bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ACTIVATION AND DEACTIVATION OF ROOM TEMPERATURE FERROMAGNETISM IN ZnO FILMS
Authors: JAYALAKSHMI G. , SRIMAN NARAYANAN S. , BALASUBRAMANIAN T.
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we report the activation and deactivation of room temperature ferromagnetism in pure and V doped ZnO ( Zn0.95V0.05O ) films upon surface functionalization with thiol. The thiol functionalized pure ZnO and Zn0.95V0.05O films has been investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements. The presence of S 2p3/2 peak about 163.5 eV implies that the formation of Zn-S bonds which in turn leads to the reduction of oxygen vacancies. PL spectra of thiol functionalized pure ZnO and Zn0.95V0.05O films show quenching of visible emission in comparison with the unfunctionalized ZnO films. TPD measurements show that the adsorption of thiol on ZnO surface is stable upto 480 K. On vacuum annealing of the thiol functionalized films above 480 K, desorption starts and gets completely desorbed about 535 K. The room temperature VSM measurements reveal clear signature of ferromagnetic behavior in the functionalized ZnO films. The disappearance of ferromagnetic behavior after vacuum annealing at 550 K confirms the observed ferromagnetic behavior in thiol functionalized ZnO films is due to the strong interaction between the ZnO host and thiol molecules.
Navigating tomorrow's web
Authors: Dörk Marian , Williamson Carey , Carpendale Sheelagh
Published: October 2012

We propose a new way of navigating the Web using interactive information visualizations, and present encouraging results from a large-scale Web study of a visual exploration system. While the Web has become an immense, diverse information space, it has also evolved into a powerful software platform. We believe that the established interaction techniques of searching and browsing do not sufficiently utilize these advances, since information seekers have to transform their information needs into specific, text-based search queries resulting in mostly text-based lists of resources. In contrast, we foresee a new type of information seeking that is high-level and more engaging, by providing the information seeker with interactive visualizations that give graphical overviews and enable query formulation. Building on recent work on faceted navigation, information visualization, and exploratory search, we conceptualize this type of information navigation as visual exploration and evaluate a prototype Web-based system that implements it. We discuss the results of a large-scale, mixed-method Web study that provides a better understanding of the potential benefits of visual exploration on the Web, and its particular performance challenges.
All-pairs shortest paths for unweighted undirected graphs in
o
(
mn
) time
Authors: Chan Timothy M.
Published: October 2012

We revisit the all-pairs-shortest-paths problem for an unweighted undirected graph with
n
vertices and
m
edges. We present new algorithms with the following running times:

{
O
(
mn
/log
n
) if
m
>
n
log
n
log log log
n
O
(
mn
log log
n
/log
n
) if
m
>
n
log log
n
O
(
n
2
log
2
log
n
/log
n
) if
m
≤
n
log log
n
.

These represent the best time bounds known for the problem for all
m
≪
n
1.376
. We also obtain a similar type of result for the diameter problem for unweighted directed graphs.
An online scalable algorithm for average flow time in broadcast scheduling
Authors: Im Sungjin , Moseley Benjamin
Published: October 2012

In this article, the online pull-based broadcast model is considered. In this model, there are
n
pages of data stored at a server and requests arrive for pages online. When the server
broadcasts
page
p
, all outstanding requests for the same page
p
are simultaneously satisfied. We consider the problem of minimizing average (total) flow time online where all pages are unit-sized. For this problem, there has been a decade-long search for an online algorithm which is scalable, that is, (1 + ϵ)-speed
O
(1)-competitive for any fixed ϵ > 0. In this article, we give the
first
analysis of an online scalable algorithm.
The smoothed complexity of edit distance
Authors: Andoni Alexandr , Krauthgamer Robert
Published: October 2012

We initiate the study of the smoothed complexity of sequence alignment, by proposing a semi-random model of edit distance between two input strings, generated as follows: First, an adversary chooses two binary strings of length
d
and a longest common subsequence
A
of them. Then, every character is perturbed independently with probability
p
, except that
A
is perturbed in exactly the same way inside the two strings.

We design two efficient algorithms that compute the edit distance on smoothed instances up to a constant factor approximation. The first algorithm runs in near-linear time, namely
d
{1+ϵ}
for any fixed ϵ > 0. The second one runs in time sublinear in
d
, assuming the edit distance is not too small. These approximation and runtime guarantees are significantly better than the bounds that were known for worst-case inputs.

Our technical contribution is twofold. First, we rely on finding matches between substrings in the two strings, where two substrings are considered a match if their edit distance is relatively small, a prevailing technique in commonly used heuristics, such as PatternHunter of Ma et al. [2002]. Second, we effectively reduce the smoothed edit distance to a simpler variant of (worst-case) edit distance, namely, edit distance on permutations (a.k.a. Ulam's metric). We are thus able to build on algorithms developed for the Ulam metric, whose much better algorithmic guarantees usually do not carry over to general edit distance.
Using Auxiliary Sensors for Pairwise Key Establishment in WSN
Authors: Dong Qi , Liu Donggang
Published: October 2012

Many techniques have been developed recently for establishing pairwise keys in sensor networks. However, some of them are vulnerable to a few compromised sensor nodes, while others could involve expensive protocols for establishing keys. This article introduces a much better alternative that can achieve both high resilience to node compromises and high efficiency in key establishment. The main idea is to deploy a small number of additional sensor nodes, called
assisting nodes
, to help key establishment between sensor nodes. The proposed approach has many advantages over existing approaches. In particular, a sensor node only needs to make a few local communications and perform a few efficient hash operations to setup a key with any other sensor node in the network at a very high probability. The majority of sensor nodes only need to store a single key. Besides, it also provides high resilience to node compromises. The theoretical analysis, simulation studies, and experiments on TelosB sensor motes also demonstrate the advantages of this key establishment protocol in sensor networks.
Common Sense Reasoning for Detection, Prevention, and Mitigation of Cyberbullying
Authors: Dinakar Karthik , Jones Birago , Havasi Catherine , Lieberman Henry , Picard Rosalind
Published: October 2012

Cyberbullying
(harassment on social networks) is widely recognized as a serious social problem, especially for adolescents. It is as much a threat to the viability of online social networks for youth today as spam once was to email in the early days of the Internet. Current work to tackle this problem has involved social and psychological studies on its prevalence as well as its negative effects on adolescents. While true solutions rest on teaching youth to have healthy personal relationships, few have considered innovative design of social network software as a tool for mitigating this problem. Mitigating cyberbullying involves two key components: robust techniques for effective detection and reflective user interfaces that encourage users to reflect upon their behavior and their choices.

Spam filters have been successful by applying statistical approaches like Bayesian networks and hidden Markov models. They can, like Google’s GMail, aggregate human spam judgments because spam is sent nearly identically to many people. Bullying is more personalized, varied, and contextual. In this work, we present an approach for bullying detection based on state-of-the-art natural language processing and a common sense knowledge base, which permits recognition over a broad spectrum of topics in everyday life. We analyze a more narrow range of particular subject matter associated with bullying (e.g. appearance, intelligence, racial and ethnic slurs, social acceptance, and rejection), and construct
BullySpace
, a common sense knowledge base that encodes particular knowledge about bullying situations. We then perform joint reasoning with common sense knowledge about a wide range of everyday life topics. We analyze messages using our novel
AnalogySpace
common sense reasoning technique. We also take into account social network analysis and other factors. We evaluate the model on real-world instances that have been reported by users on Formspring, a social networking website that is popular with teenagers.

On the intervention side, we explore a set of reflective user-interaction paradigms with the goal of promoting empathy among social network participants. We propose an “air traffic control”-like dashboard, which alerts moderators to large-scale outbreaks that appear to be escalating or spreading and helps them prioritize the current deluge of user complaints. For potential victims, we provide educational material that informs them about how to cope with the situation, and connects them with emotional support from others. A user evaluation shows that in-context, targeted, and dynamic help during cyberbullying situations fosters end-user reflection that promotes better coping strategies.
What we talk about when we talk about cloud network performance
Authors: Mogul Jeffrey C. , Popa Lucian
Published: October 2012

Infrastructure-as-a-Service ("Cloud") data-centers intrinsically depend on high-performance networks to connect servers within the data-center and to the rest of the world. Cloud providers typically offer different service levels, and associated prices, for different sizes of virtual machine, memory, and disk storage. However, while all cloud providers provide network connectivity to tenant VMs, they seldom make any promises about network performance, and so cloud tenants suffer from highly-variable, unpredictable network performance.

Many cloud customers do want to be able to rely on network performance guarantees, and many cloud providers would like to offer (and charge for) these guarantees. But nobody really agrees on how to define these guarantees, and it turns out to be challenging to define "network performance" in a way that is useful to both customers and providers. We attempt to bring some clarity to this question.
Measurement-based research
Authors: Papadimitriou Dimitri , Fàbrega Lluís , Vilà Pere , Careglio Davide , Demeester Piet
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we report the results of the workshop organized by the FP7 EULER project on measurement-based research and associated methodology, experiments and tools. This workshop aimed at gathering all Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) experimental research projects under this thematic. Participants were invited to present the usage of measurement techniques in their experiments, their developments on measurement tools, and their foreseeable needs with respect to new domains of research not currently addressed by existing measurement techniques and tools.
Impact of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase and Epoxyeicosanoids on Human Health
Authors: Morisseau Christophe , Hammock Bruce D.
Published: October 2012

The presence of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in tissues and their metabolism by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) to 1,2-diols were first reported 30 years ago. However, appreciation of their importance in cell biology and physiology has greatly accelerated over the past decade with the discovery of metabolically stable inhibitors of sEH, the commercial availability of EETs, and the development of analytical methods for the quantification of EETs and their diols. Numerous roles of EETs in regulatory biology now are clear, and the value of sEH inhibition in various animal models of disease has been demonstrated. Here, we review these results and discuss how the pharmacological stabilization of EETs and other natural epoxy-fatty acids could lead to possible disease therapies.
A Strongly Convergent Method for the Split Feasibility Problem
Authors: Yao Yonghong , Liou Yeong-Cheng , Shahzad Naseer
Published: October 2012

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze a strongly convergent method which combined regularized method, with extragradient method for solving the split feasibility problem in the setting of infinite‐dimensional Hilbert spaces. Note that the strong convergence point is the minimum norm solution of the split feasibility problem.
On Numerical Radius of a Matrix and Estimation of Bounds for Zeros of a Polynomial
Authors: Paul Kallol , Bag Santanu
Published: October 2012

We obtain inequalities involving numerical radius of a matrixA∈Mn(ℂ). Using this result, we find upper bounds for zeros of a given polynomial. We also give a method to estimate the spectral radius of a given matrixA∈Mn(ℂ)up to the desired degree of accuracy.
Dental Approach to Craniofacial Syndromes: How Can Developmental Fields Show Us a New Way to Understand Pathogenesis?
Authors: Kjær Inger
Published: October 2012

The paper consists of three parts.Part 1: Definition of Syndromes. Focus is given to craniofacial syndromes in which abnormal traits in the dentition are associated symptoms. In the last decade, research has concentrated on phenotype, genotype, growth, development, function, and treatment.Part 2: Syndromes before Birth. How can the initial malformation sites in these syndromes be studied and what can we learn from it? In this section, deviations observed in syndromes prenatally will be highlighted and compared to the normal human embryological craniofacial development. Specific focus will be given to developmental fields studied on animal tissue and transferred to human cranial development.Part 3: Developmental Fields Affected in Two Craniofacial Syndromes. Analysis of primary and permanent dentitions can determine whether a syndrome affects a single craniofacial field or several fields. This distinction is essential for insight into craniofacial syndromes. The dentition, thus, becomes central in diagnostics and evaluation of the pathogenesis. Developmental fields can explore and advance the concept of dental approaches to craniofacial syndromes.Discussion. As deviations in teeth persist and do not reorganize during growth and development, the dentition is considered useful for distinguishing between syndrome pathogenesis manifested in a single developmental field and in several fields.
Mechanism of Growth Inhibition of Prostate Cancer Xenografts by Valproic Acid
Authors: Sidana Abhinav , Wang Muwen , Shabbeer Shabana , Chowdhury Wasim H. , Netto George , Lupold Shawn E. , Carducci Michael , Rodriguez Ronald
Published: October 2012

Valproic Acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to cause a marked decrease in proliferation of prostate cancer (PCa) cellsin vitroand a significant reduction in tumor volumein vivo. The goal of this study is to better understand the VPA-induced growth inhibitionin vivo, by studying expression of various markers in PCa xenografts.Methods. Forin vitroexperiments, PCa cells were treated with 0, 0.6, and 1.2 mM VPA for 14 days. Forin vivomodels, experimental animals received 0.4% VPA in drinking water for 35 days. Tissue microarray was generated using cell pellets and excised xenografts.Results. VPA treatment causes cell cycle arrest in PCa cellsin vivo, as determined by increase in p21 and p27 and decrease in cyclin D1 expression. Increased expression of cytokeratin18 was also seen in xenografts. LNCaP xenografts in treated animals had reduced androgen receptor (AR) expression. While decreased proliferation was foundin vitro, increase in apoptosis was found to be the reason for decreased tumor growthin vivo. Also, an anti-angiogenic effect was observed after VPA treatment.Conclusion. VPA inhibits tumor growth by multiple mechanisms including cell cycle arrest, induction of differentiation, and inhibition of growth of tumor vasculature.
On the Blow‐Up of Solutions of a Weakly Dissipative Modified Two‐Component Periodic Camassa‐Holm System
Authors: Mi Yongsheng , Mu Chunlai , Tao Weian
Published: October 2012

We study the Cauchy problem of a weakly dissipative modified two‐component periodic Camassa‐Holm equation. We first establish the local well‐posedness result. Then we derive the precise blow‐up scenario and the blow‐up rate for strong solutions to the system. Finally, we present two blow‐up results for strong solutions to the system.
Can We Find Better Bronchodilators to Relieve Asthma Symptoms?
Authors: Townsend Elizabeth A. , Yim Peter D. , Gallos George , Emala Charles W.
Published: October 2012

Bronchodilators are the first line therapy during acute asthmatic exacerbations to reverse airway obstruction primarily by relaxing airway smooth muscle. Only three categories of bronchodilators exist in clinical practice: -adrenergic agonists, anticholinergics, and methylxanthines. Each of these categories have specific drugs dating back to the early 20th century, raising the question of whether or not we can find better bronchodilators. While caffeine, theophylline, atropine, and epinephrine were the first generations of therapeutics in each of these drug classes, there is no question that improvements have been made in the bronchodilators in each of these classes. In the following editorial, we will briefly describe new classes of potential bronchodilators including: novel PDE inhibitors, natural phytotherapeutics, bitter taste receptor ligands, and chloride channel modulators, which have the potential to be used alone or in combination with existing bronchodilators to reverse acute airway obstruction in the future.
Inhibition of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin in Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Has Diverse Effects That Depend on the Environmental In Vitro Stress
Authors: Ryningen Anita , Reikvam Håkon , Nepstad Ina , Paulsen Rye Kristin , Bruserud Øystein
Published: October 2012

Effects of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin were characterized on in vitro cultured primary human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and five AML cell lines. Constitutive mTOR activation seemed to be a general characteristic of primary AML cells. Increased cellular stress induced by serum deprivation increased both mTOR signaling, lysosomal acidity, and in vitro apoptosis, where lysosomal acidity/apoptosis were independent of increased mTOR signaling. Rapamycin had antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects only for a subset of patients. Proapoptotic effect was detected for AML cell lines only in the presence of serum. Combination of rapamycin with valproic acid, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and NF-κB inhibitors showed no interference with constitutive mTOR activation and mTOR inhibitory effect of rapamycin and no additional proapoptotic effect compared to rapamycin alone. In contrast, dual inhibition of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway by rapamycin plus a PI3K inhibitor induced new functional effects that did not simply reflect a summary of single drug effects. To conclude, (i) pharmacological characterization of PI3K-Akt-mTOR inhibitors requires carefully standardized experimental models, (ii) rapamycin effects differ between patients, and (iii) combined targeting of different steps in this pathway should be further investigated whereas combination of rapamycin with valproic acid, ATRA, or NF-κB inhibitors seems less promising.
Robust Sliding Mode Control for Tokamaks
Authors: Garrido I. , Garrido A. J. , Sevillano M. G. , Romero J. A.
Published: October 2012

Nuclear fusion has arisen as an alternative energy to avoid carbon dioxide emissions, being the tokamak a promising nuclear fusion reactor that uses a magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus. However, different kinds of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities may affect tokamak plasma equilibrium, causing severe reduction of particle confinement and leading to plasma disruptions. In this sense, numerous efforts and resources have been devoted to seeking solutions for the different plasma control problems so as to avoid energy confinement time decrements in these devices. In particular, since the growth rate of the vertical instability increases with the internal inductance, lowering the internal inductance is a fundamental issue to address for the elongated plasmas employed within the advanced tokamaks currently under development. In this sense, this paper introduces a lumped parameter numerical model of the tokamak in order to design a novel robust sliding mode controller for the internal inductance using the transformer primary coil as actuator.
Boron-Mediated Plant Somatic Embryogenesis: A Provocative Model
Authors: Pandey Dhananjay K. , Singh Arvind K. , Chaudhary Bhupendra
Published: October 2012

A central question in plant regeneration biology concerns the primary driving forces invoking the acquisition of somatic embryogenesis.
Recently, the role of micronutrient boron (B) in the initiation and perpetuation of embryogenesis has drawn considerable attention within
the scientific community. This interest may be due in part to the bewildering observation that the system-wide induction of embryogenic
potential significantly varied in response to a minimal to optimal supply of B
(minimal ≤ 0.1 mM, optimal = 0.1 mM). At the cellular level, certain channel proteins and cell wall-related proteins
important for the induction of embryogenesis have been shown to be transcriptionally upregulated in response to minimal B supply
suggesting the vital role of B in the induction of embryogenesis. At the molecular level, minimal to no B supply increased the
endogenous level of auxin, which subsequently influenced the auxin-inducible somatic embryogenesis receptor kinases, suggesting the
role of B in the induction of embryogenesis. Also, minimal B concentration may “turn on” other genetic and/or cellular transfactors reported
earlier to be essential for cell-restructuring and induction of embryogenesis. In this paper, both the direct and indirect roles of B in the
induction of somatic embryogenesis are highlighted and suggested for future validation.
Note on Boehmians for Class of Optical Fresnel Wavelet Transforms
Authors: Al-Omari S. K. Q. , Kılıçman A.
Published: October 2012

We extend the Fresnel-wavelet transform to the context of generalized functions, namely, Boehmians. At first, we study the Fresnel-wavelet transform in the sense of distributions of compact support. Based on this concept, we introduce two new spaces of Boehmians and proving certain related results. Further, we show that the extended transform establishes a linear and an isomorphic mapping between the Boehmian spaces. Moreover, conditions of continuity of the extended transform and its inverse with respect toδand Δ convergence are discussed in some details.
Calcium Imaging of Living Astrocytes in the Mouse Spinal Cord following Sensory Stimulation
Authors: Cirillo Giovanni , De Luca Daniele , Papa Michele
Published: October 2012

Astrocytic Ca2+dynamics have been extensively studied inex vivomodels; however, the recent development of two-photon microscopy and astrocyte-specific labeling has allowed the study of Ca2+signaling in living central nervous system. Ca2+waves in astrocytes have been described in cultured cells and slice preparations, but evidence for astrocytic activation during sensory activity is lacking. There are currently few methods to image living spinal cord: breathing and heart-beating artifacts have impeded the widespread application of this technique. We here imaged the living spinal cord by two-photon microscopy in C57BL6/J mice. Through pressurized injection, we specifically loaded spinal astrocytes using the red fluorescent dye sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) and imaged astrocytic Ca2+levels with Oregon-Green BAPTA-1 (OGB). Then, we studied astrocytic Ca2+levels at rest and after right electrical hind paw stimulation. Sensory stimulation significantly increased astrocytic Ca2+levels within the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord compared to rest. In conclusion,in vivomorphofunctional imaging of living astrocytes in spinal cord revealed that astrocytes actively participate to sensory stimulation.
Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Octahedral Porous Material Unit Formed by Selective Laser Melting
Authors: Sun Jianfeng , Yang Yongqiang , Wang Di
Published: October 2012

The Ti-6Al-4V octahedral porous material unit is designed to calculate its load. In this paper, ANSYS is adopted for the load simulation of the unit. And a simplified model of dimensional theoretical calculation is established, by which the analytical equation of the fracture load is obtained and the calculation of the load of Ti-6Al-4V is completed. Moreover, selective laser melting is adopted in processing the Ti-6Al-4V porous material unit. The experimental value of fracture load of this material is obtained through compression experiment. The results show that the simulation curves approximate the variation tendency of the elastic deformation of the compression curves; the curves of theoretical calculation approximate the general variation tendency; and the experimental value of fracture load is very close to the theoretical value. Therefore, the theoretical prediction accuracy of fracture load is high, which lays the foundation for the mechanical properties of the octahedral porous material.
Shannon Information and Power Law Analysis of the Chromosome Code
Authors: Tenreiro Machado J. A.
Published: October 2012

This paper studies the information content of the chromosomes of twenty‐three species. Several statistics considering different number of bases for alphabet character encoding are derived. Based on the resulting histograms, word delimiters and character relative frequencies are identified. The knowledge of this data allows moving along each chromosome while evaluating the flow of characters and words. The resulting flux of information is captured by means of Shannon entropy. The results are explored in the perspective of power law relationships allowing a quantitative evaluation of the DNA of the species.
A New Particle Swarm Optimization-Based Method for Phase Unwrapping of MRI Data
Authors: He Wei , Cheng Yiyuan , Xia Ling , Liu Feng
Published: October 2012

A new method based on discrete particle swarm optimization (dPSO) algorithm is proposed to solve the branch-cut phase unwrapping problem of MRI data. In this method, the optimal order of matching the positive residues with the negative residues is first identified by the dPSO algorithm, then the branch cuts are placed to join each pair of the opposite polarity residues, and in the last step phases are unwrapped by flood-fill algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm was tested on both simulated phase image and MRI wrapped phase data sets. The results demonstrated that, compared with conventionally used branch-cut phase unwrapping algorithms, the dPSO algorithm is rather robust and effective.
Influence of Fever and Hospital-Acquired Infection on the Incidence of Delayed Neurological Deficit and Poor Outcome after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Douds G. Logan , Tadzong Bi , Agarwal Akash D. , Krishnamurthy Satish , Lehman Erik B. , Cockroft Kevin M.
Published: October 2012

Although fever and infection have been implicated in the causation of delayed neurological deficits (DND) and poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), the relationship between these two often related events has not been extensively studied. We reviewed these events through of our retrospective database of patients with SAH. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of DND and poor outcome. A total of 186 patients were analyzed. DND was noted in 76 patients (45%). Fever was recorded in 102 patients (55%); infection was noted in 87 patients (47%). A patient with one infection was more likely to experience DND compared to a patient with no infections (adjusted OR 3.73, 95% CI 1.62, 8.59). For those with more than two infections the likelihood of DND was even greater (adjusted OR 4.24, 95% CI 1.55, 11.56). Patients with 1-2 days of fever were less likely to have a favorable outcome when compared to their counterparts with no fever (adjusted OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06, 0.62). This trend worsened as the number of days febrile increased. These data suggest that the presence of infection is associated with DND, but that fever may have a stronger independent association with overall outcome.
Incorporating a Patient Dichotomous Characteristic in Cancer Phase I Clinical Trials Using Escalation with Overdose Control
Authors: Tighiouart Mourad , Cook-Wiens Galen , Rogatko André
Published: October 2012

We describe a design for cancer phase I clinical trials that takes into account patients heterogeneity thought to be related to treatment susceptibility. The goal is to estimate the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) given patient’s specific dichotomous covariate value. The design is Bayesian adaptive and is an extension of escalation with overdose control (EWOC). We will assess the performance of this method by comparing the following designs via extensive simulations: (1) design using a covariate; patients are accrued to the trial sequentially and the dose given to a patient depends on his/her baseline covariate value, (2) design ignoring the covariate; patients are accrued to the trial sequentially and the dose given to a patient does not depend on his/her baseline covariate value, and (3) design using separate trials; in each group, patients are accrued to the trial sequentially and EWOC is implemented in each group. These designs are compared with respect to safety of the trial and efficiency of the estimates of the MTDs via extensive simulations. We found that ignoring a significant baseline binary covariate in the model results in a substantial number of patients being overdosed. On the other hand, accounting for a nonsignificant covariate in the model has practically no effect on the safety of the trial and efficiency of the estimates of the MTDs.
Improvement of Coenzyme Q10 Production: Mutagenesis Induced by High Hydrostatic Pressure Treatment and Optimization of Fermentation Conditions
Authors: Yuan Yahong , Tian Yuting , Yue Tianli
Published: October 2012

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, ubiquinone), a potent antioxidative dietary supplement, was produced by submerged fermentation usingAgrobacterium tumefaciensinstead of chemical synthesis or solvent extraction.Agrobacterium tumefaciens1.2554 was subjected to mutagenesis using a series of treatments including high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment, UV irradiation, and diethyl sulfate (DES) treatment to obtain mutant strains showing higher CoQ10 production than wild-type strains. A mutant strain PK38 with four genetic markers was isolated: the specific CoQ10 content of the mutant strain increased by 52.83% compared with the original strain. Effects of carbon and nitrogen sources on CoQ10 production with PK38 were studied. Sucrose at concentration of 30 g/l was tested as the best carbon source, and yeast extract at concentration of 30 g/l supplemented with 10 g/l of ammonium sulfate was identified to be the most favorable for CoQ10 production using PK38. Fed-batch culture strategy was then used for increasing production of CoQ10 in 5-l fermentor. Using the exponential feeding fed-batch culture of sucrose, cell growth and CoQ10 formation were significantly improved. With this strategy, the final cell biomass, CoQ10 production, and specific CoQ10 production increased by 126.11, 173.12, and 22.76%, respectively, compared to those of batch culture.
Rabbit and Mouse Models of HSV-1 Latency, Reactivation, and Recurrent Eye Diseases
Authors: Webre Jody M. , Hill James M. , Nolan Nicole M. , Clement Christian , McFerrin Harris E. , Bhattacharjee Partha S. , Hsia Victor , Neumann Donna M. , Foster Timothy P. , Lukiw Walter J. , Thompson Hilary W.
Published: October 2012

The exact mechanisms of HSV-1 establishment, maintenance, latency, reactivation, and also the courses of recurrent ocular infections remain a mystery. Comprehensive understanding of the HSV-1 disease process could lead to prevention of HSV-1 acute infection, reactivation, and more effective treatments of recurrent ocular disease. Animal models have been used for over sixty years to investigate our concepts and hypotheses of HSV-1 diseases. In this paper we present descriptions and examples of rabbit and mouse eye models of HSV-1 latency, reactivation, and recurrent diseases. We summarize studies in animal models of spontaneous and induced HSV-1 reactivation and recurrent disease. Numerous stimuli that induce reactivation in mice and rabbits are described, as well as factors that inhibit viral reactivation from latency. The key features, advantages, and disadvantages of the mouse and rabbit models in relation to the study of ocular HSV-1 are discussed. This paper is pertinent but not intended to be all inclusive. We will give examples of key papers that have reported novel discoveries related to the review topics.
Long-Term Survival in Young Women: Hazards and Competing Risks after Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Stroup Antoinette M. , Harrell C. Janna , Herget Kimberly A.
Published: October 2012

Background. Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) are one of the most common and survivable cancers diagnosed in women. We examine factors associated with long-term survival and competing risks of death in women diagnosed with DTC under the age of 40 (<40) and aged 40 and older (40+).Methods. SEER data was used to identify DTCs diagnosed in women from 1975 to 2009. We examined overall (OS), disease-specific (DSS), other cancer (OCS), and non-cancer-related (NCS) survival using multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling.Results. Observed survival was 97.2% for <40 (n=14,540) and 82.5% for40+(n=20,513). Distant stage (HR=1.96, 95% CI 1.23–3.07), non-Hispanic Black (HR=2.04, 95% CI 1.45–2.87), being unmarried (HR=1.26, 95% 1.03–1.54), and subsequent primary cancers (HR=4.63,95% CI 3.76–5.71) were significant for OS in women <40. Age was an effect modifier for all survival outcomes. Racial disparities in NCS were most pronounced for young non-Hispanic black women (HR=3.36, 95% CI 2.17–5.22). Women in both age groups were more likely to die from other causes.Conclusions. Age at diagnosis remains one of the strongest prognostic factors for thyroid cancer survival. More directed efforts to ensure effective care for comorbid conditions are needed to reduce mortality from other causes.
Cloning of Acyl-ACP Thioesterase FatA fromArachis hypogaeaL. and Its Expression inEscherichia coli
Authors: Chen Gao , Peng Zhen-ying , Shan Lei , Xuan Ning , Tang Gui-ying , Zhang Yan , Li Lan , He Qing-fang , Bi Yu-ping
Published: October 2012

In this study, a full-length cDNA of the acyl-ACP thioesterase,AhFatA, was cloned from developing seeds ofArachis hypogaeaL. by 3′-RACE. Sequence analysis showed that the open reading frame encodes a peptide of 372 amino acids and has 50–70% identity with FatA from other plants. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed thatAhFatA was expressed in all tissues ofA. hypogaeaL., but most strongly in the immature seeds harvested at 60 days after pegging. Heterologous expression ofAhFatA inEscherichia coliaffected bacterial growth and changed the fatty acid profiles of the membrane lipid, resulting in directed accumulation towards palmitoleic acid and oleic acid. These results indicate that AhFatA is at least partially responsible for determining the high palmitoleic acid and oleic acid composition ofE. coli.
Influence of IL10 (G1082A) and TNFα (G308A) Polymorphisms on the Survival of Pediatric Patients with ALL
Authors: de Deus Dayse Maria Vasconcelos , Lugo Karina Araújo , Muniz Maria Tereza Cartaxo
Published: October 2012

Interleukin 10 (IL10) is a pleiotropic cytokine that stimulates various hematopoietic cells. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a cytokine that may influence the transcriptional activity induced by glucocorticoids. This study examined the impact of TNFα (G308A) and IL10 (G1082A) polymorphisms at promoter regions in relation to the overall survival of 105 children (0≤18 years) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for a period of 126 months, treated according to the protocol GBTLI99. The G1082A and G308A polymorphisms were identified by allele-specific PCR and PCR-RFLP, respectively. Patients with IL10AA genotype had a higher death ratio (44%, P=0.0089). Patients with both IL10AA and TNFAA genotypes showed the worst survival when compared with the IL10GG and TNFGA genotypes (P=0.0043). The results of this study revealed a lower survival among patients with IL10AA genotype and the concomitant occurrence of IL10AA and TNFAA genotypes.
The Global Economic Cost of Osteoarthritis: How the UK Compares
Authors: Chen A. , Gupte C. , Akhtar K. , Smith P. , Cobb J.
Published: October 2012

Aims. To examine all relevant literature on the economic costs of osteoarthritis in the UK, and to compare such costs globally. Methods. A search of MEDLINE was performed. The search was expanded beyond peer-reviewed journals into publications by the department of health, national orthopaedic associations, national authorities and registries, and arthritis charities. Results. No UK studies were identified in the literature search. 3 European, 6 North American, and 2 Asian studies were reviewed. Significant variation in direct and indirect costs were seen in these studies. Costs for topical and oral NSAIDs were estimated to be £19.2 million and £25.65 million, respectively. Cost of hip and knee replacements was estimated to exceed £850 million, arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis was estimated to be £1.34 million. Indirect costs from OA caused a loss of economic production over £3.2 billion, £43 million was spent on community services and £215 million on social services for osteoarthritis. Conclusions. While estimates of economic costs can be made using information from non-published data, there remains a lack of original research looking at the direct or indirect costs of osteoarthritis in the UK. Differing methodology in calculating costs from overseas studies makes direct comparison with the UK difficult.
The Effects of Local Administration of Aminophylline on Transureteral Lithotripsy
Authors: Barzegarnezhad Ayyoub , Firouzian Abolfazl , Emadi Seyed Abdollah , Mousanejad Nadali , Bakhshali Roksana
Published: October 2012

Introduction. Urinary stone is a common cause of urinary tract disease. Stone excretion using ureteroscope is effective in inferior ureter. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aminophylline on ureteral spasm during ureteroscopy in acute phase of renal colic.Methods. In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 120 patients with ureteral stones were enrolled and randomized into two groups. The bladder was drained and then received a 150 mL irrigation solution. Irrigation solution was saline and saline plus 10 mL aminophylline at 250 mg dose for control and case groups, respectively. Ureteroscopy and transureteral lithotripsy (TUL) were performed five minutes after irrigation.Results. The mean duration of TUL was4.2±2.61 min and8.4±2.9 min for control and case groups, respectively. The successful rate was 95% and 76.1% in case and control groups, respectively. Further extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) was performed in 5% and 30% for patients in case and control groups, respectively.Conclusion. Aminophylline facilitated ureteroscopy and increased the success rate in the treatment of renal colic using TUL. No significant complications from post-TUL were observed. Using aminophylline carries several advantages such as reducing procedure duration, decreasing the need for ureteral and double-J catheter, and reducing stone migration to the kidney and use of SWL.
Animal Experimental Study of the Fully Biodegradable Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Occluder
Authors: Zhu Yu-feng , Huang Xin-miao , Cao Jiang , Hu Jian-qiang , Bai Yuan , Jiang Hai-bing , Li Zhao-feng , Chen Ying , Wang Wei , Qin Yong-wen , Zhao Xian-xian
Published: October 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility, safety, biocompatibility, and degradation features of a fully biodegradable occluder for closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) in an acute canine model. The ASD was created in 20 healthy mongrel dogs by the brockenbrough needle, and the fully biodegradable occluders were implanted by self-made delivery system. The success rate and complications were observed. Acute ASD models were successfully created in 18 dogs, and 16 occluders were successfully implanted in the ASD models. Animals were sacrificed at different times after procedure. The cardiac gross anatomy showed that all occluders were stable in the interatrial septum, no vegetation or thrombus formation was observed on the surface of all occluders. They were embedded into endogenous host tissue gradually at 12-week follow-up. Different periods of pathological observations suggested that the occluders degraded gradually over about 24 weeks and essentially became an integral part of the septum. Transcatheter closure of ASD in acute canine model using the fully biodegradable ASD occluder has the potential of a high successful rate of technique, excellent biocompatibility, and fewer complications with adequate, immediate, and short-term results.
Peri-Implant Crestal Bone Loss: A Putative Mechanism
Authors: Ujiie Yuko , Todescan Reynaldo , Davies John E.
Published: October 2012

Purpose. The immunological mechanisms of peri-implant crestal bone loss have, hitherto, not been elucidated. We hypothesized that bacterial products from the microgap cause upregulation of cytokines in otherwise healthy peri-implant cells, which results in osteoclast formation and, ultimately, in bone resorption.Materials and Methods. We used RT-PCR and ELISA to assay mediators of osteoclastogenesis in rat and human macrophages (r-and hMO); bone marrow derived stromal cells (r-and hBMCs); and human gingival fibroblasts (hGF)—with or without stimulation by LPS. TRAP positive multinucleate cells were assessed for their resorptive ability.Results. We show that IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were expressed by all examined cell types, and TNF-αwas upregulated in hGF. Secretion of IL-1αand IL-1βproteins was stimulated in hMO by LPS, and IL-6 protein secretion was highly stimulated in hBMCs and hGF. Both LPS and RANKL stimulated macrophages to form osteoclast-like TRAP positive cells, which resorbed calcium phosphate substrates.Conclusion. Taken together, the results of our study support the hypothesis that bacterial endotoxins upregulate enhanced mediators of osteoclastogenesis in resident cells found in the healthy peri-implant compartment and that the local synergistic action of cytokines secreted by such cells results in the genesis of resorptively active osteoclasts.
Intrabone Transplant of Cord Blood Stem Cells Establishes a Local Engraftment Store: A Functional PET/FDG Study
Authors: Marini Cecilia , Podestà Marina , Massollo Michela , Capitanio Selene , Fiz Francesco , Morbelli Silvia , Brignone Massimo , Bacigalupo Andrea , Piana Michele , Frassoni Francesco , Sambuceti Gianmario
Published: October 2012

Background. Despite advancements in comprehension of molecular mechanisms governing bone marrow (BM) homing of hematopoietic stem cells, cord blood transplant (CBT) suffers from a slow rate of hematopoietic recovery. Intrabone (IB) injection has been proposed as a method able to improve speed of BM engraftment with respect to conventional IV protocols. However, the mechanisms underlying this benefit are largely unknown.Aim. To verify whether IB-CBT determines a local engraftment able to predict the reconstitution of recipient hematopoiesis.Design and Methods. Twenty-one patients with hematologic malignancies received IB injection into both iliac crests of3.2±0.68* 107/kg cord blood cells. One month following IB-CBT, PET-CT imaging was performed. Maximal standardized uptake values (SUVs) were assessed in BM of both iliac crests and in all lumbar vertebrae.Results. Maximal SUV within iliac crests was higher than in lumbar vertebrae (4.1±1.7versus3.2±0.7, resp.,P=0.01). However, metabolic activity in these two different BM districts was significantly correlated (r=0.7,P<0.001). Moreover, FDG uptake values within the injection site closely predicted platelet recovery 100 days after IB-CBT (r=0.72,P<0.01).Conclusions. The metabolic activity of injected BM predicts the subsequent rate of hematopoietic recovery after IB-CBT, suggesting a pivotal role of the local engraftment in the reconstitution of recipient hematopoiesis.
Lim Mineralization Protein 3 Induces the Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Amniotic Fluid Stromal Cells through Kruppel-Like Factor-4 Downregulation and Further Bone-Specific Gene Expression
Authors: Barba Marta , Pirozzi Filomena , Saulnier Nathalie , Vitali Tiziana , Natale Maria Teresa , Logroscino Giandomenico , Robbins Paul D. , Gambotto Andrea , Neri Giovanni , Michetti Fabrizio , Pola Enrico , Lattanzi Wanda
Published: October 2012

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells with extensive self-renewal properties can be easily isolated and rapidly expanded in culture from small volumes of amniotic fluid. These cells, namely, amniotic fluid-stromal cells (AFSCs), can be regarded as an attractive source for tissue engineering purposes, being phenotypically and genetically stable, plus overcoming all the safety and ethical issues related to the use of embryonic/fetal cells. LMP3 is a novel osteoinductive molecule acting upstream to the main osteogenic pathways. This study is aimed at delineating the basic molecular events underlying LMP3-induced osteogenesis, using AFSCs as a cellular model to focus on the molecular features underlying the multipotency/differentiation switch. For this purpose, AFSCs were isolated and characterizedin vitroand transfected with a defective adenoviral vector expressing the human LMP3. LMP3 induced the successful osteogenic differentiation of AFSC by inducing the expression of osteogenic markers and osteospecific transcription factors. Moreover, LMP3 induced an early repression of the kruppel-like factor-4, implicated in MSC stemness maintenance. KLF4 repression was released upon LMP3 silencing, indicating that this event could be reasonably considered among the basic molecular events that govern the proliferation/differentiation switch during LMP3-induced osteogenic differentiation of AFSC.
Radio Wave Propagation Scene Partitioning for High-Speed Rails
Authors: Ai Bo , He Ruisi , Zhong Zhangdui , Guan Ke , Chen Binghao , Liu Pengyu , Li Yuanxuan
Published: October 2012

Radio wave propagation scene partitioning is necessary for wireless channel modeling. As far as we know, there are no standards of scene partitioning for high-speed rail (HSR) scenarios, and therefore we propose the radio wave propagation scene partitioning scheme for HSR scenarios in this paper. Based on our measurements along the Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR, Zhengzhou-Xian passenger-dedicated line, Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan passenger-dedicated line, and Beijing-Tianjin intercity line in China, whose operation speeds are above 300 km/h, and based on the investigations on Beijing South Railway Station, Zhengzhou Railway Station, Wuhan Railway Station, Changsha Railway Station, Xian North Railway Station, Shijiazhuang North Railway Station, Taiyuan Railway Station, and Tianjin Railway Station, we obtain an overview of HSR propagation channels and record many valuable measurement data for HSR scenarios. On the basis of these measurements and investigations, we partitioned the HSR scene into twelve scenarios. Further work on theoretical analysis based on radio wave propagation mechanisms, such as reflection and diffraction, may lead us to develop the standard of radio wave propagation scene partitioning for HSR. Our work can also be used as a basis for the wireless channel modeling and the selection of some key techniques for HSR systems.