bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Centrifuge modelling of deep excavation over existing tunnels
Authors: Huang Xu , Huang Hongwei , Zhang Dongmei
Published: November 2012

An underground passage is constructed in the Bund, Shanghai, which intersects an existing shield tunnel, the East Yan'an road tunnel. This research reports a series of centrifuge model tests conducted to investigate the effect of deep excavation above an existing tunnel. The results reveal that significant tunnel heave can be observed, induced by excavation above. For the test conducted to model the East Yan'an road tunnel, the influenced range of the tunnel extends to about 2·5 times the excavation width away from the boundary of the excavation. Considerable additional bending moments are observed at the crown and invert in the lining of the tunnel below the centre of the excavation, but the additional moments rapidly decrease to be negligible when the tunnel cross-section is 1·5 times the excavation depth away from the centre of the excavation. It is also found that the longitudinal deflection of the tunnel due to excavation above it can be modelled by a Gaussian curve, based on which the location of the inflection points and bending curvature can be obtained conveniently. Comparing tests with different tunnel positions, the tunnel heave decreases exponentially with the tunnel–excavation offset.
High-energy He ion bombardment-induced modifications of surface properties of UHMWPE
Authors: Abdul-Kader A. M. , Turos A.
Published: November 2012

Ultra high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is the material of choice for the load-bearing surfaces of total joint implants. This is primarily due to its good wear resistance. However, failure is often observed as a result of the UHMWPE brittleness. In order to improve its mechanical properties, UHMWPE was bombarded with 4-MeV He ions to fluence ranging from 1012 to 5 × 1014 ions/cm2. Changes of surface layer composition produced by ion bombardment of UHMWPE samples were studied. Polymer radiolysis due to the ion bombardment leading to hydrogen release was studied by means of nuclear reaction analysis using the 1H(15N, αθ)12C reaction. Hydrogen release increasing with the ion fluence was observed and correlated to the ion linear energy transfer. Moreover, important oxidation of bombarded samples was also noticed. These effects resulted in important modifications of the surface properties of bombarded material such as increase of hardness and improved wettability.
Rural road management in Botswana
Authors: Khan Misbah Uddin
Published: November 2012

This paper discusses the management of rural roads in Chobe in Botswana, which are mainly tertiary and access roads. These roads are low-volume roads and mostly gravelled. It was observed that the maintenance management of these roads was based on engineering judgement through visual inspection all over the country, without having any economic or technical analysis. Therefore, a comprehensive pavement management system for rural roads' maintenance is needed in Chobe and also in all the council areas of Botswana, which would consist of data collection, database, use of the Highway Development and Management Model to undertake efficient decision making project preparation, funding, implementation and feedback. A partial implementation of pavement management system in Chobe has been highlighted in this paper. The present analysis reveals that total demand for the road network in Chobe was 41·29 million pula, the backlog was 34·86 million pula and the first-year backlog demand was 20·63 million pula. Furthermore, the analysis found the long-term periodic maintenance strategy for the network at 6·43 million pula when there is no backlog. This huge backlog indicates that roads are not being maintained appropriately. The paper also estimates current road asset value in Chobe at 55·48 million pula. Finally, the paper recommends several solutions for the efficient preservation of road assets in Botswana.
Asphalt damage characterisation from cyclic test and X-ray computed tomography
Authors: Khan Rawid , Collop Andrew C , Airey Gordon D , Khan Akhtar Naeem
Published: November 2012

Imaging techniques have been used to characterise laboratory fatigue testing on asphalt mixtures. Specimens were tested in tension-compression cyclic testing at different temperatures. Testing was stopped at predefined stages, and specimens were scanned in X-ray computed tomography. A three-dimensional image of the original specimens was developed for analysis. It was found from the image analysis that the damage (air voids) were found to be increasing with an increase in strain as damage accumulated in the specimens. An energy-based damage mechanics model was used to calculate the increase in damage. Dissipated pseudo-strain energy and adhesion between binder and aggregate were used in the model. Pseudo-strain energy was calculated from laboratory testing, and the adhesion parameter was determined from surface energies of aggregate and bitumen (binder). Values obtained from a numerical model were found to have a similar trend as that of the data from X-ray computed tomography and image analysis.
Motivations for Men and Women’s Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Langhinrichsen-Rohling Jennifer , McCullars Adrianne , Misra Tiffany A.
Published: November 2012

The main purpose of this review article was to collect and summarize all available papers that reported empirical data related to men’s and women’s motivations for IPV. To facilitate direct gender comparisons, the motives reported in each obtained study were coded by the current authors into seven broad categories: (a) power/control, (b) self-defense, (c) expression of negative emotion (i.e., anger), (d) communication difficulties, (e) retaliation, (f) jealousy, and (g) other. Across the 75 samples (located in 74 articles) that were reviewed and coded for this study, 24 contained samples of only women (32%), 6 samples consisted of only men (8%), and 46 samples used both women and men (62%). Power/control and self-defense were commonly measured motivations (76% and 61%, respectively). However, using violence as an expression of negative emotion (63%), communication difficulties (48%), retaliation (60%), or because of jealousy (49%) were also commonly assessed motives. In 62% of the samples, at least one other type of motive was also measured. Only 18 of the located study samples (24%) included data that allowed for a direct gender comparison of men’s and women’s reported motivations. Many of these studies did not subject their data to statistical analyses. Among those that did, very few gender-specific motives for perpetration emerged. These results should be viewed with caution, however, because many methodological and measurement challenges exist in this field. There was also considerable heterogeneity across papers making direct gender comparisons problematic.
The Crime Control Effects of Criminal Sanctions for Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Maxwell Christopher D. , Garner Joel H.
Published: November 2012

A prior review of published research established that once an intimate violence offense results in an arrest, the use of criminal prosecution and conviction is more commonplace than traditionally thought. The substantial use of criminal sanctions beyond arrest heightens the salience of whether criminal sanctions for intimate partner violence have a crime control effect or not. This research seeks to contribute to this discussion by providing a systematic review of 31 published studies that provide evidence regarding the crime control benefits from prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of intimate partner violence offenders. This review describes the characteristics of each of these studies, summarizes the substantive findings reported, and evaluates the research designs, measures, and methods used. Across these studies, we array 143 reported tests into three crime prevention hypotheses: the prosecution hypothesis, the conviction hypothesis, and the sanction severity hypothesis. Based on the analyses and conclusions produced by these studies, we find that the most frequent outcome is that sanctions that follow an arrest for intimate partner violence have no effect on the prevalence of subsequent offending. However, among the minority of reported analyses that do report a statistically significant effect, two thirds of the published findings show sanctions to be associated with reductions in repeat offending and one third show sanctions to be associated with increased repeat offending. Our examination of the methods used by these studies identified seven common issues that suggest that the research designs used are inadequate to assess the relevant public policies and criminological theories. Based on our systematic assessment of the published studies, we conclude that the preponderance of the reported findings show no effect for criminal sanctions; moreover, the quality of the research methods used in this research provide an insufficient basis to support a conclusion about the use of criminal prosecution and sentencing for intimate partner violence.
Gender and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Criminal Justice Decision Making in Intimate Partner Violence Cases
Authors: Shernock Stan , Russell Brenda
Published: November 2012

This literature review examines the existing empirical literature on gender and racial/ethnic differences in issuance of protective orders, arrest, prosecution, and simulated jury verdicts in intimate partner violence cases. An evaluation of the methodologies employed found that some studies have used surveys of reactions to simulated scenarios, others official data sources, such as police reports and court records, and others interviews or surveys of victims or suspects; but few have used triangulation of different types of sources. Most studies on differential treatment in arrest and prosecution have focused on gender and then race, whereas studies on differential decision making in the issuance of protective orders and jury decision making have focused primarily on gender. In terms of the differential criminal justice response regarding demographic categories, it appears that there is the less favorable treatment of males but more impartial treatment toward racial/ethnic minorities regarding the issuance of protection orders, arrest, and prosecution.
Effectiveness, Victim Safety, Characteristics, and Enforcement of Protective Orders
Authors: Russell Brenda
Published: November 2012

This study sought to review the extant literature on effectiveness and safety associated with orders of protection from abuse. Forty-three scholarly articles were reviewed and placed in a table representing four themes, including (a) victim safety and effectiveness (as measured by protective order [PO] violations and revictimization); (b) perceptions of victim satisfaction, safety, and psychological well-being; (c) predictors and characteristics of victims, perpetrators; and (d) the enforcement of POs. Results suggest that approximately 40%–50% of POs are violated. Although some large-scale studies have found significant reductions in revictimization, a larger number of smaller community samples have found physical and psychological abuse increases upon issuance of a PO. Research on perceived safety and effectiveness suggests female victims feel safer when POs are issued and find them effective. Issues associated with enforcement demonstrate difficulty enforcing and POs. Issues of public policy and directions for future research are discussed.
Impact of Aerobic Rice Cultivation on Growth, Yield, and Water Productivity of Rice–Maize Rotation in Semiarid Tropics
Authors: Kadiyala M. D. M. , Mylavarapu R. S. , Li Y. C. , Reddy G. B. , Reddy M. D.
Published: November 2012

Limited water availability is a major constraint for cultivation of rice (Oryza sativaL.) in the traditional flooded systems, particularly in the semiarid regions of the world. Aerobic rice cultivation provides feasible alternative to traditional rice production in these regions, allowing significant water savings. Field experiments were conducted at the ANGR University Agricultural Research Station, India during 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 to compare crop growth, yield, and water savings under aerobic rice–maize (R–M) and flooded R–M rotation systems. The effect of aerobic rice on the succeeding maize crop was also studied. The total amount of water applied (including rainfall) in the aerobic plots was 967 and 645 mm compared to 1546 and 1181 mm in flooded rice system, during 2009 and 2010, respectively. This resulted in 37 to 45% water savings with the aerobic method. The soil moisture in aerobic treatment was maintained in the –30 to –40 kPa range throughout the crop growth. The aerobic rice system produced significantly lower grain yields in 2009 and 2010, where differences between flooded and aerobic rice were 39 and 15.4%, respectively. The yield differences were attributed to the differences in spikelet number per panicle and grain weight. Significant increase in yields was recorded in both systems with increased N rates up to 120 kg ha−1. Significantly higher yields were obtained in no‐till maize grown subsequent to the aerobic rice than flooded rice, possibly due to residual soil N and improved soil physical conditions.
Water Use and Water Productivity of Sugarbeet, Malt Barley, and Potato as Affected by Irrigation Frequency
Authors: Jabro J. D. , Iversen W. M. , Evans R. G. , Stevens W. B.
Published: November 2012

Successful irrigation management is one of the most important agronomic practices for achieving profitable yield and maximizing crop water productivity (CWP) while maintaining environmental quality by minimizing water losses to runoff and deep drainage. This study was conducted to compare the influence of two irrigation frequencies on crop water use (CWU) and CWP of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.), malt barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) on a sandy loam soil in the semiarid northern Great Plains. The irrigation frequencies compared were: high frequency (HF) irrigation with biweekly application of small irrigation quantities, and the conventional low frequency (LF) with weekly application of large irrigation quantities. Irrigation frequency was varied based on either 15 mm (HF) or 30 mm (LF) cumulative crop evapotranspiration replacements. Seasonal CWU amounts were determined using the water balance equation of sugarbeet, malt barley, and potato under HF and LF irrigations for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. No significant differences due to irrigation frequency were found for yield, CWU, and CWP of sugarbeet (root and sucrose), malt barley, or potato. Small differences in CWU values between HF and LF irrigations were due to variations in soil moisture content in the soil profile and drainage losses below the 0.91‐m soil depth. Conventional LF irrigation thus can sustain yield, improve water use, and reduce net economic input as feasibly as HF irrigation practices when a self‐propelled automated sprinkler system is used on a sandy loam soil.
Effect of Core Aerification Frequency, Area Impacted, and Topdressing Rate on Turf Quality and Soil Physical Properties
Authors: Atkinson Jeffrey L. , McCarty Lambert B. , Bridges William C.
Published: November 2012

Soil compaction often occurs in heavily trafficked turf areas such as golf course putting greens and sports fields. Although research exists on benefits of proper aerification, insufficient data exists quantifying the effect of removing, or “impacting,” specific amounts of surface area per year, number of aerification events per year, or amount of topdressing applied post‐aerification on turfgrass quality and soil physical properties. Understanding these effects was the objective of this study. The study was conducted on a 10‐yr‐old U.S. Golf Association (USGA)‐specified TifEagle bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy] research putting green to evaluate two yearly totals of percent surface area impacted, 15 and 25, summed through one, two, or three aerification events per year, with cores removed. Following aerification, treatments received one of two topdressing rates; the mathematical equivalent of soil removed with aerification or half this rate. Turf quality declined for ∼4 wk after each aerification event, at which point it typically improved. Increasing number of aerification events per year from one to three reduced bulk density (BD) between 5 and 9%, surface hardness between 5 and 19%, and thatch–mat organic matter content 10% in Year 2. Infiltration rates were highest in single aerification event treatments during the same year. Overall, increasing amount of surface area impacted and number of aerification events per year improved soil physical properties. Reducing frequency of aerification while impacting the same amount of surface area per year increased overall visual turfgrass quality while not yielding similar improvements in soil physical properties.
Responses of Maize Hybrids to Twin‐Row Spatial Arrangement at Multiple Plant Densities
Authors: Robles Mariana , Ciampitti Ignacio A. , Vyn Tony J.
Published: November 2012

Twin‐row planting systems in maize (Zea mays L.) have been proposed as an alternative spatial arrangement that should theoretically decrease plant‐to‐plant competition, alleviate crop crowding stress and improve yields. Uncertainty remains, however, as to whether twin rows are a feasible option to increase plant densities and improve grain yields. Three hybrids (DKC62‐54, DKC61‐19, and DKC57‐66) were grown from 2009 to 2011 to evaluate the individual and interacting effects of plant density (PD1 = 69,000; PD2 = 81,000; PD3 = 93,000; and PD4 = 105,000 plants [pl] ha−1) and spatial configuration (conventional single 76‐cm row width vs. 20‐cm twin rows spaced 76‐cm between paired‐rows) on dark prairie soil in West‐Central Indiana. The primary research objectives were to determine (i) whether the twin‐row spatial arrangement permits higher optimum plant densities, (ii) whether hybrids vary in their response to a twin‐row arrangement, and (iii) diverse morpho‐physiological trait responses to density and spatial treatments. Twin rows never yielded significantly more than single rows at any plant density or hybrid combination in any year of this study. Furthermore, there was no evidence that grain yield‐optimizing plant densities were any higher with twin vs. single rows in any hybrid. Twin rows slightly increased leaf area index (LAI) at silk emergence stage in 2010 (mean LAI = 4.8) and 2011 (mean LAI = 4.0), but not in 2009 (mean LAI = 4.4). Despite higher plant spacing variation, radiation interception was initially favored by earlier canopy closure with twin‐row planting, but the relative radiation‐interception advantage declined as plant density increased and at a later vegetative stage.
Simulating Guinea Grass Production: Empirical and Mechanistic Approaches
Authors: Araujo Leandro C. , Santos Patricia M. , Rodriguez Daniel , Pezzopane José Ricardo M. , Oliveira Patricia P.A. , Cruz Pedro G.
Published: November 2012

Tropical grasses are economically important for cattle production in Brazil, and accurate simulation models for tropical pastures can benefit forage researchers and farm managers by improving tropical forage production systems. This research calibrated and validated four modeling approaches of contrasting complexity to simulate mass production of Mombaça Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.). The models included three empirical agro‐climatic models (i.e., using cumulative degree days, photothermal units, and a climatic growth index) and a biophysical simulation model, Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM)‐Growth. Data sets for calibration and independent validation included frequent records of aboveground dry matter production during the 2005–2006 and 2010–2011 growing seasons from three trials. All models performed well during calibration (R2 = 0.78–0.86; coefficient of variation = 26–32.1%). During model validation, the R2 varied between 0.69 and 0.78, the agreement index was between 0.88 and 0.93, the coefficient of variation between 37.6 and 50.2%, and the mean bias error was between 6 and 470 kg ha−1. Even though all models were in agreement between simulated and observed results, APSIM‐Growth was able to simulate Guinea grass production across broader climatic, soil, and management (e.g., N fertilization) conditions.
Control of Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults with Previously Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Descriptive Study from a Middle Eastern Arab Population
Authors: Al-Lawati Jawad A , N. Barakat Mohammed , Al-Zakwani Ibrahim , Elsayed Medhat K. , Al-Maskari Masoud , M Al-Lawati Nawar , Mohammed Ali Jaffer
Published: November 2012

Background:

Despite the high burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Oman, there are scarce data from a nationally representative sample on the level of glycaemia and other cardiovascular (CVD) risk factor control.

Objective:

To estimate the proportion of patients with T2DM at goal for glycaemia and CVD risk factors using the National Diabetes Guidelines (NDG) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) clinical care guidelines; and to assess the quality of selected services provided to patients with T2DM.

Methods:

A sample of 2,551 patients (47% men) aged ≥20 years with T2DM treated at primary health care centers was selected. Patient characteristics, medical history and treatment were collected from case notes, Diabetes Registers and computer frameworks including the use of the last 3 laboratory investigations results and blood pressure (BP) readings recorded in 2007.

Results:

The overall mean age of the cohort was 54±13 years with an average median duration of diabetes of 4 (range 2 to 6) years. Over 80% of patients were overweight or obese (body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 Kg/m2). Sixty-nine percent were on oral anti-diabetic medication, 52% on anti-hypertensives and 40% on lipid lowering drugs. Thirty percent of patients were at goal for glycosylated haemoglobin level (<7%), 26% for BP (systolic/diastolic <130/80 mmHg), 55% for total cholesterol (<5.2 mmol/l), 4.5% for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (<1.8 mmol/l), 52% for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (>1 mmol/l for men, >1.3 mmol/l for women), and 61% for triglycerides (<1.7 mmol/l). Over 37% had micro-albuminuria and 5% had diabetic nephropathy.

Conclusion:

Control of hyperglycaemia and other CVD risk factor appears to be suboptimal in Omani patients with T2DM and need to be addressed in the triad of patient, physician and health system.
The philosophy of logic
Authors: Maddy Penelope
Published: November 2012

This talk surveys a range of positions on the fundamental metaphysical and epistemological questions about elementary logic, for example, as a starting point: what is the subject matter of logic—what makes its truths true? how do we come to know the truths of logic? A taxonomy is approached by beginning from well-known schools of thought in the philosophy of mathematics—Logicism, Intuitionism, Formalism, Realism—and sketching roughly corresponding views in the philosophy of logic. Kant, Mill, Frege, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Ayer, Quine, and Putnam are among the philosophers considered along the way.
Effect of fluoride on root resorption following heavy and light orthodontic force application for 4 weeks and 12 weeks of retention
Authors: Karadeniz Ersan I. , Gonzales Carmen , Turk Tamer , Isci Devrim , Sahin-Saglam Aynur M. , Alkis Huseyin , Elekdag-Turk Selma , Darendeliler M. Ali
Published: November 2012

Objective:

To evaluate the null hypothesis that fluoride intake via drinking water has no effect on orthodontic root resorption in humans after orthodontic force application for 4 weeks and 12 weeks of retention.

Materials and Methods:

Forty-eight patients who required maxillary premolar extractions as part of their orthodontic treatment were selected from two cities in Turkey. These cities had a high and low fluoride concentration in public water of ≥2 pm and ≤0.05 pm, respectively. The patients were randomly separated into four groups of 12 each: group 1HH, high fluoride (≥2 ppm) and heavy force (225 g); group 2LH, low fluoride (≤0.05 ppm) and heavy force; group 3HL, high fluoride and light force (25 g); and group 4LL, low fluoride and light force. Light or heavy buccal tipping force was applied on the upper first premolars for 28 days. At day 28, the left premolars were extracted (positive control side); the right premolars (experimental side) were extracted after 12 weeks of retention. The samples were analyzed with microcomputed tomography.

Results:

On the positive control side, under heavy force application, the high fluoride groups exhibited less root resorption (P  =  .015). On the experimental side, it was found that fluoride reduced the total volume of root resorption craters; however, this effect was not statistically significant (P  =  .237). Moreover, the results revealed that under heavy force application experimental teeth exhibited more root resorption than positive control groups.

Conclusion:

The null hypothesis could not be rejected. High fluoride intake from public water did not have a beneficial effect on the severity of root resorption after a 4-week orthodontic force application and 12 weeks of passive retention.
Migration, Transfer and Appropriation
Authors: Beerbühl Margrit Schulte
Published: November 2012

Today foreign restaurants and food shops shape the culinary landscape of Britain. While the impact of post-war migration on the traditional eating habits of the British population has received some attention in historical research, the influence of former waves of immigrants has hardly been studied. This paper focuses on the immigration of German pork butchers and their contribution to the development of meat consumption in Britain. By looking at the pattern of migration it will be shown that migrants created geographically widespread networks in Britain. Within these networks they transferred skills, know-how and social capital. Through a complex process of adaptation and appropriation German sausages were incorporated into the British diet. This process involved natives as well as immigrants. The former had to overcome established food habits while the latter had to adapt their recipes to local taste preferences.
The α1 Antagonist Doxazosin Alters the Behavioral Effects of Cocaine in Rats
Authors: Haile Colin N. , Hao Yanli , O'Malley Patrick W. , Newton Thomas F. , Kosten Therese A.
Published: November 2012

Medications that target norepinephrine (NE) neurotransmission alter the behavioral effects of cocaine and may be beneficial for stimulant-use disorders. We showed previously that the short-acting, α1-adrenergic antagonist, prazosin, blocked drug-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking in rats and doxazosin (DOX), a longer-acting α1 antagonist blocked cocaine’s subjective effects in cocaine-dependent volunteers. To further characterize DOX as a possible pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence, we assessed its impact on the development and expression of cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization in rats. Rats (n = 6–8) were administered saline, cocaine (COC, 10 mg/kg) or DOX (0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg) alone or in combination for 5 consecutive days (development). Following 10-days of drug withdrawal, all rats were administered COC and locomotor activity was again assessed (expression). COC increased locomotor activity across days indicative of sensitization. The high dose (1.0 mg/kg), but not the low dose (0.3 mg/kg) of DOX significantly decreased the development and expression of COC sensitization. DOX alone did not differ from saline. These results are consistent with studies showing that α1 receptors are essential for the development and expression of cocaine’s behavioral effects. Results also suggest that blockade of both the development and expression of locomotor sensitization may be important characteristics of possible pharmacotherapies for cocaine dependence in humans.
Cellular Stress Following Water Deprivation in the Model Legume Lotus japonicus
Authors: Betti Marco , Pérez-Delgado Carmen , García-Calderón Margarita , Díaz Pedro , Monza Jorge , Márquez Antonio
Published: November 2012

Drought stress is one of the most important factors in the limitation of plant productivity worldwide. In order to cope with water deprivation, plants have adopted several strategies that produce major changes in gene expression. In this paper, the response to drought stress in the model legume Lotus japonicus was studied using a transcriptomic approach. Drought induced an extensive reprogramming of the transcriptome as related to various aspects of cellular metabolism, including genes involved in photosynthesis, amino acid metabolism and cell wall metabolism, among others. A particular focus was made on the genes involved in the cellular stress response. Key genes involved in the control of the cell cycle, antioxidant defense and stress signaling, were modulated as a consequence of water deprivation. Genes belonging to different families of transcription factors were also highly responsive to stress. Several of them were homologies to known stress-responsive genes from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, while some novel transcription factors were peculiar to the L. japonicus drought stress response.
An Energy and Water Resource Demand Estimation Model for Multi-Family Housing Complexes in Korea
Authors: Suh Dongjun , Chang Seongju
Published: November 2012

This paper proposes and develops a residential energy and resource consumption estimation model in the context of multi-family residential housing in Korea using a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network. Eight indicators are introduced which affect the energy and water resource usage characteristics of Korean residential complexes. The proposed model precisely estimated the electricity, gas energy and water consumption for each examined residential complex. In terms of validation, the results showed the highest level of agreement with actually collected datasets. The model shows promising prospects in providing necessary estimations, not only for optimally scaling and sizing energy- and water-related infrastructures, but also to promote reliable energy and resource savings through greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction planning in multi-family housing complexes. The model could also be of use in framing guidelines for the better planning of national or regional energy and resource policies and for forming a foundation of decision-making with definite references regarding the facility management of each apartment complex to enhance the energy and resource use efficiency at these locations.
Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated Neurotoxic Peptide Amyloid-Β Impairs Base Excision Repair in Human Neuroblastoma Cells
Authors: Forestier Anne , Douki Thierry , Sauvaigo Sylvie , De Rosa Viviana , Demeilliers Christine , Rachidi Walid
Published: November 2012

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in developed countries. It is characterized by two major pathological hallmarks, one of which is the extracellular aggregation of the neurotoxic peptide amyloid-β (Aβ), which is known to generate oxidative stress. In this study, we showed that the presence of Aβ in a neuroblastoma cell line led to an increase in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA damage. Unexpectedly, a concomitant decrease in basal level of base excision repair, a major route for repairing oxidative DNA damage, was observed at the levels of both gene expression and protein activity. Moreover, the addition of copper sulfate or hydrogen peroxide, used to mimic the oxidative stress observed in AD-affected brains, potentiates Aβ-mediated perturbation of DNA damage/repair systems in the “Aβ cell line”. Taken together, these findings indicate that Aβ could act as double-edged sword by both increasing oxidative nuclear/mitochondrial damage and preventing its repair. The synergistic effects of increased ROS production, accumulated DNA damage and impaired DNA repair could participate in, and partly explain, the massive loss of neurons observed in Alzheimer’s disease since both oxidative stress and DNA damage can trigger apoptosis.
New Triterpenoids with Cytotoxic Activity from Actinidia Valvata
Authors: Qu Li-Ping , Zheng Guo-Yin , Su Yong-Hua , Zhang Hui-Qing , Yang Yan-Long , Xin Hai-Liang , Ling Chang-Quan
Published: November 2012

Two new triterpenoids, 30-O-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-2α,3α,24-trihydroxyurs-12, 18-diene-28-oic acid O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1) and 2α,3β,3,30-tetrahydroxyurs-12, 18-diene-28-oic acid O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2) were isolated from roots of Actinidia valvata Dunn. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic studies. Both these two new compounds showed moderate cytotoxic activity in vitro against BEL-7402 and SMMC-7721 tumor cell line.
Novel in Vitro Model for Keratoconus Disease
Authors: Karamichos Dimitrios , Zareian Ramin , Guo Xiaoqing , Hutcheon Audrey , Ruberti Jeffrey , Zieske James
Published: November 2012

Keratoconus is a disease where the cornea becomes cone-like due to structural thinning and ultimately leads to compromised corneal integrity and loss of vision. Currently, the therapeutic options are corrective lenses for early stages and surgery for advanced cases with no in vitro model available. In this study, we used human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs) and compared them to human Keratoconus fibroblasts (HKCs) cultured in a 3-dimensional (3D) model, in order to compare the expression and secretion of specific extracellular matrix (ECM) components. For four weeks, the cells were stimulated with a stable Vitamin C (VitC) derivative ± TGF-β1 or TGF-β3 (T1 and T3, respectively). After four weeks, HKCs stimulated with T1 and T3 were significantly thicker compared with Control (VitC only); however, HCF constructs were significantly thicker than HKCs under all conditions. Both cell types secreted copious amounts of type I and V collagens in their assembled, aligned collagen fibrils, which increased in the degree of alignment upon T3 stimulation. In contrast, only HKCs expressed high levels of corneal scarring markers, such as type III collagen, which was dramatically reduced with T3. HKCs expressed α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) under all conditions in contrast to HCFs, where T3 minimized SMA expression. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) data indicated that HKCs were more aligned when compared to HCFs, independent of treatments; however, HKC’s ECM showed the least degree of rotation. HKCs also secreted the most aligned type I collagen under T3 treatment, when compared to any condition and cell type. Overall, our model for Keratoconus disease studies is the first 3D in vitro tissue engineered model that can mimic the Keratoconus disease in vivo and may be a breakthrough in efforts to understand the progression of this disease.
Personalized Health Care as a Pathway for the Adoption of Genomic Medicine
Authors: Burnette Robin , Simmons Leigh , Snyderman Ralph
Published: November 2012

While the full promise of genomic medicine may be many years in the future, personalized health care (PHC) can begin solving important health care needs now and provide a framework for the adoption of genomic technologies as they are validated. PHC is a strategic approach to medicine that is individualized, predictive, preventive, and involves intense patient engagement. There is great need for more effective models of care as nearly half of Medicare patients age 65 and older have three or more preventable chronic conditions and account for 89% of Medicare’s growing expenditures. With its focus on reactive care, the current health care system is not designed to effectively prevent disease nor manage patients with multiple chronic conditions. PHC may be a solution for improving care for this population and therefore has been adopted as the delivery platform along with a new personalized health plan tool for 230 multi-morbid, homebound Medicare recipients in Durham, North Carolina who have been high utilizers of health care resources. PHC integrates available personalized health technologies, standards of care, and personalized health planning to serve as a model for rational health care delivery. Importantly, the PHC model of care will serve as a market for emerging predictive and personalized technologies to foster genomic medicine.
Cholesterol Organization in Phosphatidylcholine Liposomes: A Surface Plasmon Resonance Study
Authors: Melzak Kathryn , Melzak Shirley , Gizeli Electra , Toca-Herrera José
Published: November 2012

Models for the organization of sterols into regular arrays within phospholipid bilayers have been proposed previously. The existence of such arrays in real systems has been supported by the fact that concentration-dependent sterol properties show discontinuities at the cholesterol mole fractions corresponding to regular lattice arrangements. Experimental results presented here are based on a surface plasmon resonance assay that was used to analyze rates of cyclodextrin-mediated removal of cholesterol from adsorbed liposomes at cholesterol mole fractions up to χC = 0.55. Two kinetic pools of cholesterol were detected; there was a fast pool present at χC > 0.25, and a slow pool, with a removal rate that was dependent on the initial χC but that did not vary as χC decreased during the course of one experiment. The cholesterol activity therefore seems to be affected by sample history as well as local concentration, which could be explained in terms of the formation of superlattices that are stable for relatively long times. We also describe a variation on the traditional lattice models, with phosphatidylcholine (PC) being treated as an arrangement of hexagonal tiles; the cholesterol is then introduced at any vertex point, without increasing the total area occupied by all the lipid molecules. This model is consistent with Langmuir trough measurements of total lipid area and provides a simple explanation for the maximum solubility of cholesterol in the PC bilayer.
Distinguishing Health Benefits of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acids
Authors: Russell Fraser , Bürgin-Maunder Corinna
Published: November 2012

Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFAs) are recommended for management of patients with wide-ranging chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, and depression. Increased consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is recommended by many health authorities to prevent (up to 0.5 g/day) or treat chronic disease (1.0 g/day for coronary heart disease; 1.2–4 g/day for elevated triglyceride levels). Recommendations for dietary intake of LC n-3 PUFAs are often provided for α-linolenic acid, and for the combination of EPA and DHA. However, many studies have also reported differential effects of EPA, DHA and their metabolites in the clinic and at the laboratory bench. The aim of this article is to review studies that have identified divergent responses to EPA and DHA, and to explore reasons for these differences. In particular, we review potential contributing factors such as differential membrane incorporation, modulation of gene expression, activation of signaling pathways and metabolite formation. We suggest that there may be future opportunity to refine recommendations for intake of individual LC n-3 PUFAs.
Effect of Fucoidan Extracted from Mozuku on Experimental Cartilaginous Tissue Injury
Authors: Osaki Tomohiro , Kitahara Koudai , Okamoto Yoshiharu , Imagawa Tomohiro , Tsuka Takeshi , Miki Yasunari , Kawamoto Hitoshi , Saimoto Hiroyuki , Minami Saburo
Published: November 2012

We investigated the effect of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide, on acceleration of healing of experimental cartilage injury in a rabbit model. An injured cartilage model was surgically created by introduction of three holes, one in the articular cartilage of the medial trochlea and two in the trochlear sulcus of the distal femur. Rabbits in three experimental groups (F groups) were orally administered fucoidan of seven different molecular weights (8, 50, 146, 239, 330, 400, or 1000 kD) for 3 weeks by screening. Control (C group) rabbits were provided water ad libitum. After the experimental period, macroscopic examination showed that the degree of filling in the fucoidan group was higher than that in the C group. Histologically, the holes were filled by collagen fiber and fibroblasts in the C group, and by chondroblasts and fibroblasts in the F groups. Image analysis of Alcian blue- and safranin O-stained F-group specimens showed increased production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans (PGs), respectively. Some injured holes were well repaired both macroscopically and microscopically and were filled with cartilage tissues; cartilage matrices such as PGs and GAGs were produced in groups F 50, F 146, and F 239. Thus, fucoidan administration enhanced morphologically healing of cartilage injury.
Antioxidant Ability and Mechanism of Rhizoma Atractylodes macrocephala
Authors: Li Xican , Lin Jian , Han Weijuan , Mai Wenqiong , Wang Li , Li Qiang , Lin Miaofang , Bai Mingsong , Zhang Lishan , Chen Dongfeng
Published: November 2012

Rhizoma Atractylodes macrocephala (AM) has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for about 2,000 years. In the study, we firstly determined the antioxidant levels of five AM extracts by •OH-scavenging, •O2−-scavenging, Fe2+-chelating, Cu2+-chelating, DPPH·-scavenging, and ABTS+·-scavenging assays. After measurement of the chemical contents in five AM extracts, we quantitatively analyzed the correlations between antioxidant levels and chemical contents. It was observed that total phenolics and total flavonoids had significant positive correlations with antioxidant levels (R = 0.685 and 0.479, respectively). In contrast, total sugars and total saponins presented lower correlations with antioxidant levels (R = −0.272 and 0.244, respectively). It means that antioxidant activity of AM should be attributed to total phenolics (including phenolic acids and flavonoids), and not total sugars and total saponins. Further analysis indicated that phenolic acids exhibited higher R values with radical-scavenging assays (R = 0.32–1.00), while flavonoids showed higher R values with metal-chelating assays (R= 0.86 and 0.90). In conclusion, AM exerts its antioxidant effect through metal-chelating, and radical-scavenging which is via donating hydrogen atom and donating electron. Its metal-chelating may result from flavonoids, while its radical-scavenging can be attributed to phenolic acids, especially caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and protocatechuic acid.
The Impact of Changes in Health and Social Care on Enteral Feeding in the Community
Authors: Ojo Omorogieva
Published: November 2012

This paper examines the impact of the changes to health and social care on enteral feeding in the community, outlines implications for practice and offers recommendations to ameliorate the challenges. It is now clear that there have been significant changes especially in the last 10 years in health and social care provisions in the UK with an overarching effect on enteral nutrition in the community. Advances in technology, increasing demand and treatment costs, the need for improvement in quality, economic challenges, market forces, political influences and more choices for patients are some of the factors driving the change. Government’s vision of a modern system of health and social care is based on initiatives such as clinically led commissioning, establishment of Monitor, shifting care from acute hospitals to community settings, integrating health and social care provisions, Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) program and the concept of “Big Society”. These strategies which are encapsulated in various guidelines, policies and legislation, including the health and social care Act, 2012 are clarified. The future challenges and opportunities brought on by these changes for healthcare professionals and patients who access enteral nutrition in the community are discussed and recommendations to improve practice are outlined.
Mapping Savanna Tree Species at Ecosystem Scales Using Support Vector Machine Classification and BRDF Correction on Airborne Hyperspectral and LiDAR Data
Authors: Colgan Matthew S. , Baldeck Claire A. , Féret Jean-Baptiste , Asner Gregory P.
Published: November 2012

Mapping the spatial distribution of plant species in savannas provides insight into the roles of competition, fire, herbivory, soils and climate in maintaining the biodiversity of these ecosystems. This study focuses on the challenges facing large-scale species mapping using a fusion of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral imagery. Here we build upon previous work on airborne species detection by using a two-stage support vector machine (SVM) classifier to first predict species from hyperspectral data at the pixel scale. Tree crowns are segmented from the lidar imagery such that crown-level information, such as maximum tree height, can then be combined with the pixel-level species probabilities to predict the species of each tree. An overall prediction accuracy of 76% was achieved for 15 species. We also show that bidirectional reflectance distribution (BRDF) effects caused by anisotropic scattering properties of savanna vegetation can result in flight line artifacts evident in species probability maps, yet these can be largely mitigated by applying a semi-empirical BRDF model to the hyperspectral data. We find that confronting these three challenges—reflectance anisotropy, integration of pixel- and crown-level data, and crown delineation over large areas—enables species mapping at ecosystem scales for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Vehicle Dynamic Prediction Systems with On-Line Identification of Vehicle Parameters and Road Conditions
Authors: Hsu Ling-Yuan , Chen Tsung-Lin
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a vehicle dynamics prediction system, which consists of a sensor fusion system and a vehicle parameter identification system. This sensor fusion system can obtain the six degree-of-freedom vehicle dynamics and two road angles withoutusing a vehicle model. The vehicle parameter identification system uses the vehicle dynamics from the sensor fusion system to identify ten vehicle parameters in real time, includingvehicle mass, moment of inertial, and road friction coefficients. With above two systems, the future vehicle dynamics is predicted by using a vehicle dynamics model, obtained from the parameter identification system, to propagate with time the current vehicle state values, obtained from the sensor fusion system. Comparing with most existing literatures in this field, the proposed approach improves the prediction accuracy both by incorporating more vehicle dynamics to the prediction system and by on-line identification to minimize the vehicle modeling errors. Simulation results show that the proposed method successfully predicts the vehicle dynamics in a left-hand turn event and a rollover event. The prediction inaccuracy is 0.51% in a left-hand turn event and 27.3% in a rollover event.