters of the Titas and to identify its probable use in various purposes. The results of the laboratory tests and NSF water quality index suggest that the water can be used for recreation, pisciculture and irrigation purposes but requires treatment before using for drinking.Keywords: Water pollution; Faecal coliform; Dissolved oxygen (DO); Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi:10.3329/jsr.v3i1.6170                 J. Sci. Res. 3 (1), 151-159 (2011)
Assessment of Serosal Invasion and Criteria for the Classification of Pathological (p) T4 Staging in Colorectal Carcinoma: Confusions, Controversies and Criticisms
Authors: Stewart Colin J. R. , Hillery Simon , Platell Cameron , Puppa Giacomo
Published: January 2011

Transmural spread by colorectal carcinoma can result in tumor invasion of the serosal surface and, hence, more likely dissemination within the peritoneal cavity and potentially to additional metastatic sites. The adverse prognostic significance of serosal invasion is widely accepted and its presence may be considered an indication for chemotherapy in patients with node negative disease. However, controversy persists regarding the most appropriate criteria for diagnosis and there are also practical difficulties associated with histological assessment in some cases. Therefore, serosal invasion may be under-diagnosed in a significant proportion of tumors, potentially leading to sub-optimal treatment of high-risk patients. The examination of multiple microscopic sections combined with ancillary studies such as cytology preparations, elastin stains, and immunohistochemistry may prove beneficial in selected problematic cases, but these are not used routinely. The relative prognostic significance of serosal invasion and of direct tumor spread to other organs, both of which are incorporated within the pT4 category of the AJCC/UICC TNM staging system, remains unclear. Further studies are required to demonstrate whether recent adjustments to the TNM staging of pT4 tumors are appropriate.
Dependence of Relative Expression of NTR1 and EGFR on Cell Density and Extracellular pH in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Olszewski-Hamilton Ulrike , Hamilton Gerhard
Published: January 2011

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a devastating disease characterized by early dissemination and poor prognosis. These solid tumors express receptors for neuropeptides like neurotensin (NT) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) and exhibit acidic regions when grown beyond a certain size. We previously demonstrated increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels, intracellular pH and interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells in response to a stable NT analog. The present study aimed at investigation of the dependence of the relative expression of NT receptor 1 (NTR1) and EGFR in BxPC-3 and MIA PaCa-2 cells on cell density and extracellular pH (pHe). MTT assays revealed the NTR1 inhibitor SR 142948-sensitive Lys8-ψ-Lys9NT (8–13)-induced proliferation in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells. Confluent cultures of BxPC3 and HT-29 lines exhibited highest expression of NTR1 and lowest of EGFR and expression of NTR1 was maximal at slightly acidic pHe. IL-8 production was stimulated by Lys8-ψ-Lys9NT (8–13) and even enhanced at both acidic and alkaline pHe in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells. In conclusion, our in vitro study suggests that one contributing factor to the minor responses obtained with EGFR-directed therapy may be downregulation of this receptor in tumor cell aggregates, possibly resulting in acquisition of a more aggressive phenotype via other growth factor receptors like NTR1.
Cells — An Open Access Journal of Cell Biology
Authors: Lin Shu-Kun
Published: January 2011

To expand the open access publishing project of our newly founded company MDPI [1,2] based in Basel, Switzerland, we are in the process of launching new journals. Based on our success in running journals that represent key areas in science and technology, such as Molecules [3], Sensors [4], Energies [5], Viruses [6], Pharmaceuticals [7], Cancers [8] and Toxins [9], we are launching a new journal entitled Cells. It is an open access journal combining cell biology, molecular biology and biophysics, toward an understanding of cell structure, function and interactions. [...]
Fish Passage Assessment of an Advanced Hydropower Turbine and Conventional Turbine Using Blade-Strike Modeling
Authors: Deng Zhiqun , Carlson Thomas J. , Dauble Dennis D. , Ploskey Gene R.
Published: January 2011

Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the world. However, in the Columbia and Snake River basins, several species of Pacific salmon and steelhead have been listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act due to significant declines of fish population. Dam operators and design engineers are thus faced with the task of making hydroelectric facilities more fish friendly through changes in hydro-turbine design and operation. Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, Washington, applied for relicensing from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to replace the 10 turbines at Wanapum Dam with advanced hydropower turbines that were designed to increase power generation and improve fish passage conditions. We applied both deterministic and stochastic blade-strike models to compare fish passage performance of the newly installed advanced turbine to an existing turbine. Modeled probabilities were compared to the results of a large-scale live-fish survival study and a Sensor Fish study under the same operational parameters. Overall, injury rates predicted by the deterministic model were higher than experimental rates of injury, while those predicted by the stochastic model were in close agreement with experimental results. Fish orientation at the time of entry into the plane of the leading edges of the turbine runner blades was an important factor contributing to uncertainty in modeled results. The advanced design turbine had slightly higher modeled injury rates than the existing turbine design; however, no statistical evidence suggested significant differences in blade-strike injuries between the two turbines, thus the hypothesis that direct fish survival rate through the advanced hydropower turbine is equal to or higher than that for fish passing through the conventional turbine could not be rejected.
Emission Enhancement in a Plasmonic Waveguide at Cut-Off
Authors: Alù Andrea , Engheta Nader
Published: January 2011

Enhancement of molecular emission is usually obtained by coupling small optical emitters with external resonant structures and systems, as first established by Purcell several decades ago, and verified in several recent investigations using molecules or quantum dots coupled with plasmonic nanoantennas. Here we theoretically investigate in detail a different mechanism for emission enhancement, based on our recent idea of a plasmonic nanolauncher [Phys. Rev. Lett. 2009, 103, 043902], i.e., a metamaterial-inspired ultranarrow waveguide channel operating near its cut-off frequency. Such system is not necessarily at resonance, but its peculiar operation may provide enhanced emission over a relatively broad physical area, which may allow enhancement of emission independent of the position of an individual or of a group of molecules along such plasmonic channel, and the possibility to bend and route the emitted energy with large flexibility. We present here extensive theoretical and numerical results that confirm this intuition and may envision a novel method for molecular emission enhancement at the nanoscale, with more flexibility than the conventional Purcell resonance techniques.
Direct Contact Membrane Distillation of Dairy Process Streams
Authors: Hausmann Angela , Sanciolo Peter , Vasiljevic Todor , Ponnampalam Elankovan , Quispe-Chavez Nohemi , Weeks Mike , Duke Mikel
Published: January 2011

Membrane distillation (MD) was applied for the concentration of a range of dairy streams, such as whole milk, skim milk and whey. MD of a pure lactose solution was also investigated. Direct contact MD (DCMD) mode experiments were carried out in continuous concentration mode, keeping the warm feed/retentate and cold permeate stream temperatures at 54 °C and 5 °C respectively. Performance in terms of flux and retention was assessed. The flux was found to decrease with an increase of dry-matter concentration in the feed. Retention of dissolved solids was found to be close to 100% and independent of the dry-matter concentration in the feed. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of the fouled membranes confirms organics being present in the fouling layer.
A Fibre Bragg Grating Sensor as a Receiver for Acoustic Communications Signals
Authors: Wild Graham , Hinckley Steven
Published: January 2011

A Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) acoustic sensor is used as a receiver for acoustic communications signals. Acoustic transmissions were generated in aluminium and Carbon Fibre Composite (CFC) panels. The FBG receiver was coupled to the bottom surface opposite a piezoelectric transmitter. For the CFC, a second FBG was embedded within the layup for comparison. We show the transfer function, frequency response, and transient response of the acoustic communications channels. In addition, the FBG receiver was used to detect Phase Shift Keying (PSK) communications signals, which was shown to be the most robust method in a highly resonant communications channel.
Peptide Neurotoxins That Affect Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels: A Close-Up on ω-Agatoxins
Authors: Pringos Emilie , Vignes Michel , Martinez Jean , Rolland Valerie
Published: January 2011

Peptide neurotoxins found in animal venoms have gained great interest in the field of neurotransmission. As they are high affinity ligands for calcium, potassium and sodium channels, they have become useful tools for studying channel structure and activity. Peptide neurotoxins represent the clinical potential of ion-channel modulators across several therapeutic fields, especially in developing new strategies for treatment of ion channel-related diseases. The aim of this review is to overview the latest updates in the domain of peptide neurotoxins that affect voltage-gated calcium channels, with a special focus on ω-agatoxins.
Thermal rearrangement of tert-butylsulfinamide
Authors: Arava Veera Reddy , Gorentla Laxminarasimhulu , Dubey Pramod Kumar
Published: January 2011

tert-Butylsulfinamides are unstable above room temperature, and in chlorinated solvents they undergo rearrangement to form the more stable N-(tert-butylthio)-tert-butylsulfonamide.
Note sur les dégoûts pileux
Authors: Bromberger Christian
Published: January 2011

Résumé Le dégoût procède de la perception d’une anomalie, du « sentiment que quelque chose n’est pas à sa place », d’une inconvenance qui dérange l’ordre habituel du monde et met le corps en jeu. Les dégoûts pileux peuvent ainsi naître d’un sentiment de violation des normes habituelles, normes du paraître dans une société donnée, normes du genre… On examine ici quelques-unes de ces transgressions des normes pileuses qui suscitent le dégoût.