bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foraging efficiency and prey selectivity in a visual predator: differential effects of turbid and humic water
Authors: Jönsson Mikael , Ranåker Lynn , Nilsson P. Anders , Brönmark Christer
Published: July 2013

Predators exert strong regulating forces on lower trophic levels through predation. As most fish are visual foragers, visual conditions in the water may alter the strength of this regulation. We evaluated effects of turbidity and humic water on foraging efficiency and prey-size selectivity in Northern pike (Esox lucius) feeding on roach (Rutilus rutilus). Encounter rates decreased in both turbid and humic water but were not counteracted by increased searching activity. Capture success was unaffected by turbidity but was nonlinearly affected by humic water by being high in clear and highly humic water but low in less humic water. In highly humic water, the visual range approached pike’s strike distance and, together with its cryptic colours, pike may have initiated its attack before the prey detected it, limiting the possibility for prey evasive manoeuvres. Prey-size selectivity towards small prey in clear water disappeared in turbid water but was maintained in humic water. Owing to its optical properties, turbidity degrades the quality of the visual information more through scattering than humic water does through absorption. We show that the effect of visual degradation on foraging depends on the cause of visual degradation, which has not previously been acknowledged in the visual foraging literature.
Woody debris volumes and carbon accumulation differ across a chronosequence of boreal red pine and jack pine stands
Authors: Allard Joshua , Park Andrew
Published: July 2013

Boreal forests are thought to store more than 30% of the world’s terrestrial carbon (C), much of it in the form of dead wood. Harvesting, stand transformation, and climate change the storage capacity of this carbon pool and improved quantification of C storage is needed to improve the accuracy and coverage of C accounting in Canadian forests. In this study, we compared wood volumes and C storage in coarse woody debris (CWD), fine woody debris (FWD), and standing dead wood (snags) in a 94-year chronosequence of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) stands in the Sandilands Provincial Forest, southeastern Manitoba. In our data set of 20 jack pine and 17 red pine stands, jack pine stands supported higher volumes of CWD, snags, and sparsely distributed FWD than red pine stands. Mean CWD volume and C mass were, respectively, 18.6 m3·ha−1 and 2.6 tonnes (t)·ha−1 for jack pine and 11.3 m3·ha−1 and 1.1 t·ha−1 for red pine. Snag volumes and C mass were, respectively, 1.8 m3·ha−1 and 0.25 t·ha−1 for jack pine and 0.26 m3·ha−1 and 0.04 t·ha−1 for red pine. CWD loads in jack pine stands followed a U-shaped distribution with stand age, and snag loads in jack pine increased linearly with time. No such significant trends for CWD or snags were observed in red pine. Our results confirm that stand conversion from fire-origin jack pine to red pine plantations has the potential to significantly reduce and alter temporal patterns of dead wood accumulation across the landscape.
Acidic amino acids increase fusion activity in the specific fusion domain of Newcastle disease virus fusion protein
Authors: Ren Guijie , Zhuang Yunlong , Tian Keli , Li Huiyu , Diao Xueqin , Wang Miaomiao , Zhou Nan , Wang Zhiyu
Published: July 2013

To explore the effects of amino acids Gln and Asn within the specific fusion domain of fusion (F) protein on the specific membrane fusion in Newcastle disease virus (NDV), the mutants Q204E–Q205E and N245D were constructed in the specific fusion domain of F protein. The mutant genes were co-expressed with homologous or heterologous hemagglutinin–neuraminidase (HN) in BHK21 cells. Cell fusion functions of mutants were analyzed with Giemsa staining and reporter gene methods. Cell surface expression efficiency was analyzed with immunofluorescence assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to analyze the interaction of mutant F proteins with the homotypic HN protein. Both Q204E–Q205E and N245D mutations caused increased cell–cell fusion activity when they were co-expressed with homotypic HN protein. The mutant F proteins had slight changes in cell surface expression compared with that of wild-type F protein. The interactions of Q204E–Q205E or N245D with their homotypic HN increased significantly (P < 0.01) compared with the wild-type F protein. Neither Q204–Q205E nor N245D caused cell fusion in the presence of heterologous HN protein. Our data suggested that the residues Q204, Q205, and N245 play a critical role in the regulation of cell fusion. They may decrease the interaction of wild-type NDV F and NDV HN to suppress the fusion activity for survival of the infected host, which may enable a persistent virus infection and long-term virus reproduction and spread.
Microbial community and potential functional gene diversity involved in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation and methanogenesis in an oil sands tailings pond
Authors: An Dongshan , Brown Damon , Chatterjee Indranil , Dong Xiaoli , Ramos-Padron Esther , Wilson Sandra , Bordenave Sylvain , Caffrey Sean M. , Gieg Lisa M. , Sensen Christoph W. , Voordouw Gerrit
Published: July 2013

Oil sands tailings ponds harbor large amounts of tailings resulting from surface mining of bitumen and consist of water, sand, clays, residual bitumen, and hydrocarbon diluent. Oxygen ingress in these ponds is limited to the surface layers, causing most hydrocarbon degradation to be catalyzed by anaerobic, methanogenic microbial communities. This causes the evolution of large volumes of methane of up to 104m3/day. A pyrosequencing survey of 16S rRNA amplicons from 10 samples obtained from different depths indicated the presence of a wide variety of taxa involved in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation and methanogenesis, including the phyla Proteobacteria, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Metagenomic sequencing of DNA isolated from one of these samples indicated a more diverse community than indicated by the 16S rRNA amplicon survey. Both methods indicated the same major phyla to be present. The metagenomic dataset indicated the presence of genes involved in the three stages of anaerobic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation, including genes for enzymes of the peripheral (upper), the central (lower), and the methanogenesis pathways. Upper pathway genes showed broad phylogenetic affiliation (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria), whereas lower pathway genes were mostly affiliated with the Deltaproteobacteria. Genes for both hydrogenotrophic and acetotrophic methanogenesis were also found. The wide variety of taxa involved in initial hydrocarbon degradation through upper pathways may reflect the variety of residual bitumen and diluent components present in the tailings pond.
A NOVEL FLEXIBLE FORCING HYBRID IB-LBM SCHEME TO SIMULATE FLOW PAST CIRCULAR CYLINDER
Authors: DASH SUNIL MANOHAR , LEE THONG-SEE , HUANG HAIBO
Published: July 2013

A novel flexible forcing immersed boundary and lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) is introduced in this paper. In the conventional IB-LBM scheme, explicit calculation of the force density term may not guarantee exact satisfaction of the no-slip boundary condition. This produces unphysical streamline penetration into the solid object. In this study, an implicit approach is followed where the force density is obtained from the unknown velocity correction with a unique single Lagrangian velocity correction term and flexible number of forcing steps. The proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and easy for new code development. Also the algorithm is found advantageous for unsteady flow case where no-slip condition is accurately satisfied. Flow past circular cylinder is studied for both steady and unsteady flow cases to validate the proposed scheme.
DOES NAVIGATION TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Authors: Motwani P. , Jariwala A. , Valentine N.
Published: July 2013

Background: Computer Navigation in Total Knee Replacement (TKR) has completed more than a decade since its inception. From that time, numerous studies have been done to see its effect on the variables of surgery and its outcome. Some studies have shown that it is definitely beneficial while others have negated its superiority over conventional techniques. This is an early outcome study on the results of navigation TKR in terms of alignment and clinical outcome at three years post-operatively. Methods: In the present study, 128 patients who had undergone navigation TKR (128 TKR) between January 2006 and November 2009 were included. The navigation system used was orthoPilot®. Patients were assessed post-operatively at one and three year using knee society score (KSS) and knee function score (KFS). All patients completed one year follow-up and 55 patients completed three year follow-up. From 128 patients, 40 navigated TKR patients operated between November 2007 and 2009 and were compared with 40 patients operated by conventional TKR operated between July 2007 and December 2008. Results: The mean KSS at 1 year post-operatively was 85.60 and at 3 years was 85.87. The mean KFS at 1 year post-operatively was 69.30 and at 3 years was 68.00. There was no statistically significant difference between navigation TKR and conventional TKR in terms of anatomical femoro-tibial alignment, femoral component alignment in coronal and sagittal plane and tibial component alignment in coronal plane. However, there was statistically significant difference between tibial component alignment in sagittal plane (p = 0.000) between both the groups. Conclusion: Computer navigation TKR affords a possibility to place both the femoral and tibial component very precisely without the risk of any greater axis deviation from ideal value. It helps in reducing the outliers in alignment of the limb and that of component and that improves the overall implant survival for a long time post-operatively.
MUSCULOSKELETAL COMPLAINTS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS
Authors: Mohammadi Ghorbanali
Published: July 2013

Musculoskeletal disorders represent one of the leading causes of occupational injury and disability in the developed and industrially developing countries. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among Iranian high school teachers was determined by using Nordic questionnaires as the diagnostic tool. Data on MSDs were analyzed in 231 high school teachers. The survey was performed four times, twice every year. The MSDs were defined using three definitions, based on the frequency, duration and pain intensity of the symptoms. Symptoms causing work interference in the last 12 months were reported by 35% male and 15% female participants at baseline. Low back symptoms were the most common cause of work impairment (male = 69%, female = 77%), followed by equality pain in the neck. Based on the participants report, during the last 24 months there were totally 35% male and 15% female days of sick leave due to MSDs. The study confirms that the high prevalence of musculoskeletal problems may prevent teachers from doing their jobs, resulting in work absenteeism, may decrease work productivity, and may incur direct and indirect costs. Future research will examine the impact of organizational of work.
Assessment of the Present and Future Offshore Wind Power Potential: A Case Study in a Target Territory of the Baltic Sea Near the Latvian Coast
Authors: Lizuma Lita , Avotniece Zanita , Rupainis Sergejs , Teilans Artis
Published: July 2013

Offshore wind energy development promises to be a significant domestic renewable energy source in Latvia. The reliable prediction of present and future wind resources at offshore sites is crucial for planning and selecting the location for wind farms. The overall goal of this paper is the assessment of offshore wind power potential in a target territory of the Baltic Sea near the Latvian coast as well as the identification of a trend in the future wind energy potential for the study territory. The regional climate model CLM and High Resolution Limited Area Model (Hirlam) simulations were used to obtain the wind climatology data for the study area. The results indicated that offshore wind energy is promising for expanding the national electricity generation and will continue to be a stable resource for electricity generation in the region over the 21st century.
Animal Models of Diabetic Neuropathy: Progress Since 1960s
Authors: Islam Md. Shahidul
Published: July 2013

Diabetic or peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is one of the major complications among some other diabetic complications such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic cardiomyopathy. The use of animal models in the research of diabetes and diabetic complications is very common when rats and mice are most commonly used for many reasons. A numbers of animal models of diabetic and PDN have been developed in the last several decades such as streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat models, conventional or genetically modified or high-fat diet-fed C57BL/Ks (db/db) mice models, streptozotocin-induced C57BL6/J and ddY mice models, Chinese hamster neuropathic model, rhesus monkey PDN model, spontaneously diabetic WBN/Kob rat model, L-fucose-induced neropathic rat model, partial sciatic nerve ligated rat model, nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice model, spontaneously induced Ins2 Akita mice model, leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice model, Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat model, surgically-induced neuropathic model, and genetically modified Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) rat model, none of which are without limitations. An animal model of diabetic or PDN should mimic the all major pathogeneses of human diabetic neuropathy. Hence, this review comparatively evaluates the animal models of diabetic and PDN which are developed since 1960s with their advantages and disadvantages to help diabetic research groups in order to more accurately choose an appropriate model to meet their specific research objectives.
Biosorption of Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution UsingFicus benghalensisL.
Authors: Surisetty Venkateswara Rao , Kozinski Janusz , Rao Nageswara L.
Published: July 2013

Ficus benghalensisL., a plant-based material leaf powder, is used as an adsorbent for the removal of lead ions from aqueous solution using the biosorption technique. The effects of process parameters such as contact time, adsorbent size and dosage, initial lead ion concentration, and pH of the aqueous solution on bio-sorption of lead byFicus benghalensisL. were studied using batch process. The Langmuir isotherm was more suitable for biosorption followed by Freundlich and Temkin isotherms with a maximum adsorption capacity of 28.63 mg/g of lead ion on the biomass ofFicus benghalensisL. leaves.
Finite Time Inverse Optimal Stabilization for Stochastic Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Cai Xiushan , Lin Yuhang , Zhang Wei
Published: July 2013

This paper deals with finite time inverse optimal stabilization for stochastic nonlinear systems. A concept of the stochastic finite time control Lyapunov function (SFT-CLF) is presented, and a control law for finite time stabilization for the closed-loop system is obtained. Furthermore, a sufficient condition is developed for finite time inverse optimal stabilization in probability, and a control law is designed to ensure that the equilibrium of the closed-loop system is finite time inverse optimal stable. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the applications of theorems established in this paper.
Cerebral White Matter and Retinal Arterial Health in Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Yau P. L. , Hempel R. , Tirsi A. , Convit A.
Published: July 2013

We examined 33 hypertensive (22 with comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)) and 29 normotensive (8 with T2DM) middle-aged and elderly adults, comparable in age and education. Relative to normotensive participants, those with hypertension, in addition to a higher prevalence of periventricular white matter (WM) lesions, had significantly lower WM microstructural integrity of major fiber tracts as seen with MRI-based diffusion tensor imaging. Among participants with hypertension, those with co-morbid T2DM (n=22) had more widespread WM pathology than those without T2DM (n=11). Furthermore and consistent with previous research, both hypertension and T2DM were related to decreased retinal arterial diameter. Further exploratory analysis demonstrated that the observed retinal arteriolar narrowing among individual with hypertension was associated with widespread subclinical losses in WM microstructural integrity and these associations were present predominantly in the frontal lobe. We found that T2DM adds to the damaging effects of hypertension on cerebral WM, and notably these effects were independent of age and body mass index. Given that the decrease in retinal arteriolar diameter may be a biomarker for parallel pathology in cerebral arterioles, our data suggest that the frontal lobe may be particularly vulnerable to microvascular damage in the presence of hypertension and T2DM.
Controllability Robustness of Linear Interval Systems with/without State Delay and with Unstructured Parametric Uncertainties
Authors: Chen Shinn-Horng , Chou Jyh-Horng
Published: July 2013

The robust controllability problem for the linear interval systems with/without state delay and with unstructured parametric uncertainties is studied in this paper. The rank preservation problem is converted to the nonsingularity analysis problem of the minors of the matrix under discussion. Based on some essential properties of matrix measures, two new sufficient algebraically elegant criteria for the robust controllability of linear interval systems with/without state delay and with unstructured parametric uncertainties are established. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the applications of the proposed sufficient algebraic criteria, where one example is also presented to show that the proposed sufficient condition for the linear interval systems having no state delay and no unstructured parametric uncertainties can obtain less conservative results than the existing ones reported recently in the literature.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Peters’ Plus Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Gupta Neerja , Kaul Anita , Kabra Madhulika
Published: July 2013

Peters’ plus syndrome is a rare but clinically recognizable autosomal recessive ocular genetic syndrome. Diagnosis during the fetal life is challenging due to the presence of nonspecific findings such as ventriculomegaly in the growth-retarded fetuses. We report the first case of fetal Peters’ plus syndrome from India, where fetal ultrasound and the family history were helpful in providing a clue to the diagnosis that was confirmed later on by the DNA analysis.
Low-Jitter 0.1-to-5.8 GHz Clock Synthesizer for Area-Efficient Per-Port Integration
Authors: Molavi Reza , Djahanshahi Hormoz , Zavari Rod , Mirabbasi Shahriar
Published: July 2013

Phase-locked loops (PLLs) employing LC-based voltage-controlled oscillators (LC VCOs) are attractive in low-jitter multigigahertz applications. However, inductors occupy large silicon area, and moreover dense integration of multiple LC VCOs presents the challenge of electromagnetic coupling amongst them, which can compromise their superior jitter performance. This paper presents an analytical model to study the effect of coupling between adjacent LC VCOs when operating in a plesiochronous manner. Based on this study, a low-jitter highly packable clock synthesizer unit (CSU) supporting a continuous (gapless) frequency range up to 5.8 GHz is designed and implemented in a 65 nm digital CMOS process. Measurement results are presented for densely integrated CSUs within a multirate multiprotocol system-on-chip PHY device.
Helicobacter pylori-Induced Chronic Gastritis and Assessing Risks for Gastric Cancer
Authors: Carrasco Gonzalo , Corvalan Alejandro H.
Published: July 2013

Chronic gastritis is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa and has multiple etiologies. Here we discuss the pathological alterations induced byHelicobacter pylori(HP) leading to chronic gastritis and the epigenetic bases underlying these changes. We review the histology of the normal gastric mucosa and overview the role of HP in the multistep cascade of GC. We attempt to define the role of the Operative Link for Gastritis Assessment (OLGA) staging system in assessing the risk of GC. The epigenetic bases of chronic gastritis, mainly DNA methylation, are presented through examples such as (i) the methylation of the promoter region of E-cadherin in HP-induced chronic gastritis and its reversion after HP eradication and (ii) the association of methylation of the promoter region of Reprimo, a p53-mediated cell cycle arrest gene, with aggressive HP strains in high risk areas for GC. In addition, we discuss the finding of RPRM as a circulating cell-free DNA, offering the opportunity for noninvasive risk assessment of GC. Finally, the integration of OLGA and tissue biomarkers, by systems pathology approach, suggests that severe atrophy has a greater risk for GC development if, in addition, overexpressed p73. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.govNCT01774266.
On the Generalized Lognormal Distribution
Authors: Toulias Thomas L. , Kitsos Christos P.
Published: July 2013

This paper introduces, investigates, and discusses the -order generalized lognormal distribution (-GLD). Under certain values of the extra shape parameter , the usual lognormal, log-Laplace, and log-uniform distribution, are obtained, as well as the degenerate Dirac distribution. The shape of all the members of the -GLD family is extensively discussed. The cumulative distribution function is evaluated through the generalized error function, while series expansion forms are derived. Moreover, the moments for the -GLD are also studied.
Should Finasteride Be Routinely Given Preoperatively for TURP?
Authors: Aboumarzouk O. M. , Aslam M. Z. , Wedderburn A. , Turner K. , Hughes O. , Kynaston H. G.
Published: July 2013

Objective. The aim of the review was to compare the use of finasteride to placebo in patients undergoing TURP procedures. Material & Methods. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (1966–November 2011), EMBASE (1980–November 2011), CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar, reference lists of articles, and abstracts from conference proceedings without language restriction for studies comparing finasteride to placebo patients needing TURPs. Results. Four randomised controlled trials were included comparing finasteride to a placebo. A meta-analysis was not conducted due to the disparity present in the results between the studies. Three of the studies found that finasteride could reduce either intra- or postoperative bleeding after TURP. One study found finasteride to significantly lower the microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). None of the studies reported any long-term complications related to either the medication or the procedure.
Conclusion. finasteride reduces bleeding either during or after TURP.
Apatite Formation: Why It May Not Work as Planned, and How to Conclusively Identify Apatite Compounds
Authors: Drouet Christophe
Published: July 2013

Calcium phosphate apatites are inorganic compounds encountered in many different mineralized tissues. Bone mineral, for example, is constituted of nanocrystalline nonstoichiometric apatite, and the production of “analogs” through a variety of methods is frequently reported. In another context, the ability of solid surfaces to favor the nucleation and growth of “bone-like” apatite upon immersion in supersaturated fluids such as SFB is commonly used as one evaluation index of the “bioactivity” of such surfaces. Yet, the compounds or deposits obtained are not always thoroughly characterized, and their apatitic nature is sometimes not firmly assessed by appropriate physicochemical analyses. Of particular importance are the “actual” conditions in which the precipitation takes place. The precipitation of a white solid does not automatically indicate the formation of a “bone-like carbonate apatite layer” as is sometimes too hastily concluded: “all that glitters is not gold.” The identification of an apatite phase should be carefully demonstrated by appropriate characterization, preferably using complementary techniques. This review considers the fundamentals of calcium phosphate apatite characterization discussing several techniques: electron microscopy/EDX, XRD, FTIR/Raman spectroscopies, chemical analyses, and solid state NMR. It also underlines frequent problems that should be kept in mind when making “bone-like apatites.”
Subordinated Hedonic Games
Authors: Cesco Juan Carlos
Published: July 2013

Hedonic games are simple models of coalition formation whose main solution concept is that of core partition. Several conditions guaranteeing the existence of core partitions have been proposed so far. In this paper, we explore hedonic games where a reduced family of coalitions determines the development of the game. We allow each coalition to select a subset of it so as to act as its set of representatives (a distribution). Then, we introduce the notion of subordination of a hedonic game to a given distribution. Subordination roughly states that any player chosen as a representative for a coalition has to be comfortable with this decision. With subordination we have a tool, within hedonic games, to compare how a “convenient” agreement reached by the sets of representatives of different groups of a society is “valued” by the rest of the society. In our approach, a “convenient” agreement is a core partition, so this paper is devoted to relate the core of a hedonic game with the core of a hedonic game played by the sets of representatives. Thus we have to tackle the existence problem of core partitions in a reduced game where the only coalitions that matter are those prescribed by the distribution as a set of representatives. We also study how a distribution determines the whole set of core partitions of a hedonic game. As an interesting example, we introduce the notion of hedonic partitioning game, which resembles partitioning games studied in the case where a utility, transferable or not, is present. The existence result obtained in this new class of games is later used to provide a nonconstructive proof of the existence of a stable matching in the marriage model.
Global Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in the Management of Primary Hypertension: The Role of the Kidney
Authors: Viazzi Francesca , Leoncini Giovanna , Pontremoli Roberto
Published: July 2013

The knowledge of each patient’s global risk profile is a prerequisite for effective therapeutic strategies in primary hypertension. Detecting the presence of subclinical organ damage at the cardiac, vascular, and renal levels is key for stratifying cardiovascular risk and may also be helpful in choosing antihypertensive agents and in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment. A systematic, in-depth search for subclinical organ damage, however, may be difficult to carry out because of logistic and economic problems related to the high prevalence of hypertension in the population. Renal abnormalities such as microalbuminuria and reduction in glomerular filtration rate have proven to be powerful predictors of cardiovascular and renal outcome. Thanks to their relatively low cost and wide applicability, more widespread use of these tests in the diagnostic workup will help detect subsets of patients at greater risk for whom additional preventive and therapeutic treatment is advisable.
Naringenin Inhibits Adipogenesis and Reduces Insulin Sensitivity and Adiponectin Expression in Adipocytes
Authors: Richard Allison J. , Amini-Vaughan Zhaleh , Ribnicky David M. , Stephens Jacqueline M.
Published: July 2013

Adipose tissue development and function are widely studied to examine the relationship between obesity and the metabolic syndrome. It is well documented that the inability of adipose tissue to properly increase its lipid storage capacity during the obese state can lead to metabolic dysfunction. In a blind screen of 425 botanicals, we identified naringenin as an inhibitor of adipocyte differentiation. Naringenin is one of the most abundant citrus flavonoids, and recent studies have demonstrated antihyperlipidemic capabilities. These studies have largely focused on the effects of naringenin on the liver. Our biochemical studies clearly demonstrate that naringenin inhibits adipogenesis and impairs mature fat cell function. Naringenin specifically inhibited adipogenesis in a dose-dependent fashion as judged by examining lipid accumulation and induction of adipocyte marker protein expression. In mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes, naringenin reduced the ability of insulin to induce IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and substantially inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner and over a time frame of 1.5 to 24 hours. Exposure to naringenin also inhibited adiponectin protein expression in mature murine and human adipocytes. Our studies have revealed that naringenin may have a negative impact on adipocyte-related diseases by limiting differentiation of preadipocytes, by significantly inducing insulin resistance, and by decreasing adiponectin expression in mature fat cells.
Comparison of the Number of Image Acquisitions and Procedural Time Required for Transarterial Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with and without Tumor-Feeder Detection Software
Authors: Iwazawa Jin , Ohue Shoichi , Hashimoto Naoko , Mitani Takashi
Published: July 2013

Purpose. To compare the number of image acquisitions and procedural time required for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with and without tumor-feeder detection software in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Materials and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 50 cases involving software-assisted TACE (September 2011–February 2013) and 84 cases involving TACE without software assistance (January 2010–August 2011). We compared the number of image acquisitions, the overall procedural time, and the therapeutic efficacy in both groups.Results. Angiography acquisition per session reduced from 6.6 times to 4.6 times with software assistance (P<0.001). Total image acquisition significantly decreased from 10.4 times to 8.7 times with software usage (P=0.004). The mean procedural time required for a single session with software-assisted TACE (103 min) was significantly lower than that for a session without software (116 min,P=0.021). For TACE with and without software usage, the complete (68% versus 63%, resp.) and objective (78% versus 80%, resp.) response rates did not differ significantly.Conclusion. In comparison with software-unassisted TACE, automated feeder-vessel detection software-assisted TACE for HCC involved fewer image acquisitions and could be completed faster while maintaining a comparable treatment response.
Intracoronary Infusion of Autologous CD133+ Cells in Myocardial Infarction and Tracing by Tc99m MIBI Scintigraphy of the Heart Areas Involved in Cell Homing
Authors: Kurbonov Ubaidullo , Dustov Abdusamad , Barotov Alisher , Khidirov Murtazokul , Mirojov Giesidin , Rahimov Zikrie , Navjuvonov Navjuvon , Rizoev Eraj , Olimov Nasim , Goibov Alijon , Karim-Zade Bakhtovar , Rakhmatov Mukim , Muminjonov Suhayli , Didari Azadeh , Irgasheva Jamila , Bobokhojaev Oktam , Gulmuradov Tashpulat , Therwath Amu , Rakhmonov Sohibnazar , Mirshahi Massoud
Published: July 2013

CD133 mesenchymal cells were enriched using magnetic microbead anti-CD133 antibody from bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs). Flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry analysis using specific antibodies revealed that these cells were essentially 89 ± 4% CD133+ and 8 ± 5% CD34+. CD133+/CD34+ BMMNCs secrete important bioactive proteins such as cardiotrophin-1, angiogenic and neurogenic factors, morphogenetic proteins, and proinflammatory and remodeling factors in vitro. Single intracoronary infusions of autologous CD133+/CD34+ BMMNCs are effective and reduce infarct size in patients as analyzed by Tc99m MIBI myocardial scintigraphy. The majority of patients were treated via left coronary artery. Nine months after cell therapy, 5 out of 8 patients showed a net positive response to therapy in different regions of the heart. Uptake of Tc99 isotope and revitalization of the heart area in inferoseptal region are more pronounced (P=0.016) as compared to apex and anterosptal regions after intracoronary injection of the stem cells. The cells chosen here have the properties essential for their potential use in cell therapy and their homing can be followed without major difficulty by the scintigraphy. The cell therapy proposed here is safe and should be practiced, as we found, in conjunction with scintigraphic observation of areas of heart which respond optimally to the infusion of autologous CD133+/CD34+ BMMNCs.
A General Iterative Scheme Based on Regularization for Solving Equilibrium and Constrained Convex Minimization Problems
Authors: Tian Ming
Published: July 2013

The present paper is divided into two parts. First, we introduce implicit and explicit iterative schemes based on the regularization for solving equilibrium and constrained convex minimization problems. We establish results on the strong convergence of the sequences generated by the proposed schemes to a common solution of minimization and equilibrium problem. Such a point is also a solution of a variational inequality. In the second part, as applications, we apply the algorithm to solve split feasibility problem and equilibrium problem.
Exploring the Variability in Acute Glycemic Responses to Exercise in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Terada Tasuku , Friesen Alanna , Chahal Baljot S. , Bell Gordon J. , McCargar Linda J. , Boulé Normand G.
Published: July 2013

Aim. To explore the factors associated with exercise-induced acute capillary glucose (CapBG) changes in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Methods. Fifteen individuals with T2D were randomly assigned to energy-matched high intensity interval exercise (HI-IE) and moderate intensity continuous exercise (MI-CE) interventions and performed a designated exercise protocol 5 days per week for 12 weeks. The duration of exercise progressed from 30 to 60 minutes. CapBG was measured immediately before and after each exercise session. Timing of food and antihyperglycemic medication intake prior to exercise was recorded.Results. Overall, the mean CapBG was lowered by 1.9 mmol/L (P<0.001) with the change ranging from −8.9 to +2.7 mmol/L. Preexercise CapBG (44%;P<0.001), medication (5%;P<0.001), food intake (4%;P=0.043), exercise duration (5%;P<0.001), and exercise intensity (1%;P=0.007) were all associated with CapBG changes, explaining 59% of the variability.Conclusion. The greater reduction in CapBG seen in individuals with higher preexercise CapBG may suggest the importance of exercise in the population with elevated glycemia. Lower blood glucose can be achieved with moderate intensity exercise, but prolonging exercise duration and/or including brief bouts of intense exercise accentuate the reduction, which can further be magnified by performing exercise after meals and antihyperglycemic medication. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrial.govNCT01144078.
Corecovery of Bio-Oil and Fermentable Sugars from Oil-Bearing Biomass
Authors: Severa Godwin , Kumar Guneet , Cooney Michael J.
Published: July 2013

The applicability of ionic liquid-methanol cosolvent system to both extract bio-oil and simultaneously pretreat the carbohydrate fraction ofjatrophaand safflower biomass for enzymatic hydrolysis to fermentable sugars is presented. Although pretreatment with either the cosolvent or pure ionic liquid yielded comparable hydrolysis kinetics and fermentable sugar yields on safflower whole seeds, the addition of alcohol to the ionic liquid was necessary to optimally recover both bio-oil and fermentable sugars. The ionic liquid [C2mim][Ac] was far more effective than [C2mim][MeSO4] with optimum processing conditions occurring at a cosolvent concentration of 70–30 wt% of [C2mim][Ac] to methanol and a processing temperature of 120°C. Under these conditions, the majority of the bio-oil was extracted and 25.4 wt% (safflower) and 14.3 wt% (jatropha) of the whole seed biomass were recovered as fermentable sugars. The recovery of fermentable sugars from the carbohydrate fraction was as high as 74% and 78% forjatrophaand safflower seeds, respectively, when using [C2mim][Ac] cosolvent. A preliminary theoretical analysis of two potential oil seed processing pathways using the cosolvent system suggested that the corecovery of bio-oil, fermentable sugars, and a protein rich meal can recover a majority of the energy contained in the original biomass—a result that improves upon the traditional approach of solely extracting bio-oil.
Functions of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins in Stem Cell Potency and Differentiation
Authors: Chen Qishan , Jin Min , Zhu Jianhua , Xiao Qingzhong , Zhang Li
Published: July 2013

Stem cells possess huge importance in developmental biology, disease modelling, cell replacement therapy, and tissue engineering in regenerative medicine because they have the remarkable potential for self-renewal and to differentiate into almost all the cell types in the human body. Elucidation of molecular mechanisms regulating stem cell potency and differentiation is essential and critical for extensive application. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are modular proteins consisting of RNA-binding motifs and auxiliary domains characterized by extensive and divergent functions in nucleic acid metabolism. Multiple roles of hnRNPs in transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation enable them to be effective gene expression regulators. More recent findings show that hnRNP proteins are crucial factors implicated in maintenance of stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency and cell differentiation. The hnRNPs interact with certain sequences in target gene promoter regions to initiate transcription. In addition, they recognize 3′UTR or 5′UTR of specific gene mRNA forming mRNP complex to regulate mRNA stability and translation. Both of these regulatory pathways lead to modulation of gene expression that is associated with stem cell proliferation, cell cycle control, pluripotency, and committed differentiation.
Reactive Spark Plasma Sintering: Successes and Challenges of Nanomaterial Synthesis
Authors: Dudina Dina V. , Mukherjee Amiya K.
Published: July 2013

Spark plasma sintering (SPS), initially developed as an advanced sintering technique for consolidating nanopowders into nanostructured bulk materials, has been recently looked at in much broader perspective and gained a strong reputation of a versatile method of solid state processing of metals, ceramics, and composites. The powders in the SPS‐dies experience the action of pulsed electric current and uniaxial pressure; they are heated at very high rates unachievable in furnace heating and sintered within shorter times and at lower temperatures than in conventional methods. The principle of SPS and convenient design of the facilities make it attractive for conducting solid state synthesis. In this paper, based on our own results and the literature data, we analyze the microstructure formation of the products of chemical reactions occurring in the SPS in an attempt to formulate the requirements to the microstructure parameters of reactant mixtures and SPS conditions that should be fulfilled in order to produce a nanostructured material. We present successful syntheses of nanostructured ceramics and metal matrix composite with nanosized reinforcements in terms of microstructure stability and attractive properties of the materials and discuss the challenges of making a dense nanostructured material when reaction and densification do not coincide during the SPS. In the final part of the paper, we provide an outlook on the further uses of reactive SPS in the synthesis of nanostructured materials.
Prolonged Recovery Time from Zoledronic Acid Induced Acute Tubular Necrosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Rahbari-Oskoui Frederic , Fielder Odicie , Ghasemzadeh Nima , Hennigar Randolph
Published: July 2013

Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) due to bisphosphonates has been reported with Zoledronic acid but the time to recovery (if any) has been usually less than 4 months. Possible recovery time from ATN of any cause is usually less than 6 months. In this paper, we present the case of a 59-year-old Caucasian female with metastatic breast cancer who had received 16 monthly injections of Zoledronic acid for treatment of tumor induced hypercalcemia and developed several episodes of mild acute kidney injury which resolved by withholding treatment. Unfortunately, after the sixteenth injection, the patient experienced severe acute kidney injury, with a peak serum creatinine of 8.0 mg/dL. Although urinalysis showed muddy brown casts, because of atypical recovery time and presence of eosinophiluria and subnephrotic range proteinuria, a kidney biopsy was performed. Diagnosis of typical acute tubular necrosis was confirmed without any other concomitant findings. The course was remarkable for an unusually slow recovery of renal function over 15 months without need for renal replacement therapy until the patient expired from her metastatic cancer two years later. We reviewed all the published cases of acute kidney injury due to Zoledronic acid and suggest recommendations for clinicians and researchers.
Risks Analysis of Logistics Financial Business Based on Evidential Bayesian Network
Authors: Yan Ying , Suo Bin
Published: July 2013

Risks in logistics financial business are identified and classified. Making the failure of the business as the root node, a Bayesian network is constructed to measure the risk levels in the business. Three importance indexes are calculated to find the most important risks in the business. And more, considering the epistemic uncertainties in the risks, evidence theory associate with Bayesian network is used as an evidential network in the risk analysis of logistics finance. To find how much uncertainty in root node is produced by each risk, a new index, epistemic importance, is defined. Numerical examples show that the proposed methods could provide a lot of useful information. With the information, effective approaches could be found to control and avoid these sensitive risks, thus keep logistics financial business working more reliable. The proposed method also gives a quantitative measure of risk levels in logistics financial business, which provides guidance for the selection of financing solutions.
Superconvergence of a New Nonconforming Mixed Finite Element Scheme for Elliptic Problem
Authors: Pei Lifang , Shi Dongyang
Published: July 2013

A new nonconforming mixed finite element scheme for the second-order elliptic problem is proposed based on a new mixed variational form. It has the lowest degrees of freedom on rectangular meshes. The superclose property is proven by employing integral identity technique. Then global superconvergence result is derived through interpolation postprocessing operators. At last, some numerical experiments are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis.
Light Output Enhancement of InGaN/GaN Light‐Emitting Diodes with Contrasting Indium Tin‐Oxide Nanopatterned Structures
Authors: Jung Sang Hyun , Song Keun Man , Choi Young Su , Park Hyeong-Ho , Shin Hyun-Beom , Kang Ho Kwan , Lee Jaejin
Published: July 2013

Various nanopatterns on the transparent conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) layer are investigated to enhance the light extraction efficiency of the InGaN/GaN light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Triangular, square, and circular nanohole patterns with the square and hexagonal lattices are fabricated on the ITO layer by an electron beam lithography and inductively coupled plasma dry etching processes. The circular hole pattern with a hexagonal geometry is found to be the most effective among the studied structures. Light output intensity measurements reveal that the circular hole nanopatterned ITO LEDs with a hexagonal lattice show up to 35.6% enhancement of output intensity compared to the sample without nanopatterns.
Breast Tissue 3D Segmentation and Visualization on MRI
Authors: Song Hong , Cui Xiangfei , Sun Feifei
Published: July 2013

Tissue segmentation and visualization are useful for breast lesion detection and quantitative analysis. In this paper, a 3D segmentation algorithm based on Kernel-based Fuzzy C-Means (KFCM) is proposed to separate the breast MR images into different tissues. Then, an improved volume rendering algorithm based on a new transfer function model is applied to implement 3D breast visualization. Experimental results have been shown visually and have achieved reasonable consistency.
Hyperstability of the Drygas Functional Equation
Authors: Piszczek Magdalena , Szczawińska Joanna
Published: July 2013

We use the fixed point theorem for functional spaces to obtain the hyperstability result for the Drygas functional equation on a restricted domain. Namely, we show that a function satisfying the Drygas equation approximately must be exactly the solution of it.
Disability in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Elderly Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer‘s Disease
Authors: Hesseberg Karin , Bentzen Hege , Ranhoff Anette Hylen , Engedal Knut , Bergland Astrid
Published: July 2013

Background/Aims: The aim is to examine disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in elderly persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer‘s disease (AD), further to identify items of IADL which separate the two conditions and to explore potential gender differences. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 729 patients aged ≥65 years recruited from outpatient memory clinics. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used in the main analysis to explore the association between IADL and diagnosis. Results and Conclusions: We found an association between IADL and diagnosis, and a difference in the proportion of disability in IADL in patients with MCI and AD, i.e. 66 and 88%, respectively. Six of the 8 items revealed differences in the proportions of patients with IADL disability among MCI and AD. No substantial gender differences were found, except for laundry.
Myogenic Oscillations in Rabbit Ocular Vasculature Are Very Low Frequency
Authors: Delgado E. , Marques-Neves C. , Rocha I. , Sales-Luís J. , Silva-Carvalho L.
Published: July 2013

Background/Aims: In a previously described model of isolated rabbit eye, we detected myogenic intrinsic vascular tone of unknown origin in the ophthalmic artery. In order to better understand the origin of these low frequency oscillations, we analyzed their spectral characteristics using fast Fourier. Methods: Hybrid New Zealand rabbits of either sex (n = 24) were used; they were divided into 2 groups according to age. The spectral characteristics of the myogenic behaviour of the rabbit external ophthalmic artery were analyzed using the fast Fourier algorithm. Results: The frequency of the oscillations of the myogenic activity seen in the rabbit external ophthalmic artery varied between 0.033 and 0.066 Hz (mean 0.045 ± 0.012 Hz), all in the region of very low frequency (VLF) oscillations (VLF <0.07 Hz for the rabbit). The frequency of spontaneous oscillations was higher in younger animals. Conclusion: Fast Fourier analysis proved to be an adequate mathematical tool to analyze the myogenic tone oscillations, which were all in the range of VLF in the model we used. These results indicate that myogenic vascular function of ocular blood flow is composed of VLF oscillations, and they provide a new explanation for the origin of VLF in arterial spectra. They also suggest that the ocular local myogenic vascular function observed is more efficient in younger animals.