bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
KAI407, a Potent Non-8-Aminoquinoline Compound That Kills Plasmodium cynomolgi Early Dormant Liver Stage ParasitesIn Vitro
Authors: Zeeman Anne-Marie , van Amsterdam Sandra M. , McNamara Case W. , Voorberg-van der Wel Annemarie , Klooster Els J. , van den Berg Alexander , Remarque Edmond J. , Plouffe David M. , van Gemert Geert-Jan , Luty Adrian , Sauerwein Robert , Gagaring Kerstin , Borboa Rachel , Chen Zhong , Kuhen Kelli , Glynne Richard J. , Chatterjee Arnab K. , Nagle Advait , Roland Jason , Winzeler Elizabeth A. , Leroy Didier , Campo Brice , Diagana Thierry T. , Yeung Bryan K. S. , Thomas Alan W. , Kocken Clemens H. M.
Published: December 2013

Preventing relapses ofPlasmodium vivaxmalaria through a radical cure depends on use of the 8-aminoquinoline primaquine, which is associated with safety and compliance issues. For future malaria eradication strategies, new, safer radical curative compounds that efficiently kill dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) will be essential. A new compound with potential radical cure activity was identified using a low-throughput assay ofin vitro-cultured hypnozoite forms ofPlasmodium cynomolgi(an excellent and accessible model forPlasmodium vivax). In this assay, primary rhesus hepatocytes are infected withP. cynomolgisporozoites, and exoerythrocytic development is monitored in the presence of compounds. Liver stage cultures are fixed after 6 days and stained with anti-Hsp70 antibodies, and the relative proportions of small (hypnozoite) and large (schizont) forms relative to the untreated controls are determined. This assay was used to screen a series of 18 known antimalarials and 14 new non-8-aminoquinolines (preselected for blood and/or liver stage activity) in three-point 10-fold dilutions (0.1, 1, and 10 μM final concentrations). A novel compound, designated KAI407 showed an activity profile similar to that of primaquine (PQ), efficiently killing the earliest stages of the parasites that become either primary hepatic schizonts or hypnozoites (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] for hypnozoites, KAI407, 0.69 μM, and PQ, 0.84 μM; for developing liver stages, KAI407, 0.64 μM, and PQ, 0.37 μM). When given as causal prophylaxis, a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight prevented blood stage parasitemia in mice. From these results, we conclude that KAI407 may represent a new compound class forP. vivaxmalaria prophylaxis and potentially a radical cure.
Green Fluorescent Diamidines as Diagnostic Probes for Trypanosomes
Authors: Giordani Federica , Munde Manoj , Wilson W. David , Ismail Mohamed A. , Kumar Arvind , Boykin David W. , Barrett Michael P.
Published: December 2013

Light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescence microscopy offers potential benefits in the diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis and in other aspects of diseases management, such as detection of drug-resistant strains. To advance such approaches, reliable and specific fluorescent markers to stain parasites in human fluids are needed. Here we describe a series of novel green fluorescent diamidines and their suitability as probes with which to stain trypanosomes.
Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility of Yeast Isolates Causing Fungemia Collected in a Population-Based Study in Spain in 2010 and 2011
Authors: Guinea Jesús , Zaragoza Óscar , Escribano Pilar , Martín-Mazuelos Estrella , Pemán Javier , Sánchez-Reus Ferrán , Cuenca-Estrella Manuel
Published: December 2013

We report the molecular identifications and antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates causing fungemia collected in the CANDIPOP population-based study conducted in 29 Spanish hospitals. A total of 781 isolates (from 767 patients, 14 of them having mixed fungemia) were collected. The species found most frequently were
Candida albicans
(44.6%),
Candida parapsilosis
(24.5%),
Candida glabrata
(13.2%),
Candida tropicalis
(7.6%),
Candida krusei
(1.9%),
Candida guilliermondii
(1.7%), and
Candida lusitaniae
(1.3%). Other
Candida
and non-
Candida
species accounted for approximately 5% of the isolates. The presence of cryptic species was low. Compared to findings of previous studies conducted in Spain, the frequency of
C. glabrata
has increased. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by using EUCAST and CLSI M27-A3 reference procedures; the two methods were comparable. The rate of fluconazole-susceptible isolates was 80%, which appears to be a decrease compared to findings of previous studies, explained mainly by the higher frequency of
C. glabrata
. Using the species-specific breakpoints and epidemiological cutoff values, the rate of voriconazole and posaconazole
in vitro
resistance was low (<2%). In the case of
C. tropicalis
, using the EUCAST procedure, the rate of azole resistance was around 20%. There was a correlation between the previous use of azoles and the presence of fluconazole-resistant isolates. Resistance to echinocandins was very rare (2%), and resistance to amphotericin B also was very uncommon. The sequencing of the hot spot (HS) regions from
FKS1
or
FKS2
genes in echinocandin-resistant isolates revealed previously described point mutations. The decrease in the susceptibility to fluconazole in Spanish isolates should be closely monitored in future studies.
In Vitro
Activity of Nemonoxacin, a Novel Nonfluorinated Quinolone Antibiotic, against Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia pneumoniae
Authors: Chotikanatis Kobkul , Kohlhoff Stephan A. , Hammerschlag Margaret R.
Published: December 2013

The
in vitro
activities of nemonoxacin, levofloxacin, azithromycin, and doxycycline were tested against 10 isolates each of
Chlamydia trachomatis
and
Chlamydia pneumoniae
. The MICs at which 90% of the isolates of both
C. trachomatis
and
C. pneumoniae
were inhibited (MIC
90
s) were 0.06 μg/ml (range, 0.03 to 0.13 μg/ml). The minimal bactericidal concentrations at which 90% of the isolates were killed by nemonoxacin (MBC
90
s) were 0.06 μg/ml for
C. trachomatis
(range, 0.03 to 0.125 μg/ml) and 0.25 for
C. pneumoniae
(range, 0.015 to 0.5 μg/ml).
Use of the Antimicrobial Peptide Pardaxin (GE33) To Protect against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection in Mice with Skin Injuries
Authors: Huang Han-Ning , Pan Chieh-Yu , Chan Yi-Lin , Chen Jyh-Yih , Wu Chang-Jer
Published: December 2013

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently been determined to be potential candidates for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections. Pardaxin (GE33), a marine antimicrobial peptide, has been reported to possess antimicrobial function. In this study, we investigated whether pardaxin promoted healing of contaminated wounds in mice. One square centimeter of outer skin was excised from the ventral region of mice, and a lethal dose of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) was applied in the presence or absence of methicillin, vancomycin, or pardaxin. While untreated mice and mice treated with methicillin died within 3 days, mice treated with pardaxin survived infection. Pardaxin decreased MRSA bacterial counts in the wounded region and also enhanced wound closure. Reepithelialization and dermal maturation were also faster in mice treated with pardaxin than in mice treated with vancomycin. In addition, pardaxin treatment controlled excess recruitment of monocytes and macrophages and increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In conclusion, these results suggest that pardaxin is capable of enhancing wound healing. Furthermore, this study provides an excellent platform for comparing the antimicrobial activities of peptide and nonpeptide antibiotics.
Not all suffering is pain: sources of patients’ suffering in the emergency department call for improvements in communication from practitioners
Authors: Body Richard , Kaide Ergul , Kendal Sarah , Foex Bernard
Published: December 2013

Background

Provision of prompt, effective analgesia is rightly considered as a standard of care in the emergency department (ED). However, much suffering is not ‘painful’ and may be under-recognised. We sought to describe the burden of suffering in the ED and explore how this may be best addressed from a patient centred perspective.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study, we included undifferentiated patients presenting to the ED. We undertook two face to face questionnaires with the first immediately following triage. We asked patients: (a) if they were ‘suffering’; (b) how they were suffering; and (c) what they hoped would be done to ease this. Prior to leaving the ED, we asked patients what had been done to ease their suffering. Data were analysed thematically.

Results

Of 125 patients included, 77 (61.6%) reported suffering on direct questioning and 92 (73.6%) listed at least one way in which they were suffering. 90 (72.0%) patients had a pain score >0/10 but only 37 (29.6%) reported that pain was causing suffering. Patients reported suffering from both physical symptoms (especially pain, nausea, vomiting and dizziness) and emotional distress (notably anxiety). Treatment (to ease physical and emotional symptoms), information (particularly diagnosis, reassurance and explanation), care (notably friendly staff) and closure (being seen, resolving the problem and going home) were the key themes identified as important for relief of suffering.

Conclusions

In seeking to ease suffering in the ED, clinicians must focus not only on providing analgesia but on treatingEmotional distress,Physical symptoms, providingInformation,Care andClosure (EPICC).
Efficacy of metal ions and isothiazolones in inhibiting Enterobacter cloacae BF-17 biofilm formation
Authors: Zhou Gang , Li Long-jie , Shi Qing-shan , Ouyang You-sheng , Chen Yi-ben , Hu Wen-feng
Published: December 2013

Enterobacter cloacae is a nosocomial pathogen. The E. cloacae strain BF-17, with a high capacity for biofilm formation, was screened and identified from industrially contaminated samples, carried out in our laboratory. To develop an efficient strategy to deal with biofilms, we investigated the effects of metal ions, including Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+, and 3 isothiazolones, on elimination of E. cloacae BF-17 biofilm formation by using a 0.1% crystal violet staining method. The results revealed that higher concentrations of Na+ or K+ significantly inhibited E. cloacae BF-17 biofilm development. Meanwhile, Ca2+ and Mn2+ stimulated biofilm formation at low concentration but exhibited a negative effect at high concentration. Moreover, biofilm formation decreased with increasing concentration of Mg2+ and Cu2+. The isothiazolones Kathon (14%), 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one (11%), and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (10%) stimulated initial biofilm formation but not planktonic growth at low concentrations and displayed inhibitory effects on both biofilm formation and planktonic growth at higher concentrations. Unfortunately, the 3 isothiazolones exerted negligible effects on preformed or fully mature biofilms. Our findings suggest that Na+, K+, Mg2+, and isothiazolones could be used to prevent and eliminate E. cloacae BF-17 biofilms.
ENHANCEMENT IN THE SENSING PROPERTIES OF METHYL ORANGE THIN FILM BY TiO2 NANOPARTICLES
Authors: TAHIR MUHAMMAD , HASSAN SAYYAD MUHAMMAD , WAHAB FAZAL , AHMAD KHALID FAZAL , AZIZ FAKHRA , NAEEM SHAZIA , NAEEM KHALID MUHAMMAD
Published: December 2013

This paper reports the enhancement in the sensing properties of organic dye methyl orange (MO) by introducing TiO 2 nanoparticles. For this purpose, two surface type Ag/MO/Ag and Ag/MO : TiO 2/ Ag multifunctional sensors were fabricated by spin coating a 3.0 wt.% solution of MO and 3.0:0.3 wt.% of MO : TiO 2 composite on pre-patterned silver (Ag) electrodes. The gap between Ag electrodes was 40 μm. The Ag/MO/Ag and Ag/MO : TiO 2/ Ag structures were characterized to investigate their response towards humidity and temperature variations. The Ag/MO : TiO 2/ Ag sensor exhibited better sensitivity and response time than Ag/MO/Ag sensor. The large surface to volume ratio of TiO 2 nanoparticles is the primary reason for the higher sensitivity of Ag/MO : TiO 2/ Ag sensor. The sensors can be used to detect humidity variations from 30% to 95% RH and temperature variation from 30°C to 200°C with good stability. Surface morphologies of the film were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM).
The Story of Why We Stay: A Review of Job Embeddedness
Authors: William Lee Thomas , Burch Tyler C. , Mitchell Terence R.
Published: December 2013

In this article, we examine the history and development of job embeddedness, beginning with the story of the idea’s conception, theoretical foundation, and original empirical structure as a major predictor of employee voluntary turnover. We then consider more recent expansions in the theoretical structure and empirical measurement of job embeddedness, exploring job embeddedness as a causal indicator model versus a reflective model. Next, we review some promising expansions of embeddedness to new domains (e.g., family embeddedness) as well as important contingency factors that enhance or diminish its impact. Finally, we describe how job embeddedness affects important organizational outcomes beyond turnover, including job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, innovation, and the development of social and human capital. Throughout the article, we provide our opinions on how the theory and research on embeddedness have progressed as well as ideas on how it can be improved.
Physicochemical Mechanism of Light-Driven DNA Repair by (6-4) Photolyases
Authors: Faraji Shirin , Dreuw Andreas
Published: December 2013

DNA photolyases are light-activated enzymes that repair DNA damage induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation causes two of the most abundant mutagenic and cytotoxic DNA lesions: cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photolesions. Photolyases selectively bind to DNA and initiate the splitting of mutagenic pyrimidine dimers via photoinduced electron transfer from a flavin adenine dinucleotide anion (FADH−) to the lesion triggering its repair. This review discusses the consecutive steps of the repair process, from both experimental and theoretical points of view. It covers the following issues: the process of how photolyases accommodate the lesion into their binding pockets, excitation energy transfer between two involved catalytic cofactors, photoinduced electron transfer to the lesion, the splitting of the pyrimidine dimer radical anion, and the fate of the unstable radical species created after the splitting of the thymine dimer. In particular, mechanisms of the splitting and restoration of the original bases are described in detail, and the most probable repair pathways are outlined.
The Role of Ligands in Determining the Exciton Relaxation Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum Dots
Authors: Peterson Mark D. , Cass Laura C. , Harris Rachel D. , Edme Kedy , Sung Kimberly , Weiss Emily A.
Published: December 2013

This article reviews the mechanisms through which molecules adsorbed to the surfaces of semiconductor nanocrystals, quantum dots (QDs), influence the pathways for and dynamics of intra- and interband exciton relaxation in these nanostructures. In many cases, the surface chemistry of the QDs determines the competition between Auger relaxation and electronic-to-vibrational energy transfer in the intraband cooling of hot carriers, and between electron or hole-trapping processes and radiative recombination in relaxation of band-edge excitons. The latter competition determines the photoluminescence quantum yield of the nanocrystals, which is predictable through a set of mostly phenomenological models that link the surface coverage of ligands with specific chemical properties to the rate constants for nonradiative exciton decay.
Institutional Dynamics and American Political Development
Authors: Sheingate Adam
Published: December 2013

American political development (APD) endeavors to understand the dynamism and durability of institutions. This focus has much in common with kindred scholarship in political science on the temporal construction of politics, yet the points of connection between APD and other fields are not always clear. As a remedy, this article reviews the various modes of institutional change found in the literature, the causal mechanisms in each, and the metaphors scholars sometimes use to capture processes that are difficult to observe directly. Using these various modes, mechanisms, and metaphors, scholars of APD explore institutional dynamics at different levels of analysis, highlighting the connections between the micropolitics of situated action and broader transformations at the macro level of the polity. The review concludes by showing how the study of APD speaks to issues of power and political economy that are once again central to political science scholarship.
Implementing Health Reform: Improved Data Collection and the Monitoring of Health Disparities
Authors: Dorsey Rashida , Graham Garth , Glied Sherry , Meyers David , Clancy Carolyn , Koh Howard
Published: December 2013

The relative lack of standards for collecting data on population subgroups has not only limited our understanding of health disparities, but also impaired our ability to develop policies to eliminate them. This article provides background about past challenges to collecting data by race/ethnicity, primary language, sex, and disability status. It then discusses how passage of the Affordable Care Act has provided new opportunities to improve data-collection standards for the demographic variables of interest and, as such, a better understanding of the characteristics of populations served by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new standards have been formally adopted by the Secretary of HHS for application in all HHS-sponsored population health surveys involving self-reporting. The new data-collection standards will not only promote the uniform collection and utilization of demographic data, but also help the country shape future programs and policies to advance public health and to reduce disparities.
Nongenomic effects of estrogen mediate the dose-related myocardial oxidative stress and dysfunction caused by acute ethanol in female rats
Authors: El-Mas Mahmoud M. , Abdel-Rahman Abdel A.
Published: December 2013

Acute ethanol lowers blood pressure (BP) and cardiac output in proestrus and after chronic estrogen (E2) replacement in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. However, whether rapid nongenomic effects of estrogen mediate these hemodynamic effects of ethanol remains unanswered. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of ethanol (0.5 or 1.5 g/kg iv) on left ventricular (LV) function and oxidative markers in OVX rats pretreated 30 min earlier with 1 μg/kg E2 (OVXE2) or vehicle (OVX) and in proestrus sham-operated (SO) rats. In SO rats, ethanol caused significant and dose-related reductions in BP, rate of rise in LV pressure (LV dP/d tmax), and LV developed pressure (LVDP). These effects of ethanol disappeared in OVX rats and were restored in OVXE2 rats, suggesting rapid estrogen receptor signaling mediates the detrimental effects of ethanol on LV function. Ex vivo studies revealed that the estrogen-dependent myocardial dysfunction caused by ethanol was coupled with higher LV 1) generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), 2) expression of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal protein adducts, 3) phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2), and 4) catalase activity. ERK1/2 inhibition by PD-98059 (1 mg/kg iv) abrogated the myocardial dysfunction, hypotension, and the elevation in myocardial ROS generation caused by ethanol. We conclude that rapid estrogen receptor signaling is implicated in cellular events that lead to the generation of aldehyde protein adducts and Akt/ERK1/2 phosphorylation, which ultimately mediate the estrogen-dependent LV oxidative stress and dysfunction caused by ethanol in female rats.
A Statistical Study on DH CMEs and Its Geoeffectiveness
Authors: Vasanth V. , Umapathy S.
Published: December 2013

A detailed investigation on geoeffectiveness of CMEs associated with DH-type-II bursts observed during 1997–2008 is presented. The collected sample events are divided into two groups based on their association with CMEs related to geomagnetic storms Dst ≤−50 nT, namely, (i) geoeffective events and (ii) nongeoeffective events. We found that the geoeffective events have high starting frequency, low ending frequency, long duration, wider bandwidth, energetic flares, and CMEs than nongeoeffective events. The geoeffective events are found to have intense geomagnetic storm with mean Dst index (−150 nT). There exists good correlation between the properties of CMEs and flares for geoeffective events, while no clear correlation exists for nongeoeffective events. There exists a weak correlation for geoeffective events between (i) CME speed and Dst index (R=-0.51) and good correlation between (i) CME speed and solar wind speed (R=0.60), (ii) Dst index and solar wind speed (R=-0.64), and (iii) Dst index and southward magnetic field component (Bz) (R=0.80). From our study we conclude that the intense and long duration southward magnetic field component (Bz) and fast solar wind speed are responsible for geomagnetic storms, and the geomagnetic storms weakly depend on CME speed. About 22% (50/230) of the DH-type-II bursts are associated with geomagnetic storms. Therefore the DH-type-II bursts associated with energetic flares and CMEs are good indicator of geomagnetic storms.
Derivation of Probability Density Function of Signal‐to‐Interference‐Plus‐Noise Ratio for the MS‐to‐MS Interference Analysis
Authors: Son Ho-Kyung , Kim Che-Young
Published: December 2013

This paper provides an analytical derivation of the probability density function of signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio in the scenario where mobile stations interfere with each other. This analysis considers cochannel interference and adjacent channel interference. This could also remove the need for Monte Carlo simulations when evaluating the interference effect between mobile stations. Numerical verification shows that the analytical result agrees well with a Monte Carlo simulation. Also, we applied analytical methods for evaluating the interference effect between mobile stations using adjacent frequency bands. The analytical derivation of the probability density function can be used to provide the technical criteria for sharing a frequency band.
Development and Interpretation of New Sediment Rating Curve Considering the Effect of Vegetation Cover for Asian Basins
Authors: Wang Jie , Ishidaira Hiroshi , Sun Wenchao , Ning Shaowei
Published: December 2013

Suspended sediment concentration of a river can provide very important perspective on erosion or soil loss of one river basin ecosystem. The changes of land use and land cover, such as deforestation or afforestation, affect sediment yield process of a catchment through changing the hydrological cycle of the area. A sediment rating curve can describe the average relation between discharge and suspended sediment concentration for a certain location. However, the sediment load of a river is likely to be undersimulated from water discharge using least squares regression of log‐transformed variables and the sediment rating curve does not consider temporal changes of vegetation cover. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can well be used to analyze the status of the vegetation cover well. Thus long time monthly NDVI data was used to detect vegetation change in the past 19 years in this study. Then monthly suspended sediment concentration and discharge from 1988 to 2006 in Laichau station were used to develop one new sediment rating curve and were validated in other Asian basins. The new sediment model can describe the relationship among sediment yield, streamflow, and vegetation cover, which can be the basis for soil conservation and sustainable ecosystem management.
Tissue Engineering of Urinary Bladder and Urethra: Advances from Bench to Patients
Authors: Orabi Hazem , Bouhout Sara , Morissette Amélie , Rousseau Alexandre , Chabaud Stéphane , Bolduc Stéphane
Published: December 2013

Urinary tract is subjected to many varieties of pathologies since birth including congenital anomalies, trauma, inflammatory lesions, and malignancy. These diseases necessitate the replacement of involved organs and tissues. Shortage of organ donation, problems of immunosuppression, and complications associated with the use of nonnative tissues have urged clinicians and scientists to investigate new therapies, namely, tissue engineering. Tissue engineering follows principles of cell transplantation, materials science, and engineering. Epithelial and muscle cells can be harvested and used for reconstruction of the engineered grafts. These cells must be delivered in a well‐organized and differentiated condition because water‐seal epithelium and well‐oriented muscle layer are needed for proper function of the substitute tissues. Synthetic or natural scaffolds have been used for engineering lower urinary tract. Harnessing autologous cells to produce their own matrix and form scaffolds is a new strategy for engineering bladder and urethra. This self‐assembly technique avoids the biosafety and immunological reactions related to the use of biodegradable scaffolds. Autologous equivalents have already been produced for pigs (bladder) and human (urethra and bladder). The purpose of this paper is to present a review for the existing methods of engineering bladder and urethra and to point toward perspectives for their replacement.
Numerical Analysis of Three-Dimensional Unsteady Turbulent Flow in Circular Casing of a High Power Centrifugal Diffuser Pump
Authors: Pei Ji , Yuan Shouqi , Wang Wenjie
Published: December 2013

For high power centrifugal pump which is usually used in high risk applications, circular casing structure has been adopted to increase the reliability of the pump. This special casing structure can make the flow more complex and cause huge hydraulic losses. In this paper, the periodically unsteady turbulent flow in the circular casing of a high power centrifugal diffuser pump has been investigated numerically by CFD calculation. The velocity distributions in different positions were analyzed, and the pressure fluctuation results in time and frequency domains were considered. Finally, the pressure fluctuation intensity coefficient (PFIC) and peak pressure coefficient (PPC) based on statistical thinking were defined on each grid node and the results were analyzed quantitatively to check the time accumulation effect of the unsteady flow phenomenon. The results show that strong flow unsteadiness can be found near diffuser outlet positions of the circular channel and in discharge tube. In addition, the PPC and PFIC results can supply a new angle of view to evaluate the pressure variation, and it is a good supplement to the traditional unsteady pressure analysis method in time and frequency domains.
A Note on the ExponentialG-Martingale
Authors: Lu Yunsheng , Liu Yingying
Published: December 2013

We get the exponentialG-martingale theorem with the Kazamaki condition and tell a distinct difference between the Kazamaki’s and Novikov’s criteria with an example.
Statistics for Ratios of Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami-m, and Weibull Distributed Random Variables
Authors: Pavlović Dragana Č. , Sekulović Nikola M. , Milovanović Gradimir V. , Panajotović Aleksandra S. , Stefanović Mihajlo Č. , Popović Zoran J.
Published: December 2013

The distributions of ratios of random variables are of interest in many areas of the sciences. In this brief paper, we present the joint probability density function (PDF) and PDF of maximum of ratiosμ1=R1/r1andμ2=R2/r2for the cases whereR1,R2,r1, andr2are Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami-m, and Weibull distributed random variables. Random variablesR1andR2, as well as random variablesr1andr2, are correlated. Ascertaining on the suitability of the Weibull distribution to describe fading in both indoor and outdoor environments, special attention is dedicated to the case of Weibull random variables. For this case, analytical expressions for the joint PDF, PDF of maximum, PDF of minimum, and product moments of arbitrary number of ratiosμi=Ri/ri,i=1,…,Lare obtained. Random variables in numerator,Ri, as well as random variables in denominator,ri, are exponentially correlated. To the best of the authors' knowledge, analytical expressions for the PDF of minimum and product moments of{μi}i=1Lare novel in the open technical literature. The proposed mathematical analysis is complemented by various numerical results. An application of presented theoretical results is illustrated with respect to performance assessment of wireless systems.
Practical Constraint K-Segment Principal Curve Algorithms for Generating Railway GPS Digital Map
Authors: Chen Dewang , Chen Long
Published: December 2013

In order to obtain a decent trade-off between the low-cost, low-accuracy Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and the requirements of high-precision digital maps for modern railways, using the concept of constraint K-segment principal curves (CKPCS) and the expert knowledge on railways, we propose three practical CKPCS generation algorithms with reduced computational complexity, and thereafter more suitable for engineering applications. The three algorithms are named ALLopt, MPMopt, and DCopt, in which ALLopt exploits global optimization and MPMopt and DCopt apply local optimization with different initial solutions. We compare the three practical algorithms according to their performance on average projection error, stability, and the fitness for simple and complex simulated trajectories with noise data. It is found that ALLopt only works well for simple curves and small data sets. The other two algorithms can work better for complex curves and large data sets. Moreover, MPMopt runs faster than DCopt, but DCopt can work better for some curves with cross points. The three algorithms are also applied in generating GPS digital maps for two railway GPS data sets measured in Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR). Similar results like the ones in synthetic data are obtained. Because the trajectory of a railway is relatively simple and straight, we conclude that MPMopt works best according to the comprehensive considerations on the speed of computation and the quality of generated CKPCS. MPMopt can be used to obtain some key points to represent a large amount of GPS data. Hence, it can greatly reduce the data storage requirements and increase the positioning speed for real-time digital map applications.
Influence of Temperature, Relative Humidity and Seasonal Variability on Ambient Air Quality in a Coastal Urban Area
Authors: Jayamurugan Ramasamy , Kumaravel B. , Palanivelraja S. , Chockalingam M. P.
Published: December 2013

The concentration of air pollutants in ambient air is governed by the meteorological parameters such as atmospheric wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and temperature. This study analyses the influence of temperature and relative humidity on ambient SO2, NOx, RSPM, and SPM concentrations at North Chennai, a coastal city in India, during monsoon, post-monsoon, summer, and pre-monsoon seasons for 2010-11 using regression analysis. The results of the study show that both SO2 and NOx were negatively correlated in summer (r2=0.25 for SO2 and r2=0.15
for NOx) and moderately and positively correlated (r2=0.32
for SO2 and r2=0.51 for NOx) during post-monsoon season with temperature. RSPM and SPM had positive correlation with temperature in all the seasons except post-monsoon one. These findings indicate that the influence of temperature on gaseous pollutant (SO2 & NOx) is much more effective in summer than other seasons, due to higher temperature range, but in case of particulate, the correlation was found contradictory. The very weak to moderate correlations existing between the temperature and ambient pollutant concentration during all seasons indicate the influence of inconstant thermal variation in the coastal region. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between humidity and particulates (RSPM and SPM) in all the four seasons, but level of correlation was found moderate only during monsoon (r2=0.51 and r2=0.41) in comparison with other three seasons and no significant correlation was found between humidity and SO2, NOx in all the seasons. It is suggested from this study that the influence of humidity is effective on subsiding particulates in the coastal region.
Faster-Than-Real-Time Simulation of Lithium Ion Batteries with Full Spatial and Temporal Resolution
Authors: Mazumder Sandip , Lu Jiheng
Published: December 2013

A one-dimensional coupled electrochemical-thermal model of a lithium ion battery with full temporal and normal-to-electrode spatial resolution is presented. Only a single pair of electrodes is considered in the model. It is shown that simulation of a lithium ion battery with the inclusion of detailed transport phenomena and electrochemistry is possible with faster-than-real-time compute times. The governing conservation equations of mass, charge, and energy are discretized using the finite volume method and solved using an iterative procedure. The model is first successfully validated against experimental data for both charge and discharge processes in aLixC6-LiyMn2O4battery. Finally, it is demonstrated for an arbitrary rapidly changing transient load typical of a hybrid electric vehicle drive cycle. The model is able to predict the cell voltage of a 15-minute drive cycle in less than 12 seconds of compute time on a laptop with a 2.33 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor.
Removal of Azo Dyes (Violet B and Violet 5R) from Aqueous Solution Using New Activated Carbon Developed from Orange Peel
Authors: Hashemian Saeedeh , Salari Khaterah , Salehifar Hamila , Atashi Yazdi Zahra
Published: December 2013

Activated carbon developed from agricultural waste orange peel (COP) was prepared. COP was characterized using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET. COP has surface area and mean pore diameter of 225.6 m2 g−1 and 22.40 nm, respectively. The removal of violet B (VB) and violet 5R (V5R) from aqueous solutions by COP was investigated. The effect of operational parameters such as contact time, pH, initial dye concentration, and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption of dyes was investigated. Maximum dye was removed within 30 min of contact time at pH > 7. Two common models, the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, were used to investigate the interaction of dye and COPs. The isotherm evaluations revealed that the Langmuir model provides better fit to the experimental data than the Freundlich model. The adsorption of VB and V5R onto COP was followed by pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model with a good correlation (R2 > 0.99). Activation energies 5.47 and 29.7 KJ mol−1 were determined for violet B and violet 5R, respectively. The rate of adsorption of violet 5R was faster than that of violet B (kV5R > kVB). The prepared COP could thus be used as promising adsorbent for removal of organic dyes, especially azo dye, from polluted water. The solid COP could be conveniently regenerated after adsorption.
Growth Responses and Leaf Antioxidant Metabolism of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Genotypes under Salinity Stress
Authors: Talukdar Dibyendu
Published: December 2013

Response of six improved grass pea genotypes to prolonged salinity stress was investigated on seedlings grown in pot experiment using 150 mM NaCl up to 60 days of growth after commencement of treatment (DAC). NaCl exposure significantly reduced growth potential of varieties PUSA-90-2 and WBK-CB-14, but no such effect was observed in varieties B1, BioL-212 and in two mutant lines LR3 and LR4. A time-bound measurement at 15, 30 and 60 DAC revealed significant reduction in plant dry matter production, orchestrated through abnormally low capacity of leaf photosynthesis accompanied by low K+/Na+ ratio and onset of oxidative stress in all six genotypes at 15 DAC and the extension of the phenomena in PUSA-90-2 and WBK-CB-14 to 60 DAC. High superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity coupled with low ascorbate redox and declining ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalases (CAT) levels led to abnormal rise in H2O2 content at reproductive stage (30 DAC) in the latter two genotypes, consequently, resulting in NaCl-induced oxidative damage. H2O2 level in the rest of the four genotypes was modulated in a controlled way by balanced action of SOD, APX and CAT, preventing oxidative damage even under prolonged NaCl-exposure. Enzyme isoforms were involved in regulation of foliar H2O2-metabolism, which was critical in determining As tolerance of grass pea genotypes.
Coordination Dynamics and Coordination Mechanism of a New Type of Anticoagulant Diethyl Citrate with Ca2+Ions
Authors: Han Jin , Xue Jun-Fa , Xu Meng , Gui Bao-Song , Kuang Li , Ouyang Jian-Ming
Published: December 2013

Diethyl citrate (Et2Cit) is a new potential anticoagulant. The coordination dynamics and coordination mechanism of Et2Cit with Ca2+ions and the effect of pH on the complex were examined. The result was compared with that for the conventional anticoagulant sodium citrate (Na3Cit). The reaction order (n) of Et2Cit and Na3Cit with Ca2+was 2.46 and 2.44, respectively. The reaction rate constant (k) was 120 and 289 L·mol−1·s−1. The reverse reaction rate constant (kre) was 0.52 and 0.15 L·mol−1·s−1, respectively. It is indicated that the coordination ability of Et2Cit with Ca2+was weaker than that of Na3Cit. However, the dissociation rate of the calcium complex of Et2Cit was faster than that of Na3Cit. Increased pH accelerated the dissociation rate of the complex and improved its anticoagulant effect. The Et2Cit complex with calcium was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, FT-IR,1H NMR, and ICP. These characteristics indicated that O in –COOH and C–O–C of Et2Cit was coordinated with Ca2+in a bidentate manner with 1 : 1 coordination proportion; that is, complex CaEt2Cit was formed. Given that CaEt2Cit released Ca2+more easily than Na3Cit, a calcium solution was not needed in intravenous infusions using Et2Cit as anticoagulant unlike using Na3Cit. Consequently, hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia were avoided.
Evodiamine Induces Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1-Mediated Protective Autophagy in U87-MG Astrocytes
Authors: Liu Ann-Jeng , Wang Sheng-Hao , Hou Sz-Ying , Lin Chien-Ju , Chiu Wen-Ta , Hsiao Sheng-Huang , Chen Thay-Hsiung , Shih Chwen-Ming
Published: December 2013

Cerebral ischemia is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, which results in cognitive and motor dysfunction, neurodegenerative diseases, and death. Evodiamine (Evo) is extracted fromEvodia rutaecarpaBentham, a plant widely used in Chinese herbal medicine, which possesses variable biological abilities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammation, antiobesity, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, antimetastatic, antianoxic, and antinociceptive functions. But the effect of Evo on ischemic stroke is unclear. Increasing data suggest that activation of autophagy, an adaptive response to environmental stresses, could protect neurons from ischemia-induced cell death. In this study, we found that Evo induced autophagy in U87-MG astrocytes. A scavenger of extracellular calcium and an antagonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV-1) decreased the percentage of autophagy accompanied by an increase in apoptosis, suggesting that Evo may induce calcium-mediated protective autophagy resulting from an influx of extracellular calcium. The same phenomena were also confirmed by a small interfering RNA technique to knock down the expression of TRPV1. Finally, Evo-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) activation was reduced by a TRPV1 antagonist, indicating that Evo-induced autophagy may occur through a calcium/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Collectively, Evo induced an influx of extracellular calcium, which led to JNK-mediated protective autophagy, and this provides a new option for ischemic stroke treatment.
Analysis of Temporal and Spatial Changes in the Vegetation Density of Similipal Biosphere Reserve in Odisha (India) Using Multitemporal Satellite Imagery
Authors: Biswal Anima , Jeyaram A. , Mukherjee Sumit , Kumar Umesh
Published: December 2013

National parks and protected areas require periodic monitoring because of changing land cover types and variability of landscape contexts within and adjacent to their boundaries. In this study, remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to analyse the changes in the vegetation density particularly in the zones of higher anthropogenic pressure in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) of Odisha (India), using Landsat imagery from 1975 to 2005. A technique for the detection of postclassification changes was followed and the change in vegetation density as expressed by normalized difference vegetation index was computed. Results indicate that high dense forest in the core zone has been conserved and the highest reforestation has also occurred in this zone of SBR. The results also reveal that anthropological interventions are more in the less dense forest areas and along the roads, whereas high dense forest areas have remained undisturbed and rejuvenated. This study provides baseline data demonstrating alteration in land cover over the past three decades and also serves as a foundation for monitoring future changes in the national parks and protected areas.
Proteomic Analysis of Plasma-Purified VLDL, LDL, and HDL Fractions from Atherosclerotic Patients Undergoing Carotid Endarterectomy: Identification of Serum Amyloid A as a Potential Marker
Authors: Lepedda Antonio J. , Nieddu Gabriele , Zinellu Elisabetta , De Muro Pierina , Piredda Franco , Guarino Anna , Spirito Rita , Carta Franco , Turrini Francesco , Formato Marilena
Published: December 2013

Apolipoproteins are very heterogeneous protein family, implicated in plasma lipoprotein structural stabilization, lipid metabolism, inflammation, or immunity. Obtaining detailed information on apolipoprotein composition and structure may contribute to elucidating lipoprotein roles in atherogenesis and to developing new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of lipoprotein-associated disorders. This study aimed at developing a comprehensive method for characterizing the apolipoprotein component of plasma VLDL, LDL, and HDL fractions from patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, by means of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with Mass Spectrometry analysis, useful for identifying potential markers of plaque presence and vulnerability. The adopted method allowed obtaining reproducible 2-DE maps of exchangeable apolipoproteins from VLDL, LDL, and HDL. Twenty-three protein isoforms were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting analysis. Differential proteomic analysis allowed for identifying increased levels of acute-phase serum amyloid A protein (AP SAA) in all lipoprotein fractions, especially in LDL from atherosclerotic patients. Results have been confirmed by western blotting analysis on each lipoprotein fraction using apo AI levels for data normalization. The higher levels of AP SAA found in patients suggest a role of LDL as AP SAA carrier into the subendothelial space of artery wall, where AP SAA accumulates and may exert noxious effects.
Variable-Weighted Grayscale Centroiding and Accuracy Evaluating
Authors: Dong Mingli , Xu Liang , Wang Jun , Sun Peng , Zhu Lianqing
Published: December 2013

Grayscale-weighted centroiding weights the pixel intensity to estimate the center of a circular image region such as a photogrammetric target or a star image. This is easy to realize with good robustness; however, locating accuracy varies with weight. There is no conclusion as to the relationship between weight and centroiding accuracy. To find this relationship and thus acquire the highest achievable accuracy of centroiding, one must first derive the general model of centroiding as follows. ( 1 ) Set weighting as a function that includes the grayscale intensity of each pixel and two undetermined parameters α and β. The centers were calculated from the new weights. ( 2 ) Design an accuracy evaluation method for centroiding based on a virtual straight-line target to obtain the accuracy of centroiding with various parameters. With these parameter values and accuracy records, the accuracy-parameter curve can be fitted. In the end, simulations and experiments are conducted to prove the accuracy improvement of this variable-weighted grayscale centroiding compared with traditional centroiding. The experimental result shows that the parameter α contributes significantly to accuracy improvement. When α = 1.5, locating accuracy is 1/170 pixels. Compared to centroiding and squared centroiding, the new locating method has a 14.3% and 10.6% accuracy improvement indicating that it improves locating accuracy effectively.
Scheduling Semiconductor Multihead Testers Using Metaheuristic Techniques Embedded with Lot-Specific and Configuration-Specific Information
Authors: Hung Yi-Feng , Wang Chi-Chung , Wu Gen-Han
Published: December 2013

In the semiconductor back-end manufacturing, the device test central processing unit (CPU) is most costly and is typically the bottleneck machine at the test plant. A multihead tester contains a CPU and several test heads, each of which can be connected to a handler that processes one lot of the same device. The residence time of a lot is closely related to the product mix on test heads, which increases the complexity of this problem. It is critical for the test scheduling problem to reduce CPU's idle time and to increase tester utilization. In this paper, a multihead tester scheduling problem is formulated as an identical parallel machine scheduling problem with the objective of minimizing makespan. A heuristic grouping method is developed to obtain a good initial solution in a short time. Three metaheuristic techniques, using lot-specific and configuration-specific information, are proposed to receive a near-optimum and are compared to traditional approaches. Computational experiments show that a tabu search with lot-specific information outperforms all other competing approaches.
An Improved Approach to the PageRank Problems
Authors: Xie Yue , Huang Ting-Zhu , Wen Chun , Wu De-An
Published: December 2013

We introduce a partition of the web pages particularly suited to the PageRank problems in which the web link graph has a nested block structure. Based on the partition of the web pages, dangling nodes, common nodes, and general nodes, the hyperlink matrix can be reordered to be a more simple block structure. Then based on the parallel computation method, we propose an algorithm for the PageRank problems. In this algorithm, the dimension of the linear system becomes smaller, and the vector for general nodes in each block can be calculated separately in every iteration. Numerical experiments show that this approach speeds up the computation of PageRank.
La Niña Impacts on Austral Summer Extremely High-Streamflow Events of the Paranaíba River in Brazil
Authors: Sahu Netrananda , Singh R.B. , Kumar Pankaj , Silva Roberto Valmir Da , Behera Swadhin K.
Published: December 2013

The extremely high-streamflow events of the Paranaíba River basin are found to be associated with La Niña phenomenon during December–February (DJF). Extreme events are identified based on their persistent flow for seven days and more after taking retention time into consideration. The extremely high-streamflow events are associated with the La Niña years; 80% of the high-streamflow events have occurred during La Niña phases. Therefore, a very-significant 80% and above correspondence of the La Niña events and the seasonal streamflow anomalies are found in DJF. Although climate variations have direct relationship with the rainfall, streamflow variations are considered as the surrogates to rainfalls. However, apart from climate variations the anthropogenic and land-use changes also influence streamflow variations. In this study, we have applied multivelocity TOPMODEL approach and residual trend analysis to examine the impact of land-use to the streamflow at the Fazenda Santa Maria gauge stations. However, the model residual trend analysis of the TOPMODEL approach cannot quantify the extent of land-use impact. Thus, La Niña phase is important components to understand and predict the streamflow variations in the Paranaíba River basin.