bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subglottal resonances of adult male and female native speakers of American English
Authors: Lulich Steven M. , Morton John R. , Arsikere Harish , Sommers Mitchell S. , Leung Gary K. F. , Alwan Abeer
Published: October 2012

This paper presents a large-scale study of subglottal resonances (SGRs) (the resonant frequencies of the tracheo-bronchial tree) and their relations to various acoustical and physiological characteristics of speakers. The paper presents data from a corpus of simultaneous microphone and accelerometer recordings of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words embedded in a carrier phrase spoken by 25 male and 25 female native speakers of American English ranging in age from 18 to 24 yr. The corpus contains 17 500 utterances of 14 American English monophthongs, diphthongs, and the rhotic approximant [ɹ] in various CVC contexts. Only monophthongs are analyzed in this paper. Speaker height and age were also recorded. Findings include (1) normative data on the frequency distribution of SGRs for young adults, (2) the dependence of SGRs on height, (3) the lack of a correlation between SGRs and formants or the fundamental frequency, (4) a poor correlation of the first SGR with the second and third SGRs but a strong correlation between the second and third SGRs, and (5) a significant effect of vowel category on SGR frequencies, although this effect is smaller than the measurement standard deviations and therefore negligible for practical purposes.
Thermal model for piezoelectric transducers (L)
Authors: Butler John L. , Butler Alexander L. , Butler Stephen C.
Published: October 2012

A lumped parameter equivalent circuit basis for calculating and allocating heat power sources in a transducer is presented along with experimental results. The simple model allows heat power calculations at resonance based on readily attainable parameters for transducers with uniform fields. Measured and finite element analysis of steady state thermal results are compared for the monopole mode of the single crystal driven modal transducer projector. The model serves as a physical and computational aid in the evaluation of piezoelectric transducer heating and may be used for evaluating highly coupled single crystal as well as ceramic piezoelectric transducers.
The potential of onset enhancement for increased speech intelligibility in auditory prostheses
Authors: Koning Raphael , Wouters Jan
Published: October 2012

Recent studies have shown that transient parts of a speech signal contribute most to speech intelligibility in normal-hearing listeners. In this study, the influence of enhancing the onsets of the envelope of the speech signal on speech intelligibility in noisy conditions using an eight channel cochlear implant vocoder simulation was investigated. The enhanced envelope (EE) strategy emphasizes the onsets of the speech envelope by deriving an additional peak signal at the onsets in each frequency band. A sentence recognition task in stationary speech shaped noise showed a significant speech reception threshold (SRT) improvement of 2.5 dB for the EE in comparison to the reference continuous interleaved sampling strategy and of 1.7 dB when an ideal Wiener filter was used for the onset extraction on the noisy signal. In a competitive talker condition, a significant SRT improvement of 2.6 dB was measured. A benefit was obtained in all experiments with the peak signal derived from the clean speech. Although the EE strategy is not effective in many real-life situations, the results suggest that there is potential for speech intelligibility improvement when an enhancement of the onsets of the speech envelope is included in the signal processing of auditory prostheses.
Fast Fourier transform analysis of sounds made while swallowing various foods
Authors: Taniwaki Mitsuru , Kohyama Kaoru
Published: October 2012

The cervical auscultation method was applied to investigate sounds generated while swallowing various foods with unique physical properties, including liquid (water), semiliquid (yogurt), and solid (konjac jelly). To study the differences among swallowing sounds for various foods, fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis was applied to signals that were attributed to the flow of a food bolus, which is a swallowable soft mass of chewed food. An FFT program was developed that enabled the calculation of a spectrum for a specified region of time domain swallowing sound signals. The intensity of spectra in the frequency range between 400 and 1000 Hz significantly differed: liquid > semiliquid > solid. The FFT spectrum in this range was suggested to represent the frequency characteristics of the swallowing sounds of various foods.
On the spatial coherence in mixed sound fields and its application to signal-to-diffuse ratio estimation
Authors: Thiergart Oliver , Del Galdo Giovanni , Habets Emanuël A. P.
Published: October 2012

Many applications in spatial sound recording and processing model the sound scene as a sum of directional and diffuse sound components. The power ratio between both components, i.e., the signal-to-diffuse ratio (SDR), represents an important measure for algorithms which aim at performing robustly in reverberant environments. This contribution discusses the SDR estimation from the spatial coherence between two arbitrary first-order directional microphones. First, the spatial coherence is expressed as function of the SDR. For most microphone setups, the spatial coherence is a complex function where both the absolute value and phase contain relevant information on the SDR. Secondly, the SDR estimator is derived from the spatial coherence function. The estimator is discussed for different practical microphone setups including coincident setups of arbitrary first-order directional microphones and spaced setups of identical first-order directional microphones. An unbiased SDR estimation requires noiseless coherence estimates as well as information on the direction-of-arrival of the directional sound, which usually has to be estimated. Nevertheless, measurement results verify that the proposed estimator is applicable in practice and provides accurate results.
The effect of static pressure on the strength of inertial cavitation events
Authors: Bader Kenneth B. , Mobley Joel , Church Charles C. , Gaitan D. Felipe
Published: October 2012

Recent investigations of cavitation in fluids pressurized up to 30 MPa found that the intensity of light emissions increased by 1000-fold over that measured for single bubble sonoluminescence. A series of measurements is reported here to extend this original work by resolving the static pressure dependence of the shock wave and light emissions from the first and the most energetic collapses, along with the total shock wave energy and light emissions for the event. Each of these parameters was found to increase with the static pressure of the fluid. Furthermore, the energy of these shock wave and light emissions was found to increase in proportion to the stored acoustic energy in the system. These findings were corroborated using the Gilmore equation to numerically compute the work done by the liquid during the bubble collapse. The overall findings suggest that the increased collapse strength at high static pressure is due to the increased tension required to generate inertial cavitation, and not an increased pressure gradient between the interior of the vaporous bubble and the surrounding liquid.
Extraction of statistical properties of the point source response of a reverberant plate and application to parameter estimation (L)
Authors: Moulin Emmanuel , Achdjian Hossep , Assaad Jamal , Abou Leyla Najib , Hourany Karl , Zaatar Youssef
Published: October 2012

The point source response of a reverberant solid plate is modeled through a nonstationary Poisson process based on the image-source method. The theoretical expectation of the envelope is then derived, taking into account the dispersive nature of plate waves, and validated by numerical results. Least-square curve-fitting applied to an ensemble average over N realizations can then be used to identify useful parameters such as wave velocity, plate surface, or source-receiver distance. It is shown that even values of N down to 1 (no averaging) allow a satisfying identification. Application to the estimation of the source-receiver distance using a single sensor is finally highlighted to illustrate the promising potentialities of the measurement principle proposed.
Prosodic evaluation of accent distributions in spoken news bulletins of Flemish newsreaders
Authors: Swerts Marc , Marsi Erwin
Published: October 2012

The current article describes research on whether the goodness of a particular speaking style correlates with the way speakers distribute pitch accents in their speech. Study 1 analyzed two Flemish newsreaders, who, according to poll ratings, had previously been judged to represent a good vs bad speaker. A perception study in which participants had to assess the quality of spoken paragraphs produced by either of the two speakers confirmed that one speaker was rated as significantly and consistently better than the other one. An exploration of the accent distributions in those paragraphs showed that the accent distributions of the better speaker were more similar to the ones of a gold standard, i.e., the accent distributions as predicted by two independent intonation experts. Study 2 compared synthetic versions of a selection of the paragraphs of study 1, generated by a Dutch text-to-speech system. It compared three basically identical versions of the texts, except that they had different accent distributions according to the gold standard, or to distributions as observed in the productions of the two newsreaders. A perception study revealed that the versions of the bad speaker were rated as being significantly worse than the other versions. The two studies thus show that variation in accent distribution can indeed affect the way spoken texts are assessed in terms of their perceived quality.
A more fundamental approach to the derivation of nonlinear acoustic wave equations with fractional loss operators (L)
Authors: Prieur Fabrice , Vilenskiy Gregory , Holm Sverre
Published: October 2012

A corrected derivation of nonlinear wave propagation equations with fractional loss operators is presented. The fundamental approach is based on fractional formulations of the stress-strain and heat flux definitions but uses the energy equation and thermodynamic identities to link density and pressure instead of an erroneous fractional form of the entropy equation as done in Prieur and Holm [“Nonlinear acoustic wave equations with fractional loss operators,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130(3), 1125–1132 (2011)]. The loss operator of the obtained nonlinear wave equations differs from the previous derivations as well as the dispersion equation, but when approximating for low frequencies the expressions for the frequency dependent attenuation and velocity dispersion remain unchanged.
The relative importance of spectral cues for vowel recognition in severe noise
Authors: Swanepoel Rikus , Oosthuizen Dirk J. J. , Hanekom Johan J.
Published: October 2012

The importance of formants and spectral shape was investigated for vowel perception in severe noise. Twelve vowels were synthesized using two different synthesis methods, one where the original spectral detail was preserved, and one where the vowel was represented by the spectral peaks of the first three formants. In addition, formants F1 and F2 were suppressed individually to investigate the importance of each in severe noise. Vowels were presented to listeners in quiet and in speech-shaped noise at signal to noise ratios (SNRs) of 0, −5, and −10 dB, and vowel confusions were determined in a number of conditions. Results suggest that the auditory system relies on formant information for vowel perception irrespective of the SNR, but that, as noise increases, it relies increasingly on more complete spectral information to perform formant extraction. A second finding was that, while F2 is more important in quiet or low noise conditions, F1 and F2 are of similar importance in severe noise.
An Interaction Between BZR1 and DELLAs Mediates Direct Signaling Crosstalk Between Brassinosteroids and Gibberellins in
Arabidopsis
Authors: Li Qian-Feng , Wang Chunming , Jiang Lei , Li Shuo , Sun Samuel S. M. , He Jun-Xian
Published: October 2012

Crosstalk between two signaling pathways that control plant growth occurs through the DELLA family of transcription factors.
The Rho Exchange Factors Vav2 and Vav3 Control a Lung Metastasis–Specific Transcriptional Program in Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Citterio Carmen , Menacho-Márquez Mauricio , García-Escudero Ramón , Larive Romain M. , Barreiro Olga , Sánchez-Madrid Francisco , Paramio Jesús M. , Bustelo Xosé R.
Published: October 2012

Two Vav isoforms could be targeted to prevent breast tumors from metastasizing to the lung.
Primary Generalized Glucocorticoid Resistance and Hypersensitivity: The End-Organ Involvement in the Stress ResponseA Presentation from the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) New Inroads to Child Health (NICHe) Conference on Stress Response and Child Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 18 to 20 May 2012.
Authors: Charmandari Evangelia
Published: October 2012

Distinct activities of glucocorticoid receptor variants and isoforms should be considered in the management of pathologic conditions treated with glucocorticoids.
Targeting TRPV4 to Treat Metabolic Disease
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: October 2012

Antagonism of TRPV4 channels contributes to the browning of white adipose tissue.
Macrophages Resist the Effects of Cholesterol Buildup
Authors: Andrianantoandro Ernesto
Published: October 2012

Accumulation of a cholesterol precursor promotes lipid homeostasis and prevents inflammatory responses in macrophages.
Keeping Cancer Cells at Bay
Authors: Ray L. Bryan
Published: October 2012

Polyploid cancer cells trigger an immune response owing to proteins aberrantly exposed on their outer surfaces.
A Translational Paradigm for the Preclinical Evaluation of the Stroke Neuroprotectant Tat-NR2B9c in Gyrencephalic Nonhuman Primates
Authors: Cook Douglas J. , Teves Lucy , Tymianski Michael
Published: October 2012

Nonhuman primates treated with a neuroprotectant after stroke showed outcomes that correctly anticipated those of a corresponding human trial.
Prevention of Alveolar Destruction and Airspace Enlargement in a Mouse Model of Pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)
Authors: Goncharova Elena A. , Goncharov Dmitry A. , Fehrenbach Melane , Khavin Irene , Ducka Blerina , Hino Okio , Colby Thomas V. , Merrilees Mervyn J. , Haczku Angela , Albelda Steven M. , Krymskaya Vera P.
Published: October 2012

In a mouse model of the human disease pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, treatment with rapamycin plus simvastatin prevented alveolar space enlargement and growth of TSC2-null lesions.
“What Great Creation”
Authors: Clyne Alisa M. , FitzGerald Garret A.
Published: October 2012

An early-career mechanical engineer interviews an established translational bioscientist about mechanisms for merging engineering and biomedicine to pursue clinically informed
research questions.
Immunological Transference: Commensals Get Kicked
Authors: Obhrai Jagdeep S.
Published: October 2012

Gastrointestinal pathogens trigger immunity that spills over to commensal organisms.
Defense Wins Ball Games
Authors: Oviedo-Orta Ernesto
Published: October 2012

Enolase—an enzyme crucial to sugar metabolism—helps the bacteria to avoid attack from the human complement system.
Strained Communication
Authors: Shrout Joshua D.
Published: October 2012

Differential regulation of quorum sensing in
Pseudomonas
isolates from diverse habitats pinpoints potential translation of genomics to medical treatment.
Regulation Ain’t So Bad: T
regs
in Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Zeki Amir A.
Published: October 2012

Regulatory T cells modulate the pathogenesis of acute lung injury by regulating fibroproliferation and fibrocyte recruitment.
Mixed-Strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections and the Implications for Tuberculosis Treatment and Control
Authors: Cohen Ted , van Helden Paul D. , Wilson Douglas , Colijn Caroline , McLaughlin Megan M. , Abubakar Ibrahim , Warren Robin M.
Published: October 2012

Numerous studies have reported that individuals can simultaneously harbor multiple distinct strains of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
. To date, there has been limited discussion of the consequences for the individual or the epidemiological importance of mixed infections. Here, we review studies that documented mixed infections, highlight challenges associated with the detection of mixed infections, and discuss possible implications of mixed infections for the diagnosis and treatment of patients and for the community impact of tuberculosis control strategies. We conclude by highlighting questions that should be resolved in order to improve our understanding of the importance of mixed-strain
M. tuberculosis
infections.
Adaptive and Mutational Resistance: Role of Porins and Efflux Pumps in Drug Resistance
Authors: Fernández Lucía , Hancock Robert E. W.
Published: October 2012

The substantial use of antibiotics in the clinic, combined with a dearth of new antibiotic classes, has led to a gradual increase in the resistance of bacterial pathogens to these compounds. Among the various mechanisms by which bacteria endure the action of antibiotics, those affecting influx and efflux are of particular importance, as they limit the interaction of the drug with its intracellular targets and, consequently, its deleterious effects on the cell. This review evaluates the impact of porins and efflux pumps on two major types of resistance, namely, mutational and adaptive types of resistance, both of which are regarded as key phenomena in the global rise of antibiotic resistance among pathogenic microorganisms. In particular, we explain how adaptive and mutational events can dramatically influence the outcome of antibiotic therapy by altering the mechanisms of influx and efflux of antibiotics. The identification of porins and pumps as major resistance markers has opened new possibilities for the development of novel therapeutic strategies directed specifically against these mechanisms.
Helminth Infections and Host Immune Regulation
Authors: McSorley Henry J. , Maizels Rick M.
Published: October 2012

Helminth parasites infect almost one-third of the world's population, primarily in tropical regions. However, regions where helminth parasites are endemic record much lower prevalences of allergies and autoimmune diseases, suggesting that parasites may protect against immunopathological syndromes. Most helminth diseases are spectral in nature, with a large proportion of relatively asymptomatic cases and a subset of patients who develop severe pathologies. The maintenance of the asymptomatic state is now recognized as reflecting an immunoregulatory environment, which may be promoted by parasites, and involves multiple levels of host regulatory cells and cytokines; a breakdown of this regulation is observed in pathological disease. Currently, there is much interest in whether helminth-associated immune regulation may ameliorate allergy and autoimmunity, with investigations in both laboratory models and human trials. Understanding and exploiting the interactions between these parasites and the host regulatory network are therefore likely to highlight new strategies to control both infectious and immunological diseases.
Thermal Control of Microbial Development and Virulence: Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Temperature Sensing
Authors: Shapiro Rebecca S. , Cowen Leah E.
Published: October 2012

Temperature is a critical and ubiquitous environmental signal that governs the development and virulence of diverse microbial species, including viruses, archaea, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Microbial survival is contingent upon initiating appropriate responses to the cellular stress induced by severe environmental temperature change. In the case of microbial pathogens, development and virulence are often coupled to sensing host physiological temperatures. As such, microbes have developed diverse molecular strategies to sense fluctuations in temperature, and nearly all cellular molecules, including proteins, lipids, RNA, and DNA, can act as thermosensors that detect changes in environmental temperature and initiate relevant cellular responses. The myriad of molecular mechanisms by which microbes sense and respond to temperature reveals an elegant repertoire of strategies to orchestrate cellular signaling, developmental programs, and virulence with spatial and temporal environmental cues.
Toward a Semisynthetic Stress Response System To Engineer Microbial Solvent Tolerance
Authors: Zingaro Kyle A. , Papoutsakis Eleftherios Terry
Published: October 2012

Strain tolerance to toxic metabolites is an important trait for many biotechnological applications, such as the production of solvents as biofuels or commodity chemicals. Engineering a complex cellular phenotype, such as solvent tolerance, requires the coordinated and tuned expression of several genes. Using combinations of heat shock proteins (HSPs), we engineered a semisynthetic stress response system inEscherichia colicapable of tolerating high levels of toxic solvents. Simultaneous overexpression of the HSPs GrpE and GroESL resulted in a 2-fold increase in viable cells (CFU) after exposure to 5% (vol/vol) ethanol for 24 h. Co-overexpression of GroESL and ClpB on coexisting plasmids resulted in 1,130%, 78%, and 25% increases in CFU after 24 h in 5% ethanol, 1%n-butanol, and 1%i-butanol, respectively. Co-overexpression of GrpE, GroESL, and ClpB on a single plasmid produced 200%, 390%, and 78% increases in CFU after 24 h in 7% ethanol, 1%n-butanol, or 25% 1,2,4-butanetriol, respectively. Overexpression of other autologous HSPs (DnaK, DnaJ, IbpA, and IbpB) alone or in combinations failed to improve tolerance. Expression levels of HSP genes, tuned through inducible promoters and the plasmid copy number, affected the effectiveness of the engineered stress response system. Taken together, these data demonstrate that tuned co-overexpression of GroES, GroEL, ClpB, and GrpE can be engaged to engineer a semisynthetic stress response system capable of greatly increasing the tolerance ofE. colito solvents and provides a starting platform for engineering customized tolerance to a wide variety of toxic chemicals.

IMPORTANCEMicrobial production of useful chemicals is often limited by the toxicity of desired products, feedstock impurities, and undesired side products. Improving tolerance is an essential step in the development of practical platform organisms for production of a wide range of chemicals. By overexpressing autologous heat shock proteins inEscherichia coli, we have developed a modular semisynthetic stress response system capable of improving tolerance to ethanol,n-butanol, and potentially other toxic solvents. Using this system, we demonstrate that a practical stress response system requires both tuning of individual gene components and a reliable framework for gene expression. This system can be used to seek out new interacting partners to improve the tolerance phenotype and can be used in the development of more robust solvent production strains.
Subarachnoid block in a case of rheumatoid arthritis with severe pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Ansari Mohd Salahuddin , Habib Syed Kamran , Ahmad Siddiqui Obaid , Ahmad Zaid
Published: October 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory arthritis, of unknown aetiology and a propensity to involve almost all organ systems. The anaesthesiologists should be aware of the associated airway pathologies, pain management techniques and adverse effects of drug therapies being used to treat RA. In this respect, we describe a 60-year-old female patient who presented with a diagnosis of RA with pulmonary fibrosis, and was scheduled for orthopaedic surgery for subcapital fracture of femur which was successfully managed using intrathecal bupivacaine and midazolam.
Survey of UK and New Zealand gastroenterologists’ practice regarding dietary advice and food exclusion in irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Inns Stephen James , Emmanuel Anton V
Published: October 2012

Background

This study aimed to assess the dietary advice practice of UK and New Zealand (NZ) adult gastroenterologists in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods

A questionnaire regarding dietary advice practice was emailed or mailed to all members of the British Society of Gastroenterology (n=983) and the NZ Society of Gastroenterology (n=54).

Results

363 questionnaires were returned in the UK (response rate 37%) and 51 in NZ (94%). More respondents gave specific dietary advice to more than 25% of their patients on IBS than IBD (84% vs 27% UK, 90% vs 55% NZ; p=0.001 for both) and gave advice about dietary exclusions to more than 25% of patients on IBS than IBD (61% vs 13% UK, 77% vs 14% NZ; p<0.001 for both). They were most likely to provide dietary advice to patients with small bowel Crohn's disease, difficult to control IBD, diarrhoea predominant IBS and difficult to control IBS. The majority of respondents agreed strongly or a little that dietary exclusion was effective in the treatment of IBS, compared to the minority in IBD (71% vs 39% UK, 84% vs 43% p<0.05 for both).

Conclusions

UK and NZ gastroenterologists give dietary advice more commonly to IBS than IBD patients. The majority of gastroenterologists have some confidence in the use of dietary exclusion in IBS, the converse is true in IBD. However, the advice given is largely empiric and mostly comprises the exclusion of fibre, dairy and wheat.
INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON ARSENIC ACCUMULATION IN HUMAN POPULATION: CASES OF TWO ARSENIC AFFECTED VILLAGES IN BANGLADESH
Authors: ISLAM MD. SHAFIQUL , KHANDAKAR JEBUNNAHAR , TAKATSUJI TOSHIHIRO , NAKAMURA TSUYOSHI , SERA KOICHIRO
Published: October 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between arsenic ( As ) levels in human hair and demographic factors on As accumulation in humans. Hair samples of 619 subjects (383 females and 236 males), including 390 confirmed arsenicosis patients, 11 fish and six vegetable samples were analyzed using the Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) method. The results revealed that As in hair accumulates in different patterns for males and females in accordance with age. Within patient groups, male patients accumulated higher amounts of As than female patients. For all individuals, middle aged females accumulated higher As amounts in hair than children, adolescents and females over 50 years old, while children, adolescents and males over 50 accumulated higher amounts of As than middle aged males in both villages. Surprisingly, high levels of As concentrations were found in hair samples of those living near safe drinking water in both villages, irrespective of age and sex. There were weak positive correlations between hair As levels and groundwater As levels in both villages. Furthermore, toxic levels of As were found in different kinds of food products. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that As accumulation in hair is dependent not only on water contamination, but also on food contamination.
INVESTIGATION OF MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS USING PIXE
Authors: KAUR RAJBIR , KUMAR ASHOK , KAUR NAVNEET , MOHANTY B. P. , OSWAL MUMTAZ , SINGH K. P. , BEHERA B. R. , SINGH GULZAR , PURI RICHA , SHARMA SHIKHA , KUMAR SANJIV , RAO PRITTY , VIKRAMKUMAR S.
Published: October 2012

The use of the medicinal herbs for curing disease has been documented in history of all civilizations. With introduction of scientific procedures, researchers isolated active constituents of the medicinal herbs and after testing, some were found to be therapeutically active. Trace elements are important constituents of active principles of medicinal plants which affect the human body. The aim of this study was to determine qualitatively and quantitatively trace elements in these plants and their medicinal roles in the human body. Analysis of medicinal plants of various biological activities, commonly used in Northern India, was carried out using PIXE technique. Plant samples were collected from Chandigarh (India), which is located at the foothills of the Shivalik ranges, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.4 MeV collimated protons from the 3 MV Tandetron (accelerator) of NCCCM, Hyderabad, India. Various elements namely S , Cl , K , Ca , Ti , V , Mn , Fe , Ni , Cu , Zn , Se etc. were detected with different concentrations. Many of these elements play significant roles in human metabolism and are very important with regards to life processes in man.
MICRO-PIXE FOR SINGLE CELL ANALYSIS
Authors: ORTEGA RICHARD
Published: October 2012

The knowledge of the intracellular distribution of biological relevant metals is important to understand their mechanisms of action in cells, either for physiological, toxicological or pathological processes. However, the direct detection of trace metals in single cells is a challenging task that requires sophisticated analytical developments. The combination of micro-PIXE with RBS and STIM (Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy) allows the quantitative determination of trace metal content within sub-cellular compartments. The application of STIM analysis provides high spatial resolution imaging (< 200 nm) and excellent mass sensitivity (< 0.1 ng). Application of the STIM-PIXE-RBS methodology is absolutely needed when organic mass loss appears during PIXE-RBS irradiation. This combination of STIM-PIXE-RBS provides fully quantitative determination of trace element content, expressed in μg/g, which is a quite unique capability for micro-PIXE compared to other micro-analytical methods such as the electron and synchrotron x-ray fluorescence. Examples of micro-PIXE studies for sub-cellular imaging of trace elements in various fields of interest will be presented: in patho-physiology of trace elements involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and in toxicology of metals such as cobalt.
DISTRIBUTIONS OF ALUMINUM AND SILICON IN TEA LEAVES
Authors: TAKAHASHI KIYOSHI , UOMORI SHUN-YA , YAMASHITA HIROFUMI , SAITO MANABU , HARUYAMA YOICHI , YASUDA KEISUKE
Published: October 2012

Elemental distributions of Al , Si , P , S , K , Ca in tea leaves were measured using micro-beam PIXE. In mature tea leaf, aluminum localized eccentrically in the upper epidermis and silicon showed quite similar spatial distribution. It was found that the aluminum concentration and spatial distribution changeed with the growth period of the tea leaf. In younger leaves of two and four month, aluminum showed relatively low concentration compared with the matured one and distributed in mesophyll cell uniformly. In five month leaf, aluminum concentration became higher and the distribution began to localize in upper surface
ON TWO TYPES OF CONTINUOUS INFORMATION ALGEBRAS
Authors: GUAN XUECHONG , LI YONGMING
Published: October 2012

In this paper (strong) continuity of domain-free information algebras and labeled information algebras are introduced. Relationships between domain-free information algebras and labeled information algebras are mainly explored. It is shown that continuity and compactness can be preserved under certain canonical correspondences between domain-free information algebras and labeled information algebras. Some equivalent characterizations and examples for continuous information algebras are also given.
A NEW METHOD FOR RANKING TRIANGULAR FUZZY NUMBERS
Authors: AKYAR EMRAH , AKYAR HANDAN , DÜZCE SERKAN ALİ
Published: October 2012

The ranking and comparing of fuzzy numbers have important practical uses, such as in risk analysis problems, decision-making, optimization, forecasting, socioeconomic systems, control and certain other fuzzy application systems. Several methods for ranking fuzzy numbers have been widely-discussed though most of them have shortcomings. In this paper, we present a new method for ranking triangular fuzzy numbers based on their incenter and inradius. The proposed method is much simpler and more efficient than other methods in the literature. Some comparative examples are also given to illustrate the advantages of the proposed method.
IMPRECISE CLASSIFICATION WITH CREDAL DECISION TREES
Authors: ABELLÁN JOAQUÍN , MASEGOSA ANDRÉS R.
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we present the following contributions: (i) an adaptation of a precise classifier to work on imprecise classification for cost-sensitive problems; (ii) a new measure to check the performance of an imprecise classifier. The imprecise classifier is based on a method to build simple decision trees that we have modified for imprecise classification. It uses the Imprecise Dirichlet Model (IDM) to represent information, with the upper entropy as a tool for splitting. Our new measure to compare imprecise classifiers takes errors into account. Thus far, this has not been considered by other measures for classifiers of this type. This measure penalizes wrong predictions using a cost matrix of the errors, given by an expert; and it quantifies the success of an imprecise classifier based on the cardinal number of the set of non-dominated states returned. To compare the performance of our imprecise classification method and the new measure, we have used a second imprecise classifier known as Naive Credal Classifier (NCC) which is a variation of the classic Naive Bayes using the IDM; and a known measure for imprecise classification.
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF DEGENERATIVE LUMBAR SPONDYLOLISTHESIS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OUTCOMES FOLLOWING DECOMPRESSION WITH FUSION AND MICROENDOSCOPIC DECOMPRESSION
Authors: Aihara Takato , Toyone Tomoaki , Aoki Yasuchika , Ozawa Tomoyuki , Inoue Gen , Hatakeyama Kenji , Ouchi Juntaro
Published: October 2012

Fifty consecutive patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis were treated surgically. The first 17 patients (FU group) underwent decompression with fusion, the second 33 patients (MED group) underwent microendoscopic decompression (MED), and the outcomes following the two surgical methods were compared. The duration of follow-up ranged from 27 to 40 months in the FU group and from 25 to 40 months in the MED group. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with use of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire. Although statistically not significant, the degrees of improvement in all five functional scores were greater in the MED group than in the FU group. There was no influence of instability before MED to the clinical outcome, and a large percentage of slipping in the neutral position could lead to inadequate improvement in low back pain after MED, but MED is a useful, minimally invasive operation and can lead to a good clinical outcome for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Considering the lower invasiveness of MED, this procedure is recommended in case of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with less than 20% slipping. Posterior decompression and fusion using pedicular screws is recommended in case of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with over 20% slipping.
A SUFFICIENT CONDITION FOR SLOW DECAY OF A SOLUTION TO A SEMILINEAR PARABOLIC EQUATION
Authors: BEN ARBI I. , HARAUX A.
Published: October 2012

We consider the equation ψt- Δψ + c|ψ|p-1ψ = 0 with Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded smooth open connected domain of ℝnwith p > 1, c > 0. We show that if the initial condition is small enough and if the absolute value of its average overpasses a certain multiple of the pth power of its L∞norm, then ψ(t, ⋅) decreases like [Formula: see text].
A REGULARITY CRITERION FOR THE NAVIER–STOKES EQUATIONS IN TERMS OF ONE DIRECTIONAL DERIVATIVE OF THE VELOCITY FIELD
Authors: GUO ZHENGGUANG , GALA SADEK
Published: October 2012

We consider the regularity criterion for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. We show that the weak solution is regular, provided [Formula: see text] for some T > 0, where Ẋris the multiplier space. This extends a result of Kukavica and Ziane [14].
TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE — A CASE-BASED APPROACH
Authors: EICHBERGER JÜRGEN , GUERDJIKOVA ANI
Published: October 2012

We present a model of technological adaptation in response to a change in climate conditions. The main feature of the model is that new technologies are not just risky, but also ambiguous. Pessimistic agents are thus averse to adopting a new technology. Learning is induced by optimists, who are willing to try out technologies about which there is little evidence available. We show that both optimists and pessimists are crucial for a successful adaptation. While optimists provide the public good of information which gives pessimists an incentive to innovate, pessimists choose the new technology persistently in the long-run which increases the average returns for the society. Hence, the optimal share of optimists in the society is strictly positive. When the share of optimists in the society is too low, innovation is slow and the obtained steady-state is inefficient. We discuss two policies which can potentially alleviate this inefficiency: Subsidies and provision of additional information. We show that if precise and relevant information is available, pessimists would be willing to pay for it and consequently adopt the new technology. Hence, providing information might be a more efficient policy, which is both self-financing and results in better social outcomes.
STRATEGIES TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND FARM PRODUCTIVITY IN THE NILE BASIN OF ETHIOPIA
Authors: DI FALCO SALVATORE , KOHLIN GUNNAR , YESUF MAHMUD
Published: October 2012

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the role of different climate change adaptation strategies in supporting food productivity in Ethiopia. The analysis relies on unique primary survey data on 1000 farms producing cereal crops in the Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Based on monthly collected meteorological station data, the Thin Plate Spline method of spatial interpolation is used to impute the household specific rainfall and temperature values of each household. The rainfall data is disaggregated at season level (Meher and Belg). Econometric results show that the implementation of adaptation strategies supports farm productivity. Changing crops is found to be the most successful strategy, followed by the implementation of soil conservation and tree planting. We complement the analysis with some evidence on the determinants of adaptation. We find that extension services (both formal and farmer-to-farmer) and information on future climate changes affect positively and significantly the probability of adaptation through changing crops and tree planting. This finding highlights the crucial role played by information dissemination in improving farmers' decision-making.
ADAPTATION TO CYCLONE RISK: EVIDENCE FROM THE GLOBAL CROSS-SECTION
Authors: HSIANG SOLOMON M. , NARITA DAIJU
Published: October 2012

Understanding the feasibility and cost of adaptation is essential to management of the global climate. Unfortunately, we lack general estimates of adaptive responses to almost all climatological processes. To address this for one phenomenon, we estimate the extent of adaptation to tropical cyclones (TCs) using the global cross-section of countries. We reconstruct every TC observed during 1950–2008 to parameterize countries' TC climate and year-to-year TC exposure. We then look for evidence of adaptation by comparing deaths and damages from physically similar TC events across countries with different TC climatologies. We find that countries with more intense TC climates suffer lower marginal losses from an actual TC event, indicating that adaptation to this climatological risk occurs but that it is costly. Overall, there is strong evidence that it is both feasible and cost-effective for countries with intense TC climatologies to invest heavily in adaptation. However, marginal changes from countries' current TC climates generate persistent losses, of which only ~3% is "adapted away" in the long run.
Insulin receptor regulates photoreceptor CNG channel activity
Authors: Gupta Vivek K. , Rajala Ammaji , Rajala Raju V. S.
Published: October 2012

Photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels are critical elements in phototransduction and light adaptation. Here we report that insulin receptor (IR), an integral membrane protein, directly phosphorylates the CNGA1 subunit of CNG channels that in turn affects the function of these channels negatively. The IR phosphorylates Tyr498 and Tyr503 residues on CNGA1 that are situated at the membrane-cytoplasmic interface. The IR tyrosine kinase activity is essential for the inhibition of CNG channel. To maintain the channels in an off state, it is necessary not only to have a precise balance of the cGMP levels but also to have a control on the cGMP sensitivity of the CNG channels itself. In this study, we observed that the channel opens at a lower concentration of cGMP in IR−/− mice. These studies suggest that IR regulates the modulation of CNG channel activity in vivo.
The worsening of tibialis anterior muscle atrophy during recovery post-immobilization correlates with enhanced connective tissue area, proteolysis, and apoptosis
Authors: Slimani Lamia , Micol Didier , Amat Julien , Delcros Geoffrey , Meunier Bruno , Taillandier Daniel , Polge Cécile , Béchet Daniel , Dardevet Dominique , Picard Brigitte , Attaix Didier , Listrat Anne , Combaret Lydie
Published: October 2012

Sustained muscle wasting due to immobilization leads to weakening and severe metabolic consequences. The mechanisms responsible for muscle recovery after immobilization are poorly defined. Muscle atrophy induced by immobilization worsened in the lengthened tibialis anterior (TA) muscle but not in the shortened gastrocnemius muscle. Here, we investigated some mechanisms responsible for this differential response. Adult rats were subjected to unilateral hindlimb casting for 8 days (I8). Casts were removed at I8, and animals were allowed to recover for 10 days (R1 to R10). The worsening of TA atrophy following immobilization occurred immediately after cast removal at R1 and was sustained until R10. This atrophy correlated with a decrease in type IIb myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform and an increase in type IIx, IIa, and I isoforms, with muscle connective tissue thickening, and with increased collagen (Col) I mRNA levels. Increased Col XII, Col IV, and Col XVIII mRNA levels during TA immobilization normalized at R6. Sustained enhanced peptidase activities of the proteasome and apoptosome activity contributed to the catabolic response during the studied recovery period. Finally, increased nuclear apoptosis prevailed only in the connective tissue compartment of the TA. Altogether, the worsening of the TA atrophy pending immediate reloading reflects a major remodeling of its fiber type properties and alterations in the structure/composition of the extracellular compartment that may influence its elasticity/stiffness. The data suggest that sustained enhanced ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent proteolysis and apoptosis are important for these adaptations and provide some rationale for explaining the atrophy of reloaded muscles pending immobilization in a lengthened position.
Autoimmune-mediated glucose intolerance in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Gabriel Curtis L. , Smith Patricia B. , Mendez-Fernandez Yanice V. , Wilhelm Ashley J. , Ye Audrey Musi , Major Amy S.
Published: October 2012

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies against self-antigens such as double-stranded DNA and phospholipids. Classical comorbidities of SLE include glomerulonephritis, infection, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, skin disorders, and neurological disease. In addition to these classical comorbidities, there is emerging evidence that SLE patients are at higher risk of developing insulin resistance and other components of the metabolic syndrome. Visceral adipose tissue inflammation is a central mediator of insulin resistance in the obese setting, but the mechanism behind the pathogenesis of metabolic disease in the SLE patient population is unclear. We hypothesize that lupus-associated changes in the adaptive immune system are associated with disruption in glucose homeostasis in the context of SLE. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the metabolic and immunological phenotype of SLE-prone B6.SLE mice. B6.SLE mice fed a low-fat diet had significantly worsened glucose tolerance, increased adipose tissue insulin resistance, increased β-cell insulin secretion, and increased adipocyte size compared with their respective B6 controls. Independently of diet, B cells isolated from the white adipose tissue of B6.SLE mice were skewed toward IgG production, and the level of IgG1 was elevated in the serum of SLE-prone mice. These data show that B6.SLE mice develop defects in glucose homeostasis even when fed a low-fat diet and suggest that B cells may play a role in this metabolic dysfunction.
Incidence of Occult Carcinoma and High-Risk Lesions in Mammaplasty Specimens
Authors: Freedman Beth C. , Smith Sharon M. Rosenbaum , Estabrook Alison , Balderacchi Jasminka , Tartter Paul I.
Published: October 2012

Objectives. To determine the incidence and type of premalignant or malignant changes in mammaplasty specimens and to determine the incidence of these changes according to age distribution.Methods. Retrospective database review of patients who underwent a reduction mammaplasty between 1999 and 2009 was performed from pathology records at a single institution.Results. 700 patients were identified. Of the 644 patients who had bilateral reductions, 25 (4%) had significant pathologic findings. The likelihood of finding premalignant changes or cancer increased with advancing patient age (0.8 percent for patients <40 years old and 10 percent for patients >60 years old). Of the 56 patients who underwent unilateral mammaplasty, 12 patients (21%) had significant pathologic findings. The incidence of finding premalignant changes or cancer in this population also increased with advancing patient age (0 for patients <40 years old to 25 percent for patients >60 years old).Conclusions. When a unilateral mammaplasty is performed to match a breast reconstructed after cancer surgery, the likelihood of identifying premalignant changes or cancer increases more than fourfold. Therefore, one should consider additional radiologic imaging in the preoperative workup of patients with a history of carcinoma prior to undergoing unilateral mammaplasty.
Temperature-Compensated Damage Monitoring by Using Wireless Acceleration-Impedance Sensor Nodes in Steel Girder Connection
Authors: Hong Dong-Soo , Nguyen Khac-Duy , Lee In-Cheol , Kim Jeong-Tae
Published: October 2012

Temperature-compensated damage monitoring in steel girder connections by using wireless acceleration-impedance sensor nodes is experimentally examined. To achieve the objective, the following approaches are implemented. Firstly, wireless acceleration-impedance sensor nodes are described on the design of hardware components to operate. Secondly, temperature-compensated damage monitoring scheme for steel girder connections is designed by using the temperature compensation model and acceleration-impedance-based structural health monitoring methods. Finally, the feasibility of temperature-compensated damage monitoring scheme by using wireless acceleration-impedance sensor nodes is experimentally evaluated from damage monitoring in a lab-scaled steel girder with bolted connection joints.