bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
JEFFREY FLUID MODEL FOR BLOOD FLOW THROUGH A TAPERED ARTERY WITH A STENOSIS
Authors: AKBAR NOREEN SHER , NADEEM S. , ALI MOHAMED
Published: December 2010

In this article, we have studied a non-Newtonian fluid model for blood flow through a tapered artery with a stenosis by assuming blood as Jeffrey fluid. The main purpose of our study was to follow the idea of Mekheimer and El Kot (2008), for Jeffrey fluid model, mean to study Jeffrey fluid model for blood flow through a tapered artery with a stenosis, Jeffrey fluid model is a non-Newtonian fluid model in which we consider convective derivative instead of time derivative. It is capable of describing the phenomena of relaxation and retardation time. The Jeffrey fluid has two parameters, the relaxation time λ1and retardation time [Formula: see text]. Perturbation method is used to solve the resulting equations. The effects of non-Newtonian nature of blood on velocity profile, wall shear stress, shearing stress at the stenosis throat, and impedance of the artery are discussed. The results for Newtonian fluid are obtained as special case from this model.
EVALUATION OF INTERNAL ROTATOR MUSCLE FATIGUE ON SHOULDER AND SCAPULAR PROPRIOCEPTION
Authors: GUO LAN-YUEN , LIN CHIEN-FEN , YANG CHICH-HAUNG , HOU YI-YOU , CHEN SHEN-KAI , WU WEN-LAN
Published: December 2010

Background and aim: Fatigue of internal or external rotators of the glenohumeral may alter proprioception in the shoulder joint. Fatigue of shoulder muscles can affect the three-dimentional kinematics of the scapula, and may also alter the glenohumeral and scapular movement pattern, with changes in the scapulohumeral rhythm. Previous studies have shown that with arm elevation, there is a decreased upward rotation of the scapula as well as reduced posterior tilt and external rotation movements with shoulder rotator cuff muscle fatigue. Our aim is to examine the effect of internal rotator fatigue on the proprioception of glenohumeral and scapular active repositioning. Methods: Twenty young healthy subjects with an average age of 20 years were recruited. Each subject performed repetitive concentric exercise (internal rotation) to induce muscles fatigue, which was confirmed by a muscle strength testing using a hand-held dynamometer. Measurement of active repositioning with glenohumeral and scapula repositioning were examined before and after internal rotator fatigue via the three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic motion analysis system. Results: Fatigue of internal rotators did not affect the glenohumeral and thoracoscapluar joint proprioception (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings showed that fatigue of shoulder internal rotators did not contribute to alteration in glenohumeral and scapular proprioception.
QUANTUM DYNAMICS ON MASSIVELY PARALLEL COMPUTERS: EFFICIENT NUMERICAL IMPLEMENTATION FOR PRECONDITIONED LINEAR SOLVERS AND EIGENSOLVERS
Authors: CHEN WENWU , POIRIER BILL
Published: December 2010

The eigenvalue/eigenvector and linear solve problems arising in computational quantum dynamics applications (e.g. rovibrational spectroscopy, reaction cross-sections, etc.) often involve large sparse matrices that exhibit a certain block structure. In such cases, specialized iterative methods that employ optimal separable basis (OSB) preconditioners (derived from a block Jacobi diagonalization procedure) have been found to be very efficient, vis-à-vis reducing the required CPU effort on serial computing platforms. Recently,1,2 a parallel implementation was introduced, based on a nonstandard domain decomposition scheme. Near-perfect parallel scalability was observed for the OSB preconditioner construction routines up to hundreds of nodes; however, the fundamental matrix–vector product operation itself was found not to scale well, in general. In addition, the number of nodes was selectively chosen, so as to ensure perfect load balancing. In this paper, two essential improvements are discussed: (1) new algorithm for the matrix–vector product operation with greatly improved parallel scalability and (2) generalization for arbitrary number of nodes and basis sizes. These improvements render the resultant parallel quantum dynamics codes suitable for robust application to a wide range of real molecular problems, running on massively parallel computing architectures.
INTERACTION OF EMODIN WITH DNA BASES: A DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY
Authors: RIAHI SIAVASH , EYNOLLAHI SOLMAZ , GANJALI MOHAMMAD REZA
Published: December 2010

In this study, we present work on the physicochemical interaction between the anticancer drug molecule Emodin (ED) and DNA. Comprehending the physicochemical properties of this drug besides the mechanism by which it interacts with DNA should eventually permit the rational design of novel anticancer or antiviral drugs. The final purpose is the clarification of this novel class of drugs as potential pharmaceutical agents. The properties of the isolated intercalator ED and its stacking interactions with adenine⋯thymine (AT) and guanine⋯cytosine (GC) (nucleic acid base pairs) in face-to-face and face-to-back models were studied by means of the density functional tightbinding (DFTB) method. This method was an approximate version of the density functional theory (DFT) method and it includes London dispersion energy. The molecular modeling of the complex formed between ED and DNA indicated that this complex was capable of contributing to the formation of a constant intercalation site. The results exhibit that ED changes affect DNA structure with reference to bond lengths, bond angles, torsion angles, and charges.
QUASI-CLASSICAL TRAJECTORY STUDY OF THE REACTIONS N(2D) WITH H2, D2, AND HD
Authors: YUE XIAN-FANG , CHENG JIE , ZHANG HONG
Published: December 2010

Quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) calculations are carried out for the title reactions on the potential energy surface (PES) of Ho et al.1 Our calculated integral cross-section values have been compared with the recent two quantum mechanics (QM) ones: they are close to those of one QM calculation in the high collision energy range, but they approach to another one in the low collision energy range. The product rotational alignments 〈P2 (J' ⋅ K)〉 have also been calculated.
THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE HYDROGEN BOND CHARACTER BETWEEN THE FNO AND HO2 RADICAL
Authors: HE QIN , LI ZHI-FENG
Published: December 2010

The hydrogen-bonding characters between FNO and HO2 radical are studied systematically with the MPWB1K method and 6-311++G (d, p), aug-cc-PVDZ as well as aug-cc-PVTZ basis sets. The relevant geometrical characteristics, energy properties, and the characters of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds have been reported in this work. In addition, the changes of electrostatic potential density are presented for further understanding the nature of hydrogen bonds and the preference of F atom as the hydrogen-bonding site.
Nanometer MOSFET Effects on the Minimum-Energy Point of Sub-45nm Subthreshold Logic---Mitigation at Technology and Circuit Levels
Authors: Bol David , Flandre Denis , Legat Jean-Didier
Published: December 2010

Subthreshold operation of digital circuits enables minimum energy consumption. In this article, we observe that minimum energy E
min
of subthreshold logic dramatically increases when reaching 45nm CMOS node. We demonstrate by circuit simulation and analytical modeling that this increase comes from the combined effects of variability, gate leakage, and Drain-Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) effect. We then investigate the new impact of individual MOSFET parameters L
g
, V
t
, and T
ox
on E
min
in sub-45nm technologies. We further propose an optimum MOSFET selection, which favors low-V
t
mid-L
g
devices in 45nm CMOS technology. The use of such optimum MOSFETs yields 35% E
min
reduction for a benchmark multiplier with good speed performances and negligible area overhead. This optimum MOSFET selection can easily be integrated into a standard EDA tool flow by appropriate selection of the standard cell library.

We finally demonstrate that undoped-channel fully-depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology brings 60% E
min
reduction with baseline MOSFETs thanks to strong mitigation of variability and short-channel effects. This study reveals a new (à priori counterintuitive) paradigm in device optimization for subthreshold logic: relaxing gate leakage constraints to improve robustness against short-channel effects and variability. Additionally, we propose pre-Silicon BSIM4 MOSFET model cards for realistic subthreshold circuit simulations including variability in bulk and fully depleted SOI technologies, which are made available online.
Scan-Cell Reordering for Minimizing Scan-Shift Power Based on Nonspecified Test Cubes
Authors: Wu Yu-Ze , Chao Mango C.-T.
Published: December 2010

This article presents several scan-cell reordering techniques to reduce the signal transitions during the test mode while preserving the don’t-care bits in the test patterns for a later optimization. Combined with a pattern-filling technique, the proposed scan-cell reordering techniques can utilize both high response correlations and pattern correlations to simultaneously minimize scan-out and scan-in transitions. Those scan-shift transitions can be further reduced by selectively using the inverse connections between scan cells. In addition, the trade-off between routing overhead and power consumption can also be controlled by the proposed scan-cell reordering techniques. A series of experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of each of the proposed techniques individually.
Assessment of usability metrics for object-oriented software system
Authors: Dubey Sanjay Kumar , Rana Ajay
Published: December 2010

The demand for efficient software is increasing day by day. For this reason software developers need appropriate metrics for the development of software applications. Usability is one of the most important fields in software engineering and a highly focused quality factor. It is a key factor in the development of successful software applications. Object-oriented design techniques have become one of the most powerful mechanisms to develop efficient software system. Object-oriented software can play important role in usability for software applications. It can not only help in reducing the cost but also in developing highly usable software systems. This paper focuses some important issues and analyzes the relationship between usability and object-oriented metrics
The limits of systems-making organizations
Authors: Schaefer Robert
Published: December 2010

This paper provides an ontology of organizational structures intended for software-intensive systems-making. An archetype is presented and scaled in stages to support larger, more complex projects. Artifacts at each stage are identified and analyzed. The first artifact analyzed is the engine of scaling, specialization. Organizations that have been scaled for the purpose of developing large complex systems will be shown to themselves become large and complex, in part for matching the problem to be solved but also for self-management. Specialization first occurs with the separation of the role of designer into designers and managers whereby the designer's role and activities can be abstracted into a limited set of objects to be manipulated by managers. Design is transformed into a model of design. The problem (or challenge) for managers is of normalization of dysfunction, whereby the model becomes both mistaken for and more valued than the object modeled. The result of having transformed essential roles and activities into objects in a hierarchical organization will be shown to (one) increase the positive effects on managing large-scale organizations, (two) increase the negative effects on design outcomes and (three) prevent the logical association of item one with item two. Disassociations incurred through specialization and normalization of dysfunction will be shown to be counter-productive in that they create and sustain high process but low sense organizations. Conclusions will be presented on the nature of large organizations, on the nature of their risk evaluations, and on the inevitability of dysfunctions and pathologies to lead not only to project failure but also to immediately forget the same
Stable inverse dynamic curves
Authors: Derouet-Jourdan Alexandre , Bertails-Descoubes Florence , Thollot Joëlle
Published: December 2010

2d animation is a traditional but fascinating domain that has recently regained popularity both in animated movies and video games. This paper introduces a method for automatically converting a smooth sketched curve into a 2d dynamic curve at stable equilibrium under gravity. The curve can then be physically animated to produce secondary motions in 2d animations or simple video games. Our approach proceeds in two steps. We first present a new technique to fit a smooth piecewise circular arcs curve to a sketched curve. Then we show how to compute the physical parameters of a dynamic rod model (super-circle) so that its stable rest shape under gravity exactly matches the fitted circular arcs curve. We demonstrate the interactivity and controllability of our approach on various examples where a user can intuitively setup efficient and precise 2d animations by specifying the input geometry.
Optical computing for fast light transport analysis
Authors: O'Toole Matthew , Kutulakos Kiriakos N.
Published: December 2010

We present a general framework for analyzing the transport matrix of a real-world scene at full resolution, without capturing many photos. The key idea is to use projectors and cameras to directly acquire eigenvectors and the Krylov subspace of the unknown transport matrix. To do this, we implement Krylov subspace methods partially in optics, by treating the scene as a "black box subroutine" that enables optical computation of arbitrary matrix-vector products. We describe two methods---
optical Arnoldi
to acquire a low-rank approximation of the transport matrix for relighting; and
optical GMRES
to invert light transport. Our experiments suggest that good quality relighting and transport inversion are possible from a few dozen low-dynamic range photos, even for scenes with complex shadows, caustics, and other challenging lighting effects.
Light reallocation for high contrast projection using an analog micromirror array
Authors: Hoskinson Reynald , Stoeber Boris , Heidrich Wolfgang , Fels Sidney
Published: December 2010

We demonstrate for the first time a proof of concept projector with a secondary array of individually controllable, analog micromirrors added to improve the contrast and peak brightness of conventional projectors. The micromirrors reallocate the light of the projector lamp from the dark parts towards the light parts of the image, before it reaches the primary image modulator. Each element of the analog micromirror array can be tipped/tilted to divert portions of the light from the lamp in two dimensions. By directing these mirrors on an image-dependent basis, we can increase both the peak intensity of the projected image as well as its contrast.

In this paper, we describe and analyze the optical design for projectors using this light reallocation approach. We also discuss software algorithms to compute the best light reallocation pattern for a given input image, using the constraints of real hardware. We perform extensive simulations of this process to evaluate image quality and performance characteristics of this process. Finally, we present a first proof-of-concept implementation of this approach using a prototype analog micromirror device.
Diffusion maps for edge-aware image editing
Authors: Farbman Zeev , Fattal Raanan , Lischinski Dani
Published: December 2010

Edge-aware operations, such as edge-preserving smoothing and edge-aware interpolation, require assessing the degree of similarity between pairs of pixels, typically defined as a simple monotonic function of the Euclidean distance between pixel values in some feature space. In this work we introduce the idea of replacing these Euclidean distances with
diffusion distances
, which better account for the global distribution of pixels in their feature space. These distances are approximated using
diffusion maps
: a set of the dominant eigenvectors of a large affinity matrix, which may be computed efficiently by sampling a small number of matrix columns (the Nyström method). We demonstrate the benefits of using diffusion distances in a variety of image editing contexts, and explore the use of diffusion maps as a tool for facilitating the creation of complex selection masks. Finally, we present a new analysis that establishes a connection between the spatial interaction range between two pixels, and the number of samples necessary for accurate Nyström approximations.
Stereoscopic 3D copy & paste
Authors: Lo Wan-Yen , van Baar Jeroen , Knaus Claude , Zwicker Matthias , Gross Markus
Published: December 2010

With the increase in popularity of stereoscopic 3D imagery for film, TV, and interactive entertainment, an urgent need for editing tools to support stereo content creation has become apparent. In this paper we present an end-to-end system for object copy & paste in a stereoscopic setting to address this need. There is no straightforward extension of 2D copy & paste to support the addition of the third dimension as we show in this paper. For stereoscopic copy & paste we need to handle depth, and our core objective is to obtain a
convincing 3D viewing experience.
As one of the main contributions of our system, we introduce a stereo billboard method for stereoscopic rendering of the copied selection. Our approach preserves the stereo volume and is robust to the inevitable inaccuracies of the depth maps computed from a stereo pair of images. Our system also includes an interactive stereoscopic segmentation tool to achieve high quality object selection. Hence, we focus on intuitive and minimal user interaction, and our editing operations perform within interactive rates to provide immediate feedback.
Analysis, reconstruction and manipulation using arterial snakes
Authors: Li Guo , Liu Ligang , Zheng Hanlin , Mitra Niloy J.
Published: December 2010

Man-made objects often consist of detailed and interleaving structures, which are created using cane, coils, metal wires, rods, etc. The delicate structures, although manufactured using simple procedures, are challenging to scan and reconstruct. We observe that such structures are inherently 1D, and hence are naturally represented using an arrangement of generating curves. We refer to the resultant surfaces as
arterial surfaces.
In this paper we approach for analyzing, reconstructing, and manipulating such arterial surfaces.

The core of the algorithm is a novel deformable model, called
arterial snake
, that simultaneously captures the topology and geometry of the arterial objects. The recovered snakes produce a natural decomposition of the raw scans, with the decomposed parts often capturing meaningful object sections. We demonstrate the robustness of our algorithm on a variety of arterial objects corrupted with noise, outliers, and with large parts missing. We present a range of applications including reconstruction, topology repairing, and manipulation of arterial surfaces by directly controlling the underlying curve network and the associated sectional profiles, which are otherwise challenging to perform.
Editing operations for irregular vertices in triangle meshes
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , Zhang Eugene , Kobayashi Yoshihiro , Wonka Peter
Published: December 2010

We describe an interactive editing framework that provides control over the type, location, and number of irregular vertices in a triangle mesh. We first provide a theoretical analysis to identify the simplest possible operations for editing irregular vertices and then introduce a hierarchy of editing operations to control the type, location, and number of irregular vertices. We demonstrate the power of our editing framework with an example application in pattern design on surfaces.
Automatic generation of destination maps
Authors: Kopf Johannes , Agrawala Maneesh , Bargeron David , Salesin David , Cohen Michael
Published: December 2010

Destination maps are navigational aids designed to show anyone within a region how to reach a location (the destination). Hand-designed destination maps include only the most important roads in the region and are non-uniformly scaled to ensure that all of the important roads from the highways to the residential streets are visible. We present the first automated system for creating such destination maps based on the design principles used by mapmakers. Our system includes novel algorithms for selecting the important roads based on mental representations of road networks, and for laying out the roads based on a non-linear optimization procedure. The final layouts are labeled and rendered in a variety of styles ranging from informal to more formal map styles. The system has been used to generate over 57,000 destination maps by thousands of users. We report feedback from both a formal and informal user study, as well as provide quantitative measures of success.
Resizing by symmetry-summarization
Authors: Wu Huisi , Wang Yu-Shuen , Feng Kun-Chuan , Wong Tien-Tsin , Lee Tong-Yee , Heng Pheng-Ann
Published: December 2010

Image resizing can be achieved more effectively if we have a better understanding of the image semantics. In this paper, we analyze the
translational symmetry
, which exists in many real-world images. By detecting the symmetric lattice in an image, we can
summarize
, instead of only distorting or cropping, the image content. This opens a new space for image resizing that allows us to manipulate, not only image pixels, but also the semantic
cells
in the lattice. As a general image contains both symmetry & non-symmetry regions and their natures are different, we propose to resize symmetry regions by summarization and non-symmetry region by warping. The difference in resizing strategy induces discontinuity at their shared boundary. We demonstrate how to reduce the artifact. To achieve practical resizing applications for general images, we developed a fast symmetry detection method that can detect multiple disjoint symmetry regions, even when the lattices are curved and perspectively viewed. Comparisons to state-of-the-art resizing techniques and a user study were conducted to validate the proposed method. Convincing visual results are shown to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Anisotropic blue noise sampling
Authors: Li Hongwei , Wei Li-Yi , Sander Pedro V. , Fu Chi-Wing
Published: December 2010

Blue noise sampling is widely employed for a variety of imaging, geometry, and rendering applications. However, existing research so far has focused mainly on isotropic sampling, and challenges remain for the anisotropic scenario both in sample generation and quality verification. We present
anisotropic blue noise sampling
to address these issues. On the generation side, we extend dart throwing and relaxation, the two classical methods for isotropic blue noise sampling, for the anisotropic setting, while ensuring both high-quality results and efficient computation. On the verification side, although Fourier spectrum analysis has been one of the most powerful and widely adopted tools, so far it has been applied only to uniform isotropic samples. We introduce approaches based on warping and sphere sampling that allow us to extend Fourier spectrum analysis for adaptive and/or anisotropic samples; thus, we can detect problems in alternative anisotropic sampling techniques that were not yet found via prior verification. We present several applications of our technique, including stippling, visualization, surface texturing, and object distribution.
Accelerating spatially varying Gaussian filters
Authors: Baek Jongmin , Jacobs David E.
Published: December 2010

High-dimensional Gaussian filters, most notably the bilateral filter, are important tools for many computer graphics and vision tasks. In recent years, a number of techniques for accelerating their evaluation have been developed by exploiting the separability of these Gaussians. However, these techniques do not apply to the more general class of
spatially varying
Gaussian filters, as they cannot be expressed as convolutions. These filters are useful because the underlying data---e.g. images, range data, meshes or light fields---often exhibit strong local anisotropy and scale. We propose an acceleration method for approximating spatially varying Gaussian filters using a set of spatially invariant Gaussian filters each of which is applied to a segment of some non-disjoint partitioning of the dataset. We then demonstrate that the resulting ability to locally tilt, rotate or scale the kernel improves filtering performance in various applications over traditional spatially invariant Gaussian filters, without incurring a significant penalty in computational expense.
Optimizing continuity in multiscale imagery
Authors: Han Charles , Hoppe Hugues
Published: December 2010

Multiscale imagery often combines several sources with differing appearance. For instance, Internet-based maps contain satellite and aerial photography. Zooming within these maps may reveal jarring transitions. We present a scheme that creates a visually smooth mipmap pyramid from stitched imagery at several scales. The scheme involves two new techniques. The first,
structure transfer
, is a nonlinear operator that combines the detail of one image with the local appearance of another. We use this operator to inject detail from the fine image into the coarse one while retaining color consistency. The improved structural similarity greatly reduces inter-level ghosting artifacts. The second,
clipped Laplacian blending
, is an efficient construction to minimize blur when creating intermediate levels. It considers the sum of all inter-level image differences within the pyramid. We demonstrate continuous zooming of map imagery from space to ground level.
Unbiased, adaptive stochastic sampling for rendering inhomogeneous participating media
Authors: Yue Yonghao , Iwasaki Kei , Chen Bing-Yu , Dobashi Yoshinori , Nishita Tomoyuki
Published: December 2010

Realistic rendering of participating media is one of the major subjects in computer graphics. Monte Carlo techniques are widely used for realistic rendering because they provide unbiased solutions, which converge to exact solutions. Methods based on Monte Carlo techniques generate a number of light paths, each of which consists of a set of randomly selected scattering events. Finding a new scattering event requires free path sampling to determine the distance from the previous scattering event, and is usually a time-consuming process for inhomogeneous participating media. To address this problem, we propose an adaptive and unbiased sampling technique using kd-tree based space partitioning. A key contribution of our method is an automatic scheme that partitions the spatial domain into sub-spaces (partitions) based on a cost model that evaluates the expected sampling cost. The magnitude of performance gain obtained by our method becomes larger for more inhomogeneous media, and rises to two orders compared to traditional free path sampling techniques.
Fast parallel surface and solid voxelization on GPUs
Authors: Schwarz Michael , Seidel Hans-Peter
Published: December 2010

This paper presents data-parallel algorithms for surface and solid voxelization on graphics hardware. First, a novel conservative surface voxelization technique, setting all voxels overlapped by a mesh's triangles, is introduced, which is up to one order of magnitude faster than previous solutions leveraging the standard rasterization pipeline. We then show how the involved new triangle/box overlap test can be adapted to yield a 6-separating surface voxelization, which is thinner but still connected and gap-free. Complementing these algorithms, both a triangle-parallel and a tile-based technique for solid voxelization are subsequently presented. Finally, addressing the high memory consumption of high-resolution voxel grids, we introduce a novel octree-based sparse solid voxelization approach, where only close to the solid's boundary finest-level voxels are stored, whereas uniform interior and exterior regions are represented by coarser-level voxels. This representation is created directly from a mesh without requiring a full intermediate solid voxelization, enabling GPU-based voxelizations of unprecedented size.
FORUM
Authors: Bellahsene Zohra , Benbernou Salima , Jaudoin Helene , Pinet Francois , Pivert Olivier , Toumani Farouk
Published: December 2010

The FORUM project aims at extending existing data integration techniques in order to facilitate the development of mediation systems in large and dynamic environments. It is well known from the literature that a crucial point that hampers the development and wide adoption of mediation systems lies in the high entry and maintenance costs of such systems. To overcome these barriers, the FORUM project investigates three main research issues: (i) automatic discovery of semantic correspondences (ii) consistency maintenance of mappings, and (iii) tolerant rewriting of queries in the presence of approximate mappings.
On models and query languages for probabilistic processes
Authors: Deutch Daniel , Milo Tova
Published: December 2010

Probabilistic processes appear naturally in various contexts, with applications to Business Processes, XML data management and more. Many models for specifying and querying such processes exist in the literature; a main goal of research in this area is to design models that are expressive enough to capture real-life processes and analysis tasks, but at the same time allow for efficient query evaluation. We depict the model established in [13, 16, 17, 18], and claim that it achieves a good balance between expressivity and query evaluation complexity. We compare and contrast the model with other common models for probabilistic processes, highlighting the different choices made in models design and their effect on expressivity and incurred complexity.
Lipid-induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction: focus on in vivo studies
Authors: Giacca Adria , Xiao Changting , Oprescu Andrei I. , Carpentier Andre C. , Lewis Gary F.
Published: December 2010

The phenomenon of lipid-induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction (“lipotoxicity”) has been very well documented in numerous in vitro experimental systems and has become widely accepted. In vivo demonstration of β-cell lipotoxicity, on the other hand, has not been consistently demonstrated, and there remains a lack of consensus regarding the in vivo effects of chronically elevated free fatty acids (FFA) on β-cell function. Much of the disagreement relates to how insulin secretion is quantified in vivo and in particular whether insulin secretion is assessed in relation to whole body insulin sensitivity, which is clearly reduced by elevated FFA. By correcting for changes in in vivo insulin sensitivity, we and others have shown that prolonged elevation of FFA impairs β-cell secretory function. Prediabetic animal models and humans with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to this impairment, whereas those with severe impairment of β-cell function (such as individuals with type 2 diabetes) demonstrate no additional impairment of β-cell function when FFA are experimentally raised. Glucolipotoxicity (i.e., the combined β-cell toxicity of elevated glucose and FFA) has been amply demonstrated in vitro and in some animal studies but not in humans, perhaps because there are limitations in experimentally raising plasma glucose to sufficiently high levels for prolonged periods of time. We and others have shown that therapies directed toward diminishing oxidative stress and ER stress have the potential to reduce lipid-induced β-cell dysfunction in animals and humans. In conclusion, lipid-induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is likely to be one contributor to the complex array of genetic and metabolic insults that result in the relentless decline in pancreatic β-cell function in those destined to develop type 2 diabetes, and mechanisms involved in this lipotoxicity are promising therapeutic targets.
Genetic and environmental influence on diabetic rat embryopathy
Authors: Ejdesjö A. , Wentzel P. , Eriksson U. J.
Published: December 2010

We assessed genetic and environmental influence on fetal outcome in diabetic rat pregnancy. Crossing normal (N) and manifestly diabetic (MD) Wistar Furth (W) and Sprague-Dawley (L) females with W or L males yielded four different fetal genotypes (WW, LL, WL, and LW) in N or MD rat pregnancies for studies. We also evaluated fetal outcome in litters with enhanced or diminished severity of maternal MD state, denoted MD+WL and MD−LW. The MDWW litters had less malformations and resorptions (0 and 19%) than the MDLL litters (17 and 30%). The MDWL litters (0 and 8%) were less maldeveloped than the MDLW litters (9 and 22%), whereas the MD+WL (3 and 23%) and MD−LW (1 and 17%) litters showed increased and decreased dysmorphogenesis (compared with MDWL and MDLW litters). The pregnant MDW rats had lower serum levels of glucose, fructosamine, and branched-chain amino acids than the pregnant MDL rats, whereas the pregnant MD+W and MD−L rats had levels comparable with those of the MDL and MDW rats, respectively. The 8-iso-PGF2α levels of the malformed MDLW offspring were increased compared with the nonmalformed MDLW offspring. Diabetes decreased fetal heart Ret and increased Bmp-4 gene expression in the MDLW offspring and caused decreased GDNF and Shh expression in the malformed fetal mandible of the MDLW offspring. We conclude that the fetal genome controls the embryonic dysmorphogenesis in diabetic pregnancy by instigating a threshold level for the teratological insult and that the maternal genome controls the teratogenic insult by (dys)regulating the maternal metabolism.
Effect of repeated normobaric hypoxia exposures during sleep on acute mountain sickness, exercise performance, and sleep during exposure to terrestrial altitude
Authors: Fulco Charles S. , Muza Stephen R. , Beidleman Beth A. , Demes Robby , Staab Janet E. , Jones Juli E. , Cymerman Allen
Published: December 2010

There is an expectation that repeated daily exposures to normobaric hypoxia (NH) will induce ventilatory acclimatization and lessen acute mountain sickness (AMS) and the exercise performance decrement during subsequent hypobaric hypoxia (HH) exposure. However, this notion has not been tested objectively. Healthy, unacclimatized sea-level (SL) residents slept for 7.5 h each night for 7 consecutive nights in hypoxia rooms under NH [ n = 14, 24 ± 5 (SD) yr] or “sham” ( n = 9, 25 ± 6 yr) conditions. The ambient percent O2 for the NH group was progressively reduced by 0.3% [150 m equivalent (equiv)] each night from 16.2% (2,200 m equiv) on night 1 to 14.4% (3,100 m equiv) on night 7, while that for the ventilatory- and exercise-matched sham group remained at 20.9%. Beginning at 25 h after sham or NH treatment, all subjects ascended and lived for 5 days at HH (4,300 m). End-tidal Pco2, O2 saturation (SaO2), AMS, and heart rate were measured repeatedly during daytime rest, sleep, or exercise (11.3-km treadmill time trial). From pre- to posttreatment at SL, resting end-tidal Pco2 decreased ( P < 0.01) for the NH (from 39 ± 3 to 35 ± 3 mmHg), but not for the sham (from 39 ± 2 to 38 ± 3 mmHg), group. Throughout HH, only sleep SaO2 was higher (80 ± 1 vs. 76 ± 1%, P < 0.05) and only AMS upon awakening was lower (0.34 ± 0.12 vs. 0.83 ± 0.14, P < 0.02) in the NH than the sham group; no other between-group rest, sleep, or exercise differences were observed at HH. These results indicate that the ventilatory acclimatization induced by NH sleep was primarily expressed during HH sleep. Under HH conditions, the higher sleep SaO2 may have contributed to a lessening of AMS upon awakening but had no impact on AMS or exercise performance for the remainder of each day.
Computer-Assisted Resection and Reconstruction of Pelvic Tumor Sarcoma
Authors: Docquier Pierre-Louis , Paul Laurent , Cartiaux Olivier , Delloye Christian , Banse Xavier
Published: November 2010

Pelvic sarcoma is associated with a relatively poor prognosis, due to the difficulty in obtaining an adequate surgical margin given the complex pelvic anatomy. Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography allow valuable surgical resection planning, but intraoperative localization remains hazardous. Surgical navigation systems could be of great benefit in surgical oncology, especially in difficult tumor location; however, no commercial surgical oncology software is currently available. A customized navigation software was developed and used to perform a synovial sarcoma resection and allograft reconstruction. The software permitted preoperative planning with defined target planes and intraoperative navigation with a free-hand saw blade. The allograft was cut according to the same planes. Histological examination revealed tumor-free resection margins. Allograft fitting to the pelvis of the patient was excellent and allowed stable osteosynthesis. We believe this to be the first case of combined computer-assisted tumor resection and reconstruction with an allograft.
The Prevalence of Occult Celiac Disease among Patients with Functional Dyspepsia: A Study from the Western Region of Iran
Authors: Keshavarz Ali Asghar , Bashiri Homayoon , Ahmadi Alireza , Bazargan-Hejazi Shahrzad
Published: December 2010

Objective. The prevalence of Celiac Disease (CD) is high in Iran, and evaluation of CD is not part of the routine screening procedure for dyspeptic patients; therefore, cases of occult CD may be missed. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of occult CD among dyspeptic patients who presented at a gastroenterology clinic in the Western region of Iran.Methods. In this descriptive, cross-sectional prospective study, patients who had a history of at least 12 weeks of upper abdominal discomfort were eligible to participate in the study during a 14-month recruitment period. Patients with a clinical or paraclinical data in favor of organic causes were excluded from the study. Enrolled patients were screened for IgA antiendomysium antibody (EMA) and IgA antitissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG). Those who screened positive for EMA/tTG received a confirmatory diagnostic biopsy for Marsh classification of CD.Results. From 225 potential participants with dyspepsia, 55 patients were excluded due to having explainable organic causes. The study sample included 170 patients with “functional dyspepsia.” Mean age of participants was 31 years and 55.8% were female. Twelve patients (7%) had positive tests (EMA/tTG), of which 10 were female (83.4%). According to Rome II criteria, all twelve patients with positive tests had “dysmotility type dyspepsia.” Based on Marsh classification, six patients were consistent with “Marsh I,” four with “Marsh II,” and two with the “Marsh III” classification.Conclusions. In this study, the prevalence of CD in dyspeptic patients was high. As a result, this study suggests that screening by serology tests (EMA/tTG) is justifiable for the detection of CD among functional dyspeptic patients in the tertiary centers in our country.
On Generalisation of Polynomials in Complex Plane
Authors: Darus Maslina , Ibrahim Rabha W.
Published: November 2010

The generalised Bell and Laguerre polynomials of fractional-order in complex z-plane are defined. Some properties are studied. Moreover, we proved that these polynomials are univalent solutions for second order differential equations. Also, the Laguerre-type of some special functions are introduced.
Temperature Dependences of the Quantum-Mechanical and Semi-Classical Spectral-Line Widths and the Separation of the Impact and Non-Impact Regions for an Ar-Perturbed/K-Radiator System
Authors: Kreye W. C.
Published: November 2010

Quantum-mechanical and semi-classical spectral-line shapes are computed at , , and  K for the line core of the 5802 Å line of the Ar-Perturbed/K-Radiator system. HWHMs ('s) are measured from computed full spectral-line shapes. The final-state pseudopotential is for the state, and the initial-state potential is for the state. Three high-pressure (P) —versus— curves, corresponding to the non-impact region, intersect a similar set of low-P, impact-region curves at intersections, 's. Similarly, for two sets of —versus— curves, which yield intersections, 's, where is the perturber density. These 's and 's separate the two regions and represent the upper limits of the impact regions. A specific validity condition for the impact region is given by the equation . From an earlier spectroscopic, Fabry-Perot paper,  cm−1 at  K and torr. Two theoretical values, and  cm−1 corresponding to two different pseudo-potentials, are reported. Two -dependent figures are given, in which the first shows an increase in the impact region with , based on as the basic parameter, and the second which shows a decrease in the impact region with , based on as the basic parameter.
Photovoltaic Energy Harvester with Power Management System
Authors: Ferri M. , Pinna D. , Dallago E. , Malcovati P.
Published: December 2010

We present a photovoltaic energy harvester, realized in 0.35-μm CMOS technology. The proposed system collects light energy from the environment, by means of 2-mm2on-chip integrated microsolar cells, and accumulates it in an external capacitor. While the capacitor is charging, the load is disconnected. When the energy in the external capacitor is enough to operate the load for a predefined time slot, the load is connected to the capacitor by a power management circuit. The choice of the value of the capacitance determines the operating time slot for the load. The proposed solution is suitable for discrete-time-regime applications, such as sensor network nodes, or, in general, systems that require power supply periodically for short time slots. The power management circuit includes a charge pump, a comparator, a level shifter, and a linear voltage regulator. The whole system has been extensively simulated, integrated, and experimentally characterized.
NF-κB, JNK, and TLR Signaling Pathways in Hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Maeda Shin
Published: November 2010

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third largest cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The role of molecular changes in HCC have been used to identify prognostic markers and chemopreventive or therapeutic targets. It seems that toll-like receptors (TLRs) as well as the nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and JNK pathways are critical regulators for the production of the cytokines associated with tumor promotion. The cross-talk between an inflammatory cell and a neoplastic cell, which is instigated by the activation of NF-κB and JNKs, is critical for tumor organization. JNKs also regulate cell proliferation and act as oncogenes, making them the main tumor-promoting protein kinases. TLRs play roles in cytokine and hepatomitogen expression mainly in myeloid cells and may promote liver tumorigenesis. A better understanding of these signaling pathways in the liver will help us understand the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and provide a new therapeutic target for HCC.
Different Residues on the Surface of theMethanothermobacter thermautotrophicusMCM Helicase Interact with Single- and Double-Stranded DNA
Authors: Sakakibara Nozomi , Kasiviswanathan Rajesh , Kelman Zvi
Published: December 2010

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is thought to function as the replicative helicase in archaea, separating the two strands of chromosomal DNA during replication. The catalytic activity resides within the C-terminal region of the MCM protein, while the N-terminal portion plays an important role in DNA binding and protein multimerization. An alignment of MCM homologues from several archaeal species revealed a number of conserved amino acids. Here several of the conserved residues located on the surface of the helicase have been mutated and their roles in MCM functions determined. It was found that some mutations result in increased affinity for ssDNA while the affinity for dsDNA is decreased. Other mutants exhibit the opposite effect. Thus, the data suggest that these conserved surface residues may participate in MCM-DNA interactions.
Ototoxicity from Combined Cisplatin and Radiation Treatment: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Low Wong-Kein , Kong Sylvia W. W. , Tan Michelle G. K.
Published: December 2010

Objective. Combined cisplatin (CDDP) and radiotherapy is increasingly being used to treat advanced head and neck cancers. As both CDDP and radiation can cause hearing loss, it is important to have a better understanding of the cellular and molecular ototoxic mechanisms involved in combined therapy.Procedure. The effects of CDDP, radiation, and combined CDDP-radiation on the OC-k3 cochlear cell line were studied using MTS assay, flow cytometry, Western blotting, and microarray analysis.Results. Compared to using CDDP or radiation alone, its combined use resulted in enhanced apoptotic cell death and apoptotic-related gene expression, including that of FAS. Phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 (a marker for p53 pathway activation in response to DNA damage) was observed after treatment with either CDDP or radiation. However, posttreatment activation of p53 occurred earlier in radiation than in CDDP which corresponded to the timings of MDM2 and TP53INP1 expression.Conclusion. Enhanced apoptotic-related gene expressions leading to increased apoptotic cell deaths could explain the synergistic ototoxicity seen clinically in combined CDDP-radiation therapy. CDDP and radiation led to differential temporal activation of p53 which suggests that their activation is the result of different upstream processes. These have implications in future antiapoptotic treatments for ototoxicity.
Cutting Force in Stone Machining by Diamond Disk
Authors: Turchetta S.
Published: November 2010

Stone machining by diamond disk is a widespread process to manufacture standard products, such as tiles, slabs, and kerbs. Cutting force and energy may be used to monitor stone machining. Empirical models are required to guide the selection of cutting conditions. In this paper, the effects of cutting conditions on cutting force and cutting energy are related to the shape of the idealized chip thickness. The empirical models developed in this paper can be used to predict the variation of the cutting energy. Therefore these models can be used to guide the selection of cutting conditions. The chip generation and removal process has been quantified with the intention of assisting both the toolmaker and the stonemason in optimising the tool composition and cutting process parameters, respectively.
Ahlfors Theorems for Differential Forms
Authors: Martio O. , Miklyukov V. M. , Vuorinen M.
Published: December 2010

Some counterparts of theorems of Phragmén‐Lindelöf and of Ahlfors are
proved for differential forms of 𝒲𝒯‐classes.
Updating Wealth in an Asset Pricing Model with Heterogeneous Agents
Authors: Brianzoni Serena , Mammana Cristiana , Michetti Elisabetta
Published: November 2010

We consider an asset‐pricing model with wealth dynamics in a market populated by heterogeneous agents. By assuming that all agents
belonging to the same group agree to share their wealth whenever an agent joins the group (or leaves it), we develop an adaptive model which characterizes the evolution of wealth distribution when agents switch between different trading strategies. Two groups with heterogeneous beliefs are considered: fundamentalists and chartists. The model results in a nonlinear three‐dimensional dynamical system, which we have studied in order to investigate complicated dynamics and to explain wealth distribution among agents in the long run.
B7‐H3 and Its Role in Antitumor Immunity
Authors: Loos Martin , Hedderich Dennis M. , Friess Helmut , Kleeff Jörg
Published: November 2010

B7‐H3 is one of the most recently identified members of the B7/CD28 superfamily of costimulatory molecules serving as an accessory modulator of T‐cell response. Recently, B7‐H3 expression has been reported in several human cancers indicating an additional function of B7‐H3 as a regulator of antitumor immunity. However, its precise physiologic role is still elusive, because both stimulatory and inhibitory capacities have been demonstrated. This paper summarizes the available data on B7‐H3 in the regulation of T‐cell response focusing on its potential role in antitumor immunity.