bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The division of labour between synonymous locative cases and adpositions
Authors: Klavan Jane , Kesküla Kaisa , Ojava Laura
Published: March 2014

In Estonian the location of one object placed on top of another object may be expressed using either the adessive case construction or the adpositional construction with the postposition peal ‘on’. This paper addresses the question which semantic factors determine the use of these alternative constructions. For this purpose two linguistic tasks were conducted – a forced choice task and a production task. The results of these studies indicate that there are differences in how these two constructions are used in Estonian: the adessive is used when there is an abstract relation between Trajector and Landmark and the Landmark is a place; the adposition peal ‘on’ is used when there is an unconventional spatial relation between Trajector and Landmark and when the Landmark is a thing.
Is there a future for the Finnish comitative?
Authors: Sirola-Belliard Maija
Published: March 2014

This paper sets out to question the claims made in literature about the synonymy of the Finnish comitative case -ine and the construction with the postposition kanssa, suggesting that the former is giving way to the latter. A contemporary newspaper corpus shows that the comitative is still a productive case in Finnish and that the functional domains of the case and the postposition kanssa differ considerably: each of them has functions that the other does not have, and the distributions of their common functions are notably different. This shows that the comitative case and the postposition kanssa are not replaceable each with the other and thus, they are not synonymic.
Dutch spatial case
Authors: Lestrade Sander
Published: March 2014

This paper argues that Dutch has spatial case in the form of r-pronouns. The use of these pronouns is rather restricted, which explains the fact that they have not been recognized as spatial case markers before. The restricted use in Dutch is due to two simultaneously applying principles that are cross-linguistically validated. First, case can be used on constituents whose syntactic function can not be told from structural position. Second, infelicitous combinations of humans with spatial forms case can be avoided. The findings reported in this paper may necessitate a rethinking of what exactly (spatial) case is.
Improved transcript isoform discovery using ORF graphs
Authors: Majoros William H. , Lebeck Niel , Ohler Uwe , Li Song
Published: March 2014

Motivation: High-throughput sequencing of RNA in vivo facilitates many applications, not the least of which is the cataloging of variant splice isoforms of protein-coding messenger RNAs. Although many solutions have been proposed for reconstructing putative isoforms from deep sequencing data, these generally take as their substrate the collective alignment structure of RNA-seq reads and ignore the biological signals present in the actual nucleotide sequence. The majority of these solutions are graph-theoretic, relying on a splice graph representing the splicing patterns and exon expression levels indicated by the spliced-alignment process.

Results: We show how to augment splice graphs with additional information reflecting the biology of transcription, splicing and translation, to produce what we call an ORF (open reading frame) graph . We then show how ORF graphs can be used to produce isoform predictions with higher accuracy than current state-of-the-art approaches.

Availability and implementation : RSVP is available as C++ source code under an open-source licence: http://ohlerlab.mdc-berlin.de/software/RSVP/ .

Contact:  bmajoros@duke.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Adaptive L
p inversion for simultaneous recovery of both blocky and smooth features in a geophysical model
Authors: Sun Jiajia , Li Yaoguo
Published: March 2014

Minimum-structure inversions using L  2-norm measures have been widely applied to geophysical exploration problems. However, the smeared-out models resulting from L  2-norm inversions are not always consistent with the real or expected geological structures, especially in regions where distinct interfaces between different rock units exist. To obtain sharp boundaries and blocky features, non-L  2 inversions have been used successfully in geophysical imaging problems. In reality, however, both smooth and blocky features can be present in the subsurface physical properties or interfaces to be recovered. To deal with this situation, we develop a new method for adaptively recovering both smooth and blocky features in the constructed model from geophysical inversions. This method first detects different regions of the smoothness or blockiness in a model based on a sequence of inversions and then adaptively applies appropriate L  p model norm with different p values at different locations to complete the final inversion. We present two synthetic examples from basement inversion using gravity data and crosswell seismic traveltime tomography before demonstrating our method on a field data example at the U.S. Geological Survey Fractured Rock Research Site in central New Hampshire.
Hall viscosity, topological states and effective theories
Authors: Hoyos Carlos
Published: March 2014

Hall viscosity is a dissipationless transport coefficient whose value is quantized in units of the density in some topological phases and may be used as a measure of topological order. I give an overview of the Hall viscosity, its relation to Hall conductivity in Galilean invariant theories and its realization in effective theories.
Postulation of General Unions of Lines and Multiplicity Two Points in ℙ3
Authors: Ballico E.
Published: March 2014

We prove that a general union X⊂ℙ3 of prescribed numbers of lines and double points has maximal rank, except a few well-known
exceptional cases.
Modeling and Computing of Stock Index Forecasting Based on Neural Network and Markov Chain
Authors: Dai Yonghui , Han Dongmei , Dai Weihui
Published: March 2014

The stock index reflects the fluctuation of the stock market. For a long time, there have been a lot of researches on the forecast of stock index. However, the traditional method is limited to achieving an ideal precision in the dynamic market due to the influences of many factors such as the economic situation, policy changes, and emergency events. Therefore, the approach based on adaptive modeling and conditional probability transfer causes the new attention of researchers. This paper presents a new forecast method by the combination of improved back-propagation (BP) neural network and Markov chain, as well as its modeling and computing technology. This method includes initial forecasting by improved BP neural network, division of Markov state region, computing of the state transition probability matrix, and the prediction adjustment. Results of the empirical study show that this method can achieve high accuracy in the stock index prediction, and it could provide a good reference for the investment in stock market.
Synthesis of CuS/ZnO Nanocomposite and Its Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Zhu Lianping , Zheng Min , Lu Juan , Xu Mengfei , Seo Hyo Jin
Published: March 2014

The CuS/ZnO nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a simple mechanical method, without adding any surfactants. TEM images showed that CuS existed in the nanocomposite and the size of CuS/ZnO nanocomposite particle was around 35 nm. CuS worked as an electron absorber in the nanocomposite, which was beneficial for the improvement of photocatalysis of ZnO. It was also proved by the experiments performed under the visible light irradiation that CuS could help ZnO degrade methylene blue (MB). The catalytic efficiency of the nanocomposites reached the highest value when 0.5 wt% CuS was added. In addition, compared with pure ZnO, the CuS/ZnO nanocomposite exhibited a better photochemical stability up to 5 catalytic cycles. More importantly, CuS did not reduce the antibacterial property of ZnO. All these results indicated that as‐prepared samples had some potential values in practical applications.
Confirmation of the Luminous Blue Variable Status of MWC 930
Authors: Miroshnichenko A. S. , Manset N. , Zharikov S. V. , Zsargó J. , Juárez Jiménez J. A. , Groh J. H. , Levato H. , Grosso M. , Rudy R. J. , Laag E. A. , Crawford K. B. , Puetter R. C. , Reichart D. E. , Ivarsen K. M. , Haislip J. B. , Nysewander M. C. , LaCluyze A. P.
Published: March 2014

We present spectroscopic and photometric observations of the emission-line star MWC 930 (V446 Sct) during its long-term optical brightening in 2006–2013. Based on our earlier data we suggested that the object has features found in Luminous Blue Variables (LBV), such as a high luminosity (~3 105 L⊙), a low wind terminal velocity (~140 km s−1), and a tendency to show strong brightness variations (~1 mag over 20 years). For the last~7 years it has been exhibiting a continuous optical and near-IR brightening along with a change of the emission-line spectrum appearance and cooling of the star’s photosphere. We present the object’sV-band light curve, analyze the spectral variations, and compare the observed properties with those of other recognized Galactic LBVs, such as AG Car and HR Car. Overall we conclude the MWC 930 is a bona fide Galactic LBV that is currently in the middle of an S Dor cycle.
Holt-Oram Syndrome in Adult Presenting with Heart Failure: A Rare Presentation
Authors: Kumar Rupesh , Mahapatra Subhendu Sekhar , Datta Monalisa , Hoque Amanul , Datta Swarnendu , Ghosh Soumyajit , Datta Santanu , Bhattacharjee Subhankar
Published: March 2014

Holt-Oram syndrome is a rare inherited disorder involving the hands, arms, and the heart. The defects involve carpal bones of the wrist and the thumb and the associated cardiac anomalies like atrial or ventricular septal defects. Congenital cardiac and upper-limb malformations frequently occur together and are classified as heart-hand syndromes. The most common amongst the heart-hand disorders is the Holt-Oram syndrome, which is characterized by septal defects of the heart and preaxial radial ray abnormalities. Its incidence is one in 100,000 live births. Approximately three out of four patients have some cardiac abnormality with common associations being either an atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect. Herein, we report a rare sporadic case of Holt-Oram syndrome with atrial septal defect with symptoms of heart failure in a forty-five-year-old lady who underwent emergency cardiac surgery for the symptoms.
Distributed Kalman‐Consensus Filtering for Sparse Signal Estimation
Authors: Liu Yisha , Yu Haiyang , Wang Jian
Published: March 2014

A Kalman filtering‐based distributed algorithm is proposed to deal with the sparse signal estimation problem. The pseudomeasurement‐embedded Kalman filter is rebuilt in the information form, and an improved parameter selection approach is discussed. By introducing the pseudomeasurement technology into Kalman‐consensus filter, a distributed estimation algorithm is developed to fuse the measurements from different nodes in the network, such that all filters can reach a consensus on the estimate of sparse signals. Some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Dynamics Analysis and Simulation of a Modified HIV Infection Model with a Saturated Infection Rate
Authors: Sun Qilin , Min Lequan
Published: March 2014

This paper studies a modified human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection differential equation model with a saturated infection rate. It is proved that if the basic virus reproductive numberR0of the model is less than one, then the infection-free equilibrium point of the model is globally asymptotically stable; ifR0of the model is more than one, then the endemic infection equilibrium point of the model is globally asymptotically stable. Based on the clinical data from HIV drug resistance database of Stanford University, using the proposed model simulates the dynamics of the two groups of patients’ anti-HIV infection treatment. The numerical simulation results are in agreement with the evolutions of the patients’ HIV RNA levels. It can be assumed that if an HIV infected individual’s basic virus reproductive numberR0<1then this person will recover automatically; if an antiretroviral therapy makes an HIV infected individual’sR0<1, this person will be cured eventually; if an antiretroviral therapy fails to suppress an HIV infected individual’s HIV RNA load to be of unpredictable level, the time that the patient’s HIV RNA level has achieved the minimum value may be the starting time that drug resistance has appeared.
Y-Shaped Bilateral Self-Expandable Metallic Stent Placement for Malignant Hilar Biliary Obstruction: Data from a Referral Center for Palliative Care
Authors: Di Mitri R. , Mocciaro F.
Published: March 2014

Background and Aim. Malignant hilar strictures are a clinical challenge because of the current therapeutic approach and the poor prognosis. In recent years, self-expandable metallic stents have proven more effective than plastic stents for palliation of malignant hilar strictures, with the bilateral stent-in-stent technique registering a high success rate. We report our experience with Y-shaped endoscopic self-expandable metallic stents placement for treatment of advanced malignant hilar strictures.Methods. From April 2009 to August 2012, we prospectively collected data on patients treated with Y-shaped SEMS placement for advanced malignant hilar carcinoma. Data on technical success, clinical success, and complications were collected.Results. Twenty patients (9 males) were treated (mean age 64.2 ± 15.3 years). The grade of malignant hilar strictures according to the Bismuth classification was II in 5 patients (25%), IIIa in 1 (5%), and IV in 14 (70%). The mean bilirubin level was 14.7 ± 4.9 mg/dL. Technical success was achieved in all patients, with a significant reduction in bilirubin levels (2.9 ± 1.7 mg/dL). One patient experienced cholangitis as early complication, while in 2 patients stent ingrowth was observed. No stents migration was recorded. There was no procedure-related mortality. At the end of the follow-up (7.1 ± 3.1 months), 13 of the 20 patients (65%) had died.Conclusions. Our experience confirms endoscopic bilateral self-expandable metallic stents placement with stent-in-stent technique (Y-shaped configuration) as a feasible, effective, and safe procedure for palliation of unresectable malignant hilar strictures.
A Survey of Artificial Immune System Based Intrusion Detection
Authors: Yang Hua , Li Tao , Hu Xinlei , Wang Feng , Zou Yang
Published: March 2014

In the area of computer security, Intrusion Detection (ID) is a mechanism that attempts to discover abnormal access to computers by analyzing various interactions. There is a lot of literature about ID, but this study only surveys the approaches based on Artificial Immune System (AIS). The use of AIS in ID is an appealing concept in current techniques. This paper summarizes AIS based ID methods from a new view point; moreover, a framework is proposed for the design of AIS based ID Systems (IDSs). This framework is analyzed and discussed based on three core aspects: antibody/antigen encoding, generation algorithm, and evolution mode. Then we collate the commonly used algorithms, their implementation characteristics, and the development of IDSs into this framework. Finally, some of the future challenges in this area are also highlighted.
A Proactive Complex Event Processing Method for Large-Scale Transportation Internet of Things
Authors: Wang Yongheng , Cao Kening
Published: March 2014

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides a new way to improve the transportation system. The key issue is how to process the numerous events generated by IoT. In this paper, a proactive complex event processing method is proposed for large-scale transportation IoT. Based on a multilayered adaptive dynamic Bayesian model, a Bayesian network structure learning algorithm using search-and-score is proposed to support accurate predictive analytics. A parallel Markov decision processes model is designed to support proactive event processing. State partitioning and mean field based approximation are used to support large-scale application. The experimental evaluations show that this method can support proactive complex event processing well in large-scale transportation Internet of Things.
Finite-Time Stability and Stabilization of Networked Control Systems with Bounded Markovian Packet Dropout
Authors: Sun Yeguo , Li Guanjun
Published: March 2014

The finite-time stability and stabilization problems of a class of networked control systems (NCSs) with bounded Markovian packet dropout are investigated. The main results provided in the paper are sufficient conditions for finite-time stability and stabilization via state feedback. An iterative approach is proposed to model NCSs with bounded packet dropout as jump linear systems (JLSs). Based on Lyapunov stability theory and JLSs theory, the sufficient conditions for finite-time stability and stabilization of the underlying systems are derived via linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) formulation. Lastly, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics of Remazol Brilliant Blue R Dye Adsorption onto Activated Carbon Prepared from Pinang Frond
Authors: Ahmad Mohd Azhar , Herawan Safarudin Gazali , Yusof Ahmad Anas
Published: March 2014

The adsorption of remazol brilliant blue R (RBBR) dye on pinang frond based activated carbon (PF-AC) was investigated in a batch process. The effects of initial dye concentration, contact time, solution temperature, and solution pH were evaluated. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetic were found to follow Freundlich isotherm models and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. The mechanism of the adsorption process was found from the intraparticle diffusion model. Result from adsorption thermodynamic show that interaction for RBBR dye was found to be feasible, nonspontaneous, and endothermic. The results indicated that the PF-AC is very effective for the RBBR adsorption from aqueous solution.
Significance and Biological Importance of Pyrimidine in the Microbial World
Authors: Sharma Vinita , Chitranshi Nitin , Agarwal Ajay Kumar
Published: March 2014

Microbes are unique creatures that adapt to varying lifestyles and environment resistance in extreme or adverse conditions. The genetic architecture of microbe may bear a significant signature not only in the sequences position, but also in the lifestyle to which it is adapted. It becomes a challenge for the society to find new chemical entities which can treat microbial infections. The present review aims to focus on account of important chemical moiety, that is, pyrimidine and its various derivatives as antimicrobial agents. In the current studies we represent more than 200 pyrimidines as antimicrobial agents with different mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted classes along within vitroantimicrobial activities of pyrimidines derivatives which can facilitate the development of more potent and effective antimicrobial agents.
Chemical and Functional Properties of Chia Seed (Salvia hispanicaL.) Gum
Authors: Segura-Campos Maira Rubi , Ciau-Solís Norma , Rosado-Rubio Gabriel , Chel-Guerrero Luis , Betancur-Ancona David
Published: March 2014

Chia (Salvia hispanicaL.) constitutes a potential alternative raw material and ingredient in food industry applications due to its dietary fiber content. Gum can be extracted from its dietary fiber fractions for use as an additive to control viscosity, stability, texture, and consistency in food systems. The gum extracted from chia seeds was characterized to determine their quality and potential as functional food additives. The extracted chia gum contained 26.2% fat and a portion was submitted to fat extraction, producing two fractions: gum with fat (FCG) and gum partly defatted (PDCG). Proximal composition and physicochemical characterization showed these fractions to be different (P<0.05). The PDCG had higher protein, ash, and carbohydrates content than the FCG, in addition to higher water-holding (110.5 g water/g fiber) and water-binding capacities (0.84 g water/g fiber). The FCG had greater oil-holding capacity (25.7 g oil/g fiber) and water absorption capacity (44 g water/g fiber). In dispersion trials, the gums exhibited a non-Newtonian fluid behavior, specifically shear thinning or pseudoplastic type. PDCG had more viscosity than FCG. Chia seed is an excellent natural source of gum with good physicochemical and functional qualities, and is very promising for use in food industry.
Foundation Settlement Prediction Based on a Novel NGM Model
Authors: Chen Peng-Yu , Yu Hong-Ming
Published: March 2014

Prediction of foundation or subgrade settlement is very important during engineering construction. According to the fact that there are lots of settlement‐time sequences with a nonhomogeneous index trend, a novel grey forecasting model called NGM (1,1, k, c) model is proposed in this paper. With an optimized whitenization differential equation, the proposed NGM (1,1, k, c) model has the property of white exponential law coincidence and can predict a pure nonhomogeneous index sequence precisely. We used two case studies to verify the predictive effect of NGM (1,1, k, c) model for settlement prediction. The results show that this model can achieve excellent prediction accuracy; thus, the model is quite suitable for simulation and prediction of approximate nonhomogeneous index sequence and has excellent application value in settlement prediction.
Assessment of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content, Antioxidant Properties, and Yield of Aeroponically and Conventionally Grown Leafy Vegetables and Fruit Crops: A Comparative Study
Authors: Chandra Suman , Khan Shabana , Avula Bharathi , Lata Hemant , Yang Min Hye , ElSohly Mahmoud A. , Khan Ikhlas A.
Published: March 2014

A comparison of the product yield, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant properties was done in different leafy vegetables/herbs (basil, chard, parsley, and red kale) and fruit crops (bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and squash) grown in aeroponic growing systems (AG) and in the field (FG). An average increase of about 19%, 8%, 65%, 21%, 53%, 35%, 7%, and 50% in the yield was recorded for basil, chard, red kale, parsley, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and squash, respectively, when grown in aeroponic systems, compared to that grown in the soil. Antioxidant properties of AG and FG crops were evaluated using 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) and cellular antioxidant (CAA) assays. In general, the study shows that the plants grown in the aeroponic system had a higher yield and comparable phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant properties as compared to those grown in the soil.
Extraction and Chromatographic Determination of Shikimic Acid in Chinese Conifer Needles with 1-Benzyl-3-methylimidazolium Bromide Ionic Liquid Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Chen Fengli , Hou Kexin , Li Shuangyang , Zu Yuangang , Yang Lei
Published: March 2014

An ionic liquids-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (ILUAE) method was successfully developed for extracting shikimic acid from conifer needles. Eleven 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids with different cations and anions were investigated and 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide solution was selected as the solvent. The conditions for ILUAE, including the ionic liquid concentration, ultrasound power, ultrasound time, and liquid-solid ratio, were optimized. The proposed method had good recovery (99.37%–100.11%) and reproducibility (RSD,n= 6; 3.6%). ILUAE was an efficient, rapid, and simple sample preparation technique that showed high reproducibility. Based on the results, a number of plant species, namely,Picea koraiensis, Picea meyeri, Pinus elliottii,andPinus banksiana,were identified as among the best resources of shikimic acid.
In VitroEndothelial Cell Proliferation Assay Reveals Distinct Levels of Proangiogenic Cytokines Characterizing Sera of Healthy Subjects and of Patients with Heart Failure
Authors: Voltan Rebecca , Zauli Giorgio , Rizzo Paola , Fucili Alessandro , Pannella Micaela , Marci Roberto , Tisato Veronica , Ferrari Roberto , Secchiero Paola
Published: March 2014

Although myocardial angiogenesis is thought to play an important role in heart failure (HF), the involvement of circulating proinflammatory and proangiogenic cytokines in the pathogenesis and/or prognosis of HF has not been deeply investigated. By using a highly standardized proliferation assay with human endothelial cells, we first demonstrated that sera from older (mean age52±7.6years;n=46) healthy donors promoted endothelial cell proliferation to a significantly higher extent compared to sera obtained from younger healthy donors (mean age29±8.6years;n=20). The promotion of endothelial cell proliferation was accompanied by high serum levels of several proangiogenic cytokines. When we assessed endothelial cell proliferation in response to HF patients’ sera, we observed that a subset of sera (n=11) promoted cell proliferation to a significantly lesser extent compared to the majority of sera (n=18). Also, in this case, the difference between the patient groups in the ability to induce endothelial cell proliferation correlated to significant (P<0.05) differences in serum proangiogenic cytokine levels. Unexpectedly, HF patients associated to the highest endothelial proliferation index showed the worst prognosis as evaluated in terms of subsequent cardiovascular events in the follow-up, suggesting that high levels of circulating proangiogenic cytokines might be related to a worse prognosis.
Backward Stochastic Differential Equations Coupled with Value Function and Related Optimal Control Problems
Authors: Hao Tao , Li Juan
Published: March 2014

We get a new type of controlled backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs), namely, the BSDEs, coupled with value function. We prove the existence and the uniqueness theorem as well as a comparison theorem for such BSDEs coupled with value function by using the approximation method. We get the related dynamic programming principle (DPP) with the help of the stochastic backward semigroup which was introduced by Peng in 1997. By making use of a new, more direct approach, we prove that our nonlocal Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation has a unique viscosity solution in the space of continuous functions of at most polynomial growth. These results generalize the corresponding conclusions given by Buckdahn et al. (2009) in the case without control.
Reduction of the Number of Major Representative Allergens: From Clinical Testing to 3-Dimensional Structures
Authors: He Ying , Liu Xueting , Huang Yuyi , Zou Zehong , Chen Huifang , Lai He , Zhang Lida , Wu Qiurong , Zhang Junyan , Wang Shan , Zhang Jianguo , Tao Ailin , Sun Baoqing
Published: March 2014

Vast amounts of allergen sequence data have been accumulated, thus complicating the identification of specific allergenic proteins when performing diagnostic allergy tests and immunotherapy. This study aims to rank the importance/potency of the allergens so as to logically reduce the number of allergens and/or allergenic sources. Meta-analysis of 62 allergenic sources used for intradermal testing on 3,335 allergic patients demonstrated that in southern China, mite, sesame, spiny amaranth,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and house dust account for 88.0% to 100% of the observed positive reactions to the 62 types of allergenic sources tested. TheKolmogorov-SmironovTest results of the website-obtained allergen data and allergen family featured peptides suggested that allergen research in laboratories worldwide has been conducted in parallel on many of the same species. The major allergens were reduced to 21 representative allergens, which were further divided into seven structural classes, each of which contains similar structural components. This study therefore has condensed numerous allergenic sources and major allergens into fewer major representative ones, thus allowing for the use of a smaller number of allergens when conducting comprehensive allergen testing and immunotherapy treatments.
Travelling along the Clinical Roadmap: Developing Electrospun Scaffolds for Tendon Repair
Authors: Bosworth Lucy A.
Published: March 2014

Biopolymers, such as poly(ε-caprolactone), can be easily electrospun to create fibrous scaffolds. It is also possible to control the alignment of the emitted fibres and further manipulate these scaffolds to create 3D yarn structures, which resemble part of the tendon tissue hierarchy. Material properties, such as tensile strength, can be tailored depending on the selection and combination of polymer and solvent used during electrospinning. The scaffolds have been proven to separately support the adhesion and proliferation of equine tendon fibroblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells whilst simultaneously directing cell orientation, which caused their alignment parallel to the underlying fibres. Implantation of scaffolds into the flexor digitorum profundus tendon of mice hindpaws yielded encouraging results with minimal inflammatory reaction and observation of cell infiltration into the scaffold. This research demonstrates the progression of electrospun fibres along the clinical roadmap towards becoming a future medical device for the treatment of tendon injuries.
Synchronization of Chaotic Delayed Neural Networks via Impulsive Control
Authors: Fang Yang , Yan Kang , Li Kelin
Published: March 2014

This paper is concerned with the impulsive synchronization problem of chaotic delayed neural networks. By employing Lyapunov stability theorem, impulsive control theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, several new sufficient conditions ensuring the asymptotically synchronization for coupled chaotic delayed neural networks are derived. Based on these new sufficient conditions, an impulsive controller is designed. Moreover, the stable impulsive interval of synchronized neural networks is objectively estimated by combining the MATLAB LMI toolbox and one of the two given equations. Two examples with numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effect of Bile Acid on Fetal Lung in Rat Model of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
Authors: Yu Ling , Ding Yiling , Huang Ting , Huang Xiaoxia
Published: March 2014

Objective.To determine the correlation between maternal bile acid (BA) level and fetal pulmonary surfactant in rats and study the effects of BA on fetal lung in rat model of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.Methods. Forty pregnant rats were treated with (A) 5.5 mg/kg BA, (B) 1.4 mg/kg BA, and (C) 1 ml physiological saline. Levels of total bile acid (TBA), ALT, AST, TBIL, DBIL, and SP-A were determined and the lungs of fetal rats were analyzed for pathological changes.Results. Groups A and B intervened with BA showed significant higher level of TBA in both maternal and fetal serum, more mortality rate of fetal rats, more concentration of SP-A in fetal serum, and wider alveolus mesenchyme of fetal rats than the control Group C. Higher level of BA associated with increased fetal risk and lower numerical density of mitochondria in type II alveolar epithelial cells. The levels of TBA in maternal serum were found to have significant positive correlation with those in fetal serum and SP-A level but negatively with the area of alveolus and the numerical density of lamellar body.Conclusions. The TBA level in maternal serum showed significant association with lung pathological changes in fetal rats.
Evaluation and Comparison of Multiple Aligners for Next-Generation Sequencing Data Analysis
Authors: Shang Jing , Zhu Fei , Vongsangnak Wanwipa , Tang Yifei , Zhang Wenyu , Shen Bairong
Published: March 2014

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has rapidly advanced and generated the massive data volumes. To align and map the NGS data, biologists often randomly select a number of aligners without concerning their suitable feature, high performance, and high accuracy as well as sequence variations and polymorphisms existing on reference genome. This study aims to systematically evaluate and compare the capability of multiple aligners for NGS data analysis. To explore this capability, we firstly performed alignment algorithms comparison and classification. We further used long-read and short-read datasets from both real-life andin silicoNGS data for comparative analysis and evaluation of these aligners focusing on three criteria, namely, application-specific alignment feature, computational performance, and alignment accuracy. Our study demonstrated the overall evaluation and comparison of multiple aligners for NGS data analysis. This serves as an important guiding resource for biologists to gain further insight into suitable selection of aligners for specific and broad applications.
The Existence of Solutions for Four-Point Coupled Boundary Value Problems of Fractional Differential Equations at Resonance
Authors: Zou Yumei , Liu Lishan , Cui Yujun
Published: March 2014

A four-point coupled boundary value problem of fractional differential equations is studied. Based on Mawhin’s coincidence degree theory, some existence theorems are obtained in the case of resonance.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Cantrell’s Pentalogy Associated with Agenesis of Left Limb in a Twin Pregnancy
Authors: Cakiroglu Yigit , Doger Emek , Yildirim Kopuk Sule , Babaoglu Kadir , Caliskan Eray , Yucesoy Gulseren
Published: March 2014

Pentalogy of Cantrell is a rare malformation described in the literature. We report a case of pentalogy of Cantrell associated with left limb deficiency in a twin pregnancy. The fetus with multiple anomalies revealed kyphosis, ectopia cordis, and a large defect with protruding liver and bowel loops at 12 weeks and 3 days of gestational age on ultrasound scan. The other fetus was ultrasonographically normal. We diagnosed a case of pentalogy of Cantrell in a twin pregnancy after exclusion of limb body wall complex, body stalk anomaly, and amniotic band syndrome and after delivery of the fetuses. Macroscopic examinations were ectopia cordis, extrusion of the abdominal organs without membranes surrounding, and agenesis of the left limb.
Suboptimal Event-Triggered Consensus of Multiagent Systems
Authors: Fan Yuan
Published: March 2014

In this paper the suboptimal event-triggered consensus problem of Multiagent systems is investigated. Using the combinational measurement approach, each agent only updates its control input at its own event time instants. Thus the total number of events and the amount of controller updates can be significantly reduced in practice. Then, based on the observation of increasing the consensus rate and reducing the number of triggering events, we have proposed the time-average cost of the agent system and developed a suboptimal approach to determine the triggering condition. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is illustrated by numerical examples.
A Short-Term Incubation with High Glucose Impairs VASP Phosphorylation at Serine 239 in response to the Nitric Oxide/cGMP Pathway in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Role of Oxidative Stress
Authors: Russo Isabella , Viretto Michela , Doronzo Gabriella , Barale Cristina , Mattiello Luigi , Anfossi Giovanni , Trovati Mariella
Published: March 2014

A reduction of the nitric oxide (NO) action in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) could play a role in the vascular damage induced by the glycaemic excursions occurring in diabetic patients; in this study, we aimed to clarify whether a short-term incubation of cultured VSMC with high glucose reduces the NO ability to increase cGMP and the cGMP ability to phosphorylate VASP at Ser-239. We observed that a 180 min incubation of rat VSMC with 25 mmol/L glucose does not impair the NO-induced cGMP increase but reduces VASP phosphorylation in response to both NO and cGMP with a mechanism blunted by antioxidants. We further demonstrated that high glucose increases radical oxygen species (ROS) production and that this phenomenon is prevented by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine and the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. The following sequence of events is supported by these results: (i) in VSMC high glucose activates PKC; (ii) PKC activates NADPH oxidase; (iii) NADPH oxidase induces oxidative stress; (iv) ROS impair the signalling of cGMP, which is involved in the antiatherogenic actions of NO. Thus, high glucose, via oxidative stress, can reduce the cardiovascular protection conferred by the NO/cGMP pathway via phosphorylation of the cytoskeleton protein VASP in VSMC.
Hydrothermal Synthesis and Mechanism of Unusual Zigzag Ag2Te and Ag2Te/C Core‐Shell Nanostructures
Authors: Manzoor Saima , Liu Yumin , Yu Zhongyuan , Fu Xiuli , Ban Guijun
Published: March 2014

A single step surfactant‐assisted hydrothermal route has been developed for the synthesis of zigzag silver telluride nanowires with diameter of 50–60 nm and length of several tens of micrometers. Silver nitrate (AgNO3) and sodium tellurite (Na2TeO3), are the precursors and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is used as surfactant in the presence of the reducing agent, that is, hydrazine hydrate (N2H4·H2O). In addition to the zigzag nanowires a facile hydrothermal reduction‐carbonization route is proposed for the preparation of uniform core‐shell Ag2Te/C nanowires. In case of Ag2Te/C synthesis process the same precursors are employed for Ag and Te along with the ethylene glycol used as reducing agent and glucose as the carbonizing agent. Morphological and compositional properties of the prepared products are analyzed with the help of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. The detailed formation mechanism of the zigzag morphology and reduction‐carbonization growth mechanism for core‐shell nanowires are illustrated on the bases of experimental results.
Change in Surface Roughness of Esthetic Restorative Materials after Exposure to Different Immersion Regimes in a Cola Drink
Authors: Bajwa Navroop Kaur , Pathak Anuradha
Published: March 2014

Context. An in vitro study carried out to evaluate and compare the effect of Cola drink on surface roughness of esthetic restorative materials. Purpose. To compare the effect of different immersion regimes in a Cola drink on surface roughness of esthetic restorative materials. Method. Two hundred samples were grouped into 4 equal groups of 50 samples each: Group I: conventional glass ionomer, Group II: resin modified glass ionomer, Group III: polyacid-modified resin composite, Group IV: Composite resin. Each group was further subdivided into 5 subgroups of 10 samples each. Subgroup A (Control Subgroup). Samples were kept immersed in artificial saliva. Subgroup B. Samples were immersed in Cola drink once a day. Subgroup C. Samples were immersed in Cola drink, 3 times a day. Subgroup D. Samples were immersed in Cola drink 5 times a day. Subgroup E. Samples were immersed in Cola drink 10 times a day. Each immersion lasted 5 minutes. The immersion protocol was repeated for 7 days. Results. Maximum surface roughness was seen in Group I conventional glass ionomer cement, followed by Group II resin modified glass ionomer, Group III polyacid modified resin composite, and Group IV composite resin samples. Conclusion. Resistance to change in surface roughness is more in resin based restorative materials as compared to glass ionomer based materials.
Scales of Time Where the Quantum Discord Allows an Efficient Execution of the DQC1 Algorithm
Authors: Ávila M. , Sun G. H. , Salas-Brito A. L.
Published: March 2014

The power of one qubit deterministic quantum processor (DQC1) (Knill and Laflamme (1998)) generates a nonclassical correlation known as quantum discord. The DQC1 algorithm executes in an efficient way with a characteristic time given byτ=Tr[Un]/2n, whereUnis annqubit unitary gate. For pure states, quantum discord means entanglement while for mixed states such a quantity is more than entanglement. Quantum discord can be thought of as the mutual information between two systems. Within the quantum discord approach the role of time in an efficient evaluation ofτis discussed. It is found that the smaller the value oft/Tis, wheretis the time of execution of the DQC1 algorithm andTis the scale of time where the nonclassical correlations prevail, the more efficient the calculation ofτis. A Mösbauer nucleus might be a good processor of the DQC1 algorithm while a nuclear spin chain would not be efficient for the calculation ofτ.
Aging Aggravates Nitrate-Mediated ROS/RNS Changes
Authors: Fan Qian , Chen Lifen , Cheng Shujuan , Li Fang , Lau Wayne Bond , Wang Le Feng , Liu Jing Hua
Published: March 2014

Nitrates are the most frequently prescribed and utilized drugs worldwide. The elderly are a major population receiving nitrate therapy. Both nitrates and aging can increase in vivo reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). To date, the effects of aging upon nitrate-induced ROS/RNS alteration are unknown. The present study tested the effects of aging upon nitrate-induced ROS/RNS alteration in vivo. 32 adults and 43 elderly unstable angina (UA) patients were subjected to 48 hours of isosorbide dinitrate intravenous injection (50 μg/minutes) in this clinical study. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and conclusion. Outcome measures of oxidative stress included plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and reduced glutathione (GSH). Plasma concentrations of NOxand nitrotyrosine served as markers of RNS. Because of the significant differences in basic clinical characters between adults and the elderly, we designed an additional experiment determining ROS/RNS stress in rat cardiac tissue. Additionally, rat thoracic aortic NOS activity served as a marker indicating endothelial function. Our study demonstrated that nitrate therapy significantly increased in vivo ROS/RNS stress in the elderly compared to adult patients, confirmed by animal data. Decreased NOS activity was observed in old rats. Taken together, the present study’s data suggests a synergism between nitrate treatment and the aging process.
Perspectives from Nurse Managers on Informatics Competencies
Authors: Yang Li , Cui Dan , Zhu Xuemei , Zhao Qiuli , Xiao Ningning , Shen Xiaoying
Published: March 2014

Background and Purpose. Nurse managers are in an excellent position for providing leadership and support within the institutions they serve and are often responsible for accessing information that is vital to the improvement of health facility processes and patients’ outcomes. Therefore, competency in informatics is essential. The purposes of this study are to examine current informatics competency levels of nurse managers and to identify the variables that influence these competencies.Methods. A questionnaire designed to assess demographic information and nursing informatics competency was completed by 68 nurse managers. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to analyze the factors influencing informatics competency.Results. Descriptive analysis of the data revealed that informatics competency of these nurse managers was in the moderate range77.65±8.14. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that level of education, nursing administration experience, and informatics education/training were significant factors affecting competency levels.Conclusion. The factors identified in this study can serve as a reference for nurse managers who were wishing to improve their informatics competency, hospital administrators seeking to provide appropriate training, and nursing educators who were making decisions about nursing informatics curricula. These findings suggest that efforts to enhance the informatics competency of nurse managers have marked potential benefits.
Lancemaside A fromCodonopsis lanceolataModulates the Inflammatory Responses Mediated by Monocytes and Macrophages
Authors: Kim Eunji , Yang Woo Seok , Kim Ji Hye , Park Jae Gwang , Kim Han Gyung , Ko Jaeyoung , Hong Yong Deog , Rho Ho Sik , Shin Song Seok , Sung Gi-Ho , Cho Jae Youl
Published: March 2014

In this study, we aimed to examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of lancemaside A fromCodonopsis lanceolata(Campanulaceae) in the inflammatory responses of monocytes (U937 cells) and macrophages (RAW264.7 cells). Lancemaside A significantly suppressed the inflammatory functions of lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) treated RAW264.7 cells by suppressing the production of nitric oxide (NO), the expression of the NO-producing enzyme inducible NO synthase (iNOS), the upregulation of the costimulatory molecule CD80, and the morphological changes induced by LPS exposure. In addition, lancemaside A diminished the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells and boosted the neutralizing capacity of these cells when treated with the radical generator sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Interestingly, lancemaside A strongly blocked the adhesion activity of RAW264.7 cells to plastic culture plates, inhibited the cell-cell and cell-fibronectin (FN) adhesion of U937 cells that was triggered by treatment with an anti-β1-integrin (CD29) antibody and immobilized FN, respectively. By evaluating the activation of various intracellular signaling pathways and the levels of related nuclear transcription factors, lancemaside A was found to block the activation of inhibitor ofκB kinase (IKK) and p65/nuclear factor- (NF-)κB. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that the anti-inflammatory function of lancemaside A is the result of its strong antioxidative and IKK/NF-κB inhibitory activities.
Stability Criteria for Singular Stochastic Hybrid Systems with Mode-Dependent Time-Varying Delay
Authors: Zhao Ming , Wang Yueying , Zhou Pingfang , Duan Dengping
Published: March 2014

This paper provides a delay-dependent criterion for a class of singular stochastic hybrid systems with mode-dependent time-varying delay. In order to reduce conservatism, a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is constructed by decomposing the delay interval into multiple subintervals. Based on the new functional, a stability criterion is derived in terms of strict linear matrix inequality (LMI), which guarantees that the considered system is regular, impulse-free, and mean-square exponentially stable. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of proposed method.
Optimal Placement of Actors in WSANs Based on Imposed Delay Constraints
Authors: Yang Chunxi , Wu Xinyu , Huang Jian , Huang Lingyun
Published: March 2014

Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks (WSANs) refer to a group of sensors and actors linked by wireless medium to probe environment and perform specific actions. Such certain actions should always be taken before a deadline when an event of interest is detected. In order to provide such services, the whole monitor area is divided into several virtual areas and nodes in the same area form a cluster. Clustering of the WSANs is often pursued to give that each actor acts as a cluster‐head. The number of actors is related to the size and the deployment of WSANs cluster. In this paper, we find a method to determine the accurate number of actors which enables them to receive data and take actions in an imposed time‐delay. The k‐MinTE and the k‐MaxTE clustering algorithm are proposed to form the minimum and maximum size of cluster, respectively. In those clustering algorithms, actors are deployed in such a way that sensors could route data to actors within k hops. Then, clusters are arranged by the regular hexagon. At last, we evaluate the placement of actors and results show that our approach is effective.